Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Espelho Original
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Mitchem (D) Contemplates Switch
Why Passing The Public Option Won't Hurt Democrats In 2010
Democrats In The Senate Kill Public Option
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Also on the 'health care debate', I always find Howard Dean enthralling:
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Monday, September 28, 2009
4UDECOR está nomeada para MELHOR LOJA 2009
Jaime Hayon London Design Festival 2009
Jaime Hayon apresenta no Festival de Design de Londres 2009, um gigante tabuleiro de xadres em Trafalgar Square, é simplesmente maravilhoso. Neste videoclip Jaime explica este projecto, se puder não perca ....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Bz1U_3j4Ac
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Employees Sue Lowder, Dye, Others
The lawsuits filed in federal court in Montgomery claim the ill-advised investments were wiped out when the value of the company's stock dropped from almost $25 a share in 2007 to less than 10 cents a share with the bank's federal takeover in August.
The eight lawsuits name as defendants Lowder and other members of the board of directors, including former Auburn football coach Pat Dye and dog track magnate Milton McGregor.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Bentley Advocates Debt Default
GOP gubernatorial candidate Robert Bentley has come out in favor of Birmingham defaulting on it's sewer debt and seeking Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection***:
State Rep. Robert Bentley of Tuscaloosa said filing for bankruptcy is the most reasonable way to begin discussions to end the financial crisis in Jefferson County.I would be interested to see where some of the other candidates stand on encouraging the largest municipal bankruptcy in the history of this country. I'm not saying whether Rep. Bentley is wrong or right, but an interesting question indeed.
He said the crisis over the sewer debt must be resolved because Jefferson County, which includes Alabama's largest city, Birmingham, is the state's economic center.
***Footnote: On Rep. Bentley's side is Alabama investment mogul David Bronner who also advocates bankruptcy.***
The Irrelevancy Of Steve Flowers
‘Big Jim’ went to people
Why this column is trash:It offers nothing new to the conversation about Alabama politics. I am 25-yrs. old and I know how Jim Folsom campaigned. I mean, my parents were barely born, and I know that he went around on a truck with a broom and a band. I know that he was elected twice (1946 & 1954) and I could expound on what he ran on and what he did as Governor. We actually have competitive races for both parties nominations and I am reading a fairly bland and undetailed column about Jim Folsom Sr. I don't want Steve to lose his column, because then I would get practically nothing, but he is desperately in need of some competition.
Cadeira Extraordinaria
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Projectamos a sua Cozinha
Monday, September 21, 2009
Segall Fundraiser Thursday
U.S. Rep. challenger Joshua Segall has a fundraiser in Auburn on Thursday. The price is a mere $50 to help Josh unseat current GOP yes-man Mike Rogers. Here is the info:
Date: Thursday, September 24, 2009Time: 5:00pm - 7:00pmLocation: Home of David and Annie HinsonStreet: 1487 McCurry LnCity/Town: Auburn, AL
Phone: 3347824114Email:
4UDECOR representa a SCAB
Já com 50 anos, a SCAB representa no seu máximo esplendor o design e qualidade italiana, reconhecida internacionalmente em todo mundo. Recorrendo aos mais exigentes padrões de produção e controlo de qualidade fazem da SCAB uma referência no mobiliário internacional. Os seus produtos utilizam alumínio, ferro e polipropileno. Com inúmeras cadeiras vocacionadas para o contract / espaços comerciais
Sunday, September 20, 2009
A Sad Weekend For Intellectual Conservatives
This past Friday was a sad one for intellectual conservatives (all, say 4 or 5 of them) as Irving Kristol died of "complications from lung cancer" and what little is left of conservatives that aren't proud to be dumb may be soon to follow:
Irving Kristol, writer, editor, and social philosopher, has died in Washington at the age of 89. His wisdom, wit, good humor, and generosity of spirit made him a friend and mentor to several generations of thinkers and public servants.--The Editors
***Here is an excerpt from Mr. Kristol's memoirs.***
Friday, September 18, 2009
Escolha o seu Papel de Parede
O Papel de Parede para decoração de ambientes, é sem dúvida a melhor opção para quem pretende renovar a decoração dos ambientes da sua casa, empresa, consultório, hotel, motel, restaurante, etc. O papel de parede é antialérgico, não propaga chamas e a cola utilizada na aplicação do revestimento não possui cheiro e não mancha por ser a base de água. Existem diversos tipos e modelos de papéis de paredes, lisos, estampados, xadrez, florais, adamascados, imitação de textura, palha, pedra, uma infinidade de opções. Na 4UDECOR encontra uma enorme variedade de papéis de parede. Podem ser utilizados em diversos ambientes; sala de jantar, sala de estar, quarto, quanto infantil, quarto de bebê, wc e cozinha.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Playboy Model For Dept. Of Education?
Paul Hubbert is opposing the selection of Playboy "Girl of the SEC" Malissa Valdes as DOE spokeswoman. I say why not? I don't really know how I feel about this, but it is definitely weird. Catch the photo HERE (obviously, it' s nude, so if that turns you off DON'T CLICK).
***And, yes that is the actual issue"
I think I Will Stick With My Tea
Please, somebody Tea Bag this guy.
No Divorce In Cali???
What??? Is it possible the State of California could ban divorce? What would Tammy Wynette think? Well, not to worry divorce happy actors, it probably ain't gonna happen:
John Marcotte, a California man with a history of pulling social pranks, is collecting signatures to get the "California Protection of Marriage Act," which would ban divorce, on the ballot.
Marcotte has tongue firmly in cheek -- his Web site is subtitled, "Safeguarding marriage from the evils of divorce," and supporters can buy a T-shirt of a chained-together bride and groom reading "You said, 'Til death do us part.' You're not dead yet."
But his point is valid -- since many of Prop 8 supporters cited defending traditional marriage as their reason for pushing for the gay marriage ban, shouldn't they also be supportive of the "California Protection of Marriage Act," which eliminates the greatest threat to marriage that exists?
Presidential Power And The Patriot Act
I generally don't understand why politicians cling to power so much when they reach the Presidency. Here we have a President, who for all intents and purposes, appears to be a lot closer to a civil libertarian than the last one, but yet supports extending provisions of the Patriot Act. Why? Why can't I have a President that isn't concerned with what I do without due process? Here are the provisions set to expire that President Obama wants extended with possibly "some revisions":
*A secret court, known as the FISA court, may grant “roving wiretaps” without the government identifying the target. Generally, the authorities must assert that the target is an agent of a foreign power and/or a suspected terrorist. The government said Tuesday that 22 such warrants — which allow the monitoring of any communication device — have been granted annually.*The FISA court may grant warrants for “business records,” from banking to library to medical records. Generally, the government must assert that the records are relevant to foreign intelligence gathering and/or a terrorism investigation. The government said Tuesday that 220 of these warrants had been granted between 2004 and 2007. It said 2004 was the first year those powers were used.
*A so-called “lone wolf” provision, enacted in 2004, allows FISA court warrants for the electronic monitoring of an individual even without showing that the person is an agent of a foreign power or a suspected terrorist. The government said Tuesday it has never invoked that provision, but said it wants to keep the authority to do so.
“The basic idea behind the authority was to cover situations in which information linking the target of an investigation to an international group was absent or insufficient, although the target’s engagement in ‘international terrorism’ was sufficiently established,” Weich wrote.
Love'em or hate'em, the ACLU is remaining bipartisan and supporting the expiration of these provisions::
Let's hope the administration changes their mind.Michelle Richardson, the ACLU’s legislative counsel, said in a telephone interview, “The justification for FISA and these lower standards and letting it operate in secret was all about terrorist groups and foreign governments, that they posed a unique threat other than the normal criminal element. This lone wolf provision undercuts that justification.”
The committee hearing is set for 10 a.m. Sept. 23 and will be webcast live.
Vasos Cónicos iluminados para exterior
Monday, September 14, 2009
This Weekend
Biolareiras de Exterior
* Architects Line - Ideal para projectos de arquitectura com inserção de biolareiras, com uma vasta variedade de formas, materiais e acabamentos.
* Concept Line - A fusão das lareiras com mobiliário no seu maximo requinte.
* Digifire - Com tecnologia inovadora a nivel mundial, dispõe de controlo remoto é a novidade da Planika.
* GlassFires - Inumeras bases, materiais e acabamentos disponiveis que permitem a sua colocação onde mais desejar.
Deixe os seus amigos espantados com esta nova forma de ver o fogo ....
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Ending Africa's Hunger... by funding Monsanto?
More than a billion people eat fewer than 1,900 calories per day. The majority of them work in agriculture, about 60 percent are women or girls, and most are in rural Africa and Asia. Ending their hunger is one of the few unimpeachably noble tasks left to humanity, and we live in a rare time when there is the knowledge and political will to do so. The question is, how? Conventional wisdom suggests that if people are hungry, there must be a shortage of food, and all we need do is figure out how to grow more.
[...]
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, with an endowment of more than $30 billion, has embarked on a multibillion-dollar effort to transform African agriculture. It helped to set up the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) in 2006, and since then has spent $1.3 billion on agricultural development grants, largely in Africa. With such resources, solving African hunger could be Gates's greatest legacy.
But there's a problem: the conventional wisdom is wrong. Food output per person is as high as it has ever been, suggesting that hunger isn't a problem of production so much as one of distribution.
The Gates Foundation is focusing on technology, spending about a third of the $1.3 billion on promoting and developing seed biotechnologies, one of the largest recipients of which is everybody's favourite corporation, Monsanto.
However, all is not lost...
Despite institutional neglect, ecological farming systems have been sprouting up across the African continent for decades--systems based on farmers' knowledge, which not only raise yields but reduce costs, are diverse and use less water and fewer chemicals. Fifteen years ago, researchers and farmers in Kenya began developing a method for beating striga, a parasitic weed that causes significant crop loss for African farmers. The system they developed, the "push-pull system," also builds soil fertility, provides animal fodder and resists another major African pest, the stemborer. Under the system, predators are "pushed" away from corn because it is planted alongside insect-repellent crops, while they are "pulled" toward crops like Napier grass, which exudes a gum that traps and kills pests and is also an important fodder crop for livestock. Push-pull has spread to more than 10,000 households in East Africa by means of town meetings, national radio broadcasts and farmer field schools. It's a farming system that's much more robust, cheaper, less environmentally harmful, locally developed, locally owned and one among dozens of promising agroecological alternatives on the ground in Africa today.
Read the whole article from The Nation
Previously blogged about here
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Criamos Ambientes ....
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Talking About Wadley
Don't Worry, This is from a few years ago.
I didn't know this was such a big story, except around here that is, but apparently on Wadley, AL and the closing of Plantation Patterns in that community. This happened about 5 miles from my house and hit pretty close to home for me. Left In Alabama has begun the discussion, but a really troubling story all the way around.
Oh, and about Wadley, sorry about that tough loss to New Site two weeks ago. Do you need a hanky?
Vasos Quimicos
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Tudo sobre Jardins - Vasos Vondom
Mais uma vez a 4UDECOR está presente na imprensa, desta vez na revista Tudo sobre Jardins edição nº9, esta publicação escolheu os vasos maceteros um misto 2 em 1, com a possibilidade de serem igualmente utilizados como banco. Disponíveis em varias cores.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Reid In Big Trouble In Nevada
FAVORABLE/UNFAVORABLE
VERY FAV | FAV | UNFAV | VERY UNFAV | NO OPINION | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
REID | 16 | 20 | 27 | 25 | 12 |
TARKANIAN | 20 | 27 | 17 | 11 | 25 |
LOWDEN | 17 | 26 | 14 | 10 | 33 |
GIBBONS | 7 | 10 | 30 | 31 | 22 |
ENSIGN | 14 | 14 | 25 | 28 | 19 |
OBAMA | 22 | 26 | 27 | 14 | 11 |
H/T - SwingStateProject, DailyKOS
Danny DeVito....Naked
Friday, September 4, 2009
BD Barcelona com 2 artigos nomeados Prémio Delta
Thursday, September 3, 2009
4UDECOR - O blog Design de Interiores mais visitado
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
WDI To Partner with QatarDebate on Debate Academy
QatarDebate, a member of the Qatar Foundation, will be hosting the Qatar Debate Academy in Doha, Qatar from October 29-November 6 2009. The program is organized in cooperation with Za in Proti Slovenia and the World Debate Institute of the University of Vermont. The program will focus on the development of debate in new countries, creating a meaningful international exchange and paving the way towards the World Schools Debating Championship in Qatar in February 2010. The event will also host a Mini-World Schools Debating Championship with teams from all continents.
"Southwest Asia is a prime candidate for the expansion of debating," said Alfred Snider of the World Debate Institute, "and Qatar is the ideal site and host for such an event. Their determination to promote debating and open civil discourse in this region is impressive and groundbreaking. I am inspired by QatarDebate and Dr. Hayat Maarafi's vision of expanded debating in this part of the world. I hope that we can really spark some important debate development in these countries as well as expose them to more established debating trainers, nations and teams. We are expecting over 240 people at this event."
GOALS
- Preparing students and trainers from new debating countries for future participation in WSDC Qatar 2010 and in their home countries.
- Preparing Qatar students and teachers for involvement in debating in Qatar and internationally.
- Preparing judges for future debate competitions, especially WSDC Qatar 2010.
- Preparing teachers to be able to form debate clubs, train students and host tournaments.
- Demonstrating Qatar’s ability to host a major debate event.
- Prepare Qatar schools for the experience of hosting debates as part of WSDC Qatar 2010.
DATES
Arrival 29-30 October 2009
Instruction and competition 31 October-5 November 2009
Departure 6 November 2009
FACULTY AND STAFF
Planning and Implementation
Dr. Hayat Maarafi, convener
Dr. Alfred Snider, program planning & tournament administration
Bojana Skrt, curriculum planning
Kelley Bieringer, implementation planning
Adjudication Core
This group will work with teachers and others on judging skills and prepare them for judging at WSDC Qatar and at the tournament at the end of this program. They will meet with judges after judging experiences to properly process their learning. They will also come up with approximately 20 prepared and impromptu motions for use in the tournament, practice debates and exercises.
Chris Erskine, Australia
Simon Quinn, Oxford University, UK
Faculty
Alex Campbell, USA
Piyanart Faktangporn, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
Loke Wing Fatt, SAID, Singapore
Sam Greenland, University of Sydney, Australia
Rhydian Morgan, Stylus Communications, UK
Sam Nelson, Cornell University, USA
Debbie Newman, UK
Erin O’Brien, University of Queensland, Australia
Omar Salahuddin bin Abdullah, MultiMedia University, Malaysia
Bilal Siddiqi, Pakistan
Bojana Skrt, ZIP, Slovenia
Alfred Snider, University of Vermont, USA
Miranda Weigler, St. Andrews University, Scotland
CURRICULUM
- For students from debating countries new and old
- For teachers and trainers from new debating countries
- For judges preparing for WSDC 2010
- For Qatari students and teachers
The curriculum will use the training model previously used at the International Debate Academy, the World Schools Debate Academy and the World Debate Institute. Features of this model include:
- Intense preparation and work environment
- Limited lectures on essential topics
- Active exercises and drills to teach debate skills in small group settings
- Repetition of activities to promote skill development
- Practice debates with lengthy and specific critiques
Watch for more information as we get closer to the event.
Contacts:
Kelley Bieringer kbieringer@qf.org.qa
Alfred Snider alfred.snider@uvm.edu
Bojana Skrt bojana.skrt@siol.net
Trophies & Scholarship News
Filip Dobranic is finishing up the trophies for the tournament. Pretty sharp. And he had to go all the may to Mallorca to get them!
We hope you have heard about the scholarship fund donated by the Dallas law firm of Bickel & Brewer. Huge thanks to them for supporting debate!
To apply go to http://debate.uvm.edu/idas.html and get the application form and the scholarship form and send them in.
Deadline is October 15 2009.
Interest seems very high in the program this year, so apply early, because when spaces at the lovely Hotel Ormoz are gone we will close registration.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
On The Wackjob Front: Secession Rally In Texas
Grand Theft Auto: Ballad Of Gay Tony Trailer
MTV Announces It Is "Reinventing" 'Teen Wolf'
MTV has decided to follow the current Hollywood trend and screw up another classic movie by redoing the Michael J. Fox classic Teen Wolf:
The MTV version will be set in high school, draw from the horror genre to explore werewolf mythology and include a romantic plot line.I expect this to be crap, but Hey!!! Somebody watches Hogan Knows Best, so it will probably get an auidence.
"It has a fresh take and is very different from the original," said Liz Gateley, senior vp MTV series development. "It has more of an 'American Werewolf in London' feel to it. It's a dramatic thriller with two best friends in the center who provide a great comedy element: They are two very relatable characters on the outer circles of popular cliques."
Glen Browder (D-Ala, retired) Speaking In North Carolina
Former Alabama Representative Glen Browder spoke today at the North Carolina History Museum on his book “The South’s New Racial Politics: Inside the Race Game of Southern History." Sorry about the short notice, but I didn't know about the event until it was over:
Browder follows racial history from the time of white supremacy and segregation, through the Civil Rights era and the progress of the 1970s-1990s, and discusses the importance and effect of political campaign racial calculations.“The usually barren marketplace of books about Congress has been enriched,” says the CongressDaily. Browder writes about the “race game” in “a sometimes brutally candid description of cynicism on race across the political spectrum.”
AL Supreme Court Raises Filing Fees
The Alabama Supreme Court has "authorized the court clerks of the Alabama Supreme Court, the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals, and the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals to raise the filing fees they charge to consumers in the court system":
The Alabama Constitution gives the Alabama Supreme Court the authority to issue rules for the administration of the court system and for practice and procedure in the state courts. This includes the authority to raise filing fees without requesting approval from the Alabama Legislature.
The new filing fees are the following:
Direct appeal: $200.00 Petition for permission to appeal pursuant to Rule 5, Alabama Rules of Appellate Procedure: $150.