Paul Ryan rips Donald Trump remarks as 'textbook definition of a racist comment'
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Posted:Jun 8, 2016 4:27 pm
Last Updated:Jun 13, 2016 2:00 am 106412 Views
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(CNN)House Speaker Paul Ryan ripped Donald Trump's recent remarks saying a judge presiding over a lawsuit involving his business was biased because of his Mexican heritage as "the textbook definition of a racist comment."
As he stood surrounded by community activists and top House GOP members, Ryan admitted Tuesday that the firestorm over Trump's comments was undercutting his own push to roll out a positive policy agenda for his party. He said he wouldn't defend Trump but instead would concentrate on his agenda project.
"I disavow those comments," Ryan said.
Pressed on whether he regretted his own endorsement of Trump that came last week, Ryan added, "I regret those comments he made."
"It's absolutely unacceptable," Ryan said. But he stood by by his support for the controversial business mogul. "Do I think Hillary Clinton is the answer? No I do not."
Trump, GOP's awkward embrace
Continued GOP angst about the fallout from Trump's comments cast a major shadow over Ryan's months of work crafting a detailed agenda plan for his party.
Ryan said ultimately he has more in common on the policy issues of the day with Trump and better odds of getting those proposals enacted into law.
The speaker said he has discussed the tone of the campaign the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, but he deflected questions about the GOP nominee's campaign or the need for new staff or a more disciplined message.
GOP to Trump: Stop alienating Latinos
Ryan, who was making his third visit to the City of Hope House of Help center in an impoverished Washington neighborhood, stressed the success stories of those who have overcome addiction and other problems and become productive members of the community.
"We wanted to start with poverty because we think this sums up our case," he explained.
He said his GOP plan mirrors the work done at the center, saying that the focus of the program is to "not isolate the poor -- they are elevating the poor."
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Foreign students are caught cheating FIVE TIMES more often than their domestic classmates in college
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Posted:Jun 6, 2016 11:22 pm
Last Updated:Jun 9, 2016 6:19 am 105894 Views
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Foreign students are caught cheating an average of five times more often as their domestic classmates in the United States, a study has revealed.
Analysis by the Wall Street Journal found 5.1 reports of alleged cheating for every 100 international students, compared to just one domestic student.
However in some schools, there were up to eight times as many foreign students punished for the dishonest behavior.
The statistics covered the academic year 2014-15.
Sanctions for cheating can range from an F on an assignment to suspension or expulsion.
But some have gotten away with it, prompting speculation the higher tuition fees paid by foreign students means staff are being more lenient on violators.
In the academic year just ending, 586,208 international undergraduate students attended U.S. colleges and universities, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
More than 165,000 were from China. South Korea and Saudi Arabia were the source of nearly 50,000 each and India of about 23,500.
Academic staff members believe part of the problem lies with Chinese students. They blame their poor language skills and the pressure they are put on to obtain academic excellence.
Beth Mitchneck, a University of Arizona professor of geography and development, told the newspaper: 'Cheating among Chinese students, especially those with poor language skills, is a huge problem.
She added: 'I can assure you that somewhere someone at the university is doing a calculus about how much tuition they would lose if they start coming down hard on students who cheat.'
International students, in particular those from China, are more than five times as likely to cheat at U.S. colleges compared to domestic students, according to a new analysis by The Wall Street Journal.
WSJ reporters analyzed data from a dozen major U.S. universities, and found 5.1 cases of cheating for every 100 international students. That’s more than five times the cheating rate found for domestic students.
The cheating schemes ran the gamut of academic dishonesty. Some students collaborated to turn in the same set of (incorrect) answers, others had plants take exams for them, while one student took cash payments to complete papers.
In the past year, about 586,000 international students were studying at U.S. schools. China is by far the largest source of foreign students, without about 165,000 citizens studying in the U.S. this year, far ahead of Saudi Arabia and South Korea with about 50,000 apiece.
Both professors and students told the Journal that Chinese students seemed to pose the biggest risk when it comes to cheating.
“In China, it’s OK to cheat as long as you’re not caught,” an engineering student from Shanghai told the paper. The head of the Chinese student association at the Universtiy of California, San Diego agreed, saying that many Chinese students simply want to coast through college by cheating, if necessary.
“Cheating among Chinese students, especially those with poor language skills, is a huge problem,” added University of Arizona geography professor Beth Mitchneck. Arizona had a remarkably high cheating rate, with 11 incidents per 100 foreign students. Mitchneck placed partial blame on the school itself, which she accused of not adequately punishing dishonesty — not a single student was expelled for it in the 2014-15 school year — because it could imperil a lucrative revenue stream. International students almost always pay full freight on tuition, making them a helpful source of cash for schools that are dealing with stagnant or declining state funding. (RELATED: UC System Rejects In-State Students For More Outsiders, Foreigners)
“I can assure you that somewhere someone at the university is doing a calculus about how much tuition they would lose if they start coming down hard on students who cheat,” Mitchneck told the Journal.
Arizona’s Associate Dean of Students Chrissy Lieberman was more charitable, arguing that foreign students often don’t understand the idea of plagiarism as Americans do.
Widespread cheating originating from Asia is hardly a surprise. The SAT standardized test has been struggling for years to cope with massive cheating efforts on the Asian version of the test. Earlier this year, a major security breach forced the cancellation of the test at many Asian testing centers.
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Weekend joke - Military Time
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Posted:Jun 3, 2016 3:31 pm
Last Updated:Jun 14, 2016 7:55 am 108648 Views
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A crusty old Marine Sergeant Major found himself at a gala event hosted by a local liberal arts college.
There was no shortage of extremely young idealistic liberal ladies
in attendance, one of whom
approached the Sergeant Major for conversation.
"Excuse me, Sergeant Major, but you seem to be a very serious man..
Is something bothering you?"
"Negative, ma'am. Just serious by nature.."
The young lady looked at his awards and decorations and said, "It
looks like you have seen a lot of action."
"Yes, ma'am, a lot of action."
The young lady, tiring of trying to start up a conversation, said, "You
know, you should lighten up a little. Relax and enjoy yourself."
The Sergeant Major just stared at her in his serious manner. Finally the
young lady said, "You know, I hope you don't take this the wrong way,
but when was the last time you had sex?"
"1955, ma'am."
"Well, there you are. No wonder you're so serious. You really need to
chill out and relax! I mean, no sex since 1955! Come with me." She took
his hand and led him to a private room where she proceeded to "relax"
him several times.
Afterwards, panting for breath, she leaned against his grizzled bare chest
and said, "Wow, you sure didn't forget much since 1955."
The Sergeant Major said in his serious voice, after glancing at his watch,
"I hope not; it's only 2130 now."
Gotta love military time !!!
p.s. As a reminder, I am NOT the original writer of all the "Weekend jokes", so I am NOT responsible for them. Those "weekend jokes" are from my Las Vegas real estate agent weekly.
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Weekend joke - New bra invention
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Posted:May 27, 2016 3:45 pm
Last Updated:Jun 14, 2016 2:13 am 118246 Views
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Dr. Calvin Rickson, a scientist from Memorial University of Newfoundland, has invented a bra that keeps women's breasts from jiggling and prevents the nipples from pushing through the fabric when cold weather sets in.
At a news conference, in St John's announcing the invention, a large group of men took Dr. Rickson outside and kicked the shit out of him.
p.s. As a reminder, I am NOT the original writer of all the "Weekend jokes", so I am NOT responsible for them. Those "weekend jokes" are from my Las Vegas real estate agent.
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Trump pledges to rip up Paris climate agreement in energy speech
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Posted:May 26, 2016 10:22 pm
Last Updated:May 31, 2016 9:02 am 117913 Views
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In a rare prepared speech, Donald Trump outlined his energy policy in Bismarck, North Dakota.
Trump is known for bucking conservative orthodoxy but, on May 26, 2016, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee largely hewed to the typical Republican line. Reading from a teleprompter, Trump called for reducing restrictions on energy exploration, opening up more federal lands to drilling, and reducing dependence on foreign oil. He said he would try to reopen negotiations to build the Keystone XL pipeline, which President Obama rejected.
Trump railed against the “totalitarian tactics” of the Environmental Protection Agency. He pledged to dismantle the EPA entirely in an April town hall, although he referred to it at the time as the “Department of Environmental” and “DEP.” He assailed Hillary Clinton for saying in March that fracking projects would be unlikely to pass muster under her environmental regime.
“Hillary’s agenda is job destruction. My agenda is job creation,” Trump said.
He railed against “draconian climate rules” and said he would “cancel” the Paris climate agreement and withdraw any funding for United Nations programs related to global warming. Trump has repeatedly called climate change a “hoax” in the past, bucking the overwhelming international scientific consensus that man-made emissions are spurring a dangerous increase in global temperature.
Trump was joined by North Dakota Congressman Kevin Cramer, an early supporter now serving as an adviser to the candidate on energy policy.
Beyond vague promises to create jobs in whatever resource is most prevalent in a given state, Trump’s energy platform has been relatively unknown until now.
The most politically charged case was in Iowa, where he championed renewable fuel requirements that spurred local ethanol production while arguing that rival Sen. Ted Cruz opposed them because he was reliant on oil industry donations. Trump told reporters on Thursday would meet with the governor of Iowa before making any changes to ethanol policy.
Adopting a rally cry of conservative ethanol opponents, though, he remarked in his speech that “the government should not pick winners and losers” in energy. He did not directly address the issue in his remarks.
In recent days, Trump has pledged to reopen mines in states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and West Virginia — something experts say is unlikely given that the industry is in a long decline thanks to competition from cheaper alternatives like natural gas.
“We’re going to save that coal industry, believe me, we’re going to save it,” Trump said on Thursday.
Asked before his speech whether he was over-promising based on these obstacles, Trump said “market forces are beautiful,” and he wouldn’t interfere with competition. But he predicted he would be able to restore coal jobs by removing environmental regulations.
Trump’s contempt for regulations did not seem to extend to renewable energy, though, where he complained that wind turbines were “killing all of the eagles” and predicted the industry would fail without subsidies.
Despite this, he said he was “into all kinds of energy” and added in his speech that nuclear, solar, and wind power would play a role in the future.
In a statement, the League of Conservation voters criticized Trump’s new policy outline for failing to protect the environment.
“As Big Polluters’ new best friend, Trump’s ‘plan’ is pro-drilling, anti-EPA and is dangerous to our clean air and water,” spokesman David Willett said. “It does nothing to arrest our rapidly changing climate and the extreme weather already impacting Americans.”
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Weekend joke - Whack
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Posted:May 20, 2016 4:28 pm
Last Updated:Mar 27, 2024 1:51 pm 125364 Views
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A couple of old guys were golfing when one mentioned that he was going to
go to Dr. Steinberg for a new set of dentures the next morning.
His elderly buddy remarked that he, too, had gone to the very same dentist two years
before.
"Is that so?" asked the first old guy. "Did he do a good job?"
The second oldster replied, "Well, I was on the golf course yesterday when a
guy on the next fairway hooked a shot. The ball must have been going at
least 180 mph when it slammed me right in the testicles."
The first old guy was confused and asked, "What the hell does that have to
do with your dentures?"
"It was the first time in two years my teeth didn't hurt."
p.s. As a reminder, I am NOT the original writer of all the "Weekend jokes", so I am NOT responsible for them. Those "weekend jokes" are from my Las Vegas real estate agent.
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Taiwan first female president inauguration - May 20, 2016
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Posted:May 19, 2016 8:40 pm
Last Updated:May 21, 2016 2:25 pm 132333 Views
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Tsai Ing-wen was sworn in as Taiwan's first woman president on Friday, with the export-driven economy on the ropes and wary Communist Party rulers in China watching for any move towards independence by an island it considers its own.
Tsai's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won parliamentary and presidential elections by a landslide in January on voter backlash against creeping dependence on China.
The DPP, which has traditionally favored independence from China, takes over after eight years under China-friendly Nationalist Ma Ying-jeou.
Wearing a cream blazer with dark trousers, Tsai pledged to defend the country and abide by the constitution of the Republic of China, Taiwan's formal name, as she took the oath of office, which was carried on live TV broadcast.
Tsai's inauguration speech at 11.10 am (0310 GMT) will be widely watched for any hint of anti-China sentiment, which could sour economic ties further.
"The favorable interaction will be broken," said Chang An-lo, a pro-unification leader, rallying about 400 supporters outside the DPP headquarters this week.
Taiwan's main index was up a bit in cautious trade ahead of her speech. It slid to over three month lows last week with foreign investors net selling shares this month so far on political and economic worries.
The trade-reliant economy, which counts China as its biggest trading partner, is struggling to shake off last year's recession as prolonged weakness in global demand weighs on Asian exporters.
China has not ruled out using force to bring Taiwan under its control. It is deeply distrustful of the DPP, whose charter includes a clause promoting "a sovereign and independent Republic of Taiwan".
Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists fled to Taiwan after losing the civil war to the Communists in China in 1949. China has pressured the new Taiwan government to stick to the "one-China" principle agreed with the Nationalists.
That allows each side to interpret what "one China" means. The Communists say they rule all of China including Taiwan, while the Nationalists maintain Taipei is the ruler.
Tsai has said she will maintain the status quo, but stops short of referring to "one China".
During the inauguration ceremony, performers will pay tribute to demonstrations that have been key to the DPP's rise, including the 2014 Sunflower Movement protests.
The DPP is distrustful of growing economic dependence on China and champions Taiwan’s own history.
Tsai, partly of aboriginal descent, will take the stage in front of the presidential office, a life-size replica of which Taiwan has said has been built in China and used for attack practice.
"We have emphasized ... our hope that both sides will continue to show flexibility going forward in the name of maintaining peace and stability," said Daniel Kritenbrink, senior director for Asian Affairs at the White House's National Security Council, earlier this week.
The United States switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979, but is also Taiwan's biggest ally and arms supplier.
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BBC: China ignore revolution anniversary
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Posted:May 16, 2016 9:16 am
Last Updated:Jun 12, 2016 8:51 pm 145728 Views
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The 50th anniversary of the start of the Cultural Revolution, which plunged China into a decade of chaos, has been met with silence in state media.
On 16 May 1966 Communist leader Mao Zedong began a campaign to eliminate his rivals. At the same time he called on Chinese youth to "purge" society.
Years of bloodshed and turmoil ensued, ending with Mao's death in 1976.
How to handle the era's contentious legacy has remained a challenge to China's Communist rulers to this day.
On Monday, the main state media outlets made virtually no mention of the anniversary, focusing on coverage of the South China Sea and other domestic issues. No official events were planned by the authorities to mark the 50-year milestone.
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Weekend joke - Stupid people can become politicians
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Posted:May 13, 2016 7:08 pm
Last Updated:May 16, 2016 9:59 am 134492 Views
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Two engineers were standing at the base of a flagpole, looking at its top. A woman walked by and asked what they were doing.
"We're supposed to find the height of this flagpole," said Sven, "but we don't have a ladder."
The woman took a wrench from her purse, loosened a couple of bolts, and laid the pole down on the ground. Then she took a tape measure from her pocketbook, took a measurement, announced, "Twenty one feet, six inches," and walked away.
One engineer shook his head and laughed, "A lot of good that does us. We ask for the height and she gives us the length!"
(hint: height is the same as length)
Both engineers have since quit their engineering jobs and are currently serving as elected members of Congress.
p.s. As a reminder, I am NOT the original writer of all the "Weekend jokes", so I am NOT responsible for them. Those "weekend jokes" are from my Las Vegas real estate agent.
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Woman Caught Shamelessly Pinching a Loaf in Broad Daylight
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Posted:May 12, 2016 9:00 pm
Last Updated:Feb 21, 2017 9:31 pm 135462 Views
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Public defecation is a straight-up fact of life in mainland China. It’s something you’ll see on roads, public places, subways, airplanes, and even elevators. It’s not common in the USA (yet), but it might be soon.
Monterey Park, California, is a Taiwanese community that has seen a number of arrivals from Mainland China recently. They argue that the new immigrants are changing the face of the community. This was encapsulated last Tuesday, when a local resident Mrs Fang and her husband suddenly spotted a middle-aged Asian woman with her pants down, squatting and defecating on someone’s lawn without any regard for public decency. There’s no confirmation the woman is from Mainland China, but the community is speculating about her origin based on her behavior.
Fang told her husband to turn the car around for a second look, and her suspicions were confirmed. The woman, wiping up, unblinkingly stared back at the disbelieving Fang, nonplussed and shameless about her behavior. As Fang took photographs, the woman continued with her business, only pausing to turn her head away from the camera.
After wiping herself clean, she tossed the tissues on the ground, pulled up her pants, and then disappeared down the street.
Sylvia, who lives at the property, said she noticed the feces the next day when she went to walk her dog. She saw the used toilet paper and wondered if owners were starting to wipe their dogs after defecating.
She took it upon herself to clean up the mess, saying she didn’t want it to “affect other people”.
The website that broke this story, Chinese in LA, described the incident as being “extremely embarrassing for the image of Chinese people”, and reminded all residents of the Los Angeles suburb to maintain public decency.
Monterey Park mayor Peter Chan said the incident hurt the city’s image, and may impact whether others decide to move there in the future.
Source: World Journal, Chinese in LA,
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