IT HARDLY MATTERS Back to Main Index Browse the Archives	Saturday, March 31, 2007 ( 04:24 PM ) Dammit, what an ignorant old fool. I mean, I was never really a fan of Newt's, but in recent years he had done some decent work. Then he busts out with this and, while what he said is nothing new, he really should take a look at the research that finds that students learn a 2nd language better through bilingual education rather than immersion. What the fuck do politicians know about education, anyway? And how the hell is Spanish the language of living in the ghetto?? What about people who live in Spain? Or rich guys from Miami?? [Insert joke about properly using the word barrio instead] But my favorite part of the article was: "...Gingrich said to cheers from the crowd of more than 100." Hilarious. The AP will report on anything. Abolish bilingual education, Gingrich urges 4:58 p.m. EDT, March 31, 2007 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich equated bilingual education Saturday with "the language of living in a ghetto" and mocked requirements that ballots be printed in multiple languages. "The government should quit mandating that various documents be printed in any one of 700 languages depending on who randomly shows up" to vote, said Gingrich, who is considering seeking the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. He made the comments in a speech to the National Federation of Republican Women. "The American people believe English should be the official language of the government. ... We should replace bilingual education with immersion in English so people learn the common language of the country and they learn the language of prosperity, not the language of living in a ghetto," Gingrich said to cheers from the crowd of more than 100. "Citizenship requires passing a test on American history in English. If that's true, then we do not have to create ballots in any language except English," he said. Peter Zamora, co-chair of the Washington-based Hispanic Education Coalition, which supports bilingual education, said, "The tone of his comments were very hateful. Spanish is spoken by many individuals who do not live in the ghetto." He said research has shown "that bilingual education is the best method of teaching English to non-English speakers." Spanish-speakers, Zamora said, know they need to learn English. "There's no resistance to learning English, really, among immigrants, among native-born citizens," he said. "Everyone wants to learn English because it's what you need to thrive in this country." In the past, Gingrich has supported making English the nation's official language. He's also said all American children should learn English and that other languages should be secondary in schools. In 1995, for example, he said bilingualism poses "long-term dangers to the fabric of our nation" and that "allowing bilingualism to continue to grow is very dangerous." Bilingual programs teach students reading, arithmetic and other basic skills in their native language so they do not fall behind while mastering English. On voting, federal law requires districts with large populations of non-English speakers to print ballots in multiple languages. Tuesday, March 20, 2007 ( 10:43 PM ) Man, I sure am glad I voted for Schwarzenegger when I lived in California. That man is the best. Schwarzenegger: Rush Limbaugh is 'irrelevant' POSTED: 9:24 p.m. EDT, March 20, 2007 SACRAMENTO, California (CNN) -- Rush Limbaugh likes to call himself "The Most Dangerous Man in America" because critics have long worried about how his powerful radio show shapes the political landscape. And then came California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who frankly told "The Today Show" Tuesday that "Limbaugh is irrelevant." "I'm not his servant," Schwarzenegger said. "I am the people's servant of California." (Watch Schwarzenegger say Limbaugh is unimportant Video) It was a shot aimed at Limbaugh's loaded term for Schwarzenegger -- "closet liberal." "I don't know what happened to Arnold," the conservative talker said on his radio show. "He obviously didn't have the leadership skills to articulate conservative principles and win over the public as Reagan did." Some political observers said Schwarzenegger's smackdown is a sign Limbaugh is not the dominant force he once was. Back in the day, his was the only conservative voice on the airways. Now he's one of many. But others say Limbaugh's power has always been a myth. "For all of his power and all of his fame, Rush Limbaugh, during his ascent in the '90s, bashing Bill Clinton on a daily basis, hours on the radio every day coast to coast, was not able to un-elect Bill Clinton," said Michael Harrison of Talkers Magazine, a trade magazine for talk radio. Conservatives credit Limbaugh for the Republican takeover of congress in '94. But, Harrison said, Limbaugh is struggling now that his party has lost power to the Democrats -- and because there is no leading Republican candidate he can tout wholeheartedly on his radio show. "They're good guys, they're Republicans, but they're not conservatives," Limbaugh said of the candidates. "I happen to be a conservative, and I happen to be oriented toward conservative triumph, and conservatism won't triumph if we water it down and dilute it and say that people are 60 percent conservative or whatever, happen to be the definition of new conservative." None of this means you'll hear any Republican running for president disrespecting Limbaugh -- they're still in the business of not offending anyone with as wide a following as Limbaugh has. Although he's a Republican, Schwarzenegger -- who can't run for president because of the Constitution's ban on foreign-born presidents -- is free to say what he pleases. Saturday, March 17, 2007 ( 06:54 PM ) I can't go on You said my head's too heavy I need that song Those trusty chords could pull me through And early on They saw the warning signs and symptoms all day long We sit and dream of better days Where we'd hit the ground running on empty Wtories we've been told And all those nights we spent together Never felt this fucking cold When we let the car run in the driveway Kiss you one last time Before we brought the horses in Before the storm of '59 I cant go on These limbs have grown to heavy I need that song A night on earth could pull me through And early on They saw the warning signs and symptoms all day long Wonder how far from here we'll fall Before we hit the ground running on empty Stories we've been told And all those nights we spent together Never felt this fucking cold When we let the car run in the driveway Kiss you one last time Before we brought the horses in Before the storm of '59 - Alkaline Trio Carousel, oh won't you bring my love back to me It was the only one I've known and now it's gone, long gone In the dark I lost you floating effortlessly If I was hurtful or unkind, it was your light spinning bright Forgive me I saw a streak of light across the sea tonight Full trying to believe It could be anyone I know but I can't see So carousel, won't you spin my love back to me Carousel, won't you bring my love back to me - Crooked Fingers Monday, March 12, 2007 ( 10:47 PM ) "Anything not worth doing is worth not doing well. Think about it." - Elias Schwartz ( 01:49 PM ) I guess the funniest part about the following discussion is that during the scene in question, the thing that grabbed my attention the most was just how much Daniel Craig's ears stuck out. Which, of course, endeared me to the man that much more. From Dark Horizons: James Bond's now infamous walk out of the surf in blue speedos in "Casino Royale" has already gone down in pop culture history - thanks mostly to the first on-set photos which splashed across hundreds of magazines and websites, to the marketing trailers which emphasized it to bring a wider audience into the theatre. For all its quality filmmaking, its Daniel Craig's bulging muscles filling those little Italian La Perla shorts can definitely be cited as one of the film's strong selling points for getting them in. One person however isn't comfortable in repeating that idea - Daniel Craig himself. According to a report on WENN via MI6, Craig has told film bosses to cover him up so that the focus is more on his acting talent, rather than his appearance. A source says "Daniel was a little uncomfortable at the amount of nudity he had to do. He appreciated that a lot of it was to win over the female fans but it's not something he wants to make a habit of, no matter how good he looks in his trunks". Saturday, March 10, 2007 ( 09:37 AM ) Brad Delp 1951-2007 In memoriam. Friday, March 9, 2007 ( 11:32 AM ) Okay, if you're going to be running around setting fires, you should probably (1) try to hide your identity at least a little and (2) use a more inconspicuous getaway vehicle. Arson suspect at UT sorority house sought 3/9/2007 9:58 AM By: News 8 Austin Staff The Austin Fire Department is asking for help identifying a man captured on surveillance video. Officials say the suspect walked into a room in the Alpha Chi Omega Sorority house on the University of Texas campus on Wednesday night, set a bag on fire, tossed it onto a sofa, then left. Residents were able to put out the fire. There was no one in the room at the time. Officials say if the fire wasn't discovered as soon as it was, the results could have been tragic. "This had the potential to be a very tragic situation, this house was occupied by probably 50 to 100 people at the time of the event and this fire could have spread very, very quickly," AFD spokesman Palmer Buck said. The suspect and an accomplice drove away in an older model four-door grey Jeep Cherokee with black rims. It has multi-colored spray paint marks on the passenger side with a picture of an aquatic animal - either a shark or a whale. No word on a motive yet. Fire investigators want to file first degree felony arson charges when the suspects are found. Any information that might help identify the suspect should be reported to the Arson tip line at (877) 434-7345 or the AFD Investigations office at (512) 974-0240. Wednesday, March 7, 2007 ( 01:14 PM ) So UT tested its new tornado/air raid alert sirens today just before noon. I got to campus early so I could specifically hear them, so, you know, I'd know what to listen for when a tornado has touched down nearby or when Mexico finally comes at us with their B-52s. I've been sitting in my office since 11:30, but I didn't hear NUTHIN'. Tuesday, March 6, 2007 ( 10:29 PM ) This picture of Saturn is easily one of the coolest things I have ever seen. Saturday, March 3, 2007 ( 10:47 AM ) I guess most of the world will never realize just how close it came to the start of WWIII on Thursday... Swiss accidentally invade Liechtenstein Fri Mar 2, 5:32 PM ET ZURICH, Switzerland - What began as a routine training exercise almost ended in an embarrassing diplomatic incident after a company of Swiss soldiers got lost at night and marched into neighboring Liechtenstein. According to Swiss daily Blick, the 170 infantry soldiers wandered just over a mile across an unmarked border into the tiny principality early Thursday before realizing their mistake and turning back. A spokesman for the Swiss army confirmed the story but said that there were unlikely to be any serious repercussions for the mistaken invasion. "We've spoken to the authorities in Liechtenstein and it's not a problem," Daniel Reist told The Associated Press. Officials in Liechtenstein also played down the incident. Interior ministry spokesman Markus Amman said nobody in Liechtenstein had even noticed the soldiers, who were carrying assault rifles but no ammunition. "It's not like they stormed over here with attack helicopters or something," he said. Liechtenstein, which has about 34,000 inhabitants and is slightly smaller than Washington DC, doesn't have an army.