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What's happening out in the world? Did it matter, does it now?
Here's to the swallows
returning to Capistrano on schedule today. You need to be able to count on *something*.
Did it matter, Does it now?
In the short term it all mattersIn the long term not a whit.
Here's to the Monarch butterflies
59% percent still migrating
Interesting observation about Iraq's oil
Further implications include an expanding Chinese economy that further leads to uncontrolled global warming. Not to mention the interest on the bonds buying even more oil.
America is counting a Chinese political/sociological implosion based on it's rising GDP and the corresponding disproportionate distribution of that product. Absent that revolution, the world faces a new superpower that doesn't care about the environment. To think that the Iraq war hastened all of that is depressing.
re: the monarchs
Another dispatch from the land of peaches and cream: I heard that due to habitat loss and pesticide use, the acreage the butterflies cover from point A in the Mexican mountaintops is only 2.9 acres, down from 6 acres last year and down from something like 16 acres only 10 years ago. I'm only paraphrasing the numbers, but they can be gleaned via the google...in other words, enjoy 'em while ya can...
monarchy minority...
At my place of work, we grow around 150 species of north american native perennials annually. 3 of those species are native forms of milkweed which constitute an average of 20,000 potted plants; about 6% of all of our plants grown.. I'm always amazed at how the female monarchs will rule out 147 species in twelve greenhouses and can find the only 3 species which will support the development of their eggs. Every summer, as the caterpillars develop, they also devour and defoliate those species as each grow, so three of us with 5 gallon buckets will spend about an hour removing them and then replace them one-by-one on native milkweed plants in a nearby ditch.
The last two years we have grown the same amount of milkweed as usual and have not seen even so much as one monarch caterpillar -- not one.
At the same time, GMO cropland of corn, soybeans and cotton in the US has exploded - as of 2011 - to 135 million acres -- 37% of total US cropland. Native milkweed, the essential ingredient in monarch caterpillar development, is considered a weed in US cropland and is intentionally targeted. There is no substitute plant for milkweed -- it is vital to their life cycle. Diminish a species food supply and you diminish that species population. In 2011,the USDA green-lighted Roundup Ready (GMO) versions of alfalfa, sugar beets and Kentucky bluegrass, all of which will add millions more acres to this practice of growing GMO plants -- good for Monsanto stock prices because farmers who are forced to buy Monsanto seed are also legally required to buy Monsanto brand Roundup and not the cheaper generic versions -- and as we all know in this land of plenty -- hordes of easy money is the only thing that really matters.
"Enjoy 'em while you can" is not too far off. Or enjoy them when you can. Their sightings will be declining in the US in the coming years and you can count on it. I hope to be able to pick the caterpillars this year, but I'm not holding my breath. PBS's documentary on monarch migration is, as usual, outstanding and completely fascinating and a visit to Pacific Grove, Ca. and/or El Rosario, Mexico for the annual monarch festival is on the bucket list. They truly are amazing creatures that add interest and beauty to our existence.
Roundup
Breakfast of champions!
Monsanto is not a socially responsible corporation and their Roundup line of products is killing us.
I love the emphasis on organic gardening here in Vermont. I go to the farmer's market every Saturday in season. I very rarely buy very much. The price are very high compared to cheap supermarket produce. I asked one of the organic growers "How can you guarantee to me there is no cross-pollination from GMOs?" His reply to me? "Good question. I can't."
I don't think produce should be priced as a boutique product because it's supposedly "organic". The growers shouldn't charge as much as they can get. Shouldn't the price be based on the absence of paying for pesticides plus the increased cost of labor for weeding? All other expenses are the same.
Well, I can always ride the rural highway and stop at the family farm stands.
Syria stretching for pretext to use Chemical weapons
Assad's back is up against the wall. The 10th anniversary of the Iraq war with all those pictures of Husein's haunted face looking out from the spider hole where he was captured must have spooked him. What kind of a megalomaniac actually looks for an excuse to use chemical stockpiles on his own people?
If that happens Obama's word will fill the Syrian sky with flame. Were the chemical stockpiles are, anyway. It's already a promise made.
Assault weapons ban dead in the Senate
What we all knew and predicted would happen has happened. No real gun control legislation will pass. Reid told Feinstein, author of the bill with assault weapons ban (and multi-bullet clips) that though she has 22 co-sponsors there are no more than 40 votes in the Senate in favor. They need 60 these days.
Lets hope that a bill passes that closes the gun show loophole. It won't matter for those who already have or are willing to sell guns but it does make a difference for those who shouldn't have them and have paper behind their names saying they shouldn't, like people who are spouse batterers.
After Newtown, how could we not act? The Democratic Governor of Vermont is against an assault weapons ban because hunters are for it and the fad of deer-shooting is waning badly and the Vt. Chamber of Commerce is trying to get more young people into the woods with guns.
Wait a second. Get more young people into the woods with guns?!? (It supposedly turns them into lifetime hunters who will buy guns, bullets, clothes, provisions, motels, alcohol in the state.)
One for the Butterflies
Just dropping a post in this new thread so that it comes up in my subscriptions.
"A question ain't really a question if you know the answer too"
GOP Senator Rob Portman of Ohio changed his personal opinion about same-sex marriage only after his son, Will, came out in 2011.The senator was quoted as saying, "It's a change of heart from a father's point of view." Why didn't he have a father's point of view in the first place and ask himself, "How would I feel about this topic if I knew my son was gay?"
One more changed mind is a good thing, but is this what it takes? Direct personal involvement? Short-sighted people in a place of power is some scary shit!! (stating the obvious)
Instead of galloping off to paid-in-full ivy league educations, what if, directly after deciding to invade a country, all of the "of age" congressional spawn were required to be the first on the front lines? The first to receive IED fragments, the first to take sniper bullets, the first to ferret out the suicide bombers, the first to fill the rooms of Walter Reed and the first body bags to be saluted.
Does - God forbid - an entire congressional family need to be mowed down by some f*@#*ng lunatic with an assault rifle to finally ban assault rifles? An entire classroom full of 6 year old children couldn't do it.
I know the answers; I'm just ranting.
- subject - John Prine "Far from Me"
Mynanmar (Burma)
Buddhists are fighting Muslims in Burma, I am sorry to say.* It is not a general adversity between the two religions, just a local flareup for that part of the world, confined to a province. Buddhism is the main religion of the Burmese people.
*BBC Reporting 3/22/13
"Occasional isolated violence involving Myanmar's majority Buddhist and minority Muslim communities has occurred for decades.
Under the military governments that ruled Myanmar from 1962 until 2011, ethnic and religious unrest was typically hushed up, an approach made easier in pre-Internet days, when there was a state monopoly on daily newspapers, radio and television, backed by tough censorship of other media.
But since an elected, though still military-backed, government took power in 2011, people have been using the Internet and social media in increasing numbers, and the press has been unshackled, with censorship mostly dropped and privately owned daily newspapers expected to hit the streets in the next few months.
The government of Thein Sein is constrained from using open force to quell unrest because it needs foreign approval in order to woo aid and investment. The previous military junta had no such compunctions about using force, and was ostracized by the international community for its human rights abuses."
From the AP report 3/22//13
@slo lettuce
Do I detect the presence of a fellow "Real Time with Bill Maher" fan? Because he said much the same about Republican Congress(wo)men on a recent episode, and it's, sadly, very telling of the type of people running the show in Washington, D.C.. What saddens me is the utter lack of empathy the Republican party seems to have for...well, all of us that aren't part of their individual families. United we stand? I don't think so, at least not in this country. Not anymore.
I have to say, a very, very small part of me hopes the Republicans win the next Presidential election, and I'll tell you why: A) No one whines quite like a Republican, and I am SO SICK of hearing them whine; and B) I think the knuckle-dragging morons of this country need to be reminded what happens around here when a fellow knuckle-dragger is sitting in the control booth. No one finds it pertinent to recall that the greatest economic surplus was turned into the second greatest deficit this country has EVER SEEN, and all in less than 8 years. It's no wonder that, when the media talks about the economy, they fail to mention not only Bush II but Clinton as well.
Several years ago, I said that I could see another Civil War on the horizon, and I feel more and more that I just might be right as the days drag on and on. I mean, c'mon, I'm only 32, and I can remember when anybody could talk politics and not want to immediately stab the other person in the face simply by citing their party affiliation.
AAAAAAAAARGH...I FEEL LIKE I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS!!!!!
@Slo Lettuce, Parkas
Thanks for making those points. Some times I think I'm beating a dead horse in this thread making the same observations but I know most of the Deadhead baby-boomers are of like opinion. A Republican showing empathy to LGBTers (which includes even being seen talking to Gay Congressperson Barney Frank) is sure not to last long. Empathy and compassion are hard to come by when one of your main allies is the Christian right. The money for re-election dries up or somebody, well-financed, cuts you down in the party primary. Humans are slow to show empathy and compassion when their own continued source of wealth is concerned.
I realized that the sons and daughters of Congresspersons were getting a free pass when I was an activist at Brown University in the early 70s and met a guy who earned his BA in a liberal arts major after matriculating from 66-74 at the least rigorous Ivy school in the club. Then he took a cushy job in the family company and lived happily ever after. On a side-note, Jerry already served in the service and the rest of the boys got high draft numbers, virtually assuring none of them would be called to service.
Parkas has some good points also. I don't think another knuckle-dragger will be elected for the next 50 years except from a "red" state. There are so many knuckle-dragging tracks in Kansas, around the Wichita world-wide headquarters of the Koch Brothers, that their recent tracks have been mistaken for crop circles!
Many of us remember the surpluses of the dotcom bubble years. They were built not on Clinton's smarts but on another financial gimmick that eventually crashed and burned (It's not about making money, it's about getting to the IPO quickly and raking in investor money). Still, the Federal Treasury could boast a year-to-year surplus. That was quickly blown away by Dubya and his tax cuts and dishonest book-keeping when it came to financing the Iraq and Afghan wars. I won't even mention the rest of Dubya's screw-ups. Besides the obvious burst of the housing bubble there was his next to the last act as President: Bailing out the auto industry. This after proclaiming like a mantra that government is bad and shouldn't effect the free market as the hallowed creed of the GOP party for the last 33 years, at least.
Dubya was the ultimate example of how irresponsible and vindictive and menacing his fellow ideologues were (as a neo-con he was the Goldwater radical right of his party) Thanks, Parkas, for reminding us. We should be reminded on a regular basis so as not to repeat the mistake of electing another GOP president, ever.
Very High Freakuency and Optometrists....
Parkas, I am a huge Bill Maher fan, but since I've only been able to receive broadcast transmissions from an antenna for the last 5 years, I would like to think that good ole Bill shot me a vibe that I just happened to hop on to the other night. Thanks for the ear-to-ear grin.
Freakronicity?
Anna, as long as the Republican party remains a grain of sand in the eye, so to speak, please feel free to let the equine flogging continue; it's alive and kicking. Only the deaf and the blind need not comment (the ideal Repub. party voter). Love the "crop circles" observation. lol
God bless Dead.net and all who inhabit here!
Same sex marriage
The Supremes take up the issue this week. The score is 13-9 with states allowing gay marriage holding the lead. The 9 not allowing have passed constitutional amendments against. The Supremes are widely predicted to throw the issue back to the states because it has traditionally been a state's rights issue. The first governor of a state allowing gay marriage, Howard Dean of Vermont, was advised to wear a bullet-proof vest for a year.
While California passed and then repealed gay marriage in a ballot initiative the latest polling shows that 61% of Californians are in favor of gay marriage. So how did the initiative pass? One issue voters, religious zealots and other factors. Also, the 61% poll may be somewhat off or flawed. But to cut to the quick, there is a 20% upward swing in votes from a mid-term election to a presidential election year. Those extra people that come out and vote (or as the Republicans would say "get pulled out of their apartments") are less hardcore and more enlightened.
California is also a bit unique in that it has islands of liberal to radicalism among a sea of conservatism. But what kind of conservatism? Noam Chomsky argues in the magazine Zee this month that there are large bastions of libertarianism and libertarians are overwhelmingly in favor of freedom of choice. That may explain why Californian's unique brand of conservatism among islands of liberalism comprise an actual majority of over 60% that will win the day.
I understand why some people are against gay marriage, but I am not one of them. I believe all people have the right to be happy and part of that happiness, for some, is a formal long-term commitment. On the other hand I don't believe taxpayers need to pay for four separate bath-rooms in NH high schools - one for men, one for women and two for transgendered male and females. That is ridiculous, but it is happening.
Tiger Woods is World #1 Again
Tiger Woods just won Palmer's Bay Hill for the 8th time and the 77th victory of his career. He again ranked #1 in the world after winning 6 of his last 20 PGA tour starts.
Look for Tiger in a big way at the upcoming Masters in April.
First there is a mountain
I raise the shades at dawn, light the incense and candles and meditate as flurries falling on the mountain pass my window. I am grateful for this day, not knowing if I will wake for another.
RE: Same sex marriage
In my humble and terribly unenlightened opinion, I think the only reason that gay marriage is such a "hot button" issue is that this country has forgotten the beliefs upon which is was founded. Perhaps it's because children aren't learning the same history lessons those of us among the "older" generation learned, but the religious persecution that's been going on for at least a decade now is the whole reason why the settlers left in the first place. I don't know the source of the misrepresentation of this country's history is coming from--though I have a few ideas where Scooby Doo & Co. should start looking--but it's a sad sight to see for someone who considers himself to be fairly well educated.
What probably doesn't help, either, is that it seems quite clear that no one--and I mean NO ONE--can grasp the concept of "Separation Between Church and State." The fact that we have politicians in Washington who believe the Constitution should reflect the laws of the Bible and are allowed to keep their jobs disgusts me. Another thing that disgusts me is how many of the churches on the Christian Right that are teaching their followers to hate everyone who isn't exactly like them. What ever happened to "Freedom of Religion"? You know, one of those other principles upon which this country was founded? Sure, I get that America was founded on Christian principles, but it was NOT founded as a Christian nation. I don't care what Fox "News" says.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that making same-sex marriage unConstitutional is, in itself, unConstitutional. It's not like the gay community is asking to be married in churches; all they want is the legal recognition the rest of us get. The only reason the Christian Right have their mullets in such a tizzy is because they refuse to see the other side of the argument. But what if their right to marry a member of the opposite sex was taken away? Is that REALLY what it takes for someone to empathize with their fellow man? And since when was denying another American citizen his/her rights Constitutional?
in other news from the Supremes
all the more remarkable because the majority was Scalia, Thomas, Ginsburg, Sotomayor and Kagan: No, they can't search your house without a warrant after they've brought a drug-sniffing dog onto your front porch with no consent.
Truly lovely bit from Scalia:
"The police cannot, without a warrant based on probable cause, hang around on the lawn or in the side garden, trawling for evidence and perhaps peering into the windows of the home. And the officers here had all four of their feet and all four of their companion's, planted firmly on that curtilage — the front porch is the classic example of an area intimately associated with the life of the home."
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Court-Drug-dog-sniff-is-uncons…
Which religion is being persecuted, Parkas?
I don't see persecution of religion where I live. Dubya was off-the-wall whacko (about 13 years ago) with that fundamentalist little book he made his entire White House staff read but I I don't see other religions persecuted. Would you care to share a few examples?
The thing I do see is a strong Christian identity in the armed forces of the US and the labeling of an enemy anywhere they fight as "barbarian". Even this does not seem to be the majority and the demonizing of the enemy is a normal human tendency. Kind of a thing that religions are supposed to educate about...
Supreme's decision on search
Well, at least there is still a little freedom left. Not much though. There is NO comparison between the amount of freedom we had pre-9/11 and the amount of freedom we have now.
Speaking of drug dogs and unwarranted searches....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbYbqZKphyQ
**how pathetic that the legality of herb is still an issue. Sale of personal property remains a great source of confiscation income for cash strapped police departments, though, and since pot is so ubiquitous in our society, that's a major cash cow to be passing up by blanket legalization.
Thanks for the Word of the Day, marye
cur·ti·lage [kur-tl-ij]
noun Law.
the area of land occupied by a dwelling and its yard and outbuildings, actually enclosed or considered as enclosed.
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English courtelage < Anglo-French; Old French cortillage, equivalent to cortil yard ( cort court + -il diminutive suffix) + -age -age
"curtilage." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 26 Mar. 2013. < Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/curtilage >.
North Korea cuts hotline
With South Korea.
Every new leader has his mettle tested and the new Kim (cult dictator of NK) is not different. The movie Olympus Has Fallen had it's world-wide release last Monday and it totally vilifies NK. Of course, Kim is threatening to nuke us. No one can tell if the intelligence estimate about his ICBMs is accurate or not. The movie is likely a deliberate provocation as America installs it's own version of the "Iron Dome" anti-ballistic missile defense on the West Coast. The attitude from America seems to be to taunt him and let him take his best shot.
NK is, of course, a Chinese proxy. NK is never going to be invaded, the deal seems to be "We don't screw with NK, they don't screw with Taiwan." This could be an attempt to defang him at the earliest opportunity or at least to test him as a leader.
This movie opens shortly after Rodman visits NK? Give me a break! This whole thing has been planned carefully, from sanctions onward, and this is Kim's first reaction, to cut the hotline. South Korea is taking a hardline stand also. Another provocation by the North, like sinking it's warship three years ago, will lead to war, with 30,000 American soldiers within 10 miles of DMZ.
RE: Which religion is being persecuted, Parkas?
The level of religious persecution in this country now is nowhere near the degree that caused this land to get settled in the first place, but there is indeed persecution going on. It's much more subtle, though, and under-the-radar; the media is largely to blame and has been since 9/11. We talk of the war on terror, but we ignore the many non-Muslim, non-Arabic terrorist groups that remain active and unbothered by America's so-called "War on Terror." Why? Because, according to post-9/11 standards, if you're of Arabic descent and a Muslim, chances are you're a terrorist.
It's akin to the treatment of the many Japanese-American citizens that were living in this country around the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor. They were persecuted simply because they looked like the enemy, regardless of whether or not they were even remotely affiliated with the Japanese Emperor. And where did we throw them? Concentration camps, similar to where the Nazis kept the Jews around the same time. Not religious persecution but persecution nonetheless.
And what about the fringe churches that have been picketing the funerals of gay soldiers who died overseas? They're using their religion to persecute those who don't believe what they believe. Or the persecution of the gay community as a whole by the Christian Right? Trying to keep them from having the Constitutional right to be a legally-recognized married couple sure sounds like persecution to me.
I guess you could say the persecution is on a more social level than what we typically identify as persecution, but, in my opinion, it's still persecution. When I used to go to church, no one was told to hate gay people or that gay people were going to Hell because their lifestyle went against what's in the Bible. I remember hearing sermons and stories about how God loves us all no matter what, and that it's our job to love our neighbors in the same way. I just hope it doesn't get any worse.
Of course, it all depends on how you define "persecution," too....
@Parkas
Yeah, I would agree the Muslims are persecuted to a larger or smaller degree in this country. I missed that.
There was a time before JFK when people questioned the allegiance of Catholics to the pope too. I guess that rises to the level persecution.
To a larger or smaller degree there is some kind of social onus on all religions, except for WASPs, but very little of it is actual persecution because of religion.
Have you traveled abroad to countries where religion is officially persecuted? There are freedoms we take for granted in this country. There is even a Church of John Coltrane in SF, or similar name.
Is throwing the Hare Krishnas out of the airports persecution?
The US government did seem to officially persecute the Moonies for a while in the 70s.
Actually, this is a pretty interesting subject, Parkas
From Reuters 3/26/13 on North Korea
"North Korea said on Tuesday its strategic rocket and long-range artillery units have been ordered to enter combat posture targeting U.S. military bases on Guam, Hawaii and mainland America after U.S. bombers flew more sorties threatening the North.
The North previously threatened nuclear attack on the United States and South Korea, although it is not believed to have the technology to hit continental United States with an atomic weapon."
In 2002 the US envoy to NK told then President Bush that NK had 5 nuclear warheads.
~ May you live in interesting times ~
(An old Chinese curse)
Do you know anybody who...?
Is waiting for the rapture and/or believes "the end" is near? And acts like it?
Obama Speech pushes Gun Control Legislation
Gave a good speech on gun control today. The legislation now being considered doesn't go far enough but we have to march and make phone calls? As Obama said "Shame on us if we have forgotten our duty as parents." He was surrounded by mothers of dead children of gun violence. It was a surreal scene.
Their walls, their walls
(Are made of cannon balls)
I feel good about myself today....
Heard some rather disturbing, but common to where I live, info. from a delivery driver today at my place of work. After I signed for a delivery, this asshole thought it would be appropriate to espouse his views to me on gun control (I'm guessing he heard the speech on the radio). "My AR-15 is on order; in two months I'll have it and there's nothing that "N"er can do about it." With a smirk on his face, he then asked me for directions to a small town that was on his notepad. I asked him if he had GPS or at least a map and he said he did not. He also let me know his phone was dead and he forgot to carry a charger cord. With that bit of information, I decided to take the time to give him directions to the farthest black hole away from his destination in central Wisconsin that I could think of; he then thanked me for my "help" and off he went.
I certainly hope he enjoyed my point of view. (smirk returned :)
Refined sugar...
as much as I try to avoid it, it's about as difficult to avoid in our diets as it is to avoid atmospheric oxygen. Especially at the holidays. Right now, those damn "Peeps" are irresistible!! Yellow, blue, purple, pink.
Happy Easter.......and do what the Allman Brothers recommended, "Eat a Peep". :)
Eat a peep?
No thanks, just thinking about it gives me mouth barf.
RE: Persecution as a Whole
Persecution takes on many forms, though religious persecution is probably what we see most often. I don't think it's something that's talked about enough, or, at the very least, identified. I would go so far to say that even bullying is, in its way, persecution, especially when there's more than one bully.
You're right, though, Anna; it is a pretty interesting topic. One that most Americans would most certainly avoid discussing since so many of us seem to partake in it. Like how, if you support the President's views on gun control, you *must* be a "bleeding heart liberal" and a "dirty hippy" and all other kinds of slanderous words meant to label and coerce those who aren't with "the majority."
On a slightly different-yet-also-related topic, is it just me, or are people bullying more now that it's become "an epidemic," or is it simply because it's in the spotlight that we notice it more?
On Gun Control and the Use of the Word
If any of my fellow Dead.netters are on other social media outlets like Facebook, I'm sure we've all seen the Republicans posting and sharing picture-quotes from Mr. Reagan about how much he supported the 2nd Amendment and how taking away their assault rifles, bazookas, gatling guns, etc., infringes on their Constitutional rights. What I find interesting about that is how the quotation they keep sharing is only a PORTION of an entire quotation where Mr. Reagan says he could see no need for any civilian to own an assault rifle like an AK47 or the like.
HHHHHMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. Gets you thinking, doesn't it? Like how easily the spoken/written word can be warped and twisted to suit your needs? Yeah, that pen sure is mightly all right!
Gun Control
Gun control is really a question of political will in this country. There is no will to take on the NRA and other zealots. On the other hand, if meaningful legislation is passed, the gun industry expects there to be massive gun sales before the law takes effect. It makes me sick.
There are now millions of people - regular average people - who want meaningful gun control in the wake of Sandy Hook. What do the gun freaks say when another guy in a small town goes crazy and decides to randomly take several lives and then kill himself? That we need better mental health services? Yes, we do, but that is not the point.
I talked to a turkey hunter who said he needs an assault weapon to hunt for turkeys. Why? Because everybody is so wired they take phone calls in the woods from other hunter friends and don't want to take the time to reload when they get a location. Really dude? You need an assault weapon and 6 50 round clips to go shoot a turkey? Can't you just carry several 8 round clips in a hand gun to take out the bird?
If no meaningful legislation is passed on gun control...
I can't imagine what it would possibly take to make it happen. How could anything be more revolting than what happened at Sandy Hook? NPR reported the other day the FBI estimates that Adam Lanza, who looked about strong enough to fight his way out of the proverbial wet paper sack, was able to fire 154 rounds in just under 5 minutes.
I don't know how the NRA lobbyists can possibly sleep at night without the aid of chemicals. And to try and imagine how terrified those poor children were; it is sickening, absolutely sickening to think that maybe, just maybe......lobby money will win again. We'll soon see.
RE: If no meaningful legislation is passed on gun control...
What I find most sickening is how quickly conspiracy theories were given wings and spread like wildfire. How there were supposedly other shooters, that it was an Obama-designed anti-gun death squad, that the parents were faking being emotionally distraught, etc. Stinks of an NRA-spun campaign to boost sales of soon-to-be-banned firearms and ammunition...not that they needed it. As we've mentioned here before, the sales of firearms and ammo have skyrocketed since Sandy Hook without the aid of conspiracies. It's just disgusting.
I'm with slo, I don't see how the NRA lobbyists or, better yet, Wayne laPierre, can sleep at night. Reminds me of the depiction of the tobacco company execs from the TRUTH ads several years ago. What it really shows is how the almighty dollar is the greatest, most all-powerful god in America, Jesus and the Lord himself be damned.
And while we're on the topic, did anyone read that article about the NRA a few months ago in "Rolling Stone"? Scary, scary stuff if it's true. Now one--and I mean NO ONE--should have that much political influence in this country. If it's true, of course, and I find myself becoming more and more skeptical about...well, EVERYTHING.
I agree, Slo
Totally, but I'm not even expecting the piece of crap legislation Reid is trundling around with in the Senate to pass.
Christians in Syria about to get whacked by Muslims
10% of the population in Damascus is Christian. They are protected from the Muslim majority by Assad. When Assad falls the more radical Muslims who will take over will kill all the Christians. These Christians are brave people to stay in Syria and from the look in their eyes it is easy to see that they are fully prepared to die for their religion.
This is insane. Not being willing to die for your religion, but the reprisals against them.
Sandusky and Rice
Man, it must be so totally awesome to be a college athletics coach in this country! Not only can you molest little children while on university grounds but you can abuse your athletes physically, verbally, and mentally to boot?! Where do I sign up?
I swear, it disgusts me what people in these kinds of positions are allowed to get away with. First the Jerry Sandusky scandal, which strangely got shouldered on Joe Paterno, and now Rutgers coach Mike Rice? What disturbs me the most is that this kind of behavior is ignored when it's brought to the attention of the board running the school, but when it gets into the media? All hell breaks loose! As it should, but why do these people get to keep their jobs? Because they run part of the athletics department? Are sports really THAT important?
Injecting a little logic into this equation, both coaches should have been fired immediately--Sandusky out of a cannon and into the sun--and not been merely slapped on the wrist if reprimanded at all. I will say this, though: If my child was one of Rice's--or Sandusky's--athletes, whatever disciplinary action taken against the coach would PALE IN COMPARISON to what I did to him....
College Athletics
Rules over common sense most of the time when a college has large in/outdoor stadiums. Sandusky was a ridiculous pedophile. Don't know Rice's story...
Meanwhile, on the Tibetan Plateau
In The Eastern prefecture of Amdo in Tibet, in a deeply deforested area of hillsides, the 110th and 111th Tibetans self-immolated in an act of defiance and protest against the Chinese occupation of Tibet. Lhamo Kyab and Kalkyi, in their late 30 or early 40s either poured petrol over themself or set up a wooden fire to sit in. These acts of defiance against the Chinese government have been going since 2/09.
Tibetans have no other outlet for their sheer frustration and poor treatment they are so tightly controlled by the large Chinese militart and paramilitary presence. Those who take this nonviolent tactic are called terrorists.
Every so often I give a little update of the genocide being continued on the Tibetan Plateau by the Chinese. These darkest times are hard to find one good quality in. But there is one, impermanence. This situation will inevitably change. This is my part to make this go viral like child-soldiers and Josef Kony of central Africa.
~ One way or another
This darkness got to give ~
Hope & Change: Obama stomps for gun control in Hartford, Ct.
How could anybody be against the mild, common sense solution brought forth in the form of the current legislation? If you live in a red state and aren't making your opinion known...
The Tide Turn in support of current gun control legislation
It took the families of Sandy Hook victims going to Republican Senators offices, but it looks like there will be a brief attempt at filibuster in the Senate before the bill gets an up or down vote.
Yeah Obama
Yeah America
Don't disavow baby steps.
Surrogate mothers in India
Childless couples who are looking for a surrogate and can't afford the going rate of 100k in the US are looking to India for a cheaper way. For about 25k a doctor in a village is providing prenatal care and nutrition to healthy women for being surrogate mothers. The surrogate gets to keep eight thousand dollars, a potentially life-changing sum of money in rural India.
The women are confined to the facility for the nine months it takes to carry the baby where they receive prenatal medical care and food. Although this particular doctor, a woman, seems to be making it work out quite well the fear is the situation is ripe for abuse by those more interested in profit than the mutual benefit of all involved.
Fukushima not contained
"TOKYO: Tokyo Electric Power, the utility that operates the Japanese nuclear plant devastated two years ago by an earthquake and tsunami, is scrambling to build more tanks to safely store radioactive water after leaks were found at makeshift pits."
"We've been told it's an emergency situation and we have to speed up the construction of the water tanks any way we can," said a worker at the plant who declined to be named as he is not authorized to speak to the media."
"There are a lot of makeshift fixes. They are walking a tightrope from one jerry-rigged fix to another," he said at the site, now a cluster of ramshackle buildings and exposed steel girders on Japan's northeastern coast."
(Go to Reuters for the full story)
Building containment for all the radioactive seawater and other substances at the six unit nuclear facility is proving to be a greater headache than the utility expected.