On the Brink of the Birthright Battle

MoonHowler

The next chapter of the immigration battle is over the birthright of those babies born to illegal immigrants in the United States.  For starters, we dislike the expression ‘anchor baby’ to be derogatory.  It implies an intent that simply might not be there. 

The first volleys lobbed in the birthright battle might be coming from Arizona.  According to the New York Times:

Arizona — whose tough law granting the police the power to detain illegal immigrants is tied up in the courts — may again take the lead in what is essentially an effort to redefine what it means to be an American. This time, though, Arizona lawmakers intend to join with legislators from several other states to force the issue before the Supreme Court.

This coalition of lawmakers will unveil its exact plans on Wednesday in Washington, but people involved in drafting the legislation say they have decided against the painstaking process of amending the Constitution. Since the federal government decides who is to be deemed a citizen, the lawmakers are considering instead a move to create two kinds of birth certificates in their states, one for the children of citizens and another for the children of illegal immigrants.

The theory is that this could spark a flurry of lawsuits that might resolve the legal conflict in their favor.

“This is not a far-out, extremist position,” said John Kavanagh, one of the Arizona legislators who is leading an effort that has been called just that. “Only a handful of countries in the world grant citizenship based on the GPS location of the birth.”

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Dead Black Birds Fall from the Sky

MoonHowler

Beebe, Arkansas:

Around 11 that night, thousands of red-winged blackbirds began falling out of the sky over this small city about 35 miles northeast of Little Rock. They landed on roofs, roads, front lawns and backyards, turning the ground nearly black and terrifying anyone who happened to be outside.

“One of them almost hit my best friend in the head,” said Christy Stephens, who was standing outside among the smoking crowd at a party. “We went inside after that.”

The cause is still being determined, but preliminary lab results from the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission revealed “acute physical trauma” in samples of the dead birds. There were no indications of disease, though tests were still being done for the presence of toxic chemicals.

Other birds have been dying in other locations, although nothing quite as dramatic as what happened in Beebe.  TV reports that regular black birds and starlings have fallen from the sky.  Totally bizarre.  Where is Alfred Hitchcock? 

Obviously if birds are falling from the sky in large numbers, something isn’t right.  It will be important for scientists to discover why the birds died.  It will be even more important to fix whatever it was that caused the bird deaths.  Something is horribly wrong. 

Starlings dying might not be a bad thing.  Red wing blackbirds –different.  That shouldn’t be happening.  Am I prejudice against starlings?  Absolutely.  They are loud, smelly, and they will foul any area where they roost.  Long time residents of this area will remember the efforts to rid the Signal Hill area of millions of roosting starlings.  When those ‘buzzards’ went to bed the sky darkened as they all flew in.  Trees where they roosted actually died. 

The  hypothesis now is that loud fireworks literally frightened the birds to death in Beebe, Arkansas.  That really is sad.

Jon Stewart Rails Against Big Brother Government!

Elena

I just could not resist sharing this from the Daily Show.  This is my birthday present to all my conservative moonhowling friends. 

San Fransico banning the toys in McDonalds Happy Meals is what REAL  over reaching government intervention looks like……..ENJOY!

Daily Show: Mandvi – San Francisco’s Happy Meal Ban

After San Francisco bans toys from Happy Meals, Aasif Mandvi introduces kids to the brand new Crappy Meal.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
San Francisco’s Happy Meal Ban
www.thedailyshow.com
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Virginia school graduation and dropout rates, 2008-2010

MoonHowler

From the Roanoke Times:

Virginia public high schools boasted an 83.2 percent graduation rate for the class of 2009, up from 82.1 the previous year. This is the second year a new tracking method allowed for graduation rates which are not based on estimates. The dropout rate for the same class was 7.9 percent, an improvement over last year’s 8.7 percent.

Let’s see…terms.  Graduation rate vs Drop out rate.  You want the graduation rate high and the drop out rate low.  Shouldn’t they add up to 100%?  Only in a perfect world.  Big Dog first called out attention to this problem of enrollees disappearing and no requesting transcript papers.  That is taken as a hit on the last school’s graduation rate.  Drop out rate is actually students who come in and formally drop out of school rather than just disappearing.

The Roanoke Times has the link to all the data for all schools in Virginia.  It is far too involved to post here.  Prince William County is listed by individual high school.  That gets very involved but gives the reader a good sense of comparison. 

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Nook vs Kindle: What it is and what it ain’t

MoonHowler

There has been great controversy on the blog over the various strengths and weaknesses of the 2 most popular e-readers: Nook and Kindle.  Kindle was the first major e-reader and it is Amazon’s baby.  Nook, of course, is the Barnes and Noble version. 

The main difference in Kindle and Nook Color is Kindle is e-ink.  E-ink can be read outside without the blindness associated with glare and it is easier on the eyes, especially compared to the LCD screen of Color Nook.  Kindle also has more titles and the books are somewhat less expensive.  Both Kindle and Nook can be used on the Ipad and on a regular computer.

 

The Nook

 

 

And now the Kindle:

 

There is a comparison chart on CNET for Kindle and Nook.  Scroll down when you get to the page. 

Additionally, there is an excellent video on Nook in the Washington Post.  I can’t get it to embed.  (iframes issue)

The ipad has not been compared.  There is  no comparison.  An ipad will serve as an e-reader.  I am aware of ibooks, Kindle and Nook.  It may have apps for other e-readers also.  An ipad is much heavier, larger, and most importantly, costs at a minimum, twice as much.  If all you want is a reader, don’t get an ipad.  Now if you want a really neat device…well…that’s another post for another day.