They objectify women. Airel Castro nearly beat his wife to death when she was completely helpless and looking less an asset to his life than he was willing to accept.

This was the sketch of the abductor of Georgina "Gina" Lynn DeJesus. Given they are brothers, I think the lower lip points to the brother on the right. That would be Pedro.

...Three brothers -- Ariel Castro, Onil Castro and Pedro Castro -- whose ages are between 50 and 54 -- were arrested. Ariel Castro, a former school bus driver, owned the home, situated in a poor neighborhood dotted with boarded-up houses just south of downtown Cleveland. No immediate charges were filed but the suspects are expected to be charged on Wednesday...

How did it start? Who was first and how did the perpetrators find permission to carry on? 

I don't think we know the entirety of this heinous use of women. They weren't people or even human beings, they were objects. I don't understand men that do this to women. I don't know if I want to understand them. Their lives must be very dark. They were all in their forties when this began best we know at this time. They never had relationships other than these in their lives? They have no history other than brushes with police?

We are all grateful for the lives of the women and a child. But, Ms. Berry, in her telephone call, had to be terrified not for herself so much as the women still inside. She was safe. She and her daughter were out of the captive environment, but, I think her fear was based in concern for the others. If Ariel Castro were to arrive home and find her missing, I think she feared for the outcomes of the others.

Ariel Castro has a son. A successful son. A son that has little regard for him and states Ariel once nearly beat his mother to death. The couple divorced in 1996 and left the very house where the women and girl escaped capture.

..."There were places we could never go. There were locks on the basement. Locks on the attic. Locks on the garage.

He described his father as a controlling, abusive and often drunk ogre who once nearly beat his mother, Grimilda Figueroa, to death as she was recovering from brain surgery....

The son, Anthony Castro, state recently Ariel brought up the topic of Amanda. Hard to say, but, with his financial status crashing down around his ears, he was either thinking about releasing them or killing them.

In talking to his son about Amanda he was rehearsing what the world would believe if the house was to be destroyed. I think Amanda believed it was now or never; "...before he gets back...". Being in the presence of a man for ten years she probably had antennas about his moods and thoughts. I don't think he was going to turn them loose, but, perhaps burn the house to the ground with all the evidence inside. Just speculation.

The rhetoric surrounding the GOP Talking Points of Benghazi and Syria is about working up an impeachment tone for the elections of 2014.

None of it has to do with facts.

The independent Blue Ribbon Commission assembled had unfettered access to anyone or any information they needed. Former Chairman of the Joint Chief's of Staff, Admiral Mullens was on the panel. Does anyone believe for one minute that man didn't want to get the facts and make strong recommendations to the USA?

The GOP is attempting 'the tail wagging the dog.'

There isn't anything about Benghazi that hasn't been looked at for recommendations and responsibility. The trick word now is "critic." Was there a 'critic message' sent. Evidently, the 'critic' is given directly to the President, therefore, it is going to be damning to the point where the GOP can impeach in the House. What a great distraction the GOP in the House will have for the 2014 elections.

There was drone immediately sent to the Benghazi compound to collect intelligence. No one was saying, at that point, that the issue was an attack and not a demonstration. The events in Cairo was an attack, too. The demonstrators were attempting to enter the diplomatic compound. There came a time when the demonstration became an attack in Cairo, too.

The GOP is attempting to muddy the waters. They don't have solid reasons for anything other than shame on themselves.

The issue surrounding the lack of facts stated by Ambassador Rice is old business. It became an issue that cost her a nomination for Secretary of State. End of discussion.

What did I say about Syria? Didn't I state, the USA and Russia would have to be allies when it comes to Syria? I know I did. Did I estimate the dangers of intervening in Syria frivolously? No. Why? Because Syria is an ally of Russia and there is no way the USA can take Russia's involvement with a grain of salt.

STEVE GUTTERMAN
07 MAY 2013

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (click here) told Russian President Vladimir Putin the United States and Russia share common interests in Syria, including promoting regional stability and preventing the spread of extremism....

I found it so out of context when the USA media was discussing the topic of Syria. They didn't pay attention to anything except going to war. The USA media made up it's mind that going to war in Syria while thumbing noses at Russia was the answer. Boots on the ground in Syria and nothing less. Why? Because they were fighting for ratings. That is why. Did anyone ever entertain the idea that Russia was not such an evil empire that it would not join with the USA to end the suffering of the people in Syria? No. None of the USA media ever stated the fact the USA might have to come to alliances with Russia to end the violence in Syria. NOT ONE. NOT ONE. NOT ONE.

What the USA media did was to seek out the GOP symbiotes and exploit the concern of the people of the USA for ratings based in going to war. It was to draw citizens on both sides of the ranting to oppose or favor the war. Emoting over war is a completely perverse use of media services in the country. PERVERSE!

The USA has treaties with many countries around the world. There is no way the USA can or SHOULD disregard any treaty for the sake of war. No way. That exposes the world to complete collapse of order and would result in more economic hardship if the major powers on the planet were to simply throw down the gauntlet and 'have at it.' Stupid. Completely stupid. I am suppose to listen to that level of idiocy? No and neither should anyone else. Then the media wonders why their average readership doesn't even have an eighth grade reading level anymore. I suppose it might be because only children are really interested in fiction.

The political discourse in this country has deteriorated to demanding a bar room brawl from the White House. You've got to be joking!

Are there no journalists that understand foreign policy by the USA because they certainly don't seem to have any loyal to it if they do!

The ineffectual male ego.

Drunk, out of control, revealing an understanding about women abandoned in the days of Fred Flintstone.

How many men practice the 'woman knowledge' of 'liquor and love.' Wasn't there a trial recently whereby older teens made the mistake of taking advantage of a female peer and then boasting about it.

Inebriation, either alcohol or substances of one kind or another, that is a male paradigm that should work? This is not a single incident of poor judgement, it is a cultural paradigm that exists with permission by society.

By LUIS MARTINEZ (@LMartinezABC)

May 6, 2013

A lieutenant colonel (click here) who ran the Air Force's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office was arrested and charged with sexual battery over the weekend in a D.C. suburb.

In a statement Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel was said to have expressed "outrage and disgust" over the arrest, which comes as the Pentagon prepares to release a report Tuesday showing the number of sexual assaults in the military increased in 2012.

Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek confirmed to ABC News that Lt. Col. Jeff Krusinski, chief of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, was arrested this weekend in Arlington, Va.

The Arlington County Police Department's crime report said that shortly after midnight on Sunday "a drunken male subject approached a female victim in a parking lot and grabbed her breasts and buttocks."

"The victim fought the suspect off as he attempted to touch her again and alerted police," the crime report said said. "Jeffrey Krusinski, 41, of Arlington, Va., was arrested and charged with sexual battery."...

Sexual assaults in the military up 35% since 2010 (click here)
Gregg Zoroya and Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY
May 7, 2013
...Meanwhile in Congress, legislators are drawing up bills that would take the decision for prosecuting these cases out of the hands of commanding officers and allow military lawyers to decide -- a move that military leaders say would hurt their ability to maintain order and discipline. Legislators, however, say that under the current system victims decline to step forward out of concern that their complaints will not be taken seriously.

Twice in recent months, three-star Air Force generals have come under fire for throwing out sexual assault convictions for lower-ranking officers.

According to the Pentagon survey, only about one in 10 people who were sexually abused stepped forward to complain last year. That amounted to 3,374 cases in 2012, of which only about 3,000 chose to press charges. "Far fewer victims report sexual assault that are estimated to experience it on an annual basis," says a written summary of the Pentagon findings....

Excuse me? Discipline of whom exactly? And why would any military leader think there was discipline when in fact there was none! 

...military leaders say would hurt their ability to maintain order and discipline....

This is permission for bad behavior. Very bad behavior. Why do military leaders say the very same words about women they said about gays? 

First to break the way (click here)

This summer, Rear Adm. Sandra Stosz will become the first woman superintendent of any of the five federal service academies

by David M. Santos, Communications Director, U.S. Coast Guard Academy

During a career spanning more than 30 years in the United States Coast Guard, it stands to reason that Rear Adm. Sandra Stosz would have compiled a list of notable accomplishments.  Along the way, a number of firsts were added to her list of achievements as well. 

Stosz has logged countless nautical miles patrolling the North Atlantic, Great Lakes and Caribbean waters and becoming an experienced mariner with 12 years at sea, including command of two cutters.  She has led Coast Guard crews through a variety of missions, everything from drug interdiction and domestic icebreaking missions to search and rescue cases – to name a few....

"The Atlantic" is taking the brave new world of Junk Food Addiction.

It isn't as though this hasn't been a priority in the past in the USA. There have been some rather dramatic documentaries outlining the problem with the junk food industry. But, quite frankly, I believe First Lady Michelle Obama and Mayor Michael Bloomberg have provide a real boost to the idea of a sincere stand for a healthier American.

Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us (click here) author Michael Moss discusses just how apt the Lay's slogan "Betcha can't eat just one" is. 

Joe Fassler

April 30, 2013 

...When I asked Moss to contribute to "By Heart," we agreed he shouldn't follow the standard formula for this series. He wanted close-read a potato chip, not a paragraph. So we discussed how these addicting little treats work magic on our tongues—making the classic Lay's slogan "Betcha can't eat just one" even truer than its originators intended....

...As I researched Salt, Sugar, Fat, I was surprised to learn about the meticulously crafted allure of potato chips (which I happen to love). When you start to deconstruct the layers of the chip's appeal, you start to see why this simple little snack has the power to make a profound claim on our attention and appetite. "Betcha can't eat just one" starts sounding less like a lighthearted dare—and more like a kind of promise. The food industry really is betting on its ability to override the natural checks that keep us from overeating....

And you can place a real bet on that being a promise, too. After all there are profits hanging in the balance.

There is not only income inequality within the USA and The West, but, global income inequality. So, when Wall Street markets a product the first question is "What is the size of the market?" The next question is how do we maximize profits regardless of any moral content to a society.

Consumption and Consumerism (click here)

by Anup Shah

Sunday, March 6, 2012

Global inequality in consumption, while reducing, is still high.

Using latest figures available, in 2005, the wealthiest 20% of the world accounted for 76.6% of total private consumption. The poorest fifth just 1.5%:...

I have a question for Wall Street, "Don't CEOs believe if they found a way to build their industry within the countries they want to market to, wouldn't they have a larger profit than they are realizing now?"

This brings to the forefront of what is occurring and has occurred across the entire Wall Street paradigm. They market to The West because that is where the money is. That is why people understand consumerism. Wall Street exports the employment to third world countries to increase profits, not because they are interested in the outcomes of any people including their consumers. Why does The West have regulation? Does anyone actually believe a CEO awaiting his next bonus will see beyond the millions due him? Does anyone actually believe having a Fat America is out of the question for the President of Frito-Lay, Tom Greco? 

Frito Lay has two thirds the sales of PepsiCo sales. That is amazing. In that reality is a greater one. There are a handful of companies in the USA that actually feed this food addiction designed for profit, not for health.

Tom Greco (click here) is president of Frito-Lay North America, where he leads PepsiCo’s $13 billion snack and convenient foods business....

Here now superimpose Monsanto and their GMO seeds. While companies like Frito Lay state they seek only production of the highest quality, greatest tasting food in the world and seek to meet or exceed stringent safety and quality standards while using only ingredients approved by government and regulatory authorities, they will never state they don't use GMOs. They do and they buy crops produced with seeds from Monsanto.

A consumer will never see a Frito Lay package stating "GMO Free" because they could never use that claim.

Along with the leadership the USA is finding in it's political venues to improve the quality of food, hence quality of life, in the USA; there are also others taking on the brave new world of wellness in America. They are leaders as well. They lead the dialogue Americans have avoided for far too long.

The dialogue in the USA has to change to accompany a healthier America. The USA can't simply 'talk the talk' anymore, they have to 'walk the talk,' literally. The brave new American diet has to include real rewards for talking about an American diet that is REAL. One of the leaders at the forefront of changing the dialogue is Mika Brzezinski, a journalist and author willing to bring her own experience as a woman to others needing to find that 'space' in their lives to relate to what has been old and hasn't worked to a place where 'the she' is safe, fit and happy.

Now if changing an entire paradigm weren't enough which may very well leave Wall Street in the breach; there are also realities that could be stated to be guilt inducing. When the truth is there to be realized, it is time we, as mothers and expectant mothers realize the profound impact we have on the future of our children and our nation.

By Claire Goss 
May 4, 2013

A study from the University of Adelaide(click here) released this week on EurekAlert! shows that mothers who eat junk food while pregnant have programmed their babies to crave a high sugar, high fat diet even after weaning.

I think we’re all familiar with the “high” you get from eating junk food. When you bite into something high in fat or sugar your body produces opioids, which stimulates the happy hormone, dopamine. The researchers discovered that being exposed to a high fat, high sugar diet in-utero desensitized the baby to this happy hormone “high” so later in life the child will have to eat larger quantities of junk food to achieve the dopamine response....

Let no woman deny their importance in the life of another. And. Neither should their country. Not by entrapping them in relentless parenthood, but, by protecting their diets, air quality, water quality and health care to provide very opportunity for a healthier nation. Regulations are important and let no one ever state otherwise.

Contact: Beverly Mühlhäusler
beverly.muhlhausler@adelaide.edu.au
61-402-143-949
University of Adelaide 

Maternal diet sets up junk food addiction in babies (click here)

Research from the University of Adelaide suggests that mothers who eat junk food while pregnant have already programmed their babies to be addicted to a high fat, high sugar diet by the time they are weaned.

In laboratory studies, the researchers found that a junk food diet during pregnancy and lactation desensitised the normal reward system fuelled by these highly palatable foods.

Led by Dr Bev Mühlhäusler, Postdoctoral Fellow in the University's FOODplus Research Centre, this is the first study to show the effects of maternal junk food consumption at such an early stage in the offspring's life. The study was published recently in The FASEB Journal....

When this new brave American world takes shape and Wall Street realizes they can't make profits off real change based on 'bubble and burst' economics that place the American conscience between dieting and eating, they might realize they have to make capital investments (what a dirty word that is) in other nations, raise salaries, raise standards of living and actually market to the people they oppress. When that happens Wall Street will have stockholder dividends that reflect 'real growth' and not simply more dipping into the USA Treasury.

This gets real simple from here. A global economy where people in Bangladesh actually make enough money to practice CHOICE and purchase imported American products while we purchase those made in other nations without a trace of 'blood money' to be found. Every nation has to participate in a real global economy, not one cherry picked for profits. Manufacturing in every country, meeting high standards of quality. This is hideous already. It is time to shift the paradigm and the American consumer can do this, oh yes they can!

If Wall Street wants profits than it is time for them to actually seek them rather than reaching for subsidies to rely on.

CenturyLINK is out in the upper Midwest of the country and they don't know when service will be restored. I am at a library that obviously has better service than I do.

This is the second time in 6 months when CenturyLINK has failed to provide reliable service. There is no small hug in the entire of the Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. There is something really wrong with this service. I am not talking wireless either. They aren't cheap!