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"Common Language [Bookstore] Needs Your Support: There is no easy way to say this. Common Language is not making enough sales to support itself. Its very existence is in peril."
Thanks!
- Location:Home (Ferndale, MI)
So-called transracial adoptions have surged since 1994, when the Multiethnic Placement Act reversed decades of outright racial matching by banning discrimination against adoptive families on the basis of race. But the growth has been all one-sided.
An interesting article. Many of the things about a balck family adopting a white girl were easily forseen, but the story raises some interesting points. Katies legal guardian, for instance, "joined her colleagues in condemning the adoption of black children by white families as "cultural genocide"—a position she still holds in theory, if not in practice."
- Location:Home (Ferndale, MI)
Understanding that internet searches are governed by complicated algorithms (I barely know what that means) so things like this can happen. What matters is how the issue is fixed and why Mr. Probst was told that it is a new corporate policy.
Amazon Says Glitch to Blame for "New" Adult Policy"
By Rachel Deahl & Jim Milliot -- Publishers Weekly, 4/12/2009 5:49:00 PM
A groundswell of outrage, concern and confusion sprang up over the weekend, largely via Twitter, in response to what authors and others believed was a decision by Amazon to remove adult titles from its sales ranking. On Sunday evening, however, an Amazon spokesperson said that a glitch had occurred in its sales ranking feature that was in the process of being fixed. The spokesperson added that there was no new adult policy.
[snip]
Whether a glitch or new policy, titles like James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room and Annie Proulx's Brokeback Mountain are among the titles who have lost their ranking.
My Jan 9 Reponse: Neither the Israeli government nor Hamas is clean in this current round of fighting.
The current fighting is a result of more than has been reported in the common media, which seems to prefer to cover the horror and suffering in Gaza while ignoring the daily firing of missiles into Israel prior to the June 2008 cease fire. Until now I hadn’t heard of the event in November where Israel moved to shut down a tunnel out of Gaza suspected to be used to abduct Israeli soldiers. That resulted in the death of 6 Hamas fighters and more mortars being fired into Israel.
Until Hamas is ready to accept Israel’s existence this is just going to be an ongoing situation.
Yeah but look at the numbers. A total of 16 isrealis have been killed, but every attack on gaza the death toll is way up there, including a shitload of civilians. To me it is like a dude from NJ attacked NY with a pelletgun, so NY opened fire on NJ with an uzi. Palestinians are basically surrounded by isreal, cut off from the rest of the world. They dont even have sufficient electricity to run their sewer pumps, the sewers are overflowing, and their hospitals are fucked. Isreal constintly denies the world access to even give the people humanitarian aid. Collectively punishing and killing the whole group of people for a small "terrorist" groups actions is wrong from a ethical standpoint, and the standpoint of international law.
I mean if someone built a concentration camp around you, you were living in shitty conditions like that wouldn’t you fight back? Or would you just lay down and die?
My Jan 12 response: It’s more like a guy from NJ shooting at people sitting at a cafe everyday from a crowd. Should the police do nothing because the gunman is standing next to other people? I disagree that Israel should not target the Hamas launchers because Hamas uses the civilian population as human shields.
One reason the West Bank is cut off is that they send suicide bombers into Israel...would you advocate an open border with Mexico if they sent bombers into San Diego? I agree that the humanitarian situation is dire and getting worse.
Israel needs security the Palestinians need supplies...and both sides can’t do what is required. Even a new administration isn’t going to get Hamas to move on this issue.
I found a translation of the Hamas charter, it’s a long document but some of the highlights include:
Article 22: "They [Jews] were behind World War I, when they were able to destroy the Islamic Caliphate, making financial gains and controlling resources. They obtained the Balfour Declaration, formed the League of Nations through which they could rule the world. They were behind World War II, through which they made huge financial gains by trading in armaments, and paved the way for the establishment of their state. It was they who instigated the replacement of the League of Nations with the United Nations and the Security Council to enable them to rule the world through them. There is no war going on anywhere, without having their finger in it.";
Article 13 "Initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences, are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement";
Article 31 "Under the wing of Islam, it is possible for the followers of the three religions - Islam, Christianity and Judaism - to coexist in peace and quiet with each other. Peace and quiet would not be possible except under the wing of Islam. Past and present history are the best witness to that." ;
Does this sound like an organization that would be willing to leave peaceably with Israel?
- Location:Java Hutt (Ferndale)
edit: Listening to people here at work on this development, I can honestly say that I have not met a Republican who's main emotional response to the trouble of others isn't schadenfreude
- Mood:
schadenfreude
Greg McKendry & Linda Kraeger have died. Five others remained hospitalized Monday in critical and serious condition. Two others were treated and released Sunday.
There is still no known motive at this time, though a letter was found in his truck.
However, he was taken alive by authorities.
Please pray for these families and the shooter, if that is your custom.
Thanks,
- Mood:
disbelieving
Judge orders Kilpatrick to post $7,500 bond to remain out of jail
Judge Ronald Giles of Detroit's 36th District Court changed Kilpatrick's bond from a personal bond in his criminal perjury case to requiring him to post $7,500 cash with the court to remain free.
[snip]
The judge said it does not "matter whether investigator White was pushed or thrown ... the fact that defendant Kilpatrick decided to inject himself into this situation where the officers were attempting to lawfully serve a subpoena ... defendant Kilpatrick had no right ... to come into contact with investigator White or say anything to investigator White."
"I have locked up defendants for approaching or saying things to witnesses for a lot less, let alone touching them," Giles said. "I'm at a loss to defendant Kilpatrick's behavior here. It's irrational."
[snip]
Speaking directly to the mayor, Giles told him he is being held to a higher standard.
"You're a licensed attorney. You're a public official. Everything you do, every step you take, every word you say is somewhere recorded for everyone to hear," he said, as the mayor nodded. "You need to keep that in mind."
[snip]
White, a detective with the Wayne County Sheriff's Department and the officer in charge of the criminal case against Kilpatrick, testified that Kilpatrick assaulted him, swore at him and made racial comments Thursday afternoon when White tried to serve a subpoena on a friend of the mayor at his sister's home.
"This underscores a problem that perhaps he's not taking this as seriously as he should ... you can't bully police officers," Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Robert Moran said, adding that in another case he might ask for a defendant to take anger management classes.
[snip]
Let's face it, the real danger here is not the girly scarf charged with being a kaffiyeh, or that jihadists are purportedly using Dunkin' Donuts as a backdoor into America's malleable consciousness. It's that the cries of a few commentators indulging in the worst form of racial stereotyping—and their demonization of an entire culture—was enough to spook a giant corporation. As for dangers lurking beyond the kaffiyeh controversy? Beware of Dunkin's Blueberry Cake Donut. At 290 calories with 16 grams of fat, it's more deadly than a paisley scarf in spring.
'Nuff said...
1: What is the likelihood of the big oil companies passing along that price decrease? It is more likely that they’ll simply add it to their ongoing records profits. It’s not like the American Public can really do anything about it. And when the holiday ends in the fall, the price will spike another .18/gal as the tax is added back onto the windfall profit…what would that do to an already weakened economy? (Can you touch one thing in your house that wasn’t moved at some point by gas powered motors prior to your acquiring it.)
Even if gas companies did pass it along, I wouldn’t know where to spend my $1.44 per week windfall. (If I had a monster truck with a 20 gallon tank I could get close to $3.60 per week.)
2: Laws of supply & demand have not been repealed. As a writer on the BusinessWeek website noted, simple economics would still apply: Decreasing the cost of gas would lead to an increase in the demand, leading back to a price increase.
3: It doesn’t address any long term solution. Use less, use something else, and make more domestically are the obvious solutions and a tax holiday doesn’t address any of these issues nor have I heard anything from the politicians proposing this as a short term fix.
4: It would, if you’re Sen. McCain, reduce revenue that is used to maintain the transportation infrastructure. Would bridges come crashing down or highways fall apart? Probably not, but are your roads so good that maintenance spending can be reduced?
Once upon a time oil producing nations were afraid that high fuel costs would drive conservation & alternative fuels in the US…but all that seems to happen is that we complain, loudly, about how much is costs to fill up our SUV’s.
I'm not sad that these charges are being brought, my poorly informed opinion is that he is probably guilty. The extent that he's going to keep the whole thing covered up, his unwillingness to tell his side of the story (while complaining that the public is getting a distorted one sided view) leads me to think that there is more than just smoke there.
I am sad that there are many who are going to take great glee that Mayor Kilpatrick and the city now have to go through this next step. They will point and say "Detroiters are stupid and deserve what they get."
For someone who supposedly "loves Detroit" I really don't understand how he can reconile taking the city through the grinder with him as he fight these criminal charges.
Time to be a man, Kwame. Time to step down and let the city get on with it's business while you take care of yours. If he's aquitted, he could run again and probably be elected.
MSNBC:Detroit mayor charged with perjury: Conviction could bring up to 15 years' imprisonment for Kilpatrick
In all, Kilpatrick faces charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice, obstruction of justice, misconduct in office, perjury in a court proceeding and two counts of perjury other than in a court proceeding.
- Mood: sad
Massive crackdown on speeders! / January 17, 2008
BY MATT HELMS / FREE PRESS DRIVING COLUMNIST
Only the gullible could believe something so farfetched.
Supposedly there’s a month-long ticketing blitz coming in February, with the goal of raising $9 million for the state – minus $1 million in overtime for the 50 troopers who’ll be on duty 24/7 busting drivers. Some of these troopers will be driving in “brand new unmarked Crown Victoria cruisers,” and they’ll supposedly be writing one ticket every ten minutes. Even part-timers are being called in.
Or so claims an e-mail making the rounds, claiming the state plans “a 30-day speeding ticket frenzy.”
Skeptical readers like David Stoyka of Grosse Pointe Farms figured something was up and asked me about it.
Please, please do yourself, your friends, your neighbors, coworkers, enemies and anyone else a huge, wonderful favor: Don’t forward that e-mail.
If you receive it, hit reply and demand the person who sent it to you send another note to all the people he or she just e-mailed, apologizing for falling for this garbage, for not reading it and thinking even remotely in a critical way, and for cluttering up innocent inboxes.
The e-mail is a hoax.
The Michigan State Police do not have 30 new cruisers. In these economic times? Ha!
MSP spokeswoman Shanon Akans said other falsehoods are equally obvious. For one, the state police don’t have part-time troopers. She also said the department doesn't use unmarked cars for traffic patrols or enforce traffic as a means to raise revenue.
“That’s simply not how we operate,” Akans told me. “It wouldn’t be January if this thing didn’t make its rounds. This is actually the third year now, if I recall correctly, that this has come out in January or February. It is completely false.”
So can we stop forwarding it along now, please?
NBC Uninvites Kucinich: Rules changes kept progressive out of GE's debate
In a bizarre move the network has yet to explain, NBC rescinded an invitation to Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich to appear in its January 15 debate in Las Vegas. The GE-owned media company went all the way to the Nevada Supreme Court to defend its decision--all the while failing to explain its logic to the public.
The network originally declared a straightforward test for candidates wishing to participate in the debate: A candidate had to finish in at least fourth place in either the New Hampshire primary or Iowa caucuses, or finish among the top four in one of six major national polls. Kucinich met the latter standard, and was sent a letter on January 9 acknowledging that he would be participating in the debate, designed to air candidates' views before the January 19 Nevada caucuses.
But two days later, NBC political director Chuck Todd notified the Kucinich campaign that there were new rules: Candidates would have to have finished at least third in either Iowa or New Hampshire. The new standard eliminated Kucinich.
Originally printed 12/20/2007 (Issue 1551 - Between The Lines News)
Facing drastic funding cuts by the federal government, the Ruth Ellis Center, one of the nations premier service programs for lgbt youth, is now scrambling to adjust accordingly without losing clients or staff.
"We're in a cash-flow crunch," said Grace McClelland, REC's executive director. "But things will level out."
So far this year the center has lost 80 percent of its federal money, including funding for its emergency shelter.
"We think we may lose all of it," said McClelland of the federal funds, which represent nearly half of the center's operating budget. "We were expecting $100,000 to come into the bank for the shelter on Sept. 1. Now, none of that has come through."
Follow the link at the top of the page for the full story.
Ruth Ellis Center Home Page For more information on their services.
How did the situation go from the incident in August (a black student sat under a tree known as a gathering spot for white students. Three white students later hung nooses from the tree. They were suspended but not prosecuted) to December when 6 youths attacked 1 other youth (leaving him unconscious and bleeding with facial injuries)?
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Web site reported the deaths of SF author Fred Saberhagen, SF editor Roger Elwood and SF writer, editor and sculptor Sterling E. Lanier.
Saberhagen, 77, died June 29 after a long battle with cancer in his Albuquerque, N.M., home. He was the author of more than 50 science fiction and fantasy novels, many of which took place in his popular Berserker series. Other notable novels include The Dracula Tape—a retelling of Bram Stoker's classic from the vampire's point of view—and his Empire of the East series.
Elwood, 64, died Feb. 2, also of cancer. He was the editor of more than 50 anthologies in the 1960s and '70s and the editor of Laser Books, the short-lived science fiction imprint of romance publisher Harlequin. He co-edited anthologies with SF authors such as Robert Silverberg and George Zebrowski and is also credited with having published the first novels of K.W. Jeter and multiple-award-winning author Tim Powers.
Lanier, 79, died June 28 at his home in Sarasota, Fla. As a writer, Lanier was best known for his novel Hiero's Journey and his stories about Brigadier Donald Ffellowes. Lanier, who worked as an editor at automotive manual publisher Chilton Books, was also noted for being the impetus behind the first edition of Frank Herbert's Dune, which was published by Chilton. As a sculptor, Lanier was known in the genre for his depictions of the characters from The Lord of the Rings. —John Joseph Adams
"I don't believe my role is to replace the verdict of a jury with my own," - George W. Bush on why he signed death warrants for 152 inmates as governor of Texas.
The quote is from his own book, "A Charge To Keep." I think that's a debate-ender, isn't it?
Andrew Sullivan: The Daily Dish
"If you're not outraged...you're not paying attention."
I'm starting to see some posts regarding the Presidential Action on Mr. Libby's sentence. It's important to be clear with the facts as they stand now: Scooter wasn't pardoned, the prison part of his sentence was commuted. The rest (fines and probation) remain in place. The question that remains unanswered in the 60 second reports that I heard this morning is: What are sentences do others serve for similar convictions?
I agree that, on the face of it, the Republicans are again putting themselves above the law. But, "the details are everything."
Hate Crimes Laws: Censoring the Church and Silencing Christians is a provocative look at this disturbing and threatening legal tool of the homosexual lobby. Hosted by Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council, the program features shocking examples of how hate crime laws trample free speech, lead to arrests, and censor speech.
Featured on this DVD are Dr. D. James Kennedy; Ake Green, a Swedish pastor arrested for preaching against homosexuality; members of the Philadelphia 11; Christine Sneeringer, an ex-lesbian; Dr. Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission; Pastor Danny Nalliah, of Catch the Fire Ministries (who was prosecuted under hate crimes laws in Australia); and more.
Following San Marino on the male side were Australia, Iceland, Japan, Sweden and Switzerland at 79 years and then Canada, Israel, Italy, Monaco and Singapore at 78. France was tied for 12th place at 77 years with a group of countries including New Zealand and Britain. Germany was at 76 years. Cuba was among the countries that tied the United States for 33rd place at 75 years.
Member states with long-living women include Monaco, 85 years, and Andorra, Australia, France, Italy, San Marino, Spain and Switzerland at 84. Canada tied Iceland and Sweden at 83 years for women, and Germany was in a group at 82 years. Britain came in at 81 years. Costa Rica and Denmark tied the United States for 32nd place at 80 years.
Hmmm...Cuba & the US tied for male life expectancy.Says something about the health care of Cuba (access without supplies) and the US (supplies without access).
The Albemarle School District previously had a sensible policy barring “distribution of literature that this for partisan, sectarian, religious or political purposes,” but it was revised at the behest of the late Jerry Falwell’s Liberty Counsel to allow religious content.
Liberty Counsel relied on a 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling earlier in 2006 that public school districts do not have “unbridled discretion to deny access to the oft-used forum” because that would not “ensure the requisite viewpoint neutrality.”
add this one:
World Net Daily reports that the Albemarle School District is under attack by a Religious Right group for sending students home with flyers for Camp Quest, an overnight summer camp for young atheists, agnostics and freethinkers.
And you get:
The backlash was swift and harsh when parents received flyers announcing a Pagan holiday celebration at the local Unitarian Universalist congregation. One mother was livid that the school would send home in her child’s backpack anything it did not endorse. A “pagan ritual” is “an educational experience my children don’t need,” she fumed.
