January 26, 2006
Newsflash: Wal-Mart Wine
Wal-Mart announced on January 11, 2006, that it will begin offering customers a new discount item - WALMART's own brand of wine. Theworld's largest retail chain is teaming up with Ernest & Julio Gallo Winery of California, to produce the spirits at an affordable price, in the $1-$3 range. Wine connoisseurs may not be inclined to throw a bottle of Wal-Mart brand into their shopping carts, but "there is a market for inexpensive wine," said Kathy Micken, professor of marketing at University of Arkansas, Bentonville.
She said: "But the right name is important." Customer surveys were conducted to determine the most attractive name for the Wal-Mart wine brand. The top surveyed names in order of popularity were:
10. Chateau Traileur Parc
9. White Trashfindel 8. Big Red Gulp 7. World Championship Riesling
6. NASCARbernet 5. Chef Boyardeaux 4. Peanut Noir 3. I Can't Believe It's Not Vinegar!
2. Grape Expectations 1. Nasti Spumante The beauty of Wal-Mart wine is that it can be served with either white meat (Possum) or red meat (Squirrel).
More to Gresham Than Narnia
(Gresham is C.S. Lewis’ stepson)
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/1/242006b.asp
NBC pulls the plug on 'Book of Daniel'
January 23, 2006- NBC's "The Book of Daniel" may have launched to great controversy and hoopla.
But, today, the show ended with a whimper – pulled unceremoniously from NBC's Friday night schedule, effective immediately, with no more of an announcement than an entry on an NBC blog by creator Jack Kenny.
...After the first three episodes, only Burlington Coat Factory was left as a national sponsor...
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=48476
Study: Most college students lack skills
January 19, 2006More than half of students at four-year colleges - and at least 75 percent at two-year colleges - lack the literacy to handle complex, real-life tasks such as understanding credit card offers, a study found.
The literacy study funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the first to target the skills of graduating students, finds that students fail to lock in key skills - no matter their field of study.
The results cut across three types of literacy: analyzing news stories and other prose, understanding documents and having math skills needed for checkbooks or restaurant tips.
...Most students at community colleges and four-year schools showed intermediate skills. That means they can do moderately challenging tasks, such as identifying a location on a map.
Almost 20 percent of students pursuing four-year degrees had only basic quantitative skills. For example, the students could not estimate if their car had enough gas to get to the service station. About 30 percent of two-year students had only basic math skills..
.http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1155AP_Literacy_College_Students.html?source=mypi
Ah, rotten health care and higher crime rate…
Canada's Crime Rate 50 % Higher than U.S.Jan. 24, 2006 ...statistics show that the violent crime rate there [Canada] is double that of the United States.
It seems Canada is looking for a scapegoat, too: Outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin is blaming the United States for his country’s violent crime wave. He says his southern neighbor is eagerly bringing guns over the border.
According to the Second Amendment Foundation’s Alan Gottlieb, writing in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Martin is wrong for blaming Canada’s rise in violent crime on criminals smuggling guns from the United States.
Gottlieb says the blame instead belongs on Canadian crooks getting guns from wherever they can."Blaming the United States for Canadian crime is an argument that does not pass the smell test,” Gottlieb wrote. "Canada's experience has simply demonstrated that no matter what kind of gun control law a government passes, that law is doomed to failure because instead of keeping guns out of the wrong hands, the law disarms the wrong people. Canada's gun control scheme has not just failed - it has failed disastrously. Clear evidence of that can be found in a comparison of the crime rates for Canada and America.”
Gottlieb cites an article by Canada's National Post columnist David Frum where he revealed that "Canada's overall crime rate is now 50 percent higher than the crime rate in the United States.” Moreover, "Since the early 1990s, crime rates have dropped in 48 of the 50 states and 80 percent of American cities. Over that same period, crime rates have risen in six of the 10 Canadian provinces and in seven of Canada’s 10 biggest cities.”
He also cites the most recent complete data available from both countries that shows that in 2003, the violent crime rate in the United States was 475 per 100,000 people; while up north, there were 963 violent crimes per 100,000 people. The figure for sexual assault in Canada per 100,000 people was more than double that of the United States: 74 as opposed to 32.1; and the assault rate in Canada was also more than twice that of the states: 746 to America's 295 for the people.
Moreover, he cites research that showed the figure for sexual assault in Canada per 100,000 people was more than double that of the United States: 74 as opposed to 32.1; and the assault rate in Canada was more than twice that of the United States: 746 to America’s 295. Also, in 2005, Toronto had 78 murders; that’s a 28 percent increase in homicides since 1995.
..."Moreover, this shift in crime rates between the two countries has occurred while dozens of U.S. states have adopted ‘right-to-carry’ and ‘shall-issue’ handgun laws. During the same period, Canada’s gun laws have gotten more restrictive, with the national gun registry being implemented,” he added...
http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/1/24/150547.shtml?s=ic
Even if the kid has point school should be about learning, not becoming activists... It's akin to letting the inmates run the asylum... It’s good to know that the ACLU is protecting our rights to wear skirts!ACLU Supports Boy's Right to Wear Skirts to SchoolJanuary 25, 2006- A 17-year-old high school student -- a male -- may wear a skirt to school under an agreement worked out by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Michael Coviello, a senior at Hasbrouck Heights School in New Jersey, said he is wearing a skirt to school "to bring attention to the fact that the [school's] ban on shorts doesn't make sense."
Coviello's school district prohibits students from wearing shorts to class between Oct. 1 and April 15. Corviello called the policy arbitrary and unfair.
"It is discriminatory for the school dress code to allow skirts but not shorts," Corviello said...
...On January 3, 2006, the ACLU-NJ sent a letter to the school superintendent explaining that the school district's dress policy must be enforced equally. Because the policy allows students to wear skirts, all students -- not just girls -- should be able to wear skirts that comply with the policy, ACLU-NJ argued.
The ACLU-NJ also insisted hat Coviello's decision to wear skirts was expressive conduct that is protected by the First Amendment... (of course by that definition so would going to school in the buff)
The Hasbrouck Heights high school student-parent handbook states, "Shorts may only be worn from September 1 to October 1 and from April 15 to the close of school. Dresses, skirts or shorts must be appropriate in length. The principal or his/her designee will determine appropriate length. The principal or his/her designee may extend these dates on a day-to-day basis if weather becomes unseasonably hot."
The handbook also says, "The principal or his/her designee is responsible for determining the appropriateness of a pupil's attire."
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=\Culture\archive\200601\CUL20060125b.html
Greens Urge Move Away from 'Doom and Gloom' Approach
January 25, 2006- London - In a bid to restore popularity to the green movement, a coalition of British environmental groups declared this week that it was time for new attitudes and tactics.
...there was a need, they said, to move beyond a "doom and gloom" theme favored by their core audience, in order to bring about a mass swing in behavior world-wide...On issues such as climate change, Hounsham said, groups like his had tended to be needlessly highhanded, or to relentlessly predict disaster resulting from global warming...In the past, organizers had been comfortable with being in permanent "protest mode," constantly fighting those in power...http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewForeignBureaus.asp?Page=\ForeignBureaus\archive\200601\FOR20060125d.html
Google Agrees to Censor Results in China (Yahoo and MSN already doing it)
Jan 25 - Google Inc. launched a search engine in China on Wednesday that censors material about human rights, Tibet and other topics sensitive to Beijing _ defending the move as a trade-off granting Chinese greater access to other information.
Within minutes of the launch of the new site bearing China's Web suffix ".cn," searches for the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement showed scores of sites omitted and users directed to articles condemning the group posted on Chinese government Web sites.
Searches for other sensitive subjects such as exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama, Taiwan independence, and terms such as "democracy" and "human rights" yielded similar results.
In most such cases, only official Chinese government sites or those with a ".cn" suffix were included.
...the move has already been criticized by media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, which also has chided Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp.'s MSN.com for submitting to China's censorship regime.
"When a search engine collaborates with the government like this, it makes it much easier for the Chinese government to control what is being said on the Internet," said Julien Pain, head of the group's Internet desk.
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/01/25/D8FBONMG7.html
Looks like child abuse to me...
Michael Jackson Spotted in Robe and Veil
Jan 25 -Bahrain- Pop star Michael Jackson took a shopping trip to a Bahrain mall Wednesday, covering himself in a black abaya robe traditionally worn by Bahraini women and a veil hiding his face, along with three children _ apparently his _ with their faces covered with dark scarves.
...The veil, abaya and gloves were of a style typically worn by conservative Bahraini women, though Jackson appeared to be wearing them to hide his identity.
With him was woman _ also in an abaya and jeans and a scarf over her head that partially covered her face _ who had the two other children. All three children's faces were wrapped in black scarves, and they wore yellow shirts and sweatpants or khakis without robes. The woman's identity was not known...photo at http://www.breitbart.com/images/2006/1/25/D8FBOJM03/D8FBOJM03_preview.jpg
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/01/25/D8FBOJM03.html
Wal-Mart announced on January 11, 2006, that it will begin offering customers a new discount item - WALMART's own brand of wine. Theworld's largest retail chain is teaming up with Ernest & Julio Gallo Winery of California, to produce the spirits at an affordable price, in the $1-$3 range. Wine connoisseurs may not be inclined to throw a bottle of Wal-Mart brand into their shopping carts, but "there is a market for inexpensive wine," said Kathy Micken, professor of marketing at University of Arkansas, Bentonville.
She said: "But the right name is important." Customer surveys were conducted to determine the most attractive name for the Wal-Mart wine brand. The top surveyed names in order of popularity were:
10. Chateau Traileur Parc
9. White Trashfindel 8. Big Red Gulp 7. World Championship Riesling
6. NASCARbernet 5. Chef Boyardeaux 4. Peanut Noir 3. I Can't Believe It's Not Vinegar!
2. Grape Expectations 1. Nasti Spumante The beauty of Wal-Mart wine is that it can be served with either white meat (Possum) or red meat (Squirrel).
More to Gresham Than Narnia
(Gresham is C.S. Lewis’ stepson)
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/1/242006b.asp
NBC pulls the plug on 'Book of Daniel'
January 23, 2006- NBC's "The Book of Daniel" may have launched to great controversy and hoopla.
But, today, the show ended with a whimper – pulled unceremoniously from NBC's Friday night schedule, effective immediately, with no more of an announcement than an entry on an NBC blog by creator Jack Kenny.
...After the first three episodes, only Burlington Coat Factory was left as a national sponsor...
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=48476
Study: Most college students lack skills
January 19, 2006More than half of students at four-year colleges - and at least 75 percent at two-year colleges - lack the literacy to handle complex, real-life tasks such as understanding credit card offers, a study found.
The literacy study funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the first to target the skills of graduating students, finds that students fail to lock in key skills - no matter their field of study.
The results cut across three types of literacy: analyzing news stories and other prose, understanding documents and having math skills needed for checkbooks or restaurant tips.
...Most students at community colleges and four-year schools showed intermediate skills. That means they can do moderately challenging tasks, such as identifying a location on a map.
Almost 20 percent of students pursuing four-year degrees had only basic quantitative skills. For example, the students could not estimate if their car had enough gas to get to the service station. About 30 percent of two-year students had only basic math skills..
.http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1155AP_Literacy_College_Students.html?source=mypi
Ah, rotten health care and higher crime rate…
Canada's Crime Rate 50 % Higher than U.S.Jan. 24, 2006 ...statistics show that the violent crime rate there [Canada] is double that of the United States.
It seems Canada is looking for a scapegoat, too: Outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin is blaming the United States for his country’s violent crime wave. He says his southern neighbor is eagerly bringing guns over the border.
According to the Second Amendment Foundation’s Alan Gottlieb, writing in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Martin is wrong for blaming Canada’s rise in violent crime on criminals smuggling guns from the United States.
Gottlieb says the blame instead belongs on Canadian crooks getting guns from wherever they can."Blaming the United States for Canadian crime is an argument that does not pass the smell test,” Gottlieb wrote. "Canada's experience has simply demonstrated that no matter what kind of gun control law a government passes, that law is doomed to failure because instead of keeping guns out of the wrong hands, the law disarms the wrong people. Canada's gun control scheme has not just failed - it has failed disastrously. Clear evidence of that can be found in a comparison of the crime rates for Canada and America.”
Gottlieb cites an article by Canada's National Post columnist David Frum where he revealed that "Canada's overall crime rate is now 50 percent higher than the crime rate in the United States.” Moreover, "Since the early 1990s, crime rates have dropped in 48 of the 50 states and 80 percent of American cities. Over that same period, crime rates have risen in six of the 10 Canadian provinces and in seven of Canada’s 10 biggest cities.”
He also cites the most recent complete data available from both countries that shows that in 2003, the violent crime rate in the United States was 475 per 100,000 people; while up north, there were 963 violent crimes per 100,000 people. The figure for sexual assault in Canada per 100,000 people was more than double that of the United States: 74 as opposed to 32.1; and the assault rate in Canada was also more than twice that of the states: 746 to America's 295 for the people.
Moreover, he cites research that showed the figure for sexual assault in Canada per 100,000 people was more than double that of the United States: 74 as opposed to 32.1; and the assault rate in Canada was more than twice that of the United States: 746 to America’s 295. Also, in 2005, Toronto had 78 murders; that’s a 28 percent increase in homicides since 1995.
..."Moreover, this shift in crime rates between the two countries has occurred while dozens of U.S. states have adopted ‘right-to-carry’ and ‘shall-issue’ handgun laws. During the same period, Canada’s gun laws have gotten more restrictive, with the national gun registry being implemented,” he added...
http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/1/24/150547.shtml?s=ic
Even if the kid has point school should be about learning, not becoming activists... It's akin to letting the inmates run the asylum... It’s good to know that the ACLU is protecting our rights to wear skirts!ACLU Supports Boy's Right to Wear Skirts to SchoolJanuary 25, 2006- A 17-year-old high school student -- a male -- may wear a skirt to school under an agreement worked out by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Michael Coviello, a senior at Hasbrouck Heights School in New Jersey, said he is wearing a skirt to school "to bring attention to the fact that the [school's] ban on shorts doesn't make sense."
Coviello's school district prohibits students from wearing shorts to class between Oct. 1 and April 15. Corviello called the policy arbitrary and unfair.
"It is discriminatory for the school dress code to allow skirts but not shorts," Corviello said...
...On January 3, 2006, the ACLU-NJ sent a letter to the school superintendent explaining that the school district's dress policy must be enforced equally. Because the policy allows students to wear skirts, all students -- not just girls -- should be able to wear skirts that comply with the policy, ACLU-NJ argued.
The ACLU-NJ also insisted hat Coviello's decision to wear skirts was expressive conduct that is protected by the First Amendment... (of course by that definition so would going to school in the buff)
The Hasbrouck Heights high school student-parent handbook states, "Shorts may only be worn from September 1 to October 1 and from April 15 to the close of school. Dresses, skirts or shorts must be appropriate in length. The principal or his/her designee will determine appropriate length. The principal or his/her designee may extend these dates on a day-to-day basis if weather becomes unseasonably hot."
The handbook also says, "The principal or his/her designee is responsible for determining the appropriateness of a pupil's attire."
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=\Culture\archive\200601\CUL20060125b.html
Greens Urge Move Away from 'Doom and Gloom' Approach
January 25, 2006- London - In a bid to restore popularity to the green movement, a coalition of British environmental groups declared this week that it was time for new attitudes and tactics.
...there was a need, they said, to move beyond a "doom and gloom" theme favored by their core audience, in order to bring about a mass swing in behavior world-wide...On issues such as climate change, Hounsham said, groups like his had tended to be needlessly highhanded, or to relentlessly predict disaster resulting from global warming...In the past, organizers had been comfortable with being in permanent "protest mode," constantly fighting those in power...http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewForeignBureaus.asp?Page=\ForeignBureaus\archive\200601\FOR20060125d.html
Google Agrees to Censor Results in China (Yahoo and MSN already doing it)
Jan 25 - Google Inc. launched a search engine in China on Wednesday that censors material about human rights, Tibet and other topics sensitive to Beijing _ defending the move as a trade-off granting Chinese greater access to other information.
Within minutes of the launch of the new site bearing China's Web suffix ".cn," searches for the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement showed scores of sites omitted and users directed to articles condemning the group posted on Chinese government Web sites.
Searches for other sensitive subjects such as exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama, Taiwan independence, and terms such as "democracy" and "human rights" yielded similar results.
In most such cases, only official Chinese government sites or those with a ".cn" suffix were included.
...the move has already been criticized by media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, which also has chided Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp.'s MSN.com for submitting to China's censorship regime.
"When a search engine collaborates with the government like this, it makes it much easier for the Chinese government to control what is being said on the Internet," said Julien Pain, head of the group's Internet desk.
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/01/25/D8FBONMG7.html
Looks like child abuse to me...
Michael Jackson Spotted in Robe and Veil
Jan 25 -Bahrain- Pop star Michael Jackson took a shopping trip to a Bahrain mall Wednesday, covering himself in a black abaya robe traditionally worn by Bahraini women and a veil hiding his face, along with three children _ apparently his _ with their faces covered with dark scarves.
...The veil, abaya and gloves were of a style typically worn by conservative Bahraini women, though Jackson appeared to be wearing them to hide his identity.
With him was woman _ also in an abaya and jeans and a scarf over her head that partially covered her face _ who had the two other children. All three children's faces were wrapped in black scarves, and they wore yellow shirts and sweatpants or khakis without robes. The woman's identity was not known...photo at http://www.breitbart.com/images/2006/1/25/D8FBOJM03/D8FBOJM03_preview.jpg
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/01/25/D8FBOJM03.html
posted by David Bennett | 5:48 PM
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