Luke_Wilbur

Progressive candidates won decisively across the country yesterday, and with their victories came some historic firsts for the U.S. government. Among the highlights, Nancy Pelosi will be the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House of Representatives and the third highest official after president and vice-president. Pelosi will also be the first Italian-American elected as House Speaker. For the first time, three African-Americans : Charlie Rangel (D-NY), John Conyers (D-MI), and Bennie Thompson (D-MS) will serve simultaneously as House committee chairmen. Keith Ellison (D-MN), elected to the House yesterday, will become the first Muslim to serve in Congress. With Claire McCaskill's (D) Senate victory in Missouri, a record number of women (15) will now serve in the U.S. Senate. Governor-elect Deval Patrick (D-MA) became the first black governor elected in Massachussetts and the second African-American to ever be elected governor in the nation. The battle for the U.S. Senate came down to the race in our metro area. Democratic challenger Jim Webb has a slight lead over incumbent Republican George Allen. The Democrats victory in Montana today gave them control of 50 seats in the chamber to 49 for Republicans. As Human previously stated, the winner of the Virginia race may not be known until Nov. 27. Webb claimed victory last night and Allen refused today to concede. Virginia election officials began to certify the vote that showed Webb leading by about 8,000 out of more than 2.3 million cast. I really enjoyed President Bush's remarks on the election results.

I would retitle the post to something less abstract. I thought this topic had to do with repairing a bridge.

John K. sent me this message.

My prediction. The Democrats take the House. The Republicans hold on to the Senate. Nothing gets done in the next two years. People again demand change and vote Cindy Margolis as our next President. No world leader could turn her down. World peace is gained. http://www.cindymargolis.com/photos.cfm

On November 5, 2006, Saddam Hussein was found guilty of crimes against humanity in ordering the deaths of 148 Shi'ite villagers in the town of Dujail in 1982 and sentenced to death by hanging. His half brother and the judge at the trial of the original case in 1982 were also convicted of similar charges. When the judge announced the verdict, Saddam shouted "God is the Greatest!" and "Long live Iraq. Long live the Iraqi people! Down with the traitors!" According to the New York Times, Saddam Hussein's verdict and sentence will "come under review by the nine-judge appellate chamber of the trial court. There is no time limit for the appeal court's review, but Iraqi and American officials who work with the court said that the earliest realistic date for Mr Hussein's execution, assuming it stood up to review, would be next spring." Iraqi law requires executions to take place within 30 days of the end of the appeal process; however it also forbids the executions of people aged over 70 years old, a status Saddam Hussein acquires on 28 April 2007. Here are President Bush's remarks on the verdict.

This auto download is coming from Comcast 68.87.73.242, Is it safe? OrgName: Comcast Cable Communications, Inc. OrgID: CMCS Address: 1800 Bishops Gate Blvd City: Mt Laurel StateProv: NJ PostalCode: 08054 Country: US NetRange: 68.80.0.0 - 68.87.255.255 CIDR: 68.80.0.0/13 NetName: JUMPSTART-2 NetHandle: NET-68-80-0-0-1 Parent: NET-68-0-0-0-0 NetType: Direct Allocation NameServer: DNS.INFLOW.PA.BO.COMCAST.NET NameServer: DNS.CMC.CO.DENVER.COMCAST.NET Comment: ADDRESSES WITHIN THIS BLOCK ARE NON-PORTABLE RegDate: 2002-01-28 Updated: 2006-01-26 RTechHandle: IC161-ARIN RTechName: Comcast Cable Communications Inc RTechPhone: +1-856-317-7200 RTechEmail: CNIPEO-Ip-registration@cable.comcast.com OrgAbuseHandle: NAPO-ARIN OrgAbuseName: Network Abuse and Policy Observance OrgAbusePhone: +1-856-317-7272 OrgAbuseEmail: abuse@comcast.net OrgTechHandle: IC161-ARIN OrgTechName: Comcast Cable Communications Inc OrgTechPhone: +1-856-317-7200 OrgTechEmail: CNIPEO-Ip-registration@cable.comcast.com 18774775537

Did you know that Senator George Allen is the son of the Washington Redskins legendary football coach George Allen.

Hail to the Redskins, This week looks a little brighter for our team. Former offensive lineman Ray Brown has re-joined the Redskins organization and his primary role will be to help the team's younger players adjust to the NFL. Brown, a 20-year veteran who played nine years with the Redskins, does not have a title or specific responsibilities. Brown was brought in primarily to be a positive influence, according to head coach Joe Gibbs. Ray Brown "What we are doing is bringing someone in the organization that started out as a Redskin, played 20 years, has been through thick and thin--and right now we are having a tough time," Gibbs said on Wednesday. "I talked to him about being around the players, being back, and just being someone that young players can go to and talk to. Many times they are wide-eyed and still trying to figure out what the NFL is all about. "What Ray can do there, not from a coaching standpoint, is talk to young guys about how to become successful here. It is one thing for me to say something to them. They are not going to pay a lot of attention to me. They are going to pay a lot of attention to Ray Brown because he played 20 years." Brown told Washington, D.C., reporters earlier this week that he expects to be a resource for the team. In the past, Brown has indicated an interest in coaching in the NFL. This new role with the Redskins could be a good transition for him. "It's really unique to get a chance to come in at this point of the season," Brown told reporters. "I think I have something to offer. I think I know football, and now it comes to finding out how I can get it through to the guys so it will help them." Gibbs indicated that Brown will be relied on to help the team through tough times. In 2005, when the Redskins were struggling at 5-6, Gibbs relied on Brown as a locker room leader. Brown helped set a tone that led to a five-game winning streak and a postseason berth. "He knows how to help you get out of [tough situations]," Gibbs said. "He has played his way out of them and been a part of a team that has played its way out of them. He was here last year when we had tough times and he was a big part of the leadership role." Brown has been present on the Redskins' practice field this week and he has spent time along-side assistant head coach-offense Joe Bugel working with offensive linemen. "Ray adds a lot with his presence on the field and in the locker room," Bugel said. "He attends all of the meeting and he understands our [coaching] language. It gives young players a chance to see what a 20-year veteran looks like. I'm glad he's doing this." To build your spirits up I did a gallery of some photos of last year's victory win over the Cowboys http://dcpages.com/gallery/view_album.php?...-Dallas-Cowboys

The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) has received internal emails circulated among U.S. Department of Energy officials emails that show the British Embassy is demanding answers for news reports claiming, “The secrets of Britain’s Trident nuclear deterrent are feared stolen” from the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The article appears in the Sunday, October 29 edition of Britain’s Daily Express and relates details of the October 17 drug raid that turned up classified materials from LANL. The article goes on to report “. . . MI6 [british Military Intelligence] and the CIA –– both involved in the FBI-led investigation –– want to know if the woman stole the material to feed a drug habit, or if she was working for a terror group or a foreign intelligence service.” According to the emails, officials at DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration received phone calls from Robin Pitman of the British Embassy indicating, “U.K. newspapers are reporting that U.K. nuclear weapons information may have been part of the information that was found in the drug raid…… He [Pitman] is under some pressure to provide something before the end of the day U.K. time.” John Harvey, Director, Policy Planning Staff of the National Nuclear Security Administration; William Desmond, Associate Administrator for Defense Nuclear Security, and Desmond’s deputy Cheryl Stone exchanged the emails on Monday, Oct.30. “To fix this problem isn’t rocket science – or even nuclear science,” said POGO Executive Director Danielle Brian. “As POGO recommended in 2001, the entire weapons complex should have gone media-less immediately by removing the capacity of classified computers to copy data onto disks of any kind. There is simply no excuse for Los Alamos to continue to have this vulnerability.”

What is Neurofibromatosis Type 1?

This race is on! We are 6 days out from the election and an independent poll confirms that the race is in a dead heat. Today, The Baltimore Sun reported a poll by Potomac Inc. that shows the momentum is with Governor Ehrlich. O'Malley leads among black voters, 74 percent to 9 percent, while Ehrlich leads among whites, 53 percent to 40 percent. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal...0,1219927.story

If you put as much enthusiasm into what is wrong with our city like you do on one man, District residents might listen to your position.

Human, How would you approach reforming Congress? Age minimum should be raised? But, what about the lobbyist? How would you deal with them?

Lobby groups will not like the promises Nancy Pelosi is making to Americans. The real question is whether she will keep them. BAN LOBBYIST GIFTS AND TRAVEL Prohibit the receipt of gifts, including gifts of meals, entertainment and travel, from lobbyists. Prohibit travel on corporate jets. CLOSE THE REVOLVING DOOR Close the revolving door between the Congress and lobbying fi rms by doubling (from one year to two) the cooling-off period during which lawmakers, senior Congressional staff , and Executive Branch officials are prohibited from lobbying their former offi ces. Eliminate floor privileges for former Members of Congress and offi cers of the Senate and House who return to lobby. TOUGHEN PUBLIC DISCLOSURE OF LOBBYIST ACTIVITY Expand the information lobbyists must disclose - including campaign contributions and client fees. Require them to file disclosure reports electronically and increase the frequency of those fi lings. Require lobbyists to certify that they did not violate the rules and make them subject to criminal penalties for false certifi cations. SHUT DOWN PAY-TO-PLAY SCHEMES LIKE THE “K STREET PROJECT” End eff orts like the “K Street Project,” created by Republicans to pressure corporations and lobbying firms on whom to hire in exchange for political favors. DISCLOSURE OF OUTSIDE JOB NEGOTIATIONS Require lawmakers to disclose when they are negotiating private sector jobs and require Executive Branch officials who are negotiating private sector jobs to receive approval from the independent Office of Government Ethics. PROHIBIT “DEAD OF NIGHT” SPECIAL INTEREST PROVISIONS Require that all conference committee meetings be open to the public and that members of the conference committee have a public opportunity to vote on all amendments. Make copies of conference reports available to Members and post them publicly on the Internet 24 hours before consideration (unless waived by a supermajority vote). Disclose all earmarks. ZERO TOLERANCE FOR CONTRACT CHEATERS Restore accountability and openness in federal contracting by subjecting major contract actions to public disclosure and aggressive competition; criminally prosecute contractors who cheat taxpayers, with penalties including suspension and debarment; impose stiff criminal and civil penalties for wartime fraud on government contracting; prohibit contractors with confl icts of interest from conducting oversight or writing contract requirements they could bid on; mandate full disclosure of contract overcharges; create tough penalties for improper no-bid contracts; and close the revolving door between federal contract offi cials and private contractors. PROHIBIT CRONYISM IN KEY APPOINTMENTS End rampant cronyism by requiring that any individual appointed to a position involving public safety possess proven credentials and expertise in areas relevant to the position. Attached are all the Democrat promises being made. I am interested on how many are kept if they get into power. thebook.pdf

I think it was interesting listening to what U.S. Rep. Joel Hefley, R-Colo Issues Statement Regarding the Race to Succeed Him. This broke Ronald Reagan's famous Eleventh Commandment: "Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican." Joel Hefley took these words to his heart on what is happenning in Colorado. In the August GOP primary to succeed him, Hefley backed his long-time aide, former administrative director Jeff Crank, who lost in a contentious six-way race to State Senator Doug Lamborn. Hefley was incensed at the tactics used in the election, particularly a mailed brochure from the Christian Coalition of Colorado associating Crank with "public support for members and efforts of the homosexual agenda." Hefley said that he "suspected, but couldn't prove, collusion between Lamborn's campaign, which is managed by Jon Hotaling, and the Christian Coalition of Colorado, which is run by Hotaling's brother, Mark." Hefley called it "one of the sleaziest, most dishonest campaigns I've seen in a long time," and, as a result, refused to endorse Lamborn Joel Hefley joined the Ethics Committee in 1997 and became its chairman in 2001. Joel Hefley is known for his devotion to former President Ronald Reagan. Joel Hefley was part of the 1994 Republican revolutionaries that pledged not to be seduced by the corrosive culture of Washington. But the 1994 Republicans, like the Democrats before them, were seduced by their newfound power, and became desperate to keep it. Eventually, even the leader of the Republican revolution, Newt Gingrich, was shoved aside. And Tom DeLay became the power broker on Capitol Hill. DeLay installed, as House speaker, Dennis Hastert. And Hastert leads by the principle that he can forget about the opposition. Only Republican ideas matter. In the 1960s and '70s, Congress met an average of 161 days a year. In the '80s and '90s, that number dropped to 139 days. This year, Congress will probably end up working just about 100 days. Republicans pledged to put the brakes on the reckless spending. According to CNN, the amount of pork has tripled since Republicans took over, from about 4,100 projects in 1994 to over 14,000 now. A river of money flows largely from the lobbying industry on K Street. There are over 30,000 lobbyists in Washington, a number that's ballooned since Congressman Jim Cooper's first tour of duty in the 1980s. When Speaker Dennis Hastert threw Hefley off the committee, for having the temerity to permit the ethics committee merely to admonish disgraced, departed and now indicted House Majority Leader Tom DeLay is the day I looked differently at the Republican party. Speaker broke his vow to tighten the rules in response to these scandals Hastert reconstructed the committee, appointing Representative Doc Hastings of Washington as its chair -- the same Hastings who will serve on the ethics subcommittee investigation of the Foley affair. Resident Scholar, Norman J. Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute stated, "It is time for House leaders to think outside the box when it comes to restoring ethical standards and public confidence in Congress. Joel Hefley is not going to go off half-cocked on a prosecutorial crusade, nor will he conduct partisan vendettas. He will do the job fairly and firmly. Think about what a signal it would send to the country about the willingness of a new team to transcend the bitter bickering we have now to clean up the culture of corruption." The Ethics Reform Act of 2006 would have provided increased investigative ability to the House Ethics Committee and ensure greater protections for committee members and staff. The bill would also improve disclosure requirements for gifts and private travel.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Thanks. Please be seated. I'm pleased that you all are here to witness the signature of the Secure Fence Act of 2006. This bill will help protect the American people. This bill will make our borders more secure. It is an important step toward immigration reform. I want to thank the members of Congress for their work on this important piece of legislation. I welcome you here to the White House. I'm looking forward to signing this bill. I appreciate the Vice President joining us today. I thank the Deputy Secretary, Michael Jackson, of the Department of Homeland Security. Rob Portman -- he happens to be the Director of OMB. I want to thank Ralph Basham, who is the Commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. David Aguilar is the Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol. I appreciate the fact that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has joined us, as well as House Majority Leader John Boehner. I appreciate them coming in from their respective states as I sign this piece of legislation. I want to thank Congressman Peter King, who's the Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee in the House of Representatives. I appreciate you being here, Peter. Ours is a nation of immigrants. We're also a nation of law. Unfortunately, the United States has not been in complete control of its borders for decades and, therefore, illegal immigration has been on the rise. We have a responsibility to address these challenges. We have a responsibility to enforce our laws. We have a responsibility to secure our borders. We take this responsibility seriously. Earlier this year, I addressed the nation from the Oval Office. I laid out our strategy for immigration reform. Part of that strategy begins with securing the border. Since I took office we have more than doubled funding for border security -- from $4.6 billion in 2001 to $10.4 billion this year. We've increased the number of Border Patrol agents from about 9,000 to more than 12,000, and by the end of 2008, we will have doubled the number of Border Patrol agents during my presidency. We've deployed thousands of National Guard members to assist the Border Patrol. We've upgraded technology at our borders. We've added infrastructure, including new fencing and vehicle barriers. We're adding thousands of new beds in our detention facilities so we can continue working to end catch and release at our southern border. During the course of my administration we have apprehended and sent home more 6 million people entering our country illegally. And I thank the Border Patrol for their hard work. The Secure Fence Act builds on this progress. The bill authorizes the construction of hundreds of miles of additional fencing along our southern border. The bill authorizes more vehicle barriers, checkpoints and lighting to help prevent people from entering our country illegally. The bill authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to increase the use of advanced technology, like cameras and satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles to reinforce our infrastructure at the border. We're modernizing the southern border of the United States so we can assure the American people we're doing our job of securing the border. By making wise use of physical barriers and deploying 21st century technology we're helping our Border Patrol agents do their job. The Secure Fence Act is part of our efforts to reform our immigration system. We have more to do. Meaningful immigration reforms means that we must enforce our immigration laws in the United States. It is against the law to hire someone who is here illegally. We fully understand that most businesses want to obey that law, but they cannot verify the legal status of their employees because of widespread document fraud. So we're creating a better system for verifying documents and work eligibility, and in the meantime, holding people to account for breaking the law. We must reduce pressure on our border by creating a temporary worker plan. Willing workers ought to be matched with willing employers to do jobs Americans are not doing for a temporary -- on a temporary basis. We must face the reality that millions of illegal immigrants are already here. They should not be given an automatic path to citizenship; that is amnesty. I oppose amnesty. There is a rational middle ground between granting an automatic pass to citizenship for every illegal immigrant and a program of mass deportation. And I look forward to working with Congress to find that middle ground. The bill I'm about to sign is an important step in our nation's efforts to secure our border and reform our immigration system. I thank the members of Congress for joining me as I sign the Secure Fence Act of 2006. (The bill is signed.) END 9:40 A.M. EDT

Address by Foreign Minister of Israel, Tzipi Livni ******************************* His Excellency Ambassador Rizzo, Deputy Secretary General of NATO, Professor Uzi Arad, Director Institute for Policy and Strategy, Prof. Amnon Rubinstein, President IDC Herzliya Distinguished Guests and Participants, Opening Words I would like to welcome to Israel Ambassador Rizzo, Deputy Secretary General of NATO, as a close ally. NATO’s role in the past We are in a world of unfolding and diverse challenges. In meeting these challenges, Israel and NATO are natural allies and partners. NATO was established in the early days of the Cold War to defend democracy and to secure the freedom of the western world. As NATO played a key role in meeting the threats during the Cold War, so today NATO can lead the way in meeting the current threats. NATO’s current role and strategy Today, nearly two decades after the end of the Cold War, we face new threats – from Islamic radicalism, through global terrorism, to the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction. NATO has to identify the up to date threats on the international agenda, make the necessary adaptations in order to play a significant role in meeting these threats and defend the values of the free world. Diplomacy and the use of force – the correct strategy The wise and just strategy was always a correct balance between the use of force and the encouragement of positive processes. Diplomacy without the willingness to use force – in order to defend these values – is perceived as weakness, by those who use power to promote their ideology. The new strategic threats threaten our values, our lives and the future of human society as we believe it should be. From Nationalism to Extremism Transformations in the world have influenced the types of threats which face us. Traditionally, camps were divided by nationalistic trends and aspirations. Today, we can identify a common denominator which unites entities, which in the past were perceived as separate and even opposing sides. The Hezbollah, El-Kaida and the Hamas – organizations which uphold extreme ideological views - and States founded on radical ideologies - like Iran - pose a threat not only to Israel – but to a wide range of countries including Islamic and Arab states. In this context we must see the global terrorism phenomena. The ongoing terrorist attacks around the globe, from Cairo to Amman, from Bali to New York, all prove the fact that this battle is a global one, between the extremists and the moderates. In this context, we must also understand the confrontation in the Middle East. In contrast to the accepted opinion, the tension in the Middle East is not due to a local dispute about territories or borders. The confrontation comes as a result of this extreme ideology, and not a cause of it. The most recent developments demonstrate that conflicts and threats cross borders and nations. In addition to the threat of terror, we are threatened by a reality of rogue states seeking weapons of mass destruction and supporting terrorism, and failed states which harbor terrorism and lack responsibility. Rogue and failed states The rogue states, founded on extreme ideologies, also operate terrorist organizations as messengers of their radical ideology, just like Iran and the Hezbollah. There are those who perceive the Iranian nuclear threat as a single isolated problem. That is not the case. The Iranian threat will have a domino effect. A compromising attitude will increase the tendency, and we will find other states seeking nuclear weapons as a deterrence factor, and in order to defend themselves against the Iranian threat. This will lead to further proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to terrorist organizations. Yet, with rogue states we do have an address. With failed states the situation is even more complex. The failed states lack the basic responsibility of a state – thus allowing evil elements to grow and prosper. The objective of the confrontation in Lebanon was to create the conditions for Lebanon to exercise its full authority on its entire territory. So also, Israel’s premise [or ambition] regarding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is to create a responsible state. A state has responsibility for what occurs in its territory. States which renounce terrorism and accept the existence of other fellow nations are legitimate members of the family of nations. The world cannot accept a situation by which a terrorist organization is regarded as a legitimate political partner, part of the governing entity of that country, while continuing its involvement in terror. The address must be clear. This is true for the Palestinian Authority, for Lebanon and for other countries around the world which lack this responsibility. We must establish a new system of cooperation – a system based on the cooperation of states. Perhaps we could call it a “state method of defense”, based on the states which share our values and principles, and take full responsibility over their territory. Collective Security Approach Israel’s traditional long term policy has been one of self reliance. In facing the challenges and threats of the new world, Israel believes also in a strategy of collective security. The current threats necessitate international cooperation and multilateralism. It should be said that a multilateral approach has its advantages and disadvantages. In the most recent confrontation between Israel and the Hezbollah in Lebanon, Israel was faced with this dilemma. Israel decided to cooperate with the international community in bringing stability and security to the region. This is a test case for the success of the multilateral approach. Israel decided in favor of the international path, as part of its broader foreign policy to bolster Israel’s multilateral diplomacy. Israel should be far more engaged in global and Western institutions and international policy-making. In this regard, It is also no secret that Israel preferred the involvement of the forces of NATO in Lebanon. In meeting these strategic threats, NATO is most essential. NATO specifically has a leading role, due to its just value system, its special ability to adapt rapidly to the current strategic threats, and also due to its unique approach of diplomacy combined with the use of military force, when necessary. NATO and Israel The alliance between NATO and Israel is only natural, due to Israel being the one and only successful democracy in the Middle East. As also, Israel and NATO share a common strategic vision. In Israel’s vision, the cooperation between Israel and NATO should be based on two pillars. The first being - our bilateral relations. The second – the Mediterranean dialogue and regional cooperation. Our bilateral relations have been further empowered by the most recent signing of the ICP (Individual Cooperation Program) between Israel and NATO. Israel is looking forward to an upgrading of our bilateral relations, such that will reflect our common visions, values and threats. In looking toward the future, Israel will be glad to cooperate and participate in positive NATO regional and local initiatives, among them: the Mediterranean dialogue; the like minded global partnership; and the inclusion of Israel in the PFP (Partnership For Peace) NATO program. Israel’s efforts to enhance relations with NATO are part of its broader foreign policy to enhance Israel’s multilateral diplomacy. It is our hope that a broad international alliance will serve in meeting our strategic threats, and bring about a better world and a better future for us all. These threats, aimed at Israel and the western-valued moderate community, position Israel more then ever before on the Euro-Atlantic side. In many ways, Israel is the front line defending our common way of life. Thank You.

Emergency teams from NATO and Russia tackled the consequences of a simulated “dirty bomb” attack in Italy in exercise “Lazio 2006”, which ended on 26 October. From 23 October, emergency response teams from Italy, Hungary, Romania, the Russian Federation as well as Austria and Croatia, practiced managing the consequences of a simulated terrorist attack with a “dirty bomb” or radiological dispersal device. Following the ‘explosions’ on the first day of the exercise, Italian firefighters and medical teams moved in to deliver the first assistance to the victims. They were then followed by the teams from the other countries, which came to assist with monitoring, detection and decontamination. NATO’s Deputy Assistant Secretary General Ambassador Maurits Jochems called the exercise a very good example of cooperation among emergency response teams. He also said that very valuable lessons had been learned, which will help to improve the joint capability to respond to radiological terrorism. Exercise “Lazio 2006” is the third in a series of consequence management exercise conducted under the responsibility of the NATO – Russia Council (NRC).

What locations do you cover?

This was emailed to me by RT ******************************************** Emery was selected as a "Beating the Odds", school by Superintendent Janney. Only two schools in DCPS received this honor. As part of this selection we had to prepare a presentation speak before the board last evening. The reception was overwhelming. The planned presentation was suppose to be only 10mins it ended up lasting more than a half-hour. We had teachers, students, parents and leadership staff speaking on our success. Be sure to watch for it on channel 99 in the District next week! Here is a presentation by Ted McGinn, Emery LSRT Chairperson and Proud Parent of an Emery Student *********************************************** Mr Taylor feels very strongly that the manner in which the school is run must be transparent. Teachers, Parents and the Community must be "in the loop" and share ownership of our school. One person can't run a school on their own, Mr Taylor has built an incredible team at Emery. Mr.Abubakar Senghor our Dean of Student handles behavior issues at the school. He deals with the students and their families to ensure that we have an environment where Teachers can teach and Students can learn. We had 160 suspensions in 2004, last year we had 28 and so far this year only 3 and none of them were for fighting. Since Mr.Taylor and Mr. Senghor came to Emery there has only been one complaint that couldn't be resolved at the local school level and went to DCPS. We follow the mandated rules of conduct set down by the School Board but we are not a school "ruled by the stick" as much as "ruled by the carrot". Mr Taylor tells the kids all the time "if you make my job easy I'll make your school fun" and to that end at Emery you can be written up by any staff member for being good, then be sent to see the Principal (for rewards). Each day we announce the classes that have perfect attendance or 100% school uniforms. At the end of the week the classes with the best records may get pizza or ice cream (bet you wish you went to school here). Mr Senghor and Mr Taylor greet every student at our front doors each morning then lead the entire student body in our school pledge. " My heritage is one of greatness. I know that I can do more, but I must never do less then those that came before" What my mind can conceive and my heart can believe I can achieve". I still get goose bumps whenever I hear our kids shout out these words to start their day! We try every day to reduce distractions to learning by having same sex classrooms grades 4 through 6 and 100% school uniforms. Mr. Senghor has done his job so well that he has undertaken the role of Chief Officer of Heritage sharing stories of the past instilling pride in our young people empowering them to believe that there is no limits to what they can achieve in school and life. Mr Taylor brought Senghor to the Board Meeting together with Ms Gwendlyn Robinson our Standards Specialist, Mr. Brown 3rd grade teacher for last years young men, Ms Barthelus 6th grade teacher for our young women, and three emery Students. Ms Robinson helps to train our teachers to teach to the new DC standards for each subject, she runs our writers workshop program, holds a weekly Club for student to Explore creating science based projects. Ms. Robinson also helps to run our after school program that is learning based and not just a tax dollar paid for babysitting service. Mr Brown's young men blew away the new DC Standards test (DC-CAS) that replaced the Stanford 9 with 91% of his class ranked as Proficient! Ms Barrthelus and her 6th grade young ladies beat the mean scores for the city by 10 points in both reading and math helping us beat the odds and surpass AYP under No Child Left Behind for the Second year in a row! Please remember that Emery is only one of 25 schools public to make AYP and Hyde Leadership school didn't make the grade. Our last and most important presenters to the Board were the two 6th grader and one 4th grader. They wrote their own speachs and yes handwriting is still an art form we teach. The kids spoke from the heart and I couldn't have been more proud of them or their teachers. Our teachers don't just punch the clock; no one at Emery does. We are a family and you can feel it every time you walk into school. Our presentation was only ten minutes long but the Board kept us there 20 minutes longer with questions. Tommy Wells wanted to know about our community partnerships so I got to share a little about City Year and the Young Heroes program. Mr Taylor had talked about the role Eckington and Edgewood have had in supporting us. Board member Carrie Thornhill asked about our staffing patterns and how could we "clone" Emery as a model for other schools. Towards the end the questioning Superintendent Jenney shared a conversation he had with Ron Taylor at a Principals Train Session the day before during a lunch break. The Superintendent asked what plans Mr Taylor and his team had for Emery's future. Mr Taylor shared our desires to add 7th and 8th grade over the next two years to create a PreK-8 program. Dr. Jenney loved the idea suggesting that we might look into a IB program grades 6-8 and become a true feeder school to McKinley Technical High School which is currently a 800 student magnet school. Board President Peggy Cooper Cafritz voiced strong support for the ideal sighting the failure of Hype Public Charter School to fill that role. Every Board member at the meeting likewise voiced support. The LSRT and PTA will be working with Mr Taylor and the Staff of Emery to make this dream come true. We need the active support of our Civic Associations, the ANC, City Council members and all of you to make this happen.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) increased its estimate of the flu vaccine supply for this season but said many healthcare providers don't have their full supply yet because of distribution issues. At a press conference today, Jeanne Santoli, MD, MPH, deputy director of the CDC's immunization services division, said about 115 million doses of flu vaccine will be available this season, which is 15 million more than the agency's September projection. She said 40 million doses were distributed by the end of the second week of October, and that 75 million doses would be distributed by the end of the month. "That's 15 million more than last October," Santoli said. The CDC's revised estimate follows the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) Oct 5 approval of another flu vaccine, ID Biomedical's FluLaval. The CDC had said in September that licensing of FluLaval could boost the US supply for this year to 115 million doses. The CDC has received some complaints from heathcare providers who have received only partial shipments of the vaccine they ordered, Santoli said. Also, the American Academy of Pediatrics said this week that most doses of the only flu vaccine approved for use in children aged 6 months to 3 years, Sanofi's Pasteur's Fluzone, won't be available until at least November. Sanofi announced last week that delivery of the vaccine would be about 3 weeks later than last year. Though some vaccine manufacturers said earlier this year that they had trouble with a slow-growing strain of one of the viruses used in this season's vaccine, Santoli said the companies have told the CDC that they've since overcome those problems. "The most important thing is how many doses, and 75 million in October is a lot of vaccine," she said. "To us, it feels like the vaccine will get out there when it's needed." Because flu vaccine sales and distribution are handled by private companies, the CDC can't control the flow of the product to customers. Many vaccine distributors voluntarily submit product tracking information to the CDC, but the distribution status is often unclear. "It's hard to predict when orders will be delivered, and this uncertainty presents providers a challenge in planning vaccine activity," Santoli said. "There's no mechanism to know how many doses providers have received," she said. Vaccine distributors take a phased approach to product delivery, so that all customers receive some of their doses early in the season and can begin immunizing high-risk patients and their household contacts, Santoli said. The CDC is making a point of not calling distribution issues a delay, she said. When that language was used last year, it "caused people to step aside and not get the vaccine," she said, adding that the CDC wants to give providers as much information about distribution as possible so they can plan their immunization activities accordingly. Also, the CDC is not recommending that high-risk people be immunized first this year. "With the large amount available, we want as many people as possible to be immunized," she said. Administering the flu vaccine in November, December, January and beyond is consistent with federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommendations, Santoli said, noting that flu cases often peak in February or later. Santoli said the 3-week delay of Fluzone should not impair the benefits of vaccination for young children, and she advised parents to continue seeking the vaccine from their children's' healthcare providers. In June, federal health officials recommended that toddlers aged 2 through 4 years be immunized against influenza each year, adding millions of people to the groups included in flu vaccination recommendations.

That is pretty intense. I had a chest virus last week and was taking vicks nyquil and dayquil religiously. Without cough syrup I would have been in really bad shape.

Mr. Rees, I spoke with Gary of DCWatch. First, the P.S. you added and is completely false. Second, I am seeing this whole topic you started as a red herring. In which, your goal is to build a logical fallacy to attack your opponents. Gary matched "Joe DeLuth's" IP address to You. You attempted to convince Gary that "Joe DeLuth" was really Joe Steinlieb. You attempted to convince me that "Joe DeLuth" was Martin Austermuhle. P.S. The sad part is that you waste community resources and volunteered time to play this stupid game to build a name for yourself.

I am sure the Party of Lincoln (Republican Party) would never endorse that type of Rhetoric. You might want to read this ****************************************************************************** Among tiny corps of openly gay Republican politicians, a mix of dismay and hope The Associated Press Published: October 19, 2006 NEW YORK They are members of a most exclusive club — a district attorney and a mayor from California, a legislator from Minnesota, a few of others scattered across the country. They are elected officials who are Republican and openly gay. "People think it's an oxymoron — how can you be gay and be in the Republican Party?" said the Minnesota state senator, Paul Koering. Sexual orientation has moved to the political forefront in recent weeks because of the congressional scandal involving Republican Mark Foley, who resigned from Congress after being confronted over suggestive messages he sent to male teenage assistants, called pages. He later acknowledged he was gay. Recent polls show the scandal has hurt Republican prospects in the Nov. 7 elections for Congress and for state and local offices across the country. Subsequently, there has been much debate about the presence of closeted gays in the Republican Party, but little focus on the party's persistently tiny number of openly gay officeholders. The only openly gay Republican in Congress, Representative Jim Kolbe, is retiring, and his final months of service may be clouded by an investigation of a camping trip he took with former pages in 1996. According to the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, which supports gay candidates, there are about 350 openly gay elected officials nationwide — up from about 50 in 1990. Of those elected on party tickets, 140 are Democrats and 11 are Republicans, according to the fund; it said that of 57 openly gay state legislators (out of a total of 7,382 seats), Koering is the only Republican. Victory Fund president Chuck Wolfe said many gays who once found the Republican Party appealing had become disenchanted as religious conservatives expanded their influence and made opposition to same-sex marriage a high-profile issue in the 2004 election. Instead of an all-welcoming "big tent," Wolfe said, the party "has chased out more and more gay Republicans." Among those determined to stay is Peter Hankwitz, a TV producer and talent manager who is the Republican nominee challenging incumbent Democrat Brad Sherman for a congressional seat in California's San Fernando Valley. Hankwitz is an underdog, without funding from national Republican committees, yet state Republican officials have been supportive, even posing for pictures with Hankwitz and Julian Trevino, his domestic partner since 1997. Hankwitz resents what he calls "single-issue social politics" — including the campaign against gay marriage — and wishes he could get to Congress to help moderate his party's stance on such issues. "Unfortunately, we're influenced by the people on the extreme right and extreme left," he said. Southern California already has openly gay Republicans in office — including San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and Redondo Beach Mayor Mike Gin. Gin says he has no qualms about remaining Republican. "I believe in the basic tenets — limited government, individual rights, a strong economy and national defense," he said. "It's important to me to provide a more moderate voice." Likewise, Koering — who opposes abortion and gun control — wants to keep working within the Republican Party. He recently survived a tough primary challenge against a conservative whose campaign stressed "moral values." "It would be easy for me to go to the Democrats — they court me on a daily basis," Koering said. "But I still believe my home is in the Republican Party. I'm not going to let the people who have a radical agenda kick me out." Nationally, Republican officials have voiced no concern about the scarcity of openly gay officeholders. Tara Wall of the Republican National Committee and Alex Johnson of the Republican Legislative Campaign Committee said it wasn't a priority issue. "We look for good candidates who believe in our message," said Johnson. "If they happen to be gay, it's their prerogative." On the religious right, some leaders make clear they would welcome a Republican Party without gay-rights supporters, whether they are gay or not. "The issue is not their sexual orientation," said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council. "It's whether they support pro-family policies." Democratic leaders generally have embraced gay-rights causes — same-sex partnership rights, for example — even while disagreeing on gay marriage. Gay Democratic candidates have won seats even in seemingly inhospitable territory — scoring breakthroughs recently in legislative races in Oklahoma, Alabama, Arkansas, North Carolina and Georgia. Perkins said Republicans shouldn't worry about losing votes of gays — arguing their numbers are dwarfed by the ranks of Christian conservatives. He predicted that any Republican presidential candidate deemed a gay-rights supporter, such as former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, would fail to get the 2008 nomination. The Rev. Louis Sheldon of the Traditional Values Coalition urged the Republican Party to abandon the concept of a "big tent" welcoming gays. Sheldon predicted that Republican organizers, because of the Foley scandal, would be more aggressive in asking prospective candidates if they were gay. The president of the largest national gay rights group, Joe Solmonese of the Human Rights Campaign, suggested Republicans had reached a significant crossroads. "A majority of Americans believe both parties ought to be open and inclusive," he said. "So you've got the Republican leadership in a quandary: how do you balance that public sentiment. ...with the powerful voting bloc of the radical right?" For nearly 30 years, a group called Log Cabin Republicans has been lobbying to make the party more open to gays and gay rights. Its executive vice president, Patrick Sammon, is optimistic that anti-gay politicking will lose effectiveness. "The anti-gay Republicans want a narrow agenda that only 25 to 30 percent of Americans actually agree with," Sammon said. "Republican officeholders are shrewd enough to understand that's a losing strategy, that the party risks being on the wrong side of history." NEW YORK They are members of a most exclusive club — a district attorney and a mayor from California, a legislator from Minnesota, a few of others scattered across the country. They are elected officials who are Republican and openly gay. "People think it's an oxymoron — how can you be gay and be in the Republican Party?" said the Minnesota state senator, Paul Koering. Sexual orientation has moved to the political forefront in recent weeks because of the congressional scandal involving Republican Mark Foley, who resigned from Congress after being confronted over suggestive messages he sent to male teenage assistants, called pages. He later acknowledged he was gay. Recent polls show the scandal has hurt Republican prospects in the Nov. 7 elections for Congress and for state and local offices across the country. Subsequently, there has been much debate about the presence of closeted gays in the Republican Party, but little focus on the party's persistently tiny number of openly gay officeholders. The only openly gay Republican in Congress, Representative Jim Kolbe, is retiring, and his final months of service may be clouded by an investigation of a camping trip he took with former pages in 1996. According to the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, which supports gay candidates, there are about 350 openly gay elected officials nationwide — up from about 50 in 1990. Of those elected on party tickets, 140 are Democrats and 11 are Republicans, according to the fund; it said that of 57 openly gay state legislators (out of a total of 7,382 seats), Koering is the only Republican. Victory Fund president Chuck Wolfe said many gays who once found the Republican Party appealing had become disenchanted as religious conservatives expanded their influence and made opposition to same-sex marriage a high-profile issue in the 2004 election. Instead of an all-welcoming "big tent," Wolfe said, the party "has chased out more and more gay Republicans." Among those determined to stay is Peter Hankwitz, a TV producer and talent manager who is the Republican nominee challenging incumbent Democrat Brad Sherman for a congressional seat in California's San Fernando Valley. Hankwitz is an underdog, without funding from national Republican committees, yet state Republican officials have been supportive, even posing for pictures with Hankwitz and Julian Trevino, his domestic partner since 1997. Hankwitz resents what he calls "single-issue social politics" — including the campaign against gay marriage — and wishes he could get to Congress to help moderate his party's stance on such issues. "Unfortunately, we're influenced by the people on the extreme right and extreme left," he said. Southern California already has openly gay Republicans in office — including San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and Redondo Beach Mayor Mike Gin. Gin says he has no qualms about remaining Republican. "I believe in the basic tenets — limited government, individual rights, a strong economy and national defense," he said. "It's important to me to provide a more moderate voice." Likewise, Koering — who opposes abortion and gun control — wants to keep working within the Republican Party. He recently survived a tough primary challenge against a conservative whose campaign stressed "moral values." "It would be easy for me to go to the Democrats — they court me on a daily basis," Koering said. "But I still believe my home is in the Republican Party. I'm not going to let the people who have a radical agenda kick me out." Nationally, Republican officials have voiced no concern about the scarcity of openly gay officeholders. Tara Wall of the Republican National Committee and Alex Johnson of the Republican Legislative Campaign Committee said it wasn't a priority issue. "We look for good candidates who believe in our message," said Johnson. "If they happen to be gay, it's their prerogative." On the religious right, some leaders make clear they would welcome a Republican Party without gay-rights supporters, whether they are gay or not. "The issue is not their sexual orientation," said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council. "It's whether they support pro-family policies." Democratic leaders generally have embraced gay-rights causes — same-sex partnership rights, for example — even while disagreeing on gay marriage. Gay Democratic candidates have won seats even in seemingly inhospitable territory — scoring breakthroughs recently in legislative races in Oklahoma, Alabama, Arkansas, North Carolina and Georgia. Perkins said Republicans shouldn't worry about losing votes of gays — arguing their numbers are dwarfed by the ranks of Christian conservatives. He predicted that any Republican presidential candidate deemed a gay-rights supporter, such as former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, would fail to get the 2008 nomination. The Rev. Louis Sheldon of the Traditional Values Coalition urged the Republican Party to abandon the concept of a "big tent" welcoming gays. Sheldon predicted that Republican organizers, because of the Foley scandal, would be more aggressive in asking prospective candidates if they were gay. The president of the largest national gay rights group, Joe Solmonese of the Human Rights Campaign, suggested Republicans had reached a significant crossroads. "A majority of Americans believe both parties ought to be open and inclusive," he said. "So you've got the Republican leadership in a quandary: how do you balance that public sentiment. ...with the powerful voting bloc of the radical right?" For nearly 30 years, a group called Log Cabin Republicans has been lobbying to make the party more open to gays and gay rights. Its executive vice president, Patrick Sammon, is optimistic that anti-gay politicking will lose effectiveness. "The anti-gay Republicans want a narrow agenda that only 25 to 30 percent of Americans actually agree with," Sammon said. "Republican officeholders are shrewd enough to understand that's a losing strategy, that the party risks being on the wrong side of history." http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/10/19/...licans_Gays.php

Shi Yinhong is the director of the Centre for American Studies at Renmin University in Beijing. An expert on international relations, he discussed with Aljazeera.net how North Korea's announcement that it detonated a nuclear bomb will impact the region and the likelihood of finding a solution to the crisis. What effects will Monday's detonation have on the security of East Asia? Shi Yinhong: It is very serious. First of all it greatly raises existing antagonism between North Korea and the United States. There is the possibility the US will now take a much more severe line in its actions and policies against North Korea. The US is now pushing for sanction resolutions against North Korea, and the US and its allies - especially Japan - are trying to expand their individual sanctions into a collective United Nations sanction. The current situation will also further encourage the Japanese nationalist movement to expand Japan's armed forces and the mission function of those forces. Although it is currently a minority opinion, North Korea's actions will strengthen those who want to discuss the nuclear option in Japan. And this is also happening in South Korea. South Koreans may now even have to abandon the Sunshine Policy. Now, China's relations with North Korea have reached a point where there is severe tension between China and North Korea. In the past China was able to encourage North Korea to act responsibly, but if relations continue to deteriorate then this might only contribute to North Korea's parochial behaviour. And with North Korea facing increased international isolation, not only from US and Japanese economic and financial sanctions but also from China and South Korea - who will also have to reduce their economic aid to the country - this will all increase the opportunity of malfunction or even a collapse of the regime. How likely is this scenario of regional nuclear armament? I don't think South Korea or Japan can go nuclear in a short time. Pro-nuclear opinion in both countries will increase but over time. Why has North Korea done this? The primary cause is that over the past few months North Korean domestic policy has changed. After the US launched financial sanctions I think any moderate elements in their policy ended. Extreme hardliners now have 100% control over policy making and they have enormous political determination to launch their missiles, test their bombs and direct their nuclear arms programme for the purpose of, in their eyes, having a decisive weapon to protect themselves. Now they feel they have a stronger position to talk to international society and force the US to make substantial concessions to them, including abandoning financial sanctions and agreeing to bilateral talks. By possessing nuclear weapons they can also show to their own people and army that they are strong and this can help solidify their domestic support. China is supposed to be North Korea's closest ally and yet asked Pyongyang repeatedly not to test nuclear weapons. What does Monday's explosion say about the state of this relationship? It is now at the lowest point in many years. Because China is now threatening economic sanctions the tension between the two countries will only develop in the future. There is the possibility that our relations with North Korea will reverse. What is the next step? Because of North Korea’s very particular and difficult nature and also because of various strategic values that all concerned powers hold, the problem has become very difficult. I don't believe sanctions alone can solve the problem. I also don't think the incentives and soft approach taken by China and South Korea in the past will solve the problem. I don't see any assured way to solve the problem of achieving a denuclearised North Korea. What UN sanctions will China agree to? They will agree to sanctions that are not too severe and leave open the prospect of dialogue. They also want to avoid sanctions that might create a collapse. China will propose a limited sanctions resolution that takes a gradual, long-term approach. Why does China not want North Korea to collapse? Firstly, because millions of refugees would flow into China. Secondly, a collapse might mean China would have to send troops into North Korea and Sino-American strategic tension and suspicion would only increase. It would destabilise the whole peninsula. China has a policy of non-inference in affairs of other countries but is it in Beijing's interests to have the current North Korean government in place? I think China's policy of non interference in other countries internal affairs is correct but North Korea's nuclear issue is another problem that belongs to another category. This is an international issue. Under the 1961 of mutual co-operation and defence is China not duty bound to defend North Korea? Legally, this treaty is still here, but the treaty itself stipulates that if North Korea is attacked by other countries then China will respond. But now the situation is different. This is a provocative act taken by North Korea itself so this is not a situation where China would have to enact this treaty. Is it possible to return to the six-party talks? If we are realists and consider how severe the situation is now and especially if we consider North Korea demands that the US would have to end financial sanctions against them as a condition for returning to six party talks. When we consider all these factors, I don't think the resumption of the six-party talks in the near future is something we can expect to happen.