Daily Archives: July 18, 2006

Open thread

July 18, 200612:21 p.m.

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (73)

Bush’s unguarded revelations on war, peace, pop

July 18, 200612:19 p.m.

As moments of diplomacy go, it wasn’t as embarrassing as his dad’s famous bout of nausea during dinner in Japan, but President Bush’s four minutes of open-mike remarks Monday at a Group of Eight summit luncheon left some mouths open in surprise around the world. It seemed most remarkable that such a straight arrow would swear among world leaders, and about something as serious as the conflict in Lebanon. This quote about the event’s pending closing remarks also revealed Bush’s impatience: “I’m just gonna make it up. I’m not gonna talk too damn long like the rest of ‘em. Some of these guys talk too long.” And now the world knows that Bush shares Vice President Dick Cheney’s preference for Diet Coke.
All of this came a day after Bush startled German Chancellor Angela Merkel (see photo) when he came up behind her and, “placing both hands on the collar of her gold jacket, gave her a short massage just below the neck,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
Posted by Rhonda Holman

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (70)

Why so hush-hush about public schools doing well?

July 18, 200612:07 a.m.

The U.S. Education Department quietly released a study last week that found that, with the exception of eighth-grade reading, children in public schools performed as well or better in reading and math than comparable fourth- and eighth-graders in private schools, The New York Times reported. Reg Weaver, president of the National Education Association, thinks the department wouldn’t have been so hush-hush if the findings had backed the Bush administration’s support for private school vouchers. "There would have been press conferences and glowing statements about private schools," he said.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (58)

Kansas — not as hot a spot as ad made people think

July 18, 200612:05 a.m.

Kansas’ Times Square commercial showed a woman with a laptop accessing the Web alongside a rural pond, but Harris News Service reported that about 5 percent of Kansas ZIP codes lack any high-speed Internet access, and that half of the ZIP codes have two or fewer access options. Many rural Kansans still must use snail-paced dial-up connections. A Kansas Department of Commerce spokesman defended the picturesque ad. "I don’t think it was a stretch to assume that large numbers of people have Internet access in Kansas," spokesman Joe Monaco said. OK, but pondside access?
Posted by Rhonda Holman

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (20)

Are actions really about executive power?

July 18, 200612:03 a.m.

The New York Times editorial board let it rip Sunday, arguing that the war of terror has also been about expanding executive powers. "Over and over again, the same pattern emerges: Given a choice between following the rules or carving out some unprecedented executive power, the White House always shrugged off the legal constraints. Even when the only challenge was to get required approval from an ever-cooperative Congress, the president and his staff preferred to go it alone."
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (18)

Premature to be budgeting for privatized Century II

July 18, 200612:01 a.m.

There still may be a winning case for trying to improve Century II’s bottom line by privatizing its management — especially if its operation eventually could be coordinated with that of Sedgwick County’s new arena. But the idea, despite many months of discussion, has not led to broad support for privatization among City Council members and Century II stakeholders. So it seemed premature at best for City Manager George Kolb to have included the privatization in the 2007 budget.
Posted by Rhonda Holman

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (6)