Dana Jacobson (born November 5, 1971) joined ESPN as an ESPNEWS anchor in December 2002 and soon became a regular anchor on the 6 p.m edition of SportsCenter. In March 2005, she was named co-host of Cold Pizza, and transitioned with the show as it became ESPN First Take. Jacobson provided sideline reporting for ESPN’s coverage of NBA Sunday night games.
Early life
Jacobson graduated from the University of Michigan in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and communications. She was born and raised in Michigan where she attended Andover High School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Subsequently, she attended and graduated from Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa in 1989. She has an older brother, Mark, who also graduated from the University of Michigan.
Controversy
ESPN recently suspended Jacobson for one week[1] in light of unscripted comments she made about Notre Dame at the roast of Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic in Atlantic City.[2]

Jacobson was criticized by several Catholic advocacy groups including the Catholic League for her characterizations of Jesus and the University of Notre Dame football program. An intoxicated Jacobson reportedly appeared on stage drinking a bottle of vodka [3] and said, “Fuck Notre Dame,” “Fuck Touchdown Jesus,” and “Fuck Jesus.”[4] ESPN followed up with a statement said to have been received from Jacobson:

“ I am sorry. My remarks about Notre Dame were foolish and insensitive. I respect all religions and did not mean anything derogatory by my poorly chosen words. I also deeply regret the embarrassment I’ve caused ESPN and Mike and Mike.
My actions at the roast were inappropriate and in no way represent who I am. I won’t make excuses for my behavior, but I do hope I can be forgiven for such a poor lack of judgment.[2]
 ”

No video of the incident has been released.
Other jobs
 Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

Her first television job was in Traverse City, Mich., at WPBN/WTOM-TV, where she spent two years as a fill-in news anchor and weekend sports anchor, producer and editor.
Reported on a number of stories in Northern California, including profiles of Sacramento Kings top players Mike Bibby, Chris Webber and Jason Williams
Covered a wide range of professional sports including the NFL and NBA as a weekend sports anchor at KXTV-TV, ABC’s Sacramento affiliate station (1998-02).
Hosted KXTV’s News10 Red Zone
Served as a sports reporter for KXTV’s Monday Night Football show (1996-98).
Hosted The NBA Insiders, a weekly two-hour radio show for KHTK-AM (2000-02).
Filled in for Dan Patrick on his radio show broadcast on ESPN radio weekdays from 1pm - 4 p.m. Eastern time, during the 2005 holiday season.
Hosted ESPY Awards Red Carpet Show for ESPN360.
Hosted X Center in Los Angeles and Aspen.
Filled in occasionally for Mike Golic on the ESPN Radio show Mike and Mike in the Morning.

Awards
Edward R. Murrow Award (2000)
National Headliner Award (1998)

LONG BEACH, Calif. — The long countdown has begun for the second attempt to launch a mobile voice and data services satellite from a Pacific Ocean platform.

The Boeing-built Thuraya-3 mobile satellite was scheduled to take off Tuesday from a spot on the equator. A 44-minute launch window opens at 6:49 a.m. EST, said Sea Launch Co., the world’s only ocean-based space launch company.

The first attempt in November was foiled because of unusually strong currents that affected Sea Launch’s oceangoing rocket platform.

The self-propelled platform and the launch command ship had to return to home port in Long Beach, resupply and sail back to the Pacific Ocean launch site.

The latest mission involves putting a mobile voice and data services satellite for Abu Dhabi-based Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Co. into orbit

The Sea Launch system is designed to take advantage of physics that allow a rocket launched from the equator to carry a heavier payload into orbit than it could if the launch point was elsewhere on the Earth’s surface.

Sea Launch is owned by Boeing Co., RSC-Energia of Moscow, Aker ASA of Oslo, Norway, and SDO Yuzhnoye/PO Yuzhmash of Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine.

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ResMed Incorporated (RMD) has agreed to sell and simultaneously leaseback its property in Poway, California.

The medical equipment manufacturer said it would sell the property to Emri Properties for US$25.295 million ($29.4 million) in cash.

Upon closing of the transaction, Resmed said it will lease back the property for a period ending June 20, 2009, and will retain an option to extend the lease term for an additional three months.

The property houses Resmed’s principal executive offices and one of its US distribution facilities.

A purchase and sale contract relating to the transaction was dated November 5, 2007, and a first amendment was dated November 30, 2007. Both were subject to approval by the board of directors, which was granted on December 10.

At 1307 AEDT shares in Resmed had gained 21c to $5.56.

A Closer Look at Diablo Cody’s ‘Body’

It’s no secret that screenwriter (and probable Oscar nominee) Diablo Cody is a horror nut — she told me last month that her career ambition is to become a horror movie director — and we’ll know soon enough if she has the chops for that. A source for Latino Review has sent in a detailed script review of Jennifer’s Body, the next Diablo project that’s ramping up for a March start. Megan Fox of Transformers fame will be the star, and it was recently announced that Girlfight director Karyn Kusama is helming. (I’m surprised Cody didn’t take advantage of her huge exposure to demand the director’s chair — if Tarantino could force that transition, she certainly can.) Anyway, for those of you who prefer not to know anything about a movie before it’s even filmed, consider the rest of this post a spoiler warning and avert your eyes from what lies beneath!

According to the scooper, the film will largely focus on the relationship between the titular Jennifer, a high-school sex bomb and all around homecoming queen type who is also possessed by satanic forces — there’s a real 80s vibe, apparently — and her best friend, called Needy. Needy slowly starts to realize that something is seriously wrong with Jennifer, since the boys she goes out with don’t come back. But enough about the story — what’s the critique? According to the source, the script is an “oddly-paced, slightly incoherent horror comedy. This is trying too hard to be some genre-smashing cult hit like Donnie Darko…” The reviewer mentions that there is plenty of R-rated gore, but says the whole thing plays more like “an ambitious writing sample than an actual roadmap to a decent film. While Juno had the heart and wide appeal to meet a mass audience, Jennifer’s Body does not — and on top of that, it lacks a well-paced plot and consistent tone.” I guess we’ll see.

Frontline Closes Its Doors

It’s a sad day in wireless today. Frontline, a company that was expected to build a new network open to all mobile applications and devices, has announced, in a statement to reporters, that it’s “closed for business. We have no further comments.” Analysts believe that the company simply failed to secure enough funding to bid in an upcoming Federal Communications Commission auction of wireless airwaves, needed for such a network.

With Frontline out of the running, this further narrows down the number of new companies that could potentially enter the wireless services market as a direct result of the auction. There’s Google, of course — but not much else. In a way, that’s not surprising: Few investors would be mad enough — and wealthy enough — to want to compete with the likes of Google and incumbents such as Verizon. And this means that it could take longer for wireless networks to open up, the way Frontline envisioned.

Frontline’s exit could also spell trouble for the FCC auction. Frontline was instrumental in shaping rules governing the so-called D block of the spectrum that will be auctioned off. That spectrum is expected to be used by public safety agencies as well as commercial entities. Now, with Frontline out of the running, it’s unclear whether there will be any bidders interested in the block — and having the expertise to make the complex public-private network a reality.

The reason why so many people believed in Frontline is that the company’s assembled some tremendous talent. Vice Chairman Reed Hundt is a former chairman of the FCC. Chairman Janice Obuchowski served as assistant secretary for Communications and Information at the Department of Commerce, leading the National Telecommunications and Information Administration under President George H.W. Bush. If these people can’t make it in the wireless market, who can?

01/08: Media Briefing for Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives are investigating whether consumers are being misled by TV and print advertisements for Lipitor that feature the world-renowned inventor of an artificial heart. In the ads, Dr. Robert Jarvik talks about the benefits of Pfizer’s cholesterol-lowering drug, the world’s best-selling medication. Associated Press reports.

In 1994, radio in Rwanda was all about hate and violence. The government used it to incite people to kill, and the killers were often seen with a gun in one hand and a receiver in the other as they tried to locate enemies. Today, Rwandan radio is a voice of hope and reconciliation. One of its most popular programs, the soap opera Musekeweya, or New Dawn, is about a country divided, much like Rwanda 13 years ago, but one in which the stars find a way around the conflict. The International Herald Tribune reports.

Saturday night’s ABC debates were a hit in the ratings, reaching over 9 million viewers, reports Associated Press.

A candidacy by Michael Bloomberg would be tricky for Bloomberg News, says Newsday.

The top executive at ABC’s Good Morning America said it was “cheesy” of CBS to run an old interview with Barack Obama on The Early Show yesterday at the same time as Diane Sawyer’s sit-down with the Democratic presidential contender on ABC. CBS’s message to its rival: We decide when to air our interviews. Associated Press reports.

Even conservative media are praising Barack Obama, says the Washington Post.

The Chicago Tribune received dozens of complaints about the cover story in Parade magazine featuring an interview with Benazir Bhutto that was run with no reference to her assassination.

Comedy Central hosts Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert returned to TV last night without writers, says the New York Times. Their shows are reviewed by the Baltimore Sun.

Phyllis Diller, who is now 90, is featured on the PBS series Pioneers Of Television Wednesday evening at 8 on Thirteen/WNET. It will be repeated Sunday at 12 noon. The Hartford Courant reports. The Ed Sullivan Show is also feted on the documentary, says Associated Press.

Television at the gasoline pump is getting news reports from ABC, reports Media Daily News.

Adweek is relaunching - everything. Media Daily News reports.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is seeking a new life for old cellphones, reports the New York Times.

Alycia Lane, the news anchor at KYW-TV channel 3 in Philadelphia who was arrested after allegedly punching a New York City police officer and calling her a “dyke,” has been fired by the station, and the anchor says she may sue, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer and Associated Press.

Billboards and outdoor advertising are using digital and video technologies, says Media Post.com.

Is even higher-definition TV the next big thing for television? The Wall Street Journal reports.

Mobile phone operators Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile have sided against tech giants including Microsoft and Google in an argument before the Federal Communications Commission over access to under-utilized “white spaces” spectrum. Market Watch.com reports.

The United Kingdom will allow placement of products in TV shows, reports Variety.

Ovation TV, an all-arts cable channel, says it has acquired International Music Feed, a music video channel operated by Universal Music Group. Associated Press reports.

David Letterman has lost his beard, after he says he was pressured to do so, reports Associated Press and the New York Daily News.

Some critics are booing Wikipedia’s new search engine, Wikia.com, reports the San Jose Mercury News.

With the writers strike continuing, NBC has announced plans for coverage of the Golden Globes press conference, reports the Los Angeles Times. This is an attempt to save the Golden Globes with a new format, says Associated Press.

The Seattle Opera Channel, operated by all-classical FM station KING-FM 98.1 Seattle, is streaming online, reports the Seattle Times.

In one California town, four out of five dentists agree that soft rock FM station KYMX 96.1 Sacramento is the station to have on in their waiting rooms, reports the Sacramento Bee.

Cubby Bryant replaces Whoopi Goldberg in the morning drive period on WKTU 103.5 New York, says the New York Daily News. Whoopi’s show can still be heard in eight markets, including Las Vegas and two upstate New York markets.

With the changing economy, there is now doubt that the Clear Channel Communications buyout will take place, reports the Financial Times (subscription required). The deal is described as another broken leveraged buyout deal by 24/7 Wall Street.com.

Rupert Murdoch has returned to the German TV market, buying a 15 percent stake in Germany’s largest pay-TV service, Premiere, reports Reuters.

Strong spending is ahead for email marketing, says the E-Marketer.com.

Absolute Zero, an episode of PBS’s Nova that examines the upside of bitter cold, airs tonight at 8 on Thirteen/WNET and is reviewed by Bloomberg News.

The Desert Lions, part of Thirteen’s Nature series, is reviewed by the Denver Post.

Telemarketers are the top consumer complaint in the state of Florida, says the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel.

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada continues through Thursday:

- A consumer electronics industry group, the Consumer Electronics Association, says people will by more technology and electronics products this year despite the economy, according to Associated Press.

- The surprising news at the CES: television is making a comeback, says Media Daily News.

- Comcast cable TV without a cable box is on the way, says the Philadelphia Daily News.

- Comcast is showing off more than just cable TV, with ultra-high-speed Internet service, more high-definition content and gadgets that link video, phone and broadband services. Associated Press reports.

- Comcast plans to offer a huge menu of films, report the New York Times and Hollywood Reporter. Comcast will flood you with video, says the San Francisco Chronicle.

- The titan of Comcast, the nation’s largest cable TV company, is getting playful, says the Philadelphia Inquirer.

- Microsoft is forging its ties to the studios, says the New York Times.

- Microsoft chief Bill Gates focused upon the human touch of technology, says the San Francisco Chronicle.

- There are no new things from Microsoft at this year’s show, says the New York Times.

- TiVo will be featuring Web video, reports Associated Press.

- USAToday.com, in an agreement with Samsung, will be delivering news and local weather information direct to your TV, says Lost Remote.

- Panasonic is offering a TV set with a 12-and-a-half foot wide screen, says the Washington Post.

- Sony is getting help from celebrities in its push into digital TV, reports the Hollywood Reporter.

- The National Telecommunications & Information Administration told a 2008 CES audience that it has certified 250 retailers, including QVC, and 19 digital-TV-to-analog converter boxes. Broadcasting & Cable reports.

- It looks like the price of a digital-TV-to-analog converter box just went down to essentially nothing for those with government-subsidized coupons, thanks to a new device being offered by EchoStar, reports Broadcasting & Cable.

- Panasonic, Sharp, and Toshiba have launched a tech recycling company. Three of the biggest makers of TVs have formed a company to help manage the wave of electronic waste including old TV sets set to swell with the onset of digital television. The three have launched the Manufacturers Recycling Management Company in Minnesota. CNet reports.

- HDTV manufacturers are trying to make the task of buying an HDTV set much more difficult than just choosing between LCD and plasma, 42 inches or 46 inches. Associated Press reports.

- Mitsubishi is offering a laser TV, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.

- Intel, the world’s largest computer chip manufacturer, is getting personal, says the San Jose Mercury News.

- Motorola is launching a rebuilding initiative, says the Chicago Tribune.

- The Los Angeles Times is “plugged” into the CES.

With Perez Hilton’s mini Goldendoodle being named one of Animal Fair’s Most Eligible Pets in America, it has many people scratching their heads wondering what the heck a mini Goldendoodle is.

Perez’s pooch, Teddy, is a cross between a Golden Retriever and a Toy Poodle.

Wait…what?!? I know, right?

Taking the top honor were Miley Cyrus’s dogs, Roadie, a Yorkie, to which I am partial because my Emmy is a Yorkie, and Loco, a Shih Tzu.

“All the time we hear about the sexiest men alive, the best- and worst-dressed celebrities or the most beautiful people,” editor Wendy Diamond said. “What about the pets?”

The list boasts a diverse group of pets hailing from owners who lead their fields in design, law, comedy, medicine and music, according to the magazine for animal lovers.

Cyrus’ pooches triumphed because “they’re the only ones who can get tickets to the sold-out Hannah Montana tour,” Diamond said.

View photos of Perez and his mini Goldendoodle, Teddy, and Miley with her Yorkie, Roadie, below.

Mini Goldendoodles are in the news today, almost exclusively because one is owned by the Uber Celebrityblogger Perez Hilton. To get an idea of what a mini goldendoodle is, look at this video:

As Perez says, not is all it seems here:

The love of our life, our mini Goldendoodle, Teddy, has just been named one of the Most Eligible Pets in America by Animal Fair magazine. Miley Cyrus’ dogs, Roadie (a Yorkie) and Loco (a Shih Tzu), topped the list. That shit was rigged!!!

As you’ll note from the video, not all mini goldendoodles are in fact that mini. This is because they are a cross breed god and the breeders are never quite sure which size such things will be:

The Miniature Goldendoodle is not a purebred dog. It is a cross between the Golden Retriever and the Poodle; a Toy, Miniature or a small Standard Poodle.  Some Miniature Goldendoodles are being bred as a first cross between a Golden Retriever and a Miniature Poodle. Some have Toy Goldendoodles. These two smaller sizes of Goldendoodles are achieved sometimes by surgical insemination or artificial insemination, but not all breeders perform this method of breeding. The resulting puppies may or may not be miniature in size. The theory is that they will be somewhere in-between the miniature poodle’s size and the Golden Retriever’s size. ….. Ask the breeder you contact which method of breeding they used to produce the Mini Goldendoodle. Not all of these designer hybrid dogs being bred are 50% purebred to 50% purebred. It is very common for breeders to breed multi-generation crosses.

The winners of the competition though were not Perez’s mini goldenddodle, rather the two dogs of Miley Cyrus:

Miley Cyrus’ pets, Roadie and Loco, have been named top dogs by Animal Fair magazine. Roadie, a Yorkie, and Loco, a Shih Tzu, clawed their way to the top of the magazine’s Most Eligible Pets list. Readers’ votes were announced Tuesday, and the list appears in the magazine’s winter issue, on newsstands now…..Cyrus’ pooches triumphed because “they’re the only ones who can get tickets to the sold-out Hannah Montana tour,” Diamond said…..Also on Animal Fair’s list are Jake and Bill, terriers that help actress Glenn Close with her dog-friendly blog, Lively Licks, and Teddy, the mini goldendoodle belonging to celebrity blogger Perez Hilton.

The Last Days Of Tony Harris

Wright Thompson: The city outside the window of Room 1507 at the Carlton Hotel is a most unlikely place to go insane. Designed as living modern art, Brasilia is defined by its order. But Tony Harris doesn’t see order. He sees danger. He knows how this must sound, to the locals he’s confiding in, to the friends and family he’s e-mailing and calling back in Seattle. He knows he sounds out of his mind. But something is after him. A familiar idea is forming deep in his subconscious: run.

While the city outside is light, the hallway is darker than the bottom of a river. The halogens only come alive when a motion sensor detects life. The room itself is worn, a step or two down from the place he stayed the last time he played basketball here, more than two years ago. But then again, at 36, he’s worn, too, so worn he’d never planned on playing again. There are two narrow beds and tan bedspreads and brown carpet. The bedside table is cracked, the original wood grain visible beneath the varnish. A single page in the thick phonebook is creased: the page for funeral homes.

Wireless Internet is his best friend, the connection making him feel safe. He needs it. The e-mails coming to the United States from Tony Harris are scary. Just the other day, he wrote his mother-in-law: I know that I can be paranoid at times but I know when I hear things. And when people stop talking when I come into the area, I just pray that I am wrong Connie I want to see my family again and I LOVE MY WIFE SO MUCH I WANT TO SEE OUR CHILD THAT LORI AND I ARE HAVING. I DIDN’T COME BACK HERE FOR THEM TO SET ME UP AND KILL ME.

Constitution Day 2007

What is the most important date in American history? Most of us would swiftly answer the Fourth of July. But think about today, September 17th. On this date in 1787 the convention in Philadelphia completed work on one of the greatest acts of creative leadership of all time, “this Constitution of The United States.” Their work rescued America from what Madison later described as “gloomy chaos” and set the world marching toward what we can now see as the Age of Democracy.

Yet there will be no parades today, no picnics or fireworks. Perhaps a library somewhere is sponsoring a talk. Constitution Day will pass largely unnoticed. It is not surprising. Americans have over the last 40 years drifted away from a connection to our Constitution, the document that invented the United States as we now understand it and helped America to become the longest enduring democracy in history (Athens lasted 170 years as a democracy).

We revere the framers. We gobble up books about them and love snippets of their wisdom. They have become our secular gods. Yet we have little sense of what it was they actually invented. We know that the Declaration of Independence proclaimed our liberty. But liberty alone, as it turned out, was not the answer to the question of how to create a successful nation. As the framers learned in the eleven years following 1776, liberty unleashed the ambitions, the self-interests of individuals, factions and states. Selfish behavior was so rampant that the army nearly starved in the field of battle. Farmers took up arms. States threatened border war with other states. The country, if it even was a country, was falling apart. This was the “gloomy chaos” Madison confronted when he entered Philadelphia.

He and his fellow delegates saved America by recognizing that the pursuit of self-interest, which lay behind all the chaos, was fundamental to human nature. Before 1787 self-interest was something that had to be transcended to preserve Democracy. But the Constitution turned “vice into a virtue,” harnessing ambition and channeling it into a system of representative government that pit interest against interest to find the greater good. Power was separated and balanced. The system was driven by “conflict within consensus” as historian Michael Kammen summed it up. There had never been a government like it before. This was their great invention: a government that let people be free by recognizing what people were really like.

The power of their invention is inarguable. Out of that sweltering hall in Philadelphia, out of that crisis of the early American nation, emerged a blueprint for government that was designed to let the people govern themselves despite their imperfections. It did not count on people to be selfless or bigger than themselves. “If men were angels, no government would be necessary,’ wrote Madison. This new idea for government presumed people would pursue their own interests. Indeed it counted on them to do just that.

And it created paths for others to disagree, and resist them, or argue for something different. Their invention was a government designed to channel these struggles. To impede change until enough people supported it. To force people to the middle To encourage compromise. To spread power around so, in Hamilton’s succinct vision, the few could not oppress the many and the many could not oppress the few. A lot could get done if people worked together in this system. But, if they fought each other, it could all grind to a halt.

In other words what they sent out from Philadelphia 220 years ago today was not just a piece of parchment. They created a new set of ideas about government and democracy. They had no idea how effective those ideas would be

The American “experiment” has worked better and lasted longer than any alternative.

But we do not recall all this for a history lesson. Because today, despite all our success, many Americans are feeling deeply frustrated and disillusioned with the functioning of their country. “Our conviction about American greatness and purpose is not as strong today,” William J Bennett writes on the very first page of his History of The Untied States.

We are searching for a renewal.

The Constitution itself is a good place to start this day. It is after all what makes us Americans. We are not a country defined, in the words of journalist Ray Suarez, “by blood, or clan, or land origins, or religious belief.” Rather, we are held together by the strength of our shared beliefs in our Constitution and its principles — such as a respect for process, a willingness to compromise, a tolerance for dissent. We call this our Constitutional Conscience

But we have been drifting away from these principles and our modern politics has become brittle, confrontational and uncompromising. Our common bond has been unraveling. Recent experience reminds us that we make mistakes as a country when we move away from how our system was built to work. When people say now they wish The Congress and the media had done more to question the march to war in Iraq they are saying, too, that they wish the leaders of congress and the press had done more to assert their authority, and fulfill their responsibilities, under The Constitution. Even many proponents of the war concede now that the checks and balances did not work well. We believe that is precisely because of a weakening of our sense of our Constitutional roles, our constitutional conscience. Voters do not reward elected officials for executing their constitutional responsibility so it is little wonder that most elected officials don’t pay much heed to those responsibilities. “People revere the constitution yet know so little about,” Senator Robert Byrd said, “and that goes for some of my fellow senators.”

Ronald Reagan, one of our most important 20th century presidents saw this problem coming as he left office. He warned of what he saw as a growing failure to appreciate our own history. Ultimately, he said, this would eradicate “the American memory” and threaten the American spirit. Some years later, Derek Bok the former president of Harvard worried that no one any longer bothers to prepare people to be citizens. Civics has nearly vanished from our curriculums, squeezed out in many cases by the understandable drive to teach science and math. We do that to assure our competitiveness in the world economy. But we should be just as concerned about our moral authority in the world. Moral authority comes from the strength of our principles. We are the inheritors of one of the greatest statements of democratic principles ever written. One piece of rehabilitating our moral authority in the world and our confidence in our selves is to reconnect with our own statement of best principles, “this Constitution of the United States.” Franklin Roosevelt, our other great 20th Century president, said we should read The Constitution “again and again” like the bible. Or maybe we should all go to that Library talk.

The National Archives celebrates the 220th anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution throughout September with exciting public programs including a special family day on Sunday, September 16, and a panel discussion on racial equality on Constitution Day, September 17. These events are free and open to the public.

The National Archives has the original Constitution on permanent display in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom of the National Archives Building, located on Constitution Avenue between 7th and 9th Streets, NW, Washington, DC. See our Building Entrance Map.Open PDF file
Constitution Day Family Celebration

Sunday, September 16, 12 noon – 3 p.m., Presidential Conference Center
Happy Birthday U.S. Constitution!

* Explore historical documents that demonstrate the Constitution in action. Take on the role of a “Presidential researcher” and match original documents to sections of the Constitution (Boeing Learning Center, noon–3 p.m.)
* Sign the Constitution (Presidential Conference Room Lobby, 12:00 - 3:00 p.m.)
* View the film The Making of the Constitution, 1997, 25 minutes (Jefferson Room, noon and 1 p.m.)
* Have a piece of birthday cake and meet President James Madison, Father of the Constitution, and First Lady Dolley Madison (Washington Room, 12:30–2 p.m.)
* Meet Syl Sobel, author of The U.S. Constitution and You (Washington Room, 1–2 p.m.)
* Join Mrs. Madison as she describes White House entertainment in the early 19th century (Jefferson Room, 1:45–2:30 p.m.)

Unfinished Business: Racial Equality in American HistoryMonday, September 17, at 7 p.m., William G. McGowan Theater
Unfinished Business: Racial Equality in American History

What social and political factors have influenced the path of racial progress, and how have law and court decisions contributed to American equality? In the newest volume from Oxford University’s Inalienable Rights series, Unfinished Business: Racial Equality and American History, Michael J. Klarman offers a succinct account of racial equality and civil rights throughout American history. Archivist Allen Weinstein moderates a panel featuring Klarman, historian John Hope Franklin, and Lonnie Bunch, director, National Museum of African American History and Culture. A book signing will follow the program.
Related Programs and Exhibits at the National Archives:

A New World Is at Hand
Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom
Flanking the permanent display of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights is the exhibition, “A New World Is at Hand.” Featuring a selection of the National Archives’ most treasured documents, this exhibition reveals the drama, passion, and poignancy of the struggle for freedom that has defined much of U.S. history. On Constitution Day, we call particular attention to George Washington’s own working copy of the first printed draft of the constitution. Other highlights of the exhibit include Benjamin Franklin’s draft of the Articles of Confederation, a working draft of the amendments that would become the Bill of Rights, and a document from the milestone Marbury v. Madison Supreme Court case.

School House to White House: The Education of the Presidents
Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery
As a boy, Richard Nixon won an oratorical contest by expounding upon “The Ever-Increasing Strength of the Constitution.” Learn this and more in the new family-friendly “School House to White House” exhibition. Documents, artifacts, photos and films drawn from the collections of the National Archives Presidential Libraries reveal fascinating details about children that would grow up to be presidents. Journey back to a time of one room school houses, large public schools, and private tutors. See these future presidents as young sports stars, choir members, and musicians. Watch them mature into serious college and military academy students. Together these experiences demonstrate the variety of educational and extra-curricular experiences that trained and influenced our nation’s future leaders.

The Public Vaults
This permanent interactive exhibition – literally located behind the wall of the display of the Constitution – is organized according to the preamble to the U.S. Constitution. The Public Vaults creates the feeling of going into the stacks and vaults of the National Archives, and offers visitors a “hands on” examination of the workings of the three branches of government, as outlined in the Constitution.

Teaching With Documents: U.S. Constitution Workshop Teaching With Documents: U.S. Constitution Workshop Special online educational program — What does the light bulb have to do with the U. S. Constitution? Or the board game “Monopoly”? How about the letter you wrote to the president when you were in elementary school? The answer to all three questions is: plenty—if you know your Constitution.

Russia marks Constitution Day
Russia’s Constitution Day marks the adoption of the country’s Statute of Law which came into being in a referendum on December 12, 1993.

This day became one of the most important for Russian law-makers.

It took in all the basic norms of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which the UN passed in 1948 and replaced the Constitution adopted in 1977 which led to the political crisis in 1993.

Well, it seems I’m not the only one mystified by the Fox News Candidate Calculator. I admit,

when I first saw the news blip about it I didn’t follow their instructions on how to find it

again. I thought, well I can always use Google!

Well, that didn’t work. And maneuvering their site didn’t work. I was quite lost, in fact.

What I did find was the VAJoe Candidate Calculator which you can find here. This seems like

a perfectly good alternative to the Fox News Candidate Calculator since it apparently does

not exist.

In fact, ironically, now when I Google “Fox News Candidate Calculator” I find my own site,

which is flattering but not altogether useful since I have no useful links.

However, I have contacted Fox and requested the url to their legendary candidate calculator

and will post it as soon as I know.

Amendment: I have received the link to the Fox News Calculator.

Here’s the response from Fox News:

Dear Reader,

Thank you for your e-mail. Here is the website mentioned on Studio B on Tuesday, January

08, 2008: http://www.citizenjanepolitics.com/compare-your-candidates/

(As per the amendment below the above link does NOT direct

you to a Fox News Candidate Calculator.

Someone at Fox is working for Citizen Jane.)

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,
Viewer Services, FOX News Channel

So that’s it. The magical link. Of course, it’s not actually a Fox News Candidate Calculator

like they made it sound. It’s at a site called Citizen Jane Politics. Well, I find it

somewhat misleading, but oh well, now we can all use VAJoe and Citizen Jane, and with a

little luck, we won’t have to make any judgments ourselves at all.
Amendment of an Amendment: The Link that Fox provided is bogus, as one of our readers has

been so good as to point out to me. I have become so solidly behind my candidate (Giuliani)

that I did not feel the need to take the quiz, and thus did not invest more than a

perfunctory click. This, I fear, is my fault. I should have done my research. Then again,

Fox News should have provided me with the correct URL. In any case, I will write back and

demand justice.

More on this tomorrow, after I get hold of Fox again.

In the mean time, if anybody has the proper link please post it.  At this point I’m dying of

curiosity.  It feels like some strange, pointless conspiracy…

Mayor’s MySpace photos hot topic in Arlington

Mayor Carmen Kontur-Gronquist’s name is sure to be mentioned when Arlington holds its annual town meeting Wednesday.

Some of the mayor’s roughly 500 constituents will want to know her views on the issues affecting the Eastern Oregon community; others will want to talk about her underwear.

The mayor’s lingerie is a hot topic here, with some residents upset that she posted pictures of herself wearing only a black bra and panties on her MySpace page. She was on one of the town’s fire engines.

Kontur-Gronquist’s MySpace page is blocked to all but her friends, but the pictures were at one time available to all users. In an interview with the (Pendleton) East Oregonian, the mayor said she did nothing wrong and those who are offended need to get over it.

“That’s my personal life,” she said. “It has nothing to do with my mayor’s position.”

Kontur-Gronquist, who is also the fire department’s executive secretary, said the photos were taken before she was elected mayor three years ago, and she saw no reason to remove them from the Internet after taking office.

“I’m not going to change who I am,” she said. “There’s a lot of officials that have a personal life, and you have people in this community who have nothing better to do than scrape up stuff like this.”

Lorena Woods is one of those residents who say the photos of a scantily clad mayor reflect badly on Arlington.

“It’s a picture of her in bra and panties on a rural protection fire truck in a rural protection fire hall,” Woods said. “This isn’t the way we want our city to be portrayed.”

Councilman Jeff Bufton said he’s heard a lot of negative comments about the pictures, but declined to say whether the council plans to address the topic.

-The Associated Press