Teens 4 a Better America

NEW BLOG!

2008-10-05T22:08:00.002-04:00

Hey wow I haven't posted here in forever! I am now contributing to a new blog, begun by my friend Lily. Check it out!
www.bloggingbarack.tk

Obama for President!

2008-03-18T17:21:00.002-04:00

Sorry I haven't posted in so long I've been incredibly busy. Vote Obama! The future of our beloved nation depends on it.

A VOTE FOR MCCAIN= A VOTE FOR 100 YEARS IN IRAQ

2008-02-14T07:24:00.003-05:00

And who should we never elect to run anything?

This man makes me sick. Vote Obama, boot McCain!

YES WE CAN! OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT!!

2008-02-14T07:20:00.000-05:00

Even More on Primaries

2008-02-02T12:01:00.000-05:00

Well, the race is on! Candidates are dropping out all over the place and frontrunners are battling for the presidency. And, of course, the media is making everything seem a hell of a lot worse than it actually is. What is really getting to me is the sludge being spewed about Hillary Clinton. I've stopped believing almost everthing I hear about her from the mass media. First, she broke down! She cried! She's not emotionally fit to run the country! My response? A hell of a lot of eye-rolling. Then suddenly, it was a political strategy! She faked it to seem more human! Give me a break. Now; the Clintons are playing the race card! Hilary insulted Dr. King's legacy! Come on, people! She said nothing offensive! All she said was that Dr. King's dream started to be fully realized when the president passed laws against segregation. How is that insulting King? Also, I keep hearing that she in "unelectable". If Hillary Clinton were to win the democratic nomination, I am fully convinced that she would win the presidency. She would draw support from Obama's supporters and all the people who are fully sick of the Republican party.

So, just to break it down, in the Democratic court it's Clinton vs. Obama and in the Republican court it's McCain vs. Romney. I swear to God if Romney is nominated as the Republican candidate I will lose the little respect I have left for the Rupublican party.

On a personal note, I'm very excited to be protesting tomorrow at a McCain rally in CT. When my brother heard, he asked me if I was going to be "zappy-thinged" (tasered). Tells you something about the image the Republican party is unintentionally putting out.

Just a Note- a Daily Show and the Colbert Report

2008-01-09T22:34:00.000-05:00

How could I forget? The Colbert Report and the Daily Show are back! Actually, Jon Stewart is calling his show a Daily Show until the writers return, but it's basically the same thing. After 10 weeks of no Stewart or Colbert, I was beginning to lose my mind :] Anyway, just thought it was worth mentioning.

More on the Primaries

2008-01-09T22:12:00.001-05:00

So here we go! The primaries have begun! The Iowa Caucus was a surprise- Huckabee was practically a nobody just months ago, but he won the Republican side. Moreover, who could have guessed that Hilary Clinton would come in third (Obama won, with Edwards second)? Then, completely different results appeared in New Hampshire: McCain and Clinton won. Richardson keeps coming up short, and now he's dropping out. It all seems to be happening so fast!
Recently I've been wavering a bit about whom to support in these primaries. No doubt about it, my top pick is Kucinich. However, we all know he isn't going to win anything anytime soon. So who out of the front runners? If you've been reading my blog for a while, you probably know that I've been supporting Obama. The more I find out about Clinton, however, the more I like her. I agree with her views on a lot of issues and it would be great to have Bill and the rest of the Clinton administration back in the White House. Then, of course, there's the Republicans. I can't really choose one person on that side because whenever I think too long about the possibility of one of them being our next president I get nauseous and start thinking about the moving to Canada. I can't stand Giuliani and Romney, but Huckabee, McCain and Paul don't bother me quite as much. Still thinking about Canada, though.

Check this out- it's really cool. You just take a quick survey and then it tells you which candidates agree with you on what issues, as well as who you agree with the most. Here's the address: http://www.votehelp.org/

Chris Dodd

2008-01-03T17:10:00.000-05:00

I got a request to hear something about Chris Dodd. His website is http://chrisdodd.com/ if you want to look him up.
Chris Dodd seems like an intelligent and experienced candidate. He wants to end the war in Iraq, restore our Constitution*, break America’s dependence on Middle East oil and make health care available to everyone. He has served in the Peace Corp and the National Guard. He is fluent in Spanish, which is definitely a plus in this day and age, and he has been in the Senate since 1980. Obviously, he has a lot of experience.
Unfortunately, Dodd is not a popular candidate and is not, in all probability, going to be elected President. He has most certainly earned the respect of the American people, however.

*This is a quote from Dodd's campaign website:
"Restoring the Constitution
Chris Dodd is appalled by the current administration’s assault on our Constitutional Rights. That is why Senator Dodd introduced the Restoring the Constitution Act, which would restore habeas corpus and require the US to live up to the Geneva Conventions. It would remedy much of the harm done to our nation’s commitment to due process rights by the misguided Military Commissions Act."
I agree wholeheartedly!

Nearly Primaries/ Happy Holidays

2007-12-17T22:11:00.001-05:00

Well, this is most likely going to be my last post of 2007. First of all, I'd like to wish everyone a merry Christmas, happy New Year, and happy holidays in general. This year has been quite a year!

On to business, then. Primaries are coming up and we're all thinking about the next presidential election. Well, maybe we're all thinking about getting Christmas dinner ready and buying presents for everyone, but I've certainly still got elections on my mind. Unfortunately, I won't be able to vote for another 4 1/2 years, but that doesn't prevent me from speculating.

Clinton and Obama are the clear frontrunners of the Democratic side, with Clinton perhaps a bit ahead. Personally, I support Obama. He seems to have a really good, strong, clear head on his shoulders. I also don't buy the "Obama is inexperienced, Clinton is experienced" line. Yes, Clinton has been in the Senate a few years longer than Obama, but what has she got besides that? Are we counting her being First Lady when her husband was president? I suppose she does deserve credit for her work in the former Clinton administration, but it just doesn't seem like she has enough experience to be holding it up as a weapon against Obama.

Then, of course, there are the Republicans. I can see no clear frontrunner here. There's Guilliani, whose whole platform is "9/11! 9/11! 9/11!" Then there's Romney, who seems like an unlikely winner because so many people are so dead set against the Mormons (plus, does he really seem like he'd be a good, reliable president?). They've got Huckabee, who I don't know a ton about but who seems slightly less completely out of his mind then the others (he's still insane, though, I just did some quick online research). McCain, who scares me a little bit. I can't stand any of them is what I'm saying. They're all anti-gay, anti-abortion, anti-gun control, pro-death penalty, etc. etc. Basically I disagree with the Republicans on everything.
It seems to me that after the current administration, a Republican president is very unlikely (thank God).

What do you think? I want comments, people!

I'm going to do some more research on Huckabee. He's the candidate my neocon arch rival in history class supports. I really enjoy yelling at that kid. Haha.

Another Iraq? Oh God...

2007-12-04T21:28:00.000-05:00

Well, he's done it again folks. George W. Bush has once again ignored all reason, lied to the American people, and is trying to start a war on false pretenses. As a member of the MoveOn.Org email list, I recieved the following email:

Dear MoveOn member,

Wow. All year President Bush has been moving America closer to war with Iran. But yesterday we learned stunning news: Iran shut down its nuclear weapons program in 2003—and President Bush has known for months.

But Bush is undeterred. This morning, he held a news conference where he actually tried to portray the news that Iran isn't building a bomb as yet another reason to confront Iran! He also said he hadn't known about the new evidence—a fact contradicted by his own National Security Adviser.

It's Iraq all over again. Bush is willing to ignore intelligence and lie to move us towards another war.

We can't let him get away with it again. Will you write a letter to the editor of your local paper reminding folks that we've heard this story before, that Bush is misleading America on Iran just as he did on Iraq? Click here:

http://pol.moveon.org/lte?campaign_id=87&id=11747-8612325-6rMB7F&t=3

The letters-to-the-editor section is one of the most widely read parts of the newspaper—a flood of letters can influence politicians, reporters, and the public. There are a couple key points we have to highlight in this critical moment:

Bush has been actively misleading us on Iran. Bush said today that he "only learned of the new intelligence assessment last week."
But according to the Washington Post, National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley "said Bush was first told in August or September about intelligence indicating Iran had halted its weapons program, but was advised it would take time to evaluate." Here's the Post:

President Bush got the world's attention this fall when he warned that a nuclear-armed Iran might lead to World War III. But his stark warning came at least a month or two after he had first been told about fresh indications that Iran had actually halted its nuclear weapons program.

Just like he did with Iraq, Bush is ignoring the intelligence and recklessly pushing towards war. We can't afford to let Bush and Cheney start another disastrous war.
Congress must act now and make it clear that President Bush has no authority to strike Iran.
The new National Intelligence Estimate shows that Iran is not the threat Bush says it is.
The public is very nervous about the prospect of another war, but the President's bully pulpit is powerful and he uses it to great effect. We need to raise our voices now. Please write a letter today:

Thanks for all you do,

–Ilyse, Tanya, Justin, Adam G., and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Tuesday, December 4th, 2007

After reading this, I sent a letter to my local newspaper and I encourage anyone reading this to do the same. Go to the website given in the email and simply enter the information asked of you and write a short letter. You don't even have to go to the post office! And above all, oppose any plans of a war in Iran. A nuclear program that has been inactive since 2003 is not a legitamite reason to start yet another war!

Torture... Oh, Sorry "Advanced Interrogation"

2007-12-03T14:20:00.000-05:00

Wow. I can't believe I haven't blogged in over a month. I really need to get back down to business.

The other day, in my American History class, I got into an argument with another student about torture. This teenage Neo-Con is convinced that
a. Our country should be torturing people and
b. Our country is not torturing people.
After a long debate about the moral inplications of torture (which clearly didn't have any effect on this kid), I brought up waterboarding. What did he say to that? "Waterboarding isn't torture!"

Whaaatt???

I looked up torture. I showed him the definition:

"1 a: anguish of body or mind : agony b: something that causes agony or pain
2: the infliction of intense pain (as from burning, crushing, or wounding) to punish, coerce, or afford sadistic pleasure
3: distortion or overrefinement of a meaning or an argument : straining"

Didn't simulated drowning seem to fall into the category of "something that causes agony or pain"? Didn't it seem that if you couldn't breathe you might feel "anguish of body or mind"? But no. He wasn't swayed. Apparently "just because Webster defined it" doesn't mean that definition is relevent in politics.

At this point, I gave up. Anyone who honestly believes simulated drowning isn't torture isn't going to buy anything that isn't said by one of the Republican idiots who run our government.

It starts you thinking, though. How many people in our country are really this brainwashed? And where is the world going if America decides that torture is OK?

"Say What You Like, Just Don't Say it Here" (My Response a New York Times Article)

2007-10-23T19:38:00.000-04:00

I just wrote this for school and realized it would be a good thing to put on my blog. So here's my history homewrok (haha):

Campbell Habetz
10/23/07
Respnse to article “Say What You Like, Just Don’t Say it Here”
From The New York Times

Summary:
The government has taken legal action in federal court against “irresponsible expressions of opinion by prominent aliens.” The two cases are very controversial because of their ties to the First Amendment. The first case concerns the government’s decision to deny a work visa to a Muslim scholar who had plans to speak at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. The second case deals with two men who watched Al Manar- the television station of a “radical Islamic Shiite group” called the Hezbollah.

Response:
Wow. What can I say? A man who has spoken in America multiple times before is denied the right to speak here because of his “position of prominence within (a) country to endorse or espouse terrorist activity.” What? He’s a “Swiss philosopher and Muslim intellectual” who “is the voice of reason, of logic, of tolerance and common sense.” Well, then, he donated money to a charity that later turned out to be giving money to a terrorist organization. Of course he would have known that before any government official! Moreover, two people are in trouble with the government for watching a television station that the administration doesn’t agree with. Is this a democracy or a dictatorship? Hey Bush Administration, ever heard of the Bill of Rights? Well, I guess if you have no problem walking all over the Constitution then the Bill of Rights is hardly worth your attention!

Me On Immigration- Prepare for a Rant Against Those Damn Republicans

2007-10-23T17:59:00.000-04:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071023/ap_on_el_pr/thompson_immigration

Wow. I can't believe that so many people want to deport the people here who have made a life for themselves without managing to become a citizen. Yes, we have laws against illegal immigration, but we also have moral responsibilities towards our brothers and sisters living around the world and right next door. Yes we need to enforce our borders, but we also need to help people who are already here, as well as the people trying to get here. We have a moral obligation to put illegal immigrants in our country on the path to becoming citizens and help people in other countries become citizens as well. What are we going to do? Deport people who have been living here since they were 4? Another thing- they were willing to put $1 billion into keeping people out of an immigrant- based nation, but they won't give $35 million to poor, sick children? Yes, that makes a whole lot of sense.

Gail Collins, of the New York Times, once said something about "sanctuary cities" that has stuck with me since I read it.

"Wasn't that where Keanu Reeves was trying to get to in the Matrix?"

By the way, if you haven't seen the Matrix, you should. Rent it. It's amazing.

George W. Bush Threatens the Lives of Americans... Again

2007-10-05T15:54:00.000-04:00

Except this time, the Americans are poor children. I can't believe he would veto a bill that takes money from cigarette sales and puts it towards health care for poor, sick children. That is awful! Unfortunately, I couldn't find the whole of the clip that was shown on the Daily Show, but here's what Jon Stewart had to say. As usually, he pretty much sums it up in my opinion.

I want to freaking bite Bush' head off! What the hell? Since when do we WANT kids to die? Bush supporters say that this bill is a step towards government controlled health care for all Americans- I say, would that really be so bad? Other countries have successful national health care programs. Why not us? But I'm getting ahead of myself. SCHIP would expand an already successful program and save children's lives. Bush says that $35 billion over 5 years is too much money, but we are pumping $4 billion a day in Iraq. I think we can spare $19 million a day to provide health care to poor, sick children! To me, these amounts of money are unbelievably high, but it seems to me that if we can spend $9 quadrillion on an unnecessary war, we can spare some money for our children.

For Your Entertainment...

2007-09-30T01:23:00.000-04:00

President Evo Morales of Bolivia

2007-09-29T23:22:00.000-04:00

Who wants to join me in moving to Bolivia? Haha this guy seems really smart. I woner if he walks the walk, or just talks the talk. I'll have to do some research on Bolivia.

Jubilee USA and Debt Cancellation

2007-09-25T21:45:00.000-04:00

Many impoverished countries are unable to help their citizens because of heaping piles of debt. Jubilee USA is trying to help them. Here's a quote from their site:

"New Bill Urges Bush Administration to Keep
Its Promises to Impoverished Countries and Raises
the Bar on Responsible Lending Practices

June 7, 2007—Introduced by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL), the Jubilee Act addresses the unfinished agenda on debt, and is introduced as the G8 meet in Germany, ignoring this unfinished agenda. With the re-introduction of this bill, we show the rest of the world that people in the U.S. still care and will continue to work for an end to the debt crisis. The Jubilee Act:

Calls on the Bush Administration, the IMF, and the World Bank to keep their promises on debt cancellation
Calls for expanded debt cancellation for impoverished countries that will use the freed resources well and require debt cancellation to meet the Millennium Development Goals
Calls for new standards for responsible lending and creditor transparency, by calling for measures to address the problem of vulture funds as well as audits of odious and illegal debts from the past"

To read more go to Jubilee USA's homepage: http://www.jubileeusa.org/

If you would like to support the Jubilee Act and help people in impoverished, debt- laden countries, talk to your local religious and political leaders and join me, my congregation and all the other people trying to make a difference. Visit Jubilee's site, learn more, sign up for the Cancel Debt Fast and spread awareness! Whether you are fasting for a day or 2 weeks, donating nothing or $100, going it alone or spreading the word to you local representatives, your contribution is highly valued! Here is a blog entry- written by our pastor, David Spollet, and used with permission- from my church's blog ( http://www.firstchurchfairfield.org/index.php?option=com_jd-wp&Itemid=20 ) about Jubilee USA:

"Fast for International Debt Relief
September 11th, 2007
by admin
During my trip to Kenya and Uganda in 2005 I saw first hand how terrible economic poverty that can grip people and hold them down. I also saw how the development of poor nations is retarded by old and often predatory lending by our own government and multilateral agencies like the World Bank and Interernational Monetary Fund (IMF), which are largely controlled by the US.

The 67 poorest nations of the world are crippled by this old international debt. These nations have paid back their debts to the World Bank, IMF and US Treasury time and again. The debt crisis set in when interest rates skyrocketed and compound interest made repayment impossible.

Last year, for every dollar African nations received in aid, they paid $2.30 in debt service.

Debt cancellation is a matter of human need, a matter of justice, and literally a matter of life and death for millions. The poorest nations are hamstrung in providing basic services like food, education and health care by this burden.

We know debt cancellation works. For example, when Burundi’s debt was cancelled, it eliminated school fees so that 300,000 additional children could attend school. Check out details and more information at www.jubileeusa.org.

I will be fasting on October 1st as part of Jubilee USA’s rolling fast to call our Congress to action on international debt relief.

On October 7, World Communion Sunday, we’ll have paper plates. Those who fast can write out a message onto to these empty plates to symbolize the crisis. Messages will collected and sent to Christoher Shays, our member of Congress, and Senators Dodd and Liberman, encouraging them to support the bi-partisan debt relief bill that is now moving through Congress.

I hope that you’ll join me in a fast to help end this crazy system and provide life saving relief to the poorest people in the world."

Once again, I urge you to visit http://www.jubileeusa.org/ and find out more about the Cancel Debt Fast and how you can make a difference in the world!

General Petraeus or General Betray Us?

2007-09-25T20:56:00.000-04:00

I can't believe this. We are in the middle of a war and the Senate decides to spend their time voting on whether or not to shake their fingers at an organization for critisizing the government? I am disgusted.

General Petraeus' Report to Congress

2007-09-13T17:56:00.000-04:00

This takes a while to load because it's so long:

So, basically, we're staying in Iraq. He won't tell us how long or what his plans are after next summer, because "...our experience in Iraq has repeatedly shown that projecting too far into the future is not just difficult, it can be misleading and even hazardous." He will, however, tell us exactly what would happen in the future if we were to withdraw completely. Of course it would be the apocalypse! "Ugh" is an understatement. Unfortunately, this seems to mirror the Bush administration's stand on this issue (big surprise), so I the war continues. And continues. Sigh.

Online Debates

2007-09-13T15:03:00.000-04:00

Hi! This is really cool. Yahoo! has an online debate with the democratic candidates. Here's the link: http://debates.news.yahoo.com/

if that link doesn't work I'm really sorry something is wrong with the program or something because it won't let me post live links. You can copy and paste if it isn't live.

*added 9/25: the "mash up" is over, so that address won't take you anywhere anymore.

Hillary's Top Ten Campaign Promises; LOLL!

2007-09-01T19:43:00.000-04:00

Hillary was on the David Letterman Show and told us her top ten campaign promises. I'm starting to not dislike her. Haha.

I'll be waiting for that cupcake, Hillary!

"Underdog Paul"- a quick look a Ron Paul's Campaign

2007-09-01T00:17:00.001-04:00

Well, personally, I think that quite a few of the presidential candidates this election are psychopaths. Nearly all of the Republicans, Hillary Clinton, they scare me a bit. Ron Paul may be the only Republican who, in my opinion, is fit to run our country. Obviously I'd rather see Obama or (I'll dare to dream) Kucinich in the Oval Office, but I would love to see Ron Paul in the Republican spot on the ballot. Paul Kucinich would be awesome, but as Kucinich is way too liberal to be accepted by the general public, my vote is for a Paul/ Obama ticket. Anyway, here's an article about Paul's campaign. It has a link to his campaign site at the bottom. Check them out.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070831/ap_on_el_pr/ron_paul_supporters

A Sorry To You, The Reader, For My Incredible Slowness

2007-09-01T00:11:00.000-04:00

I am really sorry about how little I've been posting and keeping up with what's going on. School just started for me and things are a bit hectic. Please be patient: I will be back 150% once things settle down. In the meantime, I'm posting when I can.
I'd also like to apologize for the links I've been posting. I don't know why, but none of the newer ones are live. I'm working on it, I promise. In the meantime, you should be able to just copy and paste.
Thanks!

Plastic Wrap Prank (yes, intriguing, isn't it?)

2007-08-30T10:03:00.000-04:00

Oh. my. god. Somebody plastic- wrapped Karl Rove's car!!! I'm sorry, but I have to laugh.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070829/ap_on_go_pr_wh/rove_s_car

Alberto "I don't recall" Gonzales Resigns!

2007-08-27T11:38:00.000-04:00

Yay!!! He's gone! Finally. I flipped out when I found out that they were giving him more power over the death penalty. He's been blatantly lying to protect his superiors and he should have been fired, but, of course, he was following the orders of the people who should have fired him. Ironic, no? Anyway, I'm just glad he's finally gone.

Barack Obama on the Daily Show 2

2007-08-23T17:05:00.000-04:00

Here are the videos I promised:

Obama on the Daily Show 8/22/07 part 1:

Obama on the Daily Show 8/22/07 part 2:

I promise I'll put interviews with other candidates on here as soon as I find some good ones.

How Green is Your Candidate?

2007-08-23T00:51:00.000-04:00

I think this page gives a good background on the candidates stands on environmental issues. Once again, Kucinich seems like he should be a forerunner, but I guess he just hasn't got luck on his side. Also, although this doesn't paint a wonderful picture of Obama, I still think that he is one of the better candidates, Anyway, take a look (if the link doesn't work, just copy and paste):

http://grist.org/feature/2007/07/06/candidates/

These are important issues to take into consideration, even if they do seem to take a backseat to other issues such as Iraq and illegal immigration. Of course, Iraq is the thing that needs attention now, but we also need to think about the future of our planet. I greatly recommend watching Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth- it's really interesting.

Barack Obama on the Daily Show

2007-08-22T23:55:00.000-04:00

I just turned off the Daily Show and decided I had to say something about the Obama interview.
However, first let me say that I decided recently that since Dennis Kucinich is NOT going to be elected, I should put my support behind one of the candidates that has a chance. So Obama has my vote (or would, if I could vote).
The interview didn't dig up too much but I think it's worth watching. Obama always seems so sincere in his interviews. I would sum up the interview, but I think it would be better to post the video. Unfortunately, it's not on the web yet, but I will post it here as soon as I can. In the meantime, here's a good clip from an interview with Obama on the Daily Show in 2005. It's out of date, of course, but why not?

I'd like to leave you with a quote from Obama about the one thing that is most often held against him: lack of experience.

"We (he and his campaign staff) try to remind people that nobody had a longer resume than Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, and that hasn't worked out too well."

California to become a blue AND red state

2007-08-20T09:25:00.000-04:00

Ok, don't get me wrong. I'm all for election reform. However, this is ridiculous!

http://www.alternet.org/story/60165/

This cannot be passed! If you live in California, try to do something! Raise awareness, send letters to you representatives, protest! This is absolutely ridiculous.
Personally, I think we should throw the Electoral College out the window and elect people by national majority. That's the only way to be fair and make every vote count.

God's Politics Blog

2007-08-17T15:33:00.000-04:00

This is a really interesting article. I suggest you read it (it isn't actually anything to do with God or religion- it's about Iraq).

http://go.sojo.net/ct/A1LYT1913XZd/

2008 Presidential Election

2007-08-16T22:34:00.000-04:00

What does everybody think of the candidates? All the people I really like seem to have no chance, based on the polls. I really like Dennis Kucinich, but there is no chance of him being elected. I do not like Hillary Clinton. I disagree with a lot of what she says. I like Edwards more than her, but I do not really like him either. Obama is my favorite out of the top three Democrats, but he seems inexperienced. I do not like any of the Republicans (some of them seem a little nuts to me), but out of them, my pick is Ron Paul. He seems like the only nearly sane one, even though I do not agree with a lot of what he says. So anyway, what does everybody else think?

Important Issues- Iraq

2007-08-16T21:59:00.000-04:00

Ok. So who else votes for getting the hell out of there? Seems to me we're doing more harm than help. We never should have invaded in the first place. Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11 so that was a pitiful excuse to invade and they never had nuclear weapons and we knew it. Basically, George W. wanted oil. At least, that is how I see it. More importantly, though, what are we going to do about it now? What are other people's views on this whole thing?

Hey Everybody!

2007-08-16T21:24:00.001-04:00

Hey. I was going to try to let everybody post main entries, but I can't figure out how to do that and besides I think it would get kind of crazy. So anyone can post, but only as a comment under one of my entries. I'll have open threads, too. Thanks!