Thursday, April 08, 2010

What if she didn't have a political directive to her life, she would never have her own million dollar baby.


Is Levy Johnson getting a cut on the baby's salary?



Levi has described his idea for a show with the horrifying comparison “Jersey Shore on Ice.” (click here)When he found out that Sarah Palin wanted to “own Alaska,” he found the idea so distasteful that he and his people decided to try to beat them to the punch. And while many Alaskans are cringing and pulling bags over their heads at the thought of Palin “owning Alaska” they really don’t feel much better about the idea of Levi Johnston “owning Alaska.” It’s kind of like saying, “Don’t worry, we won’t hit you on the side of the head with a 2×4… We’ll hit you on the side of the head with a skillet! Feel better?”

The Irresponsible Priorities of the Canadian Government


From Wood Furnace Energy to contradicting assessments of sensative biotic areas, there are real questions as to the environmental stewarship of Canada.  Do they actually 'get it?'



Nunavut's Lancaster Sound



...The proposed hydrocarbon sweep (click title to entry - thank you) has triggered an assessment by the Nunavut Impact Review Board and has already prompted a red-faced apology by federal officials over the premature delivery to one Inuit hamlet of 200 drums of fuel for Arctic energy and mineral mapping expeditions that haven't yet been approved by local authorities....

Stable Mountain Tops are needed to support wind turbines.


Why should there be ANY environmental impacts?

Energy?

At what costs?

The word is ELIMINATE impacts, not, reduce them.

Obama Administration Takes Unprecedented Steps (click title to entry - thank you) to Reduce Environmental Impacts of Mountaintop Coal Mining, Announces Interagency Action Plan to Implement Reforms: Federal agencies take coordinated action to strengthen oversight and regulation, minimize adverse environmental consequences of mountaintop coal mining

Release date: 06/11/2009
Contact Information: Christine Glunz (CEQ): (202) 456-3469; Kendra Barkoff (DOI): (202) 208-6416; Adora Andy (EPA): (202) 564-2715; Gene Pawlik (USACE): (202) 761-4715


WASHINGTON – Obama Administration officials announced today that they are taking


unprecedented steps to reduce the environmental impacts of mountaintop coal mining in the six


Appalachian states of Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West


Virginia through a coordinated approach between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),


Department of the Interior (DOI) and Army Corps of Engineers....

The Tea Party is the party of violence. It actually intimidated a House member that voted to save lives.


...In an op/ed piece by Kathleen Parker (click title to entry - thank you) her barely cloaked rage mirrored the seething anger that is rushing across the internet from pro-life organizations. Parker compared Stupak to Judas while another pro-life organization informed all pro-life voters by email of “the stunning betrayal by the Democratic lawmakers who campaigned for election as pro-life but then turned their backs on unborn children…”
Perhaps we need to pause a moment, turn down the Glenn Beck/Rachel Maddow volume and consider what H.R.3590 - Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act did accomplish for the pro-life community. Rather than aiding and abetting abortion this important piece of legislation:

Guarantees coverage for pregnancy. Pregnancy is no longer a pre-existing condition.

C-sections, birth defects, and domestic violence can no longer be considered pre-existing conditions and used to deny insurance coverage;...

After all they only need to 'reload.'  Somehow, Sarah Palin continuing to make that assertion is suppose to make it alright. 

No.

MENOMINEE --  (click here)  Ivon Butman is a long time resident of Menominee. Like many residents, she not only supports Congressman Stupak, but also the health care reform bill.
"Congressman Stupak is very much to be admired,” said Butman. “He stands by his principles and he was very instrumental in getting this whole thing passed, and locally here he is very much admired and he's done a good job."
Stupak, a pro-life Democrat, voted for the health care reform bill, but only after being assured that an executive order would prevent federal money from funding abortions. He's long been liked and respected in his hometown of Menominee, and residents we talked to Friday are disturbed by the threats of violence Stupak and his family have received.
Vans Foods owner, Tom Van Gaal, said those tactics are way out of line....

The fact of the matter is, that the REPUBLICAN PARTY and THE TEA PARTY are still not accepting responsibility for the demeanor that stirs their constituency to violence.  They are avoidant in all their assertions regardless of the issue.

It might get so bad, that people affiliated with Rep. Stupak could feel threatened to withdraw from the circumstances.  I didn't know the USA streets had turned into those that exist in Baghdad, whereby war is a barrier to voting. 

Since when, in the USA do people have to cower in fear of their lives, only to be a martyr to their own patriotism.  A person has to have 'guts' to run for office in the USA?  I don't think so.

Washington, DC, United States (AHN) - (click here) A day after the arrest of a Washington state man (click here) for making death threats to a Democratic senator over her healthcare vote, federal prosecutors have filed charges against a California man for threatening House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The criminal complaint against Gregory Lee Giusti, 48, will be unsealed when he appears in court Thursday. He was arrested around noon Wednesday in San Francisco.


The FBI has not issued a statement, but a spokesman for Pelosi said in a statement the arrest was made after an investigation of threatening phone calls to the speaker.


"The Speaker thanks the FBI, the Capitol Hill Police, House Sergeant at Arms, and other law enforcement officials for their professionalism in this matter. She will have no further comment at this time," Brendan Daly said....

Perhaps this is the image Nike should have considered.


There is no one that can deny, the lose of his father was significant to Tiger's life and his career.

The entire circumstance with this mine is outrageous. It is so dangerous the rescuers can't even do their job.

The people of these communities are counting on the grace of God to conduct their lives.  That is outrageous.  Maybe, just maybe, the real lesson that God is teaching this time is the ludicrous nature of the lives and deaths of these people.

Well, one hour more of faith certainly wasn't the answer God sent. 

"Just Another Hour...We Can't Give Up Hope"  (click title to entry - thank you)
Reported by: Elizabeth Schubert



Email: eschubert@13wham.com


Last Update: 4/07 10:36 am

(4/07/10, 10:35 am) - It was rainy that day. I remember because I was still a one-man band reporter in West Virginia, and I was trying to shoot video and find people to interview all while holding an umbrella. It wasn’t working too well.



January 3, 2006. At roughly 6:30 am the day before, January 2, an explosion rocked the Sago Mine in Tallsmanville, WV. Thirteen miners were trapped. The families were holed up in a small, white church, waiting desperately for news about their loved ones trapped hundreds of feet below.


The place was a media circus. Live trucks were lined up along the narrow road that led to the mine. Correspondents and producers from CNN, FOX, ABC, NBC and CBS chatted away on cell phones, doing an occasional live shot.


I had an intern with me that day, named Rachel Stockman. She nudged me. “Don’t freak out,” she said. “But Anderson Cooper is about ten feet away from us.” I think we broke into nervous giggles....

Very, very stern action.  ONLY after the fact, though.

April 7, 2010


Manchin vows 'very, very stern action'  (click here)


Gov. Joe Manchin on Wednesday promised swift and harsh action if investigators find that violations by Massey Energy caused the mine explosion that killed at least 25 workers and has raised new questions about the coal industry's safety practices.


By Ken Ward Jr.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Gov. Joe Manchin on Wednesday promised swift and harsh action if investigators find that violations by Massey Energy caused the mine explosion that killed at least 25 workers and has raised new questions about the coal industry's safety practices.


"We'll be very, very stern to act if we find something that could have been done or should have been done," Manchin told reporters during an afternoon briefing.


The governor's response was in stark contrast to earlier in the week, when he dodged questions about Massey's safety record and evidence of growing safety problems at the Upper Big Branch Mine prior to Monday's explosion.
"I'm not comfortable any time there's an accident, no matter who it is," Manchin had said on Tuesday....


Why is it the peasants to the Plutocrats are always the 'LAST' thought a company has?  Except.  Perhaps for their life insurance policies that benefits the companies.  Is that how the Plutocrats plan to pay for the rescue efforts?  Chilling to think that accidents and deaths affiliated with those accidents might actually benefit Massey.  I hope that is not the case.

The pictures coming out of Kyrgyzstan are very troubling. (click here)

Posted on Thu, Apr. 8, 2010
Coup declared in Kyrgyzstan  (click here)


By Peter Leonard
Associated Press
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan - Opposition leaders declared Wednesday that they had seized power in Kyrgyzstan, taking control of security headquarters, a state TV channel, and other government buildings after clashes between police and protesters left dozens dead.


The impoverished Central Asian nation houses a U.S. air base that is a key transit point for supplies to U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, who came to power in a similar uprising five years ago, was said to have fled to the southern city of Osh, and it was hard to gauge how much of the mountainous country was controlled by the opposition....


U.S. military base not affected by Kyrgyzstan coup  (click here)


April 8th, 2010 - 3:18 pm ICT by BNO News


BISHKEK (BNO NEWS) — The U.S. military base in Kyrgyzstan will not be affected after the opposition assumed government control during a coup on Wednesday, an opposition leader said on Thursday.
Widespread riots on Wednesday, mainly in the country’s capital, left at least 68 people dead. Nearly 530 others sought medical attention, according to Damira Niyazlieva, the newly appointed Health Minister.
Ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiyev is reportedly in the southern part of the country, and is attempting to regain control. He is expected to attend a rally in Jalal-Abad later on Thursday.


More on coup : Report: Kyrgyzstan governor says President Bakiyev resigns amid deadly coup.


Kyrgyzstan opposition claims to have power after protesters die in riots  (click here for video)

• Government buildings and security HQ taken in chaos
• At least 40 demonstrators shot dead in street clashes
 
Luke Harding in Moscow and agencies guardian.co.uk
Wednesday 7 April 2010 19.54 BST

Opposition leaders in Kyrgyzstan declared they had seized power early this morning, taking control of security headquarters, state television and various government buildings after a chaotic day in which riot police shot dead at least 40 people and protesters attempted to storm the main government building in the capital, Bishkek.

The opposition leader, Roza Otunbayeva, called for President Kurmanbek Bakiyev to resign and said she planned to run an interim government for six months to draft a new constitution for the central Asian state.
"We have a caretaker government now in place, and I am the head of it," Otunbayeva told Reuters. "It will remain in place for half a year, during which [time] we will draft the constitution and create conditions for free and fair [presidential] elections."...

There seems to be more stability than not, however, if the violence in the streets are to define stability, there is still considerable instability by the Otunbayeva government.  I believe it is too early to determine what is the final outcome to the government coup.  The violence reveals an uneasiness with the Otunbayeva government by the people.  That, to me, does not translate into a successful coup.

A history setting reset button for Obama/Clinton and Medvedev/Lavrov


The beginning


                                                          
                                                                       Today

It is remarkable to realize the level of mistrust and absolute hatred that existed before President Obama took office.  With his team in foreign policy he has achieved a historical agreement in a very short very period of time.  Now the youngest team of First World Leaders can take their agreements and initatives and move forward to enforce Non-Proliferation globally and roll back the egregious nature of nuclear weapons on our planet.  With the fall of the Kyrgyzstan government structure is there any reason to believe any country is 'at risk' for dangerous outcomes to their people?

Russia, United States sign new arms reduction treaty (WRAPUP)  (click here)

16:3208/04/2010



Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama signed on Thursday a new treaty on the reduction of strategic offensive weapons to replace the START 1 treaty, which expired in December 2009.
The document is expected to bring Moscow and Washington to a new level of cooperation in the areas of nuclear disarmament and arms control.
"Together we start on that path and prove the benefits of cooperation. Today is an important milestone for nuclear security and nonproliferation and for U.S.-Russian relations," Barack Obama said at the signing ceremony in Prague.
The new strategic arms pact stipulates that the number of nuclear warheads is to be reduced to 1,550 on each side, while the number of operational and stockpiled delivery vehicles must not exceed 800 on each side.


Under the deal, which will have a validity term of ten years, unless it is superseded by another strategic arms reduction agreement, strategic offensive weapons are to be based solely on the national territories of Russia and the United States.
Speaking after the signing of the documents, both presidents emphasized the importance of the document for nuclear security and for Russian-U.S. relations and pledged to work with lawmakers to ensure timely ratification of the documents by both sides....

It would appear sustainable relations with Russia is on its way.  There really is absolutely no reason to seek the small quantities of oil that are the USA reserves.  Strong economic relations with Russia will lead to far more international stability including the near border issues the USA now faces.  It is such a huge mistake for any State to drain their oil reserves offshore.  Russia is not a member of OPEC and is a huge equalizer to USA imports.

Medvedev calls for boosting of Russian-U.S. economic ties  (click here)
17:2408/04/2010
PRAGUE, April 8 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called for increased Russian- U.S. economic cooperation, stressing that Russia needs to learn from the experience of the United States in modernizing its economy.



Russian President Medvedev met with his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama on Thursday in the Czech Republic capital of Prague to sign a new nuclear arms reduction treaty.
"We really do have a gap in economic cooperation. [...] U.S. investment in the Russian economy only amounts to around $7 billion. This figure decreased slightly during the [economic] crisis," Medvedev said at the press conference.
The Russian president said the country's investment in the U.S. economy was nearly the same amount, indicaing a parity of interests....

Boycott Tourism in Virginia. Is McDonnell on Paxil or some other toxic substance?

McDonnell is completely bazaar.  He has been attacking civil rights in his state since his election.  There is something wrong here in a very big way.  This is not the first time he has attacked civil rights.  The man is a bigot, he hates other people.  He hates any and all gays.  No one that hates this intensely should be any office in this country.  He needs to be impeached.  He is dangerous, not just an embarrassment.  McDonnell needs to go.  He is a horrible man.  He has no respect for anyone if they aren't practicing his religion and sharing his values.  That is not a Governor.  Hate to clue you in about that.  That is a narcisstic idiot that can't see past his preacher.

I really believe others have to wake up the people of Virginia to the dangers of this jerk.  The only way to make the point in a peaceful manner is to boycott their tourism industry and make a real impression.  McDonnell needs to have his Executive Order pen taken away from him.  Censure him if not impeached.  This is a State Governor, not a entertainer with a dialogue.


...Although he acted only under severe pressure, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell was obviously right Wednesday afternoon to admit a major mistake, issue an apology and add a vital new paragraph clarifying his original proclamation of Confederate History Month.

But the episode raises concerns about what McDonnell really believes and what Virginia's Republican Party stands for when it comes to the state's African Americans and other minorities.


McDonnell (R) is still stuck with having made the astonishing blunder of issuing a formal statement Friday that effectively endorsed the South's cause in the Civil War.


He didn't quite say it explicitly. But there was no other way to interpret it.


The first paragraph said "the people of Virginia" joined the Confederacy in a war "for independence."


It said they "fought for their homes and communities and Commonwealth." It urged reflection on their "sacrifices." It implied it was too bad they were "ultimately overwhelmed" by the North's "insurmountable" resources....