Monday, August 31, 2009
Remembering the Real Deal
By Robert Scheer
The light has gone out, and with it that infectious warm laugh and intensely progressive commitment of the best of the Kennedys. Not, at this point, to take anything away from the memory of his siblings—Bobby, whom I also got to know, was pretty terrific in his last years—but Sen. Ted Kennedy was the real deal.
Unable to move with his brothers’ intellectual alacrity, sometimes plodding in impromptu expression but smooth and skillful while reading from a script, the youngest Kennedy made up for his shortcomings early in his Senate career by resolutely working the substance of issues. His principled determination, plus his capacity to truly care about the real-world outcomes of legislation for ordinary people rather than its impact on his or anyone else’s election, became his signature qualities as a lawmaker. But for those same reasons, he also wanted legislation passed, and his ability to work with the opposition, as he did three years ago with John McCain on immigration reform, now grants him a legacy as one of the nation’s great senators.
Oddly enough, for one born into such immense familial expectations, he was a surprisingly accessible and down-to-earth politician in the eyes of most journalists who covered him. I think of him as always authentic and never oily. As opposed to most politicians, the offstage Ted Kennedy was the more appealing one.
Although he excelled as an orator, never more so than delivering the speech that Bob Shrum crafted for him at the 1980 Democratic convention but which was informed by Kennedy’s own deeply felt passion, it was in his less choreographed moments that he was at his best. I spent quite a few hours over the years interviewing him on subjects ranging from health care to nuclear arms control, mostly as a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, and while his grammar could be troubling, his sentiments never were.
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Wikipedia testing new method for keeping false information off of individuals' pages
Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia that has drawn some decidedly juvenile pranks, is looking to impose more discipline with new restrictions on the editing of articles.
The latest changes come as Wikipedia tries to balance a need for credibility and a desire for openness.
While anyone can still edit entries, the site is testing pages that won't register changes until they are approved by an experienced Wikipedia editor.
If the site's users respond well to the test run, the new restrictions will apply to all entries for living people in the next few weeks.
The latest changes come as Wikipedia tries to balance a need for credibility and a desire for openness.
While anyone can still edit entries, the site is testing pages that won't register changes until they are approved by an experienced Wikipedia editor.
If the site's users respond well to the test run, the new restrictions will apply to all entries for living people in the next few weeks.
Buy-and-hold strategy losing grip on investors
Stung by punishing losses in the bear market, some individual investors are souring on traditional buy-and-hold investing in favor of aggressive trading aimed at scoring big gains.
Trading at online brokerages has soared in recent months as investors have tried to capitalize on rising securities markets. But individual investors increasingly are embracing strategies that carry outsized risks.
In some cases, for example, investors have ventured into a relatively new type of investment product designed to magnify the movement of the underlying markets. That can sometimes yield big gains if investors bet correctly but bruising losses if they don't.
To critics, the push into aggressive trading is the equivalent of doubling down at a casino to recoup earlier losses.
"It would be a terrible tragedy if people try to recover from the devastation of the financial crisis by creating even more devastation in their personal investment accounts by taking on risks they don't understand and can't afford," said Barbara Roper, director of investor protection for the Consumer Federation of America.
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Trading at online brokerages has soared in recent months as investors have tried to capitalize on rising securities markets. But individual investors increasingly are embracing strategies that carry outsized risks.
In some cases, for example, investors have ventured into a relatively new type of investment product designed to magnify the movement of the underlying markets. That can sometimes yield big gains if investors bet correctly but bruising losses if they don't.
To critics, the push into aggressive trading is the equivalent of doubling down at a casino to recoup earlier losses.
"It would be a terrible tragedy if people try to recover from the devastation of the financial crisis by creating even more devastation in their personal investment accounts by taking on risks they don't understand and can't afford," said Barbara Roper, director of investor protection for the Consumer Federation of America.
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The Perfect Employee
1 Bob Smith, my assistant programmer, can always be found
2 hard at work at his desk. He works independently, without
3 wasting company time talking to colleagues. Bob never
4 thinks twice about assisting fellow employees, and always
5 finishes given assignments on time. Often he takes extended
6 measures to complete his work, sometimes skipping coffee
7 breaks. Bob is a dedicated individual who has absolutely no
8 vanity in spite of his high accomplishments and profound
9 knowledge in his field. I firmly believe that Bob can be
10 classed as an asset employee, the type which cannot be
11 dispensed with. Consequently, I duly recommend that Bob be
12 promoted to executive management, and a proposal will be
13 executed as soon as possible.
Addendum:
That idiot was standing over my shoulder while I wrote the report sent to you earlier today. Kindly re-read only the odd numbered lines.
2 hard at work at his desk. He works independently, without
3 wasting company time talking to colleagues. Bob never
4 thinks twice about assisting fellow employees, and always
5 finishes given assignments on time. Often he takes extended
6 measures to complete his work, sometimes skipping coffee
7 breaks. Bob is a dedicated individual who has absolutely no
8 vanity in spite of his high accomplishments and profound
9 knowledge in his field. I firmly believe that Bob can be
10 classed as an asset employee, the type which cannot be
11 dispensed with. Consequently, I duly recommend that Bob be
12 promoted to executive management, and a proposal will be
13 executed as soon as possible.
Addendum:
That idiot was standing over my shoulder while I wrote the report sent to you earlier today. Kindly re-read only the odd numbered lines.
Pollution In Eastern China Cuts Light, Useful Rainfall
New research shows that air pollution in eastern China has reduced the amount of light rainfall over the past 50 years and decreased by 23 percent the number of days of light rain in the eastern half of the country. The results suggest that bad air quality might be affecting the country's ability to raise crops as well as contributing to health and environmental problems.
The study links for the first time high levels of pollutants in the air with conditions that prevent the light kind of rainfall critical for agriculture. Led by atmospheric scientist Yun Qian at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the study appears August 15 in the Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres.
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Sunday, August 30, 2009
Today's Quote
A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.
- John Lennon
- John Lennon
What's Your Financial IQ?
According to a recent survey conducted by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, almost half of Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 have no savings. Additionally, 47 percent of Generation Y respondents gave themselves Cs, Ds or Fs in personal finance skills such as budgeting and saving for retirement.
The more you educate yourself on personal finances and savings, the more prepared you'll be when facing financial situations in the future. Be smart, and remember to feed the pig!
Visit www.FeedthePig.org for more money-saving tips!
The more you educate yourself on personal finances and savings, the more prepared you'll be when facing financial situations in the future. Be smart, and remember to feed the pig!
Visit www.FeedthePig.org for more money-saving tips!
No Speak English
A Russian woman married a Canadian gentleman and they lived happily ever after in Toronto . However, the poor lady was not very proficient in English, but did manage to communicate with her husband. The real problem arose whenever she had to shop for groceries.
One day, she went to the butcher and wanted to buy chicken legs. She didn't know how to put forward her request, and in desperation, clucked like a chicken and lifted up her skirt to show her thighs. Her butcher got the message, and gave her the chicken legs.
Next day she needed to get chicken breasts, again she didn't know how to say it, and so she clucked like a chicken and unbuttoned her blouse to show the butcher her breasts. The butcher understood again, and gave her some chicken breasts.
On the 3rd day, the poor lady needed to buy sausages. Unable to find a way to communicate this, she brought her husband to the store...
(Please scroll down)
What were you thinking? Hellooooooo, her husband speaks English!
Now get back to your emails.
One day, she went to the butcher and wanted to buy chicken legs. She didn't know how to put forward her request, and in desperation, clucked like a chicken and lifted up her skirt to show her thighs. Her butcher got the message, and gave her the chicken legs.
Next day she needed to get chicken breasts, again she didn't know how to say it, and so she clucked like a chicken and unbuttoned her blouse to show the butcher her breasts. The butcher understood again, and gave her some chicken breasts.
On the 3rd day, the poor lady needed to buy sausages. Unable to find a way to communicate this, she brought her husband to the store...
(Please scroll down)
What were you thinking? Hellooooooo, her husband speaks English!
Now get back to your emails.
100 Most Powerful Women
Evidently, Michelle Obama is more influential than Queen Elizabeth, but less important than Hillary Clinton. At least, that's how Forbes sees it. Reuters reports that German Chancellor Angela Merkel topped the list of the world's 100 most powerful women for the fourth year running. Sheila Blair, chairwoman of the FDIC clocked in at No. 2, while CEOs of corporations including PepsiCo, Sunoco, Temasek, Kraft Foods, and WellPoint rounded out the rest of the top ten. Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, and Oprah clocked in at Nos. 35, 36, 40, and 41 respectively. The list takes factors such as economic impact, media reach, and career accomplishments into account.
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Save the orangutans: Lush Cosmetics chain hosts own 'protest' against palm oil
Who knew we were killing sweet baby orangutans by buying food and soap made with palm oil?
The folks behind Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics apparently did, and on Wednesday the international chain staged an afternoon "protest" at 83 of its stores in the United States and Canada to raise awareness -- and perhaps sell some of the company's palm-oil-free soap.
Orangutan experts say palm oil plantations, along with deforestation and the logging industry, are encroaching on the apes' natural habitat, further endangering the already-vulnerable species.
"They may be the first great ape to go extinct," said Danielle Fogarty, senior keeper in the primate department at the Brookfield Zoo.
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The folks behind Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics apparently did, and on Wednesday the international chain staged an afternoon "protest" at 83 of its stores in the United States and Canada to raise awareness -- and perhaps sell some of the company's palm-oil-free soap.
Orangutan experts say palm oil plantations, along with deforestation and the logging industry, are encroaching on the apes' natural habitat, further endangering the already-vulnerable species.
"They may be the first great ape to go extinct," said Danielle Fogarty, senior keeper in the primate department at the Brookfield Zoo.
Read more
The Brutal Truth About America’s Healthcare
They came in their thousands, queuing through the night to secure one of the coveted wristbands offering entry into a strange parallel universe where medical care is a free and basic right and not an expensive luxury. Some of these Americans had walked miles simply to have their blood pressure checked, some had slept in their cars in the hope of getting an eye-test or a mammogram, others had brought their children for immunisations that could end up saving their life.
In the week that Britain's National Health Service was held aloft by Republicans as an "evil and Orwellian" example of everything that is wrong with free healthcare, these extraordinary scenes in Inglewood, California yesterday provided a sobering reminder of exactly why President Barack Obama is trying to reform the US system.
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In the week that Britain's National Health Service was held aloft by Republicans as an "evil and Orwellian" example of everything that is wrong with free healthcare, these extraordinary scenes in Inglewood, California yesterday provided a sobering reminder of exactly why President Barack Obama is trying to reform the US system.
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Last Days of Disco - Trailer
THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO brings to a close American cinema raconteur extraordinaire Whit Stillman's unofficial trilogy about the neuroses of the young and upscale. Following Metropolitan and Barcelona, this is a clever and sparkling return to the nighttime party scene in early eighties Manhattan. At the center of Stillman?s roundelay of revelers are the icy, commanding Charlotte (Kate Beckinsale) and the demure, pragmatic Alice (Chloe Sevigny), by day toiling as publishing house assistants, and by night looking for romance and entertainment at a premier, Studio 54?like club. Brimming with Stillman's trademark dry humor, The Last Days of Disco is an affectionate yet unsentimental look at the end of an era.
Chef Gives Up Prestigious Restaurant Job for Soup Kitchen
California's Napa Valley is home to some of the world's finest restaurants. But one of the culinary world's rising stars left the fancy restaurant scene to cook in a far different setting: a Bay Area soup kitchen.
During lunch time at the Bay Area Rescue Mission in Richmond, Calif., just north of San Francisco, culinary director Tim Hammack is demonstrating the best way to chop onions.
"Food's always been a big part of my life since I was young," says Hammack. "I would always cook with mom and my grandma and my dad."
Hammack grew up in the Napa Valley. After high school, his infatuation with fine food led him on a backpacking trip to Europe, where he explored the cuisines of Spain and North Africa. When he returned to California, he eventually landed a job at Bouchon, a renowned French bistro in the Napa Valley town of Yountville, Calif.
But just as his culinary career was taking off, Hammack started questioning where he was headed.
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During lunch time at the Bay Area Rescue Mission in Richmond, Calif., just north of San Francisco, culinary director Tim Hammack is demonstrating the best way to chop onions.
"Food's always been a big part of my life since I was young," says Hammack. "I would always cook with mom and my grandma and my dad."
Hammack grew up in the Napa Valley. After high school, his infatuation with fine food led him on a backpacking trip to Europe, where he explored the cuisines of Spain and North Africa. When he returned to California, he eventually landed a job at Bouchon, a renowned French bistro in the Napa Valley town of Yountville, Calif.
But just as his culinary career was taking off, Hammack started questioning where he was headed.
Read more
5 Things You Never Knew Your Cell Phone Could Do
For all the folks with cell phones. (This should be printed and kept in your car, purse, and wallet. Good information to have with you.)
There are a few things that can be done in times of grave
emergencies.
Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency
tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:
FIRST Emergency
The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find
Yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile network and there is an
Emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to
Establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly, this number 112
can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.
SECOND
Have you locked your keys in the car?
Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy
someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys
In the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on
their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot
>From your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock
button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock.
Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object.
You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has
the other 'remote' for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).
Editor's Note: It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked
Our car over a cell phone!'
THIRD
Hidden Battery Power
Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370#. Your cell
phone will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase
in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell phone next time.
FOURTH
How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?
To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phone:
*#06#. A 15-digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your
handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe.
When your phone get stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code.They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you knowthat whoever stole it can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.
And Finally....
FIFTH
Free Directory Service for Cells
Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information calls when they don't have to. Most of us do not carry a telephone directory in our vehicle, which makes this situation even more of a problem. When you need t o use the 411 information option, simply dial: (800) FREE411 or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all. Program this into your cell phone now.
There are a few things that can be done in times of grave
emergencies.
Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency
tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:
FIRST Emergency
The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find
Yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile network and there is an
Emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to
Establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly, this number 112
can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.
SECOND
Have you locked your keys in the car?
Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy
someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys
In the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on
their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot
>From your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock
button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock.
Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object.
You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has
the other 'remote' for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).
Editor's Note: It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked
Our car over a cell phone!'
THIRD
Hidden Battery Power
Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370#. Your cell
phone will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase
in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell phone next time.
FOURTH
How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?
To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phone:
*#06#. A 15-digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your
handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe.
When your phone get stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code.They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you knowthat whoever stole it can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.
And Finally....
FIFTH
Free Directory Service for Cells
Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information calls when they don't have to. Most of us do not carry a telephone directory in our vehicle, which makes this situation even more of a problem. When you need t o use the 411 information option, simply dial: (800) FREE411 or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all. Program this into your cell phone now.
How to Live a Better Life with Less
written by Leo Babauta
I’ve worked for more than 5 years now to simplify my life, and while I’ve discovered the sublime joys of living a simple life, I’ve realized most people don’t get it.
“Why would I want LESS?” they ask themselves. “Less is less fun, harder, monk-like, boring.”
The simple answer: because life can be so much better with less.
I’ve worked for more than 5 years now to simplify my life, and while I’ve discovered the sublime joys of living a simple life, I’ve realized most people don’t get it.
“Why would I want LESS?” they ask themselves. “Less is less fun, harder, monk-like, boring.”
The simple answer: because life can be so much better with less.
How to Fight Late Blight on Tomatoes Organically
The disease that caused the Irish potato famine is raging across America. Learn how to protect your organic garden.
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Saturday, August 29, 2009
The Fast Food Industry's 7 Most Heinous Concoctions
Some of America’s favorite chains have concocted some thoroughly repellent dishes that make the Double Quarter Pounder look like a celery stick.
No. 7 -- The Krispy Kreme Doughnut Sundae
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No. 7 -- The Krispy Kreme Doughnut Sundae
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Elder Bush refuses to attend Kennedy's funeral
Former President George H. W. Bush, who has enough stamina to sky-dive each year on his birthday, apparently doesn't have the stamina to attend Sen. Ted Kennedy's (D-MA) funeral.
The elder Bush's spokesman told the AP Friday that the 43rd president decided not to attend when he learned that his son would be going.
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The elder Bush's spokesman told the AP Friday that the 43rd president decided not to attend when he learned that his son would be going.
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Republicans' rundown is a mix of false, true and misleading claims
The Republican National Committee this week posted a “Health Care Bill of Rights for Seniors,” which RNC Chairman Michael Steele and others have taken to the airwaves to publicize. It contains a number of claims we’ve seen and criticized before, but also contains one new one that has some truth to it, and another fresh one that has very little.
The RNC says that cuts proposed by Democrats "threaten millions of seniors with being forced from their current Medicare Advantage plans." That’s certainly possible. Ratcheting down payments to the private insurance plans in Medicare Advantage would likely cause them to reduce benefits or even withdraw from the market. That might force an unknown number of beneficiaries to find new plans or go back to the traditional system, which still covers 78 percent of the Medicare population.
Another new wrinkle in the RNC’s "Bill of Rights" is a claim that Democrats have proposed raising TRICARE insurance costs for retired military and their families. This one is false. It was actually the Bush administration that most recently proposed changes in TRICARE, which the hospital industry said would cost hospitals $458 million in its first year.
The RNC "Bill of Rights" document also recycles claims that Democrats are proposing $500 million in Medicare cuts without mentioning that much of that is offset by proposed Medicare increases. It falsely says that a comparative effectiveness research panel set up earlier this year could limit care based on a patient’s age, when in fact the law expressly prohibits the council from issuing such mandates. And the RNC implies, wrongly, that seniors who meet with their doctors to discuss end-of-life care could have their treatment cut off involuntarily. In fact, these discussions would be voluntary and any directives limiting treatment would have to come from the patient.
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The RNC says that cuts proposed by Democrats "threaten millions of seniors with being forced from their current Medicare Advantage plans." That’s certainly possible. Ratcheting down payments to the private insurance plans in Medicare Advantage would likely cause them to reduce benefits or even withdraw from the market. That might force an unknown number of beneficiaries to find new plans or go back to the traditional system, which still covers 78 percent of the Medicare population.
Another new wrinkle in the RNC’s "Bill of Rights" is a claim that Democrats have proposed raising TRICARE insurance costs for retired military and their families. This one is false. It was actually the Bush administration that most recently proposed changes in TRICARE, which the hospital industry said would cost hospitals $458 million in its first year.
The RNC "Bill of Rights" document also recycles claims that Democrats are proposing $500 million in Medicare cuts without mentioning that much of that is offset by proposed Medicare increases. It falsely says that a comparative effectiveness research panel set up earlier this year could limit care based on a patient’s age, when in fact the law expressly prohibits the council from issuing such mandates. And the RNC implies, wrongly, that seniors who meet with their doctors to discuss end-of-life care could have their treatment cut off involuntarily. In fact, these discussions would be voluntary and any directives limiting treatment would have to come from the patient.
Read more
Summer of our discontent: Why is America so angry?
At the dawn of the Barack Obama era, the promise of hope has faded. America's public square is an angry and bitter place.
Finger pointing and yelling at town hall meetings this summer are signs of a country that's been building toward a boiling point for several years, stressed by a fast changing economy, a flood of immigration and threats at home by terrorists.
It's a land at turns frustrated and irate at a government that led them into an unpopular war, proved itself inept at helping its citizens in a disastrous hurricane, presided over an historic economic collapse, then went on a spending spree that could commit their country to decades of crushing debt.
Untold numbers of Americans seethe with anger at Obama and his fellow Democrats, resentment coupled with fear even more intense than the rage other Americans expressed just a year ago at George W. Bush and the Republicans. One telling sign: The comparisons of the president to Hitler remain the same — only the face has changed from Bush to Obama.
"It's ugly," said independent pollster John Zogby. "Ugly and sad because there were many of us who felt the ugliness could be transcended this time."
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Finger pointing and yelling at town hall meetings this summer are signs of a country that's been building toward a boiling point for several years, stressed by a fast changing economy, a flood of immigration and threats at home by terrorists.
It's a land at turns frustrated and irate at a government that led them into an unpopular war, proved itself inept at helping its citizens in a disastrous hurricane, presided over an historic economic collapse, then went on a spending spree that could commit their country to decades of crushing debt.
Untold numbers of Americans seethe with anger at Obama and his fellow Democrats, resentment coupled with fear even more intense than the rage other Americans expressed just a year ago at George W. Bush and the Republicans. One telling sign: The comparisons of the president to Hitler remain the same — only the face has changed from Bush to Obama.
"It's ugly," said independent pollster John Zogby. "Ugly and sad because there were many of us who felt the ugliness could be transcended this time."
Read more
Friday, August 28, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Why We Need Government-Run Universal Socialized Health Insurance
A cartoon explanation of why we need a public health insurance option.
If you agree that a public option should be part of the health care reform bill, make sure you let your representatives know!
If you agree that a public option should be part of the health care reform bill, make sure you let your representatives know!
Pregnant, with cancer: An agonizing decision
When Sarah Joanis found out she was pregnant, she was so thrilled -- and surprised -- that she took 12 home pregnancy tests in a row and photographed the positive results. Just to make sure.
Three months later, however, Sarah and her husband, Kevin, received another shock: The Plainfield woman's ovarian cancer had returned. She was 29 years old.
One of every 1,000 pregnant women in the U.S. has cancer, a relatively rare but stark convergence of life and death. For these women, treatment is possible. But it comes with a host of terrifying decisions for the family.
Do you start chemotherapy, which could harm the fetus? Or do you delay treatment, risking the mother's life?
Read more
Three months later, however, Sarah and her husband, Kevin, received another shock: The Plainfield woman's ovarian cancer had returned. She was 29 years old.
One of every 1,000 pregnant women in the U.S. has cancer, a relatively rare but stark convergence of life and death. For these women, treatment is possible. But it comes with a host of terrifying decisions for the family.
Do you start chemotherapy, which could harm the fetus? Or do you delay treatment, risking the mother's life?
Read more
1.5 Million More Poor
As the health-care debate rages through Congress, the number of poor and uninsured Americans has increased. The Associated Press reports that 38.8 million Americans are believed to live in poverty, making less than $13,540 for a family of two or $21,203 for a family of four, according to preliminary numbers from the 2008 census. The Commerce Department undersecretary of economic affairs said that the poverty rate underwent a "statistically significant" increase to at least 12.7 percent, a jump of more than 1.5 million people over the previous year. Rising unemployment and waning private coverage are also expected to swell the rolls of uninsured considerably, despite the fact that in 2007 those numbers fell by more than 1 million with the help of government programs like Medicaid picking. The final census numbers will be released next month.
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Beware the "Dirtiest" Websites for Malware
You better be careful where you click or you could wind up at one of the Internet's "dirtiest" sites. Norton has compiled a list of 100 sites (but disclosing only 30 of them) that could infect your computer with all sorts of viruses, spyware, worms, or other dreaded malware.
Find True Happiness
Instead of searching for possessions and achievements to make you happy, reflect on who you are and find authentic joy within.
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Why-oh-Why?
Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are almost dead?
Why do banks charge a fee on 'insufficient funds' when they already know there is not enough money?
Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars; but have to check when you say the paint is still wet?
Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?
Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?
Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
Whose idea was it to put an 'S' in the word 'lisp'?
If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?
Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?
Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?
Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?
Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?
Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?
How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?
Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?
In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?
How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?
And my FAVORITE......The statistics on sanity is that one out of every four persons is suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends -- if they're okay, then it's you.
~~~Now send this on to your friends and make them smile too!~~~
****A day without a smile is like a day without sunshine!****
Why do banks charge a fee on 'insufficient funds' when they already know there is not enough money?
Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars; but have to check when you say the paint is still wet?
Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?
Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?
Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
Whose idea was it to put an 'S' in the word 'lisp'?
If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?
Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?
Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?
Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?
Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?
Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?
How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?
Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?
In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?
How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?
And my FAVORITE......The statistics on sanity is that one out of every four persons is suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends -- if they're okay, then it's you.
~~~Now send this on to your friends and make them smile too!~~~
****A day without a smile is like a day without sunshine!****
Republicans, religion and the triumph of unreason
By Johann Hari
Something strange has happened in America in the nine months since Barack Obama was elected. It has best been summarised by the comedian Bill Maher: "The Democrats have moved to the right, and the Republicans have moved to a mental hospital."
Since Obama's rise, the US right has been skipping frantically from one fantasy to another, like a person in the throes of a mental breakdown. It started when they claimed he was a secret Muslim, and – at the same time – that he was a member of a black nationalist church that hated white people. Then, once these arguments were rejected and Obama won, they began to argue that he was born in Kenya and secretly smuggled into the United States as a baby, and the Hawaiian authorities conspired to fake his US birth certificate. So he is ineligible to rule and the office of President should pass to... the Republican runner-up, John McCain.
These aren't fringe phenomena: a Research 200 poll found that a majority of Republicans and Southerners say Obama wasn't born in the US, or aren't sure. A steady steam of Republican congressmen have been jabbering that Obama has "questions to answer". No amount of hard evidence – here's his birth certificate, here's a picture of his mother heavily pregnant in Hawaii, here's the announcement of his birth in the local Hawaiian paper – can pierce this conviction.
This trend has reached its apotheosis this summer with the Republican Party now claiming en masse that Obama wants to set up "death panels" to euthanise the old and disabled. Yes: Sarah Palin really has claimed – with a straight face – that Barack Obama wants to kill her baby.
You have to admire the audacity of the right. Here's what's actually happening. The US is the only major industrialised country that does not provide regular healthcare to all its citizens. Instead, they are required to provide for themselves – and 50 million people can't afford the insurance. As a result, 18,000 US citizens die every year needlessly, because they can't access the care they require. That's equivalent to six 9/11s, every year, year on year. Yet the Republicans have accused the Democrats who are trying to stop all this death by extending healthcare of being "killers" – and they have successfully managed to put them on the defensive.
Read more
Something strange has happened in America in the nine months since Barack Obama was elected. It has best been summarised by the comedian Bill Maher: "The Democrats have moved to the right, and the Republicans have moved to a mental hospital."
Since Obama's rise, the US right has been skipping frantically from one fantasy to another, like a person in the throes of a mental breakdown. It started when they claimed he was a secret Muslim, and – at the same time – that he was a member of a black nationalist church that hated white people. Then, once these arguments were rejected and Obama won, they began to argue that he was born in Kenya and secretly smuggled into the United States as a baby, and the Hawaiian authorities conspired to fake his US birth certificate. So he is ineligible to rule and the office of President should pass to... the Republican runner-up, John McCain.
These aren't fringe phenomena: a Research 200 poll found that a majority of Republicans and Southerners say Obama wasn't born in the US, or aren't sure. A steady steam of Republican congressmen have been jabbering that Obama has "questions to answer". No amount of hard evidence – here's his birth certificate, here's a picture of his mother heavily pregnant in Hawaii, here's the announcement of his birth in the local Hawaiian paper – can pierce this conviction.
This trend has reached its apotheosis this summer with the Republican Party now claiming en masse that Obama wants to set up "death panels" to euthanise the old and disabled. Yes: Sarah Palin really has claimed – with a straight face – that Barack Obama wants to kill her baby.
You have to admire the audacity of the right. Here's what's actually happening. The US is the only major industrialised country that does not provide regular healthcare to all its citizens. Instead, they are required to provide for themselves – and 50 million people can't afford the insurance. As a result, 18,000 US citizens die every year needlessly, because they can't access the care they require. That's equivalent to six 9/11s, every year, year on year. Yet the Republicans have accused the Democrats who are trying to stop all this death by extending healthcare of being "killers" – and they have successfully managed to put them on the defensive.
Read more
Obama's First Rendition
In the first rendition of Obama's presidency, Lebanese contractor Raymond Azar was hooded, stripped down and photographed naked, and flown to the U.S. for an alleged crime that seems out of whack with his high-security treatment: Conspiracy to commit bribery. Azar, 45, pleaded guilty to the charges this week, and he faces a maximum of five years in prison, but will likely get closer to two-and-a-half years or less. The harsh proceedings have baffled human rights groups—Joanne Mariner, terrorism and counter-terrorism director at Human Rights Watch, called the case "bizarre." "He was treated like a high-security terrorist instead of someone accused of a relatively minor white-collar crime," she said. Yet Justice Department lawyers have denied any misconduct in the case. "The FBI followed standard operating procedures when transporting prisoners to the United States," said a spokeswoman. Restraints "were used with the sole purpose of ensuring the safety of the defendants and the agents."
Read more
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Virus Protection For The Mind
We all know how destructive viruses on our computer can be and how important it is to have virus protection installed. However we’re not so careful when it comes to protecting our own minds with the, often devastating, effects our own thoughts can have on it.
The more serious of these thought viruses can lead to mental health problems such as loss of confidence, mild depression, self esteem issues, and a distorted perception of ourselves.
How then do we combat these thought viruses and protect our minds in order to stay healthy mentally and physically.
The more serious of these thought viruses can lead to mental health problems such as loss of confidence, mild depression, self esteem issues, and a distorted perception of ourselves.
How then do we combat these thought viruses and protect our minds in order to stay healthy mentally and physically.
Here's The Joke
Fire swept the plains and burned down the farmer’s barn. While he surveyed the wreckage, his wife called their insurance company and asked them to send a check for $75,000, the amount of insurance on the barn. “We don’t give you the money,” a company official explained. “We replace the barn and all the equipment in it.”
“In that case,” replied the wife, “cancel the policy I have on my husband.”
“In that case,” replied the wife, “cancel the policy I have on my husband.”
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Today's Quote
It's a poor sort of memory that only works backwards.
-- Charles Lutwidge Dodgeson, 1832-1898
-- Charles Lutwidge Dodgeson, 1832-1898
Marital Bliss
A man sat down and was seriously staring at the marriage certificate, after a long time his wife asked, “What are you looking for? He replied, “The expiration date.”
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
White House: Swine flu could kill 90,000 in US
Swine flu could infect as much as half of the US population this fall and winter and cause up to 90,000 deaths, President Barack Obama’s science advisers warned Monday.
Laying out a “plausible scenario” for the epidemic’s impact in the United States, the report painted a grim picture of stress on the US health care system as it struggles to cope with a flood of flu patients.
The epidemic’s resurgence could “produce infection of 30-50 percent of the US population this fall and winter, with symptoms in approximately 20-40 percent of the population (60-120 million people), more than half of whom would seek medical attention,” the report said.
Read more
Laying out a “plausible scenario” for the epidemic’s impact in the United States, the report painted a grim picture of stress on the US health care system as it struggles to cope with a flood of flu patients.
The epidemic’s resurgence could “produce infection of 30-50 percent of the US population this fall and winter, with symptoms in approximately 20-40 percent of the population (60-120 million people), more than half of whom would seek medical attention,” the report said.
Read more
Shackles and blindfold for freed detainee on his way home
A young Afghan held for six years at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, rejoined his family in southern Kabul late Monday, ending an odyssey that came to symbolize many of the problems of the Bush administration's war on terror detention policies.
Mohammed Jawad, who may have been as young as 12 when he was arrested in 2002 for allegedly throwing a grenade that wounded two American soldiers, pronounced himself "very happy" but tired after a day in which he arrived in Afghanistan on a U.S. military flight — in shackles and blindfolded, according to his lawyer.
He then met with both the country's attorney general and President Hamid Karzai before he was driven to his family's rented brick home in a modest Kabul neighborhood by the Afghan attorney general himself.
"I am very happy that I am back home with my family," Jawad said, before he begged off answering questions, saying he had a headache.
Jawad's journey home began in October, when a U.S. military judge in Guantanamo ruled that Afghan police had threatened to kill both Jawad and his family during his interrogation if he didn't confess to throwing a grenade that injured two reservists from California and their Afghan interpreter. Those threats constituted torture, Army Col. Stephen Henley said, ruling that the confession therefore wasn't admissible as evidence.
Read more
Mohammed Jawad, who may have been as young as 12 when he was arrested in 2002 for allegedly throwing a grenade that wounded two American soldiers, pronounced himself "very happy" but tired after a day in which he arrived in Afghanistan on a U.S. military flight — in shackles and blindfolded, according to his lawyer.
He then met with both the country's attorney general and President Hamid Karzai before he was driven to his family's rented brick home in a modest Kabul neighborhood by the Afghan attorney general himself.
"I am very happy that I am back home with my family," Jawad said, before he begged off answering questions, saying he had a headache.
Jawad's journey home began in October, when a U.S. military judge in Guantanamo ruled that Afghan police had threatened to kill both Jawad and his family during his interrogation if he didn't confess to throwing a grenade that injured two reservists from California and their Afghan interpreter. Those threats constituted torture, Army Col. Stephen Henley said, ruling that the confession therefore wasn't admissible as evidence.
Read more
Here's The Joke
An 80 year old man went to the doctor for a checkup and the
doctor was amazed at what good shape the guy was in. The
doctor asked, "To what do you attribute your good health?"
The old timer said, "I'm a golfer and that's why I'm in such
good shape. I'm up well before daylight and out golfing up
and down the fairways."
The doctor said, "Well, I'm sure that helps, but there's got
to be more to it. How old was your father when he died?"
The old timer said, "Who said my father's dead?"
The doctor said, "You mean you're 80 years old and your
father is still alive? How old is he?"
The old timer said, "He's 100 yrs old and, in fact, he
golfed with me this morning. That's why he's still alive,
he's a golfer."
The doctor said, "Well, that's great, but I'm sure there's
more to it. How about your grandfather? How old was he when
he died?"
The old timer said, "Who said my grandpa's dead?"
The doctor said, "You mean you're 80 years old and your
grandfather's still living! How old is he?"
The old timer said, "He's 118 yrs old."
The doctor was getting frustrated at this point and said,
"I guess he went golfing with you this morning too?"
The old timer said, "No...Grandpa couldn't go this morning
because he got married."
The doctor said in amazement, "Got married!! Why would a
118-year-old guy want to get married?"
The old timer shot back, "Who said he wanted to?"
doctor was amazed at what good shape the guy was in. The
doctor asked, "To what do you attribute your good health?"
The old timer said, "I'm a golfer and that's why I'm in such
good shape. I'm up well before daylight and out golfing up
and down the fairways."
The doctor said, "Well, I'm sure that helps, but there's got
to be more to it. How old was your father when he died?"
The old timer said, "Who said my father's dead?"
The doctor said, "You mean you're 80 years old and your
father is still alive? How old is he?"
The old timer said, "He's 100 yrs old and, in fact, he
golfed with me this morning. That's why he's still alive,
he's a golfer."
The doctor said, "Well, that's great, but I'm sure there's
more to it. How about your grandfather? How old was he when
he died?"
The old timer said, "Who said my grandpa's dead?"
The doctor said, "You mean you're 80 years old and your
grandfather's still living! How old is he?"
The old timer said, "He's 118 yrs old."
The doctor was getting frustrated at this point and said,
"I guess he went golfing with you this morning too?"
The old timer said, "No...Grandpa couldn't go this morning
because he got married."
The doctor said in amazement, "Got married!! Why would a
118-year-old guy want to get married?"
The old timer shot back, "Who said he wanted to?"
Is Glenn Beck Finished?
A Color of Change campaign has cost Beck's show 36 advertisers so far. Will Fox decide he isn't worth it?
Website of the Day -Atlas Obscura
A compendium of this age's wonders, curiosities, and esoterica. The Atlas Obscura is a collaborative project with the goal of cataloging all of the singular, eccentric, bizarre, fantastical, and strange out-of-the-way places that get left out of traditional travel guidebooks and are ignored by the average tourist. If you're looking for miniature cities, glass flowers, books bound in human skin, gigantic flaming holes in the ground, phallological museums, bone churches, balancing pagodas, or homes built entirely out of paper, the Atlas Obscura is where you'll find them.
10 Superfoods
Of course, there are more than just 10 "superfoods." In fact, just about every brightly colored fruit and vegetable fits the category of a superfood, as do nuts, beans, seeds and aromatic and brightly colored herbs and spices. The beneficial properties of each one of these superfoods could fill an entire book.
Swine flu jumps again _ to turkeys in Chile
Chile said Friday that tests show swine flu has jumped to birds, opening a new chapter in the global epidemic.
Top flu and animal-health experts with the United Nations in Rome and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta were monitoring the situation, but said the infected turkeys have suffered only mild effects, easing concern about a potentially dangerous development.
Chile's turkey meat remains safe to eat, the experts said, and so far there have been no signs of a deadly mutation. None of the birds have died from this flu, according to the farms' owner, Sopraval SA.
Top flu and animal-health experts with the United Nations in Rome and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta were monitoring the situation, but said the infected turkeys have suffered only mild effects, easing concern about a potentially dangerous development.
Chile's turkey meat remains safe to eat, the experts said, and so far there have been no signs of a deadly mutation. None of the birds have died from this flu, according to the farms' owner, Sopraval SA.
Do I really need that? Cost-conscious shoppers ditching items before checking out
Penny-pinching Americans are getting cold feet at the checkout — thinking twice about spending and ditching items before they're rung up.
They're leaving sweaters in the dress department, dumping cookies near the grocery cashier and waiting until the last minute to weigh wants versus needs. Online, shoppers are abandoning their virtual carts as they search for better deals.
People "want to be in the act of shopping, but they don't want to be in the act of buying," said Joel Bines, a director at AlixPartners, a turnaround consultant.
It means more lost sales for stores at a time when there are already fewer customers because of the recession. For bricks-and-mortar shops already working with fewer staff, it also means more work because orphaned items have to be restocked.
Read more
They're leaving sweaters in the dress department, dumping cookies near the grocery cashier and waiting until the last minute to weigh wants versus needs. Online, shoppers are abandoning their virtual carts as they search for better deals.
People "want to be in the act of shopping, but they don't want to be in the act of buying," said Joel Bines, a director at AlixPartners, a turnaround consultant.
It means more lost sales for stores at a time when there are already fewer customers because of the recession. For bricks-and-mortar shops already working with fewer staff, it also means more work because orphaned items have to be restocked.
Read more
4 Simple Tips for Decluttering Your Home
These simple steps will not only clear space around the house but cut waste and reduce your environmental impact.
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Here's The Joke
At a Catholic school, there was a "meet the teacher" open house for the 2nd graders. After the meeting, a Nun announced that there would be a small reception afterwards in the cafeteria. All the children and parents filed in, and saw on a table a plate of apples, a plate of cookies, and some water bottles and juice. As the children went through the line, one boy saw that there was a sign on the plate of apples that said, "Take only one. God is watching." So, the boy took an apple and moved on to the cookies. He helped himself, and then took a small piece of paper, and wrote: "Take all you want”. God is watching the apples."
Credit scores worsen for the good folks
Just what you feared: The credit card slashers, who just took away some of your credit on your credit cards, might have left you with a worse credit score too.
In other words, if you recently opened your mail and found out that your credit card firm was going to reduce the amount you can charge, you might now look like more of a slob with your credit than you ever did in the past. Yes, when you had your line of credit cut, that also might have triggered a lower FICO score....even though you didn't do anything wrong. That matters because your FICO score generally determines whether you get loans, and how much interest you will pay on everything from mortgages to cars.
Read more
In other words, if you recently opened your mail and found out that your credit card firm was going to reduce the amount you can charge, you might now look like more of a slob with your credit than you ever did in the past. Yes, when you had your line of credit cut, that also might have triggered a lower FICO score....even though you didn't do anything wrong. That matters because your FICO score generally determines whether you get loans, and how much interest you will pay on everything from mortgages to cars.
Read more
Monday, August 24, 2009
Issuers Cut Back on Credit Card Rewards
Credit card rewards programs are suddenly less rewarding.
Months before a new law takes effect restricting the credit card industry's ability to raise interest rates and charge fees, card issuers are scaling back programs that offer lucrative rewards such as frequent-flier miles and cash rebates. Now many customers have to pay additional fees or earn more points to redeem free plane tickets or claim cash-back perks.
"Consumers should understand that rewards programs are unstable right now, and a lot of the best programs are changing. And almost without exception they are changing to the benefit of the bank and the disadvantage of the cardholders," said Joe Ridout, a spokesman for Consumer Action.
Read more
Months before a new law takes effect restricting the credit card industry's ability to raise interest rates and charge fees, card issuers are scaling back programs that offer lucrative rewards such as frequent-flier miles and cash rebates. Now many customers have to pay additional fees or earn more points to redeem free plane tickets or claim cash-back perks.
"Consumers should understand that rewards programs are unstable right now, and a lot of the best programs are changing. And almost without exception they are changing to the benefit of the bank and the disadvantage of the cardholders," said Joe Ridout, a spokesman for Consumer Action.
Read more
The Underwear That Saved the World
After being deluged by an avalanche of used underwear, Bayer agrees to stop selling a dangerous pesticide.
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Instant Winner
!A redneck goes to a restaurant, buys a coffee a sits down to drink it. He looks on the side of his cup and finds a peal off prize. He pulls off the tab and yells, "I WON! I WON! I WON a motor home, I WON a motor home!"
The waitress runs over and says, "That's impossible. The biggest prize given away was a mini van!"
The redneck replies, "No, I WON A motor home, I WON a motor home!"
By this time the manager makes his way over to the table and says, "You couldn't possibly have won a motor homes because we didn't have that as a prize!"
Again the redneck says, "No, no mistake, I WON a motor home, I WON a motor home!"
The redneck hands the prize ticket to the manager and he reads,
"WIN A BAGEL."
The waitress runs over and says, "That's impossible. The biggest prize given away was a mini van!"
The redneck replies, "No, I WON A motor home, I WON a motor home!"
By this time the manager makes his way over to the table and says, "You couldn't possibly have won a motor homes because we didn't have that as a prize!"
Again the redneck says, "No, no mistake, I WON a motor home, I WON a motor home!"
The redneck hands the prize ticket to the manager and he reads,
"WIN A BAGEL."
Boy recovers after near decapitation
A young boy whose head was nearly detached in a car accident in July has made an amazing recovery, enough to start school and delight in climbing a fire truck.
Ryan Ooms, 11, suffered an internal decapitation which severed three vertebrae and left his neck supported only by skin and tendons. One false move by emergency personnel extricating him from the wreck could have meant paralysis or death.
Read more
Ryan Ooms, 11, suffered an internal decapitation which severed three vertebrae and left his neck supported only by skin and tendons. One false move by emergency personnel extricating him from the wreck could have meant paralysis or death.
Read more
Some humor from comedian Steven Wright
A friend of mine is into Voodoo Acupuncture. You don't
have to go. You'll just be walking down the street,
and... ooooohhhhhh, that's much better...
After they make styrofoam, what do they ship it in?
All of the people in my building are insane. The guy
above me designs synthetic hairballs for ceramic cats.
The lady across the hall tried to rob a department store...
with a pricing gun...She said, "Give me all of the money
in the vault, or I'm marking down everything in the store."
I bought a dog the other day...I named him Stay. It's fun
to call him..."Come here, Stay! Come here, Stay!" He went
insane. Now he just ignores me.
I bought a self learning record to learn Spanish. I turned
it on and went to sleep; the record got stuck. The next
day I could only stutter in Spanish.
I didn't get a toy train like the other kids. I got a toy
subway instead. You couldn't see anything, but every now
and then you'd hear this rumbling noise go by.
I met this wonderful girl at Macy's. She was buying clothes
and I was putting Slinkies on the escalator.
I saw a sign at a gas station. It said "help wanted".
There was another sign below it that said "self service".
So I hired myself. Then I made myself the boss. I gave
myself a raise. I paid myself. Then I quit.
I went to this restaurant last night that was set up like
a big buffet in the shape of an Ouija board. You'd think
about what kind of food you want, and the table would move
across the floor to it.
have to go. You'll just be walking down the street,
and... ooooohhhhhh, that's much better...
After they make styrofoam, what do they ship it in?
All of the people in my building are insane. The guy
above me designs synthetic hairballs for ceramic cats.
The lady across the hall tried to rob a department store...
with a pricing gun...She said, "Give me all of the money
in the vault, or I'm marking down everything in the store."
I bought a dog the other day...I named him Stay. It's fun
to call him..."Come here, Stay! Come here, Stay!" He went
insane. Now he just ignores me.
I bought a self learning record to learn Spanish. I turned
it on and went to sleep; the record got stuck. The next
day I could only stutter in Spanish.
I didn't get a toy train like the other kids. I got a toy
subway instead. You couldn't see anything, but every now
and then you'd hear this rumbling noise go by.
I met this wonderful girl at Macy's. She was buying clothes
and I was putting Slinkies on the escalator.
I saw a sign at a gas station. It said "help wanted".
There was another sign below it that said "self service".
So I hired myself. Then I made myself the boss. I gave
myself a raise. I paid myself. Then I quit.
I went to this restaurant last night that was set up like
a big buffet in the shape of an Ouija board. You'd think
about what kind of food you want, and the table would move
across the floor to it.
Website of the Day - Last.fm
Last.fm recommends music, videos and concerts based on what you listen to.
Barbecue Basics
Adam Perry Lang, grill master at Daisy May's BBQ in New York City and author of Serious Barbecue, shares his secrets that will help you become a star behind the grill.
Mexico Hit By Lowest Rainfall In 68 Years
Mexico is suffering from its driest year in 68 years, killing crops and cattle in the countryside and forcing the government to slow the flow of water to the crowded capital.
Below-average rainfall since last year has left about 80 of Mexico's 175 largest reservoirs less than half full, said Felipe Arreguin, a senior official at the Conagua commission, which manages the country's water supply.
Read more
Below-average rainfall since last year has left about 80 of Mexico's 175 largest reservoirs less than half full, said Felipe Arreguin, a senior official at the Conagua commission, which manages the country's water supply.
Read more
Holder to Appoint Prosecutor to Investigate CIA Terror Interrogations
At last
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. has decided to appoint a prosecutor to examine nearly a dozen cases in which CIA interrogators and contractors may have violated anti-torture laws and other statutes when they allegedly threatened terrorism suspects, according to two sources familiar with the move.
Holder is poised to name John Durham, a career Justice Department prosecutor from Connecticut, to lead the inquiry, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the process is not complete.
Durham's mandate, the sources added, will be relatively narrow: to look at whether there is enough evidence to launch a full-scale criminal investigation of current and former CIA personnel who may have broken the law in their dealings with detainees. Many of the harshest CIA interrogation techniques have not been employed against terrorism suspects for four years or more.
Read more
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. has decided to appoint a prosecutor to examine nearly a dozen cases in which CIA interrogators and contractors may have violated anti-torture laws and other statutes when they allegedly threatened terrorism suspects, according to two sources familiar with the move.
Holder is poised to name John Durham, a career Justice Department prosecutor from Connecticut, to lead the inquiry, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the process is not complete.
Durham's mandate, the sources added, will be relatively narrow: to look at whether there is enough evidence to launch a full-scale criminal investigation of current and former CIA personnel who may have broken the law in their dealings with detainees. Many of the harshest CIA interrogation techniques have not been employed against terrorism suspects for four years or more.
Read more
Toughest Time Of My Life
I had the toughest time of my life.
First, I got angina pectoris and then arteriosclerosis.
Just as I was recovering from these, I got tuberculosis, double pneumonia and phthisis.
Then they gave me hypodermics.
Appendicitis was followed by tonsillectomy. These gave way to aphasia and hypertrophic cirrhosis.
I completely lost my memory for a while. I know I had diabetes and acute ingestion, besides gastritis, rheumatism, lumbago and neuritis.
I don't know how I pulled through it. It was the hardest spelling test I've ever had!
First, I got angina pectoris and then arteriosclerosis.
Just as I was recovering from these, I got tuberculosis, double pneumonia and phthisis.
Then they gave me hypodermics.
Appendicitis was followed by tonsillectomy. These gave way to aphasia and hypertrophic cirrhosis.
I completely lost my memory for a while. I know I had diabetes and acute ingestion, besides gastritis, rheumatism, lumbago and neuritis.
I don't know how I pulled through it. It was the hardest spelling test I've ever had!
Work as Play
As adults, we were told we had to work hard to get ahead, that work wasn’t fun but that’s just how life is.
Bullshit.
Life is what you make of it. It can be drudgery, or it can be play. Or something else entirely.Sunday, August 23, 2009
English
English is a difficult language to learn not only because of words you see below, but because of sentence structure.
1. The bandage was wound around the wound.
2. The farm was used to produce produce.
3. The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4. We must polish the Polish furniture.
5. He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7. Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was
time to present the present.
8. A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9. When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10. I did not object to the object.
11. The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12. There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13. They were too close to the door to close it.
14. The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15. A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16. To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17. The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18. After a number of injections my jaw got number.
19. Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
20. I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
21. How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
1. The bandage was wound around the wound.
2. The farm was used to produce produce.
3. The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4. We must polish the Polish furniture.
5. He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7. Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was
time to present the present.
8. A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9. When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10. I did not object to the object.
11. The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12. There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13. They were too close to the door to close it.
14. The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15. A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16. To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17. The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18. After a number of injections my jaw got number.
19. Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
20. I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
21. How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
Things learned from TV
All crimes are solved in 1 hour.
The Good guy always wins.
When you’re trapped, you always find a way out.
A trip from Los Angeles to China takes 5 seconds.
All women still have makeup on when they wake up in the morning.
When you’re a hero, you will never get burnt in a fire.
The Good guy always wins.
When you’re trapped, you always find a way out.
A trip from Los Angeles to China takes 5 seconds.
All women still have makeup on when they wake up in the morning.
When you’re a hero, you will never get burnt in a fire.
Mojito Recipe
Cut a lime in half. Cut that half lime in quarters. Drop the four lime pieces into the bottom of a tumbler or a Collins glass like the one in the picture.Add 2 and a half or 3 teaspoons of superfine sugar -- depending on the sweetness of your sweet tooth.
Add the leaves from two sprigs of fresh mint
Use a muddler, or the blunt handle end of a wooden spoon or something to mash that stuff up into a good pulpy mess.
Add 2 to 2 and a half ounces of rum -- I like Appleton, which is not too expensive. As long as you steer clear of anything in a plastic bottle, anything flavored or spiced, or that clear aquanet hell they call Bacardi, you should be fine.
Fill the glass to the top with ice.
Add a splash -- not too much! -- of club soda or seltzer.
Stir gently, serve with a straw, rinse, repeat, rinse, repeat. You can garnish with more mint if you want to, but really, that's excessive.
Happy revolution!
MSNBC's Maddow Show Propels Growing Scandal Over Washington's "Christian Mafia"
In a new August 17, 2009 Maddow show segment [link to MSNBC page with viewable show segment], Rachel Maddow and Jeff Sharlet discuss, among many new revelations, the disturbing fact that the "Christian Embassy" scandal, propelled by a complaint to the Department of Defense from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, was investigated by a Pentagon Inspector General who is in fact a Family member.
The Family, also known as "The Fellowship", is a secretive fundamentalist Washington DC ministry which runs the National Prayer Breakfast and Bible study groups attended by numerous US Senators and Congress members, wields global influence, and celebrates the leadership lessons of Hitler, Lenin, and Mao.
Over the course of the summer of 2009, Washington's Family-run "C Street House" has become notorious as a string of sex scandals have engulfed national GOP political figures who live at or have lived at, or attended Bible study classes at, the secretive former convent turned church-cum cheap-rent high end boarding house: Senator John Ensign, former Congressman Charles "Chip" Pickering, and South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford.
By far the story has been driven, first, by Jeff Sharlet, who wrote the 2008 book The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at The Heart Of American Power, which followed Sharlet's 2003 Harper's expose' Jesus Plus Nothing. But MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, who has pursued breaking new aspects of the festering scandal with a long-term dedication only rarely seen in mainstream media news coverage [see attached YouTube video segments], has played an invaluable role in giving the mafia-like "Family" widespread public exposure.
Read more
The Family, also known as "The Fellowship", is a secretive fundamentalist Washington DC ministry which runs the National Prayer Breakfast and Bible study groups attended by numerous US Senators and Congress members, wields global influence, and celebrates the leadership lessons of Hitler, Lenin, and Mao.
Over the course of the summer of 2009, Washington's Family-run "C Street House" has become notorious as a string of sex scandals have engulfed national GOP political figures who live at or have lived at, or attended Bible study classes at, the secretive former convent turned church-cum cheap-rent high end boarding house: Senator John Ensign, former Congressman Charles "Chip" Pickering, and South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford.
By far the story has been driven, first, by Jeff Sharlet, who wrote the 2008 book The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at The Heart Of American Power, which followed Sharlet's 2003 Harper's expose' Jesus Plus Nothing. But MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, who has pursued breaking new aspects of the festering scandal with a long-term dedication only rarely seen in mainstream media news coverage [see attached YouTube video segments], has played an invaluable role in giving the mafia-like "Family" widespread public exposure.
Read more
21 Organic Lawn Care Tips from a Real Expert
The celebrated founder of Safelawns.org offers an insider's guide to growing a healthy, natural lawn without chemical pesticides or fertilizers.
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The Best Idea I Have Heard in Years
Members of Congress should wear uniforms like NASCAR drivers, so we could identify their corporate sponsors.
Is Information about Your Prescriptions Being Sold?
You may have thought information about the prescription drugs you take is private, but there is a big business in selling your data. The NY Times reports.
Don't Despair!
Sitting by the window of her convent, Sister Barbara opened a letter from home one evening.
Inside the letter was a $100 bill her parents had sent.
Sister Barbara smiled at the gesture. As she read the letter by the window,
she noticed a shabbily dressed stranger leaning against the lamp post below.
Quickly, she wrote, "Don't despair. Sister Barbara," on a piece of paper,
wrapped the $100 bill in it, got the man's attention and tossed it out the window to him.
The stranger picked it up, and with a puzzled expression and a tip of his hat, went off down the street.
The next day, Sister Barbara was told that a man was at her door, insisting on seeing her.
She went down, and found the stranger waiting.
Without a word, he handed her a huge wad of $100 bills.
"What's this?" she asked. "That's the $8,000 you have coming Sister," he replied. "Don't Despair paid 80-to-1."
Inside the letter was a $100 bill her parents had sent.
Sister Barbara smiled at the gesture. As she read the letter by the window,
she noticed a shabbily dressed stranger leaning against the lamp post below.
Quickly, she wrote, "Don't despair. Sister Barbara," on a piece of paper,
wrapped the $100 bill in it, got the man's attention and tossed it out the window to him.
The stranger picked it up, and with a puzzled expression and a tip of his hat, went off down the street.
The next day, Sister Barbara was told that a man was at her door, insisting on seeing her.
She went down, and found the stranger waiting.
Without a word, he handed her a huge wad of $100 bills.
"What's this?" she asked. "That's the $8,000 you have coming Sister," he replied. "Don't Despair paid 80-to-1."
Fire Tornadoes Make Forest Fires Even More Deadly
Fire fighters hate winds. They can make a fire fall to a puff or explode to a roar; they can make it jink to the left or right, or halt and spin in a circle. Nature's winds are fickle and unpredictable, and they can be a fire fighter's worst enemy. What's more, when conditions are right, fires spawn their own winds as the flames gobble up oxygen, sucking it in from all sides. These winds in turn can create a bizarre natural phenomenon: microweather, born of fire. Odd little weather systems, occurring within the larger system, can give rise to tornadoes filled with fire and noxious gases. They can cause huge thunderheads to form in a cloudless sky; they can make rain fall and lightning flash.
All these wonders start with the plume that is formed as the heated air rises from the fire in a column. Usually a strong prevailing wind quashes such a plume before it can grow. But when the fire is especially hot and the wind is weak, the plume can prevail. "Wind is the most critical weather component for fires," says Margaret Gross, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Riverside, California. "It determines more than anything else how fast a fire will spread. But when the power of the fire is greater than the wind, these large plumes can rise high into the atmosphere. Those are the fires that usually generate weather."
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Cancer Breakthrough at MIT
It took them 16,000 tries, but MIT scientists have finally identified a chemical that selectively targets cancer cells, a possible breakthrough in creating new treatments. “We now have a method that researchers anywhere in the world can use to find agents that can kill cancer stem cells and potentially treat cancer,” Piyush Gupta, a researcher at the Broad Institute and co-author of the study told Bloomberg. The chemical compound, salinomycin, works like a smart bomb, picking out stem cells that turn into cancer and destroying them. Next up is further testing on animals.
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Here's The Joke
A high school history teacher was discussing the funeral of
the Pope with his class. One student asked how they chose
the new Pope.
The teacher explained the process, finishing with, "So the
Cardinals pick him."
A student in the back of class, asked, very seriously, "Why
would they let a baseball team pick the next Pope?"
the Pope with his class. One student asked how they chose
the new Pope.
The teacher explained the process, finishing with, "So the
Cardinals pick him."
A student in the back of class, asked, very seriously, "Why
would they let a baseball team pick the next Pope?"
Grandma's Apron
I don't think our kids even know what an apron is.
The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.
It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears .
From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.
When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.
And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.
Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.
Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.
From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.
In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.
When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.
When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.
It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.
REMEMBER:
Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool -Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.
They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs was on that apron. I don't know of anyone who ever caught anything bad from an Apron...only love.
The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.
It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears .
From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.
When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.
And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.
Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.
Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.
From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.
In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.
When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.
When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.
It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.
REMEMBER:
Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool -Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.
They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs was on that apron. I don't know of anyone who ever caught anything bad from an Apron...only love.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Why Are Cops Tasering Grandmothers, Pregnant Women and Kids?
Police officers are brutalizing innocent civilians with accelerating lunacy. How did this happen? How can we make it stop?
Here's The Joke
Question:
What do you get when you mix PMS with GPS?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>scroll down for answer<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Answer:
A crazy bitch who will find you!
What do you get when you mix PMS with GPS?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>scroll down for answer<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Answer:
A crazy bitch who will find you!
Here's The Joke
Thanks Eli
A man walks into a used car dealership and wants to buy a car. The salesman takes him around but every car he shows him the buyer finds something not to like about it and finally says, "Don't you have anything else?"
The salesman says, "Well we do have one more car, and wait until you see the radio on this one! You'll buy it just for the radio!"
He takes the man back to the far end of the lot and shows him an old beat up jalopy. The man says he's seen enough and turns around to walk away but the salesman protests, "But you haven't seen the radio yet!" So the man agrees to listen to the radio but says, "Who would buy a car just for a radio?"
So they get in and the salesman says what kind of music do you like? The man answers, "rock." So the salesman looks at the radio and says, "Rock." Immediately the radio turns on and tunes itself to a rock station. The salesman says, "now you try it." The amazed driver says, "country." The radio tunes itself and lands on a station that is playing country. The man goes on, "hip-hop," "classical," "rap." Each time the radio changes to a station that is playing that kind of music. The man is so amazed that he buys the car on the spot.
Later on he is driving home enjoying his incredible radio when another driver cuts him off in traffic. The man mutters under his breath, "Jerk!" Immediately the radio changes stations and finds Rush Limbaugh.
A man walks into a used car dealership and wants to buy a car. The salesman takes him around but every car he shows him the buyer finds something not to like about it and finally says, "Don't you have anything else?"
The salesman says, "Well we do have one more car, and wait until you see the radio on this one! You'll buy it just for the radio!"
He takes the man back to the far end of the lot and shows him an old beat up jalopy. The man says he's seen enough and turns around to walk away but the salesman protests, "But you haven't seen the radio yet!" So the man agrees to listen to the radio but says, "Who would buy a car just for a radio?"
So they get in and the salesman says what kind of music do you like? The man answers, "rock." So the salesman looks at the radio and says, "Rock." Immediately the radio turns on and tunes itself to a rock station. The salesman says, "now you try it." The amazed driver says, "country." The radio tunes itself and lands on a station that is playing country. The man goes on, "hip-hop," "classical," "rap." Each time the radio changes to a station that is playing that kind of music. The man is so amazed that he buys the car on the spot.
Later on he is driving home enjoying his incredible radio when another driver cuts him off in traffic. The man mutters under his breath, "Jerk!" Immediately the radio changes stations and finds Rush Limbaugh.
Betsy McCaughey Resigns After Humiliating Herself In Jon Stewart’s Show
According to the suggested reports, the alleged “death panel” originator and former lieutenant governor of New York and adjunct fellow of the Houston Institute, Betsy McCoughey has reportedly resigned from her post after suffering ample amount of humiliation in the Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
Stewart, who was well informed and prepared reportedly demonstrated McCaughey’s entire foothold in the health care reform to be “as solid as Swiss cheese”. Obama’s health care reform has recently triggered a wide array of controversies off late.
Betsy McCaughey who has also been termed as the serial mis-informer wrongly claimed in the Stewart show that the Page 432 of the House Health Care Reform Bill would make end-of-life counseling “mandatory” after backtracking from her previous statement that stated Page 425 would provide for “mandatory” end-of-life counseling. She had also stated that a provision on that page “penalizes doctors who do not follow or adhere the policies and rules that is set by the government.
The host of the show Jon Stewart noted that the words depicted by McCaughey does not point at making end-of-life counseling mandatory and does not “penalize” doctors but it rather provides incentives for the doctors on the terms of providing “data on quality measures” for end-of-life care.
After discovering that she has been made a subject of ridicule after her infamous appearance on “The Daily Show”, McCaughey reportedly stepped down from her position as the Director of Cantel Medical Corp.
Host Jon Stewart was quite aggressive on his stance thereby proving McCaughey a complete mis-informer. McCaughey has been billed as the creator of the “death panel” myth.
Original
Stewart, who was well informed and prepared reportedly demonstrated McCaughey’s entire foothold in the health care reform to be “as solid as Swiss cheese”. Obama’s health care reform has recently triggered a wide array of controversies off late.
Betsy McCaughey who has also been termed as the serial mis-informer wrongly claimed in the Stewart show that the Page 432 of the House Health Care Reform Bill would make end-of-life counseling “mandatory” after backtracking from her previous statement that stated Page 425 would provide for “mandatory” end-of-life counseling. She had also stated that a provision on that page “penalizes doctors who do not follow or adhere the policies and rules that is set by the government.
The host of the show Jon Stewart noted that the words depicted by McCaughey does not point at making end-of-life counseling mandatory and does not “penalize” doctors but it rather provides incentives for the doctors on the terms of providing “data on quality measures” for end-of-life care.
After discovering that she has been made a subject of ridicule after her infamous appearance on “The Daily Show”, McCaughey reportedly stepped down from her position as the Director of Cantel Medical Corp.
Host Jon Stewart was quite aggressive on his stance thereby proving McCaughey a complete mis-informer. McCaughey has been billed as the creator of the “death panel” myth.
Original
Creamy Cucumbers
Yoplait® plain yogurt pairs with cucumbers and dill for a classic salad you'll make again and again.
Prep Time:10 min
Start to Finish:4 hr 10 min
makes:4 servings
2/3 cup Yoplait® Fat Free plain yogurt (from 2-lb container)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 cups thinly sliced unpeeled cucumbers (2 medium)
1 small onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
1. In medium bowl, mix ingredients until well blended.
2. Cover; refrigerate about 4 hours or until chilled.
Nutritional Information
1 Serving: Calories 40 (Calories from Fat 0); Total Fat 0g (Saturated Fat 0g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 340mg; Total Carbohydrate 7g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 5g); Protein 3g % Daily Value*: Vitamin A 0%; Vitamin C 6%; Calcium 8%; Iron 0% Exchanges: 0 Other Carbohydrate; 1 1/2 Vegetable Carbohydrate Choices: 1/2 MyPyramid Servings: 1/2 c Vegetables
*% Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Yoplait is a registered trademark of YOPLAIT Marques Internationales SAS (France) used under license.
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Snoring is more than loud, it's a sign of a health risk
Severe nightly episodes of interrupted breathing during sleep - commonly known as sleep apnea - double the risk of death for middle-age men, according to a new study being called the largest ever conducted on the disorder.
Even men with moderate sleep apnea - anywhere from 15 to 30 instances of oxygen deprivation per hour - appear to be 45 percent more likely to die from any cause than those who have no nighttime breathing problems.
As many as one in four men is believed to suffer from sleep apnea, researchers said, and many with less severe apnea may not even know they have it, even though it can dangerously decrease the oxygen in their bloodstream. Sleep apnea - typically characterized by loud snoring - is believed to be a growing problem, since it is often linked to obesity, which has become an epidemic in the United States. Women also are affected by the disorder, but to a lesser degree.
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Even men with moderate sleep apnea - anywhere from 15 to 30 instances of oxygen deprivation per hour - appear to be 45 percent more likely to die from any cause than those who have no nighttime breathing problems.
As many as one in four men is believed to suffer from sleep apnea, researchers said, and many with less severe apnea may not even know they have it, even though it can dangerously decrease the oxygen in their bloodstream. Sleep apnea - typically characterized by loud snoring - is believed to be a growing problem, since it is often linked to obesity, which has become an epidemic in the United States. Women also are affected by the disorder, but to a lesser degree.
Read more
20 Foods That Make You Smarter
Simply put, your brain likes to eat. And it likes powerful fuel: quality fats, antioxidants, and small, steady amounts of the best carbs.
On a deadline? Need to rally? Avoid the soda, vending machine snacks and tempting Starbucks and go for these powerful brain boosters instead. The path to a bigger, better brain is loaded with Omega-3 fats, antioxidants, and fiber. Give your brain a kick start: eat the following foods on a daily or weekly basis for results you will notice.
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On a deadline? Need to rally? Avoid the soda, vending machine snacks and tempting Starbucks and go for these powerful brain boosters instead. The path to a bigger, better brain is loaded with Omega-3 fats, antioxidants, and fiber. Give your brain a kick start: eat the following foods on a daily or weekly basis for results you will notice.
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Action Item - Tell Obama: The public option is not optional.
"When it comes to health care reform, the public option is not optional. You campaigned on change and on a health care plan that included a public option. But aside from single payer, a health care bill without a robust public option is just more of the same. If you are sincere about supporting the public plan, tell Congress and the voters that you will not sign a bill without a robust public option similar to Medicare."
Sign the petition
Sign the petition
More ‘Senior Scare’
A TV ad's false claims about Democratic Medicare proposals.
The conservative 60 Plus Association is running a TV ad saying Congress plans to pay for overhauling health care "by cutting $500 billion from Medicare." It claims that this "will mean long waits for care" and cuts to MRIs and other imaging services, that "seniors may lose their own doctors" and that "government, not doctors, will decide if older patients are worth the cost." Actually, the House leadership’s version of the health care bill would trim a net total of only $219 billion from the projected growth of Medicare spending over the next 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. And Congress isn’t proposing to cut benefit levels or to deny treatment to anyone who is "not worth the cost." We find this ad to be mostly false.
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The conservative 60 Plus Association is running a TV ad saying Congress plans to pay for overhauling health care "by cutting $500 billion from Medicare." It claims that this "will mean long waits for care" and cuts to MRIs and other imaging services, that "seniors may lose their own doctors" and that "government, not doctors, will decide if older patients are worth the cost." Actually, the House leadership’s version of the health care bill would trim a net total of only $219 billion from the projected growth of Medicare spending over the next 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. And Congress isn’t proposing to cut benefit levels or to deny treatment to anyone who is "not worth the cost." We find this ad to be mostly false.
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