chuck kottke

Welcome Sven!:)

Does this have something to do with it? "This year our students do not come to school on Friday, January 20, because that is the date of one of our six (6) inservice days. However, in the draft 2012-2013 calendar, the inservice day will be held on Monday, January 21 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day) so students will have off on this national holiday." > I suppose since it's so close to MLK national holiday, the inservice will be the day the kids get off instead (?) But the school cafeteria is busy cooking meals for some gathering, perhaps for a day of education and celebration of Dr. King and the movement's importance to us all? I'm only guessing, but many schools do a teach-in on that day, some give the day off to the kids, as appears to be the case with Madison's schools. You could head down to Middleton for the celebration there Rudy!;) Wait! To the Rotunda!! From the world of Wiki, I have gleaned: Some schools are closed for the day, while others remain open and hold seminars or celebrations of Dr. King's messages. aka Encyclopedia Galactica

I can imagine that Bono would, after all, she was the torchbearer and wind that lifted Martin to great heights. Martin Luther King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, and Yale bestowed upon him an honorary Doctorate degree in that same year. But for all the hoopla, it is his heartfelt core values, so eloquently articulated, that made his name synonymous with justice and equality, the resonant quality of that message still echoes on today as important as ever, for all the gains in social justice have not been paralleled with economic justice, and that we must change.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieu6zu0pcJs&feature=player_embedded]Coldplay - Moses - YouTube[/ame]

Maybe the papers are exaggerating every thing, it's not like they haven't ever done that, ya know. :laugh3: Don't worry, be happy. :) And if you're all that concerned, then go find him and help him get to sleep better!:P

Welcome Tom!:sunny:

Amending the U.S. Constitution: suggested thoughts, proposals, ideas, considerations; to summarize, an outline: +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.) Declare and define our right to fair candidate contests for office and fair elections as essential for honest government, and thus for protections of all rights we hold dear. Before all else, this right takes precedent. 2.) Limit campaign contributions from any individual to no more than a level affordable to the broad majority of citizens. For instance, 1/2 of 1% of the median income level as determined using census or revenue figures. Make it clear that only live human beings can be considered citizens - not corporations, nor groups of any sort. 3.) Put a citizen's panel in charge of the debates. Use a random selection of citizens charged with this duty to oversee the debates, keep open the questions so a broad spectrum of the voting public's concerns are addressed. 4.) Open up the debates to all qualifying candidates garnering a reasonable level of public interest; for example, 1% of a given constituency may be a sufficient level for anyone seeking office to obtain in support, in order for their candidacy to be considered salient and worthy of entering the debates. In other words, a reasonable threshold, but not so stringent as to block entrants the public may desire. 5.) Set reasonable term limits. Enough to permit a representative of the people time to become familiar with office and to do their duties, but not so much that the dangers of them becoming entrenched power-brokers becomes a real possibility. 6.) Open up the airwaves to all qualified candidates on an equal basis, for in selecting representation, all candidates should be heard equally and equally well. 7.) Place a citizens representative between lobbyists and elected officials, to check any potential conflicts of interest, and to protect our rights as citizens to honest government., and to have a full accounting of those exchanges. 8.) State clearly that no outgoing representative of the people be allowed to enter into lobbying or consulting with present representatives; the conflicts of interest seen today, with all their negative impacts on our government, must be addressed, and the need to fix this problem is as urgent as ever. 9.) Create a department of the future, to better understand where we are headed, and to better prepare for that future. 10.) Create a public commission, with members chosen from the general public, to periodically review all corporate charters and determine if they are beneficial to all stakeholders in society, and then make a determination on the question of renewal for each charter. 11.) Place clear ownership limits on industries and companies, so that the amassment of ownership in the hands of a few doesn't again occur, owing to the dangers from abuse of power and corruption that go with such concentrated ownership.

Igloo, Alaska

Congratulations, from a :sunny::mudkip: a new band emerged..:flutterby:.... ~~~~~~~~~~~:elephant: HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Chris, Jonny, Will, & Guy!!;)

alright, time to chipper up! :) GoogleDoodle for MLK!! Google

And 3 days of peace and music changed the world! WOODSTOCK!! :woodstock::woodstock::woodstock::woodstock::woodstock::woodstock::woodstock::woodstock::woodstock::woodstock::woodstock::woodstock::woodstock::woodstock::woodstock::woodstock::woodstock::woodstock::woodstock::woodstock::woodstock::woodstock: So keep on keeping on, this is the new dawning of the age of Aquarius!! (Mayan Calendar Says So)

Frankfurt am Main!:P Gotham City

OOPS!:( Pardon Moi. For some reason, I always think she's alive among us. I suppose because she had been with us for so long, it's hard to imagine her passing on..

Edgar Wisconsin, USA :cool:

And I found a connection between Chris Martin & Martin Luther King Jr.!! Famous Vegetarians - Vegan Celebrities - by HappyCow Coretta Scott King is a vegan:sunny:

Picard, Captain

wonder where they ever came up with that idea... hm... :thinking:

:) Well I'm glad to hear that you had a good time at the club also! :daisy: And now you can study, because you're all refreshed and can take on the world!;)

And BMW is coming out with an all-electric and a hybrid of their own: BMW i. Born Electric.

Sounds like you had fun then!!!;) YAY!!!

:sunny::crown: Today is Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday! :crown::sunny:

> I understand now what you're getting at Bart. Here the trick most often pulled is to sign the legislation over a holiday when everyone's busy and distracted, or to do it at 3AM Friday night / Saturday morning, hoping to be out of the watchful eyes of the public. I wish these sorts of behaviors were checked, they are indicative of corrupt practices, if hiding their actions from public view is what's afoot. But using a tragedy as cover for their actions, that's really low.

The root of representative government starts with defining elected official's roles and ensuring a process that leads to accurate representation of our interests as citizens. Rep're.sent'a.tive -n. 1. Anyone who represents our interests as citizens; a servant of we, the people. All elected officials are representatives; they are to be representative of our will. 1.) Declare and define our right to fair candidate contests for office & fair elections as essential for honest government, and thus by extension protection of all rights that we hold dear. The essential safeguards of liberty include a well-informed electorate and a democratic system whereby those elected are beholden to the citizens.

:laugh3: I love M. Wuerker's cartoons, right on! ;) But there is a need to get the issues in the forefront of the news, some rallying point for people to come together and get a sense of community and to network, so I really do believe the occupy movement does something, it makes citizens feel empowered again, and it unifies citizens in a cultural movement that has at its core getting to the root issues of the day. Beyond voting is the need for reform, the need to press those reform and justice issues front and center, so they must be taken up by elected officials, so those elected, like President Obama, can actually push for what a mass of citizens wants. That takes a coming together, an organized campaign for change. I think one step further is to organize and demand amendments, so anyone getting elected then either has to get on board or loose the election, to choose doing what is right for the people over doing what those with the biggest bucks say. Maybe even a Constitutional convention, if need be - these problems are at the root, and getting to the root might mean calling for a convention in each state.

Politik [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_snWBHubloY]Open Up Your Eyes! - 1776 - YouTube[/ame]