Do we really want to go through this again?

Lehman Brothers’ presidential connections (click here)
...- George Herbert Walker IV, President Bush’s second cousin, was global head of asset management at Lehman, having joined from Goldman Sachs (GS) in 2006. In September, when Lehman agreed to sell its asset management unit, including Neuberger Berman, to Bain Capital and Hellman & Friedman for $2.15 billion, Walker agreed to go with the deal. He’s now CEO of Neuberger Investment Management, now owned by private equity.
- Jeb Bush, the President’s brother and former Governor of Florida, was a senior adviser for Lehman’s private equity arm. He parted ways with Lehman around the time of the bankruptcy....


Left: CT scan of normal brain; Right: Schiavo's 2002 CT scan provided by Ronald Cranford, showing loss of brain tissue. The black area is liquid, indicating hydrocephalus ex vacuo. The glowing piece in the right image is the Thalamic stimulator implanted in her brain.


Jeb Bush steps in for Schindler-Schiavo (click here)
Supports woman whose court-ordered starvation begins in 8 days
...In papers delivered yesterday afternoon to the Federal Courthouse in Tampa, assistant counsel Christa Calamas, on behalf of Gov. Bush, asked U.S. District Judge Richard A. Lazzara for permission for the governor to appear as a friend of the court and to file an amicus curiae, or friend of the court, brief supporting the preliminary injunction filed by Terri's parents....


Why Rachel Maddow is 'thankful' Bush administration is ending (click here -video)
David Edwards
Published: Thursday November 27, 2008
What is it about the Bush administration that makes people so thankful it's ending? MSNBC's Rachel Maddow put together a list of Bush officials that have been indicted or resigned abruptly in order to recall "just how bad the bad old times have been."...


Jeb Bush's bid for Senate could clear GOP field (click title to entry, thank you)
By BRENDAN FARRINGTON – 36 minutes ago
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Still popular in Florida, former Gov. Jeb Bush said Wednesday that he's interested in the seat Sen. Mel Martinez is giving up, and the field of possible candidates could quickly narrow to make way for the president's younger brother.
Bush, 55, won praise from Democrats and Republicans alike for leading the state through eight hurricanes over a two-year period. He used standardized testing to overhaul the education system, was credited with making government more efficient and lowered taxes to make Florida more business-friendly.
While his older brother, soon-to-be former President George W. Bush, has been so unpopular that he has been a liability to many Republican candidates this year, Jeb Bush remains a popular figure here....

Jeb hadn't gotten the word? We are looking at a National Health Insurance Plan for the nation.

Expand Medicaid Reforms (click here)
By JEB BUSH
Special to the Tribune
Published: November 29, 2008
...The tenets of the reform are simple. New Medicaid is a patient-centered system that respects individual participants by empowering them to direct their own health care. It provides choices, promotes preventive care, reduces inefficiency and prevents fraud. Most importantly, the reform plan harnesses the power of the marketplace to foster innovation and spur competition, which improves the quality of care for our most vulnerable Floridians and drives down the costs to taxpayers who are paying the medical bills....


Number of uninsured children climbs in Florida (click here)
By Kelli Kennedy
The Associated Press
10:50 AM EST, November 28, 2008
MIAMI - Nearly 19 percent or 797,000 children in Florida do not have health insurance -- the second highest percentage in the country -- and experts expect the number to rise as more parents are laid off, according to a report released this week. The number may also rise as employers increase insurance costs, the report said.More troubling, the study was conducted between 2005 and 2007 and does not reflect this year's financial woes.Families USA, a nonprofit health advocacy group, estimates the actual number of uninsured children in the country right now is far greater than the 8.6 million reported in 2007.Only Texas had a higher percentage of uninsured children with 20.5 percent....
...Former Gov. Jeb Bush was widely criticized a few years ago when he made it more difficult for children to enroll, requiring parents to resubmit paperwork more often to prove they were eligible. Some of those restrictions have eased a bit....

Crist v. Rubio on Jeb candidacy
posted by Aaron Deslatte on Dec 3, 2008 2:39:48 PM
Crist v. Rubio on Jeb candidacy posted by Aaron Deslatte on Dec 3, 2008 2:39:48 PM
Gov. Charlie Crist sounded cool today to both the idea of running for the U.S. Senate himself and the chance that former Gov. Jeb Bush might seek the seat.
Advisors to Crist have said the chances are slim to none that the current governor would want to seek the vacancy created by current U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, who won't stand for re-election....

Father Raymond J. De Souza on the Bush legacy: Prosecutors, but no defence (click here)
Posted: November 27, 2008, 9:45 AM by Kelly McParland
Father Raymond J. De Souza

...The current Bush administration, to the contrary, has been dominated by people who had no further aspirations to high public office — Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, John Ashcroft. The lack of political ambition in Bush’s administration, especially in comparison to his two predecessors, explains in part why he felt at liberty to go where the public would not follow. It explains too why so few today have a stake in defending him.

What's next for GOP?: Hispanics key for Republicans (click here)
Kingsley Guy COLUMNIST
November 30, 2008
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist had some savvy advice for his Republican colleagues during the recent Republican Governors Association conference in Miami."You have to be inclusive," Crist said. "You have to work for a big tent. That's about as obvious as the nose on your face."Yet, it's amazing how many Republicans can't tell their noses from their tightly shut eyes. Unless GOP leaders, across the board, open their eyes and work to broaden the GOP base, the party could find itself relegated to permanent minority status....

Thankful for small things, like the Miami Herald business page

...Yes, faithful readers, this dense story is back, and I'm still wondering why Jeb Bush hasn't been called on the carpet over this one....

Harvard Endowment Fell 22 Percent in Four Months

Decline dwarfs University's previous worst single-year loss (click title to entry, thank you)
Published On Tuesday, December 02, 2008 10:01 PM
By CLIFFORD M MARKS and JUNE Q. WU Crimson Staff Writers
Harvard’s endowment—the largest in higher education—fell 22 percent in four months from its June 30 value of $36.9 billion, marking the endowment’s largest decline in modern history, University officials announced yesterday. The precipitous drop will require Harvard’s faculties to take a “hard look at hiring, staffing levels, and compensation,” wrote University President Drew G. Faust and Executive Vice President Edward C. Forst ’82 in a letter informing the deans of Harvard’s losses. The decline, which amounts to more than $8 billion, is larger than the endowments of all but four other universities—Yale, Princeton, Stanford, and MIT. In the same period, the S&P 500 fell 24.6 percent. The index has fallen an additional 12.4 percent since then....



Reprinted courtesy of Barron's, December 2, 1996 (click here)
Some students enter the hallowed halls of Harvard University looking for the meaning of life, while others merely want an Ivy League sheepskin to help them secure their first job. When Barron's recently visited Harvard, however, we were searching for something far more elusive: an investment strategy that will beat the market while taking few risks....

A note from Michael Moore

There is a huge disparity in the cloud cover today and one of forty years ago.


December 3, 2008
1745 utc
Western Hemisphere Satellite Photo

Michael's Message is at title to entry. The sparcity of Earth's cloud cover is no joke. NASA released a photo recently (kindly note at the bottom of the entry) the first picture of Earth as a sphere hung in a background of black space from Apollo 8. The globe was healthier and noted to have huge cloud banks surrounding Earth, with plenty of water vapor. The cloud cover is so dense it is nearly impossible to see the continents.

We are drying up our planet.

It has to stop !

...And I care about what happens with the Big 3 because they are more responsible than almost anyone for the destruction of our fragile atmosphere and the daily melting of our polar ice caps....

Earth Viewed by Apollo 8 (click here)

Before humanity ventured to the Moon, our view of our home planet consisted of what we could see from horizon to horizon. It was not until this stunning photo (along with many others) came back to Earth with the Apollo 8 astronauts in late December 1968 that we saw Earth as a vibrant, delicate, blue and white globe framed by the velvety blackness of space. From the great distance of the Moon, nearly the entire Western Hemisphere is visible. Clouds cover much of North America in the upper left, but the distinctive coastline of the southeastern United States and the Florida peninsula are clearly visible. A break in the clouds in the far north provides a glimpse of eastern Canada and the mouth of the St. Lawrence River....

The World is getting tired of this mess.

With regard to recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, (click title to entry, thank you) I herewith request the government to seriously step up security efforts to avoid any future terrorist attacks in Indonesia -- also because Christmas will be celebrated soon.
The recent execution of the three Bali bombers has resulted in emotional outbursts and threats by fanatic fundamentalists in this country.
A mutual effort should be made by all countries to combat terrorism. ASEAN countries are already cooperating with Australia; the European Union is excellent in tracking down suspicious individuals.
I herewith wish to express my sincere condolences to the families of those who were butchered in the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
Once again I emphasize that international cooperation is urgently needed with regard to tracking down terrorists, exchanging vital information of terrorist training facilities and networks and the continuous monitoring of suspicious fundamentalists -- all this should be shared with others by countries who already have this information.
LYNNA VAN DER ZEE-OEHMKEBogor, West Java

Bali Nightclub Bombing
On October 12, 2002 a car bomb exploded outside the Sari nightclub in Bali, a popular tourist island in Indonesia. The attack was the worst terrorist incident in the history of Indonesia, with 202 civilians dead and more than 100 wounded.
While the attack was attributed to Jemaah Islamiyah, an Indonesian terrorist group with aims of creating an Islamic state composed of parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Southern Philipennes; according to U.S. and Asian intelligence authorities the attack had been connected to al-Qaeda. The nightclub bombings were the seventh major bombing in the area within 3 weeks, including an explosion in the southern Philippines that killed one U.S. Marine.
The mastermind, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, behind the attacks was al-Qaeda's chief representative and senior planner in Southeast Asia, as well as being operational chief of Jemaah Islamiya, Ryuduan bin Isomuddin, also known as Hambali. Hambali was detained by the U.S. government in August of 2003. Hambali was also believed to have been involved in the 2003 Marriot Hotel bombings in Jakarta, facilitated the January 2000 meeting in Malaysia including two September 11th highjackers, as well as being a close associate of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shekih Mohammed....



Three Australians are believed to be among 25 people killed by a series of bombings which targeted restaurants in Bali. Getty

Macabre Clues Advance Inquiry in Bali Attacks (click here)
By RAYMOND BONNER and JANE PERLEZ
Published: October 3, 2005
KUTA, Indonesia, Monday, Oct. 3 - In the first 24 hours after a series of bombs killed 22 people in a restaurant on a busy street and in two beachfront restaurants five miles away, investigators in Bali made rapid progress on Sunday, in part owing to a macabre bit of luck. As they sifted through bodies and body parts, they say, they found the heads of three men and three sets of legs, with no middles, the forensic signature of suicide bombings. One head was more than 75 feet from the rest of the body....

48 Days until Inauguration - The Governors 'had to wait' for a President-Elect to secure their states from disaster.

Granholm denies rumors of job with Obama's team
December 3, 2008
In the wake of speculation that she would be leaving her job to take a position in the administration of President-elect Barack Obama, Gov. Jennifer Granholm told reporters Tuesday that she hasn't "been asked to join the Obama team" and is "not aware of being vetted in any way."
Granholm, attending the National Governors Association meeting in Philadelphia, met privately with Obama briefly Tuesday to push support for federal loans to the Detroit automakers.
By Chris Christoff


Mich. gov. expects 'significant' stimulus package (click title to entry)
12/2/2008, 5:03 p.m. EST
By KATHY BARKS HOFFMAN
The Associated Press
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Jennifer Granholm said Tuesday after meeting with President-elect Barack Obama that she expects states will see a "significant" stimulus package once Obama is sworn into office.
But Granholm still expects to propose budget cuts this month through an executive order that must pass muster with the House and Senate Appropriations committees. She's just hoping they can be smaller if more federal aid comes through.
"It may lessen the need right now to do immediate, drastic cuts," she said. "With this stimulus coming up, it would be foolish to put up drastic cuts when we know that relief is on the way."...
...So far, "the revenues to the state have been coming in surprisingly on target," Granholm said. "The revenues are still steady."...

Public Works Spending - It sounds like a plan. The nation still needs to deal with long term employment, however, jobs in manufacturing and transportation issues such as high speed magnetic rail. They are huge commitments, but, worth making in the long run. The more sustainable a tax base the USA can attain, the more secure the future of the country.

Stimulus plans laudable but not a quick budget fix (click here)
By JUDY LIN, Associated Press Writer
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
(12-02) 18:08 PST Sacramento, CA (AP) --
One of the critical elements of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan to close California's growing budget deficit involves jump-starting the economy with billions of dollars in public works spending.
On Tuesday, Schwarzenegger sought outside help, making a pitch directly to President-elect Barack Obama, who told the nation's governors he wants to put people to work building roads, schools and bridges.
Schwarzenegger said that while California approved $42 billion in infrastructure bonds two years ago, the state could use more help. The governor's office estimated the state has $28 billion-worth of projects the incoming Obama administration could fund within its first 120 days.
Across the nation, the National Governors Association estimated there are more than $136 billion in infrastructure projects ready to break ground....

When will women in the USA again be safe from bias and gender discrimiantion?

Every time legislation is passed that seeks to control the outcomes of a woman's uterus, it is gender discrimination. Men don't have these issues and the Republicans chronically seek to moralize over a woman's right to her own body. Now, it isn't enough to deny women the right to an abortion, but, it is moral grounds to force them into those decisions. This is oppression in its purest form.

Broader medical refusal rule may go far beyond abortion (click title to entry, thank you)
The Bush administration plans a new 'right of conscience' rule that would allow more workers to refuse more procedures. Critics say it could apply to artificial insemination and birth control.
By David G. Savage

December 2, 2008

Reporting from Washington -- The outgoing Bush administration is planning to announce a broad new "right of conscience" rule permitting medical facilities, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare workers to refuse to participate in any procedure they find morally objectionable, including abortion and possibly even artificial insemination and birth control.

For more than 30 years, federal law has dictated that doctors and nurses may refuse to perform abortions. The new rule would go further by making clear that healthcare workers also may refuse to provide information or advice to patients who might want an abortion.It also seeks to cover more employees. For example, in addition to a surgeon and a nurse in an operating room, the rule would extend to "an employee whose task it is to clean the instruments," the draft rule said....

Fog. Fog at Dutch Harbor, Alaska. A little warm even compared to may places in the lower 48.

Nearly 4 million acres of mature white spruce forest on the Kenai Peninsula have been killed by a growing population of spruce bark beetles (Dendroctonus rufipennis) since about 1987. This is a very active event, mediated by climate change, which has spread to about 38 million mature spruce. Scientists, including Dr. Edward Berg and Dr. Kenneth Raffa, attribute the beetle infestation to rising average temperatures in South-Central Alaska in both winter and summer. More beetle larvae can survive, and higher summer temperatures allow the insects to mature faster and complete a two-year life cyle in one year. The trees, which previously lived in balance with the beetles, do not have enough natural defenses against this assault.


Global Warming in Alaska



Dutch Harbor, Alaska
Local Time: 4:36 AM HAST (GMT -10)
Lat/Lon: 53.6° N 167.0° W
Elevation :: 20 ft / 6 m
Temperature :: 48 °F / 9 °C
Conditions :: Overcast
Windchill :: 42 F / 6 C
Humidity :: 71%
Dew Point :: 39 F / 4 C
Wind :: 16 mph / 26 km/h / 7.2 m/s from the East
Pressure :: 28.94 in / 980 hPa (Falling)
Visibility :: 2.0 miles / 3.2 kilometers
UV :: 0 out of 16
Clouds :: Scattered Clouds 600 ft / 182 m
Mostly Cloudy 1100 ft / 335 m
Overcast 1800 ft / 548 m
(Above Ground Level)

Big Three Auto Makers Compared To Toyota and Honda by ProCon.org on New Research Website

The market capitalization of the big carmakers reflects their profitability. The very strong fundamentals at Toyota, Nissan and Honda would merit even higher valuations for these companies. But given the medium- to long-term prospects for the country’s big three
carmakers, we think their current share prices are about right. Renault’s stake in Nissan is not yet sufficiently factoredinto the Renault share price.

PDF (click here)


This was the market share of most autos available to the American public for purchase. The article at the title references a non-profit that has been following the potential resolve for the auto makers based in USA history.

Big Three Auto ProCon.org (click here)
We started this project on Nov. 11, 2008. We have worked on it for about 75 hours as of Dec. 2, 2008. It normally takes us nine months to a year (1,600 to 2,000 hours) to build a website on a specific issue. We're creating a "mini" website about the Big Three because we found nonpartisan public information on this important issue lacking. We welcome your feedback on our first ever mini-site.

...Pro and con statements addressing this question come from President-Elect Barack Obama, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Nobel Prize winning economists Paul Krugman and Gary Becker, General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner, former US Energy Secretary and US Senator Spencer Abraham, and several others. Also included on the site are:
-- Chapter 11 bankruptcy laws explained,
-- Contracts between the Big Three and the United Auto Workers,
-- Analysis of "legacy" employees and their impact on profits, and
-- 144-point chart comparing GM, Ford, Chrysler, Big Three combined,
Toyota, and Honda....

49 Days until Inauguration - And Wall Street is the focus AGAIN without consideration of the USA need for expanding labor.

Speaking of Commerce Secretaries...I thought this was interesting. Don Evans left the Bush cabinet after the 2004 elections. What fond friends he has in the international market place, huh?


Vice-Premier Wu Yi meets with and holds a banquet for Donald L. Evans (click here), US secretary of commerce, in Beijing, January 13, 2005. They both attended an IPR roundtable yesterday and later exchanged views on the prospects of bilateral trade and commerce. (newsphoto)

According to Bush's Commerce Secretary, the monies for the emergency BAILOUT (S) need to stay in the financial sector and not be distributed among businesses such as auto makers. He believes every business in the country has an interest in a bailout and that isn't where the AMERICAN TAX DOLLAR should go.

Since when does a Secretary of Commerce become an expert on the USA Treasury. Quite frankly, the idea that the Federal Reserve is outdated and exploitive is more the reality and the businesses of the country that pay taxes to the USA Treasury that support this government with active interest in its well being SHOULD be speaking out. They have stockholders and if they feel giving money to Wall Street isn't helping the USA economy, business sector or work force they need to address that loud and clear.

After all, according to Paulson and Bernanke this bailout was supposed to establish much needed credit to create liquid assets again. So. Like. Where are the loans?


Sep 14th, 2008
(AFP/File) - US Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez speaks at a trade event in late June in Washington, DC. The USA and China are set to hold cabinet-level trade talks in California this week amid tensions over China's massive export surplus and worries about the slowing global economy.(AFP/File/Mandel Ngan)

Ford would sell the corporate jets in bankruptcy anyway. I am concerned the auto manufacturers are more interested in obtaining loans for foreign investment rather than the investment of American labor and products the American consumer seeks. I sincerely believe the panel hearings from the auto manufacturers are 'one sided.' The unions and pensioners involved here should be heard from as well.



United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger addresses the media at a news conference at the UAW Solidaridy House to announce an agreement with General Motors was reached in Detroit, early today.


UAW and GM reach tentative pact, strike ends (click here)
by The Associated Press
Wednesday September 26, 2007, 7:39 AM
...The deal means UAW workers will head back to their jobs at around 80 GM facilities across the nation, including about 2,000 unionized employees at the Willow Run Powertrain plant in Ypsilanti Township. Some were to return as early as Wednesday afternoon. The union went on strike at 11 a.m. Monday when talks broke down, ending GM's production and causing layoffs and shutdowns at parts factories....

UAW may reopen pacts (click here)
It's a way to make case for U.S. loans
BY BRENT SNAVELY
FREE PRESS BUSINESS REPORTER
December 1, 2008
UAW President Ron Gettelfinger signaled Sunday that the union is willing to reopen its contracts with the Detroit Three as a way to help the domestic automakers win support for federal loans as long as the companies and its executives also make sacrifices.
"We're prepared to go back to the bargaining table," Gettelfinger said during an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.
Gettelfinger said the UAW agreed to health care and wage concessions in contract negotiations in 2005 and 2007, but conceded more may be necessary.
"We have put these companies in a competitive position," Gettelfinger said.
Gettelfinger emphasized that the $25 billion that the automotive industry has asked for is not a bailout.
"It's a bridge loan that's going to be paid back by these companies," he said....



...The automaker (click at title to entry - thank you) said it hopes to avoid tapping the financing and doesn’t anticipate a “liquidity crisis” in 2009, barring a competitor’s bankruptcy or more severe economic slump. Ford plans to sell five corporate jets and would pay Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally a $1 annual salary if the loan is used. General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC were to submit plans later today....

Whatever came of the 911 Commission?

The politics of the day overshadowed the best interests of the country. The Commission was used in some ways to try to exonerate the illegal actions surrounding the invasion into Iraq, but, there was considerable amount of 'good' that came out of the Commission's findings. How much needs to be achieved is yet to be realized, but, it was the Democrats that 'acted' on the findings and took action to protect the citizens of the USA against further harm.


Sally Regenhard, mother of a victim of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, holds up a sign Tuesday proclaiming her disagreement with testimony during the 9/11 commission hearings in New York. (click here)


Christopher Brodeur shouts from the audience as an unidentified woman, left, is removed by security personnel as they disrupt the end of testimony by former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani before the Sept. 11 Commission. (click here)

This panel is very important and I hope it is used to its maximum SCOPE. The Iraq War was engaged because of exploitation of the issue of WMD. I sincerely hope the Commission on WMD will not only estimate aggressions by terrorist networks, but, also work to eliminate the danger to the civilized world by these global elements that seek the 'clout' of an attack with such weapons.

I believe any country knows they can fall to the power of these weapons if they were ever to enter into the hands of terrorists and that is a global deterrent alone. However, the expertise of the commission and 'range' of its knowledge should not end with estimates, but, should extend into 'tracking' of any potential of proliferation of these weapons with knowledge of the 'ingredients' that lead to WMD experimentation (research and developement), as we have witnessed in al Qaeda video tapes. The Commission's findings today, should be exploited to build an extensive knowledge base that will lead to the end of these threats against civilization.

Such a Commission could add a great deal of security to other countries if they cooperate with intelligence by tracking 'potential' weapon proliferation in the wrong hands. And the NRA won't like this, but, there needs to be global tracking of guns and other paraphenrnalia of war. The United Nations knows all to well how inappropriate sales to rebel elements in other countries leads to instability and the death of citizens. It is always argued whether such sales are actually beneficial to 'freedom and democracy,' but, that is an inappropriate mandate of these elements of war and the United Nations and the World Court is supposed to be an entity of human rights and an ear to the needs and complaints of many.

I believe the Commission which began its work this year has provided a good beginning, but, needs to be supported to do more and expand its expertise and work. There might be some duplicity between them and the intelligence agencies, but, given the Valerie Plame incident it would seem there needs to be strong oversight of such antics to protect the lives and well being of our intelligence agencies anyway.

It might be appropriate for the Commission to hold additional hearings with the original 911 Commission members if that level of insight is beneficial to 'track' their progress and allow family members and victims to that day to continue to have a voice.

Panel: Bio attack likely in neAssociated Press - December 1, 2008 8:23 PM ET
(click here)
Associated Press - December 1, 2008 8:23 PM ET
WASHINGTON (AP) - A report obtained by The Associated Press says the U.S. can expect a terrorist attack using nuclear or biological weapons in the next five years.
Vice President-elect Joe Biden will be briefed tomorrow on the report from the Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism.
The panel says the incoming administration should focus on the threat and recommends that one official on the National Security Council should exclusively coordinate U.S. intelligence and foreign policy on combating the spread of nuclear and biological weapons.
The report finds terrorist groups still lack the ability to make weapons out of pathogens or nuclear bombs. But it warns that gap can be easily overcome, if terrorists find scientists willing to share or sell their know-how.
1 of the leaders of the commission, former Florida Senator Bob Graham, says "time is not our ally."

You know what is 'flyin' amazing about this? I mean for real, now.

They actually had to be told that there is a recession.

Hello?

And...whom exactly is getting all this 'bailout' mess?

Right !

PS: Its still within reach of 8500. Hm?

Has everyone seen the new Harry Potter trailers? Cool stuff. "The Chosen One." July 17, 2009 - put it on the calender !

Impeccable Timing - The 'Strength' of this Administration is Evident

There is every reason to believe that President-elect Obama is putting every American at the heart of his decisions. There is nothing to indicate his choices are ego driven so much as made in dedication to extensive experience to place the USA back at the forefront of the future.

His timing is impeccable. He put his security team at the center of Americans' attention at a time when a terrorist network wanted nothing more than to fill any populous full of fear of their potential after attacks in Mumbai. I'll discuss this issue more extensively in the future, but, to believe those attacks were backed by the Pakistan government is nonsense. Pakistan recently had a change in government, these terrorists as they come by sea from a Pakistani terrorist group was incubated under Musharraf (click here). It is my estimation that the attacks into India by a Pakistani terrorist group served Musharraf's future ambition to destablize the current FREELY ELECTED Democratic Bhutto leadership.

To return to the USA, I like the diversity of the choices of President-elect Obama, but, wish there is precise recognition by him of the lack of extensively experienced minorities in our federal government to help fill his ranks. I believe whomever he chooses for the Secretary of Education need to examine the graduation of minorities at high levels of achievement that can enter the ranks of public policy in the future. One of the most ludicrous statements coming from 'the Right' after Barak's election is that this election has to end 'EEOC.' Oh, really? Well, let's be sure that the end of EEOC is based in solid statistics and the upward movement of our minorities and not simply an election of the best qualified man to the office of the President of the USA.

I believe we are on our way to achieving the goals set by grossly ignored segments of our society and look forward to all the considerations of those that have agreed to serve this unique administration. I appreciate the loyalty of each member of the Obama administration and their willingness to put the future of our Constitution and citizens at the heart of all their decisions. I thank all of them.

May 9, 2007 (202) 224-5042
**Remarks as Prepared for Delivery**
United States Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
Opening Statement in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
(click title to entry - thank you)
Hearing on Climate Change – A National Security Threat


Obama's security line-up (click here)
The O team
Dec 1st 2008 NEW YORKFrom Economist.com
Barack Obama introduces his national-security team
THE phrase “team of rivals” has been on every pundit's lips since it became clear that Barack Obama would make Hillary Clinton his secretary of state. Coming from the title of a book about Abraham Lincoln’s cabinet, it seems to highlight that Mr Obama wants to hear dissenting opinions, including from his biggest personal rival, Mrs Clinton. But a look at his national-security line-up, which was officially announced on Monday December 1st, suggests a team that will probably gel reasonably well....

The Los Angeles Times (click here - video)


..."The national security challenges we face are just as grave, and just as urgent, as our economic crisis," Obama said during a Chicago news conference where he was surrounded by his newly chosen team. "We are fighting two wars. Old conflicts remain unresolved, and newly assertive powers have put strains on the international system. The spread of nuclear weapons raises the peril that the world's deadliest technology could fall into dangerous hands. Our dependence on foreign oil empowers authoritarian governments and endangers our planet."...

The New York Times (click here - video)

...He introduced his team one by one, starting with Senator Clinton, his former bitter rival for the Democratic presidential nomination; then Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who will stay on, at least for a time, in the new administration; Gen. James L. Jones, the former NATO commander, to be national security adviser; Gov. Janet Napolitano of Arizona to be secretary of homeland security: Susan E. Rice to be ambassador to the United Nations, and Eric H. Holder Jr. to be attorney general....

World AIDS Day - "Sari's mother" should be downloaded to You Tube for the world to witness the travesty !

Sari's Mother (click title to entry - thank you) is a true story about an Iraqi boy that contracted AIDS through a tainted blood transfusion. In this documentary, his mother has attempted every way possible to treat her son with anti-retrovirals only to be denied.


This is Iraq. This is the country we occupy with our military and children can't receive treatment for HIV/AIDS ?


There is something very, very "W"rong here !

...In his 22-minute documentary "Sari's Mother," Longley follows the daily life of an Iraqi mother. It's a life full of difficulty and deprivation as she tries, amidst the war and the occupation, to save the life of her son, who has contracted AIDS as a result of an infected blood transfusion....


...She has to be strong: she doesn't have any anti-viral drugs for her boy, and it's a long way to the nearest hospital in Baghdad. But she's prepared to make the trip. Together with Sari, who, as a result of his illness, seems physically like a five-year-old, she sets off, only to find out from the Iraqi authorities that any attempt to help her son with medicine will be useless....


James Longley shows how Sari and his mother try to keep their heads above water in a situation dominated by daily terror and the occupation by US troops


Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator (click here)
The U. S. Global AIDS Coordinator's mission is to lead implementation of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Emergency Plan/PEPFAR). The Emergency Plan is the largest commitment ever by any nation for an international health initiative dedicated to a single disease -- a five-year, $15 billion, comprehensive approach to combating the disease around the world.

Why is Palin effective in Georgia? Because it has a strong Neocon base. She ONLY inspires 'the RNC base' in elections.

Chambliss on Fox News Sunday: Still Denies Tough Economic Times For Families, Veterans (click title to entry, thank you)

What are they coming home to when Barak deploys them out of Iraq? Without firm support for the people that defend our country, unemployment levels will rise and they should be the last to be disaffected. Expanding the tax base means INCLUDING Veterans.

Time for Democrats to 'Get Out the Vote.'

Poll: Chambliss with ‘solid’ lead, but… (click here)
Monday, December 1, 2008, 02:01 PM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Public Policy Polling of North Carolina has released a final poll of the U.S. Senate runoff, giving Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss a “solid” 53 percent lead over Democrat Jim Martin, who weighs in at 46 percent.
But PPP also attaches a caveat.
The survey of 1,276 likely voters was conducted Nov. 29 and 30, and has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 2.7 percent.
Here are two cogent paragraphs from the PPP analysis:
Chambliss is up 71-28 on Jim Martin with whites. For Martin to win the runoff with that performance, the electorate would have to be 34% African American. Given that it was only 30% for the general election with Barack Obama at the top of the ballot and that early voting was less than 23% black, that does not seem particularly likely….
Martin leads with voters under 45, but trails 68-31 with voters over 65. Senior citizens are the most reliable group of voters and likely to make up a larger portion of the electorate than they did on November 4th for this comparatively low interest election. That’s just one more hurdle to climb for the Democratic challenger.
But here’s a statement that Tom Jensen, communications director for PPP, posted on the firm’s blog, noting the difficulty of polling a post-holiday runoff:
So we have data from the poll this weekend suggesting black turnout could be as high as 33-34% and turnout from early voting suggesting it could be as low as 23-24%.
Our poll the previous weekend, not over the holiday, looked like blacks would make up 27-29% of the electorate and we’re sticking with that for our projection.
But because we’ve seen evidence to the contrary in either direction, really nothing between a 2-point Martin victory and a 16-point Chambliss victory would absolutely shock me. That’s just the nature of the uncertainly with an election like this....




Palin can't win a national race. She doesn't have the backing of enough people and all the experience in global affairs won't matter. She is too extreme and openly biased.


Chambliss leads, but Martin close behind, Democratic poll says (click here)
Friday, November 14, 2008, 12:50 PM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll this week is showing Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss leading in the U.S. Senate runoff, with Democrat Jim Martin close behind.
The poll commissioned by the Democratic-oriented web site puts Chambliss at 49 percent, and Martin at 46 percent. Margin of error is 4 percent.
A separate poll by Survey USA has no horse race figures, but the poll had something else: 15 percent said a visit to Georgia by former GOP presidential candidate John McCain would make it more likely that they would vote on Dec. 2.
But 30 percent said a visit by President-elect Barack Obama would encourage them to head to the polls.....

50 Days until Inauguration - The decline in government spending is to be expected.

This is what happens when government doesn't live in the same world as its citizens and DECIDES to allow future growth to be over estimated.


...He said tax revenue across the state is far short of the forecast set by lawmakers last winter. Collapsing construction activity, plummeting real-estate sales and thousands of job cuts at large employers forced the belt-tightening....





New Jersey Gov Corzine: We're in a recession (click here)
Wed Mar 12, 2008 4:45pm EDT
..."I certainly concur with the view that we are in a recession," Corzine said in an exclusive interview at Reuters' U.S. headquarters in New York. "We have pretty strong indications that we have seen a major, major downshift in the economy. I think we'll find we started in the last quarter of last year."...


The BOSS in the Oval Office ONLY figured this out now? Really? I can't wait to hear when we are finally in a depression.


US recession 'began last year' (click here)
Page last updated at 18:32 GMT
Monday, 1 December 2008
The US entered a recession in December 2007, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).
Its business cycle dating committee, which is considered the arbiter of whether the US is in recession, met on Friday to make the decision.
The NBER says that the US economic expansion lasted 73 months, from November 2001, before contracting.
It used a broad range of economic indicators, such as employment and production, to make this judgement....

National Bureau of Economic Research (click here) is a private institution. It is behind the curve in its prediction and why government has to redefine its responsibility in calling it like it is rather than as the private sector wishes it would be. We aren't in Kansas anymore. Bush, no different than his father or Reagan or Nixon attempted to turn the entire government infrastructure, including the military, to privatized organizations.

IT DOESN'T WORK !!!

The USA economy can't be sold to the highest private bidder by decentralizing the authority of the government, be it federal, state or local. The USA economy has to be based in PRODUCTION, not faux 're-organizing' of government infrastructure. In decentalizing the authority of government it is simply shifting 'that aspect' of the USA economy to the private sector while diminishing the tax base. It is a hideous way to approach a viable economy, no different than 'de-regulation' of USA natural resources. The power of the USA economy is in innovation and not EXPLOITATION.

Employees fail in challenging outsourcing decisions before GAO (click here)
By ELISE CASTELLI
September 07, 2008
Since Congress allowed federal employees to challenge outsourcing decisions at their agencies, beginning this past January, many employees have done so.
But so far, none has been successful.
Employees can challenge an outsourcing decision before the Government Accountability Office. Before January, only contractors could challenge an adverse agency contracting decision — also, before the GAO.
Since January, GAO has seen a doubling in the number of challenges being lodged over competitive sourcing decisions. GAO has decided 14 cases protesting decisions and solicitations issued under Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76, the rulebook that governs how agencies can outsource work. Eight of those cases have been brought by employees since January — the rest are challenges waged by companies. In fiscal 2007, GAO handled just seven cases for the entire year....
...Outsourcing at Sheppard air base
A recent large outsourcing decision by the Air Force is likely to prompt another employee protest.
The Air Force announced last month it will outsource 180 civilian jobs — mostly civil engineers — at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas.
AFGE is waiting to be briefed on the decision before it files a protest.
The union contends the Air Force broke the law by allowing the competition to continue beyond the 30-month statutory time limit for public-private competitions....

For Franken, a math problem

Analyst: Senate may decide Minn. election (click here)
...Under the constitution, the Senate is the final arbiter of its membership, MPR noted.

...To win his case before the state Canvassing Board, Franken must prevail on more than 6 percent of his challenges of Coleman votes even if Coleman fails to succeed on any of his challenges, a Star Tribune analysis shows....

News Graphic: Challenging math: Predicting a Senate winner (click here)
Jim Freitag, Star Tribune
This chart shows what the winning vote margin would be in the U.S. Senate race based on the percentage of the ballot challenges each candidate wins. For example, if each candidate wins 30 percent of their challenges, then Sen. Norm Coleman wins by 209 votes. But if Coleman wins 30 percent of his challenges and Franken wins 50 percent of his challenges, then Franken wins by 339 votes. Most challenged ballots involve one candidate trying to prevent the vote being awarded to the other candidate, or trying to claim that a spoiled ballot is actually a vote for him. However, if a challenge is resolved by switching a vote from one candidate to the other — an extremely rare occurrence — then the numbers in this chart would change slightly in favor of the candidate who wins more of those challenges. That's because a switched vote would result in a net change of two votes (one vote less for one candidate and one vote more for the other candidate); all the other challenges would be a net change of just one vote.you can view the Graphic.

Human Induced Global Warming 'Heat Transfer System' Delays Shuttle Landing

The 'value' of farmland as based in crop production changes with the climate. Economics, across the board is adversely affected by Human Induced Global Warming. Without exception. It has to be included in any economic recovery of the USA. Stop being ostriches! Old world economics WON'T WORK !

The Impact of Global Warming on Agriculture: A Ricardian Analysis
Robert Mendelsohn, William D. Nordhaus and Daigee Shaw
The American Economic Review, Vol. 84, No. 4 (Sep., 1994), pp. 753-771
Published by: American Economic Association

It ain't all about space shuttle economics either !

November 30, 2008

1730z

UNISYS Water Vapor GOES East Satellite Image

Shuttle Undocking on November 28, 2008 in film loop below. The cost to the USA to land its space shuttle just increased by $1.8 million due to the dense carbon dioxide blanket over the USA. Republicans have an attitude problem and I am not talking 'trajectory' either !

Space shuttle landing detours to California (click here)
By MARCIA DUNN – 1 hour ago
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Dangerously high wind and a stormy sky prevented space shuttle Endeavour from returning to its home base in Florida on Sunday, and NASA ordered the astronauts to take a detour and land in sunny California.
With a gloomy Florida forecast for Monday as well, Mission Control opted to send Endeavour to Edwards Air Force Base, the backup landing site. Touchdown was scheduled for 4:25 p.m. EST.
"It is what it is," shuttle commander Christopher Ferguson radioed. "We'll see you on the ground in California."
Endeavour and its crew are wrapping up a 16-day trip that left the international space station freshly remodeled and capable of housing bigger crews. Returning home is former space station resident Gregory Chamitoff, who's been off the planet since the end of May.
NASA always prefers to land the space shuttles at its home base in Florida. It takes about a week and costs $1.8 million to transport a shuttle from California to Florida, atop a modified jumbo jet.
The astronauts also were rooting for a Florida touchdown; that's where their families were waiting....

Global Warming Melts Tibetan Glaciers (click here)
India, China and Nepal could be severely affected

By Tudor Vieru, Science Editor
28th of November 2008, 10:36 GMT

Since the early 1990s, land- and mountain-based glaciers worldwide have been in a constant process of withdrawal, with devastating consequences to global fresh water supplies, which mostly depend on these sources. Asian glaciers, in particular, pose the highest threat because they fuel several large rivers, that, in turn, provide energy - both hydroelectrical and nuclear - and water to more than 2 billion people....

51 Days until Inauguration - Reduce inventories and insist on 'for profit' prices

Substandard product design. Substandard materials. Substandard testing. No to little or JUST TOO LATE government oversight. Dirt cheap labor = Dirt cheap life = only the wealthy survive ! And that is only 1 - 4 % of the population depending on what measure one uses. Product FAILURE is expensive, negligent, is an example of exceptionally poor Research and Development and leads to company losses as well as lawsuits. Oh, wait. What lawsuits. Bush, Cheney and the Republicans have virtually eliminated product liability, negligence and medical malpractice through TORT REFORM. Tort Reform? Is that what they call it?


Ikea's Parodi vases - the base could break off without warning

How effective are product recalls? (click here)
WHO, WHAT, WHY? The Magazine answers... Last Updated: Tuesday, 20 February 2007, 14:08 GMT
Product recalls have multiplied more than four-fold in seven years, according to research. But how effective are they?
From the inside pages of newspapers, to shop windows - notices for product recalls are part of the daily backdrop of our consumer society.
In the past month alone, product safety recalls have included a promotional child's umbrella, several varieties of supermarket own-brand houmous, a brand of electrical time-delay switches, a Marks and Spencer ready meal and two sorts of Ikea vase.
Few of these make big headlines, although last week's Cadbury Easter egg recall - due to an absence of nut allergy labelling - was something of an exception. So what kind of success rate do product recalls have in reaching consumers?
The average recall recovers 37% of the products sold, according to government research. The figure dates back to a report issued by the Department of Trade and Industry in 2000, which remains the most recent study....


No strangers to product recalls, Cadbury recalled some Easter eggs

Besides higher employment rates because manufacturers can't make money to stay in business, there is the issue of product reliability. This entire mess is ludicrous !


Jobless claims see a much needed drop - down from 16-year high2008-11-28 16:20:41 (GMT) (Caymanmama.com - Business News) (click here)
Government reports jobless claims have dropped from a 16-year high
Cleveland, Ohio (CaymanMama.com) — The government delivered good news on Wednesday reporting that jobless claims have dropped from a 16-year high, falling more than originally anticipated. Still, unemployment rates are still at elevated levels due to a sagging economic state.
The report was one of four released by the government that painted a grim overall picture of the economy.
According to the Associated Press, “The Labor Department reported that initial requests for unemployment benefits fell to a seasonally adjusted 529,000 from the previous week’s upwardly revised figure of 543,000. That is lower than analysts’ expectations of 537,000.”
The silver lining to the dark cloud was that the number of those claiming unemployment dropped to 3.96 million, from the previous week’s amount of 4.02 million — the highest level in a quarter century. The labor market has risen by nearly half since 1983.
Economy analysts find that jobless claims are a true sign of how quickly businesses are laying off employees. Those who are fired or quit are then ineligible for unemployment benefits.
“We see nothing to suggest claims are near their peak,” Ian Shepherdson, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics, wrote in a research note. “The trend is still strongly upwards.”
The nation’s financial systems have been hardest hit recently by the housing crash and crumbling economic crisis, leading consumers and companies to cut back on expenses–including workforce.

This is the most STUPID economy that I have ever witnessed in my life. The consumer has marketers 'by the balls' and they literally don't pay a cent until they scream 'ouch.'



...But the sales boost during the post-Thanksgiving shopathon (click here) came at the expense of profits as the nation's retailers had to slash prices to attract the crowds in a season that is expected to be the weakest in decades....

The more abuse of 'self' exists; whether it is in a personal relationship, a society with a wealth of guns on the street, a job market that pays pennies an hour or non-existant medical care; the more and more and more is allowed. Dirt cheap lifestyles aren't a choice in the USA, they are an IMPOSITION/Oppression. When consumer products are well made they are worth SAVING for in anticipation of comfort and peace of mind. Buy one, get one free has GOT TO GO !

The war in Iraq wasn't just illegal, it completely demoralized the infrastructure of the USA !

Enough !

52 Day until Inauguration - There is no such thing as a safe level of FOREIGN matter in baby formula. The FDA has been demoralized !

Check with your pharmacist to learn which baby formula and/or baby food and/or toddler menu items have been disaffected.

There was a time in this country when the FDA actually protected people. Now we have an entire generation of young folks that will have shorter life spans than their parents because of childhood obesity and diabetes. Add to that the formala RESTRICTIONS in manufacturing has been grossly diminished. Let's face it folks, when a President of the USA reduces the acceptable levels of arsenic in drinking water, what exactly are the poor mixing for their infants and children? Anyone want to answer that?


Add to all that mess the fact that, like dog food, all the 'intended' uses of a food product, infant or otherwise isn't used for the SPECIFIED purpose in a society. So, when a toddler takes a bottle to bed, with or without the advice of a pediatrician, that toddler may very well have eaten something that when mixed with melamine in the formula will ultimately cause kidney failure or worse. Pets were enough for Georgie?


There needs to be mass protests by parents and grandparents if this level of neglect continues. The products now laced with 'acceptable' levels of MELAMINE needs to be condemned, recalled and removed from all shelves.

If a USA President doesn't care about the people of a nation as demonstrated by the very liver transplants of young children with obesity issues, then what makes ANYONE believe he cares about infant kidneys, health or life itself? Answers, I want answers. Who in Washington, DC gives a damn about kids enough to demand a re-examination of ALL policy changes since the Bush/Cheney Administration took place in January 2001? Who?


Boycott the contaminated products and do it now !!!


And about those multiple food pyramids no one seems to understand....



Baby food alert sows confusion (click here)
November 27, 2008
Disclosure that laboratory tests have detected traces of melamine and a key byproduct in several major brands of infant formula generated concern and confusion Wednesday. A consumer group and Illinois Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan demanded a Food and Drug Administration recall as the agency said it had released inaccurate information on what chemicals were found in which products.With parents calling manufacturers seeking guidance, the FDA reiterated its position that the baby food is safe, contending the extremely low levels of contamination do not present a health danger.