This Blog is created to stress the importance of Peace as an environmental directive. “I never give them hell. I just tell the truth and they think it’s hell.” – Harry Truman
(I receive no compensation from any entry on this blog.)
Credit Cards From Largest Banks Would Break New Law, Pew Says (click title to entry - thank you) By Alexis Leondis and Peter Eichenbaum Oct. 28 (Bloomberg) -- None of the credit cards offered online by the 12 largest U.S. banks would meet requirements of new federal curbs on the industry’s rates and fees, a report from the Pew Charitable Trusts said. All of the cards surveyed used practices considered “unfair or deceptive” by the Federal Reserve, according to the report released today by the Philadelphia-based nonprofit organization. The study examined almost 400 cards advertised by banks and credit unions and compared terms for cards offered in July 2009 and December 2008. The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act, which takes effect in stages, will require banks to apply payments to higher-rate balances first, limit rate increases and ban practices such as “universal default,” or raising rates based on a missed payment with another lender. Most of those rules are scheduled to begin Feb. 22; others such as limits on gift-card fees are set to start Aug. 22....
Posted: Oct. 27, 2009 Home loan trapped in bank's failure (click here) Work halts on barrier-free house BY GRETA GUESTFREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER When Richard and Caroline Rapp of Ray Township closed on their home construction loan in August, they felt certain they would soon realize their 14-year dream to live in a barrier-free home.... ...Now the builder and I are on the hook for $65,000 and the house has just started," said Rapp, who can see the half-finished home from the rental house where he has lived since his 1995 Wave Runner accident. "The builder poured the basement, they got the lumber and roughed the house in. That was as far as they got."...
E-Trade has debt? They are extending credit to their subscribers? No. No. People will lose their homes if they are 'playing' with their assets. No. No. No. It is too easy to click and lose all the equity in one's home in about 60 seconds.
Oct. 27, 2009, 6:05 p.m. EDT E-Trade reports $832 million quarterly loss (click here) Excluding impact of debt exchange, results top analysts' estimates ...The results included a noncash charge for extinguishing debt because the company completed a $1.74 billion debt exchange during the third quarter. That knocked roughly $773 million, or 61 cents a share, off the results....
SBA loans are on the rebound (click here) The number made in Southern California from April through September rises 50% from the previous six-month period. By Cyndia Zwahlen October 27, 2009 ...Lenders made 2,000 local loans backed by the Small Business Administration from April through September, a 50% increase compared with 1,330 loans made in the first half of the government's fiscal year....
They want control and plenty of it, no matter what measure they have to take. The Pakistani military has been exceptionally successful against the militants within their borders and now it is taking down the Taliban infrastructure that provides a platform for al Qaeda.
The people are either victim to their violence or they are victim to their oppression. Either we stand with the governments and provide a means to defeat their violent attacks while the people deliver themselves from oppression or the region will have Western figureheads bringing in monies that will be used against civilization.
There really isn't a choice, either the countries of Pakistan or Afghanistan are stabilized with 'legitimate' governments or they become dangerous countries with the capacity of nuclear armaments. If Europe is to have security the violence has to stop and stable governments and economies have to succeed.
The attack in Pakistan practically took place in the Frontier Region which is an interesting reality in the face of this tragedy. If the Taliban are 'trapped' and can only minimally enter the civilized areas of the country to carry out their violence, it speaks a great deal to the control the Pakistani military has been able to exert.
This was al Qaeda's ability.
I hate to make predictions, but, in Pakistan I believe the violent culture of the Taliban is coming under control. They haven't been able to stop the country's military. They don't have the ability, all they can do is act against the Geneva Conventions and kill unarmed civilians. I believe Pakistan will stop them, especially if they are able to harness the influence and power of the local militias to aid the military.
Car Bomb in Northwest Pakistan Kills 80 (click here) By VOA News 28 October 2009 A car bomb in the main city in Pakistan's troubled northwest has killed at least 80 people and wounded some 100 others. Witnesses said the afternoon explosion ripped through a crowded market in Peshawar Wednesday afternoon, killing mostly women. Television images show rescue workers digging through gutted shops and battling fires as a cloud of gray smoke hangs over downtown. No group has claimed responsibility for the blast. Peshawar is the most populous city in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province and a gateway to the country's lawless tribal areas, where security forces are battling Taliban militants. The blast occurred a short time after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, for three days of talks with senior officials....
AIG was never the problem, EXCEPT, for its belief that 'day dreaming' would actually produce a 'sovereign' authority to insure NEGLIGENT Investment Banks like Goldman Sachs.
J. P. Morgan was never the problem so much as was forced to 'swallow hard' and take Bailout Funds. As a matter of fact, J.P. Morgan did everything right and they were penalized for it! And they did everything right by the rules they morally EARNED their reputation by.
Allow me to explain.
Now that all the bonuses are being cut to the bone, AS THEY SHOULD BE, for exceptionally poor performance, there will be a NEW GENERATION of talent coming forward to take those jobs that will be abandoned by the Bozos that caused the FISCAL COLLAPSE in the first place. I look forward to the 'new' and 'fresh' faces of the Top Executives of the companies we will be seeing. They will be committed and have the 'right values' for the country.
That said.
The ONLY reason AIG ended up 'in the soup' and the ONLY reason we will never see a dime of their bailout back in our pockets is because the Former Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson is a Greed Meister and ABJECT failure. The sorry SOB sold out the country to bailout his failures. Goldman Sachs is run so poorly they have to farm out their executives to facilitate their share of the pie. THAT is unethical practice and I am 'calling them on it' today!
That is to begin with.
The only reason Paulson and Bush and the lunatics that made up their administrations aren't in jail right now is because they legislated their freedom along with the bailout. I doubt it is Constitutional either. But, they did it and we have a right to call it what it is, FRAUD !
Why is Paulson a Greed Meister? Let's take a look!
J. P. Morgan Chase (click here) never needed a bailout. If there was one bank that should have been standing after everything else failed it was them and the reward that was supposed to follow because they built a better mouse trap was ROBBED from them by Paulson. No different than when Lehman Brothers (click here) failed with assets totally over $600 billion. NOTHING was done and Paulson and the others basked in the victory.
J. P. Morgan manages 'its risk' the way risk is supposed to be managed and that is within the reach of the capacity of its investors. The stock price on JP Morgan Chase is more than reasonable and in the range of $44.00 to $48.00 (click here).
In order to understand 'financial genius' in the right AND MORAL hands realize this. To begin anyone can purchase JP Morgan Chase's 'common stock.' Nearly every Middle Class person in the country if they can open an investment account is within reach of participating in a company that is well run and has a LONG history of achievement. THAT isn't the primary point here, but, one I needed to make.
The primary point here is that the VOLUME of stocks JP Morgan Chase has in the market place is 3.9 billion shares with a daily trading volume of 36.8 million shares per day. There is a lot of activity with this stock and that is good thing. It keeps everyone at JP Morgan Chase on their toes and it gives them a lot of information on any given day to the 'trend' with their stock values and why.
When one then turns to Goldman Sachs, their market place volume is 511.2 million with a daily trading volume of 11.4 million.
Which company is worth more? JP Morgan Chase and they are a stronger and more rounded company for their 'price' and 'volume.' Why? Because J. P. Morgan Chase has a 'broader' base of support IF it were to fall into trouble and has to call on its investors to 'bail it out.' In other words, the CEO of JP Morgan Chase already had visions of dollar signs built into his daily habit of 'insuring' the solvency of the company and at any point in time he could issue a need to investors to 'pay more' into their company treasury. JP Morgan Chase never needed the USA Treasury, it had its own resources to fall back on.
Why the difference in volume? Because it is smart and doesn't see the USA Treasury as its to own and destroy ruthlessly and without conscience. On the other hand, their investors are many and their 'stock dividends' are smaller than Goldman Sachs. But, in all honesty, how many folks in the country could literally purchase on a weekly basis a share of stock at Morgan's prices and how many would? Would you? I would. I would make the investment of believing in a well founded and WELL GROUNDED company that didn't need a 'bailout' from the people of this nation, BUT, instead seeks to find a partnership after they became LITERALLY a partner with the USA government.
Goldman Sachs is an unethical and immoral company that places designs on large sums of money no matter where it is and saw opportunity in 'insurance' policies with AIG when all else was failing its 'greed needs.' The assault on the USA Treasury was intended and was never diverted by Paulson for the sole purpose of personal wealth and hopes of expanding a business in Goldman Sachs that it never had and so help me, NEVER WILL !
The American people need to take their country back, invest in local economies and stick with it. Let the companies come to them. The USA is a huge economy with a lot of opportunity and it is about time the people and NOT Wall Street harness it!
I look forward to the fresh new faces that will line the halls of those that seek to 'build' our nation back to the proud heritage it has enjoyed. Greenberg and people like him can take a hike and never come back. We don't want you anymore !
Mr. Greenburg represents EVERYTHING "W"rong with the global economy. I hope he gathers up all the dead wood at AIG and every other firm and puts them all together to bask in their own light, because, we DO NOT want them anymore.
We, as Americans, are not going to have their value system shove down our throats ANYMORE.
Maurice R. Greenberg, the former head of A.I.G., on his way to court in Manhattan last June.
Survey: Arctic Ice Thinner Than Thought, Melting Fast (click title to entry - thank you) By Jennifer Glasse London 15 October 2009 "We'd been led to believe that we would encounter a good proportion, of this older, thicker, technically multi-year ice that's been around for a few years and just gets thicker and thicker," he said. "We actually found there wasn't any multi-year ice at all."
Local Time :: 8:51 AM AKDT (GMT -08)
Lat/Lon :: 58.8° N 137.0° W
Elevation :: 33 feet
Temperature ::
High :: 45 F
Low :: 39 F
Conditions :: Overcast
Windchill :: 35 F(Even wind doesn't get it cold enough to freeze)
Humidity :: 87%F(A little dry for a bay isn't it? The average usually is about 95 - 100%)
Wind :: 6 mph from the ESE
Pressure :: 29.97 in (Rising)
Visibility :: 10.0 miles
UV :: 0 out of 16
Clouds :: Overcast 2500 Feet
There is some kind of rumor out there that the Earth is cooling. It is a rumor started by the energy industries that simply won't go away.
Glacier Bay Climate Summary from 1966 - 2006 reporting from FIVE stations (see below):
Number of "Heating Degree Days" (click here) Heating Degree Day units are computed as the difference between the base temperature and the daily average temperature. (Base Temp. - Daily Ave. Temp.) One unit is accumulated for each degree Fahrenheit the average temperature is below the base temperature. Negative numbers are discarded. Example: If the days high temperature was 65 and the low temperature was 31, the base 50 heating degree day units is 50 - ((65 + 31) / 2) = 2. This is done for each day of the month and summed.Table updated on Jul 28, 2006 Months with 5 or more missing days are not considered Years with 1 or more missing months are not considered
Let me get my calculator for this one:30,561 days. Number of "Cooling Degree Days" (click here) Cooling Degree Day units are computed as the difference between the daily average temperature and the base temperature. (Daily Ave. Temp. - Base Temp.) One unit is accumulated for each degree Fahrenheit the average temperature is above the base temperature. Negative numbers are discarded. Example: If the days high temperature was 95 and the low temperature was 51, the base 60 heating degree day units is ((95 + 51) / 2) - 60 = 13. This is done for each day of the month and summed.Table updated on Jul 28, 2006 Months with 5 or more missing days are not considered Years with 1 or more missing months are not considered
Hurricane Rick was a Cat 5 that dissipated to Tropical Storm in 24 hours. It's lowest central pressure was 906 millibars which it achieved in three hours from a Cat 4 status at a central pressure of 934 millibars.
Hurricane Neki is still in the East Pacific, currently at a Tropical Storm level from a maximum of Cat 3. "Neki" is the 23rd storm this season.
Hostile fire ruled out in one collision involving three civilians while US engages in 'war games' for exit strategy
A Chinook helicopter approaches troops in Afghanistan. Photograph: MOD/EPA Fourteen Americans were killed today in a series of helicopter crashes in Afghanistan, the US military said.
Seven US troopers and three US civilians working for the government died when their helicopter went down in western Afghanistan, a US statement said. In the south of the country two US helicopters collided, killing four American troops and wounding two others.
US authorities have ruled out hostile fire in the collision but have not given a cause for the other crash. The Taliban said they shot down a helicopter in Badghis province in north-western Afghanistan but it was unclear if this was the same incident and the claim could not be verified.
The casualties came as the Washington Post reported that the US has been engaging in war games testing the various proposals presented to Barack Obama to end the eight-year war....
3 NATO Helicopters Crash in Afghanistan, Killing 14 Americans (click here) By VOA News 26 October 2009
NATO forces in Afghanistan are reporting that three coalition helicopters crashed in two unrelated incidents Monday, killing at least 11 U.S. troops and three American civilians.
A NATO statement said one helicopter crashed in western Afghanistan after U.S. and Afghan troops raided a militant hideout and killed 12 suspected enemy fighters.
The statement said seven U.S. troops and three U.S. civilians were killed. The injured include 14 Afghan troops, 11 American troops and one U.S. civilian.
The cause of the crash has not been determined, but NATO officials said they do not believe the helicopter was shot down by insurgents.
In another incident in southern Afghanistan early Monday, two helicopters collided and crashed, killing four U.S. service members.
A NATO statement said two other service members were injured in the incident. NATO said officials are continuing to investigate the cause of the collision, but they have determined that hostile fire was not involved.
This past year has been the deadliest for foreign troops in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led invasion in late 2001 to fight the Taliban and al-Qaida militants.
I like President Karzai and admire his contribution to Afghanistan for the past seven years, however, he sounds a bit scared no different than Musharraf. His perspective may have been sculpted out of the negligence of the Bush/Cheney administration and his necessity to balance the Taliban's interest to maintain a stable government in Kabul.
I believe it will take a new President with a relationship with a new American General to 'begin again.' The Central Government in Kabul cannot be another 'Baghdad' where a 'figure head authority' debates the global affairs of the country while the country is allowed to breed extremism.
What concerns me is the close proixmity of a Taliban Headquarters so very close to Kabul and no concern raised about that at all. How is the Capital of Afghanistan EVER going to be a secure city with an oppressive regime having a hostile facility nearby? There is a lot of power the Taliban have enjoyed in Pakistan under Musharraf and they have become accustomed to being 'catered to' by President Karzai due to the abandonment by the USA.
He raises a legitimate question in that Afghanistan is betweeen a rock and hard place when it comes to USA commitment. It is that commitment that will determine the path of Afghanistan. The USA moving to Iraq was NOT a good idea, it compromised the Karzai administration in Afghanistan, hence, the national security of the USA.
So.
While I am more than concerned about President's Karzai's openly connected alliance to the Taliban within Afganistan, it is the commitment of NATO and the USA to 'succeed' in Afghanistan that will determine the outcome of the defeat of al Qaeda and the defeat of the oppression of the Afghan people by the Taliban. It may be that if the USA and NATO return to 'Bushesque' strategies it would return the outcome that President Karzai came to realize and enforce it.'
I believe at the real core to the interview with President Karzai on GPS is the issue of money and more of it. He'll accept more troops so long as it comes with financial assistance, but, the troops on all levels will be impuned from defeating any Taliban stronghold, which, in my opinion is a hideous circumstance. I don't see the current status of the Taliban lasting at all.
Abdullah supports troop increase, but within a broader plan (click title to entry - thank you) By John Amick and T. Rees Shapiro FOX NEWS SUNDAY - Abdullah: Afghans must have faith in runoff Afghan opposition candidate Abdullah Abdullah said he would not fully support the Nov. 7 runoff vote against incumbent president Hamid Karzai if reforms did not take place to improve transparency and reduce fraudulent ballot numbers in the electoral process. Abdullah also ruled out the possibility of a power-sharing agreement with Karzai, and said he believed his constituents did not have faith in Karzai's ability to clean out the country's corrupt government and reduce the threat of extremist violence....
Given this view by Foreign Prime Minister Abdullah Abdullah it is clear he in no way supports the current Karzai government and could not participate even after the election. I think Afghanistan has a real crisis in leadership due its abandonment by Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld. The question is can General McCrystal work within any parameters that include the Karzai priorities. And. I believe he has already answered that.
Additionally, this is an al Qaedaesque bombing. Al Qaeda would love to have the USA back in Iraq and out of Afghanistan with a weaker effort both in Afghanistan and Pakistan. These events are unfortunate, but, there isn't much that is going to stop them except the people of Iraq themselves.
Iraqis gather at the site of the massive bomb attack at the Ministry of Justice in Baghdad Photo: AP
...The car bombs, at least one of them a suicide bombing, according to police, blew up by the justice ministry and a Baghdad provincial office, sites separated by one broad city block. The attacks, the bloodiest in Iraq this year, hit the nerve center of Baghdad's national and local governments, shattering windows, sending debris flying and tearing down parts of buildings....
Kurdish initiative tests tide to change status quo in Turkey (click here) ...These sentences belong to Mahiye Aşar, from the eastern province of Van, which has suffered its share from the Kurdish conflict in Turkey that has cost the lives of about 40,000 people since 1984. She was talking about her daughter, who joined the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) 19 years ago.
“My son-in-law's family was revolutionary. They faced a lot of pressure in the 1990s. Their home was raided by security forces every day. My daughter's husband would be arrested and tortured. They could not take it anymore and they went up to the mountains. I have not seen my daughter since. She has a son raised by his grandparents,” Aşar told journalists....
The Kirkuk conundrum (click here) Iraqi democracy is stuck in a constitutional hiatus over the Kurdish-dominated region that threatens to derail elections Ranj Alaaldin guardian.co.uk,
Saturday 24 October 2009 08.00 BST
Iraq has once again met what very low expectations remain of it. Despite a 15 October deadline, the Iraqi parliament is yet to agree on a new election law for the national elections due to be held in January, and this may, as a result, throw its political, legal and constitutional framework into disarray.
Disagreement among parliamentarians centres on whether to use an open- or closed-list voting system. Under the former, voters elect their own preferred candidates into parliament, while under the latter system, the electorate votes for a political entity, as opposed to an individual, and that entity then awards parliamentary seats to its own fixed list of candidates, submitted to the electoral commission prior to the elections....
This is a 'faux fear' AGAIN ! We have witnessed in several provisions in the House Bill read on this blog, the Federal government increases its support to States for their health care citizens in need.
There is no way there should be a State Based Public Option. It will be a political football, no different than we have witnessed with the Stimulus Package and the States that opted out. The 'impact' of the Stimulus was effected in Republican dominated States that would not participate and their unemployment rates went up rather than down.
What will occur in the USA with 'State Opted Public Option' is that people without insurance or insurance that is too expensive will migrate around the country seeking relief from their plight. That will only place heavier burdens on States that supply the Public Option and therefore quite possibly increase unemployment rates and welfare rates, school systems and local taxpayers will become stressed and there will be disproportionate financial burdens placed on local economies.
ABSOLUTELY NO STATE BASED PUBLIC OPTION. If the Senate undertakes this approach they need to be replaced! It is grossly irresponsible to all citizens and not just the uninsured.
President Barack Obama is actively discouraging Senate Democrats in their effort to include a public insurance option with a state opt-out clause as part of health care reform. In its place, say multiple Democratic sources, Obama has indicated a preference for an alternative policy, favored by the insurance industry, which would see a public plan "triggered" into effect in the future by a failure of the industry to meet certain benchmarks....
I am asking to take it one step further. The United States of America has the largest coal deposits in the world. There is no such thing as Clean Coal Technology. It is impossible to 'burn' coal without emitting CO2. Impossible. Can't be done. Carbon sequestration as a way of producing energy from coal is nothing more than a ticking time bomb and is grossly ineffective.
Obtain a copy of the film, "Beyond Coal," have a house party and organize an effort to stop the production of CO2 in the USA. Demand it. For your children. (click title to article, thank you).
Below is 'THE BEST' of Rupert Murdock's News Corp. Really? It sounds like "Nightmare on Elms Street." There was NOT one word of truth in any of those statements. None. Yet they are supposed to be allowed the facade of conducting themselves as if they were legitimate journalists. Why not just make a cartoon of the news hours, huh? Sound like a good idea, at least the IQ Murdock is addressing here will be well entertained.
While I find this all a bit of a 'side show' since I already consider anything Murdock puts out as trash and illegitmate news making, the fact of the matter is, the media doesn't seem to be able to sufficiently police itself. That is the saddest aspect of this entire mess. They seem to allow what they aren't supposed to and call it Freedom of Speech.
Harassment of the Public is NOT Freedom of Speech, it is INDOCTRINATION. Why the media seems threatened by a bogus media mogul is beyond me and I find it unwise for them to continue to oppose the White House on this, they are only proving how COMPLETELY dysfunctional they are.
Murdock 'rewards his guests' with money. They come on the show because they have been paid. What does that do to legitimate journalism in tainting the truth? People aren't thinking, they are seeking to find 'what sells' and they don't care their craft has been corrupted.
Since when does Murdock decide the outcome in elections? I thought the electorate was supposed to be well informed. Being lied to and indoctrinated isn't being informed, it is be 'strategized' for a political outcome. No. No. That isn't democracy. That IS a form of communism whereby propaganda controls the electorate. No more ! It is perhaps not unsurprising but still disappointing that several in the mainstream media rallied around Fox News this week following the White House's well-warranted castigation of the network as an "arm" of the Republican Party. The most prominent defense of "one of our sister organizations" came from ABC News' Jake Tapper, who was baffled as to why the White House would declare Fox News "not a news organization." On Tuesday, he had the following exchange with White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs:
Tapper: It's escaped none of our notice that the White House has decided in the last few weeks to declare one of our sister organizations "not a news organization" and to tell the rest of us not to treat them like a news organization. Can you explain why it's appropriate for the White House to decide that a news organization is not one --
(Crosstalk)
Gibbs: Jake, we render, we render an opinion based on some of their coverage and the fairness that, the fairness of that coverage.
Tapper: But that's a pretty sweeping declaration that they are "not a news organization." How are they any different from, say --
Gibbs: ABC --Tapper: ABC. MSNBC. Univision. I mean how are they any different?Gibbs: You and I should watch sometime around 9 o'clock tonight. Or 5 o'clock this afternoon.
Tapper: I'm not talking about their opinion programming or issues you have with certain reports. I'm talking about saying thousands of individuals who work for a media organization, do not work for a "news organization" -- why is that appropriate for the White House to say?
Gibbs: That's our opinion.
Of course, Tapper was lauded by Fox News and other conservatives. (Which is not the first time.) Glenn Beck called Tapper a "watchdog of freedom," while Sean Hannity praised Tapper's ability to "recognize the great quality of Fox News." Bill O'Reilly said Tapper did "pretty good" and "really challenged" Gibbs, and the Fox & Friends gang called him a "great reporter" for his defense of Fox. Lou Dobbs called it an "extraordinary exchange."
It isn't as though President Obama is attempting to divide the country. It would be nice if he had 'half a chance' to accomplish uniting it.
The USA cannot continue to live in this 'limbo' of inertia to propagate Murdock's playground. FOX is playing with lives and government legislative outcomes, it has stop somehow.
Screaming 'Fire' in a crowded theater is NOT freedom of speech ! As a matter of fact it is a criminal act punishable by law. And I haven't heard ANY Murdock news journalists, commentators or otherwise apologize for the blatant LIES they told the people of the USA regarding the Health Care Bills. Citizens of the USA humilitated themselves in public displays of anger when it was all baseless.
This was an AD 'FOX' news/Murdock 'created' to INTIMIDATE their Peers. They sought to INTIMIDATE their Peers. It would seem to have worked.
What FOX News 'meant' by 'miss' is not within its definition. What Murdock's tribe wants it EMPHASIS, not reporting. It wants flamboyant emphasis on everything RIGHT WING. Not equitable and 'normal' reporting. It is supposed to be exploitive when it is the 'Right Wing Agenda.' They did this to bring other media outlets 'in to line' with their 'expected' outcome for 2010. That is why they did this.
"Exclusivity" is supposed to be the 'hallmark' to any reporting. "Getting the story" no one else has is supposed to 'make the journalist' more valuable. This ad flies in the face of that 'value system.' Why? Because it is corrupted ! The FCC can't handle corruption? Why not?
CBS, NBC, ABC and CNN gained NOTHING by attempting to undermine the White House efforts to limit the ability of the Murdock manipulations and power plays. Best as I remember the 'marches in DC' by the Right Wing were covered by most if not all the major news outlets.
As a matter of fact, they EACH lost valuable time with the Obama Pay Czar. Their interviews were CUT from five minutes to two minutes, but, instead of focusing on THEIR loss they decided it would be better to brag about strength in numbers.
...Yes – instead of five-minute interviews with the four networks (click title to entry - thank you), they agreed to two-minute interviews with the five networks, plus Bloomberg. This was the first true test for the White House press pool as the other networks start feeling the affect of the FNC vs. WH battle – and they very clearly came down on the side of their fellow media....
The 'Unionized Press Pass' needs to be 'rethought' by the Obama White House. We know for a fact the Murdock news organization deliberately lies, enflames citizens that adhere to the Right Wing extremes to carrying guns and basically threatening violence. The Murdock news organization has PROVED itself an extremist, adhering to ONLY one party and will do whatever it pleases to 'sell' its networks and 'favorite' politicians.
It doesn't practice 'equitable' journalism. It EXCLUDES any liberal journalist from contributing to their news cycle and they literally throw money at any news item to gain viewership, leveraging unfair advantage against other news organizations.
When CBS, NBC, ABC and CNN stands in unison against the willingness of the Obama White House to be exposed to interviews, it states they are all equal. That is not the case. FOX 'makes' the news they want to have aired, they don't report it. They 'spin' lies and deceptions at 'innocent' people and expect the outcome they receive. They 'strategize' against the public and the government for control for financial gain. That isn't reporting, that is seeking control of capital it is not entitled to and it is an egregious political environment for the country. The media is not doing the citizens of the USA any favors by 'siding' with the wrongful practices of the Murdock news agency.
The White House needs to take aggressive measures against news organizations that have a proven track record of egregious handling of the news they have priviledge to receive. It is time to redefine 'whom the majors' truly are. They aren't the ones that 'allowed' and 'propagated' the lies of the past administration either.
There is no sense to 'back peddling' on this. None. We don't want to go back to the victimization of the FCC that occurred under Bush/Cheney. We have to find a way to make the media 'manipulation' proof. Government owned news is not the answer. Freedom of Speech is a backbone to democratic principles, but, the 'equity' in enforcing those freedoms is gone. Lies is NOT the news. Lies are commentary that misinforms the public and the electorate. If the FCC can't be empowered to hold Murdock for issues only manifested by his news organization than there is something wrong with democratic principles in news reporting.
If the news networks can't 'step up' for interviews when offered, then don't offer them. There are other venues that would love the opportunity.
...First of all, the amount of money that insurance companies (click title to entry - thank you) and drug companies put into defeating any change to the status quo is unreal. Where does all this money come from?
Shouldn't that say something about the insurance industry?
Next we have Senator Max Baucus (D) of Montana to add to the list of people to blame for how reform is currently going. Senator Baucus has been in Congress for years (long enough for me to have voted for him when I was 18 and still growing up in Montana). So I feel somewhat responsible for this and betrayed by a fellow democrat....
The Senate Health Care Bill has doubled in size and dwarfs the House Bill by 500 pages in its new 'edition.'
I want to briefly look them over before beginning. When I mean briefly, it is to be sure any of the first bill actually made it into the second.
I am taking a break first.
Kindly pay attention to 'the threat' to the Amazon, its biotic content and its people and write your legislators regarding this atrosity by American Oil Companies we will all be sorry for. A healthy and sustainable Amazon means healthy and sustainable people.
Currently, the 'slick' American lawyers working for the companies are using the American Courts to delay a decision and people are dying.
The damage to South American countries by American Oil Companies along the Amazon and the indigenous people of the Amazon have yet to be measured.
The DAMAGE done to South American is yet to be measured. The focus is on the 'immediate' damage of the people and land of Ecuador. The DUMPING of the American Oil Companies at the HEADWATERS of the Amazon go beyond the borders of Ecuador.
The people of Ecuador and the Amazon Basin need the support of the International Community and the benefit of the United Nations and their Human Rights Organizations to stop this hideous exploitation of both the people and the Legal system of all countries involved.
...The Amazon basin of Ecuador, known as the ‘Oriente’ (click here), consists of more than 40 million hectares of tropical rainforest lying at the headwaters of the Amazon river network. The region contains one of the most diverse collections of plant and animal life in the world.1...
Results (The table below is explicit in the higher cancer rates in Ecuador at ALL oil sites). The table and this epidemological study shows conclusively the people of Ecuador have suffered horribly from the American Oil Company exploitation of the naivity of the Ecaudor government. The litigation cothat es for ONE reason and that is to put more and more distance and doubt between the 'acts' of all the American oil companies that are guilty of exploiting the nation of Ecuador and killing their people. They are guilty of human rights violations while the Ecuador government cannot afford the kind of 'state of the art' technology needed for their people and THEIR LAND.) In all, 473 cancer cases (39.1% in males) were identified in exposed counties and 512 (40.2% in males) in non-exposed counties. An increased incidence for all sites combined by age was observed in both men and women (Figure 2). The RR of all cancer sites combined was significantly elevated in both men (RR = 1.40; 95% CI: 1.15–1.71) and women (RR = 1.63; 95% CI: 1.39–1.91) in exposed counties (Table 1). Significantly elevated RR were observed for cancers of the stomach (RR = 2.51; 95% CI: 1.60–2.94), rectum (RR = 10.40; 95% CI: 1.16–12.98), skin melanoma (RR = 10.15; 95% CI: 2.91–46.97), soft tissue (RR = 15.59; 95% CI: 1.74–139.30) and kidney (RR = 9.2; 95% CI: 1.03–82.20) in men and for cancers of the cervix (RR = 4.01; 95% CI: 2.97–5.41) and lymph nodes (RR = 4.74; 95% CI: 1.89–11.88) in women. Four cases of larynx cancer were found in males in exposed counties but none in the non-exposed countries (Table 1).
...Although several studies have focused on residents exposed to major oil spillages,13–15 epidemiological studies of communities exposed to oil pollutants near oil fields are scarce.10 Few studies have been conducted in petroleum exploration and producing workers. In one of two case-control studies, an excess risk for testicular cancer was observed among petroleum and natural gas extraction workers.16 No such excess was found in the other study.17 In a case-control study of cancer at many sites, an association was observed between exposure to crude oil and rectal and lung cancer, however the association was based on small numbers.18 A study carried out in producing and pipeline workers in the US did not find significant differences for any major cause of death.19 Sathiakumar et al.20 conducted an epidemiological study in oil and gas field workers in the US which showed a positive association between work and acute myelogenous leukaemia. A study from China has also reported increased incidences of leukaemia in oil-field workers.21 A recent update of a study of crude oil production workers showed a lower mortality risk for these employees compared with the general US population (perhaps a reflection of the ‘healthy worker effect’). An increased mortality from acute myelogenous leukaemia was found in those people who were first employed before 1940 and who were employed in the production of crude oil for more than 30 years.22 ...
' Fifteen years of getting away with murder ! The longer they can postpone 'the truth' the more people die and the more the reputuation of the USA suffers. They ADMIT they worked in a consortium of oil companies that are GUILTY of polluting the lands of Ecuador, destroying the forests and killing people. They participated in "W"rongful practices and reeped profits that cost people of Ecuador their lives.
It has been 15 years since a group of Ecuadorian indigenous people filed a lawsuit against Texaco for oil contamination, resulting from 26 years of substandard oil extraction efforts. In those years, Texaco —acquired by Chevron in 2001—consistently has denied responsibility, delayed justice, and defamed the Ecuadorian people who need help the most. In other words, the oil giant has acted like most people expect Big Oil companies to act — like bullies — instead of the good corporate citizens that Chevron’s advertising campaigns like to portray. Meanwhile, the Ecuadorians living in Texaco’s former dumping ground suffer every day. Texaco released over 18 billion gallons of oil and toxic water into the rainforest from 1964 to 1990. Experts indicate that over 1,000 people have died from cancer. Spontaneous abortions are two to three times more likely to occur in the concession area than in other parts of Ecuador. It’s almost impossible to find a family not touched by the illnesses. Until you see the extent of the contamination, it is hard to believe. Almost 1,000 pits the size of large swimming pools scar an area the size of Rhode Island. Texaco built the pits to dump the remaining oil and toxic water after drilling. To reduce costs, Texaco violated standard industry practice and never lined the pits. As a result, the toxins have flowed directly into the streams and underground water supply. Texaco eventually covered the pits with dirt—as if hiding the pollution would make it go away — but never took any real steps to clean up the area. Some people even built their houses on top of the covered pits, thinking that the pits were safe. Chevron has done almost nothing to help people or restore clean drinking water. The company has never conducted a single health impact study, probably because the corporation doesn’t want to create any evidence of its wrongdoing. You can view photos of some of the families here and more photos of the contamination here. --Chevron has denied responsibility with misleading statements and arguments that insult the intelligence. For example: --The soil in Ecuador is naturally toxic. (This claim despite the incredibly rich ecological diversity native to the rainforest.) --The people in Ecuador are sick because they have poor personal hygiene. (This argument, replete with imperialist and racist undertones, is simply factually incorrect.) --Fecal coliform bacteria in the water gave the Ecuadorians cancer. (This argument ignores the absolute fact that coliforms do not cause cancer.) --Oil is good for you, so don’t worry about it being in the water. (This claim despite the numerous chemicals in oil that are known to cause human health problems, including benzyne, a known carcinogen.) Each of these statements can be sourced directly to Texaco or Chevron....
The well established and knowledgable American companies NEVER 'bothered' to bring 'state of the art' CONCERN and Technology to Ecuador. They would rather 'blame' a government of Ecuador that exhibited weak laws in demanding the type of technology from these companies. The Ecuadorian government allowed the companies the right to take the oil, they never bargained for HUMAN RIGHTS abuses by American Oil Companies. That is, however, exactly what they got ! The American companies are guilty and they have admitted it, but, try to displace their guilt on the Ecuadorian government. The United Nations Human Rights Commission needs to chime in the violations of these lucrative companies.
We can begin the 'critique' of Bush the Commander and Chief and Puppet of Cheney with the realization they backed a coupe government in Pakistan. It would seem with President Obama, a President with backbone, as Commander and Chief and a new and freely elected President of Pakistan, President Zardari, another President with backbone, the people of Pakistan are willingly becoming allies to their own military.
I am really pleased Dick decided to 'come out of his closet' at Halloween. It is more than appropriate.
The eight years the Bush Administration oversaw Afghansitan. The years Bush was Commander and Chief saw the reconsitution of the Taliban and the continued influence of al Qaeda. I mean, does he really want to go here?
The Bush/Cheney administration abused the people of the USA in venue possible, lost the war in Afghanistan, allowed corruption to overtake the Karzai government and the Afghan people while the Taliban grew into a ferious 'entity' in both Pakistan and Afghanistan threatening the entire region.
They disregarded the National Security of the USA and diverted our war effort after the attacks of September 11, 2001 into Iraq, a country already disarmed, allowed NATO to 'attempt' to carry the burden of Afghanistan alone, while using out of control private contractors to rape the people of Iraq of their dignity, permitting Halliburton the run of the country of Iraq and requiring no accountability for their work or their exploitation of the USA Treasury and creating the largests SCAMS the world has ever seen in every venue of government.
Does Cheney want to open his own Pandora's Box, then we can have it !
How is your health, Dick? Kill many Quail these days? Maybe that is the issue, you haven't killed enough Quail lately.
President Obama's holding the line at an even division in public views on health care reform, boosted by support for two key elements -- a personal mandate and a public option -- and aided by continued weakness in the opposition party.(ABC News Photo Illustration)
POLL: Obama Holds Steady on Health Reform (click title to entry - thank you) ABC News-Washington Post Poll: 57 Percent Support Public Option ANALYSIS By GARY LANGER Oct. 19, 2009 ...Americans divide about evenly on the reform plan and Obama's handling of health care alike – neither better nor worse for him since summer.But 57 percent support one of the plan's most contentious elements, a government-sponsored insurance option, and that soars to 76 percent if it's limited to those who can't get affordable private insurance....
The first nor'easter of the season hit the Shore hard. In Sea Isle City, students including sisters Julia, Jessica, and Josie Manno had to be rescued by EMTs and police when their bus got stuck in water.
Storms in Pennsylvania, N.Y., and N.J. (click here) By Edward Colimore and Jacqueline L. Urgo Inquirer Staff Writers Back-to-back nor'easters - the first two of the season - brought heavy rains, winds, and flooding to the Shore while soaking Philadelphia and dropping snow across higher elevations in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. The first storm left yesterday as the second bore down this weekend with more precipitation. It is expected to head out to sea late tomorrow night. Some sun should return by Monday and temperatures will rise into the high 50s, forecasters said.... Mike Dirks/NYT Regional Media Group People walk along a closed part of the Blue Ridge Parkway on Sunday after the area received its first snow of the season. Most areas above 3,500 feet received at least one inch of snow. Forecasters predict an unusually cold, wet winter for the mountains and Piedmont.
I wish the weather services, especially in the South, would get out of the 'old jargon' of using El Nino for EVERY WINTER that passes. This is Climate Change as facilitated by Human Induced Global Warming. There are some television stations and internet sites that use the 'idea' of Climate issues when they state the weather to the public. I saw a station in Chicago using very innovative language and methods to illustrate the dynamics of the weather patterns. I was impressed.
But, El Nino 'over the course' of recorded meterology doesn't happen all the time and that is the 'key' to debunking denial of Human Induced Global Warming. Human Induced Global Warming has 'stimulated' every 'climate and weather manifestation' Earth has to redistribute heat.
The 'mechanism' that is delivering the upper tropospheric vortices across the North American continent 'originate' as a phenomena known as 'The Arctic Oscillation.' How often does anyone hear that? Never. Yet, it is a fact. Why doesn't the public hear it, because, that would actually confirm 'The Arctic' was involved. It is easy to remain focused on 'Pacific Storms' as a source of 'heat' from the sun rather than 'politically' addressing the manifestation of not only The Arctic Oscillaion, but, the North Atlantic Oscillation AND in frequent reliability within the last two months that I noted, the South Atlantic Oscillation off Brazil.
In Earth's history, all these 'upper tropospheric vortices' manifested from time to time. They are a 'geophysical phenomena' that directs heat from the troposphere to the ice formations and 'thus' keeps the Climate within the range where life occurs on Earth. They are fascinating mechanisms.
BUT.
Those mechanisms have never before in recorded meterological history ever manifested AT THE SAME TIME and FOR PROLONGED periods of time. The reason they are manifesting all the time is because it takes that many 'heat driven' mechanisms to 'handle' the heat humans are throwing into the troposphere. The heat doesn't come from outer space. The heat is 'infrared' heat that 'converts' solar sunlight into infrared rays. It is the 'heat trapping' gases that makes Earth livable and when there is too much it makes Earth volitile and dangerous for human life.
Not only that, but, when all the tipping points are reached, Earth won't be habitable for humans and the majority of fauna that exists today. We are engaged in the Sixth Extinction with thousands of species being lost on a regular basis.
It is imprudent and negligent to treat the public as if they are a 'management' issue and not people that have a right to know what is going on with their own 'home,' Earth. This is NOT 'simply' El Nino at work on Earth in the year 2009!!!!!
Get over it !
..."It's going to be very stormy," said John Cessarich, chief meteorologist at WYFF 4. Even though the National Weather Service is predicting highs in the 70s for much of the rest of the week, the long-term forecast from December through March promises to be harsher. "El Nino in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean is expected to be a dominant climate factor that will influence the December through February winter weather in the United States," according to the Weather Service 2009 winter outlook....
In the loop noted above there is a 'dissipating' of the middle vortex as it moves over the continent. That is simply it adjusting to higher temperatures in its traverse. The dynamics don't really change, the direction of 'the air mass' remains the same and the velocity doesn't change and it is still bringing Arctic Air from the North Pole and Arctic Ocean across North America. What changes is the 'heat exchange' between the 'air mass' and the 'land mass.'
I like him. He came forward to lead Afghanistan after the USA's retaliation from September 11, 2001. He didn't have to return to that country, but, he did.
He has dedicated himself to helping the people of Afghanistan through a time when other leaders would have quite. You can't tell me the corruption that overran Afghanistan AFTER the USA turned its efforts toward Iraq, didn't break his heart.
I do not believe for one minute that President Karzai accepts or encourages the corruption. It occurred because the Taliban began to overrun the country and Pakistan was already dominated by them under Musharraf. He didn't have a dedicated military with enough men to fight back or even hold their own and the Taliban instituted the economy of corruption to control the people. It wasn't just 'religion' that was going to hold them in servitude, it was creating an economy they were all dependant upon. People had no choice and in the case of President Karzai it was everything he could do to maintain 'order' and keep the country operating within the definitions of its new Constitution.
Today, Pakistan has new leadership and the USA a far better President and the NATO allies a new hope while dedicating more troops to the Afghan effort. It is turning around, ever so carefully it is turning around.
The victory of Abdullah Abdullah in the elections earlier this year to force a run off vote, is a victory for President Karzai as well. He maintained the Constitution's 'integrity' during very difficult times. Without his dedication to his country and people we would be looking at a very different scenario in Afghanistan.
I look forward to the run off election between two of the most dedicated men I have ever witnessed in a country so very neglected for so long. Both men are eminently qualified and will serve their people well. I wish them both luck and to President Karzai, be proud of the Constitution you protected and the ability of the people of Afghanistan to 'choose' leadership rather than have it impossed.
The Afgan ECC carried out research to substantiate their findings. It was important they conducted a good investigation to uphold the Afghan Constitution.
From the "Guardian":
...Still with us? These are the categories used by the EEC (here's the official explanation) for their sample search: • A1 Polling stations in which 600 or more valid votes were cast. 545 stations, 55 sampled• B1 Polling stations with more than 100 votes in which one candidate received 95 percent or more of the total votes cast. 1270 stations, 124 sampled C1 Polling stations in which 600 or more valid votes were cast AND in which one candidate received 95% or more of the total votes cast. 741 stations, 82 sampled A2 Polling stations in which 600 or more total votes were cast, except those already covered in A1. 299 stations, 30 sampled B2 Polling stations in which one candidate received 95 percent or more of the total valid votes cast, except those already covered in B1. 401 stations, 40 sampled C2 Polling stations in which 600 or more total votes were cast AND in which one candidate received 95% or more of the valid votes. 121 stations, 14 sampled You can go through the full results, and their locations on the google spreadsheet below. Can you visualise the data?
Example of their work, 'on the spreadsheet' is Polling Station ECC Number 80101301, Category A1 states, "50% uniform markings, 100 or more ballots marked with felt marker; missing materials."
Can't argue with that, it is corruption of the Election Method in that district. Time for a change in the 'infrastructure' in that polling district.
This was a big kill for ANY of the revolutionaries in Iran. The Iranian government needs to be sure they have the right people and they don't know that. Why do they need to be careful? Because if they 'get it wrong' or 'scapegoat' anyone then they haven't solved the problem.
If the President of Iran DECIDES to assassinate people to simply lay blame and move on in hopes it will terrify the people to stop their revolution, it will only serve to enhance it. The more innocent people the President of Iran kills, the worse the streets will become !
Jundullah have been blamed for attacks aiming at destabilising Iran (click title to entry - thank you) By Roger Hardy BBC Middle East analyst The Iranian authorities have accused a shadowy group called Jundullah - the Soldiers of God - of carrying out a suicide bombing in mid-October which killed six commanders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. But what is Jundullah, what does it want - and who is behind it? It was founded in 2002 to defend the Baluchi minority in the poor, remote and lawless region of south-east Iran. Its leader, Abdolmalek Rigi, denies the group has either foreign links or a separatist agenda. In an interview in October 2008, he said the group - also known as the People's Resistance Movement - was not interested in trying to break away from Iran. It simply wanted the state to respect the human rights, culture and faith of the Baluchis....
President Ahmadinejad must have a question to whom could carry out this violence. It may very well be al Qaeda or an al Qaeda backed rebel group. Iran has problems. Iran needs to stop escalating nuclear armament to threaten global stability and seek to solve their internal problems.
He is asking Pakistan to arrest terrorists and rebels. I do believe the Pakistanis are doing exactly that, so Mahmoud needs to 'rethink' whom is out to take over the government by coup. Iran will not 'back' the Taliban in Pakistan either. They need to focus on the 'unrest' and 'neglect' of the people of the country.
TEHRAN, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- In a telephone conversation with Pakistani counterpart on Monday, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on the Pakistani government to help arrest the terrorists and rebels and bring them to justice, the official IRNA news agency reported....
...Early on Sunday, a deadly bomb attack occurred in Iran's southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan near Iran's border with Pakistan, killing some 45 people, including a number of Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) commanders, and wounded dozens others. The Sunni rebel group Jundallah (God's soldiers) has claimed responsibility for the deadly suicide attack.
