October 31, 2015

Be more respectful and call him or her "the person who stole my bicycle" rather than a "criminal"

Is it wrong to call someone who steals a "criminal"?

In a recent thread on NextDoor, a group of neighbors living in the Noe Valley-Glen Park area debated whether labeling a person who commits petty theft as a "criminal" is offensive.

In the site's Crime and Safety area, where residents share strategies for fighting crime, Malkia Cyril asked her Noe Valley neighbors to stop using the label because it shows lack of empathy and understanding.

Cyril suggested that instead of calling the thief who took the bicycle from your garage a criminal, you should be more respectful and call him or her "the person who stole my bicycle."

"I [suggest] that people who commit property crimes are human and deserved to be referred to in terms that acknowledge that," Cyril, who's the executive director of the Center for Media Justice in Oakland, writes in the thread



http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Political-correctness-San-Francisco-criminal-6598509.php

October 31, 2015

Blind and terrified three-year-old pit bull abandoned on a park bench gets a second chance at love

Blind and terrified three-year-old pit bull abandoned on a park bench gets a second chance at love
Poly was dumped on a park bench in Santa Maria, California
An animal control officer found her and brought her to the city pound
Long-time rescuer Jennifer Wales stepped up to give the blind pooch a second chance despite all of her medical issues
Poly is now 'thriving' in a foster home and will soon be ready for adoption



blind pit bull who was abandoned on a park bench has been rescued and is 'thriving' says her rescuer.
The three-year-old pit bull, who was discovered shuddering on a wet and cold park bench in Santa Maria, California, in early October was 'blind and terrified' and 'too scared to even get off the bench.'


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3297407/Blind-terrified-3-year-old-pit-bull-abandoned-park-bench-gets-second-chance-love.html#ixzz3q6rEnkGj

October 30, 2015

Jeb Bush Made Voting Rights Contingent on Sobriety, but Cut Funding for Treatment

http://m.motherjones.com/politics/2015/10/jeb-bush-prison-vetoes-florida


Flrida is one of just three states that permanently disenfranchises everyone with a felon conviction. Today, that system excludes nearly 1.5 million Floridians from voting and disproportionately affects African Americans, with about 20 percent of the state's black voting-age population barred from the ballot box. For many people, such as White, the only way to earn back the right to vote, to serve on a jury, and to run for office is to make the trip to Tallahassee and personally petition the governor and cabinet for clemency. Mother Jones recently analyzed more than 1,000 pages of transcripts to assess how Bush, now a Republican presidential candidate, oversaw the process during his eight years as governor.

Before restoring an ex-felon's civil rights, Bush wanted proof that the former offender had put his past behind him and become a productive member of society. He asked the men and women who appeared before him if they had a job. If ex-offenders had committed crimes involving drugs or alcohol—a significant portion of them had—he wanted them to be sober. Completing a treatment program helped offer the proof Bush wanted that the people before him, like White, had truly turned a corner.

But Bush's desire to see successful reintegration into society often ran up against his governing philosophy, which prioritized tax cuts and often rebuffed state legislators who sought additional funding for projects in their districts. Bush sought to rein in the budget by using his line-item veto power aggressively, cutting nearly $2 billion out of the state's budgets from 1999 to 2007. Bush embraced the nickname "Veto Corleone" and has used it on the campaign trail as evidence of his conservative economic record. But many of the projects that succumbed to his veto pen were the very programs that helped ex-felons meet Bush's own criteria for evaluating who deserved the right to vote.

Mother Jones searched a comprehensive list of all of Bush's vetoes and found 32 vetoed items, totaling nearly $13 million, that would have funded programs for substance abuse and helped prisoners reintegrate into society. (The list below does not include many of the substance abuse programs targeted at adolescents. In his second year in office, Bush signed a law imposing draconian mandatory minimum sentences—up to 20 years in adult prison—for minors convicted of certain crimes, while also dedicating $5 million to drug and alcohol rehabilitation for minors.)

October 30, 2015

University of Louisville president, staff wear sombreros, bushy mustaches for stereotypical ‘Mexican

ht


University of Louisville President James Ramsey wore a sombrero and a rainbow-striped poncho at a stereotypical Halloween party for his staff Wednesday.

Ramsey’s wife Jane Ramsey gave her husband and at least 15 staffers hats, bushy mustaches and veils that mimicked bygone Hollywood depictions of Mexican bandits and their outlaw lovers, The Courier-Journal of Louisville reported.

The group posed for a picture while wearing the garb and holding up maracas during a luncheon at Amelia Place, the president’s university-owned mansion. Ramsey’s chief of staff issued an apology Thursday after the photo showed up online in a Courier-Journal story about the historic property and prompted an outrage.

Latino students - whose presence at the school mirrors Kentucky’s 3.4% Latino population - condemned the costume party.

“I was appalled,” said freshman Leonardo Salinas. “It's not just offensive to Mexicans; it's offensive to the immigrant community as a whole. Someone thought, ‘Oh, this is a good idea.’ How did it not click in anybody's mind that it was a very bad idea?”
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/louisville-president-staff-wear-stereotypical-costumes-article-1.2417301

October 30, 2015

Yazidi culture adjusts to ISIS mass rape. Rape no longer considered a dishonor

For Yazidis, the tragedy is so great that their own strict traditions have had to adjust.

'Hundreds' of Yazidi women killing themselves in ISIS captivity

Before ISIS attacked Sinjar, marrying outside the Yazidi faith was strictly condemned. Those accused of adultery -- and even victims of rape -- could be killed for "dishonoring" their family.

But that is changing, according to Baba Sheikh, who desperately wants those abducted by ISIS to return.

"Anyone who comes back will be warmly welcomed home," he insists. "They should keep their heads up. They have done nothing wrong. And they should not be worried."

His words are a source of comfort for the tormented; even as ISIS attempts to destroy the Yazidi people in the name of religion, the terror group's victims may still find solace at home.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/08/middleeast/isis-rape-theology-soldiers-rape-women-to-make-them-muslim/index.html

October 29, 2015

This is the Halloween pumpkin you get for $750, and how to extend its life

?uuid=37dc79e4-7e41-11e5-8e56-0015c588e0f6

?uuid=4a655ff0-7e6d-11e5-9e40-0015c588e0f6


?uuid=046a0460-7e6d-11e5-9f66-0015c588e0f6

This is the Halloween pumpkin you get for $750

Elaborate pumpkins for Halloween, weddings and more
Maniac Pumpkin Carvers

This version of Vincent van Gogh’s “Starry Night” masterpiece, carved by Brooklyn-based Maniac Pumpkin Carvers, costs about $750, while the Walking Dead image on the right is a touch cheaper.


Not surprisingly, this is a crazy busy time for artist Marc Evan, a co-founder of Maniac Pumpkin Carvers along with fellow artist Chris Soria, and their crew of 10 main carvers. Evan said he’s “lost count” of how many pumpkins the company has already carved this fall, as he spoke to MarketWatch on his way back from picking up lights for another 100 pumpkins.


“As artists, we love to push the boundaries of what can be done with a pumpkin,” he said. “We really have a blast trying to achieve what no one has achieved before.”

But these carvers differ from your Do-it-yourself efforts in some other ways. For one, they don’t cut off the top of the pumpkin. That would be a surefire way to speed up its decay. Instead, they create a hole in the back for a light bulb (no candle).

---
The pumpkin could last just three days or longer. But there are tricks to extending the shelf life of your masterpiece. Plastic wrap and ice baths can help. Leave the stem on. Accept the fact that it will rot eventually.

Tom Nardone, a Michigan-based pumpkin carver who runs the Extreme Pumpkins website, said on his website that spraying the surfaces and insides with a bathroom cleaner that contains bleach might help in your efforts to preserve your creation.

If you want to be extreme, try pickling your pumpkin by submerging it in a vat of white vinegar, Nardone recommended on his website.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-is-the-halloween-pumpkin-you-get-for-750-2015-10-29?Link=obnetwork

October 29, 2015

" it was do or die. And Bush died", "Rubio had knocked Bush out of the game completely".

In other words, it was do or die. And Bush died. The debate clock tells the whole story; next to Sen. Rand Paul, who fell to the bottom, Bush had the least speaking time of any candidate on stage. Worse, he was on the losing end of a tough exchange. Early in the night, the former Florida governor came out swinging against his erstwhile protégé, Rubio. “Marco, when you signed up for this, this was a six-year term, and you should be showing up to work,” said Bush, hitting Rubio on his absence from the U.S. Senate. “You can campaign, or just resign and let someone else take the job.”



Bush had a hit. Rubio was supposed to stumble. But he didn’t. Instead, he accused Bush of playing politics in the most brutal way possible.

Well, it’s interesting. Over the last few weeks, I’ve listened to Jeb as he walked around the country and said that you’re modeling your campaign after John McCain, that you’re going to launch a furious comeback the way he did, by fighting hard in New Hampshire and places like that, carrying your own bag at the airport. You know how many votes John McCain missed when he was carrying out that furious comeback that you’re now modeling after?
[L]et me tell you. I don’t remember you ever complaining about John McCain’s vote record. The only reason why you’re doing it now is because we’re running for the same position, and someone has convinced you that attacking me is going to help you.

And that was it. Bush was finished. He spoke again throughout the night, but never with energy. Any wind he had—any fire or spirit—was gone. In a few seconds, Rubio had knocked Bush out of the game completely.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2015/10/jeb_bush_suffered_another_crushing_defeat_in_the_cnbc_debate_republican.html






Jeb freefall in one gif

http://theweek.com/speedreads/585616/jeb-bushs-freefall-1-gif



The debate boots Jeb wore

October 29, 2015

Like down desk debuts

http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Lie-down-desks-debut-so-you-can-sleep-on-the-job-6596478.php

http://twitter.com/altworkstations/status/659426265997246464/photo/1

The workstation sells for $5,900, or $3,900 now with an "early adopter" price.

Altwork cofounder and CEO Che Voight told Wired the workstation was created with ergonomics in mind. He says there isn't a solution for people who injure their back and can't sit at normal workstations.

October 29, 2015

Way back machine: "If he does enter the race, (Jeb) Bush will be a candidate to be reckoned with."

Google Jeb Bush + past year.

October 29, 2015

Jeb seems to have forgotten that he has a lib arts degree. Says they are only good 4 chik-fil-a jobs

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/10/28/jeb-bush-has-a-liberal-arts-degree-it-didnt-stop-him-from-belittling-liberal-arts-majors/

now, according to the Washington Examiner, he said the following at a South Carolina town hall with Sen. Tim Scott and Rep. Trey Gowdy:

“Universities ought to have skin in the game. When a student shows up, they ought to say ‘Hey, that psych major deal, that philosophy major thing, that’s great, it’s important to have liberal arts … but realize, you’re going to be working [at] a Chick-fil-A.’ ”

Does he think everybody should go to business school? Has nobody told him that many people go to college to learn and become educated citizens and not to be trained in a high-paying career?

He seems to have forgotten that he himself has a bachelor’s degree in Latin American studies from the University of Texas at Austin.

Not surprisingly, liberal arts majors, especially psychology majors, were not amused. Here’s some reaction on Twitter: