Web Blocking

The KCK School district’s plan to allow Internet access to the laptops was a necessary move and a smart move. But all somewhat good plans can go down the drain straight after conception. The KCK District uses Barracuda Web Blocking software to monitor and prevent students from going to sites that are deemed inappropriate. But then again with too much power comes corruption. “We follow the basic guidelines of the Children’s Internet Protection Act so that we may give our students as much ability to visit websites.” The Children’s Internet Protection Act states that precautions must be taken in schools and libraries to prevent children from viewing pornography. That is the basic guidelines of the act. So why does it seem that every website is blocked? Well it pretty much is. Last year during the second semester there is an incident is known as the great blocker where almost every website was blocked. Yes, even Google, Yahoo, and MSN. These are search engine sites or e-mail websites that are very popular among people.

This incident lasted weeks. Almost every website was blocked and it made teaching and completing assignments very difficult if not impossible. When asked about why so many websites were being blocked the head IT man at the district headquarters Joe Fives would not comment. Now even with some of the sites put back on the allowance list. There are still some that are blocked that does not make sense. Blogger, a part of the Google Company is currently on the blocked list. But after some surfing a discovery of at least three unblocked porn sites a conclusion has come about that the district has not correctly identified web sites that have the need to be blocked but the district has blocked websites that kids can use to further their abilities. We have the opportunity to do great things but we will not have teh chance if our abilities and movements are controlled.

Pre Debate Analysis

It seems that there are some big things that are going to come from the first in two Presidential Debates.

what will be the main topics? probably the economy and the war.

1. John McCain has not been running a good campaign. The last thing people want to hear is that a candidate is suspending their campaign to be able to help the economy. Shouldn't you be working to run the country so you can fin it yourself.

     2. McCain made a risky move choosing Palin. this will upset the conservative base.

     3.  The Maverick Persona will not work. Obama has a strong anti maverick Ad that is   working very well even swaying the republican opinion.

  

    4. Obama has been keeping the campaign going even when working to make a bailout plan.

    5. Obama has it McCain hard on the Economy. and McCain has not had a good economic plan.

    6. Obama has an exit strategy for Iraq. McCain has an entrance strategy for Afghanistan.  (the     word Draft comes to mind.)

there will be another post after the debate.

Calif. court won't delay gay weddings until vote

Justices deny appeal for stay until voters decide on ban initiative

SAN FRANCISCO - California's highest court on Tuesday refused to stay until after the November election its decision legalizing same-sex marriage in the state.
Conservative religious and legal groups had asked the California Supreme Court to stop its order from becoming effective until voters have the chance to weigh in on the issue.

An initiative that would amend the state constitution to ban gay marriage has qualified for the ballot. Its passage would overrule the court's decision.
The Supreme Court says its ruling will be final at 5 p.m. on June 16.
Wednesday's denial clears the way for gays and lesbians in the nation's most populous state to get married starting June 17, when state officials have said counties must start issuing new gender-neutral marriage licenses.
On Monday, the initiative that would again outlaw gay marriage in California qualified for the state's November ballot.
California Secretary of State Debra Bowen said a random check of signatures submitted by the measure's sponsors showed that they had gathered enough names for it to be put to voters.
The measure would amend the state constitution to "provide that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."
If approved by a majority of voters on Nov. 4, the amendment would overturn the recent California Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in the state. It is similar to gay marriage bans that have been adopted in 26 other states.
"This signifies the fact that California voters really do favor and will come out to vote for the protection of historic marriage," said Ron Prentice, executive director of ProtectMarriage.com, a coalition of religious and social conservative groups behind the initiative.
In response to the court's May 15 ruling, California public health officials already have amended marriage license applications to read "Party A" and "Party B" instead of bride and groom. Local officials have been told to start issuing the revised licenses to same-sex couples on June 17.
Gay men and lesbians would still be able to get married between then and the election, even with the initiative pending, unless the court agrees to stay its decision until after Nov. 4, as the amendment's sponsors have requested.
If the marriages proceed during the next five months, it is unclear whether they would be nullified if the amendment passes. Some legal scholars have said the state Supreme Court might get called on again to settle that question.

Kate Kendell, executive director of the San Francisco-based National Center for Lesbian Rights, said gay marriage advocates have already launched a campaign to defeat the measure.
"There is just so much at stake, now, in terms of what kind of state we are going to live in and what values we are going to uphold," Kendell said.
To qualify for the ballot, the measure needed 694,354 petition signatures, an amount equal to 8 percent of the votes cast during the last governor's race.
Proponents submitted 1,120,801 signatures in late April, and county clerks determined the measure qualified by verifying the validity of 3 percent of the signatures they received, according to Bowen.
Recent polls have found California voters are about evenly split on whether gay couples should be allowed to marry.

Lesbian kiss stirs debate in gay-friendly city

Usher at Seattle ballpark allegedly asked women to stop smooching

SEATTLE - Most of the time, a kiss is just a kiss in the stands at Seattle Mariners games. The crowd hardly even pays attention when fans smooch.
But then last week, a lesbian complained that an usher at Safeco Field asked her to stop kissing her date because it was making another fan uncomfortable.
The incident has exploded on local TV, on talk radio and in the blogosphere and has touched off a debate over public displays of affection in generally gay-friendly Seattle.

"Certain individuals have not yet caught up. Those people see a gay or lesbian couple and they stare or say something," said Josh Friedes of Equal Rights Washington. "This is one of the challenges of being gay. Everyday things can become sources of trauma."
As the Mariners played the Boston Red Sox on May 26, Sirbrina Guerrero and her date were approached in the third inning by an usher who told them their kissing was inappropriate, Guerrero said.
The usher, Guerrero said, told them he had received a complaint from a woman nearby who said that there were kids in the crowd of nearly 36,000 and that parents would have to explain why two women were kissing.
"I was really just shocked," Guerrero said. "Seattle is so gay-friendly. There was a couple like seven rows ahead making out. We were just showing affection."
Complaint of 'groping'On Monday, Mariners spokeswoman Rebecca Hale said that the club is investigating but that the usher was responding to a complaint of two women "making out" and "groping" in the stands.
"We have a strict non-discrimination policy at the Seattle Mariners and at Safeco Field, and when we do enforce the code of conduct it is based on behavior, not on the identity of those involved," Hale said.

The code of conduct — announced before each game — specifically mentions public displays of affection that are "not appropriate in a public, family setting." Hale said those standards are based on what a "reasonable person" would find inappropriate.
Guerrero denied she and her date were groping each other, saying that along with eating garlic fries, they were giving each other brief kisses.
On Tuesday, Guerrero said a Mariners director of guest services had apologized to her. The team spokeswoman could not immediately confirm that.
Call for 'kiss-in'After the story broke, the Mariners were blasted by the sex-advice columnist Dan Savage, who wrote about the incident on the blog of the Stranger, an alternative weekly paper.
"I constantly see people making out," Savage said. "My son has noticed and asked, `Do they show the ballgame on women's foreheads?'"
Savage called for a "kiss-in" to protest against the Mariners.
Web sites have been swamped with blog postings for and against Guerrero and her date. And the story has people talking in Seattle.
"I would be uncomfortable" seeing public displays of affection between lesbians or gay men, said Jim Ridneour, a 54-year-old taxi driver. "I don't think it's right seeing women kissing in public. If I had my family there, I'd have to explain what's going on."
"It all depends on the degree," Mark Ackerman said as he waited for a hot dog outside Safeco Field before Wednesday's game. "Even for heterosexual couples."
Past under scrutinySince the incident, Guerrero's job and her past have come under scrutiny. She works at a bar known for scantily clad women and was a contestant on the MTV reality show "A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila," in which women and men compete for the affection of a bisexual Internet celebrity.
"People are saying it's 15 more minutes for my career," Guerrero said of the ballpark furor, "but this is not making me look very good."
In 2007, an Oregon transit agency chief apologized after a lesbian teenager was kicked off a bus when a passenger complained about her kissing another girl.
Also in 2007, a gay rights group protested a Kansas City, Mo., restaurant they said ejected four women because two of them kissed, and a Texas state trooper was placed on probation in 2004 for telling two gay men who were kissing at the state Capitol that homosexual conduct was illegal in Texas.
"There's a double standard. That's the bottom line," said Pat Griffin, director of the It Takes a Team! Education Campaign, an initiative from the Women's Sports Foundation to eliminate homophobia in sports.

Florida And Michigan. The Right Decision?

Did the DNC make the right decision when dealing with the States of Florida and Michigan? some people say it seems fair and others say it was a rip of and they should not be counted at all.

This is a very unique situation. Florida and Michigan decided to make their primary dates earlier, which the DNC said that they could not. as punishment the DNC took away their delegate count and the Democrats needed delgate count was lowered.

But after much protest and campaigning. The DNC met on Saturday to decide what to do. The final decision was to give each of the delegates half a vote.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania


April 22 will mark the date of the Pennsylvania primary. This is going to be an important primary as this is a delegate rich state. This is going to be a difficult state for the candidates to win. As this has a small Black population but a Black mayor of Philadelphia, where it give Barack Obama the advantage. But since it is a delegate rich state it gives Clinton the advantage by pattern, as she has been winning all of the delegate rich states. According to USA TODAY Hillary Clinton is backed up by three political powers in that state, surprisingly by the Mayor of Philadelphia. Other supporters include, Gov. Ed Rendell and Rep John Murtha. On the Obama side Rep, Chaka Fattah and Rep. Patrick Murphy. Sen. Bob Casey is currently uncommitted.

This is an important state as this also can take out any other remaining candidates that do not win. So many will be tuning in to see mainly whether this will be another straight win for the Obama Campaign and the end of Clinton’s or another change of fate and a win for Clinton.

Stargate Atlantis Season 4

Season Synopsis: Familiar faces say goodbye and a new leader emerges, as the conflict with the Replicators becomes a galaxy-wide crisis -- and an alliance with an old enemy may be the only way to stop them



Review: As we exit the most popular 4th season of Stargate Atlantis we get some new plot twists and some character changes. The season lasted the average 20 episodes and every time an episode ends viewers seem to go through withdrawal symptoms until next week when the newest episode comes out. In the third season episode First strike the commander of the expedition Dr. Elizabeth Weir is injured while trying to take Atlantis off the current planet. O in the forth season Dr. Weir is captured by the Replicators, Atlantis newest enemy. This calls for a new leader. And who else comes for the call of duty? Gen. Samantha Carter from the parent show Stargate SG-1. In this season the expedition members team up with one of the enemies to stop a replicator strike, learn that top-secret groups on Earth are creating their own Replicators, and learn that one of the team members is pregnant. We see some new building storylines that will we concluded in the newest fifth season. Including the last episode The ‘Fifth Man’ (Part 1 of 2) over all Stargate Atlantis has an average tv.com rating of 9.2 (Superb). And has very positive viewer ratings of “Classic,” by user Angel2408 “A fun show. Unlike its mother show "Stargate Atlantis" really hooked me from the very first episode.” Stargate Atlantis premier’s new episodes at 9:00pm Fridays on the Sci-Fi Channel, and reruns old episodes at 4:00pm weekdays on the Sci-Fi Channel.