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Also at the launching ceremony were Santa Rosa City Mayor Danilo Fernandez, Vice Mayor Arnold Arcillas, Laguna First District Representative Arlene Arcillas, and TMPF treasurer Blesilda Rodriguez.
If I were casting the musical version of "300," they would totally get parts. They sang "Hello" by Lionel Richie and the judges said goodbye. It was that bad.
We were then treated to a montage of terrible singers, including Zuhri Lahmaar. When they told him that his horrible performance wasn't going to cut it, he just about had a nervous breakdown. He was sad and I moved on.
Finally, after too many bad singers we had a good one. Well, not just good, she was amazing.
She sang Beyonce's "If I were a Boy," and boy was she great. I got chills when she started to belt it, and of course she received four yeses.
Former contestant Aaron Day, 18, decided to come and audition again as a solo artist. He sang an original song and really took over the stage. He looked like a star and had the charisma of a star.
Baltimore native Changyi Li, 52, truly made Maryland proud. (Hopefully you can sense the sarcasm.) She moved to America 12 years ago but her accent was still very thick. She was dressed very quirky and had dreams of being a star. All signs pointed to this not ending well.
Finally she took the stage. She decided to sing "My Heart Will Go On." Ever heard of it?
While she was very confident and sweet, her voice was shaky and the words were hard to understand. She did take being told "no" well. Bonus points for being different and having a good attitude.
Austin Corini, 16, was Justin Bieber 2.0. Before he even started singing he had girls swooning and asking him for his autograph. When the platinum blond teenager started to sing the audience went crazy.
The judges liked him but passed him through, in part due to all the screaming girls. There's always room for a teenage heart throb on the charts I guess.
Then came a moment that I rewound multiple times. Nick Youngerman, 20, rapped his way into Britney's heart.
We all have those guilty pleasures that when they start to play at a wedding reception or Bat Mitzvah, you go crazy. For Britney it is "Ice Ice Baby." Britney yelled that she loves this song and stood up to dance, the only judge to do so. I almost forgot what a dance icon she is when she started doing her awkward white...
Two love birds who performed as Jaime told everyone just how in love they were. With stars in their eyes and doves flying around, they said that they wake up every morning and just stare at each other for 15 minutes everyday.
They probably should have used that hour and 45 minutes a week to work on their routine, because the judges weren't in love with them.
Another Maryland native was David Correy, 26. In one of the more emotional auditions, David said that he was going on so that he could find his birth mother. The judges quickly fell in love with him. His rendition of "Just the Way You Are" was great and easily earned four yeses.
When Sophie Tweed-Simmons arrived in her fancy SUV, I knew something was up with her. Then Gene Simmons exited the car and I realized that she was the daughter of the KISS singer.
Sophie sang "Make You Feel My Love." This performace was kind of like diet Adele, in that it got the job done but not quite like the real thing. This only gave her three votes, L.A. being the only one to say no.
Sophie's privileged upbringing had Tara Simon rolling her eyes. The vocal coach had "steel in [her] eyes" as Simon said. While I didn't like her behavior I did understand it. Sophie stated that this was her first audition and her father was a rock legend. It came off a little like her not paying her dues.
The way they were portraying Tara, I really thought that she would bomb. The judges ended up loving her. It was ironic though that she said that she would take out Christina Aguilera because they both over sing.
The vocal gymnastics gave me a headache and the attitude wasn't helping. Demi loved her "Mariah-esque" notes and she moved on to boot camp.
You win Fox, I'll tune in tomorrow.
What did you guys think of the episode? Who had the best/worst audition? And are you happy we saw some Maryland love tonight?
The instance [Two] treatises concerning regeneration : 1. Of repentance. 2. Of the diet of the soule. Shewing, the one it ought to be sought after and may be attained vnto. The other, how it being gotten, is to be preserued and continued, (electronic resource) represents a material embodiment of a distinct intellectual...
Sara Flounders speaking at Chicago Ukraine meeting, April 12.
Anti-war and anti-imperialist activists in Chicago held a successful public teach-in on U.S.-NATO aggression against Ukraine and Russia on April 12 despite the U.S. ruling-class media’s political pressure and despite having to beat back a physical attack by pro-fascist organizations here.
The U.S. population overall is war weary and wary of any new adventure in Ukraine, especially one where the two major nuclear powers are in a confrontation. Still, not only the overall sentiment but actions even by small groups can be decisive at the beginning of a struggle.
The meeting underlined two important lessons for progressive activists organizing in the U.S. on this issue. Ideological firmness is always needed to withstand the pressure of U.S. imperialism’s propaganda machine. And a united front providing organized self-defense and security is often necessary to assure the protect...
The title of the meeting was “A Chicago Teach-in: Stop U.S./NATO — No New Cold War over Ukraine.” The organizations calling the meeting included Workers World Party (workers.org/wwp), Freedom Road Socialist Organization (fightbacknews.org), the American Labor Party, Students for a Democratic Society and the Internation...
The organizers gathered an impressive list of speakers, including Rick Rozoff, who manages the StopNATO news website (rickrozoff.wordpress.com); Holly Kent-Payne, of the local Anti-War Committee; SDS member Kait McIntyre; Alfonso Casal, of the American Party of Labor; and Sara Flounders, co-director of the Internationa...
Casal was speaking on the historical roots of Ukrainian fascism and how U.S. imperialism gave support to fascist groups after the German Nazi occupation of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ended in 1945.
A handful of fascists and extreme nationalists got into the meeting. Others, locked out, repeatedly tried the door and shouted angrily at the security volunteers standing watch inside. One of the group who had been allowed in earlier then stood in the doorway while the right-wing crowd from outside surged forward in an...
Struch told of a March 22 anti-fascist demonstration that was harassed and photographed by a large group of Ukrainian-origin fascists, which finally had to defend itself.
Not all those of Ukrainian heritage support the ultra-right forces. There is a long history of participation by Ukrainian-origin workers in progressive and even revolutionary labor organizations in North America. (See “Don’t forget Ukraine’s communist traditions,” WW, March 4.) But U.S. imperialism has nurtured the mos...
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Maryland's second highest court upholds case of juvenile shackling, denounces routine use of the practice.
Maryland's second-highest court has ruled that youths should not appear shackled in juvenile courtrooms, a decision that cements long-standing efforts to curb the controversial practice.
In a unanimous decision this week, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals issued the first order requiring judges and magistrates to unshackle youths during juvenile court proceedings unless the person poses a security threat.
The issue has been debated for years because the juvenile system is designed to rehabilitate young offenders, and youth advocates argue that indiscriminate shackling further traumatizes a vulnerable population.
The Supreme Court has ruled that, in most cases, shackling adults in court violates their civil rights.
"We see no reason why extending to children the right guaranteed adult criminal defendants to appear in court free of shackles, absent a particularized finding of need, would impede the objectives of the juvenile system," wrote Judge J. Frederick Sharer in the appellate decision. "Indeed, a presumption against shacklin...
Maryland lawmakers are moving to withhold $1 million from the state's juvenile justice budget as they await answers from the department about the routine use of strip searches and shackles on youths in state custody.
The ruling affirms a nonbinding resolution adopted by the Maryland Court of Appeals last fall that has been implemented inconsistently. It also puts Maryland on a growing list of states that have laws or court rulings denouncing the practice as harmful to children and their due process.
"This is huge," said Christina Gilbert who heads a national campaign against juvenile shackling by the National Juvenile Defender Center, an advocacy group in Washington.
For more than a year, the campaign has tracked states' actions on juvenile shackling. Half the states and the District of Columbia have rejected indiscriminate shackling of juveniles.
State lawmakers on Wednesday called the routine shackling and strip-searching of youths in the state's juvenile justice facilities "simply unacceptable" and demanded an "immediate" end to the practices.
Delaware's Legislature passed a bill Friday to limit the use of shackles on defendants in juvenile delinquency proceedings; it now goes to Gov. Jack Markell.
The Maryland public defender's office and the Juvenile Justice Monitoring Unit, an independent agency in the state attorney general's office, also have called on the Department of Juvenile Services to stop indiscriminate shackling and strip searches.
Agency officials say they need to strip search and shackle those in their care to maintain security and keep contraband out of detention facilities. At the behest of the General Assembly, the agency and a task force are studying the practices.
When shackling juveniles in court, agency officials say they are following judges' orders.
But the public defender's office argued that the practice harms young defendants physically and psychologically, leads to a presumption of guilt and impairs their ability to defend themselves.
Following the lead of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, Maryland's highest court passed a voluntary resolution in September to curtail the practice.
A Baltimore Sun investigation this year found that judges across the state moved to change their policies after the Court of Appeals resolution was adopted, except in Baltimore.
Though the resolution still gave juvenile judges discretion, it stated that the default should be to unshackle juveniles, as "placing children in shackles can be traumatizing and contrary to the developmentally appropriate approach to juvenile justice."
Judge Robert Kershaw, who heads the juvenile courts in Baltimore City, said at the time that while he believes courtroom shackling of juveniles is "sickening," it would be unrealistic to expect that every youth would be unshackled.
The public defender's office said shackling still happened too often, but the judge maintained that magistrates were exercising their discretion.
Terri Charles, a spokeswoman for the judiciary, said judges would not comment on rulings.
In his opinion, Sharer noted that the "presumption against shackling juvenile respondents has, in recent months, been one of public concerns and discussion."
Calling the Court of Appeals resolution "aspirational," he said the Court of Special Appeals issued the ruling "to effect uniformity and to eliminate disparities in practice from courtroom to courtroom."
"It's unfortunate that it took this long for the court to clarify because what we saw was a real disparity across the state," Gilbert said. "Now children should be treated equally no matter where in Maryland they are."
The ruling requires that juveniles not be shackled "unless and until there has been a finding on the record that the juvenile poses a security concern or threat that would disrupt those particular proceedings or involve danger to the juvenile or others."
In one way, the ruling was a hollow victory. The court upheld a magistrate's decision to keep a Baltimore boy shackled throughout his trial for stealing a cellphone. The ruling found that restraining the juvenile did not impede his right to a fair court proceeding and noted that the magistrate had discretion to do so.
"While on the one hand, I wish we had won this case for the sake of the client, I have to give the court credit for the rule it endorsed," said Brian Saccenti, the boy's attorney.
Saccenti said the public defender's office is still reviewing the ruling and has not determined whether to appeal it.
In the 2014 case, the Baltimore boy, identified as D.M. because juvenile court proceedings are kept confidential, spent his trial in handcuffs and leg shackles.
Attorneys argued that that violated his due process rights, made it more likely that the victim and witnesses would identify him as the thief, and hindered his ability to defend himself and to confer with his attorney because he could not take notes.
According to the transcript, the Baltimore magistrate denied defense motions to unshackle the boy, saying it was a judge's responsibility to keep the court safe. The boy's attorneys argued that he had no history of violence. The court officer said he had raised his middle finger at people in the past.
The magistrate offered a jacket to shield the youth's handcuffs from the witnesses and to put a pen and notepad in his lap so he could take notes with the cuffs on. The boy was ultimately found "involved," the equivalent of guilty in adult court.
Melissa Ricke, a Baltimore juvenile public defender, said she hopes the ruling sends a clear message.
"It will be one less barrier to young people believing that they have a fair shake at trial and maybe this is a fair and impartial process, as it should be," Ricke said. "But the fact that we even had to get to this point is frustrating, and somewhat absurd."
This new, four bedroom, detached home is situated on the Cresswell Park estate in East Preston.
Well-balanced, The Larchford, in Roundstone Lane, is designed for getting together in the relaxed social hub of its kitchen/family room, featuring French doors and a separate utility room.
The large sitting room also benefits from French doors, opening up the home to the rear patio area.
There is also plenty of room to get away from everyone, whether it is in the study or one of four good-sized bedrooms, including a luxury en-suite and fitted wardrobe in the master.
All complemented by a family bathroom, downstairs WC and garage.
Charming and characterful, Angmering lies a few miles between the popular beach towns of Littlehampton and Worthing.
SYDNEY (Reuters) - The euro wallowed just above a fresh 12-year low early on Thursday having faced an unrelenting onslaught this week as the European Central Bank kicked off its one trillion euro bond-buying campaign.
The program has already driven yields of many euro zone bonds deeper into negative territory and others to all-time lows. A 30-year German bond now offers a yield that is less than that of a two-year US Treasury note.
Unsurprisingly, investors kept well clear of the common currency. It fell as far as US$1.0511, stopping just short of the March 2003 trough of US$1.0501. A break there will only heat up talk of parity. The euro last stood at US$1.0554.
Against the sterling, it fell to its lowest in over seven years at 70.11 pence. It hit a record low of NZ$1.4434 and slumped to a near two-year trough 127.64 yen .
Developments in Greece continued to garner some attention, though Athens appeared to have made no headway in persuading euro zone partners to renegotiate terms of a 240 billion euro bailout.
In contrast, the US dollar climbed further, fuelled in part by expectations the Federal Reserve is not far from lifting interest rates.
Against commodity currencies, the US dollar hovered just below six-year peaks on its Canadian and Australian peers.
Australia's employment data due at 0030 GMT will be the next test for the Aussie dollar. Any upside surprises could see markets quickly unwind already very bearish positions.
North Carolina-based acoustic duo Mandolin Orange have spent the past decade quietly releasing sturdy collections of originals that blend bluegrass, soft-rock, folk and country. The group’s latest single, “The Wolves” — a preview of their upcoming album Tides of a Teardrop — Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz offer a compe...
For a group best known for its instrumental virtuosity, “The Wolves” is notable for its storytelling. Mandolin Orange merge an affecting, character-based narrative of an elderly woman who’s overcome a life of hardship with a newly impressionistic, non-linear lyricism. It’s a new step for the band, and one that’s reward...
Mike Vogel, coming off his starring role on the NBC military drama The Brave, has been tapped to lead the cast of another broadcast drama project, the ABC pilot Triangle, from Jon Harmon Feldman and Jennifer Gwartz’s Random Hill and ABC Studios.
Under the Dome star Mike Vogel has been tapped as the lead of For God and Country, NBC’s military drama pilot from writer Dean Georgaris, Keshet Studios and Universal TV.
EXCLUSIVE: Kate Upton, Mike Vogel and Christine Woods have joined coming-of-age indie comedy Wild Man. The movie stars Ted Welch (The Help) and George Dalton (Netflix’s Wet Hot American Summer) as unlikely friends who meet when Bo (Welch) serves house arrest across the street from Elliott (Dalton).
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Moving is never easy and the process can be exhausting when transferring all of your belongings from house to house. Adding children and pets into the equation can make moving even more stressful.
Whether arriving or departing, an organized move is the key to success. Below are a few tips from Balfour Beatty Communities to help make your next move stress-free.
· Keep your children in the loop and talk openly about the move. Filling your children in on the big change sooner rather than later will give them extra time to process. Be available to talk and let them express their concerns openly. A writing journal may also give them the opportunity to write down favorite memories...
· Explore together. Spend time researching the area to see what fun things there are to do in your new town. You can also research sports and community activities in the area, such as events held by the Balfour Beatty Communities' LifeWorks program. For school-age children you can also review their school calendar to s...
· Get them involved with the packing process. Organize a special box with their favorite things and unpack this box first so that they feel at home.
· Prepare for goodbyes. Collect email and street addresses as well as phone numbers from friends and neighbors. You can even prepare a message book for your child with well wishes from neighbors and friends to prepare them for their new journey.
· For the move itself, make sure to have plenty of entertainment available such as car/plane-friendly games, CDs, books/magazines, healthy snacks and a portable DVD player.
At Balfour Beatty Communities, we take sustainability seriously. Below are a few suggestions to help you relocate responsibly.

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