Our Lazy of Nazareth Shutting Its Doors

Students, faculty, and parents at Our Lady of Nazareth Academy learned last night that the school will close at the end of the academic year.

The small all-girls school in Wakefield, run by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, has been open for 61 years.

Sister Rose Howard, a director of ministries for the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, told the crowd that the order "had been concerned for some time about the school's financial health," according to a press release. "Recent events compelled us to take this difficult action. We are truly saddened to have to take this step." - Boston Globe

Not too many girls have the urge to go to all-girls schools anymore.

Inconvenient Debt

Faux News is Vrai News after this.

Canadian National Anthem

SPRINGFIELD, NB, January 30, 2009 (LifeSIteNews.com) - Susan Boyd was dismayed when her daughter Julia, a grade 5 student at Belleisle Elementary School, told her she needed help with the lyrics to 'O Canada', in preparation for a Canada Day celebration, because "we don't sing it at school anymore."

Mrs. Boyd said, "I was completely shocked. This is a personal thing for me and my family," in a Telegraph-Journal report, referring to the importance of the national anthem to the Boyd family, who lost a family member in the service of Canada. Boyd's nephew, Pte. David Greenslade of St. John, was killed in Afghanistan two years ago.

The school eliminated the practice of playing 'O Canada' over the PA system in September 2007, after complaints by two families who objected to the morning ritual, according to Belleisle Elementary principal Erik Millett.

Big deal, it's just an anthem. A flag is just a flag. Etc, etc.

IBM Makes Stimulus Pitch to Obama

Standing beside President Barack Obama, who was touting his $825 billion stimulus package this week, IBM Chairman and CEO Sam Palmisano stepped up to the lectern and waxed patriotic.

“We need to reignite growth in our country,” Palmisano said. “We need to undertake projects that actually will create jobs.”

He is positioning IBM to get a slice of the stimulus pie.

Since November, Palmisano has been making a pitch to Obama’s transition team that investing $30 billion in expanding rural broadband access, computerizing health-care records and improving the electrical grid could create 949,000 U.S. jobs. - Recordonline

Yeah, let's just give everyone a slice of this useless stimulus pie.

Take this man's word for it:

Politicians and bureaucrats have already done their fair share to ensure that jobs in the private sector are prohibitively complicated and expensive to create. They are now shocked that the economy is shedding jobs, and want to simply create hundreds of thousands of jobs to make up for the job losses, through another so-called economic stimulus package. The private sector must be permitted to do that, but instead they are massively burdened with taxes and webs of red tape and regulation. Washington’s band-aids will only prolong this agony. The Austrian school of economics teaches that only a free market economy, unencumbered by onerous government controls, creates long-term prosperity. Politicians, however, tend to be notoriously short-sighted.

Gangs Responsible For 80% of Crimes?

Criminal gangs in the USA have swelled to an estimated 1 million members responsible for up to 80% of crimes in communities across the nation, according to a gang threat assessment compiled by federal officials.

The major findings in a report by the Justice Department's National Gang Intelligence Center, which has not been publicly released, conclude gangs are the "primary retail-level distributors of most illicit drugs" and several are "capable" of competing with major U.S.-based Mexican drug-trafficking organizations.

"A rising number of U.S.-based gangs are seemingly intent on developing working relationships" with U.S. and foreign drug-trafficking organizations and other criminal groups to "gain direct access to foreign sources of illicit drugs," the report concludes. - LewRockwell.com

As Spencer Hahn said, the real gangs are the FBI and the DEA.

Another Black First

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Michael Steele, a former Maryland lieutenant governor, was elected chairman of the Republican National Committee on Friday.

Steele, the first African-American to hold the post, defeated South Carolina GOP Chairman Katon Dawson, 91-77, in the final round of voting among the RNC's 168 members. Only 86 votes were needed.

"This is our opportunity. I cannot do this by myself," he told the crowd at the annual RNC meeting Friday. "God bless you, and God bless our party. ... It's going to be a new day."

Steele also told his fellow party members that it will be a "great honor to spar" with President Obama.

Drill, baby, drill.

Area Teen Up To Something

GREENFIELD, OH—A local teenager, standing on the corner of Spring Street and Dunlap Lane, is clearly up to some kind of no good, neighborhood sources reported Thursday.

Neighbors are keeping close watch on the teen, who has an unsettling number of pockets.

The teenager, spotted by Greenfield residents at approximately 4:36 p.m., has been described as tall, suspiciously quiet, and almost certainly looking for trouble. According to concerned sources, the teenager has absolutely no business being out there like that.

"Just look at him," said Bob Page, one of several men and women currently watching the 14-year-old from their living room window. "That boy's definitely up to something." - The Onion

Gotta love The Onion.

Funny Pic of the Day (1/29/09)

The Story Behind Global Warming

The key players are now all in place in Washington and in state governments across America to officially label carbon dioxide as a pollutant and enact laws that tax we citizens for our carbon footprints. Only two details stand in the way, the faltering economic times and a dramatic turn toward a colder climate. The last two bitter winters have lead to a rise in public awareness that CO2 is not a pollutant and is not a significant greenhouse gas that is triggering runaway global warming.

How did we ever get to this point where bad science is driving big government we have to struggle so to stop it? - KUSI

The greatest scam in history, it's been called.

Law Abiding Citizens Should Have Guns?

General Sessions Court Judge Bob Moon on Wednesday told a female home invasion victim she needs to buy a gun to protect herself.

"There should be a law that law abiding citizens with no felony convictions should own a gun," the judge said while setting bond for Colton Dobbins.

Judge Moon told Danielle Walker, "I know many fine police officers. But we can't depend on the police to protect us any more."

He said Chattanooga is the 57th most dangerous city in the country, and to many criminals "the value of human life means nothing to them."

The judge said, "With 7,000 foreclosures every day and 6,000 kids dropping out of school" that the crime situation is going to get much worse. - The Chattanoogan

I'm up in the air on this issue.

Song of the Day (1/29/09)

The Verve - Noise Epic

That Was Cool

Going to school only to see that the entire senior parking lot is empty and that there are only two cars in the faculty parking in front of school.

Food Review: Strawberry Fruit Roll-Ups

Grade: 9.5 out of 10

I decided to bring back the good old days of elementary school and eat fruit roll-ups. Ten years later these things are still an awesome snack. They don't really taste that strawberry (in fact, the main ingredients are pears from concentrate). Don't worry though, I can't really see why anyone would not like the taste. It's a lot of sugar and chemicals. Also, make sure you don't eat the packaging. I know it's tempting, but DON'T DO IT.

Comments on WHS exPRESS

Japanese Bombing of Pearl Harbor

Ex-Gitmo Prisoners Fall Back to Terrorism

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Two Saudis formerly jailed at the US prison camp in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, have joined Al Qaeda's Yemeni branch, and authorities here worry that two other ex-Guantánamo inmates may have strayed back to militancy because they have recently disappeared from their homes.

The revelations illustrate the difficulties faced both by President Obama, who has pledged to shutter the facility for terror suspects, and the Saudi government, which is trying to reform its own radical jihadis, many of whom were imprisoned at Guantánamo before being released back to the kingdom. - Christian Science Monitor

Years of having your human rights taken away might just do that to you.

Pope Benedict Supports Jews

Pope Benedict's decision to lift the excommunication of four ultra-traditionalist bishops, including one who has denied the Holocaust, has angered many Jews and Catholics who say the bishops represent repressive and anti-Semitic currents in Catholicism that they want the pope to now explicitly repudiate.

Church officials have been scrambling to downplay the decision announced over the weekend and portray it as a first step in ending the only formal schism in modern Catholicism. But Jewish leaders said the move threatens decades of interfaith dialogue and could harm plans for Benedict's planned trip to the Holy Land later this year. The dispute adds to growing concerns among leaders of other faiths about Benedict's view of interfaith cooperation.

This morning, Benedict made his first public comments on the controversy, telling pilgrims in his weekly audience in Vatican City that he feels "full and indisputable" solidarity with Jews and repudiating the idea of denying the Holocaust. - Washington Post

Good job, Pope.

Song of the Day (1/28/09)

The Veils - Nux Vomica

What say you, Lord
For the olive boys down in the house of corrections
As they try for love and any form of ascension
Am I on the right train headed in the wrong direction
What say you, Lord
What say you, Lord

Am I living wrong
Do you see a long road with no one on it
And the right of men that you learnt only to forget
You see my sad wife and my high margin of profit
But you don't care at all
You don't care
At all

What say you, Lord
Now that they're breeding all our animals insane
And the remedy is growing harder to obtain
There's a white horse running wild through the switch-cane
I can hear him now
And I feel him

'Til Kingdom come
Caught in this frenzy of elimination
Such an irreparable disintegration
My body's twitching with a ready expectation
For Kingdom come
My Kingdom
Come

What say you, Lord
Why is the truth of this so hard to unveil?
Though it's true I never knew what this would entail
From the hands of Christ to the heads of the Daily Mail
I'll see you all
And I'll raise you

Now what say you, all
I wonder when the light is brought up for sale
With the weight of love and the grace of the Baleen Whale
Will the severed Heads of State be at all curtailed
Will they be here at all -
Will they be dead and gone?

What say you Lord
Of the serpent-taled, forbidden fish of the harbours
And the ready-men, defiant drinkers and charmers
All lost and summoning the face of their fathers
Can you see thm now?
I can see 'em

What say you, all
Do I believe it if I do not want it
Do I lie alone and keeps my cold hands off it
Honey, it ain't hard to loose your grip in the midst of all of this
But it ain't far to fall
It's not far at all

NHL 09 Soundtrack Review

The Ratings

Good Songs (8.1 to 8.9):
Johnossi - Execution Song (8.6)
Phantom Planet - Do the Panic (8.5)
Sons and Daughters - Gilt Complex (8.2)
The Elms - The Shake (8.1)
The Kills - Cheap and Cheerful (8.7)

Okay Songs (6.5 to 8.0):
Airbourne - Runnin' Wild (7.8)
Avenged Sevenfold - Afterlife (6.1)
Billy Talent ft. Anti-Flag - Turn Your Back (6.9)
Black Tide - Warriors of Time (7.1)
Bullet For My Valentine - Hearts Burst Into Fire (7.3)
Millencolin - Done is Done (7.0)
Panic at the Disco - Nine in the Afternoon (7.5)

Bad Songs:
Apocalyptica ft. Tomoyasu Hotel - Grace (5.2)
Coheed and Cambria - The Running Free (5.4)
Protest the Hero - The Dissentience (4.8)

Overall Rating: 7.15

John Updike

I heard the news of John Updike's passing yesterday. At first, I said to myself "oh I never heard of him before." I then looked him up on Wikipedia and seemingly I had been at his page before. I scrolled down to the bottom of the page and what do I see but one purple link (indicating I've been to that page already). The link was to none other than A&P -- a short story I read earlier in the school year for English. Way back when, I thought it was great so I searched for the short film adaptation on YouTube and posted it here. So yes, in the end, I figured out just who John Updike was. God bless him.

Funny Pic of the Day (1/27/09)

Zammitti Sr. Testifies In Retrial

WOBURN - The first day of testimony in the Sean Fitzpatrick murder re-trial began Friday as Michael Zammitti Sr., the father of victim Michael Zammitti Jr., took the stand for the prosecution. On the stand, Zammitti told the court about what he saw and experienced on March 13, 2006 at the Allstate Concrete Pumping Company on New Salem Street...

Zammitti Sr. told the court that he arrived at Allstate Concrete at at 7:45 a.m. to work on the concrete pumps. As his voice cracked, Zammitti said that when he arrived, he pushed open the door and found Roberts' body inside, lying face down with a gunshot wound to the back... - The Wakefield Daily Item

I'm convinced: Guilty Guilty Guilty

New Wakefield Daily Item Look

Pros

• Great organization including article placement, titles and headings, and font.
• Compact: even though the paper is smaller, a lot of information can fit on one page.
• Color pictures
• Neat box at bottom right telling what's inside of today's issue
• More features
  

Cons

• Less space means cramming: some things just don't flow properly like the Community Calendar... and Meetings... on Page 2.
• Comments/Editorial page has shrunk and I wonder how they will be able to fit in Comments, a letter to the Forum, and a feature from a politician on one page.
• Sports section has its problems: It's great to display one huge top sports story and one smaller one on the first page of the Sports section. That means that the Sports section will be on most days 3-4 pages long. This seems like it won't be that bad BUT a few things are messed up because of this. 1) The WHS Sports Schedule is cluttered and shoved to the bottom. It would look much nicer inside of a box. 2) The Box Scores aren't boxed. 3) The Standings are messed up and hard to read.
  

Overall, I am impressed with the new tabloid format, but there are going to be some inherent problems that come with the change.

"The Inspirational Caylee Sunshine Doll"

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A businessman's plans to sell a doll named after a slain 2-year-old Orlando girl were suspended early Tuesday after public outcry over "The Inspirational Caylee Sunshine Doll."

Caylee Anthony's story touched people across the country. After a five-month search, her body was found in a wooded area near Orlando. Her mother, Casey Anthony, is charged with first-degree murder in the case.

Just over a month after a utility worker found Caylee's remains, Jaime Salcedo's company, Showbiz Promotions, created a doll with intention to donating $3 from the sale of each $29.95 doll to charity - MSNBC

This is far more kosher than writing a play about a girl who overdosed on ecstasy.

Darfur update

Jan. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Rebels in Sudan’s western Darfur region said they have taken control of two southern towns while the United Nations reported that the government resumed aerial bombardments in the north.

The Justice and Equality Movement, the most powerful rebel faction in Darfur, said today its fighters captured the towns of Sheiria and Khazan Djedid after clashes with government forces 25 kilometers (15 miles) northeast of Muhajiriya, which the rebels occupied this month.

Justice and Equality sounds nice.

Song of the Day (1/26/09)

King Khan & The BBQ Show - Zombies

Figure out the lyrics at your own behest.

Obama Seeks Space Arms Ban

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's pledge to seek a worldwide ban on weapons in space marks a dramatic shift in U.S. policy while posing the tricky issue of defining whether a satellite can be a weapon.

Moments after Obama's inauguration last week, the White House website was updated to include policy statements on a range of issues, including a pledge to restore U.S. leadership on space issues and seek a worldwide ban on weapons that interfere with military and commercial satellites.

It also promised to look at threats to U.S. satellites, contingency plans to keep information flowing from them, and what steps are needed to protect spacecraft against attack.

This is just what Noam Chomsky calls for in Failed States.

GDrive

Google is to launch a service that would enable users to access their personal computer from any internet connection, according to industry reports. But campaigners warn that it would give the online behemoth unprecedented control over individuals' personal data.

The Google Drive, or "GDrive", could kill off the desktop computer, which relies on a powerful hard drive. Instead a user's personal files and operating system could be stored on Google's own servers and accessed via the internet.

The long-rumoured GDrive is expected to be launched this year, according to the technology news website TG Daily, which described it as "the most anticipated Google product so far". It is seen as a paradigm shift away from Microsoft's Windows operating system, which runs inside most of the world's computers, in favour of "cloud computing", where the processing and storage is done thousands of miles away in remote data centres. - Guardian

Sounds nice if you put a lot of trust in corporations and the government.

Concert Review: Mission of Burma (Somerville)

Coming Soon: Arts at the Armory in Somerville

Line-Up:
Jimmy Tingle (Comedian and MC)
Faces on Film
The Neighborhoods
Mission of Burma

Venue: Somerville Theatre

Jimmy Tingle:
Glen: Tingle, 53, a native of Cambridge, was comical. His comedic theme for the night was politics and he did not hesitate to show his support for Barack Obama. With that support came a general loathing towards Bush Jr. With that, he had some good knocks on Bush and Cheney. This was the first show that I've been to that featured a comedian so having Tingle was an added treat.

Chris: Jimmy Tingle provided some witty, observational humor ranging from knocks at President Bush to the value of Beer warning labels.

Faces on Film
Glen: Faces on Film, a former comedy troupe from Boston, was, if you ask me, awesome live. I did hear a little FoF prior to the show, but I wasn't so familiar that I instantly recognized any one particular song. When the first words ("your desperate children") came out of singer Mike Fiore's mouth, I instantly felt like I was listening to Connor Oberst. Fiore is a bit less emotional than Oberst, but his general folk vocal approach is enough to mention the similarity. Fiore was excellent sans his band (a few songs), but I thought the band added a nice element of instrumentation, warranting an almost immediate comparison to Hamilton Leithauser and his Walkmen. My favorite song of the less than one hour set was "I'll Sleep to Protect," off of FoF's hit 2008 album The Troubles. A polished guitar riff, slick bass line, light drums, powerful keyboards, and Fiore's "oh oh oh oh oh oh" all coalesced into a memorable four minutes.

Chris: Faces On Film were pretty chill. They didn't seem too loud, nor too soft. Just right. The whole band was decent, but I actually prefered the lead singer/guitarist performing solo. I saw elemets of Bright Eyes and Radiohead here, and actually a would be polished Daniel Johnston, if you can fathom that. There was also a female singer, whom briefly appeared on the stage, and to be honest her role seemed "unnecssary,"seeing that 90% of the time she just stood there and looked she was sick, ready to collapse any second.

The Neighborhoods
Glen: The Neighborhoods were interesting. They played mainly guitar driven garage/hard rock. I could tell that they were signed to a major label. This wasn't a downfall or anything, but it was just that they were super clean. Almost like really really clean. Dave Minahan is a good singer. Basically, a lot of their songs are excellent Guitar Hero material. The crowd really seemed to appreciate the lengthy guitar solos and solid drum play.

Chris: It was a treat, to see The Neighborhoods follow FoF, mainly because of their stark contrast in performance and sound. While, FoF were chill and mellow, this band rocked out (they weren't wild per se, but certainly good time rocking and their energy transferred to the audience who responded positively. They reminded me of a poppier, safer version of The Replacements. I guess you could say they resembled The Rifles a bit. Most songs were straight up rockers (power pop/garage pop?), but the band broke this mold for a few songs, demonstrating their ability to throw in some slower, perhaps more mainstream, numbers in the mix. Overall, they were decent, about a B-.

Mission of Burma
Glen: Mission of Burma made me happy. I read on Wikipedia prior to the show that their live performances are hit or miss: either really really good or really really bad. Last night was the former. The second song played, "This Is Not A Photograph" featured the spot on duel vocals of Roger Miller and Clint Conley. Pitching in his voice from time to time was drill sargent drummer Peter Prescott. I give a lot of props to Prescott for setting the tone throughout the show. I thought they could have turned Miller's microphone up a little higher, but that wasn't a big deal. Conley's "Academy Fight Song" also happened to come out real well. The effects pedals really added to the noise element of Burma's set -- a benchmark of their inspirational and, as Prescott said, therapeutic music. A few songs came off of the band's critically acclaimed reunion releases, OnoffOn (2004) and The Obliterati (2006). The final song of Burma's encore was a cover of The Stooge's "I Wanna Be Your Dog." In fact, Minahan came back on the stage to play guitar to close out a great night all in benefit of the arts.

Chris: Clearly, everyone came to see these guys, and certainly they got their money's worth. Burma played, a loud, noisy set filled with numerous fan favorites, including "This is Not a Photograph," "Academy," and many others. Crowd response was extremely positive, unsurprisingly, with fans singing along, head banging, and even one woman shaking and girating vigorously back and forth, catching much of the crowd's attention. It was also nice to hear all 3 members sing (or scream, esp. drummer Peter Prescott). The band concluded with a cover of the classic Stooges song, "I Wanna Be Your Dog," they were accompanied by the Neighborhoods' guitarist. It is clear, that Burma's legacy is alive and well and they are more popular and respected now than ever before. On one sad note, it is too bad they did not play their signature song, "That's When I Reach For My Revolver." Oh well. Overall, great show. B+

Iceland's Financial Crisis

Iceland enjoyed a fantastic party. Now it is having a huge hangover.

The island of 319,000 inhabitants is in the heart of the financial storm. Today, share trading in six of Iceland's biggest financial firms was suspended while waiting for an official announcement. The government is under hard pressure to come up with an economic bailout to rescue the country's financial system. Some analysts argue it won't be able to.

Just last week the authorities were forced to nationalise the nation's third-largest bank, Glitnir, taking a 75% share in the firm for 600m euros (£464m). Iceland's currency, the krona, is plummeting against the euro and the dollar. It is rated the world's third-worst performing currency – just above Zimbabwe's and Turkmenistan's. Inflation is at a whopping 14% per year, with some suggesting it could soar to 20%.

Iceland's problems come after booming times. For the past decade, it was one of the fastest growing economies in Europe, making Icelanders the sixth wealthiest people among OECD economies. It was an incredible achievement for a country that, just 50 years ago, was a poor nation surviving mainly on fishing. - Guardian

Wait...they have more than one financial firm in Iceland?

IL Moment of Silence Law Silenced

"A federal judge Wednesday overturned a state law requiring students to observe a moment of silence at the start of each day, ruling it amounted to an unconstitutional endorsement of religion aimed at introducing prayer in public schools.

The decision by U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman makes permanent a ban he put in place in May after a legal challenge by Dawn Sherman, a student at Buffalo Grove High School, and her atheist activist father, Rob Sherman.

"This has just brought closure for everyone, for all the districts in the state of Illinois," said Venetia Miles, spokeswoman for Township High School District 214, based in Arlington Heights.

Schools struggled with the law, which stated that the time should be used as "an opportunity for silent prayer or reflection on the anticipated activities." Districts were left to interpret how long a moment was and when to pause during a morning routine of announcements and the Pledge of Allegiance." - Chicago Tribune

Forced moments of silence aren't right.

Song of the Day (1/25/08)

Faces on Film - The Medical Mind

Your desperate children
Put in an animal grip
I can still see the marks that you made
When you steadied the ship
And I'd see them out of those clutches
If I could assist
Oh doctor, sweet doctor
The medical mind isn't one that exists

Watch me float slowly
But see it outside of the law
Wash me with the words
That can open the mannequin's jaw
You're dead from the minute you wonder
if you will be missed
Oh doctor, sweet doctor
The medical mind isn't one that exists

Two steps off those glowing signs
That say I'm losing and I'm cheap
And I'm amazed at nothing
And that's a reason to be alone

So nice to look at
Now that the rider's been tossed
You can see it with the same mind
That everyone told you you've lost
I need a couple reminders of the hero I was
You may not remember
But at least you could listen to someone who does.

Pedroia's Bro is a Pedophile

WOODLAND, Calif. -- Major League Baseball MVP Dustin Pedroia's brother faces accusations of child molestation in Yolo County. Brett Pedroia, 29, turned himself in to Woodland police on Jan. 9. According to an arrest report, he's suspected of oral copulation and lewd acts with a child under 14.Brett Pedroia was booked and later released on $50,000 bail. He was working in his family's tire store Saturday, but he said he had no comment. - KCRA.com

Poor Dustin.

Cancer Cure?

ROME, JAN. 22, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Imagine a medicine that has a staggering 75% success rate in treating cancer, and yet is a natural and ethical product, owned by a nonprofit company headed by devout Catholics.

Too good to be true? That's what I thought. The medical world is not short of bogus cancer "cures." Treatment for the disease is a multi-billion dollar industry that has led to questionable or unproven methods springing up throughout the world.

Yet this little-known product, which works by rebuilding the body's own adult stem cells and destroying tumour cells, already has a 25-year track record as a highly effective cancer treatment. Called CellAdam, it is most effective in preventing the early stages of cancer. But it also impedes the malignant process, and has an analgesic effect in the hopeless stage of an advanced tumour. Because of its natural composition, it has none of the hallucinogenic effects you get with morphine. The ingredients simply include a fatty acid complex extracted from soy and sunflower.

Let's get this out there!

Fence Lizard Adapting to Fire-Ant Attacks

Assistant Professor of Biology Tracy Langkilde has shown that native fence lizards in the southeastern United States are adapting to potentially fatal invasive fire-ant attacks by developing behaviors that enable them to escape from the ants, as well as by developing longer hind legs, which can increase the effectiveness of this behavior.

---

"Not only does this finding provide biologists with an example of evolution in action, but it also provides wildlife managers with knowledge that they can use to develop plans for managing invasive species," said Langkilde. The results will be described in a paper to be published later this month in the journal Ecology. - Science Daily

This one goes out to Matt Hurton, special.

Funny Pic of the Day (1/24/09)

Gillibrand Selected to NY Senate

ALBANY - Gov. Paterson, defying the liberal wing of his Democratic Party, has chosen little-known, NRA-backed, upstate Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton as New York's junior senator, it was learned last night.

The surprising - and, for many Democrats shocking - decision to pick the conservative Gillibrand, 42, from Hudson in Columbia County, was disclosed by the governor in calls to party officials and some members of the state's congressional delegation, many of whom said they were unhappy with the selection, sources said. - New York Post

Cool.

LV Toddler Survives Snake Attack

A Las Vegas toddler was pulled from the jaws of an 18-foot-long, 300 lb snake.

"That was the only thing I was thinking was I need to try and save this kid's life," neighbor Marlo Vinson said. Vinson was the first neighbor in the apartment complex to try and help the toddler's mother free him from the snake's grasp.

"That's when I saw the 3-year-old on his knees with the snake constricted around him," Metro's Sergeant Steve Custer explained. "I've been a police officer for 36 years and I've never seen anything like this ever."

Custer was one of the first officers on scene. "It's the biggest thing I've ever seen, with a big old head and it's angry and it's hissing." - KVBC

Damn.

FDA OKs Embryonic Stem Cell Research

(CNN) -- Federal regulators have cleared the way for the first human trials of human embryonic stem-cell research, authorizing researchers to test whether the cells are safe to use in spinal injury patients, the company behind the trials announced Friday.

The tests could begin by summer, said Dr. Thomas Okarma, president and CEO of the Geron Corporation. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the trials, which will use human stem cells authorized for research by then-President George W. Bush in 2001.

The patients will be those with the most severe spinal cord injuries, called complete spinal cord injuries.

"A complete spinal cord injury has no hope of recovery below the injury," Okarma told CNN. "This is significant because it's the first clinical trial of a human embryonic-based product."

Obama Administration is awarded -1 for this terrible display of insincerity to life.

RB Hyppolite Headed to UCONN

Before even heading out on a visit this weekend, Wakefield, Mass. athlete Martin Hyppolite made a decision. In fact, the 6-foot-1, 215-pounder committed on Thursday night.

“I gave my verbal commitment to Connecticut on Thursday,” he said. “They came out and offered me before Christmas and I was the only running back they offered this year. They said they wanted me.

“I like the facilities, they are great and everything is brand new. They seem to be an up and coming program and that’s where I want to be at, Division I, Big East.” - Yahoo!

Congrats, Martin!

Song of the Day (1/22/09)

Oh No Oh My! - I Have No Sister

I never had a sister
that you didn't like
You had three ugly brothers
but still turned out all right, yeah

I never had a girlfriend
longer than three months
you never had a boyfriend
but married on a hunch

so let's ride bikes into the sea
and catch a bus outside the reef
drive so deep that we can see
thinks that we have to get off
the bus driver laughs and he shakes his head
says, "You're okay, I drive this route everyday"
you're uneasy and you say you're scared
and if I die at least you'll die too

I never had a sister
but you, you look swell
wearing your matching shorts
as often as the mail comes

you look like Audrey Hepburn
when you get all dressed up
I have seen all your movies
'cause Audrey's a stone fox

so let's ride bikes into the sea
and catch a bus outside the reef
drive so deep where we can see
thinks that we have to get off
The bus driver laughs and he shakes his head
says, "You're okay, I drive this route everyday"
you're uneasy and you say you're scared
and if I die at least you'll die too

Priest Stole, Went On Gambling Binge

Every Sunday the parishioners of St Vincent Ferrer Roman Catholic church in Florida dropped their dollar notes into the collection plate, confident that the money would go straight to the church.

It did — but not in quite the way that they might have expected.

First it went into a hiding place in the ceiling tiles of the church in Delray Beach. Then it found its way into an offshore account, from where it was used to fund gambling trips to Las Vegas, lavish homes and even a mistress. More than a quarter of a million dollars was spent on a rare coin collection. - Timesonline.co.uk

Oh snap.

Nasty Worm Wriggling Into Comps

SAN FRANCISCO – A nasty worm has wriggled into millions of computers and continues to spread, leaving security experts wondering whether the attack is a harbinger of evil deeds to come.

US software protection firm F-Secure says a computer worm known as "Conficker" or "Downadup" had infected more than nine million computers by Tuesday and was spreading at a rate of one million machines daily.

The malicious software had yet to do any noticeable damage, prompting debate as to whether it is impotent, waiting to detonate, or a test run by cybercriminals intent on profiting from the weakness in the future.

"This is enormous; possibly the biggest virus we have ever seen," said software security specialist David Perry of Trend Micro. - Newsmax.com

Non-Windows Operating Systems are reportedly free from the infection.

1/4 Million March For Life

Tens of thousands of anti-abortion activists descended on the National Mall Thursday afternoon for the annual March for Life, marking the 36th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion, Roe v. Wade.

"There's a couple hundred thousand people here and we're psyched," said Michael Tiziani, 17, a member of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, which brought close to 300 members to the event. Marchers said the crowd was about as large as previous protests, which drew about 250,000.

The crowd virtually retraced the steps of nearly 2 million people two day ago who came to witness the inauguration of President Obama, who is pro-choice. The march began at around 12:30 p.m. with a rally at the Mall near 4th street, then proceeded along Constitution Avenue, turning right on First Street toward the steps of the Supreme Court, where another rally was held. - Washington Post

Excellent timing for an excellent cause.

Husband/Wife Rob Students

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indianapolis police said a husband and wife team may be responsible for robbing dozens of students at gunpoint at four bus stops on Indianapolis' east side Thursday morning.

Indianapolis police were sent to several intersections in incidents that began just before 7 a.m., 6News' Jack Rinehart reported. Their first stop was in the 6100 block of East 40th Street."In that first robbery, the victim reported that lunch money had been stolen," said Indianapolis police Sgt. Matt Mount.

A few minutes later, police responded to 42nd and Ridgeview Drive, where students reported another robbery. - TheIndyChannel

Real smart thinking Eric and Tamara Edwards.

Stuff You Won't Find In The Constitution

1. Freedom of Expression
2. Freedom of Speech laws applying to Private Individuals/Businesses
3. God
4. Innocent Until Proven Guilty
5. Primary Elections
6. Paper Money
7. Marriage
   

Two Cool WHS Announcements

“Newspaper Club will now meet Mondays after school in Ms. Farrell’s room—Room 1217. The first meeting will be January 26^th. If you were thinking about joining, now is a good time. All are welcome!

Attention Juniors: Applications are now being accepted for the 2009 – 2010 Banking Program. Applications are available in Guidance, Business Office or at the bank. Please see Mrs. Lyons, Mrs. Carlson or your guidance counselor if you have any questions. Applications period ends Friday, Feb. 13.

First, as the co-editor of the WHS exPRESS, I have to say the Newspaper Club is a great extra-curricular activity. We are always looking for new members to assist with (but not limited to): photographs, articles, layout design, and advertising.

As a Banking officer, I also highly recommend applying! It's an amazing program. You learn and do so much.

Academic Application: Bill of Rights

As an American citizen, here are your rights (look at the Tenth Amendment for more information concerning additional rights):

The First Amendment provides that Congress make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting its free exercise. It protects freedom of speech, the press, assembly, and the right to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The Second Amendment gives citizens the right to bear arms.

The Third Amendment prohibits the government from quartering troops in private homes, a major grievance during the American Revolution.

The Fourth Amendment protects citizens from unreasonable search and seizure. The government may not conduct any searches without a warrant, and such warrants must be issued by a judge and based on probable cause.

The Fifth Amendment provides that citizens not be subject to criminal prosecution and punishment without due process. Citizens may not be tried on the same set of facts twice, and are protected from self-incrimination (the right to remain silent). The amendment also establishes the power of eminent domain, ensuring that private property is not seized for public use without just compensation.

The Sixth Amendment assures the right to a speedy trial by a jury of one's peers, to be informed of the crimes with which they are charged, and to confront the witnesses brought by the government. The amendment also provides the accused the right to compel testimony from witnesses, and to legal representation.

The Seventh Amendment provides that civil cases also be tried by jury.

The Eighth Amendment prohibits excessive bail, excessive fines, and cruel and unusual punishments.

The Ninth Amendment states that the list of rights enumerated in the Constitution is not exhaustive, and that the people retain all rights not enumerated.

The Tenth Amendment assigns all powers not delegated to the United States, or prohibited to the states, to either the states or to the people.

Song of the Day (1/21/08)

Kings of Leon - Taper Jean Girl

Aha shake taper jean girl with a motel face
Aha shake bury your eyes in a secret place
Aha shake black as night on a Sunday

Cunts watch their bodies, no room for make up
I think he's tasted, tasted the watcher

Heartbreak knockin' 'em down like the 7th grade
Heartbreak, cigarettes and songs, with a winter's chafe
Heartbreak keep like my daughter and a run away

Aha shake tapered jean girl kills me

Funny Pic of the Day (1/21/09)

Quote of the Day (1/21/09)

So you basically cover a ton of songs without knowing how to play any sort of music. You have a condition known as tone deafness. Tone deafness is a big challenge to overcome, but it can be done. The first step is realizing that you are IN FACT tone deaf. This means you cannot correctly discern intervals (or the distance between) musical notes, therefore cannot tell if you are singing the correct note or note. Hence you cannot tune your guitar by ear or sing correctly. - Shanghaitunnels

He's referring to The PFYFH.

Sean Fitzpatrick Retrial

Time flies. It's hard to believe that the Sean Fitzpatrick murder trial was five months ago. The retrial began yesterday, January 20, with the selection of jurors. Some of the evidence used in the first trial will not be re-introduced, including the recorded EZ Pass times of Fitzpatrick's truck. Also, it doesn't appear that the retrial will be given the same kind of national televised/streamed coverage.

Obama Ends Regulations

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama's new administration ordered all federal agencies and departments on Tuesday to stop any pending regulations until they can be reviewed by incoming staff, halting last-minute Bush orders in their tracks.

"This afternoon, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel signed a memorandum sent to all agencies and departments to stop all pending regulations until a legal and policy review can be conducted by the Obama administration," the White House said in a statement issued just hours after Obama took office.

The review is a tool commonly used by a new administration to delay so-called "midnight regulations" put in place by a former president between the election and Inauguration Day.

One regulation -- a great one at that -- prohibited medical facilities that discriminate against practitioners who are against assisting in abortion and providing contraceptives from receiving federal and state funding.

W00T!!!

Animal Collective announced their Spring 2009 tour yesterday. AC released their critically acclaimed record Merriweather Post Pavillion earlier this month. Amongst the tour dates?

05-14 Boston, MA - House of Blues

That just made my day.

Postal Worker Hoarded Mail

DETROIT — There were jokes and snickers at a Michigan post office when customers learned that an overwhelmed carrier had rented a storage unit to hide thousands of pieces of mail.

"I heard a couple of people come in and say, 'Can I pick up my mail — or is it in storage?"' said Annette Koss, the postmaster in Howell, 50 miles northwest of Detroit. "We just didn't understand it. It's such a stupid thing to do."

Jill Hull pleaded guilty Tuesday to deserting the mail, a misdemeanor. The case is rare but it happens: From North Carolina to North Dakota, carriers in recent months have been hauled to court for failing to fulfill their routes. - Fox News

The best thing she could come up with? "I was unable to deliver all the mail."

Simply the Best

Wow, show that liberal who is boss! This video is amazing and sums up my whole feelings towards the Obama Sensation. I agree with Ralph's points here about our generation and I think this definitely relates to our school. God, it seems like few of us are sane here and haven't caught the Obama virus, keep up the good work Ralph!

Nader on Obama and Israel

This is just sad.

Switching to Yahoo! Media Player

YouTube videos are fun, but I will be switching to the Yahoo! Media Player format very soon for songs of the day and other audio postings. A lot of music blogs are using this new format and it seems to be working quite well for them. Look for this in the near future!

Song of the Day (1/20/08)

Jay Reatard - An Ugly Death

She hung herself, out to dry
Didn’t even, say goodbye
She had enough, of this world
An ugly death, for a pretty girl

For you, for me
How I love to see

They buried her deep, in the ground
Where she can’t, make a sound
She needed a friend, and there she lies
And no one cares, so no one cries

Kennedy Wheeled Out of Capitol

WASHINGTON -- Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts collapsed at the congressional luncheon honoring President Obama.

Roy Blunt, the House Minority Leader, said Kennedy left the lunch after suffering an apparent seizure. Kennedy, who is battling brain cancer, was removed in a wheelchair to another room to be treated.

CNN reported that Kennedy was still suffering the seizure when he was taken to another room in the Capitol. The Associated Press is reporting that Kennedy has been wheeled out of the Capitol on a stretcher.

MSNBC is reporting that several senators prayed for Kennedy after the seizure and showed footage of several escorting him to the ambulance. - Boston.com

Got to hope for the best.

Band Spotlight: Of Montreal

History: The band started out as a solo project of Kevin Barnes, the lead vocalist. Joining Barnes a short while later were Derek Almstead and Bryan Poole. The trio released their first album Cherry Peel in 1997. As of 2009, there are seven members.

Years Active: 1997 to Present

Label: Polyvinyl

Line-Up:
Kevin Barnes - Vocals/Lead Guitar
Bryan Poole - Guitar
James Husband - Guitar
Dottie Alexander - Keyboards
Davey Pierce - Bass Guitar
Ahmed Gallab - Drums
Nina Barnes - Vocals

Genre: Independent Neo-Psychedelia

Musical Style/Moods:

• Outrageous
• Ambitious
• Trippy
• Snide
• Sardonic
• Quirky
• Freewheeling
• Energetic
• Eccentric
• Cynical/ Sarcastic
• Acerbic
• Dramatic
• Fun
• Party/ Celebratory
• Irreverent
• Playful
• Uncompromising
• Sexual
• Theatrical
• Rousing
• Lively

Best Album: The Sunlandic Twins (2005)

Top Songs:
"Girl from New York"
"Requiem for O.M.M"
"Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games"
"Rapture Rapes the Muses"
"Keep Sending Me Black Fireworks"

Influenced By: The Apples in Stereo, Neutral Milk Hotel, The Olivia Tremor Control, The Dandy Warhols

You might like Of Montreal if you like Islands or Belle and Sebastien

Funny Pic of the Day (1/20/09)

Ownage of the Day

Ayers Turned Away from Canada

William Ayers, the 1960s radical whose ties to President-elect Barack Obama caused trouble for his campaign, was turned away from Canada Sunday night as he tried to enter the country for a series of educational events.

Jeffrey Kugler, the executive director for the Center for Urban Schooling at the University of Toronto, said Ayers was deemed not admissible after being pulled aside by Canadian immigration officials while trying to clear customs at the Toronto airport.

Ayers had been invited to speak before the center. He was also scheduled to meet with the Toronto District School Board and do interviews with Canadian television and radio stations, Kugler said. - Faux News

The past is the past.

Black Death Killing Terrorists

The disease, which struck Europe in the Middle Ages killing more than 25 million people, has swept through a training camp for insurgents in Algeria.

The arrival of the plague was discovered when security forces found the body of a dead terrorist by a roadside, the Sun reports.

The victim belonged to the large al-Qaeda network AQLIM (al-Qaeda in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb).

A security source told the paper: "This is the deadliest weapon yet in the war against terror. Most of the terrorists do not have the basic medical supplies needed to treat the disease.

"It spreads It spreads quickly and kills within hours. This will be really worrying al-Qaeda." - Telegraph.co.uk

This is quite the dilemma.

Gender Bending in Rivers

The cocktail of gender-bending chemicals entering rivers and streams is more potent and harmful than anyone realised, it has been revealed.

Scientists have found an entirely new class of chemicals that is changing male fish into females – and which could be contributing to the soaring rate of infertility and defects in men.

They have yet to find the source of the chemicals, known as anti-androgens, but believe they could come from pesticides, industrial pollution or pharmaceutical drugs. - Mail Online

Wow, so cool!

Future of Abstinence Only Sex Education

NEW YORK – With the exit of the Bush administration, critics of abstinence-only sex education will be making an aggressive push to cut off federal funding for what they consider an ineffective, sometimes harmful program.

How quickly and completely they reach their goal is uncertain, however, as conservative supporters of abstinence education lobby Congress and President-elect Barack Obama to preserve at least some of the funding, which now totals $176 million a year.

And even if federal funding is halted, some states — such as Georgia — are determined to keep abstinence programs going on their own, ensuring that this front in the culture wars will remain active. - Yahoo!

All forms of sex education are a waste. Just look at 9th grade "health."

Hall of Fame Becoming Irrelevant

Congratulations to Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice for their inductions into baseball’s Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Rickey was a no-brainer, yet somehow more than 5% of the voters felt he wasn’t worthy. Rice was a controversial pick, but regardless of where you stand on his worthiness, you have to feel happy for him.

And that’s about where I stop caring about baseball’s Hall of Fame.

Unlike a lot of baseball fans, I did not get into endless debates about why Rice’s numbers aren’t exactly Hall-worthy, or why Bert Blyleven should have been voted in years ago. The Hall means nothing anymore, at least to me. Baseball is such a great sport not just for the action on the field, but for the antiquity and the lore. Who hasn’t been told stories of Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio, or Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series, or the mastery of Bob Gibson? - Baseball Digest (Click to read the rest)/ Bill Baer

I agree with Bill here.

The Real Guantanamo?

I recently visited the detention facilities at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and was dismayed at what I saw. The place was nothing like what I expected, and I was struck by how little we Americans actually know about these facilities and the conduct of our personnel there. With every new interview and every new area walk-through I hoped to find some validation of the certainties I brought with me from the hundreds of articles, documentaries, and speeches presented to the American people by our intellectual superiors.

Instead, my experiences at Guantanamo Bay illustrate the thoroughness of the miseducation of the American people and our willingness to assume the worst about our men and women in uniform. Furthermore, the visit clearly demonstrated that there is a widespread ignorance of the complexity of the situation that we face in the current war against our terrorist enemies. This ignorance results in a focus on superficial issues instead of core questions, and a naive trust in false stories and an astonishing proclivity to be misled... - http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/a-firsthand-look-at-the-real-guantanamo/

This is the other side. Neo-cons can be dangerous. I tend to agree with one commenter Sean:

"Forget the Geneva convention, we have something called a Constitution. Gitmo was specifically created to get around the Constitution. I, for one, am sick of the Fear propaganda employed by the Bush Administration since 9/11 to wipe their asses with the Constitution and strip us of our Constitutional liberties. Our soldiers are fighting for our constitutional liberties and freedom? Really? That’s what they’re doing? Funny, considering since the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq we have less Constitutional freedoms and civil liberties in this Country."

Today is Nat'l Sanctity of Human Life Day

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 18, 2009, as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. I call upon all Americans to recognize this day with appropriate ceremonies and to underscore our commitment to respecting and protecting the life and dignity of every human being.

The best thing Bush has done = five days before he leaves.

Mexico: A Failed State?

Mexico is now in the midst of a vicious drug war. Police officers are being bribed and, especially near the United States border, gunned down. Kidnappings and extortion are common place. And, most alarming of all, a new Pentagon study concludes that Mexico is at risk of becoming a failed state. Defense planners liken the situation to that of Pakistan, where wholesale collapse of civil government is possible.

One center of the violence is Tijuana, where last year more than 600 people were killed in drug violence. Many were shot with assault rifles in the streets and left there to die. Some were killed in dance clubs in front of witnesses too scared to talk.

It may only be a matter of time before the drug war spills across the border and into the U.S. To meet that threat, Michael Chertoff, the outgoing secretary for Homeland Security, recently announced that the U.S. has a plan to "surge" civilian and possibly military law-enforcement personnel to the border should that be necessary. - Wall Street Journal

No more drug war!

BL on MTV Part 3

BL on MTV Part 2

You see, every now and then, MTV throws a bone to the underground and they hire someone like John Norris to be the hip, "alternative" guy to interview them ( I actually think he conducts decent interviews sometimes, but still, it's friggin MTV!). I wouldn't be surprised, if this aired in the wee hours of the morning. Oh well, I'm glad they're getting the exposure.

Black Lips on MTV Part 1

It's nice to see these guys are getting some more exposure.

Black Lips in Israel

http://www.vbs.tv/video.php?id=1150771032

"Freedom of Choice" Doughnut

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Jan. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. (NYSE: KKD) is honoring American's sense of pride and freedom of choice on Inauguration Day, by offering a free doughnut of choice to every customer on this historic day, Jan. 20. By doing so, participating Krispy Kreme stores nationwide are making an oath to tasty goodies -- just another reminder of how oh-so-sweet "free" can be.

"Krispy Kreme is taking the inaugural festivities nationwide," said Ron Rupocinski, executive chef for Krispy Kreme. "We're inviting our fans in cities across the country, including Washington, D.C., to commemorate this historic day with a favorite American treat."

The Inauguration Day promotional offer is good for one doughnut of choice per customer on Jan. 20. No purchase is necessary. To find a participating store near you, visit http://www.krispykreme.com/storelocator.html.

Damn. If only the stores in Medford and Saugus didn't fail.

No Breast Cancer For This Baby

The first baby in the UK tested before conception for a genetic form of breast cancer has been born.

Doctors at University College London said the girl and her mother were doing well following the birth this week.

The embryo was screened for the altered BRCA1 gene, which would have meant the girl had a 80% chance of developing breast cancer.

Women in three generations of her husband's family have been diagnosed with the disease in their 20s. - BBC News

We probably wouldn't have heard about this if the baby did have the gene. That'd be eugenics. And wrong.

Bird Flu

Nepal is confirming bird flu in poultry has been detected for the first time in the Himalayan nation. This follows outbreaks last month in Bangladesh and India.

Several Nepalese government ministries confirm the first outbreak of the deadly H5N1 virus in birds in the country. But they say they have no reports of the virus affecting humans.

The outbreak, which killed chickens and ducks, is at a farm in the southern town of Kakarvitta, bordering the Indian state of West Bengal. - VOA News

Bird flu sucks.

Driver Refuses "Atheist Bus"

A CHURCHGOING bus driver refused to drive a bus bearing a poster reading ’There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and go and enjoy your life'.

Committed Christian Ron Heather went on strike for three days in protest at his bus company employers putting the controversial advertising slogan on the side of their vehicles.

There are 800 buses and 1,000 Tube posters nationwide which have adopted the adverts designed by writer Ariane Sherine to combat aggressive religious posters on public transport. - The Sun

This guy is the man. God bless him.

Ouch: A Knock On Rep. Falzone

All right so I read the Wakefield Item rather frequently. I love reading the Comments and Forum sections because some crazy stuff is said. Case and point is in the Friday, January 16, 2009 edition's Forum. Here is a short excerpt from Jeff Crump's "Failed leadership" post:

"...Rep. Falzone hasn't had an original thought since the day he was elected. Why would you expect anything different now? Mr. Falzone is a tool, a witless instrument of the status quo, just like the former Rep. Festa before he got his golden parachute from the Governor. I give Rep. Clark some credit for showing a little backbone in this case but I don't expect that will last. The Beacon Hill Corrupt-o-crats will get to her eventually, if they haven't already."

I guess it's a pretty solid rant, but in the manner of a fifteen year old. Compare Crump's definition of tool to that of Urban Dictionary, which says a tool is "someone who is a complete idiot/ one who is used by other people, and usually doesn't even realize it/ someone who can't think for themselves/ an asshat." Crump tried to compensate his mere usage of the term by adding his own intellectual-esque definition. Good job, bud. In terms of the content...I don't know really know what Falzone has been up to. I probably should since he is a Rep.

Letter to Obama

I just found this while searching for Anti-Obama voices, as I often do. I found this fascinating, educating, inspiring, and funny as well. This is just a letter Jello Biafra sent to Obama, and here is just something he wrote for his fans before the letter:

My Friends (couldn't resist, I had to say it),

Here, by semi-popular demand, are the suggestions I sent to Obama's Change.gov site for citizen input. It veers from writing to Obama himself to writing for the people who may actually read this. A lot of these ideas may be familiar from my albums and spoken word shows. For the most part I stayed away from the big no-brainers covered by others, and from ideas he would never agree to in a million years.

I did not vote for him because of his record in Congress voting for the PATRIOT Act, the anti-immigrant wall, numerous corporate breaks and subsidies, the FISA bill legalizing all the NSA's illegal wiretapping, etc. Nevertheless I, too, felt moved by his speech in the park that night in Chicago, seeing Jesse Jackson cry and wondering how Martin Luther King, Jr would have felt. I can only imagine how much this would have meant to Wesley Willis.

And, yes, I am glad that the adult version of the Eraserhead baby and his pitbull pal were not handed the keys to the White House.

I guess that's why it hurts so much more when the guy we all wish we could hang out with when we see him on TV turns around and backs the wrong position on something important. We expect this from the Clintons and Bidens of the world, but it hurts more with Obama because he knows better. He even said so on the FISA/NSA spying bill that he so eloquently opposed before he changed his vote. His economic and national security teams so far lack anyone from the "change" side of the Democratic Party. Not a good sign.

If you have ideas or comments, don't just send them to me, send them to Change.gov! Even I have the audacity to hope that if one of these ideas penetrates up top, it is a chance worth taking. Tom Hayden is one of many who have pointed out that it is up to this movement to drive Obama, not the other way around.

Jello Biafra

Here's the link for the letter:
http://www.alternativetentacles.com/page.php?page=jello_openletter

Enjoy!

Ineffective Torture

Well, he would know.

Song of the Day (1/16/08)

Peter Bjorn and John - Young Folks

if i told you things i did before
told you how i used to be
would you go along with someone like me
if you knew my story word for word
had all of my history
would you go along with someone like me

i did before and had my share
it didn't lead nowhere
i would go along with someone like you
it doesn't matter what you did
who you were hanging with
we could stick around and see this night through

and we don't care about the young folks
talkin' bout the young style
and we don't care about the old folks
talkin' 'bout the old style too
and we don't care about our own folks
talkin' 'bout our own stuff
all we care about is talking
talking only me and you

usually when things has gone this far
people tend to disappear
no one would surprise me unless you do

i can tell there's something goin' on
hours seem to disappear
everyone is leaving i'm still with you

it doesn't matter what we do
where we are going to
we can stick around and see this night through

and we don't care about the young folks
talkin' bout the young style
and we don't care about the old folks
talkin' 'bout the old style too
and we don't care about our own folks
talkin' 'bout our own stuff
all we care about is talking
talking only me and you

and we don't care about the young folks
talkin' bout the young style
and we don't care about the old folks
talkin' 'bout the old style too
and we don't care about our own folks
talkin' 'bout our own stuff
all we care about is talking
talking only me and you
(repeat)
talking only me and you

talking only me and you
talking only me and you

Quote of the Day (1/16/08)

I was on my way to the Bank (D Block) and I saw Jesse Dacri in the hall. I know he is a huge videogamer so I asked him if he has played Playstation Home for PS3.

"Yeah, I have it. It's so stupid. It's funny when you see virtual girls walking around. All the guys go up to her and say, "Nice tits! Nice tits!" But then the "girl" reveals that she really is a guy."

Good times.

"It's Fun To Do Bad Things"

Arrest: A 14-year-old juvenile was arrested at Wakefield High School during a drug investigation. The youth was charged with possession of a Class D (marijuana) drug with intent to distribute; and a drug violation near a school or park.

I think he's taking health second semester...

Private Colleges Face Applicant Decline

Many private colleges have seen or are concerned about a decline in applications. In a survey of 371 private institutions by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, two-thirds said they were greatly concerned about preventing a decline in enrollment, according to a Dec. 21 New York Times article...

...In Massachusetts, early applications to UMass-Amherst are up 27 percent, Framingham and Westfield State are up 40 percent, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts are up 60 percent and applications to Massachusetts College of Art and Design are up 75 percent, according to a Dec. 23rd Boston Globe article. But the budgets of public colleges are equally tight if not tighter, meaning they still cannot exceed capacity and will need to be more selective than ever before with a large and talented applicant pool.

"A lot of Ivy League kids are applying as a backup and that complicates admissions for the average student," said Catherine Leger, the head of the guidance department at Brockton High School in Massachusetts, in the Globe article. - BCHeights.com

Makes sense.

House of Blues Boston Opening Soon

House of Blues Boston will open on Landsdowne Street in February. This venue is the former site of the Avalon, which closed in August 2007. My first "real" concert (Weird Al doesn't count) was the Psychedelic Furs at Avalon in July 2007. It was a great little venue. I was scared that I would lose my hearing (huge speakers), but looking back I wish I could have taken in more concerts there. From what I read, I think they completely tore it down and built the House of Blues from scratch. Just looking at the line-up of bands coming once it opens, I don't notice a whole lot of quality. Jesse McCartney? Come on. I remember when my sister saw Dream Street (McCartney's teen boy band) at the Avalon. Dropkick Murphys? Yuck. Andrew Fallon, have fun. Morrissey. Now we're talking. That said, I don't think I'd see Morrissey live again anytime soon. He was great, but I need a few years 'till I catch him again. Katy Perry? Srsly? Judging from the bands listed, this venue looks like it will hold quite a few people and will house quite a few relatively popular acts. I think I'll stick to the revered Middle East Downstairs instead of this sell-out club featured in Guitar Hero.

Quote of the Day (1/15/09)

He or she who supports a State organized in the military way – whether directly or indirectly – participates in the sin. Each man old or young takes part in the sin by contributing to the maintenance of the State by paying taxes. - Mahatma Gandhi	”

Myanmar update

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States slapped additional sanctions against alleged key financial backers of the Myanmar military regime Thursday, citing the country's imprisonment of democracy advocates.

The US Treasury Department announced its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) had added two people and 14 companies to its lists of sanctions targets for Myanmar, which the US government identifies by its pre-junta name of Burma.

"Congress and the administration have made clear the need to apply vigorous sanctions against the Burmese junta as long as it continues to suppress democratic dissent," said OFAC director Adam Szubin in a statement.

Let's have a Mission Of Burma! Get it?!

Darfur update

(CNN) -- The U.S. Air Force has begun flying equipment into Darfur to support a United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission in the war-ravaged Sudanese province, the military announced Wednesday.

Two giant C-17 Globemaster III aircraft made the trip from Kigali in Rwanda to Darfur, the statement said, each carrying about 30 tons of Rwandan equipment.

The United States is providing only transport, not personnel, for the peacekeeping mission.

The Air Force will transport more than 150 tons of equipment and supplies including nine oversized vehicles, water purification systems, water trailers, tents and spare parts, the Pentagon's new African command, Africom, said in the statement.

As long as it's for the best...

------------------------

As Sudan awaits the International Criminal Court's decision on whether to issue an arrest warrant for President Omar al-Bashir, the government has resumed bombing attacks against rebel groups in the western region of Darfur.

Omar al-Bashir (file photo)

Last November, President Bashir announced a unilateral ceasefire in the government's fight against rebel groups in Darfur. But a week ago, rebels said the government had resumed bombing raids in the region.

Sudan's military confirmed Wednesday it had conducted air raids on rebels from the Justice and Equality Movement around the town of Muhajiriya in South Darfur. - VOA NEWS

Like I said time and time again...a ceasefire is a ceasefire.

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