February 29, 2008
February 27, 2008
February 26, 2008
What a city to live in.
City Of Steubenville Runs Out Of Salt During Winter StormThe city of Steubenville ran out of salt in the middle of a winter storm but the state came to the rescue.
The salt shortage led to the closings of two main connectors, but they are back open as of Friday morning. However, the predicted weather of ice and snow may lead to those two roads closing again Friday night.
The city is waiting on 1,200 tons of salt that it ordered this week, and the delivery may not come until Saturday.
Currently, city road crews are getting salt from the state Department of Transportation's garage in Wintersville.
The John Scott Highway connector and the Lovers Lane connector to Route 22 opened Friday morning after being shut down for about five hours overnight.
Steubenville Police Chief Bill McCafferty said city leaders decided to close those roads in order to treat the rest of the city streets. He said those two roads take up a lot of salt.
Street Superintendent Joe DeSantis said the 1,200 tons of salt was order from Morton Salt in Cleveland, but the company said severe weather in Indiana and Wisconsin is using a lot of its supplies.
McCafferty said he can't remember if the closing of the two connectors has ever been done before, and that the city will pay back the state Department of Transportation for the salt they borrowed.
February 25, 2008
February 21, 2008
So THAT'S what causes an earthquake....!
The recent earthquake that was felt across Israel was the result of the "homosexual activity practiced in the country", Knesset Member Shlomo Benizri said Wednesday.
During a special Knesset session on Israel's preparedness for the possibility of another earthquake hitting the region, the Shas member said "the Gemara refers to earthquakes as disasters, but you are searching only for the practical solutions how to prevent and repair.
"But I no of another way to prevent earthquakes; the Gemara mentions a number of causes of earthquakes, one of which is homosexuality, which the Knesset legitimizes," Benizri said.
An earthquake registering 5.3 on the Richter Scale was felt by residents across Israel at 12:36 pm Friday. The trembling lasted for 19 seconds and shook structures in many major towns and cities.
Reports of shaking were received from Nahariya in the north down to Beersheba. Magen David Adom emergency services said there were no reports of injuries, but several people suffered from shock.
Last month fellow Shas member Nissim Ze'ev stirred controversy when he referred to the local gay movement as a "plague that could destroy Jewish Israel," adding that it should be treated "just as the Health Ministry dealt with the bird flu epidemic."
Mike Hammel, chairman of the Israeli Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Association commented on Benizri's remarks saying "it is sad that a religious MK in Israel doesn't think earthquakes are God-made.
"On the other hand, I suppose we should be flattered he attributes us with such magical powers," he added.
"One must wonder why Shas MKs are so obsessed with the gay community… we can all recall the case of the American senator who fiercely spoke out against gays until it was found he himself was gay."
During a special Knesset session on Israel's preparedness for the possibility of another earthquake hitting the region, the Shas member said "the Gemara refers to earthquakes as disasters, but you are searching only for the practical solutions how to prevent and repair.
"But I no of another way to prevent earthquakes; the Gemara mentions a number of causes of earthquakes, one of which is homosexuality, which the Knesset legitimizes," Benizri said.
An earthquake registering 5.3 on the Richter Scale was felt by residents across Israel at 12:36 pm Friday. The trembling lasted for 19 seconds and shook structures in many major towns and cities.
Reports of shaking were received from Nahariya in the north down to Beersheba. Magen David Adom emergency services said there were no reports of injuries, but several people suffered from shock.
Last month fellow Shas member Nissim Ze'ev stirred controversy when he referred to the local gay movement as a "plague that could destroy Jewish Israel," adding that it should be treated "just as the Health Ministry dealt with the bird flu epidemic."
Mike Hammel, chairman of the Israeli Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Association commented on Benizri's remarks saying "it is sad that a religious MK in Israel doesn't think earthquakes are God-made.
"On the other hand, I suppose we should be flattered he attributes us with such magical powers," he added.
"One must wonder why Shas MKs are so obsessed with the gay community… we can all recall the case of the American senator who fiercely spoke out against gays until it was found he himself was gay."
February 18, 2008
February 15, 2008
February 14, 2008
Beyond stupid
Kansas high school says woman can't ref boys game
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Kansas activities officials are investigating a religious school's refusal to let a female referee call a boys' high school basketball game.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Kansas activities officials are investigating a religious school's refusal to let a female referee call a boys' high school basketball game.
The Kansas State High School Activities Association said referees reported that Michelle Campbell was preparing to officiate at St. Mary's Academy near Topeka on Feb. 2 when a school official insisted that Campbell could not call the game.
The reason given, according to the referees: Campbell, as a woman, could not be put in a position of authority over boys because of the academy's beliefs.
Campbell then walked off the court along with Darin Putthoff, the referee who was to work the game with her.
"I said, 'If Michelle has to leave, then I'm leaving with her,"' Putthoff said Wednesday. "I was disappointed that it happened to Michelle. I've never heard of anything like that."
Fred Shockey, who was getting ready to leave the gym after officiating two junior high games, said he was told there had been an emergency and was asked to stay and officiate two more games.
"When I found out what the emergency was, I said there was no way I was going to work those games," said Shockey, who spent 12 years in the Army and became a ref about three years ago. "I have been led by some of the finest women this nation has to offer, and there was no way I was going to go along with that."
Shockey noted that referees normally don't work Saturday games, but he agreed to officiate because his daughter's basketball game slated for that day was canceled.
The Activities Association said it is considering whether to take action against the private religious school. St. Mary's Academy, about 25 miles northwest of Topeka, is owned and operated by the Society of St. Pius X, which follows older Roman Catholic laws. The society's world leader, the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, was excommunicated by Pope John Paul II in the late 1980s.
Gary Musselman, the association's executive director, said the organization will not make a decision until it confirms whether St. Mary's Academy has a policy of not allowing female referees to work boys basketball games.
If that is indeed the school's written policy, Musselman said, the association could decide to remove St. Mary's Academy from the list of approved schools and take away its ability to compete against the association's more than 300 member schools.
St. Mary's Academy officials declined comment when contacted by The Associated Press on Wednesday.
St. Mary's Academy is among 30 schools on the list that are not full association members but compete against schools that are. Musselman said St. Mary's Academy plays one or two games per season against member schools but has no more scheduled this school year.
He said if removed from the approved list for next school year, St. Mary's Academy still would be able to compete against approved schools that are not members of the association.
Musselman said the association hopes to resolve the matter sometime this week. He said he sent a letter to the school's principal, Vicente A. Griego, the day of the incident but has not heard back from him.
Putthoff and other supporters of Campbell said they believe state activities officials will handle the situation properly.
Campbell did not return phone calls seeking comment Wednesday.
However, she told The Kansas City Star that she was "dumbfounded" by the incident but that she is not angry at the school. She said she does not want the situation to go any further than it already has.
"This issue was going to come up eventually," said Campbell, 49, a retired Albuquerque, N.M., police officer who now lives in Ozawkie, Kan. "I just happened to be the person who was there this time.
"It's kind of a sticky situation. It needs to be looked at carefully, slowly, with all the facts."
Putthoff said he has called games at St. Mary's Academy off and on for 10 or 12 years, but doubts he will officiate at the school again.
"Out of defense to Michelle, I'm probably going to decline to go back there," he said. "We have to support our fellow officials."
Campbell, one of about five female referees in the Topeka Officials Association, has been officiating games for about two years.
"We don't support any institutions that would discriminate against any of our officials," said Steve Bradley, president of the Topeka group. "We support Michelle 100 percent.
"Michelle works hard. She cares about what she does. She is not a person who's on a crusade. She's a good person. She's a good official. You will not find a person who's more serious about doing a good job than Michelle."
Musselman said this was his first time dealing with a situation in which a school turned away a referee because of gender.
"We view officials not as male or female, Hispanic or African-American or Asian-American. We view officials as officials," Musselman said. "Discrimination against our officials is something we can't be party to."
Still, he said, the association wants to be fair to everyone involved and gather all the information before taking action.
The reason given, according to the referees: Campbell, as a woman, could not be put in a position of authority over boys because of the academy's beliefs.
Campbell then walked off the court along with Darin Putthoff, the referee who was to work the game with her.
"I said, 'If Michelle has to leave, then I'm leaving with her,"' Putthoff said Wednesday. "I was disappointed that it happened to Michelle. I've never heard of anything like that."
Fred Shockey, who was getting ready to leave the gym after officiating two junior high games, said he was told there had been an emergency and was asked to stay and officiate two more games.
"When I found out what the emergency was, I said there was no way I was going to work those games," said Shockey, who spent 12 years in the Army and became a ref about three years ago. "I have been led by some of the finest women this nation has to offer, and there was no way I was going to go along with that."
Shockey noted that referees normally don't work Saturday games, but he agreed to officiate because his daughter's basketball game slated for that day was canceled.
The Activities Association said it is considering whether to take action against the private religious school. St. Mary's Academy, about 25 miles northwest of Topeka, is owned and operated by the Society of St. Pius X, which follows older Roman Catholic laws. The society's world leader, the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, was excommunicated by Pope John Paul II in the late 1980s.
Gary Musselman, the association's executive director, said the organization will not make a decision until it confirms whether St. Mary's Academy has a policy of not allowing female referees to work boys basketball games.
If that is indeed the school's written policy, Musselman said, the association could decide to remove St. Mary's Academy from the list of approved schools and take away its ability to compete against the association's more than 300 member schools.
St. Mary's Academy officials declined comment when contacted by The Associated Press on Wednesday.
St. Mary's Academy is among 30 schools on the list that are not full association members but compete against schools that are. Musselman said St. Mary's Academy plays one or two games per season against member schools but has no more scheduled this school year.
He said if removed from the approved list for next school year, St. Mary's Academy still would be able to compete against approved schools that are not members of the association.
Musselman said the association hopes to resolve the matter sometime this week. He said he sent a letter to the school's principal, Vicente A. Griego, the day of the incident but has not heard back from him.
Putthoff and other supporters of Campbell said they believe state activities officials will handle the situation properly.
Campbell did not return phone calls seeking comment Wednesday.
However, she told The Kansas City Star that she was "dumbfounded" by the incident but that she is not angry at the school. She said she does not want the situation to go any further than it already has.
"This issue was going to come up eventually," said Campbell, 49, a retired Albuquerque, N.M., police officer who now lives in Ozawkie, Kan. "I just happened to be the person who was there this time.
"It's kind of a sticky situation. It needs to be looked at carefully, slowly, with all the facts."
Putthoff said he has called games at St. Mary's Academy off and on for 10 or 12 years, but doubts he will officiate at the school again.
"Out of defense to Michelle, I'm probably going to decline to go back there," he said. "We have to support our fellow officials."
Campbell, one of about five female referees in the Topeka Officials Association, has been officiating games for about two years.
"We don't support any institutions that would discriminate against any of our officials," said Steve Bradley, president of the Topeka group. "We support Michelle 100 percent.
"Michelle works hard. She cares about what she does. She is not a person who's on a crusade. She's a good person. She's a good official. You will not find a person who's more serious about doing a good job than Michelle."
Musselman said this was his first time dealing with a situation in which a school turned away a referee because of gender.
"We view officials not as male or female, Hispanic or African-American or Asian-American. We view officials as officials," Musselman said. "Discrimination against our officials is something we can't be party to."
Still, he said, the association wants to be fair to everyone involved and gather all the information before taking action.
(Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
February 13, 2008
February 11, 2008
February 09, 2008
February 08, 2008
"I am a sinner"
Just in case you forgot what REAL acting is all about, Daniel Day-Lewis reminds us all.
A clip of what i consider to be the highlight of Paul Thomas Anderson's THERE WILL BE BLOOD.....
February 06, 2008
Cleese Quote
Great interview with John Cleese in The Onion today......especially enjoyed this section regarding controversy and the Black Knight.AVC: Life Of Brian was very controversial. A Fish Called Wanda generated controversy as well. Have you ever reached a point in a project where you thought "Maybe I've gone too far?"
JC: No, I don't think I've ever had that thought. I've often thought to myself, "Have I stepped over a line?" Or, "Is this particular line over the line?" In the German episode of Fawlty Towers, I sensed it on two or three lines. And funnily enough, when one of my favorite people at the BBC rang me up and said "There's two lines here we're worried about," I said "I'm delighted to tell you I've already cut them."
No, I've always kept my eye on things like that, but I also know that unless your comedy is completely bland, there will always be someone somewhere who's offended by it. You can't really avoid some offense, so the question is not "Will you offend people?" but "What sort of proportions will you offend them in?" I'll give you a good example. The producers of Holy Grail actually wanted to cut the Black Knight scene, where the limbs get cut off, because they thought it would worry people. Of course, 95 percent of the audience thinks it's the funniest scene in the film. Two percent of the audience don't like it, because it seems so violent. So do you cut the scene so that two percent don't object to it, and deprive 95 percent of their favorite scene?
February 05, 2008
February 01, 2008
The Three Greatest Films of 2007
Joel and Ethan Coen's NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
David Fincher's ZODIAC
Paul Thomas Anderson's THERE WILL BE BLOOD
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