california dream act: Temmuz 2012

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That's Cliff Drysdale with the analysis at the clip below, and there's another video here (she hugs her family).

And at the Los Angeles Times, "Serena Williams wins fifth Wimbledon singles title":

Serena Williams, who had already eliminated defending Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and second-seeded Victoria Azarenka, who had won this season's first major title at the Australian Open, took down third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska on Saturday to win her fifth Wimbledon title and her career 14th major championship.

Williams, who had last won a Grand Slam title here two years ago, first overpowered and then outlasted the 23-year-old Radwanska, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2. Radwanska was playing in her first Grand Slam final.

Shortly after Williams, 30, dominated the 2010 Wimbledon championships, she had a foot injury that required surgery and then a pulmonary embolism that combined to keep her away from tennis for almost a year.

She made her return to majors tennis here a year ago but was upset in the fourth round. Williams suffered an unexpectedly decisive loss in the finals of the 2011 U.S. Open to Samantha Stosur, then lost in the fourth round of the 2012 Australian Open and in the first round of the French Open last May.

But Williams, seeded sixth, overpowered the field here. In the second game of the second set against the Radwanska, Williams set a new Wimbledon women's record with her 90th ace and that stellar serving kept all her opponents off balance.

More at the link.

And see London's Daily Mail, "Serena beats Radwanska to level Venus' Wimbledon tally with fifth crown at SW19."

Anthony Glen Gorospe, Mentally Disturbed Hoarder, Arrested in Shooting Standoff With Long Beach Police

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My college is located in North Long Beach.

See the Long Beach Press Telegram, "UPDATED: Police arrest North Long Beach shooting suspect after seven-hour standoff."

And this is what SWAT-ting looks like. A dangerous situation:

And see London's Daily Mail, "Hoarder terrified police and housing officials were going to take his possessions 'shot inspector in the head'."

The inspector is extremely lucky to be alive. The bullet grazed him right next to the eye.

BONUS: Back at the Press-Telegram, "Scavengers stealing from home of alleged hoarder."

Online Harassment Against Feminist Blogger Anita Sarkeesian

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Robert Stacy McCain reports on Think Progress's Alyssa Rosenberg's defense of feminist blogger Anita Sarkeesian. See: "‘Concentrated Campaign of Harassment … to Terrorize People into Silence’- UPDATE: Parallels to Rauhauser." (Via Instapundit.)

Rosenberg's essay is here: "The Escalating Campaign Against Anita Sarkeesian and The Long-Term Weakness of Sexist Trolls." It's a good piece. These people are definitely cowards. It's not clear though that the attacks are right-wing attacks. Go back and read Robert's essay. Apparently Helen Lewis of the New Statesman indicates that the 4Chan hackers might be involved in the attacks on Sakeesian --- and I remember distinctly how advocates for 4Chan claimed the group's activists have no ideological motivation to their attacks. I argued in contrast that the troll-hacker types were anarchist and inherently leftist. I'm not saying much more than that here. Simply that until we see some folks on the left getting SWAT-ted like Patterico and the others, I'll continue the hold that it's the left that's mounting the prominent campaign of online intimidation to silence speech.

PHOTO CREDIT: Anita Sarkeesian via Wikimedia Commons.

ADDED: Bob Belvedere reports with this reference to The Other McCain:

Also, do check out Stacy’s report on a case of Leftist-On-Leftist Thuggery, how [sur-frickin'-prise] high hypocrisy reigns among the ‘respectable Left’, and how Neal Rauhauser comes into play [he's like shit, it seems: he's everywhere].

See the full report: "The #BrettKimberlin Report D+43."

Anniversary of London's 7/7 Terrorist Attacks

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With all the Olympic planning, not to mention the new terrorist threats, there's virtually no remembrance of the terrorists attacks of 2005.

But see the Economist, "London bombings: Seven years since 7/7":

7/7 Attacks

SEVEN years ago London suffered one of its worst terrorist attacks when four Islamist terrorists detonated bombs in the morning rush-hour: three in quick succession on the city's underground railway network and a fourth in Tavistock Square aboard a red double-decker bus. Fifty-two people died, including the four bombers, and over 700 more were injured.

The following is an interview with a 7/7 survivor, now aged 26 and working as a PA in Notting Hill.

Continue reading.

RELATED: At London's Dail Mail in 2009, "I've just seen hell on earth: Four years after 7/7, a never before seen picture of the horror that confronted police on the Tube ripped apart by terrorists."

Linking (Giving Credit) is a Critical Part of Web Culture

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I love this piece at GigaOM, "Why links matter: Linking is the lifeblood of the web."

I'm probably an over-linker, but sometimes when I find a widely available YouTube I don't always give a hat tip. It depends on where I find the video. Bloggers like to link their friends and diss their enemies, so that explains a lot of it. (For blog posts, I mostly link to the blog where I find the reported information initially, and thus sometimes the person who broke the story might not get the link --- and again, the friends/enemies distinction might come into play here.)

I'm probably violating some of the correct norms, but then again, I think that's how most folks roll, actually. For the most part, I probably link to much. Folks have even complained about that to me in fact.

7 Temmuz 2012 Cumartesi

CALIFORNIA DREAM ACT: A FEW STEPS FORWARD

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Governor Jerry Brown has signed into law the second half of the California Dream Act. Now undocumented students in California have the right to attend State colleges and universities at in-State tuition rates, and to apply for certain Cal-Grants for tuition assistance.

I commend Assemblyman Gil Cedillo for carrying these two pieces of legislation, and Governor Brown for signing them.

Unfortunately, at the end of the day, we are still left with the same difficult problem: those undocumented students who graduate from California colleges and universiites do not have any legal status, no Social Security number, and no ability to apply for a job anywhere. They are still stranded in the terrible abyss of our broken immigration system.

And what a tragic loss. Those fine young men and women are eager and anxious to get a full education, to become employed, to pay taxes, to help build up our communities and our economy, but they are denied that crucial next step.

Only the U.S. Congress can grant them a path to legal residency after graduation. And apparently no one in Washington DC has any interest or will to even think about such a step: not the House, not the Senate, and not the President.

So, eager and talented young people will continue to be offered up on the altar of anti-immigrant rhetoric, and their hopes and dreams for a better America all but snuffed out.

As a nation we owe these young adults much better. And we owe our nation better. These young people are the hope for the future, and to derail them in their young lives is a national tragedy.

But we don't give up hope, nor do we lessen our efforts. Our broken immigration system needs desperate repair, and in the meantime, millions of people in our country live in fear that somehow they may be questioned about their legal status.

I continue to proclaim a message of hope to all of our immigrant peoples, and to do my part to create coalations of Americans who understand the import role of immigrants in our long history and our future as a nation. We shall win out eventually over the rhetoric of those opposed to our immigrant brothers and sisters.

Obama Gives Immunity to Certain DREAMers

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Today marks a historic day in the world of DREAMers. President Obama gave an executive order to stop the deportation of DREAM act eligible youth.As a former DREAMer i am so beyond happy that some of my friends in deportation proceedings could potentially stay here and be able to work!Coincidentally, today marks the 30th Anniversary of Plyler v. Doe You can read the Memo released by Janet Napolitano, Here:http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/s1-exercising-prosecutorial-discretion-individuals-who-came-to-us-as-children.pdfThe New york Times covers the story, I just wish they'd stop using "illegal immigrant." Frankly, New York times i am full of joy to get into it with you today. I will call you out in detail another time for this.U.S. to Stop Deporting Some Illegal Immigrants"WASHINGTON — Hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children will be able to obtain work permits and be safe from deportation under a new policy announced on Friday by the Obama administration.The policy, effective immediately, will apply to people who are currently under 30 years old, who arrived in the country before they turned 16 and have lived in the United States for five years. They must also have no criminal record, and have earned a high school diploma, be in school or have served in the military.These qualifications resemble in some ways those of the so-called Dream Act, a measure blocked by Congress in 2010 that was geared to establish a path toward citizenship for certain young illegal immigrants. The administration's action on Friday, which stops deportations but does not offer citizenship or even permanent legal status, is being undertaken by executive order and does not require legislation.Read more...

Is the glass half empty of half full?

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While the reactions from Dreamers across the country are very different, we could all agree that it is something to be excited about, or as someone wrote on facebook earlier today, all dreamers agree that although not sure how full the glass is, there is definitely water in it.

We all understand the naked policy going on here. We understand what President Obama is doing and I will give him credit for playing the political game, the dirty political game. You know what though? That is ok with me, I will eat the cake as someone put it, if it means that my best friend won't get deported next year and can finally use her college degree and help her mom pay for all of their medical needs for her sister, if it means that they will have steady rent for a while, if it means that our conversations will not be as frustrating about what she could do to survive... I will eat that cake and all others that Obama wants to give us if it means that my friends can finally work and if it means that this will bring some peace and certainty to their lives. I definitely remain optimistic, but i also remain very skeptical on how this will affect many of our Dreamers.

There are many things to consider regarding yesterday's news and we cannot mislead dreamers to start sending applications to USCIS. No. There are loopholes and many factors to consider before we start sending everyone to get a work permit. Please analyze them in the links provided.

Citizen Orange did a fantastic job in summarizing the Pros and Cons on Janet Napolitano's Memo. Please take a careful look at it and share it with others.

Also, USCIS just published on their website the Deferred Action Process. It is a very informative section with a Q & A.

Pros and Cons as Outlined in Citizen Orange:

Pros:

It allows people to apply affirmatively, not just after they have been caught up in the deportation process. This will potentially benefit a much greater number of people than previous guidance.

Work permits are available. Many, though not all, of applicants granted deferred action will be eligible for work permits.

A two year period of deferred action will be granted to successful applicants.

The policy affects all three immigration agencies. Today's policy memo follows a series of similar memos over the past two years which have done little to stem the tide of record deportations under this president. Previous guidance on exercising prosecutorial discretion in line with enforcement priorities was directed only to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which ignored the guidance. Today's memo comes from Secretary Napolitano and is directed to all three agencies: Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and ICE. Hopefully the policy will be applied more comprehensively across the agencies than the prosecutorial discretion policy has been.

USCIS will have more control over the process. The majority of applications will be reviewed by USCIS, which adjudicates applications for immigration benefits and is not formally tasked with immigration enforcement.

Cons:

This is not an executive order. The policy does not grant Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) or Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which are designated by the President by executive order on humanitarian grounds. Even though the President decides who does or doesn't qualify for TPS and DED, these statuses carry certain due process protections. Applications can be appealed in immigration court if initially denied. TPS or DED status cannot be terminated without cause. In contrast, the policy announced today only grants deferred action. There is no right to appeal a denial. While applicants can ask for supervisory review of an initial denial, that supervisory decision will be final.

Read the full post here.

DREAMers - Watch Out for Unscrupulous "Immigration Helpers"

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http://politic365.com/2012/06/27/dream-act-related-fraud-already-running-rampant/
DREAM Act Related Fraud Already Running Rampant
By Sara InÃ©s CalderÃ³n
Less than two weeks after President Barack Obama announced administrative relief for certain DREAM Act-eligible immigrants, anecdotal evidence suggests that some may be trying to take advantage of these families by making big promises for huge fees.In some Latin American countries, a “notario” is akin to an attorney — in the U.S. this is not the case. Latino immigrants often fall victim to unscrupulousnotarios who make unfounded promises related to immigration paperwork at a huge financial (and emotional) cost to them.
It’s no different with the new DREAMer administrative relief, which allows them to live and work in the U.S. via this new legal procedure. It applies to people with no documentation between 15 and 30 years old (under 31), who entered the U.S. before the age of 16, have lived here since, are not criminals, are in school or have a high school credential. There is also mention of being honorably discharged from the military.Anecdotal stories are running rampant throughout the country. Photos of attorneys asking for thousands of dollars to process paperwork that does not yet exist have appeared on Facebook, some organizations are even keeping a running tally of such photos. It’s to the point that Illinois Congressman Luis Gutierrez even posted a notice to social networking sites telling people — specifically — to avoid scams from notarios.
“It’s really appalling to see how these people are lying,” said Adrian Reyna, Vice President of the University Leadership Initiative, an organization at the University of Texas, Austin advocating for the DREAM Act. “It does not respect their dignity as human beings to try to scam them out of three, four thousand dollars.”Reyna said he’s been trying to work to educate the public about these scams, but was saddened to realize that, ultimately, some desperate families will likely fall victim to notario-type fraud.
“Being undocumented is desperate. It’s not something that you like, or that is easy, so you are willing to take that extra step in trying to get away from it,” and that is the point at which fraud becomes possible, Reyna explained.So this is what is legit. San Francisco-based immigration attorney Randall Caudle said that, at this point, the only thing attorneys can really do is consult with clients and advise them to begin to collect paperwork that documents their presence in the U.S. within the required timeframe. The agency responsible for creating the procedure to administer this process, USCIS, has until August 13 to create their process, he said.
Neither AILA nor the USCIS recommends notarios; bad advice could have some end up in removal proceedings.
There were a few interesting points that Caudle highlighted with regard to this process. One, which has not been widely reported, according to a call with USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas last week, the process applies to people who are under 31, which is to say, you can be over 30 to be eligible. What’s more, those with final orders of removal may still be eligible for this relief, and Caudle speculated that those whose applications are not approved may not necessarily be deported, since the government still has prosecutorial discretion to decide who to deport.
He also highlighted the fact that the military component of this relief is “mostly PR” because the most likely way for someone with no papers to get into the military is via fraudulent documents. And the new process will most likely not allow for these DREAMers to enter the military either, since they won’t have legal status. Caudle also mentioned that he doubted Mitt Romney, if elected, could realistically undo this process without suffering heavy political ramifications.There are a few other things to keep in mind, Caudle said:
o Gather documentation to show you were in the country before June 15, 2007, this includes school records, medical records, or financial records like utility bills. You need to show that you have been here continuously since then, up to June 15, 2012.o You will need a passport from your country of origin.o You should get your birth certificate from your country of origin.o Don’t commit any crimes, this will make you inadmissible for this relief; this includes a DUI, drug possession or a hit and run accident.Here is a list of resources for those seeking more information about how to approach this process:o http://www.stopnotariofraud.org/o AILA (American Immigration Lawyers Association) is organizing a volunteer group of immigration attorneys to work with DREAMers on a pro bono basis.o DreamActivist – 8 Things You Can Do o Immigration Policy Center o Deferred Action For Dreamers Checklist

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San Antonio Military Base Used as Children's Shelter

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Due to an increase in the number of unaccompanied minors crossing the border into the U.S., a San Antonio Air Force base has been turned into a shelter to house the children. According to the article below, the majority of the children are from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. A smaller number of the children are from Mexico.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/18/immigrant-children-air-force-base-shelter_n_1431584.html?1334749309&ref=latino-voices

5 Temmuz 2012 Perşembe

Apple Preps Launch of New Smaller iPad

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At PC World, "Report: Apple Preps iPad Mini to Battle Nexus 7, Kindle Fire."

And at WSJ, "Apple Preps for Smaller Tablet: Parts Makers in Asia Gear Up to Produce Device With Smaller Screen Than iPad":

Apple Inc.'s component suppliers in Asia are preparing for mass production in September of a tablet computer with a smaller screen than the iPad, people familiar with the situation said, suggesting a launch for the device is near.

Two of the people said that the tablet's screen will likely be smaller than eight inches. The iPad's screen measures 9.7 inches, unchanged since the first model was released in 2010.

Officials at the component suppliers, who declined to be named, said this week that Apple has told them to prepare for mass production of the smaller tablet. The Wall Street Journal reported in February that Apple was testing such a device but hadn't yet decided whether to proceed with production.

One person said the screen makers Apple is working with include LG Display Co. of South Korea and Taiwan-based AU Optronics Co.

An Apple spokeswoman in California declined to comment.

Analysts said a smaller tablet could help Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple maintain its dominance in a market that keeps getting more crowded. Competitors include Samsung Electronics Co. and Amazon.com Inc., while Microsoft Corp. and Google Inc. recently unveiled tablet devices.

Last year, the iPad held a 62% share of the world-wide tablet market, according to market research firm IHS iSuppli, which expects overall tablet sales this year to surge 85% to 126.6 million units.

The Return of Marxism

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I don't think the new communists will pull off the full scale proletarian revolution, but there's no doubt that Marx's revolutionary program has seen a resurgence in global politics. And I only disagree with the Guardian's Stuart Jeffries in assuming that the phenomenon is something new. Communists the world over cheered Barack Obama's campaign for the presidency, and when the markets crashed in 2008 the left saw that as the classic crisis of capitalism. In any case, see "Why Marxism is on the rise again":

Capitalism is in crisis across the globe – but what on earth is the alternative? Well, what about the musings of a certain 19th-century German philosopher? Yes, Karl Marx is going mainstream – and goodness knows where it will end...

Later this week in London, several thousand people will attend Marxism 2012, a five-day festival organised by the Socialist Workers' Party. It's an annual event, but what strikes organiser Joseph Choonara is how, in recent years, many more of its attendees are young. "The revival of interest in Marxism, especially for young people comes because it provides tools for analysing capitalism, and especially capitalist crises such as the one we're in now," Choonara says.

There has been a glut of books trumpeting Marxism's relevance. English literature professor Terry Eagleton last year published a book called Why Marx Was Right. French Maoist philosopher Alain Badiou published a little red book called The Communist Hypothesis with a red star on the cover (very Mao, very now) in which he rallied the faithful to usher in the third era of the communist idea (the previous two having gone from the establishment of the French Republic in 1792 to the massacre of the Paris communards in 1871, and from 1917 to the collapse of Mao's Cultural Revolution in 1976). Isn't this all a delusion?

Aren't Marx's venerable ideas as useful to us as the hand loom would be to shoring up Apple's reputation for innovation? Isn't the dream of socialist revolution and communist society an irrelevance in 2012? After all, I suggest to RanciÃ¨re, the bourgeoisie has failed to produce its own gravediggers. RanciÃ¨re refuses to be downbeat: "The bourgeoisie has learned to make the exploited pay for its crisis and to use them to disarm its adversaries. But we must not reverse the idea of historical necessity and conclude that the current situation is eternal. The gravediggers are still here, in the form of workers in precarious conditions like the over-exploited workers of factories in the far east. And today's popular movements – Greece or elsewhere – also indicate that there's a new will not to let our governments and our bankers inflict their crisis on the people."

Read it all at the link (via Memeorandum).

Katy Perry Performs at Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Celebration

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My wife loves Katy Perry and wants to see her live in concert. Hey, I'm not going to fight it.

At Celebuzz, "Katy Perry Performs on ‘Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular’ (VIDEO)."

Also, at Toronto's Globe and Mail, "Why is Katy Perry an unstoppable hit machine?"

BONUS: At London's Daily Mail, "Keeping abreast of her calls: Katy Perry places her phone in her cleavage as she enjoys July 4th bike ride around Venice Beach."

Americans Say Presidential Campaign Will Be 'Exhausting'

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Presidential campaigns are too long and have gotten longer the past too election cycles. (I think the GOP primary debates stretching back as far as mid-summer of 2011 is a first.) The good news from the Pew survey is that folks think the campaign will be informative. See, "Partisans Agree: Presidential Election Will Be Exhausting":

Republicans and Democrats find little to agree on these days, but they have some similar reactions to the 2012 presidential campaign. Nearly identical percentages of Republicans and Democrats say the election will be exhausting. On the positive side, there also is widespread partisan agreement that the campaign will be informative.

The national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted June 7-17 among 2,013 adults, finds that just 49% expect the election to be exciting. Nearly six-in-ten Democrats (59%) say the election will be exciting, compared with 51% of Republicans and just 41% of independents.

The expectation that the election will be exhausting is in line with perceptions of the campaign so far. Most Americans say the campaign has been too long and dull (56% each), while 53% say it has been too negative. At the same time, an overwhelming majority (79%) views the presidential campaign as important.

Comparable percentages of Republicans, Democrats and independents say that the campaign has been too long and too negative. And more than eight-in-ten Republicans (85%) and Democrats (83%) say the campaign is important, as do 77% of independents.

However, there are partisan differences in views of campaign 2012. Notably, fewer Republicans than Democrats say the campaign is interesting. Republicans are less likely to say the campaign is interesting – and more likely to view it as dull – than they were in late March, before Mitt Romney effectively wrapped up the GOP nomination.

Currently, 33% of Republicans say the presidential campaign is interesting down from 52% in late March (March 22-25). The share of Republicans describing this year’s campaign as dull has spiked from 42% to 60% since then. By contrast, Democrats are finding the campaign increasingly interesting as the general election gets underway. Currently, 45% say it is interesting, up from 36% in March.

I'm a bit surprised Republican identifiers are now finding the campaign dull. Earlier polls showed 90 percent enthusiasm for Mitt Romney's campaign, and there's a burning fire of opposition to this administration and especially ObamaCare. But if Team Romney keeps blowing the messaging they'll no doubt turn off more potential voters. That Wall Street Journal editorial on that today really nailed the point. As Ben LaBolt demonstrates at the clip, the White House is freaking about the tax issue in the ObamaCare ruling. So it's up to Romney to get it right on the messaging and to fire up the troops for the long battle.

Radical Activists Seize on San Onofre in Fukushima-Style Attack on Nuclear Energy Programs

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This plant has been around as long as I can remember. I've always been personally fascinated with it, and nuclear energy generally, and haven't worried that much at all about a nuclear disaster. Years ago, right at Basilone Road (which follows along next to the plant), my skate buddies and I used to run across the 5 Freeway to reach some huge Ameron pipes being built there. The last thing we were worried about was radioactivity. We used to skate with Tony Alva down there, and he talks about it at this essay.

In any case, see the report at the New York Times, "Troubles at a 1960s-Era Nuclear Plant in California May Hint at the Future":

SAN ONOFRE STATE BEACH, Calif. — More than seven million people live within 50 miles of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, which is about halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego. But for decades, residents here largely accepted, if not exactly embraced, the hulking nuclear plant perched on the cliffs above this popular surfing beach as a necessary part of keeping the lights on in a state that uses more electricity than all of Argentina.

“I don’t think about it too much,” said David Vichules, 55, who has been surfing here since before the plant opened in 1968. “I guess it’s risk and benefit.”

All that changed, however, after the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown in Japan last year, followed in January by a small leak of radioactive steam here caused by the deterioration of steam tubes that had been damaged by vibration and friction. The twin generators at the San Onofre plant have been off-line for five months, and the plant has subsequently become a point of contention in the fight over nuclear power in the United States.

The leak has galvanized opposition to the nuclear plant among local residents, who are calling for San Onofre to remain shuttered for good.

Antinuclear activists from across the country have seized on problems at San Onofre as an opportunity to push California toward a future without nuclear power.

“A lot of people have gotten involved since Fukushima, and now especially since San Onofre has been closed,” said Gary Headrick, the founder of San Clemente Green, a local environmental organization. “It’s really not worth living with this risk. We should shut it down.”

The plant will remain shut through at least the end of the summer while the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Southern California Edison, the utility company that operates it, investigate the cause of the leak from the steam tubes.

Officials have said repeatedly that the generators will restart only if they are deemed safe.

Still, any efforts to permanently close the nuclear plant face the ever-growing appetite for electricity in Southern California. San Onofre, the largest power plant in the region, produced 2,200 megawatts, enough to power 1.4 million homes, and also helps import power to the region.

It's always something with the loony left.

These people are freaks --- and their "green" energy alternatives have proven to be boondoggles time and again. You gotta beat these people back like flies. It's ridiculous.

PHOTO CREDIT: Wikimedia Commons.