If we could get "Tax the Rich" crowds like this in the streets, it might happen. Short of that, the rich continue to rule. Meaning everyone else having anything is taxed while the rich have avoidance laws now with new ones yet to be passed. The rich own too many current politicians and propaganda outlets.

___________UPDATE_____________
That would include bigger taxes for the Thomas spouses. And for that family's reported chums, the Koch brothers.

Laurie Olmon sent info on a Feb. 24, 7 pm screening at Anoka City Hall, the film "Bullied."

That's "Bullied," not Bullit. No Steve McQueen. No Mustang. No car chase. Laurie emailed:

I am writing to invite you to the screening and discussion of the film “Bullied”. The screening will take place on February 24th at 7pm at the Anoka City Hall, 2015 First Avenue North, basement meeting room.

I hope you will consider this an opportunity to learn about bullying and the effects it has on our children and what we as community leaders, teachers, staff and parents need to do to stop the acceptance of bullying.

Bullying is nothing more than childhood stalking and needs to be addressed as such. It is not “a part of growing up” or a situation where “kids will be kids”. Acceptance of such behavior is the same as condoning gang violence, domestic violence, or molestation of children.

I look forward to seeing you at the screening of “Bullied” and your insight and comments to the serious situation plaguing Anoka Hennepin School District.

Sincerely,

Laurie Olmon
Councilwoman, mother, AH resident

I find it admirable how the City of Anoka officials are committed to aid and help awaken our community awareness that bullying is a serious and very harmful thing. They appear neither dismissive nor evasive of a request for a screening venue, and that means a lot.

They deserve and have earned a Crabgrass "No waffle" salute on that account. It shows real class for officials to be so helpful, open, and direct. I look forward to the success of the screening. At the city hall. We all also should be very thankful that people like Laurie are taking their time to make things better.

____________UPDATE___________
My understanding is that screening is supported by the advocacy groups, Join the Impact, and Gay Equity Team. Harmful bullying is, however, not uniquely a thing aimed against sexual orientation, even with that being a particularly regular target. I expect Anoka-Hennepin District 11 officials may attend, they have an anti-bullying policy, and if there is to be community discussion, it should start by noting that an organization such as Parents Action League, is not in any way pro-bullying. Indeed, the PAL at their web homepage, declare:

We Support

• The District 11 Bullying Prohibition Policy which states in part "An act of bullying, by either an individual student or a group of students, is expressly prohibited on Anoka Hennepin School District property, at school related functions, or in electronic form otherwise known as cyberbullying. This policy applies not only to students who directly engage in an act of bullying but also to students who, by their indirect behavior, condone or support another student’s act of bullying.....No teacher, administrator, other employee of Anoka Hennepin School District, volunteer, contractor, or bus driver shall permit, condone, or tolerate bullying." 

Of course, opposing bullying at school is inconsistent with supporting it as proper at sporting events, shopping malls, church functions, public buildings (such as Anoka City Hall), libraries, sidewalks, or outside of PAL homes - as a target person might from time-to-time walk by.

Surely PAL people are not saying, "Our children are disapproved of if bullying another at school, but anywhere else the targeting of another kid is fair game."

That unequivocal and openly expressed PAL policy commitment has to mean that PAL people will support and attend the film screening, as scheduled, and will join in supporting and applauding the fortitude of City of Anoka in unhesitatingly providing citizens a convenient, county-wide screening venue. And if they show up and view the film, it will be a positive opportunity for them to join in and contribute to post-screening discussion.

Last night one of the CSPAN channels had a "Road to the White House" segment, Tim Pawlenty giving a speech.

I watched twenty seconds of it. I've been able to endure perhaps up to a half minute of Michele Bachmann, but on TP I maxed out at a lower tolerance level. Bachmann seems more deluded then evil.

Wholly unrelated, here is a picture of a west coast banana slug, with its slime trail. While leaving an unsightly slime trail this slug is largely if not totally inoffensive, which is why I would not liken it to Tim Pawlenty.

SLUGS: The banana slug is a woods creature, and not a garden or agricultural pest, as are other slugs. Garden slugs are a nuisance species in Seattle. Garden slugs in Seattle are best disposed of by removal from the garden area, and salting. The salt draws water from the slug, leaving only a salty slime spot.

RAMSEY - When something is done well, noting it is deserved.

This winter there has been a range of snowfall levels. Throughout, the plowing effort has seemed as good or better than in the past. In the past things were good.

Ramsey's public works staff has gotten the job done. Clearing the end of the driveway after the plow has been by always is necessary, but is also good exercise for the winter.

Pothole problems happen. It is too early to do much about them, but other places seem to have an even worse problem. In Elk River driving the stretch of Jackson Street from School Street into the area between Highway 10 and the river, shows nothing unique, but potholing that seemed worse than any I have seen in Ramsey.

In general, the Ramsey Public Works people have most certainly earned their pay, and done well. They seem well managed and diligent.

EGYPT. April 5, 2010, New Yorker.

This link. El Baradei had left the international atomic energy inspections arena. Along with Gamel Mubarak, chosen son, he was a co-focus. Five and a half pages. They retro, this link.

WaPo, Oct. 11, 2007. This link.

In February, 2009, Joe Lieberman vetted Gamel Mubarak, this link.

Gamel Mubarak is reported now in London with his mother and sister; here and here. The latter link is Iranian.

Reportedly, a private jet and many suitcases. Stuffed with cash?

Things are proceeding apace. Gee, and there were some Wikileaks cables, about Egypt.

It looks as if Tunisia cannot adopt their version of the Vegas advertising slogan, "What happens in Tunis, stays in Tunis." The photo and screenshot below is from Haaretz; this link. I might be wrong, but didn't I see that Egyptian army officer in The Matrix? Neo and Trinity cannot be far away.

____________________UPDATE____________________

For those not knowing what El Baradei looks like:
he's the one on the right - both photos

Follow the yellow cake road.
Remember, I have papers. Reliable papers.

RAMSEY -- Is it only me, or do others not having or wanting a facebook account find themselves shut out from a part of the town's public data.?

UPDATE: The situation highlighted below has an easy resolution, as pointed out by a comment - helpful even while rude. 


If the city changes its facebook link from:

http://www.facebook.com/

on its homepage, to:

http://www.facebook.com/CityofRamseyMN

access by non-Facebook account holders should apply.
...............................................................................................

Facebook is for pre-pubescent teenagers and Republican politicians, as best as I can tell, and the firm's CEO, Mark Zukerberg, is what you find if lifting a horse's tail.

In short, I want nothing to do with it. However, compare these two screenshots:

It was a brain cramp for the learned seven to decide a "Facebook presence" was proper, and then the account was not set up so that the general public - outside of those electing to become Facebook members and mess with that stuff - were excluded from the public data the account holds.

I know the accounts can be configured to be open to the general public because Republican politician Matt Look has had his election account so configured and I was able to read how he mischaracterized Ramsey's socialistic land speculation, buying up the vacant acreage of Ramsey Town Center for millions, as a "success."

That is a private person, making his Facebook publicly open.

Ramsey is the pass-backwards version of that.

A public entity, making its Facebook publicly closed - open only to Facebook members.

Why?

ANOKA COUNTY-WIDE -- embrace a "Cooperation and Collaboration Project" unlike any they've ever attempted.

Per headlining, so writes Strib's Paul Levy reporting Jan. 29, 2011, this link. This excerpt, including italicized language headlined above.

Cities are struggling with budget cuts. School districts are dealing with declining enrollment. Anoka County officials grapple with ways to satisfy added demands with a staff extended like rarely before.

Now, these groups may have found a life preserver to escape the economic quagmire -- one another.

After nearly a year of informal discussions, representatives of Anoka County's cities, school districts and county government met last week to embrace a "Cooperation and Collaboration Project" unlike any they've ever attempted. The idea is to pool resources and come up with as many win-win solutions as possible, making sure all the contributors benefit.

Share and streamline

The hope is that the various boards will complement one another, rather than duplicating services and ideas that waste dwindling resources, said Rhonda Sivarajah, chairwoman of the Anoka County Board.

"We need to work more efficiently, share equipment, streamline in a way that will benefit the customer," Sivarajah said.

Strib, also Paul Levy writing Jan. 29, reports on the disappearing townships, as they turn to becoming cities amid talk of possible annexation-based expansionism of neigiboring "entities." Turf takeover. Turf defense. This link.

It seems Levy has separately written of a yin - yang dimension set.

I will believe unprecedented cooperation and collaboration is real and not BS, when I see what appears from satellite space to be a game trail in the image above, [with accompanying map below showing context]; the "game trail" being related to "game" situations on both sides of the Anoka - Ramsey city line at a location in the contiguous industrialized belt between Thruston Blvd, (in Anoka), and Sunfish Lake Blvd., (in Ramsey), where for reasons not entirely clear to me, dating from before I moved to Minnesota I expect, there is no contiguous road linkage between those two Boulevards in that industrial belt, across the city line. My understanding is that the main opposition to such a linkage died earlier this decade, yet the link is still absent; with the cooperation and collaboration still deficient. My understanding is that building the first transcontinental railroad with driving the golden spike and all, was politically less difficult than this cross border cooperation-collaboration question. Folks are as they are, or were.