http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?aBID=90886&p=1 Beaumont Enterprise Talks Forum Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:00:00 GMT Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:45:59 GMT 60 http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?aBID=90886&p=3&topicID=32188084 I just wonder how local people feel about this issue.Full article:[url=http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/10/25/797064/-Fox-News-admits-they-lie-and-distort-the-news,-so-why-so-pissy]http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/10/25/797064/-Fox-News-admits-they-lie-and-distort-the-news,-so-why-so-pissy[/url][quote] In February 2003, a Florida Court of Appeals unanimously agreed with an assertion by FOX News that there is no rule against distorting or falsifying the news in the United States. Back in December of 1996, Jane Akre and her husband, Steve Wilson, were hired by FOX as a part of the Fox Investigators team at WTVT in Tampa Bay, Florida. In 1997 the team began work on a story about bovine growth hormone (BGH), a controversial substance manufactured by Monsanto Corporation. The couple produced a four-part series revealing that there were many health risks related to BGH and that Florida supermarket chains did little to avoid selling milk from cows treated with the hormone, despite assuring customers otherwise. According to Akre and Wilson, the station was initially very excited about the series. But within a week, [b]Fox executives and their attorneys wanted the reporters to use statements from Monsanto representatives that the reporters knew were false and to make other revisions to the story that were in direct conflict with the facts.[/b] Fox editors then tried to force Akre and Wilson to continue to produce the distorted story. When they refused and threatened to report Fox's actions to the FCC, they were both fired.(Project Censored #12 1997) Akre and Wilson sued the Fox station and on August 18, 2000, a Florida jury unanimously decided that [b]Akre was wrongfully fired by Fox Television when she refused to broadcast (in the jury's words) a false, distorted or slanted story [/b]about the widespread use of BGH in dairy cows. They further maintained that she deserved protection under Florida's whistle blower law. Akre was awarded a $425,000 settlement. Inexplicably, however, the court decided that Steve Wilson, her partner in the case, was ruled not wronged by the same actions taken by FOX. FOX appealed the case, and on February 14, 2003 the Florida Second District Court of Appeals unanimously overturned the settlement awarded to Akre. The Court held that Akres threat to report the stations actions to the FCC did not deserve protection under Floridas whistle blower statute, because Floridas whistle blower law states that an employer must violate an adopted law, rule, or regulation." In a stunningly narrow interpretation of FCC rules, the Florida Appeals court claimed that the FCC policy against falsification of the news does not rise to the level of a "law, rule, or regulation," it was simply a "policy." Therefore, it is up to the station whether or not it wants to report honestly. (Anybody surprised this happened in Florida?) During their appeal, FOX asserted that there are no written rules against distorting news in the media. They argued that, under the First Amendment, broadcasters have the right to lie or deliberately distort news reports on public airwaves. Fox attorneys did not dispute Akres claim that they pressured her to broadcast a false story, they simply maintained that it was their right to do so.[/quote]-- Edited by Trevor Scantron on Tuesday 10th of November 2009 07:50:02 PM 32188084-32188084 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:45:59 GMT http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?aBID=90886&p=3&topicID=31535370 We've had some local Tea Party movement growing pains, but there is a new Tea Party group that is determined to hold open to the public Tea Party events in the Golden Triangle. [url=http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=179325513848]Golden Triangle Tea Party-Facebook[/url] [url=http://goldentriangleteaparty.ning.com/]Golden Triangle Tea Party-Ning[/url] You can also subscribe for email updates: [email]goldentriangleteaparty@yahoo.com[/email] 31535370-31535370 Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:11:30 GMT http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?aBID=90886&p=3&topicID=27052413 We want to invite everyone who is interested in helping us put an end to the corrupt "Pill Mill" clinics throughout the Southeast Texas area. To date there have been more than 100 deaths directly attributable to these crooked doctors and pharmacists. Help support: PARENTS AGAINST PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE www.PAPDA.net 27052413-31523211 Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:50:05 GMT http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?aBID=90886&p=3&topicID=30109621 Last week I posed the question as to when the last known duel with sharp epees was fought. The answer is 1967.[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e68nuAcSuWQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e68nuAcSuWQ[/url][youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e68nuAcSuWQ]That fencing is growing in Texas is not up for serious debate. In the major cities like Houston, Dallas, Forth Worth, Austin and San Antonio, the number of clubs continues to grow and membership in the established clubs is robust.The real news is the growth of fencing in smaller communities, the small cities and mid-sized towns. Amarillo, Lubbock, Midland, El Paso, McAllen, Tyler, Lake Jackson, Round Rock, Corpus Christi, all have at least one fencing club. So, as fencing looks forward to healthy future seasons, we might take a moment to look back at its... more colorful past.The first men in what is now the Lone Star State to have a background in fencing looked upon it as a highly practical skill. In San Antonio, Nacogdoches and La Bahia, soldiers of the Spanish Crown counted swordsmanship along with their skills with firearms and horses as absolutely necessary for survival. Along the coast, in places like Galveston Bay and Matagorda Bay, shadier individuals who styled themselves as privateers, and whom the less kind called pirates, were also practiced in the practical applications of sharpened steel.Throughout the 19th Century one filibustering expedition after another attempted to rip Texas away from the Spanish King. Some did so in the name of Mexican Independence, others in the name of a separate republic in Texas. Suffice that, from 1801, when Spanish soldiers routed Philip Nolan's expedition until the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836, armed conflict frequently reared its head. This was the era of the single shot pistol and musket. Combatants might have time to get off only one or two volleys before both sides closed. At that point knives, swords, bayonets and tomahawks were the rule.At the same time, while a province of Mexico, Texas had been opened up to Anglo colonists, many from the American South. They brought with them their own peculiar institutions: slavery (which the Mexican government banned by law) and the duel (which the Mexicans could understand as they had their own similar customs).As in the rest of North America, duels with firearms were vastly more common, still, the sword duel was not unknown. While Texas could never compete with its neighbor, Louisiana, in sheer numbers, a partial list of interesting sword duels within the boundaries of modern Texas would include:San Antonio, 1815 between Don Juan Zambrono and Lt. Jose Yanez;Galveston, 1836 between Col. James Milroy and Capt. William R. Hays;San Antonio, 1844 between two groups of four men each (de Lominie, Souriau, Pavie, and Villemessant) (Corcoran, Twigg, McDowell and Salceda);Sometime before 1855 between Mark F. Skerritt and a French fencing master;1875 between L. E. Edwards of Austin and George Bondies of Galveston (actually fought in Louisiana to avoid Texas laws against dueling).Later we will look at how fencing moved from the practical skill of the duelist to a modern, competitive sport.TEXAS FENCING ROUND UP:There were two major tournaments last weekend. At the 11th anniversary SabreCave competition, Joseph Pipkin, fencing unattached, captured first place in senior mixed sabre. Arden Youngblood of the Dallas Fencers Club won first place in the senior women's sabre event.At the 34th annual Bobcat Open, the always formidable Robert Reed of the Alamo Fencing Academy took first place in mixed epee. The first place in mixed foil went to Dowoong Ham of the Austin Fencers Club, a man easily twice the age of many of his opponents. Davis Jno-Finn of the Fencing Club at the University of Houston won the mixed sabre event. The gold in women's epee went to Anna Tolley of Alamo Fencing Academy. Women's foil gold fell to Alisa Chernomashentsev from Florida.Next weekend there is a small youth epee tournament in Houston, but most of the major competitors will be stepping just across the state line to Shreveport for the Rose Condon Memorial tournament. 30109621-31076378 Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:12:52 GMT http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?aBID=90886&p=3&topicID=31007980 Does anyone know if there is a radio station that airs the Vidor Pirates game?[color=blue][big][/big][spoiler][b][/b]-- Edited by rinjt1954 on Saturday 19th of September 2009 03:38:43 PM-- Edited by rinjt1954 on Saturday 19th of September 2009 03:39:31 PM 31007980-31007980 Sat, 19 Sep 2009 21:36:57 GMT http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?aBID=90886&p=3&topicID=20090267 If there is a God, atheism must seem to Him as less of an insult than religion.---Edmond de GoncourtBut it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg-Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia, 1782-- Edited by schlager7 on Wednesday 2nd of September 2009 05:54:34 PM 20090267-30617972 Wed, 02 Sep 2009 23:43:55 GMT http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?aBID=90886&p=3&topicID=29638950 After watching the game on Saturday, and the way the coaches made some decisions on players is really horrible. You had good recievers on the sideline not being used to put their skills to test. Instead they had quaterbacks who they are trying to make into recievers, which failed the organization as a whole.There were balls that were being dropped by these so called recievers,can someone please tell coach Stump that this kind of football is not tolerated in Beaumont. The defence was horrible, that's all that I have to say on them. 29638950-30360829 Sun, 23 Aug 2009 22:36:09 GMT http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?aBID=90886&p=3&topicID=13719533 Another update on the saga of the mistakenly-demolished Old Timers Pavilion in Orange. A story appearing the the County Record on August 19, 2009 says "CHAMP Gets Big Boost". After reading the story, the facts say the headline should have read "CHUMPS get another drop in the bucket". The old tired lie of "the Old Timers Pavilion was destroyed by Hurricane Rita in 2005" is dragged out again. That has been proved wrong over and over. The Pavilion was only slightly damaged and could have easily been completely repaired for less that the $15,000 the insurance provided. The Orange County Hotel Occupancy Tax Committee will appear in the Commissioners' Court this Friday to present their fund allocations. Total funds -- $162,244.00 Out of that, $7,500 goes to the Orange Chamber of Commerce, $12,500 goes to the Heritage House, $5,000 goes to the Leaf and Petal Club, $1,500 goes to the Lutcher Theater, $6,000 goes to the Orange County Economic Development Corp. Much ado is made in the article about how the remainder will go to the replacement for the Pavilion, but when you do the math, that sum is a mere $129,756.00 Since the total funds needed to build a "multi-purpose structure", as reported in the March 31 story in the Leader is about $12 million, this so-called 'big boost' is really nothing but a drop in the bucket. Blame it on the CHUMPS! It's their fault the original Pavilion was mistakenly knocked down. Four years since Rita, and there's still no replacement for the Pavilion. They should have repaired it so everyone could be using it right now, and they wouldn't look like idiots now. The article also says the land now available totals 11 acres. In June 2006 they said they had 17 acres and were going to buy 7 more acres. What changed? Something's fishy.-- Edited by CharlesRay on Thursday 20th of August 2009 01:36:39 PM-- Edited by CharlesRay on Thursday 20th of August 2009 01:37:27 PM-- Edited by CharlesRay on Thursday 20th of August 2009 07:19:38 PM 13719533-30295895 Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:35:23 GMT http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?aBID=90886&p=3&topicID=30202480 goldenstick wrote:Awesome run guys.....You made SE Texas Proud bcecguy wrote:Congrats on a great season guys!!! These guys did a teremendous job and helped lift the spirits of an entire community. Thank You!!! Hook 'Em wrote:Congratulations on a great season to a bunch of well-deserving young men! 30202480-30202718 Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:35:05 GMT http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?aBID=90886&p=3&topicID=30096123 Saturday, Aug. 15 Mt. Pleasant (Scrimmage) Kilgore TBA Friday, Aug. 21 Nederland (Scrimmage) Home TBA Friday, Aug. 28 Gilmer at SFA in Nacogdoches 8:00 Friday, Sep. 4 Kirbyville Away 7:30 Friday, Sep. 11 Open - - Friday, Sep. 18 West Orange-Stark Home 7:30 Friday, Sep. 25 Hamshire-Fannett Away 7:30 Friday, Oct. 2 Silsbee Home 7:30 Friday, Oct. 9 **Diboll Home 7:30 Friday, Oct. 16 * Huntington Away 7:30 Friday, Oct. 23 * Carthage Home 7:30 Friday, Oct. 30 *Rusk Away 7:30 Friday, Nov. 6 ***Center Home 7:30 * District Games ** Homecoming ***Senior Recognition 30096123-30096123 Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:21:36 GMT