This week, President Obama used his weekly address to urge Congress to work together to stop the next manufactured crisis slated to take effect on March 1st. The President said;
Our top priority as a country right now should be doing everything we can to grow our economy and create good, middle class jobs.
And yet, less than one week from now, Congress is poised to allow a series of arbitrary, automatic budget cuts that will do the exact opposite. They will slow our economy. They will eliminate good jobs. They will leave many families who are already stretched to the limit scrambling to figure out what to do.
But here’s the thing: these cuts don’t have to happen. Congress can turn them off anytime with just a little compromise. They can pass a balanced plan for deficit reduction. They can cut spending in a smart way, and close wasteful tax loopholes for the well-off and well-connected.
Just a rule for your future endeavors in YouTube tutorials – make sure you have some idea of what you’re trying to teach. If not, things could go wrong really fast.
So you know you can’t complete your celebration of Black History Month without first paying a visit to the famed African Slave Burial Ground Memorial in NYC. In May of 1991 the burial ground, widely acknowledged as one of the most significant American archeological finds of the twentieth century, was discovered in lower Manhattan during construction for a municipal building. The discovery significantly raised public awareness of colonial African heritage in the area. For instance, I’ve learned that New York had more enslaved Africans than any other port north of the Caribbean except Charleston, South Carolina. With nearly two decades dedicated to documenting and interpreting data from the site, in October of 2003 the remains of 419 individuals excavated from the site were reinterred during a ceremony called the Rites of Ancestral Return. Followed by a series of events and ceremonies honoring the dead, and the grounds being named a national monument, actvities culminated in the 2007 unveiling of a permanent on-site memorial. Dr. Michael L. Blakey, a physical anthropologist now at William & Mary College, was the scientific director of the African Burial Ground Project. He said of the unveiling,
“It was a good day. I certainly felt that I was nearing the end of a very long, difficult journey with the African Burial Ground that brought me and all of the other researchers very close to the individual and collective stories of the people whose remains we were there to bury. It also brought us close to people in all walks of life who shared that journey with us.”
And yes, the admission is free, like many National Parks are. Our tax dollars at work for something we know is worthwhile for a change. ♦
News Flash: in the event of a Sequester, your air travel holiday plans may be seriously interrupted! We can all agree that the whole air travel experience these days is no picnic, and outgoing Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says it could get worse if the sequester isn’t averted. If Republicans don’t get back to the negotiating table to hammer out a deal, the proposed cuts indicated in the plan will eliminate $600 million from the Federal Aviation Administration resulting in more than 100 air traffic control towers closing down. Expect more delays, cuts in service, cancelled flights and waiting in lines longer than the distance to the sunny tranquil beaches you’re trying to get too. Once again President Obama reached out to Sen. Mitch McConnell and House Speaker John Boehner on Thursday, to try and stress the need to continue negotiations, but as usual, his calls went unheeded. Better start calling your congressman ASAP pilgrims. ♦
Want to know what the GOP’s latest attempt to take back women is? Welcome to hashtag #LiberalTips2AvoidRape on Twitter created by conservative mystery blogger SooperMexican. See, it all started with first-term Democrat, Joe Salazar, who, when debating a bill on banning gun-toting students on college campuses, was presented with a counter argument that women could use guns to defend themselves from possible rapists. Salazar’s response was,
That’s why “we have call boxes, it’s why we have safe zones, it’s why we have whistles. Because you just don’t know who you’re gonna be shooting at. Because you don’t know who you’re gonna be shooting at. And you don’t know if you feel like you’re gonna be raped, or if you feel like someone’s been following you around or if you feel like you’re in trouble when you may actually not be, that you pop out that gun and you pop … pop a round at somebody.”
I can see how he made himself an open target with that statement, can’t you? In enters SooperMexican, who wishing to remain anonymous, said in a telephone interview that he thought what Salazar said was condescending to women and responded with this one tweet under the hashtag which got the proverbial ball rolling,
Conservatives jumped all over it and within 24 hours the hashtag racked up 25,000 tweets! Here’s just a slice of some of the responses…
This past Monday, Salazar issued a formal apology for his statement saying,
“I deeply apologize for how people have taken the statement. It’s not reflective of the point I wanted to make. I certainly know that women know how to defend themselves and know how to discern a threat. I was trying to explain that more guns on campus doesn’t mean that campuses are any safer. I used a really bad example and I apologize for it.”
Ok. Now disappear for a while Joe. ♦
Our favorite FLOTUS here at Ezkool.com, Michelle Obama, appeared on the zany ‘Jimmy Fallon Show’ last night! Along with the madcap skits, Jimmy did take time out to put a serious question to The Lady,
The Knicks began the season looking like they could be competing for the top spot in the East. A solid starting 5 and a deep bench combined with Carmelo Anthony’s MVP caliber first half was making for some exciting basketball. However, the Knicks limped into the all star break and have started the second half of the season with two very different but equally crushing losses.
Losing to Indiana is not shameful. Not showing up at all to play the game is very shameful. Then to go into Toronto and play the Raptors for what should be an easy win for the Knicks and to be dealt a heart breaking loss. It’s easy to wonder if the Knicks are beginning to crumble. At the begining of the season I wondered if the high average age would become an issue late in the season and it seems that my worries may have been well founded.
One idea to mix things up is by inserting Amar’e into the starting 5. No matter what the team does though, it’s all up to the players and head coach Mike Woodson. The Knicks opted to not make any significant changes at the trade deadline, only signing Kenyon Martin to a 10 day deal. The organization obviously feels that they have the right players on this team. What do you think? Can the Knicks straighten themselves out or are they done for?
This man is not very smart. But then again, people like him are usually not the smartest fool in the shed. Reports are that Lawrence Mulqueen stated on his public Facebook page that he was “anxious to start killing various public officials” and wanted “all followers of President Barack Obama dead,” calling them “traitor scum” and declaring “death to them all,” Sgt. Glenn Cummings of the Clarkstown police said Thursday in a news release.
When police searched Mulqueen’s residence on Freedman Avenue in Nanuet, they found body armor, two rifles, two rifle bayonets and about 100 rounds of ammunition, including 27 rounds of .50-caliber armor-piercing bullets, Cummings said. The officers also seized a rifle scope, a sword and a metal knuckle knife, he said.
Elected officials named for assassination on Mulqueen’s Facebook page included Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Sen. Charles Schumer, Rep. Nita Lowey, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Harry Reid and members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Cummings said.
Simply asking that question will not resolve anything but facing and making adequate and lasting changes can lead to actually saving lives.
Most recently, the focus from the media, political leaders, gun rights activists and many others have not been focused on long-term needs or solutions but rather on short-term story lines, misleading voters and pushing policies as well as allowing misunderstandings which have led to surges in firearm sales.
The story of the century would be a day without a death from gun violence or even more so, violent crime.
Sound impossible? We are driven to think that way.
The sales increase of armed weapons proves this. There are many statistics on the amount of weapons in the U.S and the surge in sales but the fact is many guns aren’t registered. However, the increase in background checks shows the surge in sales and a lot is due to the speculation of what may change with new laws or regulations.
Although a majority of gun owners agree with the idea of stronger background checks, many loopholes in laws already in affect allow around 40% of sales to go through without background checks.
If these issues were dealt with, would that resolve the problems at hand? No.
The majority of gun owners were well intentioned weapon purchasers. It was never their plan to allow the weapon to get into the wrong hands, use the weapon in any way other than the way it was first intended and certainly to abide by all laws when purchasing their weapon, ammunition or laws pertaining to either.
This part is simple. At least it should be.
The 2nd Amendment is brought up in a great deal of discussions, arguments and as much as it is a part of this topic, it is also a big part of misguided discussions and a detour from what should be brought to the table in this matter.
There is very little brought up about our responsibilities for our rights and freedoms and the effects of change over time.
You see, it is clear today the person next door, at the office, in the church or at school may be planning something nobody could have imagined or possibly be the victim of the next violent crime. How are we to know? How can society better prepare or better prevent more deaths from these types of crimes?
Does it help when our congress continuously makes every effort to show their unwillingness to work together, compromise or communicate to efficiently get things done for those who elect them?
Does it help when people are looking for an end to gun violence in some way and a leading organization like the NRA comes out and takes no responsibility but instead points their finger at others? Why not accept some responsibility and work together? It is clear many NRA members do not agree with the NRA’s standing.
Does it help when our society is flooded with violence in its gaming and entertainment industry?
Do attacks on Facebook, Twitter and many of the Social Media websites help at all?
It has been made very clear bullying leads to aggressive behavior, violent crime and yes, massive shootings and often ends in suicide. So why add to that? Why attack those speaking out against violent crime and gun violence?
Does any of this help? Obviously not!
A crime very rarely starts at the moment of the attack, shooting, kidnapping, “random” event, or murder/suicide.
Our society has become self-centered and comfortable with shrugging of responsibility, passing the buck and expecting someone else to fix the issue. That is the issue. Our rights and freedoms should never cause others to live in fear. That is not freedom.
The reason gun violence is more an issue of violent crime is because that is what most often leads to it.
Life is very fast paced, more so now as many people must multi-task, never taking time to slow down.
As our economic tensions are high in the U.S., many people are financially over burdened.
Personal lives, finances, work conditions, health conditions and the constant feed of information can leave many people at a constant breaking point.
Emotionally, there are many struggling from childhood through adulthood, just to fit in or keep their private life out of the public eye in fear of rejection.
There is a major ongoing need to unwind in a society that is less willing and sometimes unable to allow that to happen.
As much as someone may be a responsible gun PURCHASER, there are many changing and unknown factors which come into lives leaving many gun owners unaware of how dangerous having a readily available weapon may have become. So many think nothing will ever happen to them to take them to the breaking point but the news tells the other side of that story. Nobody can be foolish enough to say something could never happen to them. That is someone that shouldn’t own a gun.
The only way to actually make our society safer is for everyone to take responsibility for our part. We ALL have a part. The idea of more guns and less regulation is not the answer. That breeds fear and fear breeds crime. This is not one side or the other, a political rival or even a statement for or against gun control.
It will take more than gun control, gun laws or regulations to see this through but isn’t this worth it? Violent crime death does not see race, economic status, neighborhood, political party, age or anything. That has been very evident as we have watched recent deaths in just this year alone.
Understand, this is more than gun violence. It starts before someone picks up a gun so everyone is part of this solution.
NRA, that includes gun control and regulations. Just because it starts before someone picks up a gun doesn’t mean a weapon should be laying there for the wrong person nor should any weapon be there that can commit mass murder because it was available.
We all need to step up.
In the state of North Carolina, the voters chose to go in a different direction. For the past 20-years, a Democrat had been the sitting Governor of North Carolina, but all that changed on one election night in November, 2012. The new Governor, Pat McCrory, a former Mayor of Charlotte NC., was elected as the first Republican governor since Gov. Jim Martin who served from 1985 -1993.
Since Gov. McCrory’s inauguration in January this year and his State of the State Address this month, he has already made sweeping legislative moves and overturns that directly affect thousands of North Carolinians right where it hurts most – their finances. According to Gary Anderson of the Associated Press, McCrory signed the bill making these changes in his state’s Capitol building office. The media wasn’t invited to the signing, but several of the legislators (All Republicans) who quickly shepherded the bill through the General Assembly in the first two weeks of this year’s work session, were there. (Why so Secretive?)
The bill includes an unemployment plan that repays $2.5 billion owed the federal government for jobless benefits paid since the Great Recession, by cutting maximum weekly jobless payments from $535 to $350 on new claims beginning July 1. And the maximum number of weeks for state benefits goes from 26 weeks to 12 to 20 weeks, depending on the state unemployment rate. But what’s not mentioned is that Gov. McCrory gave a $13,000 raise to his Cabinet secretaries while making these cuts.
The bill also raises state unemployment taxes, partially through the elimination of a zero-percent rate that about 30,000 businesses have received. Federal taxes will continue to rise by $21 per employee per year until the debt is repaid and a 20-percent state surcharge will continue a little while longer.
“As one of the first laws under his tenure, these cruel cuts will forever mar any legacy that Gov. McCrory hopes to leave behind,” said MaryBe McMillan with the state AFL-CIO. “Only bullies kick people while they are down. Shame on our governor and our legislature for turning their backs on unemployed workers.”
Shameful indeed.
When President Obama even mentions a minimum wage increase or the super rich paying a little more in taxes or healthcare for every American, the Republicans cringe, squirm and call it bad economics. But a Republican Governor and Republican led House comes into power, kicks the little man while he’s down and this is considered Good Policy?
One leader, led by the North Carolina Chamber, who backed the overhaul – Chamber CEO Lew Ebert – acknowledged in an interview that it was “tough medicine” for both businesses and workers, but that it would insure the system wouldn’t be in such bad shape again. (Hey Ebert, what about those who aren’t working?)
“We’re sending a strong signal. We’re getting our house in order,” he said.
Riiiigghhtttt. By destroying the little man who’s struggling to make ends meet, keep a roof over his and his family’s head, put food on the table, pay for college tuitions, buy groceries, pay a mortgage, make a car payment, etc. All of this on $350 a week? Yep, that’s a Strong Signal alright. A signal signifying what Democrats have always thought about Republicans and was confirmed by the great Mitt Romney. Does 47% ring a bell?
By now, you have all heard of the most recent reason why some Republicans are against Chuck Hagel‘s confirmation. For the few who haven’t heard, the latest scoop on Hagel – according to Republicans – is that he received money from a group called, “Friends of Hamas.”
Shocked? Well you should be. A little digging online found that Friends of Hamas does not exist. The idea of the fake organization came from a reporter in New York. But this little fact has not stop some Republicans in congress from naming the fictitious organization and its non-existent connection to Mr. Hagel, as one of their reasons for opposing Hagel’s confirmation. Take Republican/Teaparty Senator Rand Paul for example. Responding to a question about the so called, Friends of Hamas, the Senator said that he saw the information and that it is “more and more concerning.”
The information of course, is being pushed by a conservative website, Breitbart.com. Breitbart is the same site that fabricated a video of Shirley Sherrod, giving the impression that Sherrod had racist tendencies. The doctored video implied that Sherrod denied a white farmer the funds and information he needed. Due to the backlash on the video from Fox News and other conservative media, Sherrod was forced to resign as Director of Rural Development for the United States Department of Agriculture. She later sued Breitbart.
Friends of Hamas does not exist, but Breitbart stands by their story and continues pushing this lie to Congressional Republicans and these Republicans have bought into it.
Stephen Colbert breaks it down in the video below.
We all knew this was going to happen, that Republicans would eventually endorse and vote for Chuck Hagel’s confirmation. So what exactly was the point of them filibustering ‘their Republican friend’ last week? I mean, at what point will they put politics aside and just do what they all knew they would do from the start?
Hagel cleared the threshold when five-term Republican Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama said he would vote for the former GOP senator from Nebraska after joining other Republicans last week in an unprecedented filibuster of the Pentagon nominee.
“He’s probably as good as we’re going to get,” Shelby told the Decatur (Ala.) Daily.
Although a Republican, Hagel has faced strong GOP opposition, with many of his former colleagues voting last week to stall the nomination. Republicans have questioned Hagel’s support for Israel, tolerance of Iran and willingness to cut the nuclear arsenal. His opposition to the Iraq war after his initial vote for the conflict angered his onetime friend, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
GOP lawmakers demanded more time to review the nomination that a divided Armed Services Committee had approved on a party-line vote.
Shelby’s support was a clear sign of weakening Republican opposition, and it prompted two letters within hours from Hagel’s fiercest GOP foes. One letter went to the president calling on him to withdraw the nomination, the other to GOP senators pleading with them to stand together against Hagel.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes.
In a medium bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, parsley, eggs, milk, ketchup, Romano cheese, and the salt and pepper. Add the chicken and gently stir to combine.
Using a melon baller (or a teaspoon measure), form the chicken mixture into 3/4-inch pieces. With damp hands, roll the chicken pieces into mini meatballs.
In a large (14-inch) skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the meatballs and cook without moving until brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Turn the meatballs over and brown the other side, about 2 minutes longer. Add the chicken stock and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to low and simmer until tomatoes are soft and meatballs are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water. Transfer pasta to a large serving bowl and add the Parmesan. Toss to lightly coat orecchiette, adding reserved pasta water, if needed, to loosen the pasta. Add the meatball mixture, mozzarella cheese, and 1/2 cup of the basil. Gently toss to combine. Garnish with the chopped basil.
“What fresh new hell is this?” you’re probably wondering. Would you believe its a math homework assignment that was to be given out to kids in the fourth grade at NYC school P.S. 59? It would have been, if not for the conscientiousness of student teacher Aziza Harding, who was told by the teacher in-charge of the class to hand out the assignment but couldn’t bring herself to do so. Ms.Harding reported the teacher’s assignment to one of her professors at NYU, where she’s a graduate student. He swiftly brought it to the attention of the school’s principal who wrote back saying she was ‘appalled’ and after that things went really viral. The Department of Education released this statement,
“This is obviously unacceptable and we will take appropriate disciplinary action against these teachers. The Chancellor spoke to the principal, and she has already taken steps to ensure this does not happen again.”
And upon hearing the story on the news, State Senator Simcha Felder, who is the chairman of the New York City Education Sub-Committee, emailed this statement,
“While the city, state and unions are busy haggling over teacher evaluations, New York City’s students are being subjected to reprehensible and irresponsible educational materials. I am calling for the immediate removal of these two (?) teachers.”
FYI: No word yet on the name of the teacher! They probably have her in hiding for her own safety. ♦
Which leads to my next story…
NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Michael Mulgrew, the president of the United Federation of Teachers, failed to reach a deal on a new system for evaluating 75,000 public school teachers, putting the city in danger of losing out on $450 million in state and federal money along with raising the possibility of cuts to staff and programs. The mayor boo-hooed about how tragic this impass was for public school children and Mulgrew is now mumbling under his breathe about a strike. WTF! The teachers’ union has been working without a contract since just before Mr. Bloomberg hijacked…oh, excuse me, I meant was reelected in 2009, a campaign in which the union declined to endorse a candidate (ie: not Bloomberg). The UFT are hoping for a more friendly administration next year, and are being heavily courted by several Democratic candidates for mayor. A professor of political science at Hunter College, Kenneth S. Sherrill says this:
“The fact of the matter is that as long as a Democrat wins, the union is better off, and I think that holds for all public employees. There is a long tradition of this.”
An endorsement for a Democrat if I ever heard one. To be continued…♦
So, some researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine think they’ve come up with biological evidence supporting the idea that women talk more than men. The assertion is that the average woman speaks about 20,000 words a day, while the average man manages gets in about 7,000 words in between women flapping their gums.The new study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience says that women have a higher level of some protein in our brains called, get this — FOXP2, nicknamed the “language protein.” Bunk all that I say! You wanna know the real reason why women talk almost 3x as much as men? Because the first two times we try to tell you something you’re not listening. See…, you guys aren’t even listening now! Thar’s one… ♦
I love it when the ‘wave of the future’ comes splashing right up to my wiggling toes! Today it comes in the form of a company called SkyVegetables, headed by CEO Bob Fireman. Based on a simple concept utilizing otherwise wasted space on big rooftops to grow fresh vegtables, it can be utilized on supermarkets, schools, public housing, anywhere there’s a roof and a need for easy access to fresh, wholesome food. Rooftopm farms are self sustaining, complexes using solar energy, rainwater catchment, wind turbines and living-machine style aquaponics, all functioning 24/7, 365 days a year in all weather conditions. Affordable housing developer Les Bluestone has taken this concept one step further by incorporating affordable housing and sustainable living sky farms with the newly built Bronx, NYC residence called Arbor House. The nearly $38 million housing complex has 124 units of affordable housing and will feature a hydroponic rooftop farm for growing fresh vegetables. Fireman says,
“Local, fresh, nutritious food is what the people of the cities need. And there is no reason why we can’t turn all of these rooftops into living farms.”
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