Barbara Curtis's Blog, page 35
October 15, 2012
Candy Crowley: Paul Ryan - 'ticket death wish'
This is supposed to be an unbiased moderator? Who are they trying to kid?
Florida" racially-biased academic goals
And, btw, do you want medical professionals who succeeded because their standards were watered down?
Florida Passes Plan For Racially-Based Academic Goals
October 12, 2012 11:32 AM
The Florida state Board of Education passed a controversial plan
to set reading and math goals based upon race. (Photo credit should read
FRANK PERRY/AFP/GettyImages)
Palm Beach, Fla. (CBS TAMPA) - The Florida State Board of Education passed a plan that sets goals for students
in math and reading based upon their race.
On Tuesday, the board passed a revised strategic plan that says that
by 2018, it wants 90 percent of Asian students, 88 percent of white
students, 81 percent of Hispanics and 74 percent of black students to be
reading
at or above grade level. For math, the goals are 92 percent of Asian
kids to be proficient, whites at 86 percent, Hispanics at 80 percent and
blacks at 74 percent. It also measures by other groupings, such as
poverty and disabilities, reported the Palm Beach Post.The plan has infuriated many community activists in Palm Beach County and across the state.
"To expect less from one demographic and more from another is just a
little off-base," Juan Lopez, magnet coordinator at John F. Kennedy
Middle School in Riviera Beach, told the Palm Beach Post.JFK Middle has a black student population of about 88 percent.
Read more at CBS Tampa
Candy Crowley debates bias on record
Tuesday's moderator - and friend of White House - Candy Crowley on record as not submitted even to Commission's standards.
One can only hope that people are fed up enough with this regime, that no matter what they throw at us, we will prevail!
Moderator Role Under Scrutiny -- Before the DebateBy Mark Halperin | October 14, 2012
In a rare example of political unity, both the Romney and Obama
campaigns have expressed concern to the Commission on Presidential
Debates about how the moderator of the Tuesday town hall has publicly
described her role, TIME has learned.While an early October memorandum of understanding between the Obama
and Romney campaigns and the bipartisan commission sponsoring the
debates suggests CNN's Candy
Crowley would play a limited role in the Tuesday-night session, Crowley,
who is not a party to that agreement, has done a series of interviews
on her network in which she has suggested she will assume a broader set
of responsibilities. As Crowley put it last week, "Once the table is
kind of set by the town-hall questioner, there is then time for me to
say, 'Hey, wait a second, what about X, Y, Z?'"(MORE: What Happened at the First Presidential Debate)
In the view of both campaigns and the commission, those and other
recent comments by Crowley conflict with the language the two campaigns
agreed to, which delineates a more limited role for the moderator of the
town-hall debate. The questioning of the two candidates is supposed to
be driven by the audience members themselves -- likely voters selected by
the Gallup Organization. Crowley's assignment differs from those of the
three other debate moderators, who in the more standard format are
supposed to lead the questioning and follow up when appropriate. The
town-hall debate is planned for Tuesday at 9 p.m. E.T. at Hofstra
University in Hempstead, N.Y.According to the town-hall format language in the agreement, after
each audience question and both two-minute responses from the
candidates, Obama and Romney are expected to have an additional
discussion facilitated by Crowley. Yet her participation is meant to be
otherwise limited. As stated in the document: "In managing the
two-minute comment periods, the moderator will not rephrase the question
or open a new topic ... The moderator will not ask follow-up questions or
comment on either the questions asked by the audience or the answers of
the candidates during the debate or otherwise intervene in the debate
except to acknowledge the questioners from the audience or enforce the
time limits, and invite candidate comments during the two-minute
response period." The memorandum, which has been obtained by TIME, was
signed by lawyers for the two campaigns on Oct. 3, the day of the first
presidential debate in Denver.But if the Obama and Romney campaigns agreed to such terms, there is no evidence that Crowley did -- or was ever asked to do so.
Read more at Time
Lara Logan - US media lying about the MidEast
This journalist was gang-raped by those our president tried to paint as democracy-lovers during the "Arab Spring." Now she's blowing the whistle on media lies. Too bad it has to take that kind of brutality to get people to waken from their slumber. God bless Lara Logan!
Little Nemo - coolest Google Doodle ever!
Click here to see the sequence.
So very cool! And a big shout-out to daughter Sophia for finding it first and messaging the family because she knew every one of us would love, love, love it!
US Bishops: Biden debate statement wrong
USCCB Responds To Inaccurate Statement Of Fact On HHS Mandate Made During Vice Presidential Debate
October 12, 2012
WASHINGTON--The U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued the following statement, October 12. Full text follows:Last night, the following statement was
made during the Vice Presidential debate regarding the decision of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to force virtually all employers
to include sterilization and contraception, including drugs that may cause abortion,
in the health insurance coverage they provide their employees:"With regard to the assault on the Catholic
Church,
let me make it absolutely clear. No religious institution--Catholic or
otherwise, including Catholic social services, Georgetown hospital,
Mercy
hospital, any hospital--none has to either refer contraception, none has
to pay
for contraception, none has to be a vehicle to get contraception in any
insurance policy they provide. That is a fact. That is a fact."This is not a fact. The HHS mandate contains
a narrow, four-part exemption for certain "religious employers." That exemption
was made final in February and does not extend to "Catholic social services,
Georgetown hospital, Mercy hospital, any hospital," or any other religious charity
that offers its services to all, regardless of the faith of those served.HHS has proposed an additional "accommodation"
for religious organizations like these, which HHS itself describes as
"non-exempt." That proposal does not even potentially relieve these
organizations from the obligation "to pay for contraception" and "to be a
vehicle to get contraception." They will have to serve as a vehicle, because
they will still be forced to provide their employees with health coverage, and
that coverage will still have to include sterilization, contraception, and
abortifacients. They will have to pay for these things, because the premiums that
the organizations (and their employees) are required to pay will still be
applied, along with other funds, to cover the cost of these drugs and
surgeries.USCCB continues to urge HHS, in the
strongest possible terms, actually to eliminate the various infringements on
religious freedom imposed by the mandate.For more details, please see USCCB's
regulatory comments filed on May 15 regarding the proposed "accommodation": www.usccb.org/about/general-counsel/rulemaking/upload/comments-on-advance-notice-of-proposed-rulemaking-on-preventive-services-12-05-15.pdf
October 13, 2012
Goodnight Moon set to music - enjoy!
I didn't know anyone had ever sung this. My kids should love it ' Goodnight Moon was in the Curtis Top Five!
Thank you Amazon shoppers!
Whoever ordered this playset through my Amazon link, I just want to say Thank You! from the bottom of my heart!I was so shocked when I checked my affiliate numbers this morning - which I do every morning to see what's new. Though I can't see who buys stuff (or thank them personally), I just see what has been bought.
Understand that normally I make about $10/day through my Amazon link - which helps to pay for the maintenance of this blog. Imagine my surprise when I saw $111! I've never seen anything like that before!
So thank you, so much!
I appreciate all of you who remember to take the extra time to come to my site before going on Amazon to click through my link. Amazon's affiliate program helps people like me turn more attention to blogging/researching/information sharing than we might otherwise. We make usually about 6-7% of whatever you spend when you go through a dedicated link.
I have been buying from Amazon myself for 13 years, which is why I feel good about promoting it for shopping. I save time, energy, and money - plus avoid impulse shopping - by finding whatever I need at Amazon. I also love the customer reviews, which have helped me determine everything from the world's best blender to the world's best women's athletic shoes.
I have been astonished at my readers' purchases before - futons, chandeliers, beautiful jewelry, chainsaws, automotive parts - and appreciate those high end purchases. But I have to say, a $1450 playset wins the prize.
Remember that you can buy your kids' homeschool books and college books through my link, browsing used copies. I've always had my college kids give me their list of books to shop for on Amazon so I can get them cheaper than the college book stores - and then have them shipped directly to them.
Also, remember that for most stuff, shipping is free - just look for the Super Saver Shipping when you check out. You can also get a prime membership for 75/year which gives you free 2-day shipping and only 3.99 for next day. If you buy a lot and tend to be last minute, this is a useful option.
Please think of using my link and shopping at Amazon for Christmas. And please know that I am very grateful!
October 12, 2012
Met Opera HD Live in movie theaters starts 10/13
This Saturday marks the beginning of the Metropolitan Opera's Live in HD 2012-2013 series, which I hope you will consider adding to your list of things you must experience at least once.
The
simulcast is fabulous as you can see the performers up close and
personal, and also we are taken backstage during intermissions, with
interviews and peeks at scenery changes.
If you are new to
opera, it helps to print and study the synopsis. You might want to
Google and read some reviews. The first in the series - which begins at
12:55 Saturday, is L'Elisir d"Amore with Anna Netrebko, who appeared last year in a
four-page spread in Newsweek magazine. I really think opera is having a surge in popularity, especially when I see so many young people studying it:
Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore-New Production
October 13, 2012, 12:55 pm ET
U.S. Encore: Wednesday, November 7, 2012 at 6:30 pm
Anna Netrebko and Matthew Polenzani star in Bartlett Sher's new production of one of the greatest comic gems in opera, as the fickle Adina and her besotted Nemorino. Mariusz Kwiecien is the blustery sergeant Belcore and Ambrogio Maestri is Dulcamara, the loveable quack and dispenser of the elixir. Maurizio Benini conducts.
"A handsome and insightful new staging... [Anna Netrebko's] singing is feisty and earthy one moment, poignant and shimmering the next... Polenzani is coming into his prime...He holds back nothing here. Over all, this psychologically charged take on Elisir is fascinating." (NYT)
Synopsis available in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish
I didn't grow up with the arts, but made a decision to learn as much
as I could after I became an adult - specifically so I could open up
worlds to my children that I hadn't known myself. Maria Montessori,
convinced that the seeds for our futures are planted mostly before the
age of 6, said it is our responsibility as parents and educators to give
children the world - meaning a taste for the rich diversity in
continents, countries, cultures - and the arts.
So, lo and behold, 20 years later, I have several opera singers
among my kids. Honestly, it's not because they were pushed. I gave
them a small introduction, but in their passion for opera they've taken
me so many, many performances and taught me so much more.
Originally, my opera singers wanted to be Broadway singers, but
somewhere along the line in their musical educations, they felt drawn to
the challenge of perfecting their voices - power, range, control - and
switched to opera. You have to understand that and opera singer can
fill an entire concert hall with his or her voice - no mics needed.
That is some amazing use of God's gift of vocal cords.
Opera is misunderstood by those who associate it with wealth and
snobbery. And it's true that opera is expensive. But you can hear an
opera live from the Metropolitan Opera in New York every Saturday for free on the radio.
And now, thanks to HD Live, you can see live simulcast operas on scattered Saturdays
throughout the fall and spring.
For three years, I've been going to these whenever possible - with
whichever of my kids/ and or hubby can go - and I'm seeing a real
resurgence in interest in opera as there are more opportunities for
people to see it. Though these performances at select theaters only
happen once or twice a month, they are sometimes sold out.
Which is why I'm so glad that a recently-opened theater near me has signed on for the concert series this year. The Cobb Theater in Leesburg will be participating in the nationwide simulcast of the Metropolitan Opera's L'Elisir d'Amore this Saturday at 12:55. I will be there, so be sure to say hi if you go too.
Opera
is also misunderstood as being less "real" than Broadway shows, but
opera is not related to musical theater, really. It is more descended
from Greek tragedy, which is why everything seems so exaggerated in
form And ah, the form! There's nothing like the tremendous amount of
artistry, time and effort that goes into making an opera - the set, the
costumes, months and sometimes years of preparation by a great singer
for one particular role.
I recently came across a book which I enjoyed every page of and passed on to my kids, who are enjoying it too: Who's Afraid of Opera?
It's reader-friendly, humorous, informative and very down-to-earth.
Great for someone curious about opera, but also one who already knows it
all. Check your library - or Amazon has copies for a penny.
Here are the links you need to know:
Metropolitan Opera 2012-2013 Live in HD Series
Met - L'Elisir d'Amore Live-buy tickets (Fathom entertainment-check out their other great events)
MOTUS on Biden
Friday, October 12, 2012
Plugs, Unplugged.As it turned out, the debate that "sounded better than it looked," was the VP debate, not the first Presidential match up. So maybe San Fran Nan just got her official DNC debate notes mixed up.
Actually, Joey's speaking parts didn't really sound that much better than they looked. And they looked pretty bizarre.
So I'm thinking, maybe the DNC hired a new acting coach, one specializing in the histrionic method acting.
Read more at MOTUS
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