"Four" what it's worth, anyway...
WOMEN: Stanford, Connecticut, Baylor, Texas A&M. Baylor over UConn in the final.
MEN: Louisville, Georgetown, Indiana, Gonzaga. Indiana over Louisville in the final.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Photographer Captures Tender Moment Between Man And His Sick Dog In Lake Superior (PHOTO)
Photographer Captures Tender Moment Between Man And His Sick Dog In Lake Superior (PHOTO): Wordpress login:
It's easy for the living and healthy to tell the sick they'd be better off dead.
It's easy for the living and healthy to tell the sick they'd be better off dead.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Biden Still...Still...STILL Not Telling the Whole Story on Domestic Abuse
I have again written to the Office of the Vice President of the United States to ask Vice President Biden to begin acknowledging facts on the issue of domestic abuse, and to stop pretending that this is solely a problem of men abusing women.
Indeed, more than 250 studies, reviews, and analyses indicate that women initiate (i.e. not acting in self-defense) domestic violence against men approximately as often as the reverse occurs: http://www.csulb.edu/~mfiebert/assault.htm. Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control issued a study in 2007 and found that, within heterosexual relationships in which there was non-reciprocal violence (i.e. only one partner was becoming violent), the woman was the violent party in slightly more than 70% of the cases: http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2005.079020.
The misinformation on domestic violence needs be cease, so that we can begin to help ALL victims of domestic abuse, big and small, male or female.
Stop Abuse for EVERYONE (www.safe4all.org)
The Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men and Women (www.dahmw.org)
Indeed, more than 250 studies, reviews, and analyses indicate that women initiate (i.e. not acting in self-defense) domestic violence against men approximately as often as the reverse occurs: http://www.csulb.edu/~mfiebert/assault.htm. Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control issued a study in 2007 and found that, within heterosexual relationships in which there was non-reciprocal violence (i.e. only one partner was becoming violent), the woman was the violent party in slightly more than 70% of the cases: http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2005.079020.
The misinformation on domestic violence needs be cease, so that we can begin to help ALL victims of domestic abuse, big and small, male or female.
Stop Abuse for EVERYONE (www.safe4all.org)
The Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men and Women (www.dahmw.org)
Monday, July 23, 2012
No Easy Answers to Prevent Future (Aurora) Tragedies
I'm not a member of the NRA, but I'm fairly certain none of its members were unmoved by the Aurora tragedy. The position in defense of the Second Amendment is not one of valuing some abstract Constitutional right over the lives and safety of innocent people, but rather recognizing that the only people affected by gun legislation are law-abiding citizens.
Norway has a much more stringent gun policy than the United States. That policy didn't avert the tragic mass shooting perpetrated at the camp on the island of Utøya, last year. That gunman was already planning on breaking the law against murder, and thus had no qualms about breaking a law against gun possession. Then we can look at the school shooting in Pearl, MS, in 1997, when Assistant Principal Joel Myrick went to his truck to retrieve a gun, which he used to subdue the assailant without even firing a shot. Lives were saved by the use of a legally owned gun.
That doesn't mean that arming every citizen is the answer, any more than stricter gun-control measures are. There are no easy answers, no matter how much we wish it were the case.
Norway has a much more stringent gun policy than the United States. That policy didn't avert the tragic mass shooting perpetrated at the camp on the island of Utøya, last year. That gunman was already planning on breaking the law against murder, and thus had no qualms about breaking a law against gun possession. Then we can look at the school shooting in Pearl, MS, in 1997, when Assistant Principal Joel Myrick went to his truck to retrieve a gun, which he used to subdue the assailant without even firing a shot. Lives were saved by the use of a legally owned gun.
That doesn't mean that arming every citizen is the answer, any more than stricter gun-control measures are. There are no easy answers, no matter how much we wish it were the case.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
BeneGram's 2012 Final Forecasts
Will I have my third perfect Women's Final Four (2005, 2009)? We'll see.
WOMEN: Maryland, LSU, Baylor, Stanford. Baylor over LSU in the final, 57-53.
MEN: North Carolina, Ohio State, Michigan State, Baylor. Baylor over Ohio State in the final, 76-73.
WOMEN: Maryland, LSU, Baylor, Stanford. Baylor over LSU in the final, 57-53.
MEN: North Carolina, Ohio State, Michigan State, Baylor. Baylor over Ohio State in the final, 76-73.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Andrew Breitbart: Fearless
I almost always take pause when someone famous passes away. My mind whirs while I begin thinking of everything (s)he did or said. It's true about people I know, too.
But this came as a shock, plain and simple. Rarely has someone this relevant, this current, gone so suddenly.
AB crammed about 120 years of guts and work and lack of fear of confrontation into 43 too-short years. Honor to him. Condolences to his family and friends.
And everyone else is going to have to step it up a notch from now on.
But this came as a shock, plain and simple. Rarely has someone this relevant, this current, gone so suddenly.
AB crammed about 120 years of guts and work and lack of fear of confrontation into 43 too-short years. Honor to him. Condolences to his family and friends.
And everyone else is going to have to step it up a notch from now on.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Little-Known Fact About Leap Year
The adjustment known as leap year goes even further than some people know. To be even more precise and keep the earth from gaining or losing too much time, every year that is a multiple of 100 but not a multiple of 400 will not be a leap year. For example, 2100, 2200, and 2300 will not have 366 days, but 2400 will.
Hope everybody made the most of today.
Hope everybody made the most of today.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Two Writing Titans
Just about everyone who has a blog has Andrew A. Rooney to thank.
Yes, that Andrew A. Rooney. The one who was often caricatured as a cranky old man who griped about absolutely nothing at the end of 60 Minutes. A small fraction of those dismissing Rooney knew that he was a writer long before becoming, reluctantly, a television personality. Of his days as a war correspondent for The Stars and Stripes or his years as a newspaper columnist.
Whereas many of my fellow Gen-Xers were watching MTV and reading Mad Magazine, I was reading Andy Rooney's collections of old columns, and would occasionally envision myself commenting equally breezily on life's big questions as on life's more mundane things, bringing observations to light, and causing millions of people to think, "Yeah! I thought I was the only one to notice that..."
I would often nod my head in agreement with things Andrew A. Rooney (as he preferred to be known) wrote or said, and would shake my head when I would disagree, but such is the case for every pundit, columnist, or blogger. I imagine that many of those who would ridicule Rooney for his weekly segments on things such as cereal boxes would rush to Twitter or Facebook or [ahem] Blogspot to tell the world the great new cheese they sampled the other day at WholeFoods.
I was less familiar with the writings of Christopher Hitchens, but whatever I did happen to read of his wowed me with his command of the English language and what to do with it. Yes, one could agree or disagree with his ideas, but no one could seriously attack him for his prose. In a semi-conscious state from a hospital bed, Hitch was able to come up with far deeper thoughts than most people could on their best days.
Andrew A. Rooney was far older than Christopher Hitchens, but Rooney, like Hitchens, "retired" only out of necessity, not for a want to stop writing. With both, we get the feeling that a great practicer of a faded art was taken from us far too soon.
Yes, that Andrew A. Rooney. The one who was often caricatured as a cranky old man who griped about absolutely nothing at the end of 60 Minutes. A small fraction of those dismissing Rooney knew that he was a writer long before becoming, reluctantly, a television personality. Of his days as a war correspondent for The Stars and Stripes or his years as a newspaper columnist.
Whereas many of my fellow Gen-Xers were watching MTV and reading Mad Magazine, I was reading Andy Rooney's collections of old columns, and would occasionally envision myself commenting equally breezily on life's big questions as on life's more mundane things, bringing observations to light, and causing millions of people to think, "Yeah! I thought I was the only one to notice that..."
I would often nod my head in agreement with things Andrew A. Rooney (as he preferred to be known) wrote or said, and would shake my head when I would disagree, but such is the case for every pundit, columnist, or blogger. I imagine that many of those who would ridicule Rooney for his weekly segments on things such as cereal boxes would rush to Twitter or Facebook or [ahem] Blogspot to tell the world the great new cheese they sampled the other day at WholeFoods.
I was less familiar with the writings of Christopher Hitchens, but whatever I did happen to read of his wowed me with his command of the English language and what to do with it. Yes, one could agree or disagree with his ideas, but no one could seriously attack him for his prose. In a semi-conscious state from a hospital bed, Hitch was able to come up with far deeper thoughts than most people could on their best days.
Andrew A. Rooney was far older than Christopher Hitchens, but Rooney, like Hitchens, "retired" only out of necessity, not for a want to stop writing. With both, we get the feeling that a great practicer of a faded art was taken from us far too soon.
Monday, November 7, 2011
The Bigotry Facing Herman Cain
Published in the November 3, 2011, issue of The Philadelphia Inquirer:
http://articles.philly.com/2011-11-03/news/30355430_1_herman-cain-student-loans-debt
I'm still learning about Herman Cain, and I don't know what I think about his tax plan, but I'm disappointed (though unsurprised) at the bigotry he has faced. Cain joins the queue of prominent conservatives who don't happen to be Caucasian (see also Clarence Thomas, Condoleezza Rice, Alberto Gonzales, Marco Rubio) and have been on the receiving end of treatment that would be rightly condemned if they'd been more left-leaning.
Now that we have a multiracial president, the narrative that has been built is that anyone who questions or disagrees with him is guilty of racial prejudice. Since Cain's popularity among conservatives greatly weakens that narrative, he is now being labeled a "sellout" or an "Uncle Tom" - outrageously offensive terms.
It's rather racist to expect all people of a certain color to think the same way. It's also noteworthy that the only people who feel the need to reference Herman Cain's race are those on the left who oppose him.
Naturally, as I got top placement and my letter was topical, I've gotten much feedback. Unfortunately, functional illiteracy appears to be another trait of Cain's critics, who mistakenly believe I was endorsing Cain, while astute readers will notice I was not endorsing any one candidate. One sad fool who likes to make everything about race has resurfaced in my inbox. It's gratifying when they prove your point.
http://articles.philly.com/2011-11-03/news/30355430_1_herman-cain-student-loans-debt
I'm still learning about Herman Cain, and I don't know what I think about his tax plan, but I'm disappointed (though unsurprised) at the bigotry he has faced. Cain joins the queue of prominent conservatives who don't happen to be Caucasian (see also Clarence Thomas, Condoleezza Rice, Alberto Gonzales, Marco Rubio) and have been on the receiving end of treatment that would be rightly condemned if they'd been more left-leaning.
Now that we have a multiracial president, the narrative that has been built is that anyone who questions or disagrees with him is guilty of racial prejudice. Since Cain's popularity among conservatives greatly weakens that narrative, he is now being labeled a "sellout" or an "Uncle Tom" - outrageously offensive terms.
It's rather racist to expect all people of a certain color to think the same way. It's also noteworthy that the only people who feel the need to reference Herman Cain's race are those on the left who oppose him.
Naturally, as I got top placement and my letter was topical, I've gotten much feedback. Unfortunately, functional illiteracy appears to be another trait of Cain's critics, who mistakenly believe I was endorsing Cain, while astute readers will notice I was not endorsing any one candidate. One sad fool who likes to make everything about race has resurfaced in my inbox. It's gratifying when they prove your point.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Remembering Patricia Overberg
From the website of Stop Abuse for Everyone (www.safe4all.org), on the recent passing of Patricia Overberg, who sought to ensure that all victims of domestic abuse, irrespective of gender, get the help they need:
SAFE Speaker Patricia Overberg, Pioneer Domestic Violence Advocate Who Refused to Discriminate Leaves Lasting Legacy
Overberg was trained in social work before most social work programs adopted the philosophy that all domestic violence is rooted in patriarchal power and control. She believed that family violence needs to be viewed holistically, and her commitment to the principle of equal treatment for all informed everything she did.
Although most battered women's shelters refuse admittance to sons 12 years or older and force mothers to place their sons in foster care or be denied entrance to a shelter, Overberg refused to require mothers to choose between their own safety and the well-being of their children.
When male victims, whether on their own or with their children, sought help, she didn't turn them away. Overberg was director of the Valley Oasis Shelter in Lancaster, Calif. from 1989 through 1998. During that time, Valley Oasis was the only shelter in the U.S. that men needing help could turn to. Even today Valley Oasis remains one of the very few shelters in the U.S. that offers the same level of services to male victims as to female victims.
Overberg treated gay men and lesbians with the same respect and level of service accorded to all the people she helped. She pioneered in bringing a transgendered volunteer on board at the Valley Oasis.
Erin Pizzey, founder of the first modern battered women’s shelter, says: “Pat was a brave, honest and courageous woman. She faced persecution from her colleagues in the domestic violence field and fought back. All of us who work at the coal face of human relationships owe Pat a great deal.”
Because of Overberg's principled refusal to discriminate on the basis of sex or sexual orientation, she was treated as a pariah by many of her peers. In a 2002 sworn deposition, Overberg testified that she "was subjected to continuous abuse by other shelter directors for sheltering battered men."( http://www.ncfmla.org/pdf/overberg.pdf )
Undaunted, Overberg encouraged the Los Angeles chapter of the National Coalition for Men (NCFM) to file a lawsuit to end the discrimination against male victims of abuse, and their children. With help from Overberg's testimony, NCFM won a landmark ruling that held it is unconstitutional for the State of California to exclude male victims from state-funded domestic violence services.(David Woods v. Horton (2008) 167 Cal.App.4th 658,http://law.justia.com/cases/california/court-of-appeal/2008/c056072 )
The effects of this ruling are far-reaching. All states are now on notice that equal protection clauses in constitutions mean what they say. State funds cannot be used to support agencies that discriminate on the basis of gender.
Overberg’s legacy lives on for all victims of domestic violence and in efforts to provide equal access to services for people everywhere.
SAFE Speaker Patricia Overberg, Pioneer Domestic Violence Advocate Who Refused to Discriminate Leaves Lasting Legacy
Overberg was trained in social work before most social work programs adopted the philosophy that all domestic violence is rooted in patriarchal power and control. She believed that family violence needs to be viewed holistically, and her commitment to the principle of equal treatment for all informed everything she did.
Although most battered women's shelters refuse admittance to sons 12 years or older and force mothers to place their sons in foster care or be denied entrance to a shelter, Overberg refused to require mothers to choose between their own safety and the well-being of their children.
When male victims, whether on their own or with their children, sought help, she didn't turn them away. Overberg was director of the Valley Oasis Shelter in Lancaster, Calif. from 1989 through 1998. During that time, Valley Oasis was the only shelter in the U.S. that men needing help could turn to. Even today Valley Oasis remains one of the very few shelters in the U.S. that offers the same level of services to male victims as to female victims.
Overberg treated gay men and lesbians with the same respect and level of service accorded to all the people she helped. She pioneered in bringing a transgendered volunteer on board at the Valley Oasis.
Erin Pizzey, founder of the first modern battered women’s shelter, says: “Pat was a brave, honest and courageous woman. She faced persecution from her colleagues in the domestic violence field and fought back. All of us who work at the coal face of human relationships owe Pat a great deal.”
Because of Overberg's principled refusal to discriminate on the basis of sex or sexual orientation, she was treated as a pariah by many of her peers. In a 2002 sworn deposition, Overberg testified that she "was subjected to continuous abuse by other shelter directors for sheltering battered men."( http://www.ncfmla.org/pdf/overberg.pdf )
Undaunted, Overberg encouraged the Los Angeles chapter of the National Coalition for Men (NCFM) to file a lawsuit to end the discrimination against male victims of abuse, and their children. With help from Overberg's testimony, NCFM won a landmark ruling that held it is unconstitutional for the State of California to exclude male victims from state-funded domestic violence services.(David Woods v. Horton (2008) 167 Cal.App.4th 658,http://law.justia.com/cases/california/court-of-appeal/2008/c056072 )
The effects of this ruling are far-reaching. All states are now on notice that equal protection clauses in constitutions mean what they say. State funds cannot be used to support agencies that discriminate on the basis of gender.
Overberg’s legacy lives on for all victims of domestic violence and in efforts to provide equal access to services for people everywhere.
Monday, August 8, 2011
SMEARWEEK
Let me say first that I do not agree with everything Rep. Michele Bachmann does or says. I disagreed, por ejemplo, with her renegade response to President Obama's State of the Union address.
But I've never heard her "rage." So I see Newsweek's latest cover with Bachmann, replete with the title "The Queen of Rage," as one more example of the magazine's ceding credibility in order to carry the far left's dihydrogen monoxide.
The picture's not great, but it's the headline that's intentionally outrageous.
But I've never heard her "rage." So I see Newsweek's latest cover with Bachmann, replete with the title "The Queen of Rage," as one more example of the magazine's ceding credibility in order to carry the far left's dihydrogen monoxide.
The picture's not great, but it's the headline that's intentionally outrageous.
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