Wednesday Open Thread
It’s Wednesday, Hump Day! Tonight is Obama’s 1st SOTU address and we’ll have coverage (liveblog, I think) of the address right here on Delaware Liberal. Stay tuned! All right, let’s open this thread.
Voters in Oregon approved two measures to raise taxes. One measure raised taxes on families with incomes >$250,000/yr and the other measure raised taxes on corporations. According to sources, Oregonians had not voted for any tax raises since 1930.
State Ballot Measure No. 66
Raises tax on household income at and above $250,000 (and $125,000 for individual filers). Reduces income taxes on unemployment benefits in 2009. Provides funds currently budgeted for education, health care, public safety, other services
Votes Percent
_________________ _________________
Yes Votes 647,478 53.75%
No Votes 557,039 46.25%
_________________ _________________
Totals: 1,204,517 100%State Ballot Measure No. 67
Raises $10 corporate minimum tax, business minimum tax, corporate profits tax. Provides funds currently budgeted for education, health care, public safety, other services
Votes Percent
_________________ _________________
Yes Votes 638,566 53.12%
No Votes 563,529 46.88%
_________________ _________________
Totals: 1,202,095 100%
The dictionary is the devil’s tool:
Perhaps it’s not that surprising that a mother in Menifee, California, asked the Menifee Union School District to ban all copies of the 10th edition of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary after her child stumbled across the term “oral sex.” What is surprising, indeed horrifying, is that district officials immediately complied with her request, and pulled all dictionaries off classroom shelves throughout the Southern California school district, which serves 9,000 kids, kindergarten through eighth grade.
District officials said on Friday that they are forming a committee to consider a permanent classroom ban of the Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. District spokeswoman Betti Cadmus said that school officials will review the dictionary to decide if it should be permanently banned because of the “sexually graphic” entry. “It’s hard to sit and read the dictionary, but we’ll be looking to find other things of a graphic nature,” Cadmus said. (Isn’t that just what those fourth and fifth graders like to do?!)
This is a great idea! Ignorance of sex totally means that kids will never do it, right? Kids are not intrigued by the unknown. Great idea, Menifee, California!
[One thing I hate about this world – the squeaky wheel gets the grease. It works like a charm.]
Tags: Open Thread
MSM blackout of Oregon vote continues. They don’t want anybody to know, because it doesn’t fit the narrative. I guess someone should have posed nude.
It was a real taxpayer revolt like Proposition 13.
Bob Gilligan, take note of Oregon.
Dark clouds in the Oregon vote: corporate
moneyfree speech won’t let it happen again. The Oregon vote was won by a union-backed campaign with brilliant ads. Simple, minimalistic ads saying it’s time for the wealthy to pay their fair share. Democrats everywhere should review these ads for inspiration in 2010.I read that the Union School district was also upset after finding the word masticate.
In the Conservative Dictionary, when you look up “oral sex” there is a picture of Bill Clinton.
Oral sex was invented by Bill Clinton, and abolished by George W. Bush.
Another noteworthy event this week that didn’t get enough attention: New data shows that teen pregnancy and abortion rates both increased under Bush beginning in 2006. The abortion rate had been declining every year since 1981… until 2006.
The likely culprit? Abstinence-only sex education (Thank God, zeroed out by Obama in his first budget):
Gratuitous dig at the “Gotta pass the Senate HCR bill” folks: You do realize that the Senate bill effectively extends the Hyde Amendment to private insurance, right?
Apple iPad is AWSOME!
http://live.gizmodo.com/
Ipad sounds like a bostonian or minnesotan pronunciation of “ipod”
What is the total annual cost of ownership of this iPad?
Check out the Apple website. Prices start under $500. You will be able to hook it up to ATT 3G without a contract, too.
$629 for iPad ($499 model does not support 3G)
$30 for unlimited data plan from AT&T
=============================================
TCO for 3 years: $1709 (plus cost of apps)
OK, I’m trying to suppress my gadget lust right now.
I’m trying to understand why they chose the name iPad? Does that make anyone else think of maxi pads?
In a move that surprises no one, John and Elizabeth Edwards announced their separation today.
It is too much of an “in between” product for me. It doesn’t replace my cell phone, and it doesn’t replace my laptop, and it doesn’t even give me mobile internet access on my laptop (only on the iPad).
If I had an iPad, I’d still need my laptop and my cell phone and my cell phone monthly bill and my home ISP monthly bill.
Why do I need a tablet computer again?
Well… it looks like we’ll be buying an iPad. My son has been waiting for this for months, and he saved his money from his summer job, resisting all other temptation. I convinced him to wait a few weeks and we’ll read what everyone is saying. Which may, or may not, matter… since he’s in love.
Maxi pads are an “in between” product, too.
anon, although I agree with you about the “in between” comment of this device, I am like Pandora’s son and was a good boy and didn’t buy an Ipod touch for myself this holiday season so I could purchase this (AND I’m not a MAC guy).
My first reaction when I heard the price of this was Holy Shit!!! I was expecting to ignore this if the price was 699 or so. I’m not planning on getting the 3G model as I’ve heard that you may be able to purchase a 3G dongle after the fact.
I plan to use this as an e-reader, so I may wait until I can put my hands on one before I purchase this.
I can’t wait to get one either. Apple says that it is an “intimate” device, too, but I am going to stop there.
Then you deserve an iPad, Mark! 🙂
Right now it’s all iPad all the time around here – lots of selling the idea on “educational” benefits. I don’t think we’ll be waiting several weeks. Looks like we’re in an elopement situation. But, hey, it’s his money.
I hate Apple. I went out and tried to buy a decent clock radio last month and couldn’t find one without a damn iPod dock.
and I can’t find one with an iPhone dock that is worth a damn.
Once I saw that stupid rectangular hole in the radio I didn’t bother checking out the rest of the specs. I’d rather just have a plain aux input.
Pandora, if you haven’t already, you can go to Apple’s web site and have them email you when you can order one.
And coming from a PC guy who has never owned an Apple product, 🙂 I personally think they knocked this one out of the park.
Thanks, Mark. And we are an Apple household – 2 Macbooks, iPod classic, iPod touch! Once you go Mac, you never go back! 😉
Historian Howard Zinn has died. He was 87.
LOL! MadTV spoofed Apple in 2006 with the “iPad.”
#iTampon is a new rising trending topic on Twiter.
C’mon, all that marketing money and they didn’t think of iTab?
I’m guessing Apple didn’t have any women on their marketing team?
Apple’s iPad site.
I can see my Apple Store purchase now. “I’ll take a keyboard, a mouse, some software . . . oh yeah and an iPad.”
finally, an electronic photo album with a decent size screen. Grandmothers will be waiting line for this.
The iPad data plan is so cheap, I wonder if they are supplementing it by finding new ways to track and sell your personal data.
On the plus side, the data plan is so cheap it seems to be starting some price competition for the first time in years. Last night I saw a Verizon ad rolling back its unlimited cell phone plan from $99 to $69 per month. About damn time prices started going the other way.
It’s time for every gadget to stop requiring its very own monthly bill.
I don’t care how much she asks, I am not going to the store to pick up iPads for my wife…
Apple returns to its roots with an underpowered computer with a nine-inch screen.
UI, I didn’t make the “Feminine Hygene” connection… but it looks like plenty of others did.
The iPad? Also available with wings?
Breibart.com ^ | Jan 27 05:52 PM US/Eastern | Breibart
Twitter users responded snarkily Wednesday to the name of Apple’s latest innovation the iPad, pushing the phrase “iTampon” to a number two “trending” topic on the microblogging site.
I get all gigglely at work when I have to ask for a pad of paper.