So here's to hoping the Coens' return to the dark comedy will mark not only a return to the style of work we first learned to love, but the return of my obnoxious, unwarranted elitism. If I can't get it here, I'll have to start listening to NPR.

I actually took a class on the Coen brother's films...I will be interested to see this new endeavor.

I Watch Stuff! - Coen Brothers Get Serious

The parliamentary report featured a handful of cases of mistaken identity, the most prominent of which was the ordeal of Maher Arar, a Canadian citizen suspected of terrorist ties and packed off to his native Syria in 2002.

“But the Canadians say there’s absolutely no evidence,” countered Edward J. Markey, D-Mass.

“I would certainly not apologize to him, sir.”

The CIA, he added, is not “in the business of cleaning up afterwards. We’re in the business of pre-emption.”

But, Delahunt persisted, “What about those who are clearly eventually determined to be innocent?”

“Mistakes are made, sir.”

“Mistakes are made.”

“That’s right,” Scheuer said. “They’re not Americans, and I really don’t care.” He spread his arms, smiling. “It’s just a mistake.”

Wow!! That is amazing....I wonder if the mistake was that they found out the people were Americans would he care then?

CQ Homeland Security - A CIA Man Speaks His Mind on Secret Abductions

hehehehehehe......or rather....muhahahahahahahahha.

Best joke ever...and so true

Many groups such as Scenic America have complained that billboards on highways cause too much clearing of trees and intrude on the surrounding landscape, with billboards' bright colors, lights and large fonts making it hard to focus on anything else. Other groups believe that billboards and advertising in general contribute negatively to the mental climate of a culture by promoting products as providing feelings of completeness, wellness and popularity to motivate purchase. One focal point for this sentiment would be the magazine AdBusters, which will often showcase politically motivated billboard and other advertising vandalism, called culture jamming.

This bit is thanks to The Animal Liberation Front

Billboards

The mission of Democrats Work is to mobilize grassroots Democrats to perform community service projects . . . as Democrats. DW connects Democratic volunteers with visible, tangible service projects in their communities – cleaning up parks, painting schools, building houses, sponsoring soccer tournaments, helping at church bake sales. With DW, for the first time, Democrats have a sustainable infrastructure to keep our volunteers and supporters visible and active during the "off season."

All DW activities advance four main goals:

1. Make tangible contributions to increase the visibility of Democrats at the local level.

2. Engage the grassroots during non-election time to keep folks active and involved. Instead of asking people to get involved every two or four years, we tap into that energy year-round and “keep the band together.”

3. Reach out to people who might not otherwise get involved in purely “political” activities, but share our values. Not everyone wants to hand out campaign literature or phone bank or even wants to work for a particular candidate, but they are willing to paint a school or clean up a park with their friends.

4. Build a unified stable of motivated and easily mobilized volunteers who can help candidates win elections.

In the short term, DW seeks to foster the civic participation of Democrats in their communities. In the long term, DW aims to transform our nation’s politics: instead of money, we offer work; instead of message, we offer action. In the end, DW envisions a new type of politics: a politics of service.

I was talking to a friend about the community around our school and getting involved in the local areas and she was telling me about a meeting she recently went to where Jimmy Carter's grandson suggested this group so I figured I would put it out there

Democrats Work

Tivo just got this movie for me off of encore. And I gotta say for a caper movie it's damn good. Well written and not on the instant delete list.

--timball

I concur....I was pleasently surprised when my brother recommended it and actually own this movie.

Layer Cake (2004)

To celebrate Easter..........Some egg art

Happy Easter

This is a very sweet tribute :)

A Boy and his Frog - A Tribute to Jim Henson

Gov. Charlie Crist persuaded Florida’s clemency board Thursday to let most felons easily regain their voting rights after prison, saying it was time to leave the “offensive minority” of states that uniformly deny ex-offenders such rights.

The change is a major step for Florida, which bans more people from the polls than any other state, but it did not go as far as Mr. Crist had hoped. Two of his fellow Republicans on the clemency board rejected his original plan to grant speedy restoration to everyone except murderers and sex criminals.

Under the new rules, the roughly 80 percent of ex-offenders whose crimes were not considered violent will win automatic rights restoration after the state makes sure they have paid any restitution to victims and have no pending criminal charges.

Florida has as many as 950,000 disenfranchised ex-offenders — far more than any other state — the vast majority black. Other states have repealed or scaled back similar bans in recent years, but roughly five million felons remain barred from the polls nationwide.

Florida May Let Felons Vote

Grace is a beautiful, loving, loveable, affectionate and fun girl who is challenged with the developmental disability of autism.

Grace's artistic ability was discovered at age four when she began working with an art therapist in addition to a myriad of typical early interventions for autism. Since then she has exhibited on Washington's Capitol Hill and various greater Nashville locations including: Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Streets, Chapel Bistro, The Mall at Green Hills,Greater Nashville Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church and Metro Davidson County School Board, Middle Tennessee State University and more. Her work is also in numerous private collections including U.S. Sen. Bill Frist, MD and former NFL Miami Dolphin player Dan Marino. Regional, state and national publications have featured her art.

Autism affects Grace's ability to verbally communicate, interact socially and fully comprehend the world around her. Although the ability to engage in typical conversation eludes her, and she lacks mastery of simply writing her name, Grace is able to powerfully express herself through the medium of intense color and composition.

I was doing some research to better work with one of my students and ran across this little girl from Tennessee who is autistic and comunicates through art. It is interested to see new ways to communicate with these children since autism affects boys more then girls and largely remains a mystery.

Communicating through art