Tag Archives: United States

Apr 29

WHEN IN DOUBT CHECK IT OUT?

Posted on by
BEWARE WOLVES IN SHEEPS CLOTHING. ~mackie
By now, little of what Allen West says ever surprises. He has called President Obama “a low level socialist agitator,” said anyone with an Obama bumper sticker on their car is “a threat to the gene pool” and told liberals like Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi to “get the hell out of the United States of America.” Apparently, he gets his talking points from Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, or the discredited right wing rocker Ted Nugent.
But this time, we shook our heads in disbelief: “78 to 81 Democrats… members of the Communist Party?” That’s the moment the memory hole opened up and a ghost slithered into the room. The specter stood there, watching the screen, a snickering smile on its stubbled face. Sure enough, it was the ghost of Senator Joseph McCarthy, the Wisconsin farm boy who grew up to become one of the most contemptible thugs in American politics.
Back in the early 1950’s, the Cold War had begun and Americans were troubled by the Soviet Union’s rise as an atomic superpower.  Looking for a campaign issue, McCarthy seized on fear and ignorance to announce his discovery of a conspiracy within: Communist subversives who had infiltrated the government.
In speech after speech, McCarthy would hold up a list of names of members of the Communist Party he said had burrowed their way into government agencies and colleges and universities. The number he claimed would vary from day to day and when pressed to make his list public, McCarthy would stall or claim he accidentally had thrown it away.
Apr 26

NON WHITES FEAR VOTE NOT COUNTING…

Posted on by

Brentin Mock on April 26, 2012 – 10:21 AM ET

It’s becoming more difficult for people to see how their vote is going to matter in the 2012 election. When states are increasingly passing voter ID laws that mandate voters prove they are citizens or that they are legitimate voters at the polls, while Super PACs are able to field millions of dollars, often from unidentified people, to influence elections, then democracy becomes less of a real thing to many people. A new survey from the Brennan Center for Justice shows majorities of Americans seeing Super PACs as corrupting forces on elections. There’s enough Super PAC distrust in the survey that many said they likely won’t vote. Evidently Bonnie Raitt isn’t the only person who feels, as she said in Rolling Stone, that “we have an auction instead of an election.”Voters of color certainly feel that way. In the Brennan survey, African-Americans and Latino Americans were more likely than whites to say they feel discouraged from voting due to the outsized influence of Super PACs, and who can blame them?  In many states, voters of color will have to go through the often user-unfriendly process of excavating birth and marriage documents, and then hoping there’s a DMV office close by that they can get to between shifts or after work hours, all to get ID cards that they otherwise wouldn’t need. Once done, they better hope their address doesn’t change (hope they’re not evicted, foreclosed upon or otherwise homeless), or that their name doesn’t change (hope they don’t get divorced), or if they are Latino, hope that their name is recorded correctly, or else they may get turned away after a long wait in line because the ID information doesn’t match with the registers.

For more click on:

http://www.thenation.com/blog/167579/people-color-less-likely-vote-due-super-pac-influence

Apr 26

DISEASES THAT HAPPEN WITHOUT CONDOMS?

Posted on by

The chances of getting an STD from unprotected sex that only lasts for one second are really low … but it may be possible. Certain infections are passed by skin-to-skin contact. We always warn people that brief contact is all that’s needed — but one second is really VERY brief! The risk of getting an infection would be higher if ejaculation happened or pre-cum or vaginal secretions were passed between partners during that one second of contact.

If you’re worried you might have an STD, the best thing you can do is get yourself tested. Contact your local Planned Parenthood health center to set up an appointment. When you get tested, you’ll be able to talk to a health care provider about exactly what happened — like, for example, if you had sex without a condom for one second — and they can help figure out what tests are right for you.

For more click on: http://asktheexperts.plannedparenthood.org/?p=4313&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=tweet&utm_content=onesecondhbo&utm_campaign=ppfaq

Apr 20

CHINA ORDAINS CATHOLIC BISHOP?

Posted on by
HOLY MOLY-7 QUICK TWEETS FOR U..
 +China ordains new Catholic Bishop with Vatican’s approval signaling thaw in China-Vatican relations http://huff.to/ItaYoo
+http://unbiasedtruth.net/2012/04/after-2yrs-fish-birds-plants-diseased-dying-floating/ DmgeMnyMoreYrs. Czy rltnship wth Ol indstry,rgrltrs,lbbyists . CALL-CNGRSMN?
+Ted Nugent, ‘Motor City Madman,’ had ‘solid’ meeting with Secret Service http:…//bit.ly/I6YDWn
+The digitisation of manufacturing will transform the way goods are made–and change the politics of jobs too http://econ.st/JsK557
+Bagpipers conclude the #hitchens memorial as guests exit and congregate. http://instagr.am/p/Jps3InEDyr/
+Homebuyers will find more competition this spring. Bargain hunters are off the fence and investors are paying cash. http://dld.bz/buwqH +Miss this? 1st Q Senate FEC chart: http://roll.cl/HWfcpY
Apr 19

LESS EXPENSIVE AND BETTER HEALTHCARE?

Posted on by

Roger Foster, senior director, DRC (source cited below)

Today, healthcare in the U.S. is a $2.6 trillion market. According to recent reports, at least $600-850 billion of the healthcare spending goes to embedded inefficiencies that increase the cost and decrease the overall quality of public health.
These inefficiencies include the un-warranted use of healthcare services, criminal fraud and abuse, administrative inefficiencies, provider inefficiencies including medical errors, lack of overall coordinated care, and preventable conditions/avoidable care.
In an attempt to address these challenges, government agencies are flooded in a tidal wave of biomedical information. It is not unusual to see hospitals and hospital chains addressing petabyte (1015 bytes) scale data sets when they review all their electronic records.
According to Graham Hughes, CMO of the SAS Center for Health Analytics and Insights, the U.S. healthcare data sets reached 150 exabytes (1018 bytes) in 2011. For context, 5 exabytes of data would contain all words ever spoken by human beings. At this rate, Big Data will soon reach the zettabyte (1021) scale and a yottabyte (1024) won’t be far behind.
If properly managed, modeled and shared, however, the same wave of health data or “Big Data” flooding government agencies will also be the key to improving care outcomes and ultimately population health.
A McKinsey Global Health Institute study projected that the application of Big Data health analytics can potentially remove $200-$300 billion in cost inefficiencies from the U.S. healthcare system. This means that creative and effective use of Big Data could reduce national healthcare expenditures by 8 percent.
The collective actions and shared goals of government agencies have a large impact on the healthcare system. Between government investments in healthcare and the insured lives of all Medicare/Medicaid recipients, federal and state workers, active duty military and veterans — government agencies influence nearly 40 percent of all healthcare spending in the U.S. How government agencies approach managing their huge stores of healthcare data will be critical to improving public health and delivering better quality care with improved outcomes and lower overall cost.
Apr 17

FAST BREAKING NEWS……

Posted on by

BEING AWARE OF OUR ANIMAL NEIGHBORS… | Unbiased TRUTH http://j.mp/HNcYdP You will be amazed at those who came before & ARE STILL WITH US..

VIDEO: Bill Cosby shares his thoughts on the Trayvon Martin case http://wapo.st/ItVmQC

If a household switched to cold water laundry washing for a year, they would save enough energy to watch TV for 1,363 hours.Promoted by Future FriendlyDismissFollowed by Bankrate.com and others

Could small e-book sellers break the Amazon-Apple duopoly? | http://ti.me/HNxC8X (via @Techland)
Headed overseas? Here’s a list of banks that offer EMV credit cards to U.S. consumers.  http://dld.bz/bqGz3
Son, I just want to say two words to you. Two words. Are you listening? Hot sauce. http://wapo.st/IiTkDH
UK government intends to deport Abu #Qatada to Jordan on 30 April because his rights will not be violated, hearing told http://bbc.in/ItZwb5

Video: Politicians battle for votes in France http://aje.me/ItQXNA

Torturous milestone: 40 years in solitary confinement. http://mojo.ly/IUNQR1 #Angola3

AEI think tankers #spottheshuttle http://ow.ly/i/zqwJ

150 Afghan Schoolgirls Poisoned http://thebea.st/HNaWKB #cheatsheet
MT @NickBaumann: You should read @kdrum‘s takedown of @joehagansays @TexasMonthly story on Bush nat’l guard service: http://mojo.ly/J4aWBp
Retweeted by Mother Jones
Pulitzer-winner @mattapuzzo on the reporting process for his @AP investigation: http://propub.ca/HN4wuY #muckreads podcast.
Retweeted by Mother Jones
Tsunami simulations scare Japan http://bit.ly/IL66wZ
Today is the Republican primary in the race to succeed former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords http://huff.to/HN4UKd
First shuttle sighting in Chantilly and all attn is on the sky – kids and adults alike are excited! #welcomediscovery
Retweeted by The Washington Post
Space shuttle Discovery arrives in Washington, DC for planned fly-around before landing at Dulles for delivery to Smithsonian – @NBCNews
Is “you could be killed” an effective tornado warning? http://huff.to/Jxgbct
Cheers go up at the Capitol as #Discovery spotted. #spottheshuttle #witnessdiscovery
Retweeted by The Washington Post
Can’t watch the shuttle flyover live in Washington? Watch this video of every shuttle launch instead: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II7QBLt36xo
POLL: 68% of Americans believe “the current tax system benefits the rich and is unfair to ordinary workers” http://thkpr.gs/ITre5I
With 400 million copies of her books in print, this is why Nora Roberts rules with readers http://wapo.st/ItHdTr
HuffPost’s David Wood discusses his Pulitzer Prize winning series (VIDEO)  http://huff.to/JxeFHd
The argument from intimidation is a confession of intellectual impotence. — Ayn Rand  #quotes
Shop the store perimeter, drink 8 glasses of water, & other #health rules you to take with a grain of salt: http://bit.ly/IVjbD6
I.M.F. Raises Global Forecast for Growth http://nyti.ms/ITpEkl
Russia Says Outside Forces Threaten Syrian Cease-Fire http://nyti.ms/HKb3S8
Apr 13

EVIL SUCCEEDS IF WE DON’T DO GOOD FOR ALL….

Posted on by

Unbiased TRUTH |  http://unbiasedtruth.net/ TARP Bailout Money Fails To Reach Neediest Homeowners After 2yrs. BANKS HOLDING IT! COULD U HELP?

7 tax breaks you probably overlooked | http://ti.me/IEF6zI (via @TIMEMoneyland)
Did you know if everyone in the U.S. washed in cold water, the energy saved could power the street lights of New York City  for 71.7 years? Promoted by Future FriendlyDismissFollowed by Bankrate.com and others
The Daily Show mocks George Zimmerman’s media coverage http://huff.to/I8mmFZ
‘Miracle’ Baby in Serious Condition http://thebea.st/Ixme6q #cheatsheet
Tax fight gets personal as Obama and Biden returns released – http://wp.me/p4HKM-Z8m
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
       Want to change your city, state, country and world? 
Following is your best way:   CALL YOUR CONGRESSPERSONS: http://www.contactingthecongress.org/
Even if you get a voice mail, leave a message for they count the “For/Against.”
Vote for the candidate who WILL BE FAIR TO ALL, OK?
HELPING OTHERS HELP THEMSELVES HELPS YOU!
Apr 11

WHO WRITES OUR LAWS?

Posted on by

“Well, I think that that’s one way of presenting that bill, but the fact is that we and others have seen, across the country, that these sorts of laws, the laws that were ratified by ALEC after an NRA lobbyist came to a secret closed-door meeting of ALEC corporations, including Wal-Mart and other legislators, where the bill was ratified.
We’ve seen that these bills have been cited in numerous incidences in which the shooter acted aggressively, did not follow 911 instructions to basically stand their ground or stand down and, instead, have shot people, as appears to be the case in Florida.”

www.npr.org

Trayvon Martin’s death has put a spotlight on Florida’s “stand your ground” law. The American Legislative Exchange Council uses that law as a model and encourages other states to adopt it. Host Michel Martin speaks with Lisa Graves of the progressive watchdog Center for Media and Democracy. She says…
GRAVES: ALEC describes itself as the largest group of state legislators in the country, and it is, but that clouds what ALEC really is. Over 98 percent of ALEC’s $7 million budget comes from corporations and everything but dues from state legislators. That is, it’s largely corporate funded and what it does is get lawmakers down to resorts to sit behind closed doors and actually vote, with corporate lobbyists, on model bills. And then those legislators go back into their state houses and introduce the bills, cleansed of any reference to the fact that they were already pre-voted on by corporate lobbyists and by legislators giving them an equal vote.
We’ve seen that in a number of areas, not just in the area of these gun laws that expand the use of guns, but also in the area of limiting worker rights, limiting the rights of people who are injured or killed by corporations, limiting the power of the government to regulate corporations and their pollution and changing our tax law to starve government of revenue while giving tax breaks to the richest Americans.
MARTIN: How is this any different from what Chambers of Commerce or groups like independent business groups, the NFIB, groups like that that are well known to the public already do? How is this different?
GRAVES: This is the first organization that we’ve come across in which corporations and politicians actually vote on these bills behind closed doors as equals in these ALEC task forces. That’s an enormous change, in many ways, in the way government typically is conducted.
People who want to lobby their public officials, whether they’re corporations or individuals, go to meet with members and ask for their support. This is an operationalized effort to give corporations an equal say to our elected officials in meetings that we don’t get to see, behind closed doors at fancy resorts, that are paid for by these corporations.
MARTIN: How did you find out about this?
GRAVES: We had a whistleblower come to us last spring, but we had heard of them before. In particular, last spring, as the controversy rose in Wisconsin over the changes to the rights of workers, of state employees and unions in Wisconsin and elsewhere. And we saw similar legislation, like the voter ID bills, speeding across the country and these were cookie cutter bills. And then, when we got the tip from whistleblower, we realized that these bills were all coming from the same source and that source was ALEC, the corporate bill mill.
Apr 10

WHAT’S GOING ON BEHIND CLOSED DOORS IN YOUR STATE?

Posted on by

“We’ve all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That’s who we really are.” ― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

“God did not create evil. Just as darkness is the absence of light, evil is the absence of God.” ― Albert Einstein

———————————–
Coke, Pepsi and Kraft have dropped their membership with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). FOLLOWING IS WHAT’S GOING ON IN SC. Click here to tell YOUR STATE and other firms bankrolling ALEC to do the same.
ALEC Politicians:
ALEC is not a lobby; it is not a front group. It is much more powerful than that. Through ALEC, behind closed doors, corporations hand state legislators the changes to the law they desire that directly benefit their bottom line. Along with legislators, corporations have membership in ALEC. Corporations sit on all nine ALEC task forces and vote with legislators to approve “model” bills. They have their own corporate governing board which meets jointly with the legislative board. (ALEC says that corporations do not vote on the board.) They fund almost all of ALEC’s operations. Participating legislators, overwhelmingly conservative Republicans, then bring those proposals home and introduce them in statehouses across the land as their own brilliant ideas and important public policy innovations—without disclosing that corporations crafted and voted on the bills. ALEC boasts that it has over 1,000 of these bills introduced by legislative members every year, with one in every five of them enacted into law. ALEC describes itself as a “unique,” “unparalleled” and “unmatched” organization. It might be right. It is as if a state legislature had been reconstituted, yet corporations had pushed the people out the door. Learn more at ALECexposed.org.
This is a partial list of politicians that are known to be involved in, or previously involved in, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). It is a partial list. It also includes politicians who have been featured speakers or who have accepted awards at ALEC meetings. (If you have additional names, please add them with a citation. The names in this original list were verified as of posting.)
FOR SC AND OTHER STATES CLICK ON:
“I hope that real love and truth are stronger in the end than any evil or misfortune in the world.” ― Charles Dickens

“A Native American elder once described his own inner struggles in this manner: Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time. When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied, The one I feed the most.” ― George Bernard Shaw
Apr 09

POLITICIANS-CORPRTNS REWRITING YOUR RIGHTS…..

Posted on by

Through the corporate-funded American Legislative Exchange Council: global corporations and state politicians vote behind closed doors to try to rewrite state laws that govern your rights. These so called “model bills…” reach into almost every area of American life and directly benefit huge corporations.

Through ALEC, Global Corporations Are Scheming to Rewrite YOUR Rights and Boost THEIR Revenue. In ALEC’s own words,

corporations have “a VOICE and a VOTE” on specific changes to the law that are then proposed in your state.

 “BREAKING: Intuit Out of ALEC; Coke, Kraft, Pepsi, too, while Koch Stands Ground (Rebekah Wilce, PRWatch)

TAKE ACTION NOW!  Click on: http://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Exposed