:: blame the extended gestation.... ::

:: Friday, February 13, 2004 ::

Study: State's poor not as hard hit by recession - 2004-02-13 - Sacramento Business Journal:

"California's recent economic downturn has not hit poor residents nearly as hard as have recessions of the past - nor has it significantly increased poverty - according to a study released Friday by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC)."

:: Jim Nichols 2/13/2004 05:36:00 PM [+] ::
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Proposition 55 - University of California -:

UC Regents Endorse Prop. 55 Education Bond

The University of California Board of Regents has endorsed the Facilities Bond Acts of 2002 and 2004, which would provide funding for K-12 and higher education facility needs through 2006.

On Nov. 5, 2002, California voters approved Proposition 47, the state bond measure that will provide $13 billion for school facilities, with 59% of the vote. It authorized more than $11.4 billion for K-12 and $1.65 billion for higher education capital projects. The companion measure, on the March 2004 ballot as Proposition 55, would provide funding for facilities for public schools throughout the state – including $10 billion for K-12 and $2.3 billion for higher education.

In all, the legislation which placed the bond measures on the ballot (AB 16) authorizes a total of $27 billion in general obligation bond funds over four years to help fund K-12 and higher education facility needs. The measure received overwhelming bipartisan support in the Legislature.

UC would receive approximately $345 million per year for capital outlay for the four-year period covered by the two bond acts. The California State University and the California Community Colleges would also receive capital projects funding.

University of California's projected capital needs total $600 million per year through 2006. The university expects enrollment growth of approximately 63,000 additional students between 2000-2010.

A copy of Proposition 55 and ballot arguments, visit the Secretary of State's Proposition 55 web page. Complete 2002 election returns and county-by-county results for Proposition 47 are also available on the Secretary of State's election returns page."

:: Jim Nichols 2/12/2004 04:21:00 PM [+] ::
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UC Davis News & Information :::

"Even with a 400-year history of attracting immigrants from around the world, the United States continues to prefer newcomers with white faces, says UC Davis immigration historian Bill Ong Hing.

In his new book 'Defining America Through Immigration Policy,' Hing explores links between traditional racial concepts of who is a true American and how we enforce federal immigration policies.

'Immigration policies are not simply reflections of whom we regard as potential Americans, they are vehicles for keeping out those who do not fit the image and welcoming those who do,' says Hing, a professor of law and Asian American studies.

In his book, Hing shows how immigration policies excluded the 'undesirable Asians' in the 19th century. He also covers the 1917 literacy law; the 1952 act that excluded communists, homosexuals and other undesirables; discriminatory quotas; and diversity visas.
He also explores why Americans condone policies that push Mexican migrants to travel north through remote, uninhabited deserts, placing them in mortal danger.

'The American public has come to devalue the lives of undocumented Mexican border-crossers, having been conditioned to view these people as something other than potential Americans,' Hing says.
The events of Sept. 11 reminded Americans that the United States is a nation of immigrants that has grown increasingly diverse since 1965, Hing says. However, the acts of terrorism also triggered broad government targeting of racial and ethnic groups.

'Our nation's immigration and refugee policies tell us much about ourselves, including whom we tolerate, much less respect,' Hing says."

:: Jim Nichols 2/12/2004 04:18:00 PM [+] ::
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Haiti rebels angry, but disorganized | csmonitor.com:

"For eight days now, Haiti's fourth-largest city has been controlled by an armed rebel gang whose barricades on the national highway have cut the country in two. The port city echoes with automatic weapons fire, and dark smoke billows from burning car hulks blocking the streets. As many as 50 people have been killed, and the police have abandoned more than a dozen Haitian cities and towns as the violence spreads. "

Its sad I know next to nothing about this country, or whats going on right now. A person should know their neighbors...

:: Jim Nichols 2/12/2004 04:14:00 PM [+] ::
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California home prices jump nearly 18 percent - 2004-02-12 - Sacramento Business Journal:

"Demand for housing in California helped push housing prices to record levels in the fourth quarter of 2003, up 17.9 percent on a year-to-year basis, the California Association of Realtors said Thursday.

The median price of an existing, single-family detached home in California during the fourth quarter hit $391,680. For the year as a whole, the median price of an existing, single-family detached home was a new annual record at $372,720, also a 17.9 percent increase compared to 2002. Record high prices were noted in all parts of the state, the association says.

The Sacramento area experienced a 16.5 percent increase over a year ago as the median price rose to $262,210. That's 3.7 percent higher than the third quarter. Broken down by counties, El Dorado County reported a 13.6 percent increase over last year from $279,000 to $317,000; Placer was up 17.6 percent to $350,000 from $297,500; Sacramento County was up 16.9 percent to $268,909 from $230,000; and Yolo County was up 12.4 percent to a median of $286,500 from $255,000. "

:: Jim Nichols 2/12/2004 04:11:00 PM [+] ::
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Yahoo! News - Israel to Shun World Court Hearing on Barrier:

" Israel said on Thursday it would not attend a World Court hearing on whether it should tear down a barrier taking in Jewish settlements on occupied West Bank territory that Palestinians want for a state. "

Where's Bush--aka the great defender of human rights--when you need him.

:: Jim Nichols 2/12/2004 03:16:00 PM [+] ::
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Another great quote

"I envy people who drink - at least they know what to blame everything
on." -Oscar Levant

:: Jim Nichols 2/11/2004 11:10:00 PM [+] ::
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The question no one is asking...

I know i've been gone. I've surely lost some readers. I had been getting pretty good about posting. Lots going on in my life right now so blogging hasn't been a top priority. Hopefully part of my "getting back to normal" focus will include some posts every now and then.

:: Jim Nichols 2/11/2004 11:09:00 PM [+] ::
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They call him a strong leader... but the generals don't seem to agree...
Military Costs: Service Chiefs Challenge White House on the Budget:

" In an unusual public display of differences with the White House, the top officers of the Army, Marine Corps and Air Force all raised questions on Tuesday about how the Bush administration plans to pay for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan after the current financing runs out at the end of September.

Appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, three of the four chiefs of the armed services expressed concerns about a financing gap, perhaps of four months, for the two missions, whose combined cost is about $5 billion a month.

They were left out of President Bush's budget request for the 2005 fiscal year, with the administration saying it would make a supplementary request for up to $50 billion, probably next January — after the elections this year."

:: Jim Nichols 2/11/2004 05:20:00 AM [+] ::
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courtneylove.com: "On Hole's 1994 masterpiece, Live Through This, she inhabited teenage misfits, bored housewives and beauty queens with total conviction. "

:: Jim Nichols 2/11/2004 05:03:00 AM [+] ::
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