Kevin Earl Dayhoff Art One-half Banana Stems

Kevin Earl Dayhoff Art One-half Banana Stems - www.kevindayhoff.com Address: PO Box 124, Westminster MD 21158 410-259-6403 kevindayhoff@gmail.com Runner, writer, artist, fire & police chaplain Mindless ramblings of a runner, journalist & artist: Travel, art, artists, authors, books, newspapers, media, writers and writing, journalists and journalism, reporters and reporting, technology, music, culture, opera... National & International politics www.kevindayhoff.net For community: www.kevindayhoff.org For art, technology, writing, & travel: www.kevindayhoff.com

Saturday, July 08, 2006

20060708 KDDC la ministra de Asuntos Exteriores de Austria, Ursula Plassnik



El primer vicepresidente y ministro de Relaciones Exteriores, Samuel Lewis Navarro y la ministra de Asuntos Exteriores de Austria, Ursula Plassnik, durante la IV cumbre de Jefes de Estado y de Gobierno América Latina y Caribe-Unión Europea que se celebra en la capital austríaca del 11 al 13 de mayo de 2006.

www.mire.gob.pa/noticias.php?id=1646


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20060708 KDDC Austria's Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik



Ursula!

"Serbia's President Boris Tadic (R) welcomes Austria's Foreign Minister and President of the EU Council Ursula Plassnik before their meeting in Belgrade June 30, 2006. REUTERS/Marko Djurica (SERBIA) Hat Tip:Princess Sparkle Pony's Photo Blog.

And yes, she is 6' 3" tall!

Read more about Bundesministerin Dr. Plassnik here and here and here and here.

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20060708 KDDC Hastert and Bush caption contest


"Dennis Hastert and George Bush, seen here today in Chicago" in a July 7th, 2006 AP photo.
July 8th, 2006
Hat Tip: Wonkette.

This has caption contest written all over it.


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20060708 KDDC President Bush Discusses Immigration


President Bush Discusses Immigration
July 8th, 2006
From the other day... July 5th, 2006... The president visited a Duncan Donuts to make some great points about how diversity makes our country strong.

I sure wish he would also find an agriculture operation in which he could visit and also make the point that the "guest worker" program and immigration reform is crucial to agriculture in our country.

Please see my May 31st, 2006 Tentacle column: "The Great Mexican Maginot Line."

I wholeheartedly support the president's position on immigration.

From the White House web site:

President Bush Discusses Immigration in Alexandria, Virginia
Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin Robbins
Alexandria, Virginia
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
July 5, 2006


Fact sheet Fact Sheet: Basic Pilot: A Clear and Reliable Way to Verify Employment Eligibility
Fact sheet In Focus: Immigration
Fact sheet en Español


THE PRESIDENT: I just had a really interesting conversation. First of all, this business is owned by two Iranian American brothers. They are small business owners, they are entrepreneurs, they are employing people. And then I met with the district manager, who works with the two Iranian American brothers, happens to be a Guatemalan American citizen. She is learning business. She is taking on additional responsibility. Then I talked to the store manager, who was a Salvadoran American.

These people remind me that one of the great features of our country is that people are able to come here and realize dreams. One of the problems we have because our economy is strong is that small business owners have trouble finding workers. People come here to work.

And one of the things we've got to do is to make sure that they have a verification plan that will enable them to determine, as they hire new workers, whether or not the workers are here illegally. See, it's against the law to hire somebody who is here illegally. And we intend to enforce that law. Part of a comprehensive immigration plan is to give employers the tools necessary to determine whether or not the workers they're looking for are here legally in America. And we've got such a plan -- Basic Pilot, it's called. It's working.

Please read the rest of the White House piece here. Also, be sure to watch the video.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.

E-mail him at: kdayhoff AT carr.org

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20060708 KDDC Immigration Test: Do you have what it takes?

Do you have what it takes to become a citizen?

July 8th, 2006
MSNBC lists some questions from the test given to folks who want to become U. S. Citizens.

They introduce the list of questions by saying:

When immigrants want to become Americans, they must take a civics test as part of their naturalization interview before a Citizenship and Immigration Services officer.

The questions are usually selected from a list of 100 sample questions (see at http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/services/natz/English.pdf ) that prospective citizens can look at ahead of the interview (though the examiner is not limited to those questions).

Some are easy, some are not. We have picked some of the more difficult ones.

Should you be welcomed immediately to the Land of the Free or sent home for some more homework? Find out!

(PLEASE NOTE: These questions are as asked on the official United States Immigration and Naturalization Services Web site. Candidates are not given multiple choices in the naturalization interview, which is conducted orally.)
The "test" can be found here. Tell us how well you do.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.

E-mail him at: kdayhoff AT carr.org

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20060708 KDDC Random House asked to investigate Coulter plagiarism allegations





Random House asked to investigate Coulter plagiarism allegations

July 8th, 2006

In a story posted on Media Matters on July 7, 2006, the watchdog organization that self-descibes itself "a Web-based, not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media," has asked Random House to investigate allegations of plagiarism in Ann Coulter's latest book, "Godless."

I guess this was to be expected. When you are a lightning rod like Ms. Coulter, one needs to understand that the left will leave no stone unturned in an attempt to disqualify her.

In a statement on their web site, Media Matters said,
"Coulter has exhibited a pattern of behavior suggesting that Godless itself may include other examples of plagiarism beyond those Barrie has already identified. ...Coulter's unethical conduct, as evidenced through the instances of plagiarism identified in her columns, and manifested in the book itself, does not only tarnish Coulter; if immediate action is not taken, it will soon reflect poorly on Random House."
Read More = Media Matters asks Random House to investigate Coulter plagiarism allegations. Media Matters also called to the reader's attention: Crown responds, Random House mum; Coulter dodges CNN cameras; More coverage of Ann Coulter.

Meanwhile, Tina Constable, Vice President, Executive Director Publicity, The Crown Publishing Group, responds:

We are in receipt of your e-mail to us and wanted you to have our statement on the matter you bring to our attention.

"We have reviewed the allegations of plagiarism surrounding Godless and found them to be as trivial and meritless as they are irresponsible. Any author is entitled to do what Ann Coulter has done in the three snippets cited: research and report facts. The number of words used by our author in these snippets is so minimal that there is no requirement for attribution. As an experienced author and attorney, Ms. Coulter knows when attribution is appropriate, as underscored by the nineteen pages of hundreds of endnotes contained in Godless." --Steve Ross, Senior Vice President and Publisher, Crown Publishing Group and Publisher, Crown Forum imprint."

Be sure to review the video found at: Coulter dodges CNN cameras. Watch the entire video.

Having had a little experience in reporting on allegations of plagaiarism, (see: "Who is Max Cleland?" ,) my view is that I sure wish that Ms. Coulter had properly attributed the passages in question. First off, she is a lawyer. Second, she sure should've known that the left was going to throw everything, including the kitchen sink, at her. Third, proper attribution is the right thing to do. Ms. Coulter needs to set a high standard of being an example.

Yes, Crown makes a good point, never-the-less, a bit of personal responsibility on the part of Ms. Coulter could go a long way. Future copies of the book could be corrected to reflect proper attribution.

At this point, it may be safe to say, that even the most careful writer is going to make a mistake and the emphasis ought to be properly addressing the mistake and moving on.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.

E-mail him at: kdayhoff@carr.org

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20060708 KDDC Wray's Place


"Wray's Place"
(c) Kevin Dayhoff
July 7th, 2006

A group of former Carroll County Bank and Trust Company employees got together Friday evening, July 7th, 2006, at Frisco Pub in Westminster, to celebrate a recent promotion in Chip Stocksdale's career.


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