The President of the European Central Bank, Jean-Claude Trichet, told Forbes that global governance is extremely necessary if we want to prevent another financial crisis.
In his prepared printed and spoken remarks to the Council on Foreign Relations, Trichet emphasized that politicians, economists, and financiers must work across the Atlantic and collaborate on methods to create an international set of standards.
It is his belief that through global governance, the resiliency of the global financial system can be assured, noting that ultimately it was governments' use of taxpayer's money, equivalent to around 25% of GDP on both sides of the Atlantic, that prevented another catastrophic great depression from occurring. Continued on Page 49
The Seattle cartoonist that created "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day" has changed her request to "Everybody Draw Al Gore Day."
As readers are likely aware, Molly Norris last week published a cartoon calling for a nationwide protest over Comedy Central's decision to censor its two-part episode involving the prophet Mohammed.
On Thursday, Norris posted a video at her website explaining why she created the first cartoon, and directed her followers to instead take up a splinter campaign started by a group called "I Hate The Media!", namely "Everybody Draw Al Gore Day". However, this has quickly mutated into 'Everybody Draw Al Gore Pretending To Be Mohammed Day."
And none too soon.
Fashion and politics are seasonal and unpredictable, yet the two came together quite well here for the hometown designer Maria Pinto and Michelle Obama, whose first memorable bursts onto the national scene were often in Pinto creations.
Remember the purple sheath Mrs. Obama wore the night of the fist bump heard round the world? The teal number at the Democratic National Convention? Or the red dress she wore to meet the Bushes on their way out of the White House? Maria Pinto all, designed right here where both women were born and raised and, over the course of one remarkable election, became stars.
So when Ms. Pinto abruptly put up a closeout sale' sign in the window of her West Loop boutique and announced that she was folding her fashion business, Chicago and Pinto devotees all over reacted with disbelief: What in sartorial heaven happened? I pushed as far as I could,' Ms. Pinto, 53, said in her first lengthy interview since the demise of her store and wholesale operations in mid-February.
Just back from a month's break in Barcelona, she pointed to the strain that a sour economy had placed on her business just as it was expanding and gaining major traction beyond a loyal Chicago following.
But Ms. Pinto acknowledged having made some typical startup mistakes in building her brand, in areas like financial management and operations.
After 16 years of designing out of a somewhat anonymous atelier, she opened the boutique, named after herself, in August 2008, capitalizing on a wave of enthusiasm for her work, as displayed mostly by Mrs. Obama on the campaign trail. She also increased her wholesale operations and had been maintaining a showroom in New York.
While Mrs. Obama diversified her style after becoming first lady (she has been drawn to high-end designers like Jason Wu and Narciso Rodriguez, as well as brands like J. Crew), she still sported Maria Pinto every now and then. But even high-profile support of the brand, priced in the hundreds and thousands of dollars, could not save it from the reality of the Great Recession.
The real problems started right after the introduction of the spring 2010 line in New York last September, Ms. Pinto said. They loved the line,' she said. I was like, where are the orders? O.K., this is not a good sign.' No, it started long before then.
Pinto was carried at stores like Barneys, Saks Fifth Avenue and Takashimaya a store whose New York location will soon be closing its doors, another victim of the recession.
She's such a highly regarded talent,' said Anne Brouwer of McMillan Doolittle, a Chicago firm that specializes in retail analysis. It was certainly a really difficult time to open.'
Still, fashion watchers said her style helped define a moment. As a fan of the first lady's, I was discovering Michelle Obama's style influence, and Maria Pinto was part of that story from the very beginning,' said Mary Tomer, creator of Mrs-O.org, a blog devoted to Mrs. Obama's clothes.
But Mrs. Obama chose from the conservative end of Ms. Pinto's collections, which also included pieces like leather jeans, dresses of sassy feathers and kangaroo jackets. There is so much more the designer wishes she could have been known for.
Yes, it was heartbreaking and very sad,' Ms. Pinto said of the last few months. The good news is that my creativity goes with me anywhere I go.' Great. Why don't you start by taking your creativity to Kenya where they can appreciate it better.
For now, it will go into yoga, gardening, painting and a lot of soul-searching.
#4
when you post an ad on a semi-trailer you get attention.
Moral: Might wanna make sure it's an attractive ad, and an appealing semi-trailer
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/01/2010 8:51 Comments ||
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#5
So many artistes consider themselves above vulgar financial things. The smart ones bring in a partner with that expertise. The few who have both abilities, they fly very high indeed.
Still, not one of the successful entrepreneurs I know takes a month off, ever, and especially not during the startup phase or if the business is in trouble.
#15
"Michelle O's Fashion Designer Going Out of Business"
There are so many things wrong with that sentence.
The pathetic crap she's been wearing ain't fashion.
And I have a hard time believing anybody deliberately designed anything that looks that bad.
"So many artistes consider themselves above vulgar financial things."
Hell, I consider myself "above vulgar financial things" - but the bank and the power company, etc., keep sticking their noses in and reminding me I'd better not be. :-(
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
05/01/2010 23:41 Comments ||
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Wildlife documentary makers are breaching the rights of animals by invading their privacy, a leading academic has claimed.
Dr Brett Mills believes programmes such as the BBC's Nature's Great Events, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, are "unethical" for capturing animals' most intimate secrets on camera without their consent.
The senior lecturer at the University of East Anglia said it was wrong for broadcasters to treat all creatures as "fair game" and to fail to consider their right to privacy before recording.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: john frum ||
05/01/2010 00:00 ||
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"There are many activities which animals engage in which are common to wildlife documentary stories but which are rendered extremely private in the human realm.
"Mating, giving birth, and dying are recurring characteristics in nature documentaries, but the human version of these activities remains largely absent from broadcasting."
I hope this guy doesn't find out they've got Ag schools in the UK.
#3
"There are many activities which animals engage in which are common to wildlife documentary stories but which are rendered extremely private in the human realm.
"Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to." - Mark Twain
#6
"Mating, giving birth, and dying are recurring characteristics in nature documentaries, but the human version of these activities remains largely absent from broadcasting."
I'm guessing he doesn't go to the movies much, or have a subscription to something like Netflix.
Authorities in India's Karnataka state are investigating reports that raw silk, adulterated with toxins, has partially blinded at least 40 weavers.
Workers in Ramanagaram district have complained of eye injuries after handling cloth imported from China over the last three months.
Officials said a sample of the yarn has been sent for chemical analysis.
Karnataka is a leading silk-producing state, but over the years, more Chinese silk has entered the market.
An official said chemicals had been added to increase the weight of silk and to make the cloth look more attractive - but there is no report of where or when chemicals might have been added.
Four weavers were admitted to a hospital in Ramanagaram last week after they touched a bag of raw silk.
"Immediately, our eyes started to burn and our vision got blurred," said Ahmed, one of the victims.
There are more than 38,000 weavers in the silk-producing towns of Ramanagaram and Channapatna.
Posted by: john frum ||
05/01/2010 17:47 ||
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South Korea's own CSI team has figured out the exact cause of the Cheonan shipwreck, except for one key detail.
Here's what they know so far, according to Chosun Ilbo:
A team of scientists believes that the Navy corvette Cheonan sank after being hit by a heavy 206 kg torpedo that ran at a speed of 65 km/h.... exploded underwater 2.3 m from the ship with power equivalent to 206 kg of TNT... a series of internal explosions occurred in the stern for about 80 seconds... the ship was probably hit by a Chinese-made 206 kg-class Yu-3 heavy torpedo.
What they don't know can't prove is that North Korea fired the torpedo.
Let's consider who could have fired the torpedo. China could be blowing up foreign ships to prove its dominance in the region. A Soviet submarine that never came home could be on the rampage. Al Qaeda might have their own submarine. Or it could be the militaristic rogue state next door that has a long history of nearly provoking war.
The only real question is whether this was a stupid, irrational move by Kim Jong-il or part of a larger plan to force economic concessions.
#1
Federal authorities charged six people and three companies Friday with importing substandard magnesium powder from China into the United States, where officials say it got into the Defense Department's arsenal but was discovered before being used in combat or exercises.
Too late, but not in a way that cost American lives. At least, assuming we have other stuff already made that they can use instead.
Assume nothing from the Chinese. Test everything we import from them when it hits the dock and charge the importer. If it fails, just send it back. Let the importer work it out with the company they got it from.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
05/01/2010 11:00 Comments ||
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#3
They put melamine in that as well?
Posted by: john frum ||
05/01/2010 12:31 Comments ||
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#4
Melamine and every other form of toxic waste they don't want to actually have to deal with. The latest greatest thing I have heard about is that they are using cadmium instead of lead because people were whining too much about the lead in the toys and kids' jewelry they'd ship over here. Hey, cadmium isn't exactly lead, so it must be OK, right?
#5
Back in the day, when Made In Japan meant cheap plastic crap, you knew you were getting cheap plastic crap but it wouldn't kill you. Is there *anything* the Chinese make that is actually what it says on the label?
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/01/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
These numbers reflect the number of people working in the black economy as much as anything. Greek unemployment is officially 19%.
Government austerity and taxes increases will drive more people into the black economy, further reducing government revenues and increases costs (many of the black economy employed also collect welfare).
The head of the European Commission says he is confident an emergency aid package will keep Greece's crippling debt crisis from further threatening the financial health of other EU nations. Speaking at a press conference in Beijing Friday, Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said measures to contain the crisis will be in place in the coming days. More unicorn dust!
Officials say a bailout being discussed with the EU and International Monetary Fund will likely cost about $160 billion, and will require Greece to drastically slash its deficit by 2011. The Germans EU doesn't have that kind of money and Greece won't slash its deficit, next year or never. If they had the will do that they would have done it well before they got into trouble.
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou told parliament Friday the cutbacks are a "patriotic responsibility" that must be done without regard to political cost.
Greek union officials said the proposed deal could cause extreme hardship. It's a hardship when you can't retire at 55 ...
Police fired tear gas on protesters outside of Greece's finance ministry late Thursday as hundreds gathered to rally against the austerity measures. More protests are planned on Labor Day, which is on Saturday, while unions have called for a general strike on May 5.
Politicians and investors are worried that economic problems could spread if Greece fails to pay back its debt. Those concerns grew earlier this week, when a key credit rating agency, Standard and Poor's, downgraded its credit ratings of Greece, Portugal and Spain.
Greece faces a May 19 deadline for servicing a portion of its debt.
Any Greek bailout will require the approval of other euro zone members, and the plan has met political opposition in Germany.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/01/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Didn't expect to retire at 50 on full government pension.
#2
In a land of culture, pride lies in art of corruption Got a problem with the tax inspector? That can be solved in a jiffy in Greece: you slip him a fat wad of euros and your pain is eased...Tasos Telloglou, an investigative journalist who has exposed scandals involving big corporate payoffs, said: Corruption is everywhere. It is part of our mentality. Greeces new financial masters will find the locals running rings around them, he added.
#3
The German taxpayer would probably be more inclined to give Greece euros to build new prisons for its corrupt officials rather than throwing that good money after bad in propping up the sick Greek economy.
Democrats have glimpsed their biggest threat this fall, and she is Grandma.
One reason President Barack Obama and other party leaders are rolling out campaigns this week to energize young and minority voters for November's elections is that they've seen the polling data on senior citizens, and it's ugly.
Posted by: ed ||
05/01/2010 14:43 ||
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#1
Consider two independent seniors who live in the retirement community of Sun City West, Ariz. :
Helen Burnside , 84, a retired nursing school dean, voted for Obama because "the country was going to hell in a handbasket" under Republicans.
She thought that a health care overhaul was needed but she fears that with the new law "the whole thing's going to implode." She's disappointed in the Democrats' failure to enact an immigration overhaul, and she thinks that the money Democrats have taken from Wall Street donors compromises them as much as it does Republicans.
"I generally vote," Burnside said, but this year "I don't know who our people are."
Faye Liebling , 78, voted for McCain in 2008 because she doubted that Obama could deliver on many promises. She hasn't changed her mind.
"With this medical bill, where's he going to get the money?" she said. "Who's going to pay for it?" She didn't like the bailouts for auto companies and banks, either. The bank bailouts began under former President George W. Bush but they continued under Obama.
"If I would vote Democrat, it's like I am supporting him," she said of Obama. "And I'll be very honest, I don't want to support him. I don't agree with him on a lot of things."
Thanks Helen! Dipshit
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/01/2010 14:54 Comments ||
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#2
I have a feeling that a lot of seniors dropped their membership in AARP also since the AARP was pushing BO's health care bill.
Posted by: ed ||
05/01/2010 15:20 Comments ||
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#6
One reason President Barack Obama and other party leaders are rolling out campaigns this week to energize young and minority voters for November's elections is
#7
Turned 50 last fall. Hope the AARP staff appreciated the full return membership envelopes and messages contained within. Guess the message got through - I haven't received anything since
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/01/2010 15:46 Comments ||
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#8
The need for the Democrats to replace those pesky voters becomes more urgent.
Whatever. Looks like Trunk spinmasters are hard at work.
The rapidly expanding environmental catastrophe caused by the oil spill off the coast of Louisiana is presenting a growing political challenge to the Obama White House, with Mr. Obama and his aides at pains to defend the response and forestall comparisons to the Hurricane Katrina crisis.
Nine days after British Petroleum's Deepwater Horizon oil rig blew apart and began spewing 5,000 barrels of oil a day into the Gulf of Mexico, a massive oil slick is set to wash ashore on the southern coast Thursday evening and, experts say, could dwarf the damage caused by the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska.
Failure to get control of the relief effort and contain the environmental challenge could pose the same kind of political threat to Mr. Obama's popular standing that the much-criticized handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina did for former President George W. Bush. And unlike Katrina, it is likely the federal government will be the clear lead authority in dealing with the BP spill.
But Mr. Obama only Thursday dispatched Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson to help coordinate the federal response to the potential environmental disaster.
"We are being very aggressive and we are prepared for the worst case," Coast Guard Rear Adm. Sally Brice-O'Hara said at the White House.
#3
...could pose the same kind of political threat to Mr. Obama's popular standing that the much-criticized handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina did for former President George W. Bush.
One can always dream, guys. But the reality is that Ogabe retains the MSM's worshipful allegiance. It'll take the proverbial "dead girl or live boy" type of scandal to bring him anything other than slobberingly positive press that would embarrass Kim Jong-Il.
Posted by: RIcky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
05/01/2010 11:12 Comments ||
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#4
For someone who can, by popular vote, walk on water, I doubt that oil will present much of a problem....
WASHINGTON An inadequate underwater cement job during the deep-water drilling process is emerging as a potential cause of the devastating oil spill.
Officials haven't said what they think caused the explosion. But speculation points to a process where cement is used to seal cracks in the ocean floor surrounding the tubing through which crude oil flows.
Friday, Halliburton confirmed that it was the "cementer" and said it had completed its job 20 hours before the explosion.
Denver Post wire services
Posted by: Flapper Scourge of the Algonquins4926 ||
05/01/2010 13:31 Comments ||
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#7
I'm torn.
I want to be fair to the responders -- Coast Guard, Interior experts, industry workers, etc., who I bet have been on this from day one and are working their tails off to contain the problem. I don't want them attacked for a 'slow' response.
I also acknowledge that a president can't be on top of everything; that's why he has advisors (and in this case, czars) and whole departments full of people to stay on top of things and advise him as to what's going on.
Then again, there was little if any such acknowledgement for George Bush after Hurricane Katrina. The hurricane was a disaster; the way the media treated GWB was a scandal.
So I'd like to be fair and sympathetic. Honest. Really.
Then again, giving the Democrats and Obama a taste of their own medicine strikes me as equally fair.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/01/2010 13:35 Comments ||
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#8
Then again, giving the Democrats and Obama a taste of their own medicine strikes me as equally fair.
yep. Note: don't set standards and bitch about it later when you're held to 'em
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/01/2010 14:46 Comments ||
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#9
Then again, there was little if any such acknowledgement for George Bush after Hurricane Katrina
He at least was very aware of it. My understanding is that the governor didn't make a formal request for help.
Posted by: Bobby ||
05/01/2010 16:52 Comments ||
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#12
The double-standard of the media erks me as well but at least the NY Times is nailing him now. Still i don't really see how a quicker response could have taken form.
I'm also curious about the explosion. Is there anything about the explosion beyond the timing that seems to be beyond an accident? Eco-terrorist or terrorist? Do we even know enough to say at this point.
#13
Look, guys, I don't like the President very much and I really don't want to give him credit for anything. That said...
I don't think there's a whole lot he _can_ do to help; rigs like the Deepwater Horizon are _hideously_ complex devices; building another one and outfitting it with everything from drill pipe, to risers, to blowout preventers, I suspect, would run into something like eight hundred million dollars. IMHO. (And that's just a WAG). I know some of the people who built that rig, two or three corporate takeovers ago, and REALLY, they're a lot smarter than me. Whatever went wrong, it's probably not a typical situation.
Probably the best thing the president can do is stay out of the way and let the experts try to fix the situation, whether it relies on repairing the BOP in-situ OR drilling a relief well. That, and hope and pray that they've picked the right experts at BP and whoever their government response team is.
(OH, and for crying out loud, don't screw around like they did on the Exxon Valdez spill, allow and encourage the use of bioremediation to help clean up the spill.)
#14
rjschwarz: I'm under the impression from talking to Glenmore and others that the BOP's are basically a failsafe system, if they lose signal from the rig on their hydraulic control lines they're supposed to be able to close shut the hole, no matter what's in the way.
Currently there are two separate failures that have happened: there was a blowout of natural gas or oil pushed by natural gas somewhere on the rig floor, that killed everyone there. Somewhere about the same time something's happened that screwed up the blowout preventer's ability to both block a blowout, _and_ close manually further on down the timeline (they've tried this via submersible, and it doesn't seem to have worked).
So as far as sabotage goes, you'd need something that would need to simultaneously kill everyone on the rig floor _and_ damage the blow out preventer, which is way down under the rig under a couple thousand feet of water.
SO... just at first glance, and in my completely uneducated opinion... a blowout originating somewhere below the BOP's and damaging them somehow while in the process of moving up the risers to the rig seems a lot more plausible than some sort of bomb.
Whatever wild theory you come up with has to deal with the fact that the BOP's don't seem to have worked and go on from there.
#15
there is absolutely NOTHING Obama could do in this instance. There was also NOTHING W could do about Katrina. That didn't stop the hatred-fevered little minds of Liberals from attacking him. That's the bar they set. Let them leave a slime-trail beneath it. November should be salt on the path
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/01/2010 18:11 Comments ||
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#16
I know there's a Femtoviolin at the 'Burg.
Somebody did not return it to its sterling silver case after the last time it was used. Goodness knows where the the draft has blown it. I've been hoping that Dave D. picked it up when last he ventured out from beneath the pool table in the O Club -- he's a bit of a pack rat, is as fond of sharp shiny things as he is of ammunition.
#17
Snow Thing,
'Fail-safe' BOPs exist, and as I understand it (don't know for certain), are mandatory in some countries, but not the US. Strange, as we have generally been the leader in deep water technology.
We have been given orders to make no speculation about causes or effects of this event. Presumably to avoid giving any indication of a corporate position; though since we are in no way involved, it is not for reasons of secrecy - more likely to avoid spreading misinformation.
I've been over at Anthony Watts' place Watts Up With That?", where there are some other very intelligent and informed people discussing this, they don't have a clue, either.
"President" O'Bumble has one very serious problem in dealing with this disaster in his choice of Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar. The man is an environut from western Colorado who has no love lost for the oil industry, and no ability to deal with anything beyond a third grade tour of the Washington Capital.
From all accounts, this is a "perfect storm" incident. What may well have happened is that the reservoir pressure was significantly higher than expected, something broke off and came shooting up the drill hole, blocking the BOP, and caused the fire on the drill floor, killing everyone there. The BOP may have partially worked, keeping flow rates down at first, but now has been overcome, and flow rates are increasing. IF THAT'S THE CASE, ALL BETS ARE OFF.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
05/01/2010 22:43 Comments ||
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The son of a Democratic Tennessee lawmaker was convicted Friday on two charges in the hacking of Sarah Palin's e-mail account while she campaigned on the Republican presidential ticket in 2008.
The federal court jury reached its verdict against David Kernell, 22, after four days of deliberation. He was found guilty of obstruction of justice and unauthorized access to a computer, but was acquitted on a charge of wire fraud. The jury deadlocked on a charge of identify theft. Prosecutors reserve the right to have a new trial on that charge.
The charge of obstructing an investigation carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence and unauthorized access to a computer is a misdemeanor with a maximum one-year sentence.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Phillips did not immediately set a sentencing date.
Kernell's defense attorney maintained the hack amounted to college prank, not a crime. Kernell was a student at the University of Tennessee at the time. Prosecutors argued it was a more serious effort to damage Palin's political campaign.
Knoxville Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Weddle, the chief prosecutor in the case, said they had not decided whether to try Kernell again on the identity theftcharge.
The former Alaska governor posted a statement on her Facebook page, saying she and her family "are thankful that the jury thoroughly and carefully weighed the evidence and issued a just verdict."
"As Watergate taught us, we rightfully reject illegally breaking into candidates' private communications for political intrigue in an attempt to derail an election," the statement said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/01/2010 00:00 ||
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If someone steals my identity, could I get similar consideration?
The ban on Chinese telecom equipment seems to be snowballing into a diplomatic issue between India and China.
The Chinese Embassy has written to the Prime Minister seeking clarity on the Government's policy for procuring telecom equipment in the light of the security concerns raised against gear manufactured by Chinese firms such as ZTE and Huawei.
In the past two months, the Department of Telecom has rejected all applications submitted by the operators to buy equipment from Chinese vendors due to security concerns. DoT officials said that the decision to reject the applications was based on inputs received by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Intelligence agencies are concerned about the possible presence of spyware or malware embedded into the telecom gear which could allow unfriendly countries to control the telecom network from remote locations.
Earlier, the DoT had made it mandatory for operators to take clearance from the Government before buying any telecom equipment or software from foreign players. Though the rule applies to all foreign manufacturers, applications specifically linked to Chinese vendors have since been rejected by the DoT.
A senior Government official said that a reply to the Chinese authorities will be given after consulting the Ministry of External Affairs since the ban could have implications on bilateral relations.
Meanwhile, a Huawei spokesperson said that the company has not received official communication on the ban.
Nevertheless, we are deeply concerned and surprised to know about this development. Huawei India is currently evaluating and understanding the latest development and seeking clarifications from the authorities concerned. Huawei is willing to cooperate with all the relevant Indian Government agencies to help solve their concerns on the security issue in the interest and growth of the overall Indian telecom industry,' the spokesperson said.
It is the hope of Huawei and it is also in the interest of the industry that a fair and non-discriminatory policy to address this issue is in place and a mutually-beneficial and win-win resolution can be realised through transparent and sincere communication and cooperation,' he added.
India is a huge market for all equipment vendors and the Chinese companies would not want to miss out on the opportunity.
On the other hand, European and American vendors stand to gain from it since operators will be vary of entering into any new deals with the Chinese vendors given the Government stand.
This could also have an impact on the new operators as they will have to rethink their network roll out strategy. Most of the new players were in the process of buying some part of their networks from the Chinese manufacturers.
Posted by: john frum ||
05/01/2010 18:20 ||
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Senior Pentagon leaders on Friday warned Congress not to tamper with the ban on gays serving openly in the military until they can come up with a plan for dealing with potential opposition in the ranks.
In a strongly worded letter obtained by the Associated Press, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen told the House Armed Services Committee that forcing policy changes on the military before it's ready would be a mistake.
"Our military must be afforded the opportunity to inform us of their concerns, insights and suggestions if we are to carry out this change successfully," Gates and Mullen wrote to the panel's chairman, Ike Skelton, D-Mo.
Gay-rights advocates want an immediate freeze on military firings of openly gay service members, and some senior Democratic senators have said they want to offer such a bill. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday said the Obama administration should suspend enforcement of the law until the Defense Department completes its study and Congress can act to change it.
But other lawmakers, including Skelton, have said they are uneasy about lifting the ban and don't want to act before the force is ready.
The letter provides Skelton and other unsettled Democrats political cover not to press the issue until after this year's midterm elections. Earlier this week, Skelton asked Gates in a letter to outline his views as the House committee prepares the 2011 defense authorization bill.
President Barack Obama has said the 1993 law, known as "don't ask, don't tell," unfairly punishes patriotic Americans and asked Congress to repeal it.
#1
... until they can come up with a plan for dealing with potential opposition in the ranks.
Puzzle Place speak for "We're already suffering significant losses with our middle grade officer and NCO retentions. There's no need at the moment to run off the cliff during a war."
The state's top school official is touting a bill that he says will end ethnic-studies classes, which he claims segregate students by race.
The measure, House Bill 2281, passed the House of Representatives in the final hours of the legislative session with one vote to spare. It's one of dozens of bills on Gov. Jan Brewer's desk that she must act on by May 11.
Coming on the heels of the state's new immigration-enforcement law, the bill could further fuel the controversy over Arizona's treatment of people of Hispanic descent.
But Tom Horne, the state superintendent of public instruction, said he thinks it would do just the opposite because it seeks to treat all elementary and high-school students as individuals, rather than teaching students to see people through racial and ethnic lenses.
Horne, who is running for the Republican nomination for state attorney general, wrote the bill and championed it as it moved through the Legislature.
The bill applies to all public and charter schools, from kindergarten through high school. It would ban classes that:
* Promote the overthrow of the U.S. government.
* Promote resentment toward a race or class of people.
* Are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group.
* Advocate ethnic solidarity instead of treating pupils as individuals.
If the state Board of Education or the state school superintendent determines that a school district or charter school violates the bill's provisions, the school or district would lose a share of its state education dollars.
Horne said his target is an ethnic-studies curriculum in the Tucson Unified School District.
"It would ban La Raza studies because it's a course that's aimed primarily at members of one race, and we have testimony that this has promoted resentment toward one race," Horne said Friday. "Raza" means "race."
But the bill would go beyond Tucson's Mexican-American offerings and would end other ethnic-centric courses, Horne said. Students would still be exposed to other cultures and traditions.
"You do it in the regular social-studies class," he said. "And you do it within the (state) standards."
Tucson school officials say there's nothing in their curriculum that would run afoul of the bill's provisions. "In no way do we teach the resentment of any particular group of people," said Sean Arce, director of the Mexican-American studies department in the Tucson district.
The district integrates Mexican-American studies into its offerings, from kindergarten through high school.
Arce said that, contrary to Horne's assertions, the courses are open to all students, and they draw a mixed crowd.
Brewer has not indicated her view on the bill, her spokesman said Friday. But Horne said he is confident Brewer will sign it.
"She and I have been at a lot of Republican meetings, and she agreed with me that this is outrageous," he said.
#1
But Tom Horne, the state superintendent of public instruction, said he thinks it would do just the opposite because it seeks to treat all elementary and high-school students as individuals, rather than teaching students to see people through racial and ethnic lenses.
I thought Bambi's administration was supposed to be "post racial".
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio launched his latest crime and immigration sweep on Thursday, this time in west Phoenix. One by one, accused criminals and illegal immigrants were carted into a sheriff's van. There were a total of 89 arrests -- 61 of them suspected of being in the country illegally.
But despite the fact that the majority of arrests involved Hispanic-looking people, Arpaio said this is not racial profiling.
"We do not go on a street corner and grab people because they look like they are from another country," said Arpaio.
Outside the training facility, where he staged his 15th crime suppression sweep, Arpaio did have his supporters.
"I think that we've had enough terrorizing, raping, clubbing of American citizens -- we're tired of it now," said Betty Tillman.
But on the other side of the street, nearly a dozen demonstrators demanded these crime sweeps end.
"The mixture of Senate Bill 1070 and Joe Arpaio's tactics will be a disaster here in Maricopa county," said Orlando Arenas.
"Should I run for Governor?" Arpaio at one point asked the protesters from the other side of an iron fence.
"I think you need to retire, Sheriff Joe," one shouted back.
Arpaio seemed to enjoy the jeers as much as the cheers, at times taunting the protesters and then later claiming they wouldn't let him talk.
"Even if those critics say, 'You should not do this sheriff because of all of the controversy,' I'm not going to bend down for any critics or politicians because of the controversy going on," said Arpaio.
#1
And by a very strange concidence:Authorities arrested 596 illegal immigrants with prior criminal convictions in a three-day sweep across the Southeastern United States this week, the nation's top immigration enforcement officer said Friday...The sweep also pointed to holes in the U.S. immigration enforcement system. All but two dozen of the criminals, some previously convicted of murder, sex crimes, assault and fraud, had been released from jail or prison without being turned over to immigration authorities for removal, as the law provides, Morton acknowledged.
Do that 14,999 more times and we'll have something here!
Just deny them housing and take their stuff when they are found and they will go away all by their darling selves. Oh, and get rid of that anchor baby thingy.
#5
In addition, another 105 illegals were picked up in a raid in Tucson yesterday.
Today is the planned "National Illegal Immigrant Day of Rage", shooting for nationwide protests. I have a strong feeling that there is not going to be a hell of a lot of tolerance for violence or vandalism, at least in the one in Phoenix. Or else.
#9
But on the other side of the street, nearly a dozen demonstrators demanded these crime sweeps end.
Joe should have raised the day's total to 101 very quickly.
Posted by: Flapper Scourge of the Algonquins4926 ||
05/01/2010 12:18 Comments ||
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#10
Nope, don't strengthen border security.
PHOENIXLaw officers backed by helicopters hunted gunmen in Arizona's desert early Saturday after a sheriff's deputy was wounded by suspected marijuana smugglers, officials said. The violent episode came amid nationwide debate over the state's tough new immigration law.
Pinal County Deputy Louie Puroll was patrolling alone Friday afternoon in a rugged area near Interstate 8, about 50 miles south of Phoenix, when he came upon a band of suspected smugglers, authorities said.
At least one of five suspects opened fire on the 53-year-old lawman, tearing a chunk of skin from just above his left kidney. The officer was found after a frantic hourlong search, Pinal County sheriff's Lt. Tamatha Villar said.
State and federal law enforcement agencies deployed helicopters and scores of officers to search a 100 square-mile zone near the Interstate and Arizona 84 for the suspects. The Arizona Republic reported officials said more than one of the choppers came under fire during the manhunt.
Denver Post
Posted by: Flapper Scourge of the Algonquins4926 ||
05/01/2010 13:43 Comments ||
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#11
All this fuss about Arizona....this from a lady who lives in Utah....
Food for thought!
Just pondering, when my brothers, Uncles, and my husband had to carry a registration card
as soon as they turned 18, no one cared if they were being "profiled" But they had better
not leave home without it....
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
The real problems started right after the introduction of the spring 2010 line in New York last September, Ms. Pinto said. They loved the line,' she said. I was like, where are the orders? O.K., this is not a good sign.' 
Wildlife documentary makers are breaching the rights of animals by invading their privacy, a leading academic has claimed. 
