October 25, 2021
Late Morning/Afternoon Update:
Maria Sacchetti & Nick Miroff of the Washington Post: "A U.S. Customs and Border Protection discipline board found that 60 agents 'committed misconduct' by sharing violent and obscene posts in secret Facebook groups but fired only two -- far fewer than an internal discipline board had recommended, according to a House Oversight and Reform Committee report released Monday. The report found 'significant shortcomings' in the agency's handling of the incidents and said most agents who engaged in misconduct are back on the job working with migrant adults and children. They include a Border Patrol agent who posted a 'sexually explicit doctored image' about a member of Congress, and a supervisor who 'improperly' shared an internal video of a migrant falling off a cliff to their death, according to the report. 'These outcomes were the result of a number of failings at CBP, including an inconsistent disciplinary process, a failure to train on and enforce social media policies, and senior leadership's failure to take appropriate actions despite knowledge of these Facebook groups,' said the report, which was prepared by staff from the committee's Democratic majority.... Committee investigators said they had tried for more than a year to obtain access to witnesses and unredacted disciplinary records, but said the Trump administration refused to hand them over, even when the chair issued a subpoena." Emphasis added.
Elizabeth Dwoskin, et al., of the Washington Post: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has demonstrated a "relentless determination to ensure Facebook's dominance, sometimes at the expense of his stated values, according to interviews with more than a dozen former employees. That ethos has come under fire in a series of whistleblower complaints filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission by former Facebook product manager Frances Haugen.... Experts said the SEC -- which has the power to seek depositions, fine him and even remove him as chairman -- is likely to dig more deeply into what he knew and when. Though his direct perspective is rarely reflected in the documents, the people who worked with him say his fingerprints are everywhere in them.... Haugen references Zuckerberg's public statements at least 20 times in her SEC complaints, asserting that the CEO's singular power and unique level of control over Facebook mean he bears ultimate responsibility for a litany of societal harms." ~~~
~~~ Cristiano Lima of the Washington Post: "A trove of internal Facebook documents reveals that the social media giant has privately and meticulously tracked real-world harms exacerbated by its platforms, ignored warnings from its employees about the risks of their design decisions and exposed vulnerable communities around the world to a cocktail of dangerous content.... A mix of presentations, research studies, discussion threads and strategy memos, the Facebook Papers provide an unprecedented view into how executives at the social media giant weigh trade-offs between public safety and their own bottom line. Some of the documents were first reported by the Wall Street Journal. Here are key takeaways from The Post's investigation[.]" ~~~
~~~ New York Times: "For weeks, Facebook has been shaken by revelations that have ignited a firestorm of criticism from lawmakers, regulators and the public.... The latest revelations, published on Monday morning, show internal research that undercuts the heart of social networking -- 'likes' and sharing -- that Facebook revolutionized. According to the documents, researchers determined over and over that people misused key features or that those features amplified toxic content, among other effects." ~~~
~~~ How Whistleblower Frances Haugen Managed the Facebook Files. Ben Smith of the New York Times: "Frances Haugen first met Jeff Horwitz, a tech-industry reporter for The Wall Street Journal, early last December on a hiking trail near the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, Calif.... She became one of the greatest sources of the century, turning over the tens of thousands of pages of internal documents she had collected. Starting Sept. 13, The Journal justified her confidence [in Mr. Horwitz] with a meticulous rollout that included 11 major articles by Mr. Horwitz and other reporters cleverly packaged ... [as] The Facebook Files.... So there was an uncomfortable moment on Oct. 7, when a communications firm working with Ms. Haugen invited Mr. Horwitz and two of his editors to a Zoom call with a group that would grow to include journalists from 17 other U.S. media outlets. On the call, Ms. Haugen offered to share redacted versions of the trove of Facebook documents under an embargo to be set by the group..., which was founded by the former Barack Obama aide Bill Burton.... First she handed her documents to The Journal for a boutique rollout. Then she opened the journalistic equivalent of an outlet store, allowing reporters on two continents to root through everything The Journal had left behind in search of overlooked informational gems. Her intention was to broaden the circle, she said."
Niraj Chokshi of the New York Times: "Hertz, the car rental agency, said on Monday that it had placed an order for 100,000 Teslas, a sign of growing momentum in the shift to electric vehicles. By the end of next year, when the Tesla order is completed, electric vehicles will make up more than 20 percent of Hertz's global vehicle fleet, the company said."
Margaret Renkl of the New York Times: "Gasoline-powered leaf blowers are invaders, the most maddening of all the maddening, environment-destroying tools of the American lawn-care industry. Nearly everything about how Americans 'care' for their lawns is deadly. Pesticides prevent wildflower seeds from germinating and poison the insects that feed songbirds and other wildlife. Lawn mower blades, set too low, chop into bits the snakes and turtles and baby rabbits that can't get away in time. Mulch, piled too deep, smothers ground-nesting bees, and often the very plants that mulch is supposed to protect, as well. But the gasoline-powered leaf blower exists in a category of environmental hell all its own, spewing pollutants -- carbon monoxide, smog-forming nitrous oxides, carcinogenic hydrocarbons -- into the atmosphere at a literally breathtaking rate. This particular environmental catastrophe is not news. A 2011 study by Edmunds found that a two-stroke gasoline-powered leaf blower spewed out more pollution than a 6,200-pound Ford F-150 SVT Raptor pickup truck." ~~~
~~~ Marie: This turns out to be news I can use. I have always mulched leaves into the grass, but this year I have a lawn-care guy, and he came around with his leaf-blower last week. I asked him to mulch the leaves instead of blowing them and he gave me a long explanation of why he couldn't. There are more leaves on the ground now, so the leaf-blower will be back. This time, I'll tell him not to blow the leaves.
Katherine Huggins of Mediaite: "... Donald Trump blasted Fox News on Sunday, claiming the network 'continually allow[s] horrible and untruthful anti-Trump commercials to be run.'... The PAC MeidasTouch claimed responsibility for the ad that got under Trump's skin...." Here's the ad: ~~~
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Monday are here.
The New York Times is live-updating developments in Sudan following a military coup Monday.
New Mexico. Simon Romero & Julia Jacobs of the New York Times: "Alec Baldwin was rehearsing a scene that involved pointing a revolver 'towards the camera lens' when the gun -- which the crew had been told did not contain live rounds -- suddenly went off and killed the cinematographer, according to the film's director, who was quoted in an affidavit released Sunday night." ~~~
~~~ Simon Romero, et al., of the New York Times: "After the 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died following the shooting on Thursday, detectives from the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office began examining the role that the assistant director, Dave Halls, among others on the set, had in the incident. They learned that Mr. Baldwin was told by Mr. Halls, who handed him the firearm, that it was a 'cold gun,' according to court documents. A cold gun on a film set typically refers to a gun that's unloaded. Investigators have not charged anyone or placed blame on any individual in the incident. They also have not indicated what kind of projectile killed Ms. Hutchins.... Mr. Halls, an industry veteran who worked on movies like 'Fargo' and 'The Matrix Reloaded,' has been the subject of complaints from various film professionals for years. The complaints, which largely revolve around his regard for safety protocols and on-set behavior, are fueling questions about the New Mexico production...." ~~~
~~~ Matthew Chapman of the Raw Story: "On Monday, The Daily Beast reported that Donald Trump Jr. is now hawking shirts from his website making fun of the fatal movie set accident that killed Alec Baldwin's cinematographer Halnya Hutchins. '... Donald Jr., is hawking $27.99 T-shirts on his official site with the mocking slogan: "Guns don't kill people, Alec Baldwin kills people." On his Instagram stories, the Trump son also posted a photoshopped pic of the actor wearing one of the Ts,' reported Jamie Ross. 'It's the latest and possibly most egregious example of Trumpworld's celebration of Thursday's fatal accident on the set of Rust. The alt-right has reveled in the shooting due to Baldwin's previous mockery of ... Donald Trump and his advocacy for tighter controls on firearms..'" The Daily Beast story, where is here, is firewalled.
Virginia. Neil MacFarquhar of the New York Times: "More than four years after hundreds of white nationalists and far-right extremists descended on the city of Charlottesville, Va., in a rally that turned deadly, a civil case that takes aim at the organizers is set to begin in federal court on Monday. In simple legal terms, the nine plaintiffs -- including an ordained minister, a landscape gardener and a lawyer who was a student at the time -- are suing 14 men and 10 groups considered the main organizers of the rally, accusing them of violating their civil rights and seeking damages for the injuries they sustained.... Delayed repeatedly by the coronavirus pandemic, the trial will revisit one of the most searing manifestations of how hatred and intolerance that festers online can spread onto the streets."
Virginia. Hannah Dreyfus of ProPubica: "Interviews with more than 50 former Liberty ['University'] students and staffers, as well as records from more than a dozen cases, show how an ethos of sexual purity, as embodied by the Liberty Way, has led to school officials discouraging, dismissing and even blaming female students who have tried to come forward with claims of sexual assault. Three students ... recalled being made to sign forms acknowledging possible violations of the Liberty Way after they sought to file complaints about sexual assaults. Others say they were also warned against reporting what had happened to them. Students say that even Liberty University police officers discouraged victims from pursuing charges after reporting assaults."
Afghanistan/Pakistan. Susannah George, et al., of the Washington Post: "As the Islamic State-Khorasan is ramping up attacks in Afghanistan, Pakistan is using a network of informal channels to feed intelligence and technical support to the Taliban to combat the threat, according to two Taliban leaders. Pakistan is passing the group raw information as well as helping it monitor phone and Internet communication to identify Islamic State members and operational hubs, according to a senior Taliban leader.... A Pakistani official described the communication between the two sides as informal discussions, rather than an established intelligence-sharing partnership. Pakistan appears to be one of the few foreign governments directly aiding the Taliban in the Islamic State fight, despite concerns from the United States and other countries that Afghanistan could once again become a haven for militants to carry out attacks on international targets...."
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Catie Edmondson & Emily Cochrane of the New York Times: "President Biden huddled with key Democrats on Sunday to iron out crucial spending and tax provisions as they raced to wrap up their expansive social safety net legislation before his appearance at a U.N. climate summit next week. Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said Democrats were close to completing the bill, displaying confidence that the negotiations over issues like paid leave, tax increases and Medicare benefits that have bedeviled the party for months would soon end. 'We have 90 percent of the bill agreed to and written. We just have some of the last decisions to be made,' Ms. Pelosi said on CNN's 'State of the Union,' adding that she hoped to pass an infrastructure bill that had already cleared the Senate and have a deal in hand on the social policy bill by the end of the week. 'We're pretty much there now.' Her comments came as Mr. Biden met with Senators Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, and Joe Manchin III of West Virginia.... The White House called the breakfast at Mr. Biden's Wilmington home a 'productive discussion.'" Politico's story is here.
"Things Fall Apart." Binyamin Appelbaum of the New York Times: "Resistance to taxation is the rotten core of the modern Republican Party. Republicans in recent decades have sharply reduced the federal income tax rates imposed on wealthy people and big companies, but their opposition to taxation goes beyond that. They are aiding and abetting tax evasion. Republicans have hacked away at funding for the Internal Revenue Service over the past decade, enfeebling the agency. When the rich and powerful open loopholes in the tax code, Republicans reliably fight to keep the loopholes open. Indeed, they valorize Americans who find ways to pay less, a normalization of antisocial behavior that may be even more damaging than the efforts at bureaucratic sabotage.... Donald Trump's loud and proud declaration that paying very little in taxes 'makes me smart' was just a more brazen articulation of what has become party orthodoxy.... We create and maintain our society through our contributions. Or we don't. And things fall apart."
Sarah Burris of the Raw Story: "Rolling Stone is reporting that a pair of witnesses have spoken to the House Jan. 6 Select Committee revealing that Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) told them ... Donald Trump would issue a blanket pardon for some who attacked the U.S. Capitol that day.... 'Two of these people have spoken to Rolling Stone extensively in recent weeks and detailed explosive allegations that multiple members of Congress were intimately involved in planning both Trump's efforts to overturn his election loss and the Jan. 6 events that turned violent,' said the report, saying that it confirmed the account from a third person. It's the first time that Americans have heard about a member of Congress being officially tied to the events that unfolded that day.... The report said that it has 'documentary evidence' to prove what the three sources claimed. Trump campaign aide Katrina Pierson has also been called a 'liaison' between the insurrectionists and the White House and Mark Meadows was also named as a key part of the organizing. Read the full report from Rolling Stone." It is firewalled. MB: Gee, looks as if Donnie let down his insurrectionist buddies.
Tom Boggioni of the Raw Story: "In a biting piece for the LA Times, longtime columnist Doyle McManus pointed out that Donald Trump has only one overriding reason to become president again.... Re-election for Trump may be the only way he avoids jail time and forestalls a panoply of lawsuits he is currently facing.... "He's notching up another presidential first: He's running for reelection to stay out of jail," he concluded. You can read the whole piece here -- subscription required."
Ivana Saric of Axios: "Twitter suspended the account of Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) Saturday after he intentionally misgendered Assistant Secretary of Health Rachel Levine, the first openly transgender Senate-confirmed federal official, a spokesperson for the platform told Axios.... 'The account referenced has been temporarily locked for violating our Hateful Conduct Policy,' the spokesperson wrote. 'The account owner is required to delete the violative Tweet before regaining access to their account.' Twitter updated its policy in 2018 to prohibit the 'targeted misgendering or deadnaming of transgender individuals.'"
Sheikh Saaliq & Krutika Pathi of the AP: "Facebook in India has been selective in curbing hate speech, misinformation and inflammatory posts, particularly anti-Muslim content, according to leaked documents obtained by The Associated Press, even as its own employees cast doubt over the company's motivations and interests. From research as recent as March of this year to company memos that date back to 2019, the internal company documents on India highlight Facebook's constant struggles in quashing abusive content on its platforms in the world's biggest democracy and the company's largest growth market.... The files show that Facebook has been aware of the problems for years.... Many critics and digital experts say it has failed to do so, especially in cases where members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, the BJP, are involved." The photo accompanying the story is of Modi giving Mark Zuckerberg a bearhug. A related Washington Post story is here.
The Pandemic, Ctd.
The Washington Post's live updates of Covid-19 developments Monday are here.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Sunday are here.
Florida. Mychael Schnell of the Hill: "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Sunday that he is looking to enact legislation that will provide a $5,000 bonus to police officers to relocate to Florida, where they can avoid vaccine mandates. DeSantis told host Maria Bartitomo on Fox News's 'Sunday Morning Futures' that Florida is 'actively working' to recruit law enforcement officers from other states who are being fired for not getting the COVID-19 vaccine.... 'So, NYPD, Minneapolis, Seattle, if you're not being treated well, we will treat you better here. You can fill important needs for us, and we will compensate you as a result,' he added."
Beyond the Beltway
New Mexico. Simon Romero & Julia Jacobs of the New York Times: "There were at least two accidental gun discharges on the set of an Alec Baldwin movie being filmed in New Mexico days before he fatally shot the cinematographer, according to three former members of the film's crew. The discharges occurred on Oct. 16, the former crew members said, prompting a complaint to a supervisor about the safety practices on the set, which was outside Santa Fe. The crew members, who asked not to be named out of fear that their future employment in the industry could be affected, were among several workers who quit, just hours before the fatal shooting, over complaints about unpaid work and working conditions on the production. The disclosures, which were first reported by The Los Angeles Times, are focusing attention on concerns over loosely followed protocols and labor strife between producers and crew members during the production of the movie, 'Rust,' a low-budget film about a 19th-century accidental killing and its aftermath."
Tennessee. Jamie McGee of the New York Times: "As Confederate monuments across the South began to come down after a 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., [some residents of Franklin, Tennessee,] wanted [a] 37-foot local statue [of a Confederate soldier], known as 'Chip,' gone, too.... [They] did not get the statue removed, but they have come up with a provocative response to it: a new bronze statue in Franklin's public square depicting a life-size soldier from the U.S. Colored Troops, largely Black regiments that were recruited for the U.S. Army during the Civil War. The new monument, which was unveiled Saturday before a crowd of hundreds, and five recently added markers tell the story of the market house where enslaved people were auctioned and the role that local Black men played in fighting for their freedom. Dubbed the Fuller Story, the four-year project led by [four] local residents expanded the narrative of why and how the war was fought." MB: Oh, my stars & stripes! Critical race theory being taught in broad daylight right out there in the public square. Another bright spot: if you look at the photo of the people applauding the unveiling, the majority are white.
Way Beyond
Afghanistan. Reuters, republished by CNN: "Afghanistan will shortly collapse into chaos unless the international community acts rapidly, Swedish and Pakistani ministers warned on Saturday.... Many countries and multilateral institutions have halted development assistance but increased humanitarian aid since August, reluctant to legitimize the new Taliban rulers.
Colombia. Rachel Pannett, et al., of the Washington Post: "Colombia's most-wanted drug lord, Dairo Antonio Úsuga, widely known by his alias, Otoniel, has been captured by armed forces in his jungle hideout and faces extradition to the United States. Úsuga, 50, a former left-wing guerrilla and later a paramilitary fighter, is the alleged leader of the notorious drug-trafficking group Clan del Golfo, or Gulf Clan, which dominates major cocaine-smuggling routes through thick jungles in the country's restive north. Colombian President Iván Duque likened Úsuga's arrest Saturday to the capture of [internationally notorious drug lord] Pablo Escobar three decades ago."
Mexico. Paulina Villegas of the Washington Post: "... several thousand migrants who, desperate for work and fleeing poverty and violence, decided to march out of the border city of Tapachula [where they were waiting for Mexico to process their asylum applications --] on Saturday. Mexico's National Guard forces tried to stop them, but the contingent pushed through. They continued their trek Sunday, hoping to eventually reach Mexico City.... The massive number of applications has overwhelmed an already flawed and underfunded immigration system, especially the agency responsible for processing asylum claims, human rights groups and advocacy groups say." MB: The article is vague, but these migrants appear to be hoping to settle in Mexico.
Sudan. Max Bearak of the Washington Post: "The detention by Sudan's military of the country's prime minister and a large number of his cabinet and party members early Monday morning plunged the country's fragile democratic transition into disarray. Just days earlier, the capital of Khartoum was swept by the biggest pro-democracy street protests since 2019, when longtime dictator Omar Hassan al-Bashir was toppled by a wave of popular discontent. Crowds swelled in Khartoum's streets again Monday in response to the detentions.... Since Bashir's ousting, the country has been governed by a hybrid civilian-military transitional council, and tensions over power-sharing have repeatedly threatened to boil over into outright confrontation.... Last month, pro-Bashir elements within the military attempted a coup but were quickly thwarted." Read on. ~~~
~~~ Samy Magdy of the AP: "Military forces arrested Sudan's acting prime minister and other senior official Monday, disrupted internet access and blocked bridges in the capital, the country's information ministry said, describing the actions as a coup. In response, thousands flooded the streets of Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman to protest the apparent military takeover. Footage shared online appeared to show protesters blocking streets and setting fire to tires as security forces used tear gas to disperse them.... A takeover by the military would be a major setback for Sudan, which has grappled with a stop-and-go transition to democracy since long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir was toppled by mass protests two years ago."
News Ledes
New York Times: "Two people were killed and four others were injured, including a police officer, during a shooting at a mall in Boise, Idaho, on Monday.... When the police arrived, Chief Lee said at a news conference on Monday, officers found an individual matching a suspect's description and exchanged gunfire just afterward, which resulted in a police officer's injury. Chief Lee said the suspect was taken into custody."
AP: "A powerful storm barreled toward Southern California after flooding highways, toppling trees and causing mud flows in areas burned bare by recent fires across the northern part of the state. Drenching showers and strong winds accompanied the weekend's arrival of an atmospheric river -- a long and wide plume of moisture pulled in from the Pacific Ocean. The National Weather Service's Sacramento office warned of 'potentially historic rain.'" The Washington Post's story is here.
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Reader Comments (9)
https://www.foxnews.com/media/nancy-pelosi-briefly-forgets-donald-trumps-name
Didn't read the story but liked the headline.
What a woman! She achieved what so many of us would like to do but can't.
When I read the Applebaum piece earlier today, copied this line:
"By way of ideological justification (against taxation), Republicans like to talk about liberty, by which they mean a narrow and negative kind of freedom from civic duty and mutual obligation."
Thought it so well summed up much that is wrong with our republic.
"Marie: I do hope the recycling of plastic bags is a Wal Mart company policy and not a local event. I haven't seen a recycle bin for the things in years and clerks use them as if they were getting a bonus for using more." Bobby Lee. Walmart, Target, and Costco do not sell any paper products with post-consumer recycled content last I checked. They are Green Washing POSs. Cutting down a tree to wipe shit off your counter is just laziness. Businesses that don't support alternatives are lazy. They are also un-American in my view.
In 1871 President Grant issued the KKK Act after the rise of the Klan after the Civil War. It passed with broad support. This law almost dismantled the KKK in America for years, "bleeding them dry with civil suits."
Today in a Virginia Courthouse a historic trial begins. It involves the 2017 Charlottesville riot. A nonprofit Civil Right's group along with four civil right's law firms will use the KKK Act to dismantle and implicate key members of the 2017 violence. This is major–-and the following piece, although quite lengthy, is worth a read.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/charlotesville-spencer-kessler-trial-spitalnik_n_61730a2ee4b09314320ae288
Someone once said–-the Law moves like a snail but eventually it gets where it intended to go.
P.S. thinking of Fatty's statement re: his not paying taxes because he's "smart"-saying this during the Trump/Clinton debates––you would think people would have thought, wow!, someone running for president is telling the American people it's smart to get away with not paying taxes but those taxes are what makes America run? Apparently thousands thought it perfectly fine and dandy–-"a man after me own scruples". Who then do they blame when there's not enough money to keep them warm and cozy and well fed. Answer: Not Fatty!
I just listened to Elie Mystal on C-Span's Washington Journal. His response to an R caller from Texas about rights and god is priceless (and spot-on IMHO). Here's the entire segment, so you'll need to go to the 26 minute point for the particular call/response. I'm still laughing and whooping.
@unwashed: Yeah, it's a good answer. I tried really hard to make the clip and embed it. I could embed the whole segment AND I could make the clip, but I couldn't figure out how (if it's possible) to embed the clip.
When self regard becomes disregard for human life, and suffering.
Trump. Did you think there would be another answer?
The Trumps, as is their wont, once again try to monetize human suffering and death by hawking shirts making light of a tragic accident, the accidental killing of a DP on the set of a movie starring Alec Baldwin. Truly, these people have no decency, no shame, no sense of humanity. It’s all about Me, Me, Me, what’s best for me amd how can I make money off the pain of others?
When this story broke, I was working out, and the permanently Fox tuned monitors showed Faux hosts making fun of Baldwin, repeatedly showing a photo of the clearly distraught actor and questioning whether or not this should all be pinned on him. Baldwin, of course, has famously appeared as their god, the Fat Evil Fascist, on SNL. They had on one of their usual wingnut guests, a “former FBI agent” laying on the “legal” case for how Baldwin should be investigated. This, of course, was all done without any but the sketchiest of factual information.
There was little made of the tragic death and a lot made of how they could use the situation to attack a hated enemy.
I just cannot find the words to describe the despicable, depraved depths to which these vermin will descend to score political points.
@Marie, here's the clip I made of the particular portion I referenced above. After I made the clip I clicked on "EMBED" at the bottom of the video window. It then displayed another text box containing the code to be included by blogs and others. I don't know if it will work with the Squarespace editor.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4983415/user-clip-elierightsgod
@unwashed: Thanks. I did exactly the same thing you did. But when I clicked on EMBED, it didn't give me the code for the clip I'd made; it gave me the code for the whole segment. I checked by embedding the code on Reality Chex in case I had misread it, but no. I tried more than once. I think the problem might be with Firefox, which may have blocked the clip when I made it. I know there's some way I can unblock it, but I never remember what that is, so I didn't try to find it, as I'm nowhere near 100% sure that's the problem.
I'll embed your clip tomorrow, since it isn't time-sensitive.
Marie
P.S. Typing "nowhere" there reminded me of being in the second grade. We read a story which included a new word: "nowhere." We had learned to break up two-syllable words, and we all thought we had come across "now here," which didn't make sense, of course. Once that perfectly-logical reasoning got into our sweet little brains, it was hard to erase it. I finally "broke the code." Reading may be fundamental, as the saying goes, but reading English isn't easy. (Just last week or so I learned that "mores" are not "morays"! -- like being in the second grade all over again.)