From: http://www.whitehouse.gov/schedule/president
10:15 am The President receives the Presidential Daily Briefing
Oval Office
Closed Press
10:45 am The President meets with senior advisors
Oval Office
Closed Press
12:10 pm The President hosts an on-the-record conference call with college and university student-journalists
Oval Office
Open Press
Open to invited media only
1:45 pm The President signs the Small Business Jobs Act
East Room
Open Press
5:00 pm The President departs the White House
South Lawn
Open Press
5:15 pm The President departs Andrews Air Force Base en route Albuquerque, New Mexico
Andrews Air Force Base
Travel Pool Coverage
Monday, September 27, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Constitution Sunday: Article 5
Article V
The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate.
The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate.
Outrage is Ridiculous When Comparing Apples and Oranges
This article is from KGW News is Oregon.
http://www.kgw.com/news/local/Controversy-over-Beavertons-Mexican-Independence-fest-102170434.html
Read it, but bear in mind that the 4th of July celebration comes every year, and is essentially a birthday celebration held once a year.
What is going on - or was going on - this article is a week or so old - was a celebration for bicentennials, a 200 year anniversary.
To complain that there's no public funding for the 4th of July - held every year - is silly, when what they wanted to celebrate was something that happens only every hundred years. Plus, presumably there would have been income from this party, as people bought food and souvenirs, so it should have been a win-win.
I'm against illegal immigration, and I'm against multiculturism - what we have here should be a MELTING POT - but when they want to celebrate a centennial...why not?
http://www.kgw.com/news/local/Controversy-over-Beavertons-Mexican-Independence-fest-102170434.html
Read it, but bear in mind that the 4th of July celebration comes every year, and is essentially a birthday celebration held once a year.
What is going on - or was going on - this article is a week or so old - was a celebration for bicentennials, a 200 year anniversary.
To complain that there's no public funding for the 4th of July - held every year - is silly, when what they wanted to celebrate was something that happens only every hundred years. Plus, presumably there would have been income from this party, as people bought food and souvenirs, so it should have been a win-win.
I'm against illegal immigration, and I'm against multiculturism - what we have here should be a MELTING POT - but when they want to celebrate a centennial...why not?
BEAVERTON, Ore. — The City of Beaverton has expanded the scope of a celebration that started out as a party for Mexico’s Independence Day.
The city on Friday announced they were broadening the festival to recognize National Hispanic Heritage Month for the “Year of the Bicentennial” in the Americas as Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico all marking 200 years of independence over the month.
It was scheduled for September 16 at 6 p.m. at Beaverton’s City Park.
Earlier this week, controversy erupted when radio commentator Lars Larson interviewed Beaverton City Commissioner Betty Bode to ask why the city was officially celebrating Mexican Independence Day, but had no official celebration for American Independence Day.
According to the U.S. Census, Beaverton is the most diverse city in the state. Twenty percent is “non-white,” 16 percent is classified as Hispanic. Larson argued that fact did not necessarily mean of Mexican descent.
A request for the event was taken from the Mexican consulate, Bode said. Bode said the aim of the celebration was to allow people of Mexican heritage into closer ties with the community at large.
Beaverton’s Mayor Denny Doyle was set to speak at the event, along with performances by a Mexican folk ballet, maricachi bands and food. The cost to put on the event was $6,000 The festival is free to attend.
But critics call it ridiculous, when the city doesn’t even have a taxpayer-funded Fourth of July Celebration.
A Talking Point for Rush on Monday: US: Inverted Philippine flag was `honest mistake'
Truth to tell, I wouldn't have known that the flag had been inverted, but one would hope our politicians, or perhaps more importantly, the person tasked with handling the country flags of visitors, would know how flags are supposed to go!
US: Inverted Philippine flag was `honest mistake'
MANILA, Philippines – The U.S. government said Sunday it made an "honest mistake" when it displayed an inverted Philippine flag — which wrongfully signified that the Southeast Asian nation was in a state of war — in a meeting hosted by President Barack Obama.
The Philippine flag was displayed upside down behind President Benigno Aquino III when leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations met Obama in New York on Friday.
"This was an honest mistake," U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Rebecca Thompson said in a statement, adding, "the U.S. treasures its close relationship and close partnership with the Philippines."
The American embassy will find out how the "unfortunate" incident happened, she said.
Philippine foreign affairs department spokesman Ed Malaya said the government understood that it was "an honest error" that "should not detract from the true significance of the summit, which showed the unprecedented cooperation between the ASEAN and the U.S."
It was not immediately clear who pointed out the mistake. A photograph of Aquino sitting beside Obama with the inverted flag behind them was displayed on a government website Sunday but its caption did not point out the error.
During the summit, Obama discussed ways of bolstering economic ties between the U.S. and Southeast Asia as well as Asian regional concerns such as territorial disputes in the South China Sea and Nov. 7 elections in military-ruled Myanmar.
US: Inverted Philippine flag was `honest mistake'
MANILA, Philippines – The U.S. government said Sunday it made an "honest mistake" when it displayed an inverted Philippine flag — which wrongfully signified that the Southeast Asian nation was in a state of war — in a meeting hosted by President Barack Obama.
The Philippine flag was displayed upside down behind President Benigno Aquino III when leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations met Obama in New York on Friday.
"This was an honest mistake," U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Rebecca Thompson said in a statement, adding, "the U.S. treasures its close relationship and close partnership with the Philippines."
The American embassy will find out how the "unfortunate" incident happened, she said.
Philippine foreign affairs department spokesman Ed Malaya said the government understood that it was "an honest error" that "should not detract from the true significance of the summit, which showed the unprecedented cooperation between the ASEAN and the U.S."
It was not immediately clear who pointed out the mistake. A photograph of Aquino sitting beside Obama with the inverted flag behind them was displayed on a government website Sunday but its caption did not point out the error.
During the summit, Obama discussed ways of bolstering economic ties between the U.S. and Southeast Asia as well as Asian regional concerns such as territorial disputes in the South China Sea and Nov. 7 elections in military-ruled Myanmar.
Kentucky Overview: Nov 2, 2010 Senate election
From Wikipedia:
Two-term incumbent U.S. Senator Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) announced on July 27, 2009, that he would retire rather than seek a third term (under pressure from the Republican party to do so).
The primary elections on May 18, 2010 produced the following winners:
Republican:
Rand Paul, the son of libertarian-leaning U.S. Representative and 2008 Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul (R-Texas), defeated Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) had endorsed Grayson, but Paul had the enthusiasm and momentum of the Tea Party movement behind him, including an endorsement from former Governor of Alaska and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.
Democrat:
Attorney General Jack Conway defeated Lieutenant Governor Daniel Mongiardo.
In 2008, John McCain received 57.37 percent of the vote in Kentucky while Barack Obama received 41.15 percent, a 16.22-percent margin of victory for the Republican
Two-term incumbent U.S. Senator Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) announced on July 27, 2009, that he would retire rather than seek a third term (under pressure from the Republican party to do so).
The primary elections on May 18, 2010 produced the following winners:
Republican:
Rand Paul, the son of libertarian-leaning U.S. Representative and 2008 Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul (R-Texas), defeated Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) had endorsed Grayson, but Paul had the enthusiasm and momentum of the Tea Party movement behind him, including an endorsement from former Governor of Alaska and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.
Democrat:
Attorney General Jack Conway defeated Lieutenant Governor Daniel Mongiardo.
In 2008, John McCain received 57.37 percent of the vote in Kentucky while Barack Obama received 41.15 percent, a 16.22-percent margin of victory for the Republican
37 Senate seats being contested on Nov 2, 2010
Senate seats up for election:
Retiring Democrat senators (6 seats)
1. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut
2. Ted Kaufman of Delaware
3. Roland Burris of Illinois
4. Evan Bayh of Indiana
5. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota
6. Carte Goodwin of West Virginia
Retiring Republican senators
7. George LeMieux of Florida
8. Sam Brownback of Kansas
9. Jim Bunning of Kentucky
10. Kit Bond of Missouri
11. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire
12. George Voinovich of Ohio
Democrat senators defeated in primary election (1)
13. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania
Republican senators defeated in primaries (2)
14. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
15. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
Democratic incumbents (12 seats)
16. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas
17. Barbara Boxer of California
18. Michael Bennet of Colorado
19. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii
20. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland
21. Harry Reid of Nevada
22. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York
23. Chuck Schumer of New York
24. Ron Wyden of Oregon
25. Patrick Leahy of Vermont
26. Patty Murray of Washington
27. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin
Republican incumbents (10 seats)
28. Richard Shelby of Alabama
29. John McCain of Arizona
30. Johnny Isakson of Georgia
31. Mike Crapo of Idaho
32. Chuck Grassley of Iowa
33. David Vitter of Louisiana
34. Richard Burr of North Carolina
35. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma
36. Jim DeMint of South Carolina
37. John Thune of South Dakota
Retiring Democrat senators (6 seats)
1. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut
2. Ted Kaufman of Delaware
3. Roland Burris of Illinois
4. Evan Bayh of Indiana
5. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota
6. Carte Goodwin of West Virginia
Retiring Republican senators
7. George LeMieux of Florida
8. Sam Brownback of Kansas
9. Jim Bunning of Kentucky
10. Kit Bond of Missouri
11. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire
12. George Voinovich of Ohio
Democrat senators defeated in primary election (1)
13. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania
Republican senators defeated in primaries (2)
14. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
15. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
Democratic incumbents (12 seats)
16. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas
17. Barbara Boxer of California
18. Michael Bennet of Colorado
19. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii
20. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland
21. Harry Reid of Nevada
22. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York
23. Chuck Schumer of New York
24. Ron Wyden of Oregon
25. Patrick Leahy of Vermont
26. Patty Murray of Washington
27. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin
Republican incumbents (10 seats)
28. Richard Shelby of Alabama
29. John McCain of Arizona
30. Johnny Isakson of Georgia
31. Mike Crapo of Idaho
32. Chuck Grassley of Iowa
33. David Vitter of Louisiana
34. Richard Burr of North Carolina
35. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma
36. Jim DeMint of South Carolina
37. John Thune of South Dakota
Dumbth: The Lost Art of Thinking, by Steve Allen
Steve Allen was a noted comedian, whom I particularly enjoyed for his Meeting of the Minds series on PBS, decades ago. (They are, unfortunately, only available on VHS).
Anyway, he wrote a bok called Dumbth: The Lost Art of Thinking, with 101 Ways to Reason Better and Improve Your Mind. The book is still available at Amazon and I encourage you to purchase it.
It was published in 1998 and now, 12 years later, nothing has improved.
I've been sharing his 101 ways to reason better, and am up to Rule 22. (I share just a few sentences from each rule. For each one he writes a couple of explanatory pages.)
Rule 22: Know that reason need not be the enemy of emotion.
When some people hear reason being endorsed they assume that, if the amount of rationality in the world is increased, it must inevtably follow that certain increments of sensation and emotion will decrease. The supposition--or fearful concern--is groundless. Certain things will indeed be decreased if the domain of reason is enlarged, but they are such things as foolishness, fanaticism, brawling, fear, ignorance, bigotry, and racial, ethnic and religion prejudice.
The previous 21 rules:
1. Decide that in the future you will reason more effectively
2. Do some casual studying about the brain, the mind, the memory, the whole field of psychology
3. Beware of rushing to judgement
4. Beware of falling in lve with your first answer
5. Beware of the erroneous assumption
6. Beware of making predictions on the strength of insufficient evidence
7. Examine your superstitions
8. Recognize that you have personal prejudices
9. Bewaew of prefabricated answers
10. Beware of arguments by slogans or epigrams
11. Be aware that your opiniuons, assumptions, and beliefs are often affected by peer group pressure
12. Do not make an exclusive commitment to either optimism or pessimism.
13. Beware of giving children only factual answers
14. Beware of thinking that because you are bright and quick-minded, you therefore reason well.
15. Beware of reacting to labels rather than to specific individuals
16. Study the subject of sensory perception
17. Learn how to learn
18. Develop the old-fashioned virtue of humility
19. Concede ignorance when you are ignorant
20. Use words wisely
21. Understand that your perceptions, opinions, and beliefs are, to a remarkable degree, determined by your point of view.
Anyway, he wrote a bok called Dumbth: The Lost Art of Thinking, with 101 Ways to Reason Better and Improve Your Mind. The book is still available at Amazon and I encourage you to purchase it.
It was published in 1998 and now, 12 years later, nothing has improved.
I've been sharing his 101 ways to reason better, and am up to Rule 22. (I share just a few sentences from each rule. For each one he writes a couple of explanatory pages.)
Rule 22: Know that reason need not be the enemy of emotion.
When some people hear reason being endorsed they assume that, if the amount of rationality in the world is increased, it must inevtably follow that certain increments of sensation and emotion will decrease. The supposition--or fearful concern--is groundless. Certain things will indeed be decreased if the domain of reason is enlarged, but they are such things as foolishness, fanaticism, brawling, fear, ignorance, bigotry, and racial, ethnic and religion prejudice.
The previous 21 rules:
1. Decide that in the future you will reason more effectively
2. Do some casual studying about the brain, the mind, the memory, the whole field of psychology
3. Beware of rushing to judgement
4. Beware of falling in lve with your first answer
5. Beware of the erroneous assumption
6. Beware of making predictions on the strength of insufficient evidence
7. Examine your superstitions
8. Recognize that you have personal prejudices
9. Bewaew of prefabricated answers
10. Beware of arguments by slogans or epigrams
11. Be aware that your opiniuons, assumptions, and beliefs are often affected by peer group pressure
12. Do not make an exclusive commitment to either optimism or pessimism.
13. Beware of giving children only factual answers
14. Beware of thinking that because you are bright and quick-minded, you therefore reason well.
15. Beware of reacting to labels rather than to specific individuals
16. Study the subject of sensory perception
17. Learn how to learn
18. Develop the old-fashioned virtue of humility
19. Concede ignorance when you are ignorant
20. Use words wisely
21. Understand that your perceptions, opinions, and beliefs are, to a remarkable degree, determined by your point of view.
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