Posts from — June 2010
Nested Elements in HTML
Nested HTML Elements
<html> has two nested elements: <head> and <body>. You can call them both children of <html>.
<body> is nested within the <html> element thus is the “child” of <html>.
<head> is also nested within the <html> element is is also a “child” of <html>.
So, both the <head> and <body> elements are the children of <html> i.e., siblings. and <html> is their parent.
<title> is nested within the <head> element and is therefore the child of <head> and the grandchild of <html>.
<p> is nested within the <body> element, therefore the child of <body> and grand child of <html>.
<q> is nested within the <p> element, therefore the child of <p> grandchild of <body> and great grand child of <html>.
Sort of like genealogical ancestral relationships.
June 29, 2010 No Comments
Rise Up! Strike Back!
The headline on MSNBC is “Republicans kill Senate Jobless aid measure.”
The lead paragraph reads:
Republicans on Thursday defeated Democrats’ showcase election-year jobs bill, including an extension of weekly unemployment benefits for millions of people out of work more than six months.
The Las Vegas Review Journal reports:
Eugene Turner has a word or two for U.S. senators who voted Thursday against a $109 billion bill that would have extended emergency unemployment benefits for job seekers like himself.
The photo above is of Eugene Turner. He says:
“They have no heart for the public — the working man,” Turner said Friday at the Nevada JobConnect office on Maryland Parkway near Desert Inn Road, where people were waiting to use computers.
Turner, who moved here from Los Angeles six weeks ago looking for work, said he’s scared about how he’s going to pay rent when his government assistance runs out.
“My bills ain’t going to stop in 10 weeks,” he said, shaking his head.
June 26, 2010 2 Comments
Nevada to get $102.8 million for foreclosure prevention
Nevada will receive $102.8 million as part of a program to help residents who are trying to avoid foreclosure on their homes.
Nevada is among five states that will receive funds from the program, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Nevada will receive the largest amount per resident.
Think Sharron Angle could pull this off for Nevada? Fat chance.
“I’ve been working hard to help stabilize Nevada’s housing market and provide resources for Nevadans who are struggling to keep their homes,” Reid said in a prepared statement this morning. “I told President Obama and Secretaries Donovan and Geithner that Nevada needs help and I thank them for responding. Now it’s up to banks and credit unions to step up to the plate so that this $100 million will have the maximum benefit for homeowners to reduce principal amounts and provide lien relief.”
The $102.8 million for Nevada is set to be used in this way:
· Nevada will create a mortgage modification program using a combination of forgiveness and forbearance with a goal of reducing principal to less than 115 percent of loan-to-value and lowering payments to 31 percent of debt-to-income.
· The state will also offer assistance to reduce/eliminate second liens with earned forgiveness over a three-year term.
· The state will provide allowances for appraisal and transaction fees, moving fees, a legal allowance for up to three months,and a combination of incentives for borrowers and servicers to facilitate short sales.
Senator Harry Reid
Now, as Senator Reid points out,
“Now it’s up to banks and credit unions to step up to the plate so that this $100 million will have the maximum benefit for homeowners to reduce principal amounts and provide lien relief.”
“Among those who qualify for this help are borrowers who are unemployed, homeowners who are underwater on their mortgages and Nevadans struggling with second liens,” Rep. Shelley Berkley said in a statement. Rep. Dina Titus called it “a critical step forward that will make much-needed funds available to help families stay in their homes.”
[Source: Las Vegas Sun]
June 25, 2010 1 Comment
A different kind of Republican Conservatism
Remember that last week President Barack Obama met with British Petroleum’s CEO. When they parted company BP agreed to set up a $20 billion escrow fund to compensate victims of the oil spill.
Next day the BP CEO and top executives appeared before a House Committee on which sits Republican Joe Barton of Texas.
Barton said he was “ashamed that a private company would be subjected to what I would characterize as a shakedown, in this case a $20 billion shakedown.” Nobody was twisting Barton’s arm to make the apology either.
Yesterday, Thomas Frank, wrote an opinion in the Wall Street Journal:
The remark was morally inverted but it was not, as Mr. Barton said, after being pressured to recant, a “misconstruction.” Instead, it was a glimpse into the soul of a certain sort of conservative, a reminder of just what kind of government we can expect if the reinvigorated right recaptures Congress this fall.
Today Republicans defeated Democrats’ showcase election-year jobs bill, including an extension of weekly unemployment benefits for millions of people out of work more than six months. [CBS News]
The 57-41 vote fell three votes short of the 60 required to crack a GOP filibuster.
The rejected bill would also have provided $16 billion in new aid to states, preserving the jobs of thousands of state and local government workers and providing what White House officials called an insurance policy against a double-dip recession. It also included dozens of tax breaks sought by business lobbyists, and tax increases on domestically produced oil and on investment fund managers.
The demise of the bill means that unemployment benefits will phase out for more than 200,000 people a week. Governors who had been counting on federal aid will now have to consider a fresh round of budget cuts, tax hikes and layoffs of state workers.
Also today Republican Bobby Jindal was railing about resuming deep water drilling for oil in the gulf because of the need for oil jobs and oil.
Republican Sharron Angle is complaining about payment of unemployment to the lazy unemployed.
Hard to figure out these Republicans. If this is the brand of conservatism the Republicans now strive for I don’t think many of us can handle it. I keep thinking this is really more of a class war than politics.
June 24, 2010 1 Comment
Angle Leads Reid in Rasmussen Poll
Sharron Angle still holds a slight lead over Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Nevada’s U.S. Senate race. [Rasmussen Reports]
Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in Nevada shows Angle earning 48% support, while Reid, the state’s longtime Democratic senator, picks up 41% of the vote. Eight percent (8%) like some other candidate in the race, while just two percent (2%) are undecided.
Doesn’t really surprise me about Nevada’s voters.
Two weeks ago Angle posted a 50% to 39% lead over Reid. Reid appears to be gaining some ground. The survey covered 500 Likely Voters in Nevada and was conducted on June 22, 2010.
Angle gets 85% of the vote from those who consider themselves members of the Tea Party movement. Forty-three percent (43%) of Nevada voters believe the Tea Party movement is good for the country, but 37% say it’s bad.
Wonder just how strong the Tea Party is in Nevada? Anybody know?
June 24, 2010 No Comments
Nevada Congressional Delegation Votes
| Recent Senate Votes |
Motion to Invoke Cloture on Baucus Substitute Amendment; American Workers, State, and Business Relief Act of 2010 – Vote Rejected (56-40, 4 Not Voting) The Senate rejected the motion to end debate and vote on this $118 billion version of the bill to extend tax cuts and unemployment benefits due to concerns about the federal deficit. The Senate is likely to continue its work on the bill this week. Sen. John Ensign voted NO……send e-mail or see bio Sen. Harry Reid voted YES……send e-mail or see bio |
| Recent House Votes |
| Small Business Lending Fund Act of 2010 – Vote Passed (241-182, 9 Not Voting) The House passed this bill that would establish a $30 billion lending fund administered by the Treasury Department to invest in financial institutions, like community banks, with the intention of expanding the availability of credit to small businesses. The bill now goes to the Senate. Rep. Shelley Berkley voted YES……send e-mail or see bio |
| Recent House Votes |
| Small Business Lending Fund Act of 2010 – Vote Passed (241-182, 9 Not Voting) The House passed this bill that would establish a $30 billion lending fund administered by the Treasury Department to invest in financial institutions, like community banks, with the intention of expanding the availability of credit to small businesses. The bill now goes to the Senate. Rep. Dean Heller voted NO……send e-mail or see bio |
| Recent House Votes |
| Small Business Lending Fund Act of 2010 – Vote Passed (241-182, 9 Not Voting) The House passed this bill that would establish a $30 billion lending fund administered by the Treasury Department to invest in financial institutions, like community banks, with the intention of expanding the availability of credit to small businesses. The bill now goes to the Senate. Rep. Dina Titus voted NO……send e-mail or see bio |
June 23, 2010 No Comments
Is fate of the Internet being decided behind closed doors?
Timothy Karr, has a posting today on the Huffington Post about the Federal Communications Commission holding “closed-door meetings” with industry to broker a deal on Net Neutrality — the rule that lets users determine their own Internet experience.
He writes “Given that the corporations at the table all profit from gaining control over information, the outcome won’t be pretty.”
The meetings include a small group of industry lobbyists representing the likes of AT&T, Verizon, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, and Google. They reportedly met for two-and-a-half hours on Monday morning and will convene another meeting today. The goal according to insiders is to “reach consensus” on rules of the road for the Internet.
In addition to the FCC our esteemed Congress is also holding closed door meetings about the Internet. “…this is the same Congress that is bankrolled by the phone and cable lobby in excess of $100 million.”
To have a handful of businesses controlling the content and operation of the Internet can’t be a good sign for us peons out here that use it.
June 22, 2010 1 Comment
Brian Sandoval Proposes Laying Off 72 Nye County Teachers
I received the following press release from the Rory Reid for Governor campaign today (June 22). It reads:
Las Vegas, NV – Brian Sandoval, the Republican candidate for governor, proposes laying off 1-in-5 Nevada teachers in Nevada, meaning 72 Nye County teachers would be forced out of classrooms.
That’s 72 Nye County teachers gone from our children’s classrooms. That’s larger class sizes and fewer opportunities for students. That’s Brian Sandoval’s pink-slip agenda for our schools. It would decimate education and set our struggling economy back even further.
“I am the only candidate who understands that stronger schools are the key to a stronger economy,” Rory Reid said. “We will never have a first-rate economy if we continue to accept second-rate schools. Unfortunately, like Jim Gibbons, Brian Sandoval fails to grasp that we will not draw business to Nevada if we can’t produce an educated workforce and can’t provide great schools for the children of business executives and their employees.”
Brian Sandoval proposes several crippling cuts to education:
§ Brian Sandoval wants to slash teacher salaries by 20 percent or lay off more than 5,000 teachers. That’s 1-in-5 Nevada teachers.
§ Brian Sandoval wants to divert $110 million from class-size reduction programs, particularly targeting 7- and 8-year-olds.
§ Brian Sandoval pushes a voucher program that would drain millions from our public schools and wouldn’t even begin to cover tuition for the average private school.
§ Brian Sandoval wants a 12 percent cut to faculty and staff at our colleges and universities – that’s more than 750 professor and staff jobs lost.
These cuts would have a devastating impact across Nevada. Rural and urban communities, in the North and the South, would lose their valuable teachers, leaving our children with subpar schools when Nevada already ranks dead last in the nation in graduation rates. Poor schools will continue to hinder our economic recovery and Brian Sandoval puts schools at the bottom of his agenda.
“Education will be my top priority as governor,” Rory said. “I will not compromise on our children’s future. Brian Sandoval has a different agenda, one that includes taking away money from our children’s classrooms, doing nothing to improve the quality of our schools, and doing nothing to build a new economy. That’s the choice Nevada voters face in November.”
Rory Reid is the only candidate for governor to offer solutions for today and a plan for Nevada’s future success – supporting strong schools for a stronger economy. For more information about Rory’s campaign or to download his plans — visit roryreid.com.
Note to media: To schedule interviews, please contact Mike Trask, press secretary, at 702-994-6757 or at trask@roryreid.com.
If I remember correctly, the state of Nevada leads the nation in drop-outs from high school. The state of Nevada has become, or already is, the worst state in the United States in the field of education. That is a condition that must be ended. Surely the voters of Nevada don’t want that for their children and grand children.
If the politicians of Nevada are so enamored of “no new taxes” that they will not impose a tax that will pay for a quality education for kids in this state then something must give.
June 22, 2010 3 Comments
Condoms with teeth-fights rape
A white South African doctor has developed a new condom to fight rape that plagues African women, according to CNN.com.
Dr. Sonnet Ehlers invented the Rape aXe ‘condom with teeth’ 40 years after treating a rape victim who told her, “If only I had teeth down there.”
She said she consulted with “engineers, gynecologists and psychologists” to help make sure the design was safe and would not subject victims to HIV or other STDs.
Dr. Ehlers is distributing the female condoms in the various South African cities where the World Cup soccer games are taking place.
The woman inserts the latex condom like a tampon. Jagged rows of teeth-like hooks line its inside and attach on a man’s penis during penetration, Ehlers said.
Once it lodges, only a doctor can remove it — a procedure Ehlers hopes will be done with authorities on standby to make an arrest.
“It hurts, he cannot pee and walk when it’s on,” she said. “If he tries to remove it, it will clasp even tighter… however, it doesn’t break the skin, and there’s no danger of fluid exposure.” Read More…
South Africa has one of the highest rape rates in the world, according to Human Rights Watch. Critics call Dr. Ehlers’ device “medieval” and they say it causes psychological trauma and puts women at risk for more violence from the entrapped rapist.
But Dr. Ehlers counters those claims with words of wisdom:
“Yes, my device may be a medieval, but it’s for a medieval deed that has been around for decades,” she said. “I believe something’s got to be done … and this will make some men rethink before they assault a woman.”
Wonder if these condoms with teeth will be distributed in the United States?
June 21, 2010 No Comments
A Closer Look at Sharron Angle
A closer look at Sharron Angle, the candidate endorsed by the Tea Bag Party.
· Education: She believes the U.S. Department of Education should be eliminated, citing that the local approach had long yielded greater academic results, before the Department of Education was created in 1979. She claims the Department of Education is “unconstitutional” and should not be involved in dictating educational standards from such a distant location as Washington, D.C. She has also claimed, “The best education is the education that is controlled closest to the local level as possible.”[New York Times, June 9, 2010; http://sharronangle.com/issues/]
· United Nations: She believes in United States withdrawal from the United Nations, saying it is a bastion of liberal ideology and “the umpire on fraudulent science such as global warming.”[ Reid, in Fistfight, Could Take More Punches From Climate Bill by Lehmann, Evan (2010-05-26) New York Times.
· Social Policy: She supports the Federal Marriage Amendment to ban same-sex marriage. [http://sharronangle.com/issues/] She believes that single-income households are the best way to raise a family. [Huffington Post] Angle is pro-life, and supports a ban on intact dilation and extraction, the procedure known as “partial-birth abortion”.
· Health Care: Angle favors the gradual phasing out of Medicare and Social Security, and moving towards privatization, citing their current insolvency. [New York Times]
· She has voted against water fluoridation of drinking water.[ Louisville Courier Journal] [Denver Post]
· Financial Reform: Angle favors a comprehensive audit of the Federal Reserve, eliminating the complete Internal Revenue Service code and abolishing Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. [Las Vegas Sun] She is opposed to the bailouts of private industry, executive bonuses she considers to be irresponsible, and government stimulus programs.
·Drugs: Angle has stated that she opposes legalizing marijuana and has stated that she feels the same about alcohol. [Washington Post] When her spokesman was asked to clarify Angle’s statement he responded that Angle doesn’t want to bring back Prohibition. “Sharron doesn’t want to make alcohol illegal,” he said, noting that Angle has never introduced legislation along those lines, and even voted against taxes on booze. “Alcohol is a legal substance, and adults can choose to imbibe,” Stacy said. [Nevada News Bureau]
·Global Warming: Angle does not believe in anthropogenic global warming. [New York Times] “I’m a clean-air proponent,” Angle stated. “I don’t, however, buy into the whole man-caused global warming, man-caused climate change mantra of the left. I believe that there’s not sound science to back that up.”
·Energy Policy: As a long-term policy, Angle believes America must expand its own domestic energy supplies. She would legislate to repeal regulations that prohibit offshore drilling, drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and development of American-owned petroleum resources. In the Nevada State Legislature, she led efforts to reduce Nevada’s high gas tax, which was the second highest in the nation. She would also have supported the three coal-fired plants in Ely. [ SharronAngle.com] She has long favored Yucca Mountain as a profitable center for reprocessing, not a nuclear landfill and dumping ground. In 2005, she voted for a resolution rejecting Yucca Mountain as a dead-end nuclear dump. [sharronangle.com/issues/]
·Second Amendment/Rights to Form a Militia: Angle is quoted as saying: “What is a little bit disconcerting and concerning is the inability for sporting goods stores to keep ammunition in stock … That tells me the nation is arming. What are they arming for if it isn’t that they are so distrustful of their government? They’re afraid they’ll have to fight for their liberty in more Second Amendment kinds of ways?” and “That’s why I look at this as almost an imperative. If we don’t win at the ballot box, what will be the next step?”[ Reno Gazette Journal] Asked to comment on the issue, Angle spokesman Jerry Stacy said via email: “Sharron Angle does not advocate a revolution. Her goal is to go to Washington with other like-minded elected officials who understand the proper role of the federal government as already defined by our Constitution.”[Las Vegas Review Journal]
Mrs. Angle seems to want to regress rather than move forward. If she is elected replacing Senator Harry Reid she would be a rookie Senator, with no juice. Hard to see how she could benefit Nevada as a rookie.
June 20, 2010 1 Comment
