 | "There's Justice In The Universe" |
| Posted 10/11/2007 5:55 PM CDT *Because this particular blog has been receiving an ever increasing number of hits, I’m reposting it.* Poachers Killing Gorillas & Chimps For Profit As ‘Bush Meat’ Delicacy: In Central Africa, some of man's closest relatives are being pushed close to extinction by two disturbing trends -- civilization's appetite for luxury foods and virgin timber. Our primate relatives are being killed, butchered, smoked and sold as “bush meat”, not as necessary protein sources but as delicacies. “This can’t go on much longer before these animals are extinct,” warns the Kenya Wildlife Service. But in Central Africa, the commercial trade in bush meat continues to grow. Unrestrained logging, mostly by European companies driving new access roads into old-growth forests, makes the proliferation possible. Roads now penetrate deep into areas once inaccessible to hunters. Some logging companies do more than build the roads; they take a role in the bush meat trade. They hire employees to buy the meat, supply hunters with guns and ammunition, and transport them and their catch between forests and markets. http://www.cnn.com/TECH/science/9812/30/africa.bushmeat/ 07:22 Ways To Save Mountain Gorillas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo4w_ifeP94 10:39 Saving the Mountain Gorillas - Democratic Republic of Congo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QwI2O1_HlI 06:23 Help Stop The Mountain Gorilla Massacre: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ia_D38USEE&mode=related&search= Donate To Save Gorillas In The Wild: http://awf.org/ http://www.wildlifedirect.org/ http://www.wildlifedirect.org/blogAdmin/gorilla Save The Forests & You Save The Wildlife: Rapid deforestation is underway in many of the priority ecoregions that WWF is working to protect around the globe, including Borneo and Sumatra, the Amazon and the Congo Basin. Orangutans, jaguars, gorillas and many other forest dwellers suffer from this massive loss of habitat. Major causes of this destruction are unsustainable and illegal logging, which are fed by high demand for timber in the United States, European countries, Japan and China. This wood then ends up in our shops and ultimately our homes. So your garden furniture, wood flooring or toilet tissue may have in fact contributed to the destruction of the world's most valuable rain forests. Take Action: When possible, make sure that any timber products you buy carry the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) label. If you can’t find FSC-certified products in your local store, please ask the store manager to supply them. Timber that doesn't carry the FSC label, may well come from illegal or controversial sources. http://tinyurl.com/28lbpr Getting Credit For Saving Trees: Deforestation is responsible for about 20% of global carbon emissions, more than from all the cars, boats and planes in the world. Plenty of programs plant trees to offset emissions, but it is even more important to save the trees we already have. Despite the high emissions rate, the Kyoto Protocol gives tropical countries no incentives for protecting their forests, a process called "avoided deforestation." But that's beginning to change. The World Bank is raising $250 million for a pilot fund to support projects that would encourage governments and companies in the developed world to pay for preserving trees in the tropics in exchange for carbon credits that grant the right to emit CO2. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1642887,00.html Rural Indonesia Is World’s #3 Greenhouse Gas Emitter: After China and the U.S., which country emits the greatest quantity of greenhouse gases per year? It's rural Indonesia, which emits 3.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide annually--almost entirely from deforestation. Living trees absorb CO2, and as they are cut down or burned, they release their stored carbon into the air. Trees also absorb sunlight, warming the earth, but in the tropics their ability to absorb CO2 and promote cloud formation has a net cooling effect. In addition, thinning forests mean fewer trees to soak up the carbon emitted by industry and transport. [ And let’s not forget the wildlife habitat destruction.] http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1642887,00.html Australia To Build Cross-Continent Corridor For Wildlife: Australia will create a wildlife corridor spanning the continent to allow animals and plants to flee the effects of global warming… the 1,740 mile climate "spine," approved by state and national governments, will link the country's entire east coast, from the snow-capped Australian alps in the south to the tropical north Queensland. A lot of that forest and vegetation spine is already there. But there are still blockages. Climate scientists have predicted temperatures rising by up to 12 degrees Fahrenheit by 2080 in the country's vast outback interior. The corridor will link national parks, state forests and government land, and help preserve scores of endangered species. . . http://tinyurl.com/2zp7x6 http://twp.org/cms/index.cfm?group_id=1000 Tell U.S. Navy To Stop Killing Whales: Ear-splitting military sonar is needlessly killing whales and other marine mammals throughout the world's oceans. Yet the Navy has refused to put effective safeguards in place during testing and training. These simple precautions -- such as avoiding sensitive habitats where whales are known to migrate and raise their young -- would help prevent the infliction of pain and death on these magnificent animals without compromising military readiness. http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/Act_Now_To_Save_The_Whales_JT Help Pass Legislation To Toughen Dogfighting Laws! The fighting dog’s life is one of misery. Animals who survive a match often receive little care for their injuries and are barely provided with the food, water and shelter they need to survive. There is no rescue, for confiscated dogs are typically euthanized due to their unsuitability for adoption. Most states have only misdemeanor-level penalties for attending dogfights, which do little to discourage animal fighters or encourage law enforcement to pursue cases. Fortunately, tougher federal legislation has now been introduced that would prohibit both dogfighting and being a spectator at a dogfight. https://community.hsus.org/campaign/FED_2007_dogfighting2 Dog Meat Trade Persists In The Phillippines: Despite being banned in the Philippines since 1998, the illegal dog meat trade continues to flourish in certain regions. Humane Society International is working with local police and animal groups to curtail the dog meat trade. [Primitive, primitive, primitive…] Watch the video and then take action today. https://community.hsus.org/campaign/stop_dog_meat_trade ~Man’s inhumanity to man is exceeded only by his cruelty to animals.~ anonymous |
| Posted 9/29/2007 5:58 PM CDT Poachers Killing Gorillas & Chimps For Profit As Bushmeat Delicacy: In Central Africa, some of man's closest relatives are being pushed close to extinction by two disturbing trends -- civilization's appetite for luxury foods and virgin timber. Our primate relatives are being killed, butchered, smoked and sold as “bushmeat”, not as necessary protein sources but as delicacies. “This can’t go on much longer before these animals are extinct,” warns the Kenya Wildlife Service. But in Central Africa, the commercial trade in bush meat continues to grow. Unrestrained logging, mostly by European companies driving new access roads into old-growth forests, makes the proliferation possible. Roads now penetrate deep into areas once inaccessible to hunters. Some logging companies do more than build the roads; they take a role in the bushmeat trade. They hire employees to buy the meat, supply hunters with guns and ammunition, and transport them and their catch between forests and markets. http://www.cnn.com/TECH/science/9812/30/africa.bushmeat/ 07:22 Ways To Save Mountain Gorillas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo4w_ifeP94 10:39 Saving the Mountain Gorillas - Democratic Republic of Congo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QwI2O1_HlI 06:23 Help Stop The Mountain Gorilla Massacre: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ia_D38USEE&mode=related&search= Donate To Save Gorillas In The Wild: http://awf.org/ http://www.wildlifedirect.org/ http://www.wildlifedirect.org/blogAdmin/gorilla Save The Forests & You Save The Wildlife: Rapid deforestation is underway in many of the priority ecoregions that WWF is working to protect around the globe, including Borneo and Sumatra, the Amazon and the Congo Basin. Orangutans, jaguars, gorillas and many other forest dwellers suffer from this massive loss of habitat. Major causes of this destruction are unsustainable and illegal logging, which are fed by high demand for timber in the United States, European countries, Japan and China. This wood then ends up in our shops and ultimately our homes. So your garden furniture, wood flooring or toilet tissue may have in fact contributed to the destruction of the world's most valuable rain forests. Take Action: When possible, make sure that any timber products you buy carry the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) label. If you can’t find FSC-certified products in your local store, please ask the store manager to supply them. Timber that doesn't carry the FSC label, may well come from illegal or controversial sources. http://tinyurl.com/28lbpr FSC Label: http://www.centerforsustainability.org/images/directory/Seal-_Proposed_FSC_3.JPG http://www.centerforsustainability.org/resources.php?root=176&category=210 Getting Credit For Saving Trees: Deforestation is responsible for about 20% of global carbon emissions, more than from all the cars, boats and planes in the world. Plenty of programs plant trees to offset emissions, but it is even more important to save the trees we already have. Despite the high emissions rate, the Kyoto Protocol gives tropical countries no incentives for protecting their forests, a process called "avoided deforestation." But that's beginning to change. The World Bank is raising $250 million for a pilot fund to support projects that would encourage governments and companies in the developed world to pay for preserving trees in the tropics in exchange for carbon credits that grant the right to emit CO2. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1642887,00.html Rural Indonesia Is World’s #3 Greenhouse Gas Emitter: After China and the U.S., which country emits the greatest quantity of greenhouse gases per year? It's rural Indonesia, which emits 3.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide annually--almost entirely from deforestation. Living trees absorb CO2, and as they are cut down or burned, they release their stored carbon into the air. Trees also absorb sunlight, warming the earth, but in the tropics their ability to absorb CO2 and promote cloud formation has a net cooling effect. In addition, thinning forests mean fewer trees to soak up the carbon emitted by industry and transport. [ And let’s not forget the wildlife habitat destruction.] http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1642887,00.html Australia To Build Cross-Continent Corridor For Wildlife: Australia will create a wildlife corridor spanning the continent to allow animals and plants to flee the effects of global warming… the 1,740 mile climate "spine," approved by state and national governments, will link the country's entire east coast, from the snow-capped Australian alps in the south to the tropical north Queensland. A lot of that forest and vegetation spine is already there. But there are still blockages. Climate scientists have predicted temperatures rising by up to 12 degrees Fahrenheit by 2080 in the country's vast outback interior. The corridor will link national parks, state forests and government land, and help preserve scores of endangered species. . . http://tinyurl.com/2zp7x6 http://twp.org/cms/index.cfm?group_id=1000 Tell U.S. Navy To Stop Killing Whales: Ear-splitting military sonar is needlessly killing whales and other marine mammals throughout the world's oceans. Yet the Navy has refused to put effective safeguards in place during testing and training. These simple precautions -- such as avoiding sensitive habitats where whales are known to migrate and raise their young -- would help prevent the infliction of pain and death on these magnificent animals without compromising military readiness. http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/Act_Now_To_Save_The_Whales_JT Help Pass Legislation To Toughen Dogfighting Laws! The fighting dog’s life is one of misery. Animals who survive a match often receive little care for their injuries and are barely provided with the food, water and shelter they need to survive. There is no rescue, for confiscated dogs are typically euthanized due to their unsuitability for adoption. Most states have only misdemeanor-level penalties for attending dogfights, which do little to discourage animal fighters or encourage law enforcement to pursue cases. Fortunately, tougher federal legislation has now been introduced that would prohibit both dogfighting and being a spectator at a dogfight. https://community.hsus.org/campaign/FED_2007_dogfighting2 Dog Meat Trade Persists In The Phillippines: Despite being banned in the Philippines since 1998, the illegal dog meat trade continues to flourish in certain regions. Humane Society International is working with local police and animal groups to curtail the dog meat trade. [Primitive, primitive, primitive…] Watch the video and then take action today. https://community.hsus.org/campaign/stop_dog_meat_trade ~Man’s inhumanity to man is exceeded only by his cruelty to animals.~ anonymous |
| Posted 9/23/2007 6:29 PM CDT “Era Of Easy Money (aka Credit)” Ending: Cheap credit helped fuel the stock bubble at the end of the past millennium and almost entirely fueled the real estate boom of the first years of this millennium. It kept us spending through the tough years that followed the stock market's collapse, and it allowed the Bush Administration to finance big budget deficits without strain. Easy money also helped enable the rise of private equity as a major economic force…. Now, though it’s history… especially since the demand for credit in Asia is rising and the American consumer is no longer needed as much as before. Note: I’m not talking about ‘credit card type’ of credit. The shockingly exorbitant interest rates there make lending a lucrative venture. [My Comment: U.S. debtors need to change their ways now, not later. They won’t be able to borrow enough to stay ahead of their creditors. The US dollar has long been overvalued and its recent slippage will continue / inflation will increase in the process. The huge USA government’s debt along with our continuing trade deficits assures this. Those with excessive debt and without significant savings are ‘in trouble’ without yet realizing it. Yet to come will be an increase in foreigners buying up even more assets in America.] http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1645150,00.html Americans Increasingly In Debt: Approximately 40% of American households spend more than they make each year, and the average household debt to credit cards is about $10,000. According to the Federal Reserve, consumer credit card debt in the United States totals $880 billion; this figure, adjusted to current dollars, has increased a hundred-fold in the last 40 years. [My Comment: If you’re not getting ahead, then you’re falling behind. In which case, it’s time to re-evaluate. On the international scale, the USA is a debtor nation and this is reflected in the weakening of the U.S. dollar. Debtor citizenry + Debtor nation = Nation of debtors => yields financial insecurity. Some of my earlier blogs dealt with the importance of personal financial solvency. The importance of this is increasing as time passes.] http://tinyurl.com/2g2xpd College Freshmen Targeted For Credit Cards: Banks bombard college students with credit offers designed to entice them to sign up and start charging. The unsuspecting will be lured by approaches ranging from free T-shirts and university logo coffee mugs to low introductory interest rates and high spending limits. Every year, there's a fresh pack of prospects called freshmen. College students are the largest identifiable segment of new customers. As colleges and universities begin the school year, the offers come in droves. Bankers know that if you can be the first card in their wallet, they'll remain loyal. Good resources available for researching the best credit offers are Bankrate.com, CardTrak.com, CreditCards.com/college-students.php, www.TheTruthAboutCredit.com and www.studentdoc.com. http://www.statesman.com/business/content/business/stories/personalfinance/08/26/0826studentcredit.html https://secure.npsite.org/cu/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1647 Use Honest Rebate Credit Cards: If you’re a “convenience credit card user” aka “someone who always pays off their balance each month”, I recommend that you consider using Amazon’s Visa card & Discover’s ‘Open Road’ Card. With Amazon, you get a full 1% rebate on every dollar you spend (more if you use it to buy from them) via redeemable gift certificates applicable when you order something from them. With the Discover card, you’ll receive a full 5% back (as a credit on your account) on any gas purchases / although you can use it for other kinds of purchases, the rebate averages much less than 1% for non-gas purchases. General Motors, also, has a great rebate card / if you (or anyone in your family) will be buying a new vehicle from them within the next several years. Credit Card Facts: 93% of Americans have a credit card; The average cardholder has 7 cards; Americans owe $850 billion in credit card debt; 60% of Americans have been in credit card debt for more than a year; The average American household owes $9,659 on its credit cards; 1/3 of Americans pay off their credit card bills in full every month & inside the credit card industry, these customers are known a “deadbeats”; Credit card companies earned $90+ billion in interest last year and $55+ billion in fees; Last year, banks sent out 8 billion credit card applications, a 30% increase since 2005…and they spend an average of $58 to sign up each new customer; The top 5 credit card companies made $8.5 million in congressional campaign funds last year; A typical card’s contract was less than a page long in the early 80s, but now it’s more than 30 & terms can change at any time for any reason; and there’s much more that reveals the unscrupulous practices of America’s credit card industry. http://www.motherjones.com/news/exhibit/2007/09/exhibit_sources.html Hated Bank Fees: Read ‘em and weep (click on link) http://tinyurl.com/26bjrd Don't Buy Forever Stamps As Investment: Those "forever" stamps introduced by the U.S. Postal Service -- that lock in the 41-cent rate for good -- sounded like such a good deal to a Pennsylvania man, he decided to invest $8,000 in those very same stamps. A look at the real numbers, however, shows how investing large amounts of money on forever stamps is anything but a good deal. The reason: Postal rate hikes have come more slowly than the true rate of inflation, as calculated by the Consumer Price Index, meaning stamps have gotten cheaper over time. http://www.slate.com/id/2166475?nav=tap3 ~At least half of bankruptcies are due to medical expenses.~ Reuters |
| Posted 9/19/2007 7:50 PM CDT “North American Union” Drivers License: The first "North American Union" driver's license, complete with a hologram of the North American continent on the reverse, has been created in the state of North Carolina. The North Carolina driver's license is 'North American Union' ready. The hologram looks exactly [like] the map of North America that is used as the background for the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America logo on the SPP website. See pictures of logos and read narrative: http://www.alipac.us/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=81439&start=0 http://mensnewsdaily.com/2007/09/20/first-north-american-union-drivers-licenses-issued-in-us/ SPP To Increase All Immigration: An escalation of the ‘Security and Prosperity Partnership’ agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico will lead to a large-scale North American guestworker program that would further depress American wages and force American workers to compete on a global pay scale. We already have immigration policies that are oppressive to working-class Americans. The SPP is an end-run around Congress and the American people. The 21st century robber barons, hungry for more cheap labor, will no doubt throw everything they have into these schemes. However, H.CON.RES.40 would express the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States should not engage in the construction of a NAFTA Superhighway System; (2) the United States should not allow the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) to implement additional regulations to create a North American Union with Canada and Mexico; and (3) the President should strongly oppose these or any other proposals that threaten U.S. sovereignty. (The SPP – entered into by the heads of state of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico in 2005 – seeks to “streamline” movement across our borders and, as such, would eliminate the notion of “illegal immigration” and, consequently, would increase the inflow at our borders.) Take Action: http://www.numbersusa.com/actionbuffet http://www.cis.org/articles/2007/back607.pdf http://www.eagleforum.org/psr/2005/july05/psrjuly05.html http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/publiccitizen/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=3307 Penalize ‘Sanctuary Cities’: The CLEAR Act, HR 3494, would implement a system for identifying and removing violent criminal illegal immigrants and would deny certain federal funds to "sanctuary cities" that protect violent criminal aliens. This bill would help local law enforcement officers identify and remove violent criminal illegal immigrants. It would also provide training and funding to local and state police. Our thousands of local officers encounter criminal aliens on a regular basis during the course of their routine duties. While it is essential that we secure our borders, there must also be a component of interior enforcement. Incorporating the assistance of state and local agencies is the most effective way to do this. http://capwiz.com/caps/issues/alert/?alertid=10294016 http://capwiz.com/caps/home/ Immigrant Population Straining Resources: The U.S. Census Bureau indicates that about 40 million immigrants were here in 2006. That’s a one-in-eight ratio…and the ratio is increasing rapidly. And as our population soars, competition drives up the prices for basic resources (housing, land, fuel, etcetera) . States with the highest population increases experienced the highest housing cost increases (these states also had the greatest increase in immigrant population). http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-wed_censussep12,0,5457990.story http://www.cap-s.org/main.html Picture Evidence Of Mass Illegal Immigration Through Arizona: http://www.snopes.com/photos/politics/restarea.asp Reducing The Illegal Immigration Flow: Illegal immigration in the United States, can never be fully stopped; however it can be reversed. We can greatly reduce the number of aliens that attempt to enter America illegally, by reversing this flow with remedies that already exist in United States Law. There is a large consensus of support from the American citizenry for the implementation of these remedies to illegal immigration. The four things we must do are: (1). Secure our Borders. (2.) Crack down on employers that intentionally hire illegal labor. (3.) Remove all benefits such as licenses, in-state tuition, and welfare for illegal aliens. (4.) Empower local police to enforce immigration law. http://www.alipac.us/article1111-thread-1-0.html http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/237661/ If Americans Are Having Fewer Children, Then Where Are All Of The People Coming From: http://www.cap-s.org/newsroom/recent_advertising.html Amnesty Returns In Amendments To Defense Bill: After a public outcry stopped the huge amnesty bill this year, its proponents are slipping bits of it into the Defense authorization bill. If they succeed in all their efforts, this exercise in stealth will give them outrageous elements of the "comprehensive" immigration bill that Americans rejected. One item is to add an amnesty to provide in-state tuition to illegal aliens who entered the country before they were 16, but since no documentation is required, virtually all the millions of illegal aliens in this country could claim eligibility. The other two components of the plan are: />Increase the number of H-2B non-agricultural seasonal visas. These visas deny jobs to, and depress wages for, low-skilled Americans—our own working poor. There is no system to guarantee that these "temporary" workers would ever leave. Much of the current illegal alien population arrived on temporary visas and then refused to leave when the visas expired. />Increase the number of "hi-tech" H-1B visas. The SKIL Act would increase the figure from 65,000 to 115,000 in the first year and another 20 percent the following year. This expansion will make it even easier for U.S. employers to import cheap foreign workers and displace Americans. http://www.numbersusa.com/news?ID=8808 The DREAM Act (Amendment 2237 to the Defense Authorization bill) is a nightmare. It is a massive amnesty that extends to the millions of illegal aliens who entered the United States before the age of 16. ***Senate leaders continue today in deciding whether to bring a vote on adding the DREAM Act amnesty to H.R. 1585, the Defense Department authorization bill. Click to read all the updated information on the debate. Click here to send free faxes asking Senators to kill the amnesty attempt. Note: Cornyn & Hutchinson are on the wrong side of the fence. [The ‘doublespeak’ response I received from Hutchinson shows she’s an SPP/NAU & DREAM supporter.] Take Action: http://capwiz.com/caps/issues/alert/?alertid=10308086 Letter From American Working In Mexico: [The following letter is from Tom O'Malley who was a Director with SW BELL in Mexico City.] “I spent five years working in Mexico. I worked under a tourist Visa for three months and could legally renew it for three more months. After that you were working Illegally. I was technically illegal for three weeks waiting on the FM3 approval. During that six months our Mexican and US Attorneys were working to secure a permanent work visa called a FM3. It was in addition to my US passport that I had to show each time I entered and left the country. Barbara's was the same except hers did not permit her to work. To apply for the FM3 I needed to submit the following notarized originals (not copies) of my: 1. Birth certificate for Barbara and I; 2. Marriage certificate; 3. High school transcripts and proof of graduation; 4. College transcripts for every college I attended and proof of graduation; 5. Two letters of recommendation from supervisors I had worked for at least one year; 6. A letter from The ST. Louis Chief of Police indication I had no arrest record in the US and no outstanding warrants and was "a citizen in good standing"; 7. Finally; I had to write a letter about myself that clearly stated why there was no Mexican Citizen with my skills and why my skills were important to Mexico. We called it our "I am the greatest person on Earth" letter. Note: All of the above were in English that had to be translated into Spanish and be certified as legal translations and our signatures notarized. It produced a folder about 1.5 inches thick with English on the left side and Spanish on the right. Once they were completed Barbara and I spent about five hours accompanied by a Mexican Attorney touring Mexican Government office locations and being photographed and fingerprinted at least three times. At each location and we remember at least four locations we instructed on Mexican tax, labor, housing, and criminal law and that we were required to obey their laws or face the consequences. We could not protest any of the Governments actions or we would be committing a felony. We paid out four thousand dollars in fees and bribes to complete the process. When this was done we could legally bring in our household goods that were held by US customs in Laredo Texas. This meant we had rented furniture in Mexico while awaiting our goods. There were extensive fees involved here that the company paid. We could not buy a home and were required to rent at very high rates and under contract and compliance with Mexican law. We were required to get a Mexican drivers license. This was an amazing process. The company arranged for the Licensing agency to come to our. Headquarters location with their photography and finger print equipment and the laminating machine. We showed our US license, were photographed and fingerprinted again and issued the license instantly after paying out a six dollar fee. We did not take a written or driving test and never received instructions on the rules of the road. Our only instruction was never give a policeman your license if stopped and asked. We were instructed to hold it against the inside window away from his grasp. If he got his hands on it you would have to pay ransom to get it back. We then had to pay and file Mexican income tax annually using the number of our FM3 as our ID number. The companies Mexican accountants did this for us and we just signed what they prepared. I was about twenty legal size pages annually. The FM 3 was good for three years and renewable for two more after paying more fees. Leaving the country meant turning in the FM# and certifying we were leaving no debts behind and no outstanding legal affairs (warrants, tickets or liens) before our household goods were released to customs. It was a real adventure and If any of our Senators or Congressman went through it once they would have a different attitude toward Mexico. The Mexican Government uses its vast military and police forces to keep its citizens intimidated and compliant. They never protest at their White House or government offices but do protest daily in front of the United States Embassy. The US embassy looks like a strongly reinforced fortress and during most protests the Mexican Military surround the block with their men standing shoulder to shoulder in full riot gear to protect the Embassy. These protests are never shown on US or Mexican TV. There is a large public park across the street where they do their protesting. Anything can cause a protest such as proposed law changes in California or Texas.” http://www.cojoweb.com/email-1.html ~Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.~ Mark Twain |
| Posted 9/15/2007 10:10 PM CDT Chocolate & Other Foods That Help With Colds/Flu: Researchers recently found that an ingredient in chocolate may help a persistent cough. Theobromine, a key ingredient in chocolate, is nearly a third more effective in stopping persistent coughs than the leading medicine codeine. Other foods that help are bananas, chicken noodle soup, orange juice, and garlic…read why: http://coldflu.about.com/od/preventionofacold/a/Food_Cold.htm Five-part Video Series Explores how the food industry spends billions of dollars to sabotage your health & takes a critical look at our government’s agricultural subsidy programs, and their unintended consequences on your nutritional choices and health. For example, sugar and fat receive 20+ times more government farming subsidies than fruits and vegetables. Does this oversupply of fats and sugars, compared to fruits and vegetables, affect your food choices? Some statistics, implicating both the food industry and the government as co-creating factors in the obesity epidemic, include: >In 2002, consumers spent $174 billion on processed foods; >90% of foods marketed each year are processed foods; >Last year, 2,800 new candies, desserts, ice-cream, and snacks were introduced to the marketplace, compared to 230 new fruits or vegetable products; and >The food industry spends $34 billion per year marketing their products; $12 billion is spent marketing to children. Watch and listen: http://tinyurl.com/32r3hq Diacetyl Flavoring Is Another Reason To Avoid Microwave Popcorn: Artificial flavor ‘Diacetyl’ is added to a variety of foods to give them a buttery flavor. Federal scientists have determined that fumes from the chemical were toxic when inhaled by workers in microwave popcorn plants & has been linked to “bronchiolitis obliterans”, a potentially deadly condition also known as "popcorn lung”, which can be so severe it necessitates a lung transplant. Critics say the federal government has not done enough to regulate diacetyl and has delayed releasing research on the safety of microwave popcorn. And now an avid popcorn consumer has been diagnosed with this malady. Watch and listen: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-te.popcorn06sep06,0,5666138.story?coll=bal-pe-asection “MSG” Is A Silent Killer: A silent killer that’s worse than alcohol, nicotine, and drugs is likely lurking in your kitchen cabinets and even your child’s school cafeteria. It’s monosodium glutamate (MSG), a ‘manufactured’ flavor enhancer that’s known widely as an addition to Chinese food, but that’s actually added to thousands of the foods you eat. In this telling three-part video series, you’ll find out why MSG is described as a dangerous excitotoxin (defined as “a class of substances that damage neurons through paroxysmal activity). Also learn how it contributes to many ailments / from obesity to infertility to learning disabilities. http://www.holisticmed.com/msg/msg-sources.txt Watch & Learn (especially part 3): http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/08/28/dangers-of-msg.aspx Diet Foods Can Lead To Obesity, Not Cure It: Children eating diet foods in lieu of the full-calorie versions may lead to overeating and obesity when they grow up. In a study, young rats were fed either a regular diet or low-calorie substitutes. The low-calorie versions led the rats to overeat, whether they were lean or genetically predisposed to obesity. Adult rats, however, did not show the same tendency to overeat. The researchers believe that diet foods with low calorie content disrupt the body’s ability to use taste to regulate caloric intake. This would explain why older animals did not overeat, as they, unlike the younger rats, were able to rely on taste-related cues to assess the energy value of their food correctly. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/08/10/diet-foods-will-cause-obesity-not-cure-it.aspx http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6933686.stm Too Many Antioxidants Not Good: Despite the popular notion that antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E, offer health-promoting benefits by protecting against damaging free radicals, a new study in the August 10 issue of the journal Cell reveals that, in fact, balance is the key. In a study on laboratory mice, researchers found that an overload of natural antioxidants could actually lead to heart failure. They’re hoping that their research may pave the way for a new class of drugs to treat or even prevent heart disease caused by “reductive stress.” Reductive stress is a condition caused by excessive levels of reduced glutathione, which is one of your body’s most powerful antioxidants. When your cells work properly, they produce just the right amount of reduced glutathione, which is healthy for your body. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/08/13/could-too-many-antioxidants-be-as-bad-as-too-few.aspx http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-08/uouh-rsl080707.php USDA Not Closely Monitoring G.E. Crops: Through lax regulations, weak enforcement, and a total lack of public accountability, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has exhibited a miserable track record in regulating genetically engineered (GE) crops—including pharma/industrial crops that are engineered to produce drugs and industrial chemicals. Union of Concerned Scientists analysis shows that unless the USDA bans the outdoor use of food crops such as rice, corn, and soybeans as pharma/industrial crops, our food supply is likely to become contaminated with these substances. http://ucsaction.org/campaign/8_24_07_pharma_crops Stop GE Sugar Beets: Leading U.S. sugar providers have announced they will be sourcing their sugar from genetically engineered (GE) sugar beets beginning this year and arriving in stores in 2008. Like GE corn and GE soy, products containing GE sugar will not be labeled as such. Since half of the granulated sugar in the U.S. comes from sugar beets, a move towards biotech beets marks a dramatic alteration of the U.S. food supply. These sugars, along with GE corn and soy, are found in many conventional food products, so consumers will be exposed to genetically engineered ingredients in just about every non-organic multiple-ingredient product they purchase. The GE sugar beet is designed to withstand strong doses of Monsanto's controversial broad spectrum Roundup herbicide. Studies indicate farmers planting "Roundup Ready" corn and soy spray large amounts of the herbicide, contaminating both soil and water. Farmers planting GE sugar beets are told they may be able to apply the herbicide up to five times per year. [My Comment: Consumers get a “double whammy” on this. They get the GE plant tissue as well as an increased amount of Roundup herbicide. Agribiz spokespersons LIE when they state that because the Roundup isn’t sprayed on the plant that there’s no contamination. The truth is that the plants are GE modified so that they can tolerate increased intake of the herbicide.] Take Action: http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/oca/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=12700 Keep Drugs Out Of Our Food: During the past decade, biotechnology companies have been engineering food crops to produce pharmaceutical drugs and industrial chemicals. Scientists, however, are concerned that these crops might harm people’s health or the environment. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has exhibited a miserable track record in regulating these potentially dangerous crops. The Union of Concerned Scientists analysis shows that unless the USDA bans the outdoor use of food crops such as rice, corn, and soybeans to produce drugs and chemicals--our food supply is likely to become contaminated with these substances. Give voice to your concerns: http://ucsaction.org/campaign/8_24_07_pharma_crops http://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_environment/feed/feed-september-2007.html#1 http://ucsaction.org/ucsaction/home.html Varicose Veins & Vitamin K: ‘Varicosis’ may be attributable to a lack of vitamin K. Inadequate levels of vitamin K may reduce the activity of the matrix GLA protein (MGP), which in turn has been identified as a key player in the development of varicosis. There are two main forms of vitamin K: >Vitamin K1 is found in green leafy vegetables, including lettuce, broccoli, and spinach, and makes up about 90 percent of the vitamin K in the Western-style diet. />Vitamins K2 is found in meats & fermented food products like cheese. http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/news/ng.asp?n=79185&m=1FPD823&c=eepddtxhprfgmgi ~Talk is cheap ... except when Congress does it.~ Unknown |
| Posted 9/13/2007 2:17 PM CDT Ag Jobs Amnesty: The open-borders assault on American workers and taxpayers will have resumed now that Congress has returned. Since the victory over the Comprehensive Amnesty in the Senate in June, the pro-amnesty forces have been planning and mounting their new assault. They will ‘forego’ attempting an amnesty for the minimum of 12+ million total illegal aliens. Instead, they will seek an amnesty for 1.5 million illegal farm workers (which will also result in a few more millions of their close relatives being allowed to be amnestied or invited right away). Please use the Action Buffet for faxes to send. Pro-amnesty advocacy groups are telling their members that Sen. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Sen. Feinstein (D-Calif.) have promised them that the Ag Jobs Amnesty will be attached to the farm bill this fall and be passed into law. Media Scare Tactics: The media have been pushing constant scare stories about how crops will rot in the fields and on the trees the rest of the year because the supply of illegal ag workers is dwindling. They are using those stories to make the case that the hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens now working in U.S. agriculture should be legalized and set on a path to citizenship. POINT #1: Most of the "rotting" is mainly factual rot itself. Few reporters actually observe the rotting. POINT #2: When crops actually don't get picked in time, it is nearly always the grower's fault for having gambled on finding illegal workers instead of using a legal guest worker program. The federal government offers the H-2A visa which allows farmers to import “unlimited” numbers of foreign ag workers for specific short-term work. Any time you see a grower quoted that he is going to lose his crop because of a lack of workers, you can know that he didn't plan ahead. If he insists on using foreign workers, he has a perfectly legal foreign guest worker program available. POINT #3: Why don't those complaining growers use the H-2A visa program? Mostly, it is because they have to pay an almost decent wage under the program, while illegal aliens are cheaper. POINT #4: Occasionally a story about "rotting crops" mentions that H-2A workers are available but quotes a grower claiming that the legal program is too cumbersome. Note: If the growers' lobbyists had worked with the Members of Congress, the bureaucratic red tape and unreasonable requirements already would have been removed from the guest worker program. The ag lobbyists, however, have failed to support reforms, instead putting all their efforts into an amnesty for the illegal workers their clients already are hiring. Even so, most farmers in America oppose amnesty for illegal alien ag workers. But their lobbyists are relentless in being the wedge for the open-borders enthusiasts who eventually want a free flow of foreign labor across our borders and competing directly with American workers in all occupations. MAIN POINT: Some of you may be tempted to sit this fight out because you don't think there is any harm to flooding the ag job occupation with foreign workers -- because you can't imagine Americans doing farm work. First, the Department of Labor finds that the “majority” of farm workers in the U.S. are native-born Americans! Surely the government should not be driving down the incomes of these American farm workers (nor should it be driving down the incomes of permanently settled LEGAL foreign-born farm workers. http://www.numbersusa.com/index Reduction Of Overall Legal Numbers Needed: Because LEGAL immigration has been adding far more people to the country than ILLEGAL, it has to be considered that legal immigration poses the greater problem for the country. Nearly all economists and other researchers who find cause for concern about illegal immigration state that a foreign national who arrives and lives in the U.S. illegally imposes about the same costs on those already here as does somebody who arrives legally. The main problem with 12 million illegal aliens being here is not that they came illegally but that they are here. Their “presence” is the cost, not just their illegality. Think about it: If illegality were the primary problem, then you could solve most of the problem by legalizing them -- by giving them amnesty. It’s not that there is anything wrong with the particular legal immigrants who are arriving. Rather, the problem is with the numbers. http://www.americanworker.org/ Legal immigrants who are already here have taken advantage of an opportunity that our government gave them. And now "they" are "us". NumbersUSA advocates full opportunity for those legal immigrants already here. But we know that the U.S. cannot continue to take more than 1 million legal immigrants a year. We must bring the numbers back closer to the traditional 250,000 annual levels. Until 1976, legal immigration averaged around 250,000. Surely bringing the number back to that level cannot be interpreted as being against immigration or against our immigration tradition. Rather, it is a moderate, reasonable policy option demanded by any number of factors which can be studied on our website at www.NumbersUSA.com. Listen to and watch ‘ads’ about mass immigration and overpopulation: http://capsweb.org/newsroom/recent_advertising.html 54 Million Americans Not Working: The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, reports in its "Labor Force Statistics from the current Population Survey (July 2007)" that more than 54 million working-age Americans do not currently have a job. And the Senate will try another “amnesty” this month. Working against high foreign labor importation is not just about protecting American workers in their jobs. It also is about protecting all American taxpayers who pick up most of the very high costs that foreign workers and their families impose on local taxpayers. Sign an on-line petition to Presidential candidates. Perry Supports Amnesty For Illegals: Leading a large delegation of 150 Texas business executives who were looking to drum up business deals in energy and other industries trying to drum up business in Mexico, Gov. Rick Perry on Tuesday criticized the U.S. Congress for failing to pass an immigration bill that would legalize millions of workers. Perry said, "We need those individuals to continue to grow our economy," he said of Texas' undocumented workers, most of who hail from Mexico. The vast, vast majority of those individuals want to come and work and take care of their families…”. He said we should allow for a "free flow of individuals between these countries who want to work, whom want to be an asset to our country and to Mexico." [ My Comment: Greedy, greedy, greedy.] http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5090944.html http://www.numbersusa.com http://www.americanworker.org/signup_thanks.html Birthright Citizenship Act of 2007: H.R.1940 would end the practice of granting automatic citizenship to the U.S.-born children of illegal aliens. Nearly every other country, including all members of the European Union, requires that at least one parent be a citizen or permanent resident for a child to automatically become a citizen. Our current policy results in over 300,000 additional citizens from anchor babies each year. The demographic impact is far greater because their families stay and bring in additional relatives. http://capwiz.com/caps/home/ http://capwiz.com/caps/issues/?style=D ~ No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session. ~ Mark Twain |
| Posted 9/10/2007 2:18 PM CDT Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Scientific Review of EPA's Standard, concludes that the Environmental Protection Agency's maximum fluoride goal of 4 ppm should be lowered to protect the public's health. Just over 200,000 Americans live in communities where fluoride levels in drinking water are 4 ppm or higher. It is crucial to note that the “4 ppm” concentration of fluoride is nearly four times the optimum amount recommended by the U.S. Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and ADA to prevent tooth decay. http://www.ada.org/public/media/releases/0603_release02.asp http://www.fluorideaction.org/ ‘Fluorosis’ On The Rise: Fluorosis, a pathological condition resulting for an excessive intake of fluorine (the most electronegative and reactive of all elements), has increased in the last 20 years… data released by CDC confirms that total fluoride exposure among U.S. children remains too high, may be increasing, and needs to be lowered. Note: Fluorides are organic and inorganic compounds containing the element fluorine. http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/news/24.html Austin’s Tap Water & Fluoride: Because of the possible public health benefits to Austin residents, a public referendum was held on fluoridation in the early 1970s. The referendum passed with the support of the community, and Austin Utility began adding fluoride to the water shortly thereafter. http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/water/fluoride.htm http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/water/whatsinthewater.htm Austin Water Utility Provides Fluoride Specifics: I received a very prompt & precise reply to my inquiry from the Austin Water Utility. They state: “You had asked how much fluoride was naturally occurring in the water and what the City adds to the water. The average level of naturally occurring fluoride in the water we get from the Colorado River is .20 mg/l. The Austin Water Utility’s goal is to have a fluoride content in the finished drinking water between .70 and 1.0 mg/l. So we add approximately .50 - .80 mg/l of fluoride.” [ My Comment: Austin tap water does fall within U. S. Public Health Service limits.] More About Fluoride In Tap Water: Most tap water in the United States is laced with fluoride, an industrial chemical that has been widely promoted as being healthy for the public. In reality, however, fluoride may harm your health. Consider this: The American Dental Association (ADA) admits that fluoride can be harmful to the development of teeth. Ninety percent of the fluoride used to fluoridate U.S. water systems comes from the fertilizer industry and may contain trace amounts of various heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and arsenic (unlike the ‘pharmaceutical fluoride’ found in toothpaste). The only states where less than 25 percent of the tap water is fluoridated are Hawaii, Oregon, Utah, Montana, and New Jersey. The others fluoridate from 25 percent to over 75 percent of their water supplies. Countertop and pitcher filters typically only filter out particulate matter, not fluoride. You can remove fluoride from your drinking water using a reverse osmosis filtering system. [ My Comment: Originally, the fluoride put in tap water was considered a waste product & the companies producing it had to pay to dispose of it. Imagine their delight when they found a market for it.]http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/08/06/the-truth-about-tap-water.aspx http://fluoridealert.org/ http://www.actionstudio.org/public/page_view_all.cfm?option=begin&pageid=8276 http://www.fluoride-history.de/04:11 Fluoride Call to Action http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51SjAjTSbCI&mode=related&search= 08:25 The Fluoride Deception http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8NLbRL860U&mode=related&search= 04:11 Politics or Science? EPA's Fluoride Drinking Water Standard http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQNRW0koyJ0&mode=related&search= 07:31 Fluoride Dangers - Today Tonight report 2005 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z6KmFPnWWI&mode=related&search= 03:46 “Major Rudy” On Fluoride http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqlafaGZyr8&mode=related&search= Fluoride Complaint Lodged Against CDC: On August 9, Daniel Stockin, a public health professional of The Lillie Center, Inc., presented the CDC’s joint ethics panel with a detailed, formal complaint alleging unethical activities by the CDC…. by not disseminating new findings about the real hazards of fluoridated water. Stockin stated, “People with kidney disease or on dialysis should see this complaint and the report by the National Research Council on fluoride. And if you happen to be a member of the population with diabetes or HIV, you will be amazed how the NRC report contains important information you should know about – but that CDC has elected not to openly share with the public because it runs at odds with putting fluoride in drinking water.” http://tinyurl.com/3bepk5 http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_6634.cfm http://www.organicconsumers.org/afc.cfm http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_5499.cfm Wal-Mart Selling Fluoridated Water: On November 9th, 2006, the American Dental Association (ADA) issued an alert advising parents to avoid fluoridated water when reconstituting infant formula. ADA's advice, however, has been mostly ignored by the media. Nursery Water, the nation's leading fluoridated water for babies, still markets its product nationwide at Wal-Mart and other major retailers. Help stop this unsafe practice by signing this online petition to Wal-Mart. http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/walmart/ Coffee Cups Made Of Styrofoam: The use of styrofoam allows “styrene”, the single-molecule form of ‘polystyrene’, to migrate into your food or drink when used as a container. An EPA study of fat biopsies from human subjects found styrene residues in 100% of the samples tested. If you drink water, tea, or coffee from polystyrene cups four times a day for three years, you have consumed about one Styrofoam cup-worth of styrene along with your beverages. The amount that migrates into solid food is dependent upon the fat content of the food (the higher the fat content the greater the styrene migration). The rate of migration increases with temperature (e.g., hot coffee absorbs the most). The health concerns related to this are numerous and readily available to read about on the Internet. http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/styrene/index.html http://www.grinningplanet.com/2005/11-01/styrofoam-cups-article.htm Note: Does your favorite coffee shop still use styrofoam cups? If they don’t want to use paper cups with a cardboard collar, then redirect them to ‘another’ safer alternative: http://tinyurl.com/3afox2 Scientists Warn – Dangerous Chemical Found In Plastic: An estrogen-like compound widely used in plastic products is thought to be causing serious reproductive disorders… bisphenol A (BPA), is one of the most-produced chemicals in the world, and almost everyone has traces of it in their bodies. Among the most vulnerable are infants and fetuses, who are still developing. BPA is used to make hard plastic that’s used in numerous products including: polycarbonate plastic baby bottles; large water-cooler containers and sports bottles; microwave-oven dishes; canned-food liners; etcetera. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/08/07/scientists-warn-of-the-dangers-of-a-chemical-found-in-plastic.aspx http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003819420_plastics03.html?syndication=rss Researchers Link Antibiotic Use On Hog Farms To Antibiotic-resistant Genes In Groundwater: A recent study by researchers found that bacteria in groundwater harbored antibiotic-resistant genes linked directly to hog farms and to underground seepage of excess manure stored in large pits known as lagoons. Scientists have warned for many years that the overuse of antibiotics in food animal production leads to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that makes it harder for doctors to treat sick people. Consumers are advised to cook meat well to kill off bacteria, but this measure does not eliminate the threat of antibiotic resistance. The study illustrates that antibiotic-resistant bacteria originating in animals can make their way to humans through the environment as well as on food. Read more about this study at Science Daily. http://www.organicconsumers.org/petition1.htm Union Of Concerned Scientists: The 2008 presidential election presents an important opportunity to educate the people who want to lead America--highlighting critical issues affecting our health, safety, and environment. We are working across the country to educate candidates about the need to reduce the risks posed by nuclear weapons, reduce global warming pollution, and ensure the integrity of government science. UCS combines independent scientific research and citizen action to promote innovative, practical solutions and to secure responsible changes in government policy. Visit the Union of Concerned Scientists on the web. http://www.ucsusa.org/ https://secure.ga3.org/03/ucs ~Science, you might say, has discovered that our existence is infinitely improbable, and hence a miracle.~ John Horgan |
| Posted 9/6/2007 7:17 AM CDT TxDOT To Toll Existing Interstates: A TxDOT report urges Congress to 'repeal' laws prohibiting tolling Interstates… while, at the same time, local officials “assure us” that tolls will NEVER be charged for traveling on existing highway lanes… yet TxDOT officials discuss ways to impose tolls on existing interstate highways. Although Federal law generally prohibits imposing tolls on interstate highways for which federal funds have been used, Congress has enacted specific legislation to allow states to 'buy back,' or re-imburse the federal government, for federal funds applies to a highway segment, thereby relieving it of the prohibition against tolls. YOUR state tax money would be used to 'buy back' highways YOUR federal tax money has already paid for, so the state could charge YOU tolls to drive on that highway. [P.S. What’s that loud sucking noise?!] http://pstern.statesmanblogs.com/entry.aspx?q=dc397957-fbcd-4632-bd20-999a012efae5 http://www.dot.state.tx.us/publications/government_and_public_affairs/110th_federal_agenda.pdf TxDOT Is Lobbying Congress to allow the state to "buy back" parts of existing interstates and turn them into toll roads. Sen. John Carona, states that “the simple fact is that taxpayers have already paid for those roadways.” The department's plan, which is outlined in a report called “Forward Momentum”, also suggests tax breaks for private company investment in projects to convert interstates to toll ways. The report seeks changes in federal law to allow the use of equity capital as a source of transportation funding. It also calls for altering the tax code to "exempt partnership distributions or corporate dividends related to ownership of (a) toll road from income taxation." [My Comment: Who are these crooks at TxDOT? Descendants of carpetbaggers?] http://www.statesman.com/news/content/gen/ap/TX_Interstates_Tolls.html Kirk Watson’s Position: Traffic is bad and getting worse. We need to fix it, and we need more money to do that. The gas tax has been allowed to deteriorate and has become pathetically inadequate to pay for Texas' legendary highways. Putting a toll on our roads is not the answer. The gas tax needs to be indexed to inflation. The tax bill on a full tank of gas is exactly the same today as it was 16 years ago. Meanwhile, Congress continues to rescind transportation money to pay for things like the war in Iraq. The state continues to tap highway funds to pay for other needs, all the while hoarding cash to pay for the leadership's anticipated shortfall from the tax shift of 2006. And others are working to auction off our road infrastructure to private corporations. We cannot trust the state to provide for our needs. [My Comment: I couldn’t agree more.] Reforming The Electoral College: The “National Popular Vote” bill would guarantee that the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia would win the Presidency. Under the current ‘winner-take-all’ rule, candidates have no reason to poll, visit, advertise, organize, campaign, or worry about the concerns of voters of states that they cannot possibly win or lose. This means that voters in two thirds of the states are effectively disenfranchised in presidential elections because candidates concentrate their attention on a small handful of “battleground” states. In 2004, candidates concentrated over two-thirds of their money and campaign visits in just five states; over 80% in nine states; and over 99% of their money in just 16 states. [My Comment: I can understand why the Electoral College was necessary in Colonial America, BUT it’s an ‘anachronism’ today.] Support the National Popular Vote: http://www.nationalpopularvote.com/pages/getemailupdates.php http://www.nationalpopularvote.com/ http://www.nationalpopularvote.com/pages/explanation.php Cornyn Votes Against “Honest Leadership And Open Government Act 2007”: The bill passed anyway (83-14). It is to provide more rigorous requirements with respect to disclosure and enforcement of lobbying laws and regulations, and for other purposes. [My Comment: Why would anyone vote against it?] http://www.capwiz.com/military/issues/votes/?votenum=294&chamber=S&congress=1101&state=tx S. 223 - Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act: This is a bill amending the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require Senate candidates to file election-related designations, statements, and reports in electronic form. [The Senate is the only federal group not required to do so & ‘one’ and only one senator is secretly blocking this. Could it be Cornyn?]http://www.opencongress.org/bill/110-s223/showhttp://www.brookings.edu/views/testimony/mann/20070314.htm http://www.citizen.org/outrage/ Campaign Finance Reform Woes: Long-term foes of campaign finance reform in the House of Representatives passed a bill to allow those who flout the law to get off without penalty. The mastermind of this is Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), who managed to leverage enough support in the House for a 215-205 passage. This is not what we expected from the new Congress that promised to clean up the laws governing the political process. If this bill becomes law, Congress will de-fund the Department of Justice's ability to enforce electioneering rules, and we will see a flood of shallow attack ads paid for by wealthy special interests that go well beyond what is legal. Without criminal enforcement, little stands in the way of those who are intent on breaking the law. Find out how your member of Congress voted and hold them accountable: Take Action Now: http://action.citizen.org/content.jsp?content_KEY=3055&t=CleanUpWashington2col.dwt 1872 Mining Law Short shrifts Us 3 Ways: The law was enacted to encourage Americans to head west after the 1849 Gold Rush. Under the law, Americans can go onto federal land and prospect for hard-rock minerals—gold, silver, copper, uranium, etc. If they find a valuable deposit, they can then "claim" the land and continue mining without paying much further…but today, five of the top 10 mining companies in the United States are owned by Australian or Canadian firms… and there are 3 big problems: First, the federal government has lost billions of dollars in potential revenue without a royalty system. Second, hard rock mines are the No. 1 source of toxic pollution (e.g., Cyanide and lead seep into waterways) & the cost to clean up abandoned mines is estimated at $32 billion by the Interior Department. Third, advocates for reform say the law gives mining priority over recreational uses of federal land. In short, we’re running a giveaway program. http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/miningreform http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070624/2mining.htm http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/index.php? option=com_content&task=view&id=48&Itemid=49 Sex Ed…Hillary Clinton, Barak Obama, and Elizabeth Edwards: They each talked about medically accurate, comprehensive sex education for young people and affordable, accessible birth control. They spoke in detail about the important topics that get far too little attention in the presidential debates. Watch & listen to 3 quick clips: http://www.imoneinamillion.com/ Judge Friedman Bases Whole Foods Decision On Erroneous Premise?: Friedman is quoted as stating: “Wild Oats prices are actually higher than at Whole Foods.” [ My Comment: I don’t know how he comes to this conclusion. Anybody who’s shopped at both Sun Harvest (owned by Wild Oats) and Whole Foods knows that this is a totally bogus statement. The big winner in this fiasco will be Central Market / HEB. The losers will be people like me when Yuppie prices envelop Sun Harvest.] http://tinyurl.com/39vmmv Parks Board Recommends Denial of Variance Request for High Rises on Lady Bird Lake: On Wednesday night, the Parks Board, by a 5-4 vote, recommended denial of a developer's request for variances from the Town Lake Waterfront Overlay. The developer wants to build high rises on the lake on Riverside Drive and needs a variance to build within 200 feet of the waterfront. Congratulations go out to Save Town Lake for their hard work protecting the lake from excessive development. Go to www.savetownlake.org for more info. The real decision now moves to the Planning Commission's meeting on Tuesday, September 11th. No Child Left Behind: Congress has returned to work in Washington and it's time to tell them to fix NCLB now. Leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives have vowed to complete the drafting of the reauthorization bill by the end of this month. They should provide educators the support and resources they need to succeed in the classroom. It should impose no new and unnecessary requirements on teachers and paraprofessionals… also increase support for research-based interventions to truly struggling schools to help raise student achievement. Provide a fair and accurate accountability system that gives credit to schools that started further behind but are making real progress. Any additional indicators used to assess student learning and school performance should be helpful and not harmful. http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/FixNCLB ~Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. ~ James Bovard |
| Posted 9/3/2007 11:23 AM CDT YOUTUBE: Extreme Downhill Buggyrollin SWISSPASS 2 : GRIMSELL http://tinyurl.com/2d4tqs SWISSPASS 1 : FURKA jean http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obvDwkfZdXA&mode=related&search= Select more at: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=buggy+rollin&search=Search 01:18 Man Cut In Half With Chain Saw (Magic Act): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuXen7UT098 Granny Airbag (33 second clip): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXhLx-eijM0&mode=related&search= “SHIFT” HAPPENS !!! Listen to “Last of the Mohicans” music as pertinent statistics and information about our changing world is given…e.g., 1) An American student will have as many as 14 jobs by the time he or she turns age 38; 2) More than 3,000 new books are published in the United States every DAY; 3) The amount of new technical information doubles every two years, which means students attending a technical school will learn information that will be outdated by their third year; 4) The number of words in the English language is 540,000 -- that is FIVE times the number of words present during Shakespeare's time. 5) ETC…. http://glumbert.com/media/shift World Clock: http://www.peterrussell.dreamhosters.com/Odds/WorldClock.php Real Age and Life Expectancy:http://www.peterrussell.dreamhosters.com/Odds/RealAge.phpFree Online Music With Variety: http://www.unsigned.com/browse_artists/ Amazing Grace Melody & HISTORY Donje Properly / YOUTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMF_24cQqT0 Quick Tour Of America (John Wayne narrates): http://sagebrushpatriot.com/america.htm (05:55) F-15 landing with one wing. Real story. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_EXtBEaBbs Beautiful And Significant Places In America --- Photo Gallery / after selecting place, scroll through thumbnail pictures: http://www.earthjustice.org/how_to_help/fun/gallery/ “I Can Has Cheezburger”?: Take a picture of a cat doing something cute. Then make up a caption -- something witty that the cat would be saying if cats could talk. Bear in mind that cats can't spell all that well and that they're not so hot on subject-verb agreement either. Photoshop the caption onto the image, and post your creation on this blog. What you get is lolcats: lol for laugh out loud, cats for cats….. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1642897,00.html http://icanhascheezburger.com/ http://icanhascheezburger.com/2007/07/31/if-they-cant-find-you/ http://icanhascheezburger.com/2007/05/24/grounded/ http://icanhascheezburger.com/2007/06/11/and-stay-out/ http://icanhascheezburger.com/2007/01/25/holy-kitten-has-evolved-into-holycat/ CollectiveGood.com… is the “Mobile Devices Recycling Resource”. If you have spare mobile phones, pagers or PDAs sitting on a shelf or in a drawer, you can recycle them here in an environmentally and socially responsible manner: http://collectivegood.com/ TheFind.com… is a more attractive comparison site than average. Large product images and interactive elements let you peruse hundreds of stores without waiting for new pages to load. http://www.thefind.com/ Eating Of Live Frogs & Rats: A man in southeast China says 40 years of swallowing tree frogs and rats ‘live’ has helped him avoid intestinal complaints and made him strong. Jiang Musheng, a 66-year-old resident of Jiangxi province, suffered from frequent abdominal pains and coughing from the age of 26, until an old man called Yang Dingcai suggested tree frogs as a remedy, the Beijing News said on Tuesday. At first, he did not dare to eat a live, wriggling frog, but after seeing Yang Dingcai swallow one, he ate ... two without a thought. After a month of eating live frogs, his stomach pains and coughing were completely gone. Over the years Jiang had added live mice & baby rats to his diet, and had once eaten 20 mice in a single day. http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSSCH55179420070605 ~If you build a better mousetrap, you’ll catch better mice.~ George Gobel |
Posted 8/30/2007 1:03 PM CDT
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003624798
Listen/see:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YENbElb5-xY&NR=1
03:32 -- Fox Attacks Iran
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-eyuFBrWHs
05:45 – John Bolton Sets Stage for War Against Iran:
YOUTUBE:
http://tinyurl.com/2mv8b4
Shiite Al-Sadr Emulates The Taliban: After al-Sadr’s followers attacked and burned the museum of Nasiriyah and its library, they told the guards that they would do to antiquities exactly what the Taliban did to the Buda statues in Afghanistan…. Al-Sadr tells worshippers at mosques that looting artifacts is ethical so long as the money goes for guns or building mosques. [My Comment: Primitive, primitive, primitive….]
http://discovermagazine.com/2007/aug/discover-interview-director-iraqi-national-museum
American Casualties Who Are Not Honored: Civilian contractors are dying by the score in Iraq…. 917 deaths. Another 12,000 have been wounded or hurt, and those numbers almost certainly underestimate the true toll. When they’re injured or killed, contractors or their families often find it difficult to obtain healthcare or compensation. The industry is poorly monitored and regulated, and some contractors have alleged that their employers actively misrepresented employment conditions and benefits…. the privatization of war hides crucial foreign policy decisions behind a thick corporate smokescreen and masks the true human costs of the war. They don’t get military salutes at their funerals, and they’re not invited to march in Memorial Day parades. http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/06/01/1597/
Don’t Turn Afghanistan Into Iraq: Afghanistan’s national wealth has doubled in the past 5 years, and Kabul is booming….most of the country is safe and free. It’s true that the southern border area near Pakistan is under Taliban influence, but whenever NATO responds with more troops, it alienates the local population and creates support for the insurgency. In the long run, it’s better to use air power and Special Forces to keep the Taliban at bay and let Afghanistan evolve at its own pace. It’s frustrating, but better than turning it into another Iraq. THE WEEK
Plan For Iraq: In exchange for the United States not making a rapid withdrawal, the Iraqi government would agree to give Iraqi citizens over the age of 12 a biometric ID card and give them half of the country's oil ‘profits’.
Every three months, each citizen would receive his or her share. Every three months, 5% of the U.S. troops can be withdrawn if, in the previous interlude, there has been a measurable decrease in violence in Iraq. That would give the Iraqis two reasons to work toward peace and the United States hope of leaving the country in an orderly manner.
http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/stories/08/10/0810letters_edit.html
Video Vets Against Iraqi Surge:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTTZ7Qt8_20&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foFb1_pot-A&mode=user&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8INbFnaK18&mode=user&search=
Culture Of Jihad: Teaching hate, Islamic Fundamentalists seek to unite the Muslims against “Western influence”. Unfortunately, that means the loathing of rationality, religious tolerance, women’s rights, democracy, science, etcetera.
http://www.obsessionthemovie.com/trailer-12min.php
A True Heroine Is “Wafa Sultan”: She grew up in Syria. One day, Wafa sat in a lecture hall with 200 other students, listening to her professor of ophthalmology, Yusef Al Yusef. Suddenly she heard the crack of gunfire and then saw her teacher crumple to the floor. A group of men stood next to the body, guns extended, shouting, "God is great! God is great!" in Arabic. The killers, Muslim extremists, quickly ran out, leaving the students staring at their dead instructor…. eventually, she left Syria for the United States. Now -- she speaks for those who are kept silent by oppressive terror:
http://www.rd.com/content/a-woman-speaks-out-against-radical-islam/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WLoasfOLpQ
Saudi Fatwas Condemned By Iran: A group of extremist Saudi Wahhabi muftis issued fatwas calling for the destruction of the most important Shiite shrines and mosques in Iraq. Hardliners in Iran thus called for the Saudis to excise the ‘malignant tumor’ of Wahhabism from their society. [ My Comment: Once the oil runs dry and westerners are gone, they’ll remember how much they hate each other. But, before then, their overpopulation that has been sustained by the oil wealth will collapse in on itself.] The Week
Overpopulation In The Middle East Threat To World Peace: My Opinion: With hordes of human beings overpopulating the planet, competition for local, regional, and international resources generates conflict. As a ‘pressure cooker’, the Middle East is the most critical because of their control over much of the petroleum resources that sustains us. It is their income from oil that sustains their burgeoning population growth that is leaking into other countries (similar to Mexico). As their oil production begins to taper off, their internal pressures will increase exponentially. Contraceptive practices could save them, but they’re all so scared of one another that they dare not allow their nations’ comparative populations to weaken in numbers --- it’s the same primal defense mechanism that the Pope recognizes as currently being Europe’s “Achilles’ heel” in their ancient struggle against Muslims. [ Read world history about the Siege of Vienna by the Turks in 1529 & 1683, etcetera.]
http://tinyurl.com/2r5t6l
Sex & Temporary Marriage In Iran: Iran's hard-line interior minister is encouraging temporary marriages as a way to avoid extramarital sex, a stance many in this conservative country fear would instead encourage prostitution. A temporary marriage, or "sigheh," refers to a Shiite Muslim tradition under which a man and a woman sign a contract that allows them to be "married" for any length of time, even a few hours. An exchange of money, as a sort of dowry, is often involved. Although the practice exists, it's not very common in Iran, a Shiite majority nation where many consider it a license for prostitution. Others, however, have advocated institutionalizing the tradition, saying it would help fight "illicit" sex in a country where sexual relations outside marriage are banned under Islamic law.
"Temporary marriage is God's rule. We must aggressively encourage that," state-run television quoted Interior Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi as saying. Note: The practice is prohibited by Sunnis. A man can have as many temporary wives as he wants. [ My Comment: Maybe the Shiites are more ‘liberal’ than I’d previously thought.] THE WEEK
Contraception In Iran: In 1968, the Family Protection Law gave women many liberating rights….but then the Revolution of 1979 annulled this & women were hounded out of many jobs, and the legal age of marriage for girls was reduced to 9. Segregation was introduced in education, the workplace, and on public transportation, with women having to sit in the back, etcetera. This moral control was relaxed slightly when reformist President Mohammad Khatami came to office in 1997, but the screw has again been tightened under Ahmadinejad….paradoxically, the imposition of Islamic strictures has undermined many traditional values. Before the Islamic revolution, traditional Muslim families didn’t let their daughters go to work, school, or university for fear they’d be corrupted. But once the compulsory hijab, gender segregation, and other moral rules were instituted, the outside world seemed less threatening and girls began pouring out of their homes. Twenty years ago the female literacy rate was 35 percent; now it’s 87 percent. The law of unintended consequences also was triggered when the mullahs, responding to Saddam Hussein’s attack on Iran in 1980, banned contraception and told women to go forth and raise martyrs.
What was the consequence? A massive baby boom. 2/3rds of Iran’s 70 million people are now under 30. Far from resulting in a nation of martyrs, the mullahs created millions of angry young people who’d rather check their e–mail, listen to Western rock music, and watch pirated DVDs than die for Islam. Iranian girls are now said to be the world’s blog queens, renowned for their spicy mix of politics, dirty jokes, and worries about their weight. The mullahs have since executed a U–turn: Contraception is now freely available.
http://www.theweekmagazine.com/news/articles/news.aspx?ArticleID=2127
Playing Basketball For Peace: Over April 4th-6th, some 400 Palestinian and Israeli youth came together for PeacePlayers Middle East's Spring Tournaments. Despite the general closure of military checkpoints over the Passover holiday, PeacePlayers managed to facilitate special permits for its Palestinian participants so that over 60 youth from the West Bank could join their counterparts for the exciting event. In all three tournaments, the Palestinian and Israeli participants played on integrated teams. For the complete story, read:
http://www.guidepostsmag.com/weekly_feature.asp?date=4/23/2007
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=playingforpeace
http://www.playingforpeace.org/
http://www.playingforpeace.org/dsp_safrica_news.asp
~Al-Qaida have a 100-year plan. We have a plan until the next election.~ Fred Thompson
