It went right up to and a bit after 9pm – I have chopped up the session into five parts – not for content or “editing down” but simply because few people want to sit and watch long videos.
Part 1:
Part 2 et al after the jump
Skip
Data Point – with no “stop N ‘frisk” in NYC for 30 days, how did crime go?
No surprises here. Even in the short time (28 days since a judge all but outlawed most stop and frisk contacts) crime is up: 13% increase in shootings: 140 vs 124 same period last year. 9% increase in gunshot victims: 164 vs 150 same period last year And yes, most cops have “walked away” from … Read more
Obamacare goes LIVE in 1.5 weeks. How’s that gonna work for us?
Through serendipity I’ve ended up working in HIT (health information technology). I take 50 calls a day with independent insurance agents/brokers to navigate the hoops to qualify to sell on the FFM (Federal Facilitated Marketplaces). The Government websites they need to access to register are riddled with random error messages, and simply attempting to log in to complete this process routinely fails. The agents/brokers are, to a person, terrified. If they cannot complete this process by October 1st (the deadline) they are hosed. Nobody knows what to do, and this will only get worse when millions of consumers join the fray of the marketplace. It appears nobody scaled the back end to accommodate this exponential growth. And now?, It’s too late. It’s like the owner of the White Star line getting a telegram about the Titanic sinking and saying “We need to order more lifeboats.” And these are the smartest guys in the room? #soscrewed. For obvious reasons, don’t use my name please…
(H/T: Instapundit) I work for an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software company: we do manufacturing soup to nuts. From the receiving dock to inspection to inventory to shop floor to QA to picking and packing to shipping, we do it. We handle the engineering bits, the work enters, the scheduling, purchasing, and financials (and a whole bunch more around and in between). We do small companies, divisions, and entire corporations ($5 mil to billions in revenue). And one thing that we (and all other ERP companies) know, is test, test, test,test, test…and more test. Single function test, departmental test, cycle tests, flow tests – to complete simulation tests with rigorous results checking. Months and months spent before throwing that GO LIVE switch.
Oh, and did I forget something? Oh yeah – load tests. Do you have enough hardware to support X number of users doing N number of “stuff”? Can your network support the traffic? What happens when you go from 1 location to 3? 3 to 10? Country wide (we’ll leave international aside for purposes of Obamacare)?
Data Point – Sustainable?
101,493,000 people in the United States got health-insurance coverage through government-run programs, including Medicaid, Medicare, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, military-related health-care programs, the Indian Health Service, and state-government-run health plans. 97,180,000 people who worked full-time in the private sector And with Obamacare, the first number will skyrocket. That second number is decreasing – and … Read more
No, the responsibility is all Jennifer Horn’s…
I’ve been meaning to get back to this for a while; from WMUR’s Political Standing from 9/6/2013:
Kelly Ayotte: She takes the down arrow on behalf of all New Hampshire Republicans. All these problems are now her problem. They are too big, even for NHGOP Chair Jennifer Horn.
Now there’s a declaration that is about as wrong as it gets. The MAIN job of the NH GOP is to get candidates to run. Period. That’s it, seemingly (er, I can think of a lot of things, and if you’ve been reading the ‘Grok for any period of time, I’m guessing you know what some of those are). And there is ONLY one person responsible for this, and that is the NH GOP Chair, Jennifer Horn. While some might see Kelly Ayotte, being the highest elected Republican official in NH, as being the “titular head”, getting people to run is NOT her responsibility. And Pindell is dead wrong in trying to lay this on Ayotte. When you are the Chief, the buck stops with you (regardless of what President Blameless says).
GrokTV: Cornerstone Common Core Forum – Intros
This past Tuesday, the ‘Grok was invited to cover Conerstone Policy Research’s Common Core Forum. Four nationally known educators and education consultants gathered to speak to an overflow crowd at St. Anselm College’s Institute of Politics. Topics ranged from standards to privacy to its purpose (er, not what you think it is) and data mining – all part of the Federalization of what used to be local control education process and curriculum.
While I am going to go back and review each speaker’s video again to pull out the high points, here are some points that I did write down while manning three cameras:
#1 – Race to the Top – Federal Secretary Arne Duncan’s scheme to have states to compete adopt federal protocols by “coercive Federalism” by offering grant money. Translated by the speaker: ..“they all had to compete to get their money back“. A subdued laughter from the crowd ensued at the visualization but realizing that it turns State and local elected and appointed officials into beggars. So much for the real sense of Federalism.
Introductory Remarks by Ashley Pratte (Exec. Dir) and Ann Marie Banfield (Educational Liason)
#2 – Contrary to what is being said,
GrokTV: Cornerstone Common Core Forum – Jamie Gass
Jamie Gass (Director of the Center for School Reform at the Pioneer Institute) spoke first. Provided by Cornerstone:
At Pioneer, he as framed and commissioned over 60 research papers on education reform topics. Jamie has more than two decades of experience in public administration and education reform at the state and municipal levels. Previously, he worked at the MA Office of Educational Quality and Accountability as Senior Policy Analyst – technical Writer and in the state budget office under two MA governors. In the 1990s, Jamie worked for the Dean of Boston University School of Education / Boston University Management Team in its historic partnership with the Chelsea Public Schools. He has appeared on Boston media outlets.
Part 1:
Part 2 after the jump:
Perhaps Common Core needs to adopt the ‘Grok’s Rule #1?
I have two rules for the folks that write at GraniteGrok:
- Rule #1: Adult themes, kid friendly
I do not want to hear that Janie and Johnny ran to their parents and asked “Mommy, what does this mean?” and then the parents come to me and ask “Oh REALLY!!!”
- Rule #2: Write when you can on stuff you want to, just don’t violate Rule #1.
Apparently, even before I can get all the videos up from Cornerstone’s sold out event, some Common Core materials are already sending fourth grade kiddies to Mommy and Daddy over their homework assignment:
“What’s a pimp?“
GrokTV: Cornerstone Common Core Forum – Dr. Sandra Stotsky, Ed.D
The second speaker of the evening was Dr. Stotsky who was a professor of education reform at the University of Arkansas and held the 21st Century Chair in Teacher Quality. She retired in December 2012. She served as Sr. Associate Commissioner at the MA Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education from 1999-2003 where she was in charge of developing or revising all the state’s K-12 standards, teacher licensure tests, and teacher and administrator licensure regulations. She serve on the MA Board of Elementary and Secondary Ed from 2006-2010, appointed by Gov. Mitt Romney. She served on the National Mathematics Advisory Panel, from 2006-2008, appointed by Secretary of Ed Margaret Spellings. Most recently she server on the Common Core Validation Committee from 2009-2010. She was one of the five members of the Validation Committee who would not sign off on the standards as being validated. She was also editor of NCTE’s premier research journal, Research in the Teaching of English, from 1991 – 1997. She has published extensively in professional journals and has written several books.
Part 1:
Part 2 after the jump along with previous videos from the evening:
GrokTV: Cornerstone Common Core Forum – Jane Robbins
The third speaker of the night was Jane Robbins. She is a Senior Fellow with American Principles Project. Her works includes education policy, student privacy and parental rights issue and has drafted state legislation on educational transparency and sovereignty. Ms. Robbins began her career as a labor lawyer for an Atlanta firm, after which she worked for the firm as director of associate training and writing coach. Since then she has taught legal writing at Emory Law School, presented legal-writing workshops for firms in Atlanta and Washington, DC, and served as a writing consultant for several Atlanta firms. In the past several years she has handled a variety of legal projects for different firms and organizations. On behalf of APP, Ms. Robbins writings have appeared in, among other places, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The New York Post, and Public Discourse. Ms. Robbins is a native of Pendleton, South Carolina, and is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Clemson University.
Part 1:
Part 2 and previous videos after the jump:
Layers and Layers of fact checkers and editor – and GREAT reporters too!
For all of the media reports about the tragedies of Aurora, Newton, and Columbine, is it TOO much to ask of a national news anchor, CNN’s Carol Costello, to remember that incident of what the Obama Administration continues to label “workplace violence”? “I used to work in Washington, live in Washington. This seems so unusual … Read more
Er, no.
A non-starter, or should be, for anyone who actually thinks that there really is a purpose to the NH GOP Platform (and by-laws) as opposed to the Gene Chandler Theorem of Being a Republican (“Any Republican that helps us regain power is a good Republican“). From DiStaso today – what does Brad Cook believe (potential and erstwhile candidate for NH Governor)? And, most important to the grassroots, how would Brad Cook fare when measured against the standard of what a Good Republican is suppose to typify – the NH GOP Platform (quotes from it are bolded):
- Refuses to take the Pledge to veto a state sales or income tax.
Which if enacted, either a sales or income tax would definitely cause Government to grow as most Establishment Republicans (re: remember the gas tax raise?) and Democrats seemingly forget that the ability to tax more ALWAYS ends up in bigger government, not limited.
We’d be New Jersey (who put in an income tax to lessen the property taxes – how’d that work out for them?)! So what does the NH GOP Platform say about that?
- We, the people of the New Hampshire Republican Party, do stand united in our dedication to preserving freedom, limited government and unlimited opportunity for all
- Strongly oppose new taxes and fees, including an income, sales or capital gains tax
To those that are using today’s tragedy for their political gain: Molon Labe
Update and Bumped: NBC News via Instapundit:
…But law enforcement officials told NBC News they believed he arrived packing only the shotgun, which he bought last week from a gun dealer in Lorton, Va., about 20 miles from Washington.
Hmm, reported by Instapundit, this seems to have been scrubbed from the report: The officials also said Alexis obtained the assault rifle used in the shooting from a gun safe on the naval base. There’s where he may have also obtained a handgun, according to authorities. That would mean more crimes attributable to Alexis – and no background check required or used.
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We do not know why evil people do bad things to innocents. We do not know what lurks in their hearts or in their twisted souls that allows them to harm others for what seems to be random or unknown reasons. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families affected by this evil man’s decision to put himself and his emotions / reasons before that of the peoples’ lives he took and those he hurt. Nothing will or can bring them back – may God comfort you in only ways that He can.
Sad to say, the usual suspects already are up in arms (pun intended) about another shooting incident. US Senator Diane Feinstein (CA-gungrabber), never one to consider that EVIL is the source of this and not a hunk of metal and plastic, said today:
“This is one more event to add to the litany of massacres that occur when a deranged person or grievance killer is able to obtain multiple weapons — including a military-style assault rifle — and kill many people in a short amount of time. When will enough be enough?” asked Feinstein. “Congress must stop shirking its responsibility and resume a thoughtful debate on gun violence in this country. We must do more to stop this endless loss of life.”
The California Democrat is one of the Senate’s leading advocates for further gun control measures at the federal level, including an assault weapons ban.
That is true, but not strictly true;
Obligatory Bidenism Post: Best EVAH!
Sheesh…. “John Kerry has been one of the best Secretaries of State so far in the history of the United States”” Riiight. Six months on the job and the only thing he’s done has waived Putin to the stage front and put his boss behind the curtain. Who wants to bet somebody will put him … Read more
Notable Quote – Glenn Reynolds
Understated funny guy, this one: ESCAPE READING: On the recommendation (as mentioned earlier) of several readers, I’ve been reading through Jay Allan’s Crimson Worlds novels. Set in an America that has become a corrupt state, run by an inbred political class drawn from just a few select universities and overseeing a populace of “cogs” who … Read more
Heh! Putin Birthers?
(H/T: Liberal Logic 101)
College Students for Al-Qaeda (and not just pro-Palestinian ones either)
On the juxtaposition that some people will sign for almost anything, the Liberal Chick got a whole bunch of college kids to sign a petition that advocated to send care packages to the “Freedom Fighters” in Syria. (Video on the jump)
You know, the ones that belong to “affiliates of Al-Qaeda”? The same Al-Qaeda groups that Obama and “Lurch” Kerry want to ally themselves with in that civil war? I’m sorry (sorta) – sometimes, you just can’t make this stuff up – this was done on 9/10: the day before we honor those 3,000 innocents killed on our soil by……Al-Qaeda.
California: due to Obamacare, we will FORCE doctors to take new patients
Rather than mere head count, officials say they are scrutinizing what capacity physicians have to accept new patients… “Does the doctor have room for one more patient or 40 patients? It’s about available seats,” Lee said. “We want to make sure every network has enough doctors.”
Translation: if The State believes that certain doctors are “slacking off” (betcha they accuse them of wanting to make the Government look bad, or be unpatriotic, or wanting to hurt other patients, or some such nonsense), I bet that the docs are gonna get a visit (“Er, nice practice youse got here – pity if something were to happen to it”).
What if the doctor doesn’t WANT to take more patients – that they happy with their income the way it is and wish to not work harder but rather enjoy life? Or will this be the Progressive way: we must take from others (in this case, the doctors’ time) to give to others – the epitome of Tyranny? And what would future docs think of this? I was waiting for this to happen – I knew that just legislating that 50 million more people by government fiat was going to be a disaster. What we are seeing here in NH with Anthem’s “narrow network” was just the first BIG disclosure that the Federal Nationalization of Healthcare (aka, Obamacare) was going to be in trouble. While here in NH, those that believe that Citizens should be able to choose their docs have been trying to slow this down, CA has gone whole hog in getting Obamacare implemented (emphasis mine, reformatted)…
…and running into the EXACT same problem – Kiss your Doc goodby because they may not be in that “skinny network’!
Sidenote: Glad to see that NH CongressCritter Annie Kuster is just dandy with this notion, dontcha know!
GrokTALK! September 14th 2013 – The video
And yes, we have video – consider it both an addition to the audio podcasts that Steve slaves over and a backup in case we don’t have the audio. All of the topics he mentioned, just that you can see us (plus the “extras” as we don’t don’t stop talking through the breaks!).
Segment 1
Steve and Skip
Guest post by NH State Rep Jane Cormier: “Rep. Bob Kingsbury Is Turning In His Grave”
Rep. Bob Kingsbury Is Turning In His Grave
How does a public servant who has been an Attorney, Judge, and Representative of the NH House, come up with a “tribute” editorial for a fellow representative which offers such profound prejudice? Serving with Rep. Huot, I can only hope he “misspoke” in his recent Letter to the Editor dated Tues., Sept. 10, “Bob Kingsbury Served His Country Well”. I tend to think, however, he did not.
While the sentiment in Rep. Huot’s letter started out gracefully, it quickly descended into partisan hell. “Although some of us did not think it wise that a person with his views should serve in public office…” is an immensely derogatory statement, not only on Rep. Kingsbury’s service (Rep. Kingsbury was a PATRIOT – or was that the problem?), but on our Constitutional Republic and how it is set up to function.
I have two questions for Rep. Huot: