Jwill's Log

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A defiant, Democratic-controlled Senate approved legislation Thursday calling for the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq within a year, propelling Congress closer to an epic, wartime veto confrontation with President Bush.

Good news. Congress is working toward a solution to end this unnecessary bloodshed. But the problem:

The 51-47 vote was largely along party lines, and like House passage of a separate, more sweeping challenge to Bush’s war policies a week ago, fell far short of the two-thirds margin needed to overturn the president’s threatened veto. {emphasis mine}

So even if these two parts get through, we’re going to have to hope for more people in Congress being convinced. But hey, they’re standing up, and this is good.

Source: Boston.com
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In Natick, a growing number of students are bringing their own laptops to class, because the district does not have enough modern machines to run the latest software. And in Boston, it is teachers who are bringing their own laptops to school to sidestep the system’s unreliable equipment.

Kay Lazar, Globe Staff

Blah…I wish schools had more funds. People are always reluctant to raise taxes, so maybe schools should try to hold their own fundraisers and take donations. The community has to get involved to better the school systems’ technology. The state and the city can and will only provide so much. Boston Latin Academy, for example, has a School Parents Council that tries to raise money for the school. We need programs like that in more and more places. We need fundraisers that are for the school and not just ones for the Senior Class, Junior Class, etc.

Definitely something I’m going to be thinking about as I plan on going into teaching. Referring to that quote above, I’d be one of those teachers that carried my own laptop. More so because I’d rather use a Mac than a PC, but part of the reason is because I don’t want to deal with their viruses or any possible slowness.

Vice President Dick Cheney on Saturday accused the Democrat-led House of not supporting troops in Iraq and of sending a message to terrorists that America will retreat in the face danger.

Associated Press | Read Original Article

I just have one question to ask: Why do things like this even become articles? We already know what the Bush administration thinks. They’re always going to think this. They’re always going to say this. I just feel it’s a waste of the AP’s time to go about getting a picture to go with this article, to get a writer to write the article, and to get it published, just to say the same old thing, which is basically quoted above.

If it was another administration that always said the same thing, I’d say the same. It’s just so repetitive.

IsraCast: Scuba diving without air tanks

Interesting read.

I was called in for Jury Duty on this date, March 23rd, 2007. I woke up at 6:30. I got ready as quickly as I could, and packed my red Nike bag.

I never knew that the value-adding machines ran on a timer. My father (who was with me to show me the way to the courthouse) learned that the hard way. He was putting money in, and he took so long to find more money that it spit the money out and told him he took too long. We eventually both got through, caught a train, and went off to Park Street. It was 8:00 by time we hit Park Street. My father said that the trains run too slow, but I told him this was normal speed and that there was no way we were getting to the courthouse by 8. We got there by 8:15 and luckily they were still taking people in.
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