February 2009 Archives

Importance of Walking....

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get healthy together - HA HA HA Subject: Importance of Walking.... Importance of Walking Walking can add minutes to your life. This enables you at 85 years old to spend an additional 5 months in a nursing home at $7000 per month. ************ ********* ********* ********* ** My grandpa started walking five miles a day when he was 60.. Now he's 97 years old and we don't know where he is... ************ ********* ********* ********* **** I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me. ************ ********* ********* ********* **** The only reason I would take up walking is so that I could hear heavy breathing again. ************ ********* ********* ********* ***** I have to walk early in the morning, before my brain figures out what I'm doing.. ************ ********* ********* ********* ***** I joined a health club last year, spent about 400 bucks. Haven't lost a pound. Apparently you have to go there. ************ ********* ********* ********* **** Every time I hear the dirty word 'exercise', I wash my mouth out with chocolate. ************ ********* ********* ********* ***** I do have flabby thighs, but fortunately my stomach covers them. ************ ********* ********* ********* *** The advantage of exercising every day is so when you die, they'll say, 'Well, he looks good doesn't he.' ************ ********* ********* ********* ***** If you are going to try cross-country skiing, start with a small country. ************ ********* ********* ********* ***** I know I got a lot of exercise the last few years,...... just getting over the hill. ************ ********* ********* ********* *** We all get heavier as we get older, because there's a lot more information in our heads. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. ************ ********* ** ************ ********* AND Every time I start thinking too much about how I look, I just find a Happy Hour and by the time I leave, I look just fine. ************ ********* ********* ********* ***** You could run this over to your friends, But just e-mail it to them!

If you don't get 'Free Speech TV' (channel 9415 on DishTV), here's their schedule:


And Link TV (9410):


You might try Press TV, too:



Please Don't Divorce Us!

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"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

We, the undersigned, share President Barack Obama's view 
that for too long, issues of LGBT rights have been exploited 
by those seeking to divide us. It's time to move beyond 
polarization and live up to our founding promise of equality by treating all our citizens with dignity and respect."

Yet, on December 19, 2008, Ken Starr and the Prop 8 Legal Defense Fund filed legal briefs defending the constitutionality 
of Prop 8 and seeking to nullify the marriages of 18,000 
devoted same-sex couples solemnized before Prop 8 passed.

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in this case on March 5, with a decision expected within 90 days. 
We, the undersigned, ask that the Court enforce the equality promised to each of us by our constitution and invalidate Prop 
8. So doing will protect all loving, committed couples in 
California -- including the 18,000 who said "I do" last year --
and prevent the initiative process from being a tool for 
stripping vulnerable minorities of precious constitutional rights.

As Americans who believe in the rule of law and fundamental 
civil rights, we know that Ken Starr and the Prop 8 Legal 
Defense Fund's shameful attempt to nullify equal protection 
and all these bonded unions will be condemned in the eyes of
history. We know that, ultimately, love will prevail, no matter 
how hard they try to fight it.

Sincerely,

353,908 people have signed this letter*.
Please add your name now!

HOW A MOVIE CHANGED MY LIFE

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Gee, I didn't know he wasn't *out* before.
Filed under SDS & Weather

HOW A MOVIE CHANGED MY LIFE

by Mark Rudd

Last November, in a radio interview [WLUW 88.7, "Live From the Heartland] with Mike James of the Heartland Café in Rogers Park, Chicago, I mentioned that the Weather Underground documentary "changed my life." Mike's wife Paige, the editor of Heartland Journal, was watching critically, as spouses and editors do, and afterward asked me the logical follow-up question, "How?" I promised her I would write a reply for the Journal. For the last 30 years or so I've been reluctant to speak in public about the Weather Underground. The reason: it was such a total disaster that I felt I had no right to speak. Also, I didn't know the right words. I couldn't answer the key question in my mind about why I had made such terrible choices.

DVD cover design for the documentary film 'The Weather Underground', with title, reviews and mugshots DVD cover design for the documentary film 'The Weather Underground', with title, reviews and mugshotsIn the late 80's, during the U.S. war against Central America, I had tried to write about my experiences in the Vietnam anti-war movement and the Weather Underground, but my effort foundered on the question of why I had chosen the stupid, losing strategy of "revolutionary" violence. The best answer I could come up with 15 years ago was to blame my macho desire to be a great revolutionary hero (and martyr), like Che Guevara. But that explanation wasn't quite enough and I hid the 500-page manuscript I produced on a back shelf of my closet.

The Weather Underground documentary, released in 2003 [and nominated for an Oscar in 2004], resurrected that manuscript (some of it became narration in the film) and, even more important, gave me a deeper understanding of my true motivations. I saw shots of myself as a 21 year-old, grief written all over my face. That was what I had forgotten in the intervening 35 years: grief! The grief that came with the knowledge of what our country was doing in our name, a grief so overwhelming it produced the conviction that it was absolutely imperative to act against the outrages of empire. The easiest reaction to grief is anger and violence, both justified back then in the theories of armed revolution. Thanks to the rare opportunity to see myself as a very young man which the movie afforded me, I finally understood why I had acted.

The second revelation granted me by The Weather Underground film was that people, I was amazed to find, wanted to hear what I had to say. The filmmakers had chosen to feature me in the beginning, middle, and end of the movie, which gave the effect of my words serving as a kind of narrative thread. I found people referring to the movie as "your movie," though my part had been only a six-hour interview and I was but one among several former Weather Underground members filmed, each of us with our own perspective, ones which were far from identical. Butmy doubts and self-reflection had jumped off the screen and audiences seemed to perceive me as a sympathetic, approachable kind of character, not one given to radical exhortations.

So I started doing media interviews and attending movie showings followed by question and answer sessions and A in dozens of venues around the country, from Massachusetts to Oregon. This became my anti-war work for the last year. Audiences often contain both young and old, and the ensuing discussions always evolve from questions about movement history to what to do now. Universally, people are desperate for public forums in which to discuss the current situation. They want to talk.

I often find myself in a strange argument with the audience. People will express that I am some kind of hero for having taken on the U.S. government. I say, "No, no, the Weather Underground was a huge fuck-up! We did the work of the FBI by destroying SDS. We accidentally killed three of our own people. We split and undermined the larger anti-war movement." Often these arguments have become heated and people have screamed at me that I'm too hard on myself and on my former comrades. It's an unexpected kind of turn-around. I try to use the discussions to advocate non-violent strategy and tactics because "violence doesn't work." In the end I leave it open to the audience, especially the young people, to decide for themselves about the significance of the Weather Underground.

Several times I've done joint Q and A's with Sam Green, the director of the movie, and each time we reenacted what I call "The Sam and Mark Show," wherein he tells audiences that the message of the movie is that there once were a group of young people so committed to stopping the Vietnam war and the system behind that war that they were willing to risk their lives. I respond by taking the opposite view, that the importance of the Weather Underground was that it was a terrible disaster. "Don't try this at home," I say. I also downplay the courage involved since courage, it seems to me, is spread out evenly across the political spectrum. I tell people it takes courage for American soldiers, no matter how misguided, to face resistance fighters in Iraq, for example., However, I've gradually been won over to seeing Sam's point of view, without giving up my own. The whole Weather episode was quite remarkable, no matter how misguided. Possibly it's inspiring to young people, I don't know. The cumulative effect of watching the film many times and participating in these discussions has been to that of bringing back my voice, after all these years. For this I'm also thankful to Sam and to Bill Siegel, his co-director.

In my home community, this movie has been a kind of coming out for me: I wasn't hiding my past, but neither did I make a big deal about it. Most people in Albuquerque, New Mexico, had never heard of "Mark Rudd." I've made a point of showing the movie to my co-workers and students at the community college where I teach. They've reacted with engagement, interest, and questions. Nothing has changed in my relations with people, but I feel like I'm a more honest member of the community now.

There's yet another level of personal transformation: the Weather Underground film has written an ending to the Weather Underground episode in my family. My brother David, who's eight years older, had never been comfortable with anything about the Weatherman. At the time I treated him contemptuously because he wasn't "revolutionary," and on top of that he had to live with the misery which my parents endured for the seven years I was a fugitive. Over the years our way of dealing with the issue was to not talk about it. But last year, after he saw the movie, David became so smitten with The Weather Underground that he set up two showings, one in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, where he lives part-time, and the other at a Jewish film festival in suburban Essex County, New Jersey, where our family is from. Both shows were sold out. After thirty-five years the problem of the Weather Underground in our family's history could finally be aired in public and resolved in a thoughtful way. Between us we now have closure, thanks to the film.

About four hundred people attended the showing at the Jewish Community Center in West Orange. My mother, Bertha Rudd, who's 92 years old, was in the second row. After the movie I was answering questions from the audience when my mother waved her hand, interrupting. "I have a question! I have a question!" she shouted. "What's your question, Mom?" I asked.

Her timing was perfect. She paused just long enough for the audience to begin to wonder what she was going to say. "I've waited thirty years to ask you: How could you do this to me?" The audience cracked up.

My mother isn't the only one who's been holding in her questions for thirty years. At the deepest level, the movie has given me back my past, a significant part of which had been lost. I often think that if the Weather Underground film hadn't been made, the history of the Weather Underground would have become totally lost. Does history exist if no one knows about it?

Mark Rudd was the last National Secretary of Students for a Democratic Society, elected at the infamous Chicago SDS convention of June, 1969. In 1968, he was chairman of the Columbia University chapter of SDS, and was one of the leaders of the student occupation of the campus and subsequent strike, both aimed at the University's racism and involvement with the war in Vietnam. He was one of the founders of the Weatherman faction of SDS, which morphed, in early 1970, into the Weather Underground. He left the organization by the end of that year but remained a federal fugitive until 1977. He has taught remedial math at the community college in Albuquerque, NM. since 1980, and has been involved in the anti-nuclear, native American solidarity, environmental, peace, and union movements in New Mexico. Mark can be reached via his website, www.markrudd.com

Editor's note [by Paige James]: When I first read the question Mark asks at the end, I wrote him my own reaction, and he encouraged me to run it as a postscript here:

My response to this question is: does history have to be public to exist? Certainly it has continued to be alive, even if buried alive in some cases, in the minds, bodies, and souls of each of the WU members and a wider community of families, friends, and foes, including those not featured in the film. And as it turns out, I think the history of the WU as depicted in the film is multi-faceted and does leave room for moral disagreement about the history, because it contains a wide variety of intellectual and emotional experiences and memories and explanations, some defiant, some remorseful, etc. I do think it's interesting that [directors] Sam & Bill chose your particular personal experience and view to provide some sort of narrative frame, if Sam doesn't agree with your evaluation (wrong means and bad results).

And then there's the fact of things like Neil Gordon's book (The Company You Keep, see HJ 48 review), Bill Ayers's memoir (Fugitive Days, also reviewed in HJ 48), etc. The stories were going to bubble up. What's good is that the film resurrected, at what serendipitously turned out to be a perfect historical moment (terrorism, war) a new awareness and perhaps understanding of WU from the perspective of 30 years' hindsight, by providing the historical context and getting a few of you to talk about and reflect on it. It became a good opportunity to have these public discussions that people who believe in real democracy so long for and need.

REPORT FROM ISRAEL/PALESTINE: FAMILY TRIP (2005)

by Mark Rudd

Marla and I just returned from eight days in Israel and Palestine. This is a quick description of our trip for family and friends. Oy vey iss mir!!!

The original purpose of the visit, as proposed by my brother and sister-in-law, David and Sue, was to attend the Macabiah Games (Jewish Olympics) in which my nephews were playing on the U.S. masters' (over 35) soccer team. Michael is the captain of the team and Danny is another one of the stars. Also, Sue and David felt that if we could experience Israel as they do, we would soften our opinions about Israeli policy. I decided to go in order to pay respect to their perspective and to root for Michael and Danny. Also, not least, I felt I should actually see Israel for the first time, so I'd know a little bit more about what I've been shooting my mouth off already for decades. Marla went as my minder to keep me from getting in trouble. The trip was amply financed by my mother, Bertha

In Prison Now

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An Apple A Day ...

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In Reply to: Origin of An apple a day keeps the doctor away posted by Gordon Ueland on November 05, 1999

: Looking for the origin of subject phrase.

From "Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings" by Gregory Y. Titelman (1996): "An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Eating fruit regularly keeps one healthy. First found as a Welsh folk proverb (1866)" 'Eat an apple on going to bed,/ And you'll keep the doctor from earning his bread.' First attested in the United States in 1913..."

Health Benefits

Easy on the digestion, apples contain malic and tartaric acids that inhibit fermentation in the intestines. Their high fiber content adds bulk that aids the digestive process, making elimination natural and comfortable. Apples contain pectin, a soluble fiber that encourages the growth of beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract.

Apples contain flavonoids, antioxidants that improve immune function and prevent heart disease and some cancers.

Green apples act as a liver and gall bladder cleanser and may aid in softening gallstones.

Because of their high water content, apples are cooling and moistening and aid in reducing fever. Simply grate them and serve them to feverish patients. Steamed apples sweetened with honey are beneficial for a dry cough and may help to remove mucous from the lungs.

Hippocrates (circa 400 BCE), the Greek physician considered the father of medicine, was a proponent of nutritional healing. His favorite remedies were apples, dates, and barley mush.

Today medical practitioners are beginning to recognize that the apple's abundant quantity of pectin is an aid in reducing high cholesterol as well as blood sugar, a wonder food for people with coronary artery disease and diabetes.

If these aren't enough reasons to "eat an apple a day," there's more. Eating raw apples gives the gums a healthy massage and cleans the teeth. This popular fruit is said to have properties that are a muscle tonic, diuretic, laxative, antidiarrheal, antirheumatic, and stomachic.

Nutritional Benefits

Unpeeled apples provide their most plentiful nutrients just under the skin. Apples are a good source of potassium, folic acid, and vitamin C.

A medium apple, approximately 5 ounces, has only 81 calories and a whopping 3.7 grams of fiber from pectin, a soluble fiber. A medium apple supplies 159 mg of potassium, 3.9 mcg of folic acid, 7.9 mg of vitamin C, and 9.6 mg of calcium.

Additionally, there are trace amounts of B vitamins, iron, magnesium, and zinc

You might not have thought of this (since that was part of the plan) but by NOT discussing the *other* major economic theory on Earth, we missed seeing this coming (or am I wrong in interpreting this as *exactly* correct). 

Monopoly Capital

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Monopoly Capital: An Essay on the American Economic and Social Order is an essay from 1966 by Paul Sweezy and Paul A. Baran. It made a major contribution to Marxist theory by shifting attention from the assumption of a competitive economy to monopolistic aspects of giant corporations that dominate market life.


Argument


Big business can maintain selling prices at high levels while still competing to cut costs, advertise and market their products. The economic surpluses which result cannot be absorbed through consumers spending more. The concentration of the surplus in the hands of the business elite must therefore be geared towards imperialistic and militaristic government tendencies, which is the easiest and surest way to utilise surplus productive capacity.

Exploitation focuses on low wage workers and groups at home, especially minorities. Average earners see the pressures in drive for production destroy their human relationships, leading to wider alienation and hostility. The whole system is largely irrational, since though individuals may make rational decisions, the ultimate systemic goals are not. The system continues to function so long as Keynesian full employment policies are pursued, but there is the continued threat to stability from less-developed countries, throwing off the restraints of neo-colonial domination.

[edit]

Change We Can Bail Out!

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IT'S SO SIMPLE.

Next time you're wondering when your parents might land a job again, consult this chart.

 

 

Watch the episode with Uncle Jay's complete explanation:


UNCLE JAY EXPLAINS THE STIMULUS

Whites Only, Please

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Department of Public Works truck driver James Curtis was sentenced to three years of probation for his guilty plea to a charge of second-degree aggravated harassment. The charge stemmed from an incident at the DPW garage in August 2008 when Curtis posted a whites-only sign above a drinking fountain.

"Although Mr. Curtis did something stupid, he never meant to hurt anyone," defense attorney Harvey Siegel told Chief City Court Judge Mark Violante before his client was sentenced. "Mr. Curtis did something foolish and he's regretted it ever since."

Curtis, 54, 218 80th St., was originally charged with second-degree aggravated harassment as a hate crime. The charge was later reduced and the hate crime designation dropped, after prosecutors said they believed Curtis' actions were not racially motivated.

"I'm terribly sorry for what happened," Curtis told Violante.

"It isn't a joke and it shouldn't be considered a joke," Violante told Curtis. "Think of what you have placed at risk for this act of foolishness."

Curtis, a 26-year DPW veteran, has been suspended from his job since his arrest and faces an effort by the city to have him fired.

Siegel showed Violante a letter, signed by 44 other DPW employees, asking that Curtis not be fired and suggesting that racial and ethnic jokes were not uncommon in the department. The letter was signed by six African-American DPW workers, including Hugh Leftwich one of the Niagara Falls 6, a group of black employees suing the city over alleged racism in their workplace.

The letter called Curtis "a friend to all of us" and said "we believe (posting the sign) was a joke, as we all joke about our nationalities."

Violante said he considered the letter in determining Curtis' sentence, but was not particularly swayed by it.

"The fact (that DPW employees engage in racial and ethnic humor) doesn't make this act one to be tolerated," the judge said. "I take offense to this."

Siegel asked Violante not to impose any penalties against Curtis.

"He has been, from day one, remorseful and sincere," Siegel said.

In addition to the three years of probation, Violante ordered Curtis to perform 50 hours of service in the Niagara County Sheriff's Department Work Program. The judge also ordered Curtis to attend diversity and sensitivity training programs and to undergo random drug and alcohol testing.

Lawyers for the city observed the proceedings. They are now expected to move ahead with an effort to fire Curtis.

"I thought (the sentence) was appropriate under the circumstances," Siegel said. "I don't think anyone is going to be joking like that at the DPW again and that's probably good."


Tickets to SNWMF 2009 On Sale Now!!!

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About This Year's Artists:

Femi Kuti: Femi Kuti is the oldest son of the late Nigerian superstar Fela Kuti. Fela pioneered the sprawling big band sound called afrobeat. Femi stepped up to lead the band in 1984 after his father's musical tirades against Nigeria's power elite lead to his being jailed by the government on a trumped up currency charge. . More

King Sunny Adé: King Sunny Ade is the undisputed king of juju music, the dance-inspiring hybrid of western pop and traditional African music with roots in the guitar tradition of Nigeria. Following tremendous success with his early-1980s albums, Ade continues to weave a blend of guitars, synthesizers & layered percussions. More

Michael Rose: Born in the Western Kingston ghetto of Waterhouse, Jamaica on July 11, 1957 Michael Rose was introduced to music by his brothers, who used to sing around the house. Blessed with a powerful voice he joined a band, doing local talent shows as well asentertaining tourists in the north coast hotels of Jamaica.More

Zap Mama: Marie Daulne, the founder & fronting member of Zap Mama since the early 1990s, has lived a life that rivals Homer's Odyssey. Filled with peril & triumph, globe-spanning quests, and a series of personal achievements that seem almost heroic in scope, her story is one of epic proportions in the annals of world music. More

Anthony B: Draped in the rich colors of African cloth, his trademark staff in hand, and his dreadlocks wrapped regally on his head, Anthony B embodies all that it is spiritual and proactive about Reggae music. This artist has been steadfast in his mission to represent the poor and oppressed and to confront political injustices. More

The Abyssinians: The roots harmony vocals of The Abyssinians brought a quality of Rastafarian majesty to some of the most important tracks ever recorded in Jamaican reggae.  When the Abyssinians went into the studio, it was as though the musicians were on a mission to make music that would last through the ages.  More

Michigan & Smiley: Michigan and Smiley are a Jamaican singjay duo of the late seventies first wave of Dancehall music, which included Yellowman, Eek a Mouse, Lone Ranger, General Echo, and others. They first recorded at Clement Coxsone Dodd's famous Studio 1, where they pressed their number one hit, "Rub a Dub Style" . - More

The Sierra Nevada World Music Festival typically has dozens of reggae and world beat bands performing each year, and 2009 will be no exception.  Keep checking back as we are constantly adding artists to the line-up. 

Bloody Island Massacre

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Bloody Island Massacre (also called the Clear Lake Massacre) occurred on an island called Bo-no-po-ti, Badon-napo-ti, or "Old Island", at the north end of Clear LakeLake County, California on May 151850.[1][2]

A number of Pomo Indians, primarily members of the Hoolanapo clan, had been enslaved and abused by settlers Andrew Kelsey -- whose name is still attached to the town of Kelseyville today -- and Charles Stone. Kelsey and Stone had purchased a cattle ranch from Salvador Vallejo in 1847. They captured and impressed local Pomos to work as vaqueros on the ranch. Their treatment of the Pomo were more brutal than Vallejo's. Families starved on meager rations, as the men only provided four cups of wheat a day for a family. One young man was sent by his family to ask for more wheat and Stone killed him.[3]

In the fall of 1849, Kelsey forced 50 Pomo men to work as laborers on a gold seeking expedition, and only one or two men returned alive.[4]

After this travesty, Stone and Kelsey beat and even shot Pomo men and raped Pomo women. The wife of Chief Augustine was raped, and the tribe responded with an attack. Augustine's wife poured water onto the two men's gun powder, rendering it useless, then warriors, including Pomo men Suk and Xasis, attacked the house at dawn, immediately killing Kelsey with an arrow. Stone jumped out a window and tried to hide in a stand of willow trees, but Augustine founded him and killed him with a rock. Then the Pomo men took food back to their families.[3]

1st Dragoons Regiment of the United States Cavalry contingent under General Nathaniel Lyon, who at that time was still a lieutenant, and Lieutenant J. W. Davison[2] tried in vain to located Augustine's band to retaliate.

Instead they came upon another group of Pomos on Bonopoti or Bloody Island and slaughtered almost the entire population of the island,[2] including women and children. Some of those killed were relatives of the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake[1] and Robinson Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California. Estimates of the number of people killed on the island vary between 60 and 400. The army then killed 75 more Indians along the Russian River.[3]

One of the few Pomo survivors of the massacre was a 6-year-old girl named Ni'ka or Lucy Moore. She survived by hiding under the lake waters and breathing through a tule reed. Her descendants formed the Lucy Moore Foundation.[3]

Later, the Pomo were forced to live in small "rancherias" set aside by the federal government. For most of the 20th century, the few Pomo people left had to live on these tiny reservations in poverty. It should be noted that very few textbooks on California history even mention the Bloody Island incident or the subsequent abuse of native Californians.



Bloody Island (Bo-no-po-ti)
 
Bloody Island (BO-NO-PO-TI) Marker Photo, Click for full size
By Karen Key, September 17, 2006
1. Bloody Island (BO-NO-PO-TI) Marker
 
Inscription. One-fourth mile west is the island called Bo-no-po-ti (Old Island), now Bloody Island. It was a place for native gatherings until May 15, 1850. On that date, a regiment of the 1st Dragoons of the U.S. Cavalry, commanded by Capt. Nathaniel Lyon and Lt. J.W. Davidson, massacred nearly the entire native population of the island. Most were women and children. This act was in reprisal for the killing of Andrew Kelsey and Charles Stone who had long enslaved, brutalized, and starved indigenous people in the area. The island, now a hill surrounded by reclaimed land, remains a sacred testament to this sacrifice of innocents. 

Run From The Cure

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Run From The Cure: How Cannabis Cures Cancer And Why No One Knows

Cannabis sativa hemp, the miracle plant, contains the cure for cancer and other ailments

My name is Rick Simpson. I have been providing people with Hemp Oil medicines, at no cost, for about three years. The results have been nothing short of amazing. Throughout man's history hemp has always been known as the most medicinal plant in the world. Even with this knowledge, hemp has always been used as a political and religious football. I want this knowledge out there for everyone to learn! Watch the documentary Run From The Cure to understand more about using cannabis as a cure for cancer and other medical problems!
The current restrictions against hemp were put in place and maintained, not because hemp is evil or harmful, but for big money to make more big money, while we suffer and die needlessly. Look at a proposal such as this; if we were allowed to grow hemp in our back yards and cure our own illnesses, what do you think the reaction of the pharmaceutical industry would be to such a plan?

Many large pharmaceutical companies that still exist today sold hemp based medicines in the 1800's and early 1900's. They knew then what I have recently found out. Hemp oil if produced properly is a cure-all that the pharmaceutical industry can't patent.

To learn more about my and hemp oil, visit www.PhoenixTears.ca and watch the documentary Run From The Cure. Below the posted videos you will find more studies and research about cannabis curing cancer!

Rick Simpson outside court, 2007Rick Simpson outside court, 2007RUN FROM THE CURE: A Film By Christian Laurette

After a serious head injury in 1997, Rick Simpson sought relief from his medical condition through the use of medicinal hemp oil. When Rick discovered that the hemp oil (with its high concentration of T.H.C.) cured cancers and other illnesses, he tried to share it with as many people as he could free of charge, curing and controlling literally hundreds of people's illnesses... but when the story went public, the long arm of the law snatched the medicine - leaving potentially thousands of people without their cancer treatments - and leaving Rick with unconsitutional charges of possessing and trafficking marijuana!

Canada is in the middle of a CANCER EPIDEMIC! Meet the people who were not allowed to testify on Rick's behalf at the Supreme Court of Canada's Infamous Rick Simpson Trial on September 10, 2007... INCLUDING A MAN WHO WAS CURED OF TERMINAL CANCER USING HEMP OIL!

Want to read more about Cannabis and Cancer? Check out these incredible studies and news stories!

Marijuana May Fight Lung Tumors
Cannabis Compound Slows Cancer Spread In Mice, Researchers Say - April 17th 2007

Study Finds No Lung Cancer-Marijuana Connection
May, 2006 - Washington Post

Cannabis and Cancer Studies from SafeAccess.ca
safeaccess.ca/research/cancer.htm

THC for Tumors
March, 1999

US Federal Report Backs Medical Pot
May, 1999

Cannabinoid Research Around The World
July, 1999

THC Destroys Brain Cancers
May, 2000

Pot Shrinks Tumors
June, 2000

THC-Tumor Research Funding Cut
February, 2001

Cannabinoid Treats Tumors
January, 2002

Cannabinoid Anti-Tumor Effect
July, 2003

Cannabinoids Destroy Cancer
February, 2004

THC May Fight Lung Cancer
April, 2007



 
Iran's UN envoy has criticized the new US ambassador, who accused Tehran of supporting terrorism and attempting to develop nuclear weapons. 

In a speech to the UN Security Council during a session on Iraq, Susan Rice said once the US withdraws its troops from Iraq, it would 'seek an end to Iran's ambitions to acquire an illicit nuclear capacity, and its support for terrorism'.

Iran's UN envoy, Mohammad Khazaee, said Rice's remarks were a repetition of the same 'groundless accusations' against Iran that the previous US administration had made. 

"It is unfortunate that, yet again, we are hearing the same tired, unwarranted and groundless allegations that used to be unjustifiably and futilely repeated by the previous US administration," Khazaee said in a letter to the council's president, Japanese Ambassador, Yukio Takasu. 

"Instead of raising allegations against others, the United States had better take concrete and meaningful steps in correcting its past wrong policies and practices vis-à-vis other nations, including the Islamic Republic of Iran," Khazaee added. 

Khazaee said that Iran's nuclear program 'has been, is, and will remain, absolutely peaceful and Iran has never tried nor will ever try to acquire nuclear weapons'. 

Iran announced on Wednesday that it has launched the test-stage of its first nuclear power plant in the southern port of Bushehr and that the nuclear facility had entered its preliminary phase operation. 

Rice's comments come a day after the US State Department spokesman, Robert Wood, said the test did not cross the boundaries of peaceful nuclear technology as fuel arrangements for the nuclear facility were made with Russia. 

Iran's UN envoy said Tehran was a victim of terrorism and Rice's charge of Iran's support of terrorism was 'equally baseless and absurd'. 

Rice also said that Washington would urge Iran and Syria to become 'constructive regional actors' and the US will deepen ties in the region to pursue a 'broad and sustained peace'. 

Tehran and Washington have had no diplomatic ties since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. 

US President, Barack Obama and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton have vowed to begin direct talks with Iran to thaw relations between the two countries and resolve Iran's nuclear issue. 

Tehran has maintained that it is open to fair talks while demanding fundamental changes in US policy.

Plan Mexico is Back in Congress

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Yesterday the House Passed 2009 Plan Mexico Funding Despite Mexico's Failure to Comply with the 2008 Funding's Human Rights Conditions

The US House of Representatives passed the "omnibus" spending bill yesterday, which reportedly increases federal domestic spending by 8%.  Democrats celebrated the bill as having "reversed the Bush cuts on domestic priorities."  The bill will now head to the Senate.
However, $410 million was tucked away in the bill to provide 2009 funding for the military and law enforcement aid package known as the Merida Initiative or Plan Mexico.  The House version constitutes a 25% decrease from former president George W. Bush's original proposal of $550 million for 2009.

Under the House version, Mexico would receive $300 million in Plan Mexico funds, which is $100 million less than last year.  Central America would receive $105 million, which is a significant increase over the $60 million it received last year.  Haiti and the Dominican Republic's funding remains the same at $2.5 million each.

Of Mexico's proposed $300 million, $15 million falls under the Economic Support Fund (ESF) for "economic assistance and civil society institution building."  Last year Mexico received $20 million under the ESF, which in large part when to help the Mexican government implement its new judicial reforms, many of which were undertaken in response to the US government's leveraged encouragement.  2008 ESF funds were also used to expand a program operated by a CIA-affiliated NGO that will attempt to "influence attitudes about the rule of law" through media and NGOs.  It also included funds to train Mexican human rights organizations to "properly" monitor human rights.

Mexico would receive $246 million in International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement (INCLE) funding under the House bill, a slight decrease from the $263.5 million it received last year.  While the House bill does not specify what exactly 2009 INCLE funds would pay for (the spending plan that is due 45 days after the president signs the bill into law would go into more detail), the 2008 funds paid to expand Mexico's ability to track and detect undocumented immigrants in Mexico, effectively conflating undocumented immigrants with drug traffickers.  2008 INCLE funds also paid to expand various Mexican agencies' domestic spying capabilities.  They also provided "technical assistance in prison management" and an unspecified amount of money for drug treatment in Mexico.

The House version of Plan Mexico also proposes $39 million in Foreign Military Financing (FMF), which will pay for three Bell-412 helicopters.  Mexico was slated to receive $116.5 million in FMF last year under Plan Mexico, which were supposed to pay for up to five Bell-412 helicopters and other other armament.  However, 15% of the funds were withheld because Mexico has failed to comply with human rights conditions included in Plan Mexico.  FY 2009 funding appears to attempt to fill the gap left by Mexico's disregard of the human rights conditions and purchase the remaining helicopters.

Human Rights Conditions

The House passed 2009 funding for Plan Mexico despite the fact that the US government is still withholding 15% of the 2008 funds because Mexico has still not complied with Plan Mexico's human rights conditions.  The other 85% of the funds are unconditional.

In the House version of the 2009 bill, the human rights conditions remain the same.  The Me xican government must:

  • improve the transparency of police forces by establishing a commission or commissions to receive complaints regarding the police and carry out investigations,
  • consult regularly with Mexican civil society organizations regarding the implementation of the Merida Initiative,
  • assure that federal police and soldiers accused of human rights violations be tried in civil courts with the full cooperation of military and police officials,
  • and enforce the prohibition on the use of testimony obtained through torture or other ill-treatment.
However, the FY 2009 bill that funds Plan Mexico contains one potentially significant difference from the 2008 bill: whereas the 2008 bill says that 15% of funds will be withheld "until the Secretary of State reports in writing to the Committees on Appropriations that the Government of Mexico is" complying with the human rights conditions, the 2009 bill says that 15% of the funds will be withheld "until the Secretary of State reports in writing to the Committees on Appropriations that the Government of Mexico is continuing to" comply with the human rights conditions.  The addition of the two words "continuing to" seems to give the Mexican government a pass on the 2008 conditions, which, as previously stated, the Secretary of State has not determined it has fulfilled.  The Mexican government cannot possibly "continue to" comply with human rights conditions it never complied with in the first place.

The Mexican government seems to have significant difficulties with the last two human rights conditions: that military and federal police be tried in civilian courts and that testimony obtained under torture not be used in criminal cases.  In November, Narco News published a translation of a Proceso article that documented that the three suspects arrested in the Morelia Independence Day grenade attack were tortured, either by a drug cartel or by the Mexican government.  The men claim they were tortured into confessing to throwing the fragmentation grenades into a crowd of civilians.  The government has not explained how the men were inured.

Narco News has also published military authorities' outspoken opposition to trying soldiers accused of human rights violations in civilian courts.  Mexican Secretary of Defense Guillermo Galván Galván used his Military Day address to argue against "those who demand that Military Jurisdiction be abolished," claiming that military trials are "never a cover for impunity."  Aside from increased debate over the issue, the Mexican government has taken no steps to begin trying members of the military in civilian courts if they are accused of human rights violations.

This is a true story, proving how fascinating the mind of a six year old is. They think so logically. 

A teacher was reading the story of the Three Little Pigs to her class. She came to the part of the story where first pig was trying to gather the building materials for his home. She read 'and so the pig went up to the man with the wheel barrow full of straw and said: 'Pardon me sir, but may I have some of that straw to build my house?' 

The teacher paused then asked the class: 'And what do you think the man said?' 

One little boy raised his hand and said very matter-of-factly ...'I think the man would have said - 'Well, I'll be damned!! A talking pig!' 

The teacher had to leave the room. 

Grandma Goes To Court

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grandmagoestocourt.jpg

Stinks to at least Low Heaven

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from http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=849

This was suggested by one of Katlyn's relatives:

On May 2, 2005, Marlene Braun, the manager of the Carrizo Plains National Monument in California killed herself, leaving a suicide note citing abuse, humiliation and unprofessional conduct by her chain-of-command. The Inspector General "Report of Investigation", dated April 19, 2006, found that "BLM did not take action to resolve longstanding differences...or to diffuse inter-office conflict, despite the availability of alternative dispute resolution methods." As a result, the report concludes "a breakdown in trust, communication and cooperation...adversely affected management of the Carrizo Plains..."
The report, extracted by PEER nine months after its first Freedom of Information Act request to the Inspector General's office, leaves lingering questions:
      • Why did the Bakersfield Field Office manager not make a 911 call when he was unable to contact Braun after receiving her email?
      • Who delayed "emergency medical personnel" from immediately responding to Braun's house, requesting that they await "the arrival of law enforcement" because "Braun was known to possess firearms"? Braun was alive as emergency responders arrived but died an hour later;
      • Why did the BLM officials first dispatched to check on Braun seize her computer and other materials from Braun's house and then "failed to properly inventory the removed property or document their actions as required by BLM policy"?; and
      • What, if any, changes will Interior consider adopting to prevent future such tragedies?
I have to point out that these bolded items aren't normal for a suicide.  Generally, one wants to *ensure* the survival of the patient, not wait for them to die, and ransacking their belongings has a process called 'probate' that is normally at least polite to participate in (not like the dead person is going to take off with any of their stuff, yano?).

Exposure

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Mark Schapiro's new book Exposed investigates how corporations intent on thwarting stricter environmental and health guidelines here in the U.S. are forced to meet new demands by the European Union to improve their products. The resulting global economic power shift places Brussels, not Washington, in the driver's seat.
VIEW: Selected sources for Exposed
LISTEN: An Interview with Mark Schapiro on KQED's Forum
BUY: Exposed on Amazon.com

2004 Asset Forfeiture

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BY JIM SANDERS

THE SACRAMENTO BEE

Smoke weed -- help the state?

Marijuana would be sold and taxed openly in California to adults 21 and older if legislation proposed Monday is signed into law.

Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, said his bill could generate big bucks for a cash-starved state while freeing law enforcement agencies to focus on worse crimes.

"I think there's a mentality throughout the state and the country that this isn't the highest priority - and that maybe we should start to reassess," he said.

Critics counter that it makes no sense for a Legislature so concerned about health that it has restricted use of trans fats in restaurants to legalize the smoking of a potentially harmful drug.

"I think substance abuse is just ruining our society," said Assemblyman Paul Cook, R-Yucca Valley. "I can't support that."

"I think it's a slippery slope," Assemblyman Tom Berryhill, R-Modesto, said of easing pot laws. "We'll do everything we can to defeat it."

Medical use of marijuana already is legal in California, but the new legislation would go a step further by allowing recreational use.

Assembly Bill 390 would charge cannabis wholesalers $5,000 initially and $2,500 annually for the right to distribute weed.

Retail outlets would pay fees of $50 per ounce of cannabis to generate revenue for drug education programs statewide.

The bill would prohibit cannabis near schools. It also would ban smoking it in public places or growing it in public view.

Before California could sell marijuana openly, however, it would have to persuade the federal government to alter its prohibition on pot.

Amnesty's Scandalous Obliquity

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by Khaled Amayreh / February 24th, 2009

In an apparent effort to sound "balanced" and "unbiased," the London-based human rights group, Amnesty International (AI), has urged the international community to halt arms sales to the Israeli apartheid regime and the Palestinian Islamic liberation movement, Hamas. A report issued by the group on Sunday, 22 February, pointed out that arms supplied to "the two sides" were used in attacks on civilians and civilian objects" which constituted war crimes.
 
Nonetheless, a careful examination of the report shows a clear propensity on the part of AI to create a false symmetry between Hamas, a small liberation movement resisting a decades-old Nazi-like foreign military occupation, and Israel, a manifestly criminal state armed to the teeth, which has been committing every conceivable crime under the sun for the purpose of maintaining its colonialist occupation and brutal domination over the Palestinian people.

To be sure, no one claims that Hamas is completely blameless. Targeting innocent civilians is unacceptable. However, equating the resistance of a long-persecuted people languishing under an evil military occupation, even if wrongs are done, with an immensely superior state terror unjustifiably perpetrated by an occupying power is morally unconscionable, to say the very least. Indeed, doing so would be analogous to equating European resistance to the attacking Nazi armies during the Second World War, with the Nazi aggression itself.
Well, with all due respect to AI and its efforts to safeguard and defend human rights, there is no legal or moral equation between a rape victim's right to defend herself against her attacker and the criminal act initiated by the rapist. I am using this analogy because the enduring Israeli oppression meted out to the Palestinian people is an enduring act of rape. Yes, firing home-made and other comparatively primitive projectiles on Israeli civilians is a regrettable act. However, the firing of these projectiles, which killed a few Israelis in ten years of hostilities (virtually one Israeli per year), can't be compared with the nearly complete annihilation of Gaza's civilian infrastructure and wholesale murder of thousands of innocent men, women and children. The excessive, disproportionate and often pornographic use of deadly violence against an essentially imprisoned and unprotected civilian population is more than just a mere miscalculation or faulty reasoning. It is rather a deliberate war crime the perpetrators of which are vile war criminals who ought to be prosecuted and punished for their crimes.

More to the point, it is imperative that one gives context if one is truly interested in producing an honest and objective analysis of the recent outrage in Gaza. Hence, one must be honest enough to remember that Israel had been forcing the 1.5 million Gazans to choose between dying quietly by succumbing to a genocidal hermetic siege that pushed most of the region's inhabitants to the brink of a silent holocaust, or fighting back, using whatever primitive and extremely limited means at their disposal. I strongly believe it is absurd and ludicrous, if not outright malicious, to compare Hamas with Israel as far as the use of violence is concerned.

Hamas is a small movement of persecuted Palestinians who have been on the receiving end of Israeli persecution and repression. Hamas poses no real or strategic threat to Israel, a military superpower which also, to a large extent, controls American politics and policies. In its recent genocidal onslaught on Gaza, Israel used the deadliest weapons of death, including F-16 warplanes, apache helicopters, Merkava tanks, heavy artillery, depleted uranium, chemical agents that eat through the human flesh and eventually cause death, white phosphorus, dart shells and a variety of other lethal weapons. On the other hand, Hamas used notoriously primitive weapons, mainly to deter Israel from carrying out a genocide on a wider scale.

During that blitz, Israel knowingly and deliberately targeted civilian neighborhoods, apartment buildings, private homes, mosques, college dorms, university buildings, UN-run schools, grocery stores and businesses. It was a no-holds-barred rampage of murder and terror against an imprisoned and thoroughly starved civilian population. As a result, as many as 7,000 Palestinians were murdered, or maimed and injured, many with life-long deformities. Moreover, hundreds of thousands of other Gazans suffered long-lasting psychological trauma.

On the Israeli side, we are talking about a dozen Israeli fatalities, some of whom killed or injured by "friendly fire." So, we are dealing with an extremely lopsided situation where the death ratio is nearly 1:100. Needless to say, one doesn't have to be a great military expert to realize that this is not really a war; it is rather a huge massacre.

This is why, AI is called upon to call the spade a spade and refrain from hiding behind technical jargons that not only fail to communicate the facts about what really happened in Gaza but also give a false impression of symmetry in guilt between Israel and Hamas. More to the point, it is important to remember that Israel didn't impose the draconian blockade of Gaza as retaliation for the largely innocuous firing of projectiles onto Israel. The criminal blockade was imposed, first and foremost, as a cruel punishment of Palestinians for electing a political party that Israel didn't like. Hence, the imposition of the siege, which is continuing unabated, is per se a war crime or a crime against humanity.

The world betrayed them, the Arab world stood silent, with some Arab regimes even colluding with Israel to perfect the siege in the hope that Gazans would turn against Hamas and bring it down. And the hypocritical West had the audacity to blame the victims while babbling, as usual, about Israel's right to defend itself. This happened while an entire people was being imprisoned, starved, tormented and quietly exterminated, mainly for political reasons pertaining to Israeli territorial aggrandizement.

In short, it was the Nazi-like Israeli savaging of the Palestinians that made Palestinian resistance inevitable. The Palestinians, long tormented by this cruel occupation, have every legal and moral right to resist, using whatever means available to them. Indeed, instead of blaming the victims for resisting their oppressors, the world, including AI, ought to tell Israel that it can't just incarcerate 1.5 million civilians within the confines of an open-air prison, surrounded by barbed wire, watchtowers, tanks, landmines, and other state-of-the-art machines of death, and then expect the victims to display love and understanding toward their tormentors and oppressors.

Israel did transform the Gaza Strip into a real concentration camp, by denying the prisoner population access to fuel, electricity, food, medicine, medical care, and basic consumer products. Meanwhile, the Israeli death machine never stopped murdering innocent Palestinians, nearly on a daily basis. It is essential that AI and other human rights groups take these facts into account when dealing with the situation in Gaza. Failing to do so, by cowering before Israeli pressure, would further corrode AI image as the world's premier human rights organization.

Khalid Amayreh is a journalist living in Palestine.



Radio Curious Notes

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Khaldi, Ishmael -- Israeli Diplomacy

Posted on February 23rd, 2009 in PoliticsRelationshipsReligionWorld CultureWorld History by admin


Contrary to what people might assume, not all diplomats representing the State  of Israel are Jewish.  In this edition of Radio Curious we visit with Ishmael Khaldi the Deputy Consul General from the State of Israel and based in San Francisco, California.  Ishmael Khaldi is a Muslim who was born and raised in a migrant Bedouin community in Galilee in northern Israel.  Ishmael Khaldi is the first Bedouin diplomat and the first Muslim in the Israeli Foreign Service. In this interview he shares his journey from his migratory tribal roots to northern California as the deputy consul general, and some of the Israeli proposals for resolving the present day internal conflicts.  Ishmael  Khaldi visited the studios of Radio Curious, in Ukiah, California on February, 12th 2009.  Our conversation began when I asked him how he defines his identity, being both a Bedouin Muslim and deputy consul general for the State of Israeli.

Click here to begin listening.

I set up a temporary mailing list at KMEC to cover for the main mailing list which has been inoperable since the hacking of their server two weeks back, and it was hacked this weekend

We are *definitely* being 'helped' in our amazing ability to crash machines (more logs--lovely things, logs).  At this point, I'd say the only people who have more access to our system are those who have the password for the front door.  I'm not sure what they did to the Canadian server this list runs off of yet, but it seems better now.

I've got plenty of data logged now, and I'm discussing the matter with Sid.

In the big scheme of things, I'd say this is a notable, but not salient item.

A 'salient' item would be (for example) the 'Elvis 30 #1 Hits' CD that was inserted into my desktop machine at my house over the last few days (dunno when, I noticed it when I rebooted the machine yesterday).

In order for that to occur, they have to have a key to my house.  While this wouldn't be the first time I've been 'visited' in my life (fourth major one by my count), it's certainly surprising to find that this little podunk place merits that much professional attention.

I don't think we need to sweat the front-door combo, in other words.  It won't be 'secret' past the first use, IMHO.  Locks really do only keep honest people honest.

This is hard-ball, as I understand it.  I don't know yet what the source is, but the methods are *decidedly* professional.  If it's not the government, it's someone with a LOT of money.  You don't get people like me working for free (well, not often, and only when their brains have been softened by cannabis use, apparently).
I noted that "Elvis #1 Hits" was in my computer.

Honestly, I don't even know where the CD sleeve for that might be.  I think it's upstairs.

There's like, zero percent chance that I 'accidentally' put in a disk to my machine that I wouldn't know where to find if queried.

Anyway, it's interesting.  I suppose it's a message to let me know that "I'm under their thumb," however, that's been my point for fifteen years since they lied to my landlady to get her to let them ransack my house in Austin.

I'm not terribly impressed.  If they hadn't listened to the show, the 'Judi Bari Immediate Retirement Plan' appeals to me.

The MEC

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the_mec.jpg
It's *REALLY* big.  Click if you dare (and have time).  It's detailed enough you can read some of the spines of the books on the shelf.
I posted two entries, and they are 'there' but not 'here' (front page).

What's up with that?

A stranger from the land of Woot came to Master Foo as he was eating the morning meal with his students.

"I hear y00 are very l33t," he said. "Pl33z teach m3 all y00 know."

Master Foo's students looked at each other, confused by the stranger's barbarous language. Master Foo just smiled and replied: "You wish to learn the Way of Unix?"

"I want to b3 a wizard hax0r," the stranger replied, "and 0wn ever3one's b0xen."

"I do not teach that Way," replied Master Foo.

The stranger grew agitated. "D00d, y00 r nothing but a p0ser," he said. "If y00 n00 anything, y00 wud t33ch m3."

"There is a path," said Master Foo, "that might bring you to wisdom." The master scribbled an IP address on a piece of paper. "Cracking this box should pose you little difficulty, as its guardians are incompetent. Return and tell me what you find."

The stranger bowed and left. Master Foo finished his meal.

Days passed, then months. The stranger was forgotten.

Years later, the stranger from the land of Woot returned.

"Damn you!" he said, "I cracked that box, and it was easy like you said. But I got busted by the FBI and thrown in jail."

"Good," said Master Foo. "You are ready for the next lesson." He scribbled an IP address on another piece of paper and handed it to the stranger.

"Are you crazy?" the stranger yelled. "After what I've been through, I'm never going to break into a computer again!"

Master Foo smiled. "Here," he said, "is the beginning of wisdom."

On hearing this, the stranger was enlightened.

You *HAVE* Been Lied To, Yano?

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"You have been lied to"

Joined: Jul 26, 2008

Comments: 370

San Jose, CA

Under the current prohibition approach, police are forced to endlessly chase and imprison dealers and users. When we take cops off this beat, we need not fear increased violence, crime or drug abuse, because we can apply the protective tools that regulate markets to improve public safety and health. 

As we saw in the earlier prohibition of the 1920s and 1930s, much of our street violence stems not from drug use but from the illegal nature of the drug market. In any trade, competitors vie to control markets. Under drug prohibition, rival organizations resort to violence to decide who will triumph in the marketplace. Disputes surrounding quality, delivery, price and credit are not resolved in courts or by arbitration, but at the point of a gun. In legal businesses, valuable inventory can be protected from thieves with legitimate security firms, but in prohibition, only gangsters are hired to provide protection against robbery, embezzlement or fraud. In the illegal market, price and quality information is unreliable. There is no trademark protection, no dependable quality control. 

But while today's prohibition is a failure for much the same reasons as the last one, its consequences are even graver. Whereas alcohol prohibition allowed domestic gangsters like Al Capone to rake in rich profits, today's illegal market helps fund the efforts of international cartels and terrorist networks like Al Qaeda and the Taliban. After prohibition is repealed, America will be rid of a major source of violence, crime and disorder that plagues every major city and most Indian reservations, counties and municipalities in the United States as well as communities worldwide.

The professionals of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP)know from long experience that when we arrest a rapist or robber the number of rapes and robberies in the community diminishes because "we got the guy." But when we arrest a drug dealer at any level, we simply create a job opening that is quickly filled from the endless ranks of people willing to risk prison or death for the chance of obtaining huge profits. 

After spending a trillion tax dollars and making 39 million arrests for nonviolent drug offenses, drugs are now generally cheaper, more potent and easier for our children to access than they were 40 years ago at the beginning of the "drug war."

Drug Abuse is Bad...The Drug War is Worse!
LAW ENFORCEMENT AGAINST PROHIBITION
Criminal Justice Professionals Speaking Out Against the War on Drugs
www.askleap.org

Soros sees no bottom for world financial "collapse"

Sat Feb 21, 2009 4:19pm EST
 
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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Renowned investor George Soros said on Friday the world financial system has effectively disintegrated, adding that there is yet no prospect of a near-term resolution to the crisis.

Soros said the turbulence is actually more severe than during the Great Depression, comparing the current situation to the demise of the Soviet Union.

He said the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers in September marked a turning point in the functioning of the market system.

"We witnessed the collapse of the financial system," Soros said at a Columbia University dinner. "It was placed on life support, and it's still on life support. There's no sign that we are anywhere near a bottom."

His comments echoed those made earlier at the same conference by Paul Volcker, a former Federal Reserve chairman who is now a top adviser to President Barack Obama.

Volcker said industrial production around the world was declining even more rapidly than in the United States, which is itself under severe strain.

"I don't remember any time, maybe even in the Great Depression, when things went down quite so fast, quite so uniformly around the world," Volcker said.

(Reporting by Pedro Nicolaci da Costa and Juan Lagorio; Editing by Gary Hill)


Justice for ****

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Katlyn Long

This petition is to help get attention on the need for justice in the death of 22 year-old Katlyn Long. Katlyn's death is still being listed as "under suspicious circumstances" with her ex-boyfriend being the "person of interest." 

There are many facts that can not be released at this time because there is an active investigation. However, Katlyn's life ended on May 29, 2008, and those that want to see justice done, who know the facts of the case, are getting very concerned that there may never be Justice for Katlyn.  

This petition will be given to the District Attorney's office of Mendocino County, CA. We want to show them that there are lot of citizens that will not rest until justice is served, and who will be watching this case. Katlyn was a lover of life, who had a pure, kind, bright spirit.  


Those of you who know about domestic violence, know that it is when the abused person leaves the reltionship that the violence escalates. Please pass this petition on to everyone you know, and ask them to do the same, so we can tell the District Attorney's office that many, many eyes are watching what they do with this case. Justice for Katlyn!

signature
goal: 1,000
 

BTW, the title refers to the thread on the Ukiah Daily Urinal's Topix Blog (which will not permit the use of the girl's name--it masks it as if it were fuck or shit).

Phosphate Rock Fertilizer

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Phosphate Rock Fertilizer: Toxic Metals, Radiation Hazards, Fluoride, and Organic Growing

from: organicconsumers.org

George Glasser - Ros Jones
National Pure Water Association
Campaign for Safe Drinking Water 
Founded in England, 1960
http://www.npwa.freeserve.co.uk/organic.html

The NPWA has a long-standing concern about the phosphate fertiliser industry. Fluorosilicic acid (H2SiF6), used to fluoridate drinking water, is derived from the pollution scrubbing operations at those facilities. We have built up a considerable understanding of phosphate rock (PR).

The raw rock (which during phosphate fertiliser production is extensively processed) is contaminated with heavy metals, radionuclides, other toxic metals and fluorides. It is recommended for use as an organic fertiliser in its raw state.

In the process to make the raw rock into green phosphoric acid, some of the fluorides are driven off as silicon tetrafluoride gas and a good amount of the toxic metals/radionuclides are carried away in the gypsum waste stream. http://www.npwa.freeserve.co.uk/pollution.htm

PR is referred to in geological terms as fluorapatite. Depending on the region of the world it comes from, the rock can contain anywhere from 2.0% to 5.0% fluoride. At five percent, one kilogram contains enough fluoride to fluoridate 50,000 litres of drinking water.

One ounce @ 5.0% fluoride (about the amount used to fertilise one organic tomato plant as recommended by some organic growers) contains about 1.4 grams of fluoride, which is enough to kill a small child.

Fluoride is also toxic to many plants (phytotoxic).http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/jws/jsfa/2003/00000083/00000013/art00012,http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/plantsci/landscap/pp744w.htm,www.publish.csiro.au/?act=view_ file&file_id=SR00036.pdf

Aside from fluorine pollution, Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) is the major concern of most government environmental agencies regulating pollution and phosphorgypsum waste from the manufacture of phosphoric acid.

Again, depending on geographic location where the PR is mined, it can contain from 50 - 200 ppm of uranium. PR is the major source of 'yellow cake' (uranium oxide) for nuclear weapons and the nuclear power industry.

PR is notorious for its radioactive constituents. The risks it poses are most threatening to people who come into direct contact with it - eg. organic growers. However, organic growing organisations seem to be oblivious to these health hazards - despite the information having been available for many years.

Where there is uranium in natural rock formations, there will also be all its carcinogenic decay rate products; such as radium, radon, radioactive lead, polonium, thorium, etc.

There are also toxic metal contaminants such as beryllium, manganese, arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium and vanadium.

The tailings from phosphoric acid production (phosphate fertiliser), phosphorgypsum, are so radioactive that they are not allowed to be used for wall-board or road beds in the US and Canada - because it is considered a radiation hazard. However, organic growers are allowed to treat their fields with the raw, unprocessed product once every six years, with none of the contaminants processed out.
http://www.epa.gov/radiation/neshaps/subpartr/more.htm
http://www.efma.org/Publications/BAT%202000/Bat04/section04.asp

Taking a closer look at this 'natural' PR mix, we find for example polonium-210:
One particle of polonium-210 gives off 5,000 times more alpha radiation than the same amount of radium. Damage occurs in the body from complete tissue absorption of the energy of the alpha particle. Polonium-210 can be carcinogenic to people exposed to more than 0.03 microcuries (6.8 trillionths of a gram). Polonium-210 has a half-life of about 138 days.(There are also high levels of Radium and Polonium- 210 in granite dust, which is used by organic farmers is some parts of the world as a soil conditioner).

Half Life: Half of the polonium gives off intense alpha radiation for 138 days until it turns into regular lead and becomes stable. However, half the polonium still remains, emitting alpha radiation for another 138 days; then a quarter of the original amount, and so on and so on.

Polonium is found in tobacco grown with phosphate fertilisers. Studies have suggested that radioactive polonium may be the primary cause of smoking-related cancers.

Polonium is carried throughout the body in the blood. It has been linked to more soft-tissue cancers than bone cancers; typical sites are the liver, spleen and kidney.

Radon is also given off from PR and ground granite. Radon is second only to smoking as the leading cause of lung cancer in the UK.

Radon is an important environmental hazard, due to its release of alpha particle radiation. It has a half life of 3.8 days.

Radon is also soluble in water.
http://www.physics.umaine.edu/radiation/radon.htm
http://energy.cr.usgs.gov/radon/georadon/3.html
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/pubs/physic.html

Radon, in and of itself, is not a carcinogen. It is the decay products of radon that are the problem.

If organic growers are using PR or ground granite, they are being exposed to these radioactive elements, especially radon. It is important to note that these do not simply dissipate from the product in a few days, months or years - these products will emit radon for many thousands of years.

NPWA would strongly recommend organic growers to purchase a radon detector/s. PR dust can be brought into the home on clothes and shoes.

Also, greenhouse growers should check for radon build-up.

If you use PR or ground granite for indoor plants, it would be wise to purchase a radon detector and to re-pot your plants.

NPWA believes that the promotion of PR and ground granite soil conditioners by organic growers' organisations endangers the health and well-being of their members and of people who follow their advice.

NPWA also believes that the use of raw phosphate rock and ground granite for fertiliser and/or soil conditioner should be banned for health and safety reasons.

Other reasons for NPWA opposition to the use of PR are as follows:

1. The use of phosphate fertilisers is a major contributor to environmental pollution.

2. The act of mining PR causes ecological devastation in many regions of the world.
http://www.banaban.com/pmining.htm
http://www.waterconserve.info/articles/reader.asp?linkid=42311
http://www.americanrivers.org/site/News2?JServSessionIdr005=qn4zxbzm41.app14a&abbr=AMR
_&page=NewsArticle&id=6697&news_iv_ctrl=-1
3. Concern about up-take of fluorides, toxic metals and radionuclides in produce grown with phosphate fertilisers..
(http://www.medvarsity.com/vmu1.2/dmr/dmrdata/cme/fluorosis/Fluorosis.htm
http://www.floridacenter.org/publications/02_04shiralipour.PDF)
4. The health and wellbeing of growers who have not been informed about the dangers in using PR.

Further Reference Material:

http://www.greenpeace.to/publications_pdf/LCC_2002.pdf
http://www.epa.gov/radiation/neshaps/subpartr/more.htm#how_much_radioactivity
http://lqma.ifas.ufl.edu/PUBLICATION-subject.html
http://www.purewatergazette.net/fluorideandphosphate.htm
http://www.epa.gov/radiation/radionuclides/uranium.htm
http://www.bandepleteduranium.org/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=2
http://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/chem/issues/kim-99-23-3/kim-23-3-6-98063.pdf
http://www.uoguelph.ca/~geology/rocks_for_crops/16car.PDF
http://www.webspawner.com/users/radioactivefood/
http://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/q25.html
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iop/jrp/2000/00000020/00000001/art00305
http://www.acsa.net/HealthAlert/RadioFood.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list
_uids=11379072&query_hl=2

Phosphates - http://www.uic.com.au/nip59.htm
Phosphate rock used for fertiliser is a major NORM due to uranium and thorium. Australian phosphate rock contains up to 900 Bq/kg and that imported is about twice this, yielding about 1000 Bq/kg in phosphogypsum waste stream and up to 3000 Bq/kg in the superphosphate product. In the USA some 50 million tonnes per year are produced and state figures (UNSCEAR 1977) average up to 10,000 Bq/kg of total radioactivity. Processing this sometimes gives rise to measurable doses of radioactivity to people. Phosphate rocks containing up to 120 ppm U have been used as a source of uranium.

European fertiliser manufacturing gave rise to discharges of phophogypsum containing significant quantities of Ra-226, Pb-210 and Po-210 into the North Sea and North Atlantic. This has been overtaken by offshore oil and gas production in Norwegian and UK waters releasing some 10 TBq/yr of Ra-226, Ra-228 & Pb-210 - contributing 90% of alpha-active discharges in those waters (two orders of magnitude more than the nuclear industry, and with this NORM having higher radiotoxicity).

Also see: http://www.corpwatch.org/print_article.php?&id=555
http://www.soilandhealth.org/01aglibrary/010134hopkins/010134ch3.html
http://www.epa.gov/radiation/radionuclides/radon.htm
http://web.em.doe.gov/idb97/chap7.html
http://www.geo.tu-freiberg.de/umh/Abstract_View/falck_15_abstract.pdf
http://www.fao.org/documents/show_cdr.asp?url_file=/docrep/007/y5053e/y5053e0d.htm
http://www.schundler.com/florides.htm
http://www1.fipr.state.fl.us/PhosphatePrimer/0/684AE64864D115FE85256F88007AC781
http://www.rdsenvironmental.com/hazmat.radon.html
http://www.soilassociation.org/web/sa/saweb.nsf/0/80256ad8005545498025678d0035fa7d?OpenDocument
http://www.fluoridealert.org/pesticides/Fertilizer.abstracts.1990-.htm
http://static.highbeam.com/a/australianjournalofsoilresearch/may012001

Slightly Edited

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Yeah, I figured I'd take a page from their playbook.  You can link back to the original if you care to see all the Mexican Government propaganda I cut.

Drug War Protesters Block Mexico-US Border

Protesters gathered in border towns across northern MexicoProtesters gathered in border towns across northern MexicoHundreds of people in Mexico have blocked key crossings into the US in protests against the deployment of the army to fight drug traffickers.

Traffic was brought to a halt on a number of bridges in several border towns in northern Mexico.

The protesters accused the army of abuse against civilians. 

Some 40,000 troops have been deployed since 2006.

In some parts of the country, the army has taken over the role of the police, which have often proved easily corrupted when bribed or threatened, says the BBC's Stephen Gibbs in Mexico City.

Calderon's vow

The protesters blocked bridges in Ciudad Juarez, Nuevo Laredo and Reynosa.

They chanted "Soldiers out!" and "Stop abuse by the PFP [Federal Preventative Police]!"

The demonstrators also shut roads in the industrial city of Monterrey.

Many of the protesters said border towns had become more dangerous since President Felipe Calderon sent the army in.

Human rights activists say there are legitimate complaints about reported abuses by the troops, including alleged cases in which army patrols have fired on civilians at checkpoints.

Not Enough Evidence To Charge Phelps, Sheriff Says

Michael Phelps admitted "regrettable behavior" after a photo of him using a bong was published.Michael Phelps admitted "regrettable behavior" after a photo of him using a bong was published.Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps will not face criminal charges in connection with a November party at which he was photographed using a bong, a South Carolina sheriff said Monday.

"We do not believe we have enough evidence to prosecute anyone" who was at the party in Columbia, South Carolina, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott told reporters, adding that authorities are ending their investigation into Phelps.

"We had a photo, and we had him saying he was sorry for his inappropriate behavior," Lott said. "That behavior could have been going to a party. ... He never said, 'I smoked marijuana.' He never confessed to that. We didn't have physical evidence. We didn't have enough where we could go arrest him."

I Told You So ...

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Pot Protects From Workplace Accidents

Another one of the overhyped stereotypes around marijuana users has just bitten the dust. For years people assumed that getting 'stoned' made you either lazy or careless. The bleary-eyed stoner getting into mishaps is the stuff of much comedy. But what if marijuana use actually made you more careful and less likely to screw up and hurt yourself?

A new Swiss study published at Bio-Med Central concludes exactly that: marijuana can protect you from injury. The study, titled "Alcohol and cannabis use as risk factors for injury - a case-crossover analysis in a Swiss hospital emergency department" compared the injuries that required hospitalization. The authors' conclusions were surprising: marijuana use is not only NOT associated with increased risk of injury - marijuana users actually get injured less than sober people: "The results for cannabis use were quite surprising. [...] The present study in fact indicated a 'protective effect' of cannabis use in a dose-response relationship."

You Go, Girl!

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Green Party Siren Jodie Emery Targets Wally Oppal The Prohibitionist

She's an editor of Cannabis Culture magazine, she's 24 years old, she supported U.S. presidential candidate Ron Paul, and she's married to pot crusader Marc Emery. She's Jodie Emery, and the Georgia Straight has learned that she will run for the B.C. Green party against B.C. attorney general Wally Oppal in Vancouver-Fraserview in May.

"There is a lot that needs to be said that he needs to hear," Emery told the Straight by phone. "He used to be a bit more progressive, but he's since turned to become more prohibitionist and [is] supporting the policing, even though he and everyone can see that hasn't worked thus far. I think I will have a good time discussing some of these issues--gang violence and prohibition and organized crime--with Wally Oppal. I am quite excited about it."

B.C. Green party deputy leader Damian Kettlewell, who confirmed he is running in his newly created home riding of Vancouver-False Creek, said Emery "has got the full package".

Creative Activism

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DMV Sued Over Medical Marijuana

Americans for Safe Access has sued the Department of Motor Vehicles, asking for a written policy that says medical marijuana should be treated the same as prescription drugs. The suit contends that the DMV has a pattern of investigating and suspending the driver's licenses of people who use pot on the recommendation of their doctors.

Reporting from San Francisco - When Matt Vaughn was pulled over for speeding on Interstate 5 in Northern California early on a Sunday morning, he had a bag of marijuana on the passenger seat.

The California Highway Patrol officer smelled the weed, searched the car, took the marijuana and pipe and gave Vaughn a sobriety test, which he passed. An angry Vaughn showed the officer his doctor's recommendation to use marijuana for glaucoma. The officer was unimpressed.

"He said, in Glenn County, they don't recognize those kinds of things," said Vaughn, 55, who has a long ponytail, mustache and beard. "He was not very friendly about it."

The 2005 incident cost Vaughn a speeding ticket, his 1 1/4 ounce of pot and his driver's license -- and nine months of fighting the California Department of Motor Vehicles -- before he prevailed.

Irradiated Food *dangers*

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Yes, there is apparently a danger associated with it.  The danger appears to be that in considering it, one becomes feeble-minded.

To wit: the opponents of this technology keep mis-inserting radioactive elements *INTO* the food, when it's nothing of the sort (the irradiated items never come into direct contact with anything radioactive).

Now, I have to say I agree with them when they point out that it's a lazy solution to a lazy problem (food cleanliness).

However, unless we want to pay for food inspection, it's much more to the *real* point (that we'd just as soon not get sick from eating).

Whether or not it's *safe* will take a generation, but preliminary reports appear that it's not only safe, but harmless.

I should point out that my research in this field didn't start on listening to the fear-mongers on KMEC.  I read an article in Cannabis Culture magazine about these guys, who pointed out that they wanted to provide safe, legal, *irradiated* cannabis (since many of the recipients may well be immune compromised).

Ale Yarok

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ale Yarok
LeaderGil Kopatch
Founded1999
HeadquartersJerusalem
IdeologyLiberalismEnvironmentalism
Website
www.ale-yarok.org.il

Ale Yarok (Hebrewעלה ירוק‎, Green Leaf) is a minor liberal political party in Israel best known for its ideology of decriminalizing cannabis. To date it has had no representation in the Knesset.

Contents

 [hide]

[edit]History

The party gained 1% of the vote in the 1999 elections,[1] and 1.2% in the 2003 elections,[2] but both times failed to pass the 1.5% threshold for representation in the Knesset. After failing to make it into the Knesset in the 2003 elections, the chairman of Ale Yarok, Boaz Wachtel announced that he was giving up the leadership of the party, but remained in the position due to party members requests.

Israel On The House

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And I thought free flights to Vegas were cheesy.



Onward, Christian Zionists

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Christian Zionists believe that in order to fulfill Biblical prophecy, Israel must conquer most of the Middle East. They are a growing force in American politics with ties to many powerful pro-Israel groups in Washington. Once considered a marginal doctrine among evangelicals, the dispensationalist theology of Christian Zionism includes a belief in the rapture, when the faithful are to be lifted up to Heaven while the rest of humanity--including most of the Jews--will perish.

Absolutely Atrocious Behavior

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Watch this Zionist pig hit people with rocks (and claim it's the 'right thing to do').



It's also the source for that 'Drunk Jew' video that's equally despicable ("We killed Jesus, and we're proud.")

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

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The One you *Feed*

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An old Cherokee chief is teaching his grandson about life.

"A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves."

"One is evil -- he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego."

"The other is good -- he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

"This same fight is going on inside you -- and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?" The old chief simply replied, "The one you feed."

BETA-BLOCKERS ERASE EMOTION OF FEARFUL MEMORIES
Memory remains, but feeling of fear is less or gone, shows experimental study in people
Web edition : Sunday, February 15th, 2009
font_down font_up Text Size

The first experimental study in humans connecting beta-blockers and memory suggests these drugs, usually taken to treat heart conditions, can also wipe away the emotions associated with frightening memories. The power of such memories could be dampened when a person thinks about the traumatic events after taking the drugs, scientists say.

Clinical psychologist Merel Kindt of the University of Amsterdam and her colleagues report the new finding online February 15 in Nature Neuroscience.The research builds on a clinical study published in the May 2008 Journal of Psychiatric Research that suggested beta-blockers helped patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD.

"Kindt's work confirms our clinical results and goes further by showing beta-blockers also have this effect" on people who had no previous history of mental health issues, comments Alain Brunet, psychiatrist at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute at McGill University in Montreal and a coauthor of the PTSD study.

Kindt and her colleagues showed subjects a photograph of a spider, which was accompanied by an electric shock, conditioning the participants to have a fearful memory of the image. Later, some participants were given a beta-blocker drug, propranolol, and others were given a placebo before being exposed to the image again. The beta-blocker group's fear response was greatly reduced or even eliminated when the subjects were shown the spider photograph 24 hours after taking the drugs. "The people did not forget seeing the photograph of the spider," Kindt says. "But the fear associated with the image was erased."

On the other hand:

Is tetris the post-traumatic wonder cure

You might imagine that the blocky graphics and incessant beeps of Tetris tend to increase stress levels - but now psychologists think that a game or two of the classic computer game may actually help sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

 

Playing Tetris after traumatic events could reduce the flashbacks experienced in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), preliminary research by Oxford University psychologists suggests.

The researchers report in PLoS ONE that for healthy volunteers, playing Tetris soon after viewing traumatic material in the laboratory can reduce the number of flashbacks to those scenes in the following week. They believe that the computer game may disrupt the memories that are retained of the sights and sounds witnessed at the time, and which are later re-experienced through involuntary, distressing flashbacks of that moment.

"This is only a first step in showing that this might be a viable approach to preventing PTSD," said Dr Emily Holmes of the Department of Psychiatry, who led the work. "This was a pure science experiment about how the mind works from which we can try to understand the bigger picture. There is a lot to be done to translate this experimental science result into a potential treatment."


And then, there's:

Since 1995, The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) has disbursed over three million dollars to worthy research and educational projects.

We need your support because only together we can make a difference.

Donations can be restricted to specific project funds or given to MAPS' general operational fund.

 
MDMA Psychotherapy Research

click here for main MDMA page

MAPS has a comprehensive $5 million, 5-year strategy, outlined in a Clinical Plan to develop MDMA into an FDA-approved prescription medicine as an adjunct to psychotherapy. Developing MDMA into an FDA-approved prescription medicine is MAPS' top priority, for reasons fully discussed in the Clinical Plan.

MAPS' MDMA psychotherapy research agenda was featured most recently in a thorough and remarkably favorable cover article in the November 25, 2007 issue of the Washington Post Sunday Magazine, with the article entitled, "The Peace Drug." Prior to that, MAPS MDMA research has been discussed in an April 1, 2004 news story on ABC's World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, in a May 13, 2004 report in the scientific journal Nature, in a May 2, 2005 article in Newsweek, Ecstasy: A Possible New Role for A Banned Club Drug and in a May 15, 2006 article in the Boston Globe, A Good Death.

For 2008, MAPS is seeking to raise an additional $50,000 for writing up the results of our US MDMA/PTSD study being conducted in Charleston, SC by Dr. Michael and Annie Mithoefer, for refining our treatment manual and for developing our therapist training program. Donations of any amount are most appreciated. This study is designed to explore the use of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in 21 subjects with treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and was approved after 18 years of long and expensive struggle.This is the first FDA-approved study of the therapeutic use of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. The final subject will be treated in July, 2008. Then we'll analyze the data and write up the results for publication.

Internationally, MAPS is sponsoring an MDMA/PTSD study in Israel in subjects who have war and/or terrorism-related PTSD, led by Moshe Kotler, MD, former chief psychiatrist of the Israeli Defense Forces. This study is has full government approval and has already enrolled the first subject.

And (lastly) from Joan Bello:

For everyone who suffers from PTSD - for whatever reason - Marijuana Therapy has been shown to be very effective and safe. Not like the talking therapies which have a dismal record of helping trauma victims, and nothing like the dangerous, numbing, and addictive, but legal drugs that cost a fortune and deaden one's mind. BTW: it just so happens, that starting in 2004, the Israeli army began to conduct controlled studies with Marijuana Therapy for PTSD. They heard tell from their soldiers that it worked. Preliminary findings actually resulted in government-issue THC for their soldiers. That's right!! Israeli soldiers are given THC as part of their rations!

Who Watches the Clock?

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The Shadow's nose.

Kerry's Tour

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Kerry is in Israel touring the devastation that Hamas wreaks on Israel.

I watched him going past a big pile of missiles that were stacked up on display.

Now, THINK about this.

The missiles are *stacked up* (all bent, broken, rusted, but *present*).

If they are sitting there in piles for tZippi the Pinhead to show off to JFK, they didn't really blow much else up, did they?

IF you didn't notice

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Which would be quite expectable...

The right-hand blog main-screen pane shows a link:

"Be one of writch's wranglers"

(that's pronounced: "Be one of WRITCH'S WRANGERS!")

If you were perhaps lysdexic, adn were'nt reallly srue if there wass a DoG.

Thursday, February 19th, 2009 at 9:13 am | By: "Radical" Russ

San Francisco, CA: A majority of west coast voters support regulating the sale of marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol, according to national poll of 1,053 likely voters by Zogby International and commissioned by California NORML and Oaksterdam University.

Fifty-eight percent of respondents residing on the west coast agree that cannabis should be "taxed and legally regulated like alcohol and cigarettes." Only thirty-six percent of west coast respondents oppose regulating the sale of marijuana for adults.

Zogby 2009 Legalization PollNationally, support for taxing and regulating cannabis stands at 44 percent. Among likely voters on the east coast, 48 percent endorse legalizing marijuana. Respondents' support fell to approximately 37 percent in the southern and central regions of the United States.

Earlier this month, a national CBS/New York Times poll reported that 41 percent of Americans support legalizing marijuana - up from just 27 percent in 1979.

Wittenburg Door

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General Motors, once the symbol of American industrial might, is now 1/25th the size of Toyota, and smaller than Bed Bath & Beyond.


Fashion designer Claudia Escobar sells an ultra-mini-bikini made out of salmon skin for $495.

Salmon Bikini


After three months of testimony costing taxpayers over $1 million, a mistrial was declared in a drug conspiracy prosecution in Sydney, Australia, after it was discovered that five of the jurors spent most of their time in court playing Sudoku.


Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice joined the KISS Fan Club and was given a backstage pass.


Gerald L.K. Smith, a Disciples of Christ minister and white supremacist, pioneered the field of Holocaust Denial when he said that most of the Jews alleged killed by the Nazis in death camps were actually alive and well in New York City.


Televangelist Jack Van Impe says that the United Nations is placing secret codes on the backs of national highway signs in order to reveal the locations of believers, so that the New World Order can persecute them.


Texe Marrs, head of Power of Prophecy Ministries in Spicewood, Texas, claims that Jimmy Carter, the PTA and the Masons are involved in a conspiracy to destroy the American government, and that the conspiracy was discovered by Pat Robertson, who is also now part of the conspiracy. Marrs previously claimed that Hillary Clinton and Janet Reno were involved in a lesbian plot to destroy Christianity.



More?

In Logo Hunting ...

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I found the most *amazing* coincidence (sure to be fodder for some lame-brained theorist if they just try).  This is a P&G product I'm unfamiliar with:


The funny part (for the theorists) is that if you look up the same product on P&G's Israel web site, they've turned the 'star' on it's side:


תמונה

So, is it "Ariel Sharon"?  From the wiki:

Sharon served as Prime Minister from March 2001 until April 2006, though he was unable to carry out his duties after suffering a stroke on 4 January 2006, when he fell into a coma and entered a persistent vegetative state.

Would that fit that, "One of the beast's heads looked like it had sustained a mortal wound..." stuff?  I mean, his party is *still* running the show (tZippi the Pinhead is his current replacement till he 'gets better'). 

Hmm, ink-wired minds are the double's workshop.

For The Record

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About this time a year ago I was coughing up toothbrush bristles.

I realized something mildly funny about the "Dr John's" (later Crest) Spinbrush that came apart when the wrong toothpaste was put on it.

The 'wrong' toothpaste?

It's from the same company that owns the Spinbrush now (can you guess?):



Now, the weirdest part here is that the company that makes the Crest toothpaste, Proctor & Gamble, isn't the company that makes the Crest Spinbrush.

P&G

You might recall them by their old logo:

pg.jpeg
Isn't the little red '666' in it just charming?

That's likely an Amway production (at least, they were the ones that were found to be spreading the rumors that it was a *satanic* symbol).

Amway had to pay $19m.



So, now, when you see the Crest logo, you'll know for sure you don't know whose product it really is.

Incidentally, PG stock is currently at $51.16 a share, however, if you have stock with the *old* logo, *that* stock is running at $249 (on sale)


Procter & Gamble Company with Moon and Stars Vignette - Ohio 1976 

Procter & Gamble Company with Moon and Stars Vignette - Ohio 1976

Normal Price: $299.95
Our Sales Price: $249.95pad






Vox

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Why does everybody hate America?

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Why does everybody hate America?

Images of U.S. soldiers tying up frightened little girls in rooms enraged world opinion.

Well, first of all, they don't hate all of America or all Americans, they just hate the very worst kinds of Americans, ones like Bush who are sociopathic little yuppie creeps who have no regard for life, except their own.

Every night all the other news organization throughout the world show the horrors of US occupation of Iraq - The images of the kids with their arms or legs blown apart or killed by a US raid. Every night the people of the world are angered at these real images on the their TVs of real kids whose lives are mangled and destroyed. 


U.S. soldiers frisk children violating the deepest traditions and religions of the people

But we can't see these images here in the United States because our leaders and media think that by showing us the REALITY of our actions that we would not support the looting rampage that Bush and his buddies are subjecting the world to. This is why the world hates us. You see, in the modern world only scum hides from the truth. And Bush and the scum in the media who is colluding with Bush know that their most important objective is to assure that he truth doesn't get shown to the American people. But for the rest of the people of the world - As soon as the images of all the dead and mangled kids starts circulating around the world - the war has already been lost, by both sides.

Now, there is no good will throughout the world for America - The whole world knows the truth about Bush and his gang. Bush and his dad and all their buddies in the defense establishment are making a fortune - they are cashing in BIG TIME. And US soldiers are paying the price. And innocent women and children are being slaughtered.

Who thinks for a minute that these rampant war profiteers in Washington care one bit about the suffering of these children in Iraq whose arms and legs are being blown from their bodies? Who actually believes that these old geezers in Washington have even the capability to understand the human tragedy they are inflicting on others when the specter of rampant war profiteering looms in every crevice of their cold clammy bodies and screams out "I AM A WALKING TALKING CONFLICT OF INTRESTS." 

That's another reason why the people of the world hate us. Because they know that the Bushes are merely war profiteers and looters, oh and more thing - Genocidal Murderers. 

These Bush types are totally engorged in their orgy of commerce and militarism. Cheny, Haliburton, Carlyle and all the rest - it's disgusting, and it's right in EVERYBODIES FACE. Everyone see it. Everyone understands what a CONFLICT OF INTEREST is. But we are being lied to and brainwashed into thinking that we really don't mind all this RAPE that is going on in our name. It's chilling to see Bush feign concern for the suffering of this or that victim. He's as fake as they come. A little child with both his arms are blown off at the same time as both his parents are killed - It means nothing to Bush - Nothing.

Not with all the defense industry profits to worry about and inside deals going on, and all the favorable defense procurement contracts to dole out and all the avenues of kickback to manage and follow up on. It's not easy RAPING the world AND America. It is a monumental full time effort. It requires the utmost attention to the detail of strategic killing and strategic lying. And this Bush crew is not very good at it. These Bushes are unique in their ability to initiate the chaos - The problem is, that the Bushes never did figure out how to finish what they started. And so their specialty is to just ram the thing straight into the ground and extract as much cash from it as it is crashing. That's their specialty, that's what the Bushes do - That's all they have ever done.

You can see it in Bushes whole demeanor when they wheel him out to get up there and fake concern for some devastated person or people whose lives are devastated by the US war machine, I cringe, because I know that behind his eyes, visions of the next looting spree, dance in this mental midget's little mind.

An orgy of killing - A mountain of dead children - Now Bush has put America neck and neck with Israel as the two most hated nations on earth. Congratulations America, we are the new "jews." The cold FACTS of the matter are that - America is now as reviled in the community of nations and in the heart and minds of the people of the world, as is Israel. Only George Bush could have done this to America.

Lets all remind Bush and all who represent him, that the images of dead children - yes, even if they are "only" Palestinian and Iraqi Kids will be remembered. Kids are all the same. If if you hit them with bombs you must pay the price. I am sure that Americans would gladly pay the few extra nickels for their gas and oil to avoid being UNIVERSALLY HATED throughout the world. But with the Bushes this vision is not in their game plan. For these Bushes ONLY MAKE MONEY WHEN THERE IS A STATE OF EMERGENCY IN AMERICA. They are spoiled rich little sociopathic yuppies. These types don't have souls, they are spoiled little privileged rats who never knew a moment without luxury and privilege. They are the very essence of what evil really is because they never did a good thing in their life. They fake everyone out by pretending to be religious. They are too rich to be religious. One can not make as much money off the war machine as the Bushes do and still claim to actually believe in god. In order to be like the Bushes you must really celebrate the darkness and evil of the world. They understand exactly who you are working for, when their bombs rip through the lives of women and children everywhere and they cash in. They are working for lucifer. They are the very face of death these Bush types. And they frighten and repulse the world. 

And every night, here in America, by omission, the US media perpetrates the most flagrant affronts to our society, by NOT showing us what's really happening, by NOT showing us what the whole world is seeing on their nightly news. By lying. 

It's a total black-out. 

The information "Clampdown" here in the US is nearly complete. Except for the few rays of light like voxfux.com that still flicker their way out of the dark swarming ocean of lies.

Know Your Enemy
Activate
Get off your fucking knees and fight back.
They can't kill us all

vox

Narcodollars for Beginners

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How the Money Works in the Illicit Drug Trade 

By Catherine Austin Fitts 

Special to the Narco News Bulletin 

Narco News Publisher's Note: Catherine Austin Fitts is a former managing director and member of the board of directors of Dillon Read & Co, Inc, a former Assistant Secretary of Housing-Federal Housing Commissioner in the first Bush Administration, and the former President of The Hamilton Securities Group, Inc. She is the President of Solari, Inc, an investment advisory firm. Solari provides risk management services to investors through Sanders Research Associates in London. 

"The Latin American drug cartels have stretched their tentacles much deeper into our lives than most people believe. It's possible they are calling the shots at all levels of government." 

- William Colby, former CIA Director, 1995 

A simple framework: 

The Solari Index and the Dow Jones Index 

The Solari Index is my way of estimating how well a place is doing. It is based upon the percentage of people in a place who believe that a child can leave their home and go to the nearest place to buy a popsicle and come home alone safely. 

When I was a child growing up in the 1950's at 48th and Larchwood in West Philadelphia, the Solari Index was 100 percent. It was unthinkable that a child was not safe running up to the stores on Spruce Street for a popsicle and some pin ball. The Dow Jones was about 500, the Solari Index was 100 percent and our debt per person was very low. Of course I did not think about it that way at the time. All I knew was that life on the street with my buddies was sweet. 

Today, the Dow Jones is over 9,000, debt per person is over $100,000 and the my favorite hairdresser in Philadelphia, Al at the Hair Hut in West Philadelphia, and I just had a debate yesterday afternoon while Al was cutting my hair about whether the Solari Index in my old neighborhood was 0 percent (my position) or 10 percent (Al's position). Men always think it is higher than women. 

Gilad Shalit

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Gilad Shalit

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gilad Shalit
Born August 28, 1986 (age 22)

Gilad Shalit (image courtesy of the Shalit family)
Place of birthNahariyaIsrael
AllegianceIsrael
RankStaff Sergeant[1]
UnitArmor Corps
Battles/warsOperation Summer Rains

Gilad Shalit (Hebrewגלעד שליט‎, born 28 August 1986) is an Israeli soldier who was captured in a cross border raid on the crossing Kerem Shalom from the Gaza Strip by Palestinian militants on 25 June 2006 and has been held hostage byHamas since.[2][3][4][5][6][7] Shalit, a soldier of the IDF's Armor Corps, held the rankof corporal at the time of the incident but has since been promoted to staff sergeant.[8]

He became the first Israeli soldier captured[9] by militant Palestinian forces sinceNachshon Wachsman in 1994.[10] His abduction[11] and the following cross border raid by Hezbollah, resulting in the abduction of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regevinto Lebanon, were key events leading up to the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanonduring summer 2006. Shalit holds French citizenship, a fact that encouraged France and the European Union to be involved to some extent in the efforts to release him.[12]

Shaggy Dog Warnings

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So, here's the story. . 

Tired of constantly being broke and stuck in an unhappy marriage, a young husband decided to solve both problems by taking out a large insurance policy on his wife with himself as the beneficiary, and then arranging to have her killed. 

A 'friend of a friend' put him in touch with a nefarious dark-side underworld figure who went by the name of 'Artie.' 

Artie then explained to the husband that his going price for snuffing out a spouse was $5,000. 

The husband said he was willing to pay that amount, but that he wouldn't have any cash on hand until he could collect his wife's insurance money. 

Artie insisted on being paid at least something up front, so the man opened his wallet, displaying the single dollar bill that rested inside. Artie sighed, rolled his eyes, &reluctantly agreed to accept the dollar as down payment for the dirty deed. 

A few days later, Artie followed the man's wife to the local Super Wal-Mart store. There, he surprised her in the produce department and proceeded to strangle her with his gloved hands. The poor unsuspecting woman drew her last breath and slumped to the floor........ 

The manager of the produce department stumbled unexpectedly onto the murder scene. Unwilling to leave any living witnesses behind, ol' Artie had no choice but to strangle the produce manager as well. 

However, unknown to Artie, the entire proceedings were captured by the hidden security cameras and observed by the store's security guard, who immediately called the police. Artie was caught and arrested before he could even leave the store. 

Under intense questioning at the police station, Artie revealed the whole sordid plan, including his unusual financial arrangements with the hapless husband who was also quickly arrested. 

The next day in the newspaper, the headline declared ... 

(You're going to hate me for this ... ) 

'ARTIE CHOKES 2 for $1.00 AT WAL-MART!' 

Oh, quit groaning! I don't write this stuff, I receive it from my warped friends and then send it on to you.

Neturei Karta

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NETUREI KARTA AROUND THE WORLD

PROTEST OUTSIDE AIPAC FUND RAISER DINNER

29 January 2009:  Anti-Zionist Orthodox Jews demonstrated outside the Marriot Hotel in Times Square, New York City, where members of AIPAC were holding a fund-raising dinner.

Parity

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Boolean math isn't something most people get in high-school, which is unfortunate, since there are only ten types of people on earth (those who know binary, and the others).

I thought I should mention XOR, however (exclusive OR).  It's one of the operators, like AND and NOT.  It's actually a 'complex machine' in the sense that it's a shorthand for:

true if NOT ((A AND B) AND ((NOT A) AND (NOT B)))

This is because if you said (A OR B) and you wanted it to be true only if A was true *or* B was true but NOT if both were true (the 'exclusive' part).

In programming classes, they often use this operator to demonstrate the (somewhat arcane) task of exchanging the values in two variables without using a third as a holding location (hey, it used to be IMPORTANT to know how to be thrifty with memory).

XOR's usefulness is better demonstrated as a RAID5 array (striped disk set with parity).  Here's a (simplified) version of how that works.  Let's say you want to store two bytes of data on a three disk RAID5 array.

Byte one is an eight, and is written in binary as 1000

Byte two is a five, and it's written 0101

So you put an eight on the first disk, and a five on the second, and a thirteen on the third as the parity byte.

1000 (DEC 8) XOR 0101 (DEC 5) = 1101 (DEC 13)

1000
0101
-------
1101  (put a one where there's a zero or one, and a zero where they are the same).

So, you lose the second disk, and you need to get the data back?  XOR the first disk's byte with the third disk's parity byte.

1000
1101
-------
0101

Put a new second disk in, and it will rebuild it to the original's specifications.  Put n disks in the array (it just keeps XORing the new bytes with the parity byte--it doesn't matter how many are in the set--though it does increase the chance of failure as you add elements, which inspired RAID6, that has a duplicate parity section so that losing one disk isn't a near-failure state).

1000
0101
0100 (six)
0010 (two)
1010 (ten)
-------
0001

losing the ten gives:


1000
0101
0100 (six)
0010 (two)
0001 (parity)
-------
1010

For clarity, that last digit (the one's place) is read (down column):

zero XOR one is one (leaving the 1 of 0101 as a one)
one XOR zero is one (changing the 0 of 0100 to a 1, as if it's 0101)
one XOR zero is one (changing the 0 of 0010 to make it as 0011)
one XOR one is zero (making the final result of the one's digit a zero)

Obviously, we are not 'carrying' anything (just in case you wondered).  It's just the cumulative XORing of the bits in that set of bytes.  And it doesn't really matter how many bytes are in the set.  It's FM (fuckin' magic), as 

Anyway, that's geek-speak for the day.  

And the follow up?

Why did the programmer always confuse Halloween and Xmas?

Because DEC 25 = OCT 31

Ok, this is curious

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I noted in looking into the RNC 8 that the charges against David McKay were as such:
Stop Snitching

McKay was named last September in a three-count federal indictment alleging that he built and possessed Molotov cocktails, and that the devices lacked serial numbers. 

Now, that statement itself made me wonder, "If he'd merely numbered them, would that have been OK?"

But it turns out it's a little more complex.  If (IF) your state permits ownership of personal molotov cocktails, then you can fill out this handy form to get your serial numbers for them:


Thanks to David Hanners, the author of the article with the quote for that tidbit.

Now, given that the inspiration to make the explosives *came from* the FBI's paid snitch, the idea that the feds might waste countless dollars re-re-retrying a case that's already failed once is expectable, since entrapment is a valid enough defense in this case.

One has to take into account that this snitch was *famous* for his organization and humanitarian activities (such that they would want to emulate him), and his suggestion for their use involved no injury to humans (he wanted them used on parked cop cars).

And, of course, one has to take into account the inciting that the police did by arresting them all and confiscating property in the first place (which the snitch likely set up, if you think of it).

All it takes is one in a dozen to have half a brain and that trial will go on longer than OJ's do.

Here's more:
Brandon Darby

This website intends to be a clearinghouse of information about Brandon Darby. We will continue to post more information as we can. Our goal is to spread as much information about Brandon Darby and his actions as we can in order to alert activists about this snitch, alert activists about the need for security culture within the movement and contribute as much as we can to the Stop Snitching campaign.

Brandon Darby testified in the case of David McKay the last week of January 2009. After 3 days of deliberation, the trial ended in a hung jury, largely due to the role of Brandon Darby as a provocateur. McKay will be retried in March. In the closing arguements McKay's defense attorney declared that Brandon "...wasn't the eyes and ears. He was the mouth -- a violent, firebomb-obsessed mouth." [From Pioneer Press]


More?  http://rnc8.org/

Notes

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The Greatest Fraud in US History? Maybe so. Lost money in Iran. Call the White House and urge President Obama to keep his campaign promise and end the DEA's raids on medical marijuana patients and providers in California and other states. Make a call to President (D) Barack Obama's Office Phone: (202) 456-1414 Mike Thompson's contact info: Representative Mike Thompson. Fort Bragg, CA 95437. Phone: 707-962-0933 Fax: 707-962-0934 Post Office Box 2208. Fort Bragg, CA 95437 Washington numbers: DC Phone: 202-225-3311. DC Fax: 202-225-4335 You can write to Senator Boxer at any of the addresses listed below. However, please note that mail sent to Congressional offices in Washington, DC must go through a very lengthy screening process. Letters are not only irradiated but are also vacuumed for possible contaminated substances. Because this process often delays letters for weeks, you may prefer to write to one of our California offices to ensure that your letter is delivered in a timely fashion. San Francisco 1700 Montgomery Street, Suite 240 San Francisco, CA 94111 (415) 403-0100 (202) 224-0454 fax TTY: 202-224-4264 How to . . . Contact Dianne Feinstein's State offices My four state offices play a key role in gathering information about issues affecting Californians. Field representatives attend meetings and public events in the state, work with other branches of the federal government, and spend a good deal of their time in the counties they monitor. The state offices can also help you resolve problems you may be having with a federal agency. For more information, please visit the Casework Assistance page. Please feel free to call or write the office nearest you, or you can visit one of the offices between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. We are here to serve you. San Francisco One Post Street, Suite 2450 San Francisco, CA 94104 Phone: (415) 393-0707 Fax: (415) 393-0710

Israel has launched a covert war against Iran as an alternative to direct military strikes against Tehran's nuclear programme, US intelligence sources have revealed.

telegraph.co.uk

It is using hitmen, sabotage, front companies and double agents to disrupt the regime's illicit weapons project, the experts say.

The most dramatic element of the "decapitation" programme is the planned assassination of top figures involved in Iran's atomic operations.

Despite fears in Israel and the US that Iran is approaching the point of no return in its ability to build atom bomb, Israeli officials are aware of the change in mood in Washington since President Barack Obama took office.

They privately acknowledge the new US administration is unlikely to sanction an air attack on Iran's nuclear installations and Mr Obama's offer to extend a hand of peace to Tehran puts any direct military action beyond reach for now.
 
The aim is to slow down or interrupt Iran's research programme, without the gamble of a direct confrontation that could lead to a wider war.
 
A former CIA officer on Iran told The Daily Telegraph: "Disruption is designed to slow progress on the programme, done in such a way that they don't realise what's happening. You are never going to stop it.
 
"The goal is delay, delay, delay until you can come up with some other solution or approach. We certainly don't want the current Iranian government to have those weapons. It's a good policy, short of taking them out militarily, which probably carries unacceptable risks."
 
Reva Bhalla, a senior analyst with Stratfor, the US private intelligence company with strong government security connections, said the strategy was to take out key people.
 
"With co-operation from the United States, Israeli covert operations have focused both on eliminating key human assets involved in the nuclear programme and in sabotaging the Iranian nuclear supply chain," she said.
 
"As US-Israeli relations are bound to come under strain over the Obama administration's outreach to Iran, and as the political atmosphere grows in complexity, an intensification of Israeli covert activity against Iran is likely to result."
 
Mossad was rumoured to be behind the death of Ardeshire Hassanpour, a top nuclear scientist at Iran's Isfahan uranium plant, who died in mysterious circumstances from reported "gas poisoning" in 2007.
 
Other recent deaths of important figures in the procurement and enrichment process in Iran and Europe have been the result of Israeli "hits", intended to deprive Tehran of key technical skills at the head of the programme, according to Western intelligence analysts.
 
"Israel has shown no hesitation in assassinating weapons scientists for hostile regimes in the past," said a European intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity. They did it with Iraq and they will do it with Iran when they can."
 
Mossad's covert operations cover a range of activities. The former CIA operative revealed how Israeli and US intelligence co-operated with European companies working in Iran to obtain photographs and other confidential material about Iranian nuclear and missile sites.
 
"It was a real company that operated from time to time in Iran and in the nature of their legitimate business came across information on various suspect Iranian facilities," he said.
Israel has also used front companies to infiltrate the Iranian purchasing network that the clerical regime uses to circumvent United Nations sanctions and obtain so-called "dual use" items - metals, valves, electronics, machinery - for its nuclear programme.
 
The businesses initially supply Iran with legitimate material, winning Tehran's trust, and then start to deliver faulty or defective items that "poison" the country's atomic activities.
 
"Without military strikes, there is still considerable scope for disrupting and damaging the Iranian programme and this has been done with some success," said Yossi Melman, a prominent Israeli journalist who covers security and intelligence issues for the Haaretz newspaper.
 
Mossad and Western intelligence operations have also infiltrated the Iranian nuclear programme and "bought" information from prominent atomic scientists. Israel has later selectively leaked some details to its allies, the media and United Nations atomic agency inspectors.
 
On one occasion, Iran itself is understood to have destroyed a nuclear facility near Tehran, bulldozing over the remains and replacing it with a football pitch, after its existence was revealed to UN inspectors. The regime feared that the discovery by inspectors of an undeclared nuclear facility would result in overwhelming pressure at the UN for tougher action against Iran.
 
The Iranian government has become so concerned about penetration of its programme that it has announced arrests of alleged spies in an attempt to discourage double agents. "Israel is part of a detailed and elaborate international effort to slow down the Iranian programme," said Mr Melman.
 
But Vince Canastraro, the former CIA counter-terrorism chief, expressed doubts about the efficacy of secret Israeli operations against Iran. "You cannot carry out foreign policy objectives via covert operations," he said. "You can't get rid of a couple of people and hope to affect Iran's nuclear capability."
 
Iran has consistently asserted that it is pursuing a nuclear capability for civilian energy generation purposes. But Israeli and Western intelligence agencies believe the 20-year-old programme, which was a secret until 2002, is designed to give the ruling mullahs an atom bomb.

Pulsa diNura or Pulsa Denoura. (Aramaic: פולסא דנורא "lashes of fire") is a purportedly kabbalistic ceremony in which the angels of destruction are invoked to block heavenly forgiveness of the subject's sins, causing all the curses named in the Bible to befall him resulting in his death. However, the Torah prohibits to pray that something bad should happen to someone else. Rather it offers the solution to pray that the bad in the person dies and he becomes a righteous person. The source for this modern ritual is not to be found in Kabbalah, but among the Hebrew magical manuals of antiquity, such as Sefer ha-Razim and Harba de-Moshe.[1]


Recent usage

Accusations of the use of this curse by religious Jews against figures whom they find objectionable has been made often over the past 50 years and quoted in mostly Israeli media. As the saying goes in Israel "you have not made it in Israeli politics until you've been cursed by the Pulsa DiNura" Early in the 20th century, agitated Haredi Jews in Jerusalem were accused by the media of having recited the curse against the linguistEliezer Ben Yehuda. There have been unsubstantiated media reports of the curse being recited against archaeologists and authors. Prior to the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, there have been rumors that the curse had been recited against him by right-wing extremists.

Avigdor Eskin, a member of the Gush Emunim (bloc of the faithful) claimed to have recited the following maledictions of the Pulsa diNura on the night of October 6, 1995: "Angels of destruction will hit him. He is damned wherever he goes. His soul will instantly leave his body... and he will not survive a month. Dark will be his path and God's angel will chase him. A disaster he has never experienced will befall him and all curses known in the Torah will apply to him. I deliver to you, the angels of wrath and ire, Yitzhak, the son of Rosa Rabin, that you may smother him and the specter of him, and cast him into hed, and dry up his wealth, and plague his thoughts, and scatter his mind that he may be steadily diminished until he reaches his death. Put to death the cursed Yitzhak. May he be damned, damned, damned!" Rabin was assassinated within the month.

In July 2005, the Israeli media, without citing sources reported that opponents of the Gaza pullout plan recited the Pulsa diNura in the old cemetery of Rosh Pina, asking the "Angel of Death" to kill Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Six months later Sharon suffered two strokes and is currently in a coma, fighting for his life. Of course, most analysts link this to his age, 77, and obesity.

Reportedly, ten rabbis and kabalists, including Yosef Dayan, instigated the same curse at the gravesite near Safed several months prior to the assassination of former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.

On November 7, 2006 the HaEdah HaCharedis said it was considering placing the curse on the organisers of the gay pride parade scheduled to march in Jerusalem on November 10, 2006. Israel Army Radio interviewed Rabbi Shmuel Papenheim who announced, "The Rabbinical Court has held a special session and discussed placing a 'pulsa denura' on those who have had a hand in organizing the march." Papenheim, editor of theharedi religious umbrella organization's weekly magazine, added that the rabbis were also considering placing the curse "against the policemen who beat hareidi Jews." [2]



Sorry, It Wasn't Really Nut-Jobs

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It was a pair of kooks:

Gush Emunim beliefs are based heavily on the teachings of Rabbi Abraham Kook and his son, Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook. The two rabbis taught that secular Zionists, through their conquests of Eretz Israel, had unwittingly brought about the beginning of the "messianic age", which would end in the coming of the Jewish messiah

Gush Emunim was closely associated with, and highly influential in, the National Religious Party (NRP), the party which is identified with the Modern Orthodox Jewish community.These days they refer to themselves --and are referred to by the Israeli media as-- Ne'emanei Eretz Yisrael נאמני ארץ ישראל (Hebrew: "Those who are loyal/faithful to the land of Israel").

update:The Jewish Home (Hebrewהבית היהודי‎, HaBayit HaYehudi) is a new right-wing national religious Zionist political party in Israel. It was formed by a merger of the National Religious PartyMoledet and Tkuma in November 2008. However, after its top representative was placed 17th on the new party's list, Moledet broke away from the party, and instead will run on a joint list with Hatikva.[1] Around half of Tkuma have also rejoined the National Union whereas the Ahi faction have joined Likud.

I mean, she walked out of the place after the plane crashed into it.

From: gulnarasamoilova.com

wtc14.jpg

Emergency workers help Gigi Singer. Injured, she walked down from the 78th floor of the South Tower to the 40th, where a firefighter directed her to a working elevator and safety.



Caterpillar's equipment has been used to level homes, build Israel's illegal separation wall and, in some cases, kill innocent civilians.


Over the objections of church groups, peace organizations and human rights activists, President Barack Obama decided to return to Illinois to visit the headquarters of the Caterpillar company, which for years has violated international law, U.S. law and its own code of conduct by selling its D9 and D10 bulldozers to Israel.   

In his speech on Thursday, Obama praised Caterpillar, saying, "Your machines plow the farms that feed our families; build the towers that shape our skylines; lay the roads that connect our communities; power the trucks that deliver our goods."  He failed to mention that Caterpillar machines have been used to level Palestinian homes, uproot olive orchards, build the illegal separation wall and, in some cases, kill innocent civilians, including a 23-year old American peace activist. 


The Super-Snitch

When DEA agents are not working undercover themselves, they rely on a special category of "employee" -- snitches (also known as informants). These individuals often receive a cut of seized assets as payment for their services, so convictions can become profitable. When Michele Leonhart moved to St. Louis, she hooked up with the most prolific snitch of all time -- Andrew Chambers.

A picture named chambers.jpgThe details of Andrew Chambers' career as a super-snitch are mostly hidden (partly to protect him, and partly to protect the DEA). Much of what we know about Chambers comes from an excellent investigative report by Michael D. Sorkin And Phyllis Brasch Librach for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on January 16, 2000 and several follow-up reports later that year.

Here are some of the facts:

  • Chambers' career as a snitch spanned an amazing 16 years, from 1984 until 2000, and he was credited with 291 investigations, including 76 the DEA considers "significant."
  • He traveled all over the world for the DEA, but his home was St. Louis, and his second home Los Angeles.
  • For his snitch work with the DEA, he was paid over $2.2 million. DEA regulations limit informants to a career total of $200,000, but those regulations can be waived. The DEA says its second-highest paid informant has received about $500,000.
  • Since he also worked for the FBI, U.S. Customs Service, U.S. postal inspectors, Internal Revenue Service, Secret Service and state and local police, his total take may have been much more.
  • He lied. He lied under oath on the stand. He lied on the stand repeatedly, beginning the year after his recruitment in 1984.

For years, some prosecutors and many defense attorneys had expressed concerns about Chambers' perjury. In 1993 in California, a 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruling agreed that Chambers lied on the stand. In 1995, the 8th U.S. Court of Appeals in St. Louis added its voice: "The record, however, clearly demonstrates that Chambers did in fact perjure himself . . ."

The DEA protected Chambers repeatedly, and avoided notifying prosecutors and defense attorneys about Chambers' past. At one point, the Drug Enforcement Agency and Justice Department lawyers stonewalled for 17 months, fighting a public defender who was trying to examine the contents of DEA's background check on Chambers.

Later, Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Wolf stated that it was clear that the drug agents never put any damaging reports into Chambers' file -- even though DEA regulations require it.

Finally, the DEA conducted an internal review of Chambers' career, and although there was some talk of reprimanding DEA supervisors, the report was never made completely public, and the DEA refused to agree to stop using Chambers. Janet Reno finally intervened in 2000 and Chambers was deactivated as an informant.

Don Paul's analysis penetrates to the reality behind the troubling issues of our day. Making use of knowledge gained from his extensive research,* Don Paul will address questions too-few others approach, and he will provide the answers and essential insight necessary to understanding where we find ourselves in the present day. Using that as a foundation, he will facilitate a discussion about positive alternatives. 

Some of questions to be addressed at presentation in Davis: What are "pretext events" and does this describe "9/11"? Were the buildings brought down by demolition? Is there a connection between the crimes of September 11, 2001 and the bail-out of the banks that has taken over $1.3 trillion from U.S. taxpayers? If so, what is that connection? What is the Federal Reserve, and the Council on Foreign Relations and other secretive groups, and what are their roles? Who benefited most from the events of September 11th? (Qui bono?) The 23-member San Diego Citizen's Grand Jury on the Crimes of September 11, 2001 convened in April of 2007. Which specific individuals did this Grand Jury conclude were worthy of further investigation in regard to "9/11", and why? 

How have our individual rights been removed since September 11, 2001, and how has our Constitution been eroded? Are the banks "bankrupted" regardless of the huge amount of taxpayer's money handed to them by the government? Why has all of this happened to our country? If certain people are responsible, what is most likely their overarching motive? What can we do as positive alternatives to what we see unfolding? *He has written or co-written three books and co-produced a video on these subjects in the last six years.
 
(venezuelanalysis.com)-- At 9:35pm local time, three and a half hours after polls closed and with 94.2% of voted counted, Venezuela's National Electoral Council announced that Venezuelans had voted 54.4% to 45.6% in favor of a constitutional amendment to eliminate the two-term limit on all elected office. 

Chávez supporters celebrated the nearly 9-point victory margin with enthusiasm, as it will allow President Hugo Chávez to run for a third full term in 2012.

According to the CNE, abstention was relatively low, at 33%, with about 11 out 16 million registered voters voting, which is about two million more votes than in 2007, for the failed constitutional reform referendum that would have altered 69 articles of Venezuela's constitution.

Chávez and his supporters had argued that the elimination of term limits is necessary to allow Chávez to govern for longer than the four years remaining in his term, in order to complete Venezuela's transition to "Bolivarian Socialism."

Senior Moments

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a stunning senior moment.jpg

 


This message will self-destruct in your memory in five seconds.  That will be the acrid smell coming from your ears.
from Tim:

hundreds attend global warming protest.jpg

Kwik-E-Mart

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My Singularity Test Results

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Your result for "Surviving The Singularity" Test ...

Prematurely Post-Human

54/60 Acquired Aptitude, 53/60 Active Adaptability and 46/60 Affirmative Attitude!

Prematurely Post-Human

Unless you're already uploaded, homo quantum, just playinghomo sap for GRINs (that's Genetics, Robotics, Information and Nanotechnology) -- you're NEO the ONE in The Matrix of Mind, you're Mad Max Headroom or both intertwined, multi-threaded and -processed and, just to be kind, kinda nice to the humans left so far behind.  THANX!

You're Already Over the Event Horizon at  54/60 Aptitude, Truly Tripped out for The Transition at 53/60 Adaptability andMind-Mapped for Mnemonic Upload at 46/60 Attitude!

You're a virtual veteran, a cyber-sorcerer,  and on The Netmore entities know you  by your avatar and screen name thanMere Mortals in The Meat World

You Multi-task like a Mac: maximum overdirve;You Love like Linux: lots o'Lovin' and LOL;You Vanish like Vista:  when the Fun has Finally Flown;You Crash like Windows: only when the Partyin's past.

YOU ARE THE FUTURE!


Might Try Yer Patience

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Serious and persistent crises continue, and though people call for change, the old institutions fail to meet their needs. Historically, during such times, the world's greatest spiritual teachers have come to show us the way. Many now expect the appearance of their awaited teacher, whether they call him the Messiah, Christ, the Fifth Buddha, Krishna, the Imam Mahdi, or the World Teacher Maitreya. Millions know that the One who fulfills all these expectations now lives among us.

Crosses of lightMiracles such as crosses of light in people's homes, weeping icons, angel sightings and visions in the sky are examples of spiritual phenomena that are occurring throughout the world, and are signs of his presence. He has also inspired political miracles, such as the breakdown of the Soviet Union and the end of apartheid.

MaitreyaMaitreya, the World Teacher, has not come alone, but with a group of enlightened teachers who have for millennia guided humanity from behind the scenes. They are returning now to the everyday world to help us solve our most critical global problems. Maitreya is not a religious leader, but an educator in the broadest sense. He has not come to create followers, but is here to inspire us to create a new era based on sharing and justice, so that all may have the basic necessities of life: food, clothing, shelter, healthcare and education. His open mission in the world is about to begin. As Maitreya himself has said, "Soon now, very soon, you will see My face and hear My words."

The Miracle of Lord Ganesha

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Watch as the little statues drink the milk.

Got Ganesh? Ganesh is widely revered as the Remover of Obstacles and more generally as the patron of arts and sciences, and the deva of intellect and wisdom. 

got Ganesh? by hjselde.

And (of course) he's a pothead.

MC 500 Foot Buddha

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Lung cancer gene discovery

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Posted by Abby D. Benninghoff, Ph.D. at Dec 12, 2008 06:15 AM | 

BBC's short report puts discovery in perspective but is overly focused on tobacco.

short article appearing online at the BBC news website describes exciting new research on the genetic basis of lung cancer. Researchers identified a gene called LIMD1 that is key to blocking cancer formation.

The author of this article used informative, simple quotes from scientists familiar with the research to convey to the public how this exciting finding is a "piece of the puzzle," one of many steps in improving early detection methods for lung cancer, or perhaps, developing therapies for the disease.

While brief, this article is right on the money in terms of describing why lung cancer is still an important disease to study: it is the leading cause of cancer death in men and women.  Many of these cancer deaths are linked to smoking.  

However, the article was too focused on tobacco smoke as a cause of lung cancer.  A number of other environmental sources can also trigger lung cancer, including chemicals from diesel exhaust and coal power plant emissions.  Radon also is a known risk factor. 

Does this gene have a role in all lung cancers, or just those related to tobacco smoke?  I think this is a key question that needed to be answered for the public, or at least addressed by the reporter.

Environmental Health News

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Environmental Health News: Published by Environmental Health Sciences

IN THE NEWS  /  FEB 15

The rise and fall of a peanut empire.

Southernpixel/flickr

Just weeks ago, Stewart Parnell was running a peanut company from a converted garage behind his house outside Lynchburg, Va. His family business supplied ingredients to some of the biggest names on supermarket shelves: Kellogg, Sara Lee, Little Debbie. 

Today, Parnell's peanut empire has filed for bankruptcy protection. He is the target of a federal criminal investigation, civil claims are piling up in courthouses around the country and he has been vilified from Georgia peanut fields to Capitol Hill.

more...

Pollution link to asthma in womb.

Traffic pollution causes genetic changes in the womb which increase a child's risk of developing asthma, research suggests. A study of umbilical cord blood from 56 children found "reprogramming" of a gene associated with exposure to compounds in traffic fumes. 

The researchers found a significant association between chemical changes which control activation of the gene and high levels of maternal PAH exposure. 

It is an example of an epigenetic change - where environmental factors influence the activity of genes but do not cause structural changes or mutations in the genes. The finding needs to be confirmed in larger studies.

more...

January 31, 2009 - With Tata Motor's coming out with the low-cost Nano car, a group of Indian students are coming out with a laptop for Rs500 ($10), cheaper than most pocket calculators, which can be used globally for educational purposes and revolutionaries the computer market in developing countries.

The laptop, developed by students from Vellore Institute of Technology, scientists in Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and IIT-Madras with the help of companies like Semiconductor Complex, will be on display in Tirupati on 3 February, at the launch of the National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology.

Apart from a very attractive price tag, there is very little information on the specifications of the laptop but according to reports, it comes equipped with 2GB memory, WiFi, Ethernet, expendable memory and consumes a mere 2W of power.

Since there is no information on what operating system it will use, it is assumed that the Rs500-laptop will use the ordinary Linux-based GUI like the Eee PC as running Windows XP will be out of the question as the licence itself will cost more than the laptop.

The government is collaborating with Macmillan, Tata McGraw Hill, Prentice-Hall and Vikas Publishing for uploading their textbooks on 'Sakshat', a government online portal, where a small percentage of these books can be accessed for free.

The government has not clarified whether it is subsidising the entire project but says that, at the moment, the laptop will cost Rs1,000 ($20) but with mass production the cost will come down to half.

The government will give Rs2.5 lakh per institution for 10 Kbps connection from the 11th plan outlay of Rs4,612 crore and also subsidise 25 per cent of costs for private and state government colleges by providing computer infrastructure and internet connection to over 18,000 colleges and 400 universities and institutions.

Although there is widespread scepticism on the viability and specifications of the laptop, the effort itself is worthwhile, because if they are able to pull it off, then it will benefit the large number of people and students in the rural part of the country as well as students from under-developed nations to avail valuable insights into the technological marvel achieved in the field of technology.

It's a Slide, not a ramp

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CHICAGO, Feb. 14 -- The pace of global warming is likely to be much faster than recent predictions, because industrial greenhouse gas emissions have increased more quickly than expected and higher temperatures are triggering self-reinforcing feedback mechanisms in global ecosystems, scientists said Saturday.

"We are basically looking now at a future climate that's beyond anything we've considered seriously in climate model simulations," Christopher Field, founding director of the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology at Stanford University, said at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Field, a member of the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said emissions from burning fossil fuels since 2000 have largely outpaced the estimates used in the U.N. panel's 2007 reports. The higher emissions are largely the result of the increased burning of coal in developing countries, he said.


Radioactive tobacco 
by David Malmo-Levine (02 Jan, 2002)

It's not tobacco's tar which kills, but the radiation!

image: Adbusters
image: Adbusters
Cannabis is often compared to tobacco, with the damage caused by smoking tobacco given as a reason to prohibit use of cannabis. Yet most of the harms caused by tobacco use are due not to tar, but to the use of radioactive fertilizers. Surprisingly, radiation seems to be the most dangerous and important factor behind tobacco lung damage.

Radioactive fertilizer

It's a well established but little known fact that commercially grown tobacco is contaminated with radiation. The major source of this radiation is phosphate fertilizer.1 The big tobacco companies all use chemical phosphate fertilizer, which is high in radioactive metals, year after year on the same soil. These metals build up in the soil, attach themselves to the resinous tobacco leaf and ride tobacco trichomes in tobacco smoke, gathering in small "hot spots" in the small-air passageways of the lungs.2 Tobacco is especially effective at absorbing radioactive elements from phosphate fertilizers, and also from naturally occurring radiation in the soil, air, and water.3

To grow what the tobacco industry calls "more flavorful" tobacco, US farmers use high-phosphate fertilizers. The phosphate is taken from a rock mineral, apatite, that is ground into powder, dissolved in acid and further processed. Apatite rock also contains radium, and the radioactive elements lead 210 and polonium 210. The radioactivity of common chemical fertilizer can be verified with a Geiger-Mueller counter and an open sack of everyday 13-13-13 type of fertilizer (or any other chemical fertilizer high in phosphate content).4

Conservative estimates put the level of radiation absorbed by a pack-and-a-half a day smoker at the equivalent of 300 chest X-rays every year.5 The Office of Radiation, Chemical & Biological Safety at Michigan State University reports that the radiation level for the same smoker was as high as 800 chest X-rays per year.6 Another report argues that a typical nicotine user might be getting the equivalent of almost 22,000 chest X-rays per year.7

US Surgeon General C Everett Koop stated on national television in 1990 that tobacco radiation is probably responsible for 90% of tobacco-related cancer.8 Dr RT Ravenholt, former director of World Health Surveys at the Centers for Disease Control, has stated that "Americans are exposed to far more radiation from tobacco smoke than from any other source."9

Researchers have induced cancer in animal test subjects that inhaled polonium 210, but were unable to cause cancer through the inhalation of any of the non-radioactive chemical carcinogens found in tobacco.10 The most potent non-radioactive chemical, benzopyrene, exists in cigarettes in amounts sufficient to account for only 1% of the cancer found in smokers.9

Smoke screen

Surprisingly, the US National Cancer Institute, with an annual budget of $500 million, has no active grants for research on radiation as a cause of lung cancer.1

Tobacco smoking has been popular for centuries,11 but lung cancer rates have only increased significantly after the 1930's.12 In 1930 the lung cancer death rate for white US males was 3.8 per 100,000 people. By 1956 the rate had increased almost tenfold, to 31 per 100,000.13 Between 1938 and 1960, the level of polonium 210 in American tobacco tripled, commensurate with the increased use of chemical fertilizers.14

Publicly available internal memos of tobacco giant Philip Morris indicate that the tobacco corporation was well aware of radiation contamination in 1974, and that they had means to remove polonium from tobacco in 1980, by using ammonium phosphate as a fertilizer, instead of calcium phosphate. One memo describes switching to ammonium phosphate as a "valid but expensive point."15

Attorney Amos Hausner, son of the prosecutor who sent Nazi Adolf Eichmann to the gallows, is using these memos as evidence to fight the biggest lawsuit in Israel's history, to make one Israeli and six US tobacco companies pay up to $8 billion for allegedly poisoning Israelis with radioactive cigarettes.16

image: Adbusters
image: Adbusters
Organic solutions

The radioactive elements in phosphate fertilizers also make their way into our food and drink. Many food products, especially nuts, fruits, and leafy plants like tobacco absorb radioactive elements from the soil, and concentrate them within themselves.17

The fluorosilicic acid used to make the "fluoridated water" most of us get from our taps is made from various fluorine gases captured in pollution scrubbers during the manufacture of phosphate fertilizers. This fluoride solution put into our water for "strong teeth" also contains radioactive elements from the phosphate extraction.18

Although eating and drinking radioactive products is not beneficial, the most harmful and direct way to consume these elements is through smoking them.19

The unnecessary radiation delivered from soil-damaging, synthetic chemical fertilizers can easily be reduced through the use of alternative phosphate sources including organic fertilizers.20 In one test, an organic fertilizer appeared to emit less alpha radiation than a chemical fertilizer.21 More tests are needed to confirm this vital bit of harm-reduction information.

Organic fertilizers such as organic vegetable compost, animal manure, wood ash and seaweed have proven to be sustainable and non-harmful to microbes, worms, farmers and eaters or smokers. Chemical phosphates may seem like a bargain compared to natural phosphorous, until you factor in the health and environmental costs.

To ensure that cannabis remains the safest way to get high, we must always use organic fertilizers and non-toxic pesticides. We should also properly cure the buds, take advantage of high-potency breeding and use smart-smoking devices like vaporizers and double-chambered glass water bongs. These will all help to address concern over potential lung damage far more effectively than either a jail cell or a 12-step program.

Tobacco smokers can also use this information to avoid radioactive brands of tobacco. American Spirit is one of a few companies that offers an organic line of cigarettes, and organic cigars are also available from a few companies. You can also grow your own tobacco, which is surprisingly easy and fun.

Until the public has an accurate understanding of how phosphate fertilizers carry radiation, and why commercial tobacco causes lung cancer but cannabis does not, there will be many needless tobacco-related deaths, and increased resistance to the full legalization of marijuana.


References

1. Winters, TH and Franza, JR. 'Radioactivity in Cigarette Smoke,' New England Journal of Medicine, 1982. 306(6): 364-365, web
2. Edward A Martell, PhD. 'Letter to the Editor,' New England Journal of Medicine, 1982. 307(5): 309-313, web
3. Ponte, Lowell. 'Radioactivity: The New-Found Danger in Cigarettes,' Reader's Digest, March 1986. pp. 123-127.
4. Kilthau, GF. 'Cancer risk in relation to radioactivity in tobacco,' Radiologic Technology, Vol 67, January 11, 1996, web
5. Maryland Department of Health & Mental Hygiene. Website, 2001, web
6. Office of Environmental Health and Safety, Utah State University. 'Cigarettes are a Major Source of Radiation Exposure,' Safety Line,Issue 33, Fall 1996, web 
7. Nursing & Allied Healthweek, 1996, 
8. Herer, Jack. The Emperor Wears No Clothes, 11th edition, 1998. p. 110, web
9. Litwak, Mark. 'Would You Still Rather Fight Than Switch?' Whole Life Times, April/May, 1985. pp 11, web
10. Yuille, CL; Berke, HL; Hull, T. 'Lung cancer following Pb210 inhalation in rats.' Radiation Res, 1967. 31:760-774.
11. Borio, Gene. Tobacco Timeline. Website, 2001, web
12. Taylor, Peter. The Smoke Ring. Pantheon Books, NY, 1984. pp. 2-3, web
13. Smith, Lendon, MD. 'There Ought to Be a Law,' Chiroweb.com, November 20, 1992, web
14. Marmorstein, J. 'Lung cancer: is the increasing incidence due to radioactive polonium in cigarettes?' South Medical Journal,February 1986. 79(2):145-50, web
15. Phillip Morris internal memo, April 2 1980. Available online at www.pmdocs.comweb
16. Goldin, Megan. "'Radioactive' cigarettes cited in Israeli lawsuit." Reuters, June 23, 2000.
17. Health Physics Society, 'Naturally occuring radioactive materials factsheet,' 1997. see also: Watters, RL. Hansen, WR. 'The hazards implication of the transfer of unsupported 210 Po from alkaline soil to plants,' Health Physics Journal, April 1970. 18(4):409-13, web andweb
18. Glasser, George. 'Fluoride and the phosphate connection.' Earth Island Journal, earthisland.orgweb
19. Watson, AP. 'Polonium-210 and Lead-210 in Food and Tobacco Products: A Review of Parameters and an Estimate of Potential Exposure and Dose.' Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1983. Florida Institute of Phosphate Research.
20. Burnett, William; Schultz, Michael; Hull, Carter. 'Behavior of Radionuclides During Ammonocarbonation of Phosphogypsum.' Florida State University, Florida Institute of Phosphate Research. March, 1995, web
21. Hornby, Paul, Dr. Personal communication, 2001.


• David Malmo-Levine: email dagreenmachine@excite.com
• American Spirit: 1-800-332-5595; web www.nascigs.com

Autism Update

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Disorder linked to high levels of testosterone in womb

Prenatal screening tests could follow ground-breaking research into 235 children

A prenatal screening test for autism comes closer today as new research is published that links high levels of the male hormone testosterone in the womb of pregnant women to autistic traits in their children.

The ground-breaking study, published in the British Journal of Psychology by some of Britain's leading autism researchers, was prompted by the fact that autism is four times more common in boys than in girls. It is linked with other traits that are found more commonly in boys, such as left-handedness.

For more than eight years, a team at Cambridge University's autism research centre has been observing and testing the development of a group of 235 children whose mothers had an amniocentesis during pregnancy. The procedure involves drawing off fluid surrounding the baby in the womb using a fine needle and is offered by hospitals to pregnant women over 35 or 37 to test for Down's syndrome. The age and circumstances of the women have been taken into account in the research.

Dr Bonnie Auyeung, Professor Simon Baron-Cohen and colleagues, who publish their findings today, say they have consistently found a link between higher testosterone levels in the womb and autistic traits, such as a lack of sociability and verbal skills, in the children.

These are not autistic children, but many of us have traits that are more pronounced in those who have a medical diagnosis. Autism has been described as a consequence of an extreme male brain. Those affected do not empathise easily with other people (as girls tend to do more readily than boys). They cannot guess what other people are thinking or feeling. They have a much stronger drive towards analysis and constructing systems and can have a great ability to focus on something that absorbs them. People with autism include some brilliant, albeit eccentric and reclusive, mathematicians and musicians, as well as children who are never able to communicate and may end up in an institution.

In the early years of the study, the scientists could not measure autistic traits in the children, but they noticed some very early indicators. Male babies with higher testosterone levels were less likely to make eye contact at 12 months, their vocabulary was more limited between 12 months and 18 months, and at the age of four they were less sociable and had narrower interests.

Today's paper is a significant step forward because the children, now between eight and 10, are old enough to be psychologically assessed using two separate autism rating tests. Scientists found a clear link, in both tests, between higher testosterone levels when the child was in the womb and autistic traits.

The study highlights for the first time the association between foetal testosterone and autistic traits, and indicates that foetal testosterone not only masculinises the body, it masculinises the mind and therefore the brain, said Baron-Cohen.

The children will continue to be followed for some years, but Baron-Cohen and his team have at the same time expanded their research to look at the relationship between testosterone levels in the womb and children with a diagnosis of autism. They have turned to Denmark, where a biobank has been freezing and storing many thousands of samples of amniotic fluid from pregnant women since 1990. A new, collaborative study, which will include autistic children, will be published this year.

The work opens the way for a screening test for pregnant women, which could potentially involve amniocentesis to draw off fluid from the womb to measure testosterone levels.

The work is published on the day the General Medical Council hearing into Dr Andrew Wakefield and colleagues at the Royal Free hospital resumes. The three doctors face allegations of serious professional misconduct over their study, published in the Lancet journal in 1998, which suggested a link between autism and MMR vaccination.

Their paper came at a time of intense anxiety over soaring autism levels, which doctors have ascribed partly to better diagnosis but have not completely explained. More than half a million people are diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder, including Asperger's syndrome, in Britain. One of the reasons it sparked such a furore is that parents with an autistic child have no idea what has caused the condition and are left in a state of bewilderment and worry, wondering if they themselves could somehow be responsible. Diagnosis is usually delayed and often followed the MMR vaccinations, given at around 13 months and three to four years.

A prenatal test would have the advantage of giving parents advance warning, so that they would be able to do everything possible to help their child from birth.

Even if a testosterone test is not developed (scientists may still find that it is not completely reliable), genetic screening will one day be on the cards. Scientists know that autism is partly genetic, because it runs in families, although environmental factors must play a part because there have been occasions where one identical twin was autistic and the other was not. More than 100 genes have been associated with autism, but it is not yet clear which are most important.

In numbers: Autism facts

• Autism is a complex developmental disability involving a biological abnormality in the functioning of the brain. It is not a learning disability or a mental health problem, although people with autism may also be affected by those conditions.

• The first detailed description of a child with autism was written in 1799 by the French doctor Jean-Marc Gaspard Itard in his account of the "wild boy of Aveyron".

• People with autism who have an extraordinary talent are known as "autistic savants". They are extremely rare, with at most one or two in 200 people with an autistic spectrum disorder thought to be savants.

• It is likely that more than half of those with an autistic spectrum disorder have an average to high IQ.

• Asperger's syndrome is a form of autism that affects how a person makes sense of the world, processes information and relates to other people. They may like a fixed daily routine because the world can seem confusing and uncomfortable. People with Asperger's are less affected by the syndrome and usually able to lead a normal life. 
David Batty

Sick workers, guardsmen blame KBR

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But Houston firm denies it exposed the group to cancer-causing chemicals in Iraq

By LISE OLSEN
Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle

Feb. 15, 2009, 7:18AM

Ten contractors and dozens of National Guardsmen -- including a dying senior officer -- allege that Houston-based KBR knowingly allowed them to be poisoned by cancer-causing chemicals at a Basra water plant where they were making repairs to keep Iraq's oil fields pumping during the war.

Allegations from the workers, six of whom live in or near Houston, are documented in a federal arbitration complaint pending in Houston and a related federal lawsuit filed in December by the guardsmen in Indiana.

Most of the KBR contractors were sent to Iraq around April 2003 as part of Operation Restore Iraqi Oil, a no-bid U.S. contract worth billions. Members of the U.S. Army National Guard, most from Indiana, escorted and guarded the workers.

KBR officials acknowledge that a dangerous anti-corrosive chemical was stored and spilled at the Qarmat Ali water plant just outside Basra. Under Saddam Hussein's regime, Iraqis used the chemical to keep pipes free of corrosion as river water from the plant was pumped to oil fields miles away.

The company said its own tests showed that "some areas of soil" contained hexavalent chromium -- a human carcinogen that is the same toxin associated with contaminated drinking water in California exposed by crusader Erin Brockovich.

Confetti Money

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By Puru Saxena      Printer Friendly Version
Feb 13 2009 11:29AM

www.purusaxena.com

UPDATE - Global stock markets continue to bounce around as investors seek clarity from the confused establishment.   Mr. Giethner's recent speech about "a plan without a plan" weighed down on investor sentiment and caused heavy selling on Wall Street.  It seems as though Mr. Obama's administration has indeed brought about "change" but could it be change for the worse?  So far, the new government has done nothing except promise that they are going to borrow and print trillions of additional dollars!  What a great idea!

Remember, that the ongoing credit contraction was caused by excess credit, over-leverage and ridiculous consumption in the first place and now the "cures" being offered are more debt, bigger deficits and even more consumption.  Never underestimate the genius of politicians!

Waterboarding Demo

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How does it feel to be "aggressively interrogated"? Christopher Hitchens found out for himself, submitting to a brutal waterboarding session in an effort to understand the human cost of America's use of harsh tactics at Guantánamo and elsewhere. VF.com has the footage. Related: "Believe Me, It's Torture," from the August 2008 issue.


The Kennedy Dollars

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You may not have noted this, but one of JFK's last 'Executive Orders' was the one to mint these coins.  One of LBJ's first 'Executive Orders' was to destroy them:

Follow any of the active links below.  If you get lost, remember - there's no place like HOME!

Previous Date | Next Date | Peace Dollars by Date | Silver Dollars by Type


1964-D "PEACE" DOLLAR

PCGS No: None

Mintage: 

Circulation strikes: 316,076
Proofs: 0

Designer: Anthony de Francisci

Diameter: 38.5 millimeters

Metal Content:
Silver - 90%
Copper - 10%

Weight: 412.5 grains (26.7 grams)

Edge: Reeded

Mintmark: "D" (for Denver) below ONE on the reverse

Notes:
In 1964, the Denver Mint struck 316,076 Peace Dollars but, before they were released into circulation, all of the coins were destroyed.  A few may have been purchased or "taken" by Mint employees and rumors persist of this coin's existence.  However, for fear of confiscation by Treasury officials, none have yet appeared on the market.  Were it legal to own, the 1964-D Peace Dollar would become one of the most valuable of all United States coins.


Sources and/or recommended reading:
"Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins" by Walter Breen



On June 4, 1963, a little known attempt was made to strip the Federal Reserve Bank of its power to loan money to the government at interest. On that day President John F. Kennedy signed Executive Order No. 11110 that returned to the U.S. government the power to issue currency, without going through the Federal Reserve. Mr. Kennedy's order gave the Treasury the power "to issue silver certificates against any silver bullion, silver, or standard silver dollars in the Treasury." This meant that for every ounce of silver in the U.S. Treasury's vault, the government could introduce new money into circulation. In all, Kennedy brought nearly $4.3 billion in U.S. notes into circulation. The ramifications of this bill are enormous.

Also from there:

Address Is Approximate

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Now, one of the *absolutely* notable local places is Greenfield Ranch, which I believe I've found on Google Maps, in spite of the fact that the locals don't think of it as such.

I was reporting on Oberon Zell-Ravenheart some time back (when he made those hokey 'unicorns').

Incidentally, he and I share a title (primate).  I think he might be a bit more serious about his than myself (though I'd like some vestments, I think hemp would be more appropriate).

From the wiki:

Thomas deLong (born Berkeley, California, 21 May 1946 - died 9 Nov 1982), better known as Gwydion Pendderwen, was an American musicianwriterpoetconservationist and witch.

After being recognized for his music at a celebration in Wales in 1976, Pendderwen returned to California, quit his job with the Internal Revenue Service, and purchased a plot of the Greenfield Ranch in Mendocino County. Naming his parcel Annwfn after the Welsh underworld, he later gift-deeded the property to the Church of All Worlds with which he had long been involved.

Incidentally, the title of the post refers to the 'address' that Google Maps reports.  I can't read the addresses on the mailbox, but if it's Greenfield, then it should be 9050 Orr Springs Road, not 20722.


Gross National Happiness

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Gross National Happiness (GNH) is an attempt to define quality of life in more holistic and psychological terms than Gross National Product.

The term was coined by Bhutan's former King Jigme Singye Wangchuck in 1972 soon after the demise of his father King Jigme Dorji Wangchuk who has opened up Bhutan to the age of modernization. It signaled his commitment to building an economy that would serve Bhutan's unique culture based on Buddhist spiritual values. Like many moral goals, it is somewhat easier to state than to define. Nonetheless, it serves as a unifying vision for the Five Year planning process and all the derived planning documents that guide the economic and development plans of the country.


Bhutan's happiness formula

Market traders

Development has been moderated and people are less well off financially than they could have been.


Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (born February 21, 1980) is the fifth Dragon King of Bhutan and head of the Wangchuck dynasty.[1] He became king on 14 December 2006, and was officially crowned on 6 November 2008. At age 28, Khesar is currently the world's youngest monarch and head of state.

Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
Image:Jigme khesar namgyel wangchuck name.svg
King of Bhutan
ReignDecember 14, 2006 - present
CoronationNovember 6, 2008
PredecessorJigme Singye Wangchuck
Heir-PresumptiveJigyel Ugyen Wangchuck
FatherJigme Singye Wangchuck
MotherTshering Yangdon
BornFebruary 21, 1980
ReligionBuddhism

Contents

 [hide]

[edit]Family

Khesar is the eldest son of the fourth and previous Dragon King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, and his father's third wife, Queen (Ashi) Tshering Yangdon. He has a younger sister, Princess Dechen Yangzom, and brother, Prince Jigme Dorji, as well as four half-sisters and three half-brothers. He is unmarried.[2]







This is as opposed to:

The Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) is a concept in green economics and welfare economics that has been suggested to replace gross domestic product (GDP) as a metric of economic growth.

GPI is an attempt to measure whether a country's growth, increased production of goods, and expanding services have actually resulted in the improvement of the welfare (or well-being) of the people in the country. GPI advocates claim that it can more reliably measure economic progress, as it distinguishes between worthwhile growth and uneconomic growth.

The GDP vs the GPI is analogous to the difference between the Gross Profit of a company and the Net Profit; the Net Profit is the Gross Profit minus the costs incurred. Accordingly, the GPI will be zero if the financial costs of crime and pollution equal the financial gains in production of goods and services, all other factors being constant.

Map Tip

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Copy this and paste it in your browser bar when you are in a Google Map to get the latitude and longitude of the center of the map.

javascript:void(prompt('',gApplication.getMap().getCenter()));

I made it into a bookmark, for myself.

Send in the clowns

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How Ringling Bros. minions tormented a freelance writer for eight years.

Aug 31, 2001 | In August, I left a message for Jan Pottker at her home in Potomac, Md. She called back the next day to politely say she'd think it over, but doubted she would want to talk. 

"Burned once, you know, it's not my fault," she said. "Burned twice, it is my fault." 

It's not difficult to understand why Pottker declined to be interviewed. For eight years, she had been subjected to a bizarre ordeal. A gregarious, prematurely graying man in his late 30s posing as a helpful book packager and promoter had led her on a wild goose chase. While reporting on her every movement, and even thoughts, he steered her toward other projects, feeding her disinformation and generally doing everything in his power to prevent her from publishing anything about Ringling Bros.

The life of a freelance writer can inspire paranoia even at the best of times. Story assignments inexplicably fall through, editors change their minds. But the surreal campaign of dirty tricks endlessly played on Jan Pottker by Ringling Bros. chief Ken Feld and his minions would be enough to persuade even the most stoic freelancer that their career path was being plotted by Franz Kafka.

The Greatest Vendetta on Earth

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from: salon.com

Aug. 30, 2001 | WASHINGTON -- On a gloomy Veterans Day in 1998, Janice Pottker answered an unexpected knock on the door of her home in Potomac, Md., a woodsy, upscale suburb of Washington. Standing there was a man she'd never seen before, a private detective who introduced himself as Tim Tieff. He told Pottker, a freelance writer married to a senior government official, that he had a discreet message from Charles F. Smith, a former top executive with Feld Entertainment, owner of the Ringling Brothers-Barnum & Bailey Circuses, Disney Shows on Ice, and other subsidiaries that make it the largest live entertainment company in the world. Smith wanted to see her, he said. It had to have been startling news for Pottker, who had written a controversial, 11,000-word piece on the circus and its colorful owners, Washington's Feld family, for a local business magazine in 1990. Her piece had recounted the Feld family's Horatio Alger-like story, but it had also exposed some unpleasant secrets about the famously tight-lipped Felds -- such as a bitter feud that had broken out between the two chief heirs, and the bisexuality of the family's patriarch, Irvin Feld. The circus had refused to talk to her ever since. Ever since, Pottker had been trying, and failing, to get a book off the ground about the circus. But nothing had ever seemed to jell. Promising magazine assignments about the circus's questionable treatment of its performing children and the care of its animals had been derailed. Congressional and Labor Department interest in the subjects, which she'd spurred, evaporated. Now, out of the blue, a former top Feld official had sent a message saying he would like to meet with her. Would she agree? In a New York minute. For years, Smith had been the right-hand man of Ken Feld, who had inherited the circus when his entrepreneurial father died in 1984. But Smith had been fired 18 months earlier. Now he was apparently ready to spill the beans. The next day, Pottker sped off to meet Smith in nearby Chevy Chase. But if she had expectations that the former executive wanted to talk about child acrobats and performing elephants, she was in for an intensely personal shock. Smith was there to talk about what Feld Entertainment had done to her. Over lunch, Smith recounted a campaign of surveillance and dirty tricks Feld had unleashed on her in the wake of her 1990 magazine piece in the now-defunct Regardie's magazine. Feld, he said, had hired people to manipulate her whole life over the past eight years. Feld had spent a lot of money on it, he said. He may have even tried to destroy her marriage. In fact, Pottker would eventually learn of a massive dirty tricks operation, involving former CIA officials and operatives, that would target Ringling enemies such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and other groups, not just Pottker. For proof, he told her to go to federal court in Alexandria, Va., and look at a suit he had filed against Ken Feld. In that suit, she would find an affidavit from a man named Clair George with attachments. Those, he told her, are all about you. And then Smith left.

 
Bolivia plans to seek help from Russia for its counternarcotics efforts after the US refused to back anti-drug campaign in the country. 

The development comes as Bolivian President Evo Morales who has accused the US of "blackmailing" the country in drug war is to visit Europe on Sunday. 

"Meetings are planned with Russian and European Union authorities in order to recognize and share this responsibility" in combating drug traffickers, said Bolivian diplomatic chief David Choquehuanca. 

"We have a shared responsibility because if there weren't an illegal market, coca leaf would not be made into cocaine. I'm sorry that the United States is not complying. When they talk about cooperation, it's not cooperation but a kind of blackmail," Morales said earlier. 

Morales created an independent agency to combat drug trafficking after booting the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) late last year, accusing the US government of conspiring against his government. 

During his visit to Moscow, Morales also hopes to reinforce cooperation in the production of natural gas. 

Following the signing of agreements in 2008, Russian energy giant Gazprom already has a presence in Bolivia. 

Bolivia's first indigenous president is scheduled to visit France on Tuesday. 

A government spokesman said that Morales would meet President Nicolas Sarkozy to "examine trade negotiations between the Andean Community (CAN) and the European Union." 

Bolivia has not participated in free trade negotiations with the EU, due to the lack of consensus with other Andean bloc countries -- Columbia, Peru and Ecuador -- currently in bilateral talks with Brussels.

The REAL Slim Shady?

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May I have your attention please?
May I have your attention please?
Will, The Real Slim Shady please stand up?
I repeat will, The Real Slim Shady please stand up?
We're gonna have a problem here

Y'all act like you never seen a white person before
Jaws all on the floor like Pam, like Tommy just burst in the door
And started whoopin' her ass worse than before
They first were divorce, throwin' her over furniture
It's the return of the, "Ah, wait, no way, you're kidding
He didn't just say what I think he did, did he?"
And Dr. Dre said, nothing you idiots
Dr. Dre's dead, he's locked in my basement!
Feminist women love Eminem
Chigga chigga chigga, "Slim shady, I'm sick of him

Look at him, walkin' around grabbin' his you-know-what
Flippin' the you-know-who, yeah, but he's so cute though!"
Yeah, I probably got a couple of screws up in my head loose
But no worse, than what's goin' on in your parents' bedrooms
Sometimes, I wanna get on T.V. and just let loose, but can't
But it's cool for Tom Green to hump a dead moose
"My bum is on your lips, my bum is on your lips
And if I'm lucky, you might just give it a little kiss"
And that's the message that we deliver to little kids
And expect them not to know what a woman's clitoris is

Of course they gonna know what intercourse is
By the time they hit fourth grade
They got the discovery channel don't they?
"We ain't nothing but mammals", well, some of us cannibals
Who cut other people open like cantaloupes
But if we can hump dead animals and antelopes
Then there's no reason that a man and another man can't elope
But if you feel like I feel, I got the antidote
Women wave your pantyhose, sing the chorus and it goes

I'm slim shady, yes I'm the real shady
All you other slim shadys are just imitating
So won't The Real Slim Shady please stand up
Please stand up, please stand up?

'Coz I'm slim shady, yes I'm the real shady
All you other slim shadys are just imitating
So won't The Real Slim Shady please stand up
Please stand up, please stand up?

Will Smith don't gotta cuss in his raps to sell his records
Well I do, so fuck him and fuck you too
You think I give a damn about a Grammy?
Half of you critics can't even stomach me, let alone stand me
"But slim, what if you win, wouldn't it be weird?"
Why? So you guys could just lie to get me here?
So you can, sit me here next to Britney Spears?
Shit, Christina Aguilera better switch me chairs
So I can sit next to Carson Daly and Fred Durst
And hear 'em argue over who she gave head to first

You little bitch, put me on blast on M.T.V
"Yeah, he's cute, but I think he's married to Kim, hee-hee!"
I should download her audio on MP3
And show the whole world how you gave Eminem VD
I'm sick of you little girl and boy groups, all you do is annoy me
So I have been sent here to destroy you
And there's a million of us just like me
Who cuss like me, who just don't give a fuck like me
Who dress like me, walk, talk and act like me
And just might be the next best thing but not quite me

'Coz I'm slim shady, yes I'm the real shady
All you other slim shadys are just imitating
So won't The Real Slim Shady please stand up
Please stand up, please stand up?

'Coz I'm slim shady, yes I'm the real shady
All you other slim shadys are just imitating
So won't The Real Slim Shady please stand up
Please stand up, please stand up?

I'm like a head trip to listen to, cause I'm only givin' you
Things you joke about with your friends inside your living room
The only difference is I got the balls to say it
In front of y'all and I don't gotta be false or sugarcoated at all
I just get on the mic and spit it
And whether you like to admit it, I just shit it
Better than ninety percent of you rappers out can
Then you wonder how can kids eat up these albums like Valiums

It's funny, 'cause at the rate I'm goin when I'm thirty
I'll be the only person in the nursin' home flirting
Pinchin' nurses asses when I'm jackin' off with jergens
And I'm jerkin' but this whole bag of Viagra isn't working
And every single person is a slim shady lurkin'
He could be workin' at Burger King, spittin' on your onion rings
Or in the parkin' lot, circling, screaming, "I don't give a fuck!"
With his windows down and his system up

So, will the real shady please stand up?
And put one of those fingers on each hand up?
And be proud to be outta your mind and outta control
And one more time, loud as you can, how does it go?

I'm slim shady, yes I'm the real shady
All you other slim shadys are just imitating
So won't The Real Slim Shady please stand up
Please stand up, please stand up?

'Coz I'm slim shady, yes I'm the real shady
All you other slim shadys are just imitating
So won't The Real Slim Shady please stand up
Please stand up, please stand up?

'Coz I'm slim shady, yes I'm the real shady
All you other slim shadys are just imitating
So won't The Real Slim Shady please stand up
Please stand up, please stand up?

'Coz I'm slim shady, yes I'm the real shady
All you other slim shadys are just imitating
So won't The Real Slim Shady please stand up
Please stand up, please stand up?

Ha ha
Guess there's a slim shady in all of us
Fuck it, let's all stand up

SJP's demands

The following are SJP's demands: "Hampshire College calls on the U.S. government to stop financing the Israeli occupation. We support dialogue on our campus and between the leaderships of the two peoples as long as it is sincere and with the intention to end the oppression of the Palestinian people. As an institution we will not support, invest in or finance any individual, group or institution that is economically involved with the occupation. We support the Palestinian right to resist the occupation in accordance with international law.

"Due to our mandate as an institution of higher education, we are committed to support the Palestinian right to education, which is denied by the occupation, through exchange programs and academic support. In solidarity with the Palestinian people, our educational program will provide a stage for unheard Palestinian voices."

After these demands were made, SJP compiled a list of six companies that the school should specifically divest from: 1) Caterpillar, which sells armored bulldozers used to demolish homes and uproot olive trees and is responsible for the death of Rachel Corrie. 2) United Technologies, which makes Blackhawk helicopters that attack Palestinian buildings and civilians. 3) General Electric, which makes engines for the "Apache" helicopters. 4) ITT, which supplies the Israeli military with communications, electronic and night vision equipment used by its forces in the occupied territories. 5) Motorola, which has a contract to develop wireless encrypted communications for the Israeli military in the territories and is a majority investor in one of Israel's four cell phone companies. 6) Terex, which supplies Israel with tactical trucks, flood light towers and cranes for the separation wall, and provides associated logistical support to the Israeli Army.

Militant Ignorance

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Amy is reporting that Obama was given documents to decide whether to release info about the man who was 'interrogated' by having his penis sliced.

Apparently, the documents were heavily redacted.

This was, of course, to 'protect' the president.

Abe Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League is defending one of Israel's most powerful far-right extremists and his plan to strip "unfaithful" citizens, mostly Arab Israelis, of their citizenship. The Anti-Defamation League is supposed to "secure justice and fair treatment to all." Instead, they are supporting a dangerous ideology that calls for taking citizenship away from Israelis for exercising their right to free speech. 

How can we expect the ADL to effectively defend the rights of Jews when they so easily step on the rights of Arabs?

Avigdor Lieberman now heads Yisrael Beytenu, the third largest party in Israel, and is likely to be a minister in a new Israeli government.

On February 10, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported that Abe Foxman defended Lieberman's plan, despite the fact that "Some liberal Israeli and Jewish groups have condemned Lieberman as a fascist - the left-wing Meretz Party even compared him to the late far-right Austrian politician Joerg Haider - for his proposal to require Israeli Arab citizens to sign an oath of allegiance to the Jewish state." (1)

Instead of defending Lieberman, the ADL should be condemning him.

Why should the Anti-Defamation League condemn Lieberman?

  • Avigdor Lieberman led the drive in Israel's Central Election Committee to have Arab political parties banned from running in the most recent election, which passed successfully and was overturned only by the Israeli Supreme Court. (2)
  • He has called for the expulsion of Arab Members of the Knesset, threatening them that "a new administration will be established and then we will take care of you." (3)
  • He has called for Arab citizens of Israel to sign an "oath of loyalty" to the state or be stripped of their citizenship. (4)
  • His party has been very clear about what being "loyal" means: If you are an Arab student and dare come to school wearing a kefiyah, you are "disloyal." (5)
  • Lieberman's party said that if you are a Muslim Israeli and collect money and medicines for Gaza relief, you are "disloyal." (6)

If Lieberman's plan is put into place, if you do not meet his standards of loyalty, you lose all the rights of a citizen; you lose the right to vote; and you lose the right to have a political party or to run for office - that is, the right to participate in Israel's political process.

Is this what the ADL stands for?

It is ironic that the ADL understands as anti-Semitic the accusations of dual loyalty hurled against Jews in the US and elsewhere, but remains unconcerned about similar accusations against Arab Israelis.

Remind Abe Foxman that his organization was founded "to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all" - and that all means all, including Arab Israelis.

Click here to sign the letter to Abe Foxman.

----

(1) Back in 2006, the ADL condemned Lieberman's call to execute Arab legislators. But today, Abe Foxman defends Lieberman's loyalty oath (http://jta.org/news/article/2009/02/10/1002906/controversial-lieberman-proposal-finds-support-among-american-jews)

(2) http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1054867.html

(3) http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/962767.html

(4) http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090204/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_hard_line_hero

(5) in Hebrew: http://beytenu.org.il/126/2596/article.html

(6) in Hebrew: http://beytenu.org.il/126/2345/article.html


from ObamaWatch.us

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IS THIS A CHANGE-of-TEAM WE CAN BELIEVE IN?
Dave Lindorff, reporter for Salon, the Nation and Businessweek, writes: :"Just two weeks after his historic inauguration ceremony, Obama's presidency is lurching towards failure, and not because three of his administration picks have been found to be tax cheats, but because nearly all of his administration picks are corporate whores and shills". Lets look at the list:

William Lynn: A former Raytheon Co. lobbyist, confirmed today as deputy secretary of defense, (the department's chief operating officer - which includes overseeing acquisitions). He has agreed to sell his stock in the military contractor but will not be forced to step back from decisions related to Ratheon, the Defense Department said Friday. Instead, Obama wrote Lynn a special permission slip to exempt him the new revolving door ban. Allowing Lynn to do business with his former employer makes a mockery of Obama's new ethics rules.

Tom Daschle: Nominated as Secretary of H&HS - dropped out after acknowledging that he had belatedly paid more than $128,000 in taxes owed to the federal government. 

Nancy Killefer: Intended to become the government's first "chief performance officer", bowed out, after admitting she never paid payroll taxes for her household employee.

Timothy Geithner: a key official of the Bush years, has now been confirmed at Secretary of the Treasury, although he admits not having paid the Social Security and Health Care taxes he owed to the US Treasury., while working at the IMF. He had avoided paying them, despite his signed acknowledgement that he owed theses taxes and hid behind the 3 year statue of limitations, thus had saving himself $41,000. He only paid up after his nomination was confirmed. And this guy will supervise the IRS? 

Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) has been picked as Commerce Secretary. A deeply conservative man, he is opposed to the very existence of the Commerce Department he will head. To top it off, Obama worked out a deal to have the Democratic governor of New Hampshire fill Gregg's vacated Senate seat with a Republican appointee, thereby forfeiting the right to add a Democrat to the Senate and eliminate any chance of Republican filibusters. 

Tom Vilsack as Secretary of Agriculture: A Strong supporter of Monsanto's genetically-engineered crops and of unsustainable ethanol manufacture from corn and soy beans. 

Senator (D-Co) Ken Salazar, Obama's choice for Secretary of Interior: a loyal servant of the big ranching, and mining interests. Energy stocks climbed over 10% on expectations that his taking charge of Interior would assure continued opening up of federal lands for minerals exploitation". WSW.org 12/18/08. However, on February 10th, he surprised us by extending the review period for oil and gas leases in western states by 6 months. Should we wait and see it this leopard changes his spots?

Arne Duncan (currently CEO for the Chicago Public School System) will become Education Secretary. He is seen as a strong supporter of the "No Child Left Behind" initiative of the Bush administration.

Dr. Steven Chu has headed the Lawrence Berkeley Labs these past 4 years and is a scientist, not a businessman. His lifelong support for the nuclear power industry is why he'll be DOE Secretary. 

President Obama has named Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske to head the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), colloquially known as the drug czar's office, a White House official confirmed Thursday. It is not clear when the official announcement will be made.

http://stopthedrugwar.org/files/gilkerlikowske.jpg
Gil Kerlikowske
It is also not clear whether ONDCP will retain its position as a cabinet-level entity, which it has been under recent administrations. That, too, will be cleared up when the official announcement is made, the official said. The drug czar possibly being demoted could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on his proclivities.


This is NOT:

Norm Stamper

Dr. Norm Stamper finished his 34-year police career as chief of police of Seattle, Washington. Stamper believes the drug war causes untold misery, undermines effective law enforcement, and does not begin to pass any sort of cost-benefit analysis.

Women Drivers

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Ok, granted, the concept is sexist, but this is just TOO damn funny.  From Ai, too.
(via Video Girl Ai):

Ben & Jerry's has created "Yes Pecan!" ice cream flavor for Obama. For George W. Bush they asked for suggestions from the public. Here are some of their favorite responses: 

Grape Depression 

The Housing Crunch 

Abu Grape 

Cluster Fudge 

Nut'n Accomplished 

Good Riddance You Lousy Motherf*cker... Swirl 

Iraqi Road 

Chock 'n' Awe 

WireTapioca 

Impeach Cobbler 

Guantanmallow 

imPeachmint 

Heck of a Job, Brownie! 

Neocon Politan 

RockyRoad to Fascism 

The Reese's-cession 

Cookie D'oh! 

Nougalar Proliferation 

Death by Chocolate... and Torture 

Freedom Vanilla Ice Cream 

Chocolate Chip On My Shoulder 

Credit Crunch 

Mission Pecanplished 

Country Pumpkin 

Chunky Monkey in Chief 

WMDelicious 

Chocolate Chimp 

Bloody Sundae 

Caramel Preemptive Stripe 

Grilling tip

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As every Southerner knows, it's time to get ready for that all-important cooking technique of the south --- outdoor grilling! 

I have just found out there are several stores (not just in the South) where you can get a FREE Bar-B-Q grill! You can get a free BBQ grill from any of the following stores: 

A&P, Albertsons, Costco, Dan's, Food Lion, Fry's, Home Depot, Big Lots, Brookshire's, Lowes, Publix, Safeway, Sam's Club, Target, Vons, Trader Joe's, Wal-Mart, and Winn-Dixie.

I especially like the higher rack -- which can be used for keeping things warm! 

free bbq.jpg

Just make sure to get a metal one ... the plastic ones don't do so well. 

Ya'll enjoy now! 

Twist and Shout

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Twist and Shout"
Single by The Beatles
from the album Please Please Me
B-side"Spanish Twist"
ReleasedJune 16, 1962
Format7" single
RecordedNew York, 1962
GenreSoul/rock
Length2:27
LabelWand 653
Writer(s)Phil Medley and Bert Russell
ProducerGeorge Martin
The Beatles singles chronology
"Right Now"
(1962)
"Twist and Shout"
(1962)
"Twistin' With Linda"
(1962)
"Twist and Shout"
Cover of the "Twist and Shout (EP)" (July 1963)
Cover of the "Twist and Shout (EP)" (July 1963)
Song by The Beatles
AlbumPlease Please Me (UK)
Introducing... The Beatles(USA)
Twist and Shout (UK)
ReleasedMarch 22 1963 (album, UK)
March 2 1964 (album, US)
Formatvinyl record 7"
RecordedAbbey Road: February 11, 1963
GenreRock and roll
Length2:23
LabelTollie 9001 (US single, 1964)
Capitol 5624 (US-1986)
WriterMedley/Russell
ProducerGeorge Martin
Please Please Me track listing
Side one
  1. "I Saw Her Standing There"
  2. "Misery"
  3. "Anna (Go to Him)"
  4. "Chains"
  5. "Boys"
  6. "Ask Me Why"
  7. "Please Please Me"
Side two
  1. "Love Me Do"
  2. "P.S. I Love You"
  3. "Baby It's You"
  4. "Do You Want to Know a Secret?"
  5. "A Taste of Honey"
  6. "There's a Place"
  7. "Twist and Shout"

"Twist and Shout" is a song written by Phil Medley and Bert Russell. It was originally recorded by the Top Notes and then covered by The Isley Brothers. It was covered by The Beatles, with John Lennon on the lead vocals, and originally released on their first album Please Please Me. The song was covered by The Mamas & the Papas (in the style of a ballad) in 1967 on their album Deliver. It was also covered by Brian Poole and the Tremeloes. Most recently, Chaka Demus and Pliers(featuring Jack Radics and Taxi Gang) reached #1 on the UK charts with their version in January 1994.

The Beatles

The Beatles released the song on their first UK album, Please Please Me. The recording session for that album was their first album session, and is notable for ten songs having been recorded in a mere 10 hours (the remaining four songs had previously been released as singles). Twist and Shoutwas the last song recorded; producer George Martin knew John Lennon's voice would suffer from the performance, so he left it until last, with only 15 minutes of scheduled recording time remaining for the album.

Lennon was suffering from a cold, and was drinking milk and sucking on cough drops to soothe his throat. His coughing is audible on the album, and the cold's effect on his voice is audible in this recording. Even so, he produced a memorable vocal performance, a raucous, dynamic rocker. He later said his voice was not the same for a long time afterward, and that "every time [he] swallowed, it felt like sandpaper."[2]

Two takes were recorded, and the first take is heard on the album. George Martin said, "I did try a second take ... but John's voice had gone."[3]


The Beatles released the song on their first UK album, Please Please Me. The recording session for that album was their first album session, and is notable for ten songs having been recorded in a mere 10 hours (the remaining four songs had previously been released as singles). Twist and Shoutwas the last song recorded; producer George Martin knew John Lennon's voice would suffer from the performance, so he left it until last, with only 15 minutes of scheduled recording time remaining for the album.

Lennon was suffering from a cold, and was drinking milk and sucking on cough drops to soothe his throat. His coughing is audible on the album, and the cold's effect on his voice is audible in this recording. Even so, he produced a memorable vocal performance, a raucous, dynamic rocker. He later said his voice was not the same for a long time afterward, and that "every time [he] swallowed, it felt like sandpaper."[2]

Two takes were recorded, and the first take is heard on the album. George Martin said, "I did try a second take ... but John's voice had gone."[3]

This is one of the Beatles first songs featuring the group singing "wooo" in harmony, which would become a trademark of the early Beatles and "Beatlemania".

Useless Products?

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(CLICK ON MAP TO ENLARGE)

Fish Advisory Map


http://www.oehha.ca.gov/fish.html

Erethism

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Erethism or erethism mercurialis is a symptom complex of mercury poisoning, presenting with excessive shyness, timidity and social phobia[1][2]. This was common among hat makers of old England who used mercury to stabilize the wool in a process called felting. The character the Mad Hatter in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland is often believed to be an example of someone suffering from erethism, but this account is apocryphal. The character was almost certainly based on Theophilus Carter, an eccentric furniture dealer who was well known to Carroll[3].

[edit]References

  1. ^ WHO (1976) Environmental Health Criteria 1: Mercury, Geneva, World Health Organization, 131 pp.
  2. ^ WHO. Inorganic mercury. Environmental Health Criteria 118. World Health Organization, Geneva, 1991.
  3. ^ Waldron HA (1983). "Did the Mad Hatter have mercury poisoning?". British Medical Journal 287 (6409): 1961. PMID 6418283.

[edit]External links



The principal psychotic features of erethism were excessive timidity, diffidence, increasing shyness, loss of self-confidence, anxiety, and a desire to remain unobserved and unobtrusive.  The victim also had a pathological fear of ridicule and often reacted with an explosive loss of temper when criticized.

Who Killed John Lennon?

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http://www.rutherford.org/articles_db/commentary.asp?record_id=565 Who Killed John Lennon? By John W. Whitehead 12/1/2008 "You gotta remember, *establishment*, it's just a name for evil. The monster doesn't care whether it kills all the students or whether there's a revolution. It's not thinking logically, it's out of control." -- John Lennon (1969) In recent years, there have been countless stories about the U.S. government abusing its surveillance powers. They range from government agents listening in on the telephone calls of American citizens to the FBI harassing innocent people over their free speech rights for simply criticizing the government. And once some government bureaucrat decides to focus on a certain person, the data files are collected and civil liberties are undermined. This type of behavior, however, has been going on for a long time. Such was the relentless harassment and government stalking of John Lennon. It is not only a chilling tale of paranoia and abuse of power, it is also a lesson for our times. In December 1971 at a concert in Ann Arbor, Mich., Lennon took to the stage and in his usual confrontational style belted out "John Sinclair," a song he had written about a man sentenced to 10 years in prison for possessing two marijuana cigarettes. Within days of Lennon's call for action, the Michigan Supreme Court ordered Sinclair released. What Lennon did not know at the time was that FBI agents were in the audience, taking notes on everything from the attendance (15,000) to the artistic merits of his new song. The U.S. government was spying on Lennon. Supposedly, the goal was to collect enough information to have him deported. By March 1971, when his "Power to the People" single was released, it was clear where Lennon stood. Having moved to New York City that same year, Lennon was ready to participate in political activism against the U. S. government, the "monster" that was financing the war in Vietnam. It certainly helped that Lennon was a natural in the spotlight, with one of the most recognizable faces in the world. And with the Beatles' break-up, Lennon began doing his own thing, posing for publicity photos, decked out in Japanese riot gear and singing "Say you want a revolution, We better get it on right away, Well you get on your feet, And into the street." Lennon had learned early on that rock music could serve a political end by proclaiming a radical message. More importantly, he saw that his music could mobilize the public. For example, on November 15, 1969, during a peace rally in Washington, DC, Pete Seeger led nearly half a million demonstrators in singing Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance" at the Washington Monument. "The people started swaying their bodies and banners and flags in time," Seeger later recalled, "several hundred thousand people, parents with their small children on their shoulders. It was a tremendously moving thing." The release of Lennon's *Sometime in New York City* album, which contained a radical message in every song and depicted Richard Nixon and Chairman Mao dancing together nude on the cover, only fanned the flames of the conflict to come. Government officials had been keeping strict tabs on the ex-Beatle they referred to as "Mr. Lennon." But the official U.S. war against Lennon began in earnest in 1972 when he was served with deportation orders. While the orders were supposedly for a four-year-old marijuana conviction in Great Britain, what Lennon didn't realize was that Nixon was personally driving the effort to have him deported. FBI files, made public after years of lawsuits, reveal the extent of the Nixon Administration's efforts to "neutralize" Lennon. (However, while ominous in tone, the term "neutralize"--as used by government agents--was never really defined.) With FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover at the helm and reporting to the Nixon White House about the FBI's surveillance of Lennon, memos and reports had been flying back and forth between senators, the FBI and the U.S. Immigration Office. Clearly forces were at work to "neutralize" Lennon. Nixon's pursuit of Lennon was relentless--and in large part based on the misperception that Lennon and his comrades were planning to disrupt the 1972 Republican National Convention. The government's paranoia, however, was misplaced. Left-wing activists who were on government watch lists and who shared an interest in bringing down the Nixon Administration had been congregating at Lennon's New York apartment. But when they revealed that they were planning to cause a riot, Lennon balked. As he recounted in a 1980 interview, "We said, We ain't buying this. We're not going to draw children into a situation to create violence so you can overthrow what? And replace it with what? . . . It was all based on this illusion, that you can create violence and overthrow what is, and get communism or get some right-wing lunatic or a left-wing lunatic. They're all lunatics." Despite the fact that Lennon was not part of the "lunatic" plot, the government persisted in its efforts to have him deported. Finally, in 1976, Lennon won the battle to stay in the country. As he said afterwards, "I have a love for this country. This is where the action is." Lennon's time of repose didn't last long, however. By 1980, he had re-emerged with a new album and plans to become politically active again. The old radical was back and ready to cause trouble. In his final interview on Dec. 8, 1980, Lennon mused, "The whole map's changed and we're going into an unknown future, but we're still all here, and while there's life there's hope." That very night, when Lennon returned to his New York apartment building, Mark David Chapman was waiting in the shadows. As Lennon stepped outside the car to greet the fans congregating outside, Chapman, in an eerie echo of the FBI's moniker for Lennon, called out, "Mr. Lennon!" Lennon turned and was met with a barrage of gunfire as Chapman--dropping into a two-handed combat stance--emptied his .38-caliber pistol and pumped four bullets into his back and left arm. Lennon stumbled, staggered forward and, with blood pouring from his mouth and chest, collapsed to the ground. John Lennon was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. He had finally been "neutralized."

Blocking by ISPs

As of September 13, 2007, subscribers to Truthout's newsletters have found that the website's emails are often blocked, marked as "spam", or otherwise routed away from the default inbox. Some users have reported success by adding Truthout's email address to their address book, but Truthout claims that Microsoft HotmailYahoo Mail, and until recently, AOL Mail have confirmed that Truthout's messages are being interfered with due to Truthout's "reputation". [1]

http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=168

Hufu

Mark Nuckols is the founder and CEO of Hufu, LLC, and his company has but one goal: To serve man (or some reasonable, soy-based facsimile thereof). Hufu is tofu, but textured and flavored into a pseudo-meat billed as "The Healthy Human Flesh Alternative." They say it tastes like people.

At this point, the first question to spring to the mind of a normal, well-adjusted individual is, "Why!!?" For those of us who fall outside of that category, our first response is, "How?"

As usual, the normal and well-adjusted will get a lot more satisfaction than the rest of us. The company is delighted to share details on why, but as for how, their only comment is, "The taste and texture of Hufu are the result of painstaking research and extensive testing in our kitchens. We are supremely confident that our food products would satisfy the tastes of even the most demanding cannibal." Clearly, there's no meat in that response. Cough.

As for why, the company says that they originally intended to market the product to students of anthropology who were curious about the cannibal experience, yet daunted by the task of reproducing it. But the folks at Hufu soon learned through market research that some of the general public was "interested" in such a food- though perhaps "morbidly curious" might have been a more fitting description- so they are now marketing it to a broader audience. And people are buying it.

So what does human flesh taste like? Their FAQ says, "If you've never had human flesh before, think of the taste and texture of beef, except a little sweeter in taste and a little softer in texture. Contrary to popular belief, people do not taste like pork or chicken."

Their ambiguity on how makes one wonder if they simply made their best guess on the flavor, knowing that any persons able to refute the claim would most likely be unwilling to do so. And who would believe such a person's claims anyway? Perhaps they used a beef-based flavoring, sweetened it a tad, and called it good; but if so, they won't fess up. Of course it's always possible that their researchers really were willing to make some sacrifices to get the flavor just right, but they would never admit to that either. No doubt the ambiguity is key to their borderline, curiosity-driven marketing: sales will dry up if they admit to shenanigans, but equally so if they claim their researchers have eaten real human flesh.

Watch for Hufu in your grocer's refrigerated section, and coming soon, Hufu "Healthy Hearts" and Hufu "Doctor Lecter's Liver."

Hufu website

Tofu that Tastes like Human Flesh

by Steve
Wednesday, September 07, 2005

HufuHufu is the name of a tofu-based product designed to resemble the taste of human flesh. Billed as the "Healthy Human Flesh Alternative", it's designed to provide connoisseurs of people-parts with a legal way to please their palates.

The Hufu website provides a variety of recipes that originally called for human flesh, but now uses hufu as a replacement.

So what does human flesh taste like? According to the website:
If you've never had human flesh before, think of the taste and texture of beef, except a little sweeter in taste and a little softer in texture. Contrary to popular belief, people do not taste like pork or chicken.
The makers are also planning to create similar products, "Hufu Healthy Hearts" and "Hufu Doctor Lecter's Liver".

Source: Junk Food Blog

Selected Recipes

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PiHKAL

Phenethylamines I Have Known And Loved:

A Chemical Love Story

By Alexander and Ann Shulgin



202C-B4-Bromo-2,5-dimethoxy-PEA


402C-T-24-Ethylthio-2,5-dimethoxy-PEA

432C-T-74-Propylthio-2,5-dimethoxy-PEA

62DOB4-Bromo-2,5-dimethoxy-A

68DOM (STP)4-Methyl-2,5-dimethoxy-A

100MDA3,4-Methylenedioxy-A

106MDEN-Ethyl-3,4-methylenedioxy-A

109MDMAN-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxy-A

PETA

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People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals knows how to grab attention. And show off its laundry.

The animal rights group, which every year stages a protest at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, had two of its members dress in Ku Klux Klan garb outside Madison Square Garden on Monday.

Their goal, according to a post on the PETA website, was to draw a parallel between the KKK and the American Kennel Club. "Obviously it's an uncomfortable comparison," PETA spokesman Michael McGraw told the Associated Press.

But the AKC is trying to create a "master race" when it comes to pure-bred dogs, he added. "It's a very apt comparison."

The group passed out brochures implying the Klan and AKC have the goal of "pure bloodlines" in common.

PETA supporters Caleb Wheeldon, foreground, and Andrea McIntyre hand out leaflets outside Madison Square Garden during the 133rd annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show in New York. PETA contends that the American Kennel Club promotes pure-breeding of dogs that is harmful to their health.
By Mary Altaffer, AP
PETA supporters Caleb Wheeldon, foreground, and Andrea McIntyre hand out leaflets outside Madison Square Garden during the 133rd annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show in New York. PETA contends that the American Kennel Club promotes pure-breeding of dogs that is harmful to their health.

t r u t h o u t | 02.08

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Dahr Jamail | Full Circle
http://www.truthout.org/020809A
Dahr Jamail, Truthout: "Among things that have not changed in Iraq is one that I hope never changes. After a four-year-long absence, each of my meetings here with former friends and fresh acquaintances seems to suggest that adversity has taken its toll on everything except Iraqi hospitality and Iraqi generosity."

Biden Urges Fresh Start With Iran, Russia
http://www.truthout.org/020809B
Craig Whitlock, The Washington Post: "Vice President Joe Biden held out an olive branch Saturday to Iran and Russia, and reassured European allies that the Obama administration would treat them as equals but emphasized that 'America will ask its partners to do more as well.'"

Doctors: Under the Drug Industry's Influence?
http://www.truthout.org/020809C
Julie Steenhuysen, Reuters: "Reports of undisclosed financial ties between researchers and drugmakers have eroded public confidence, and restoring it will require an end to some 'free' perks, health policy experts said on Tuesday. Doctors may have to give up not just pens and prescription pads, but cozy seminars put on by drug companies in the guise of education, while the companies may need to give up direct-to-consumer ads, the experts wrote in a series of commentaries in the British Medical Journal."

The Credit Crunch According to Soros
http://www.truthout.org/020809D
Chrystia Freeland, The Financial Times: "On Friday, August 17, 2007, 21 of Wall Street's most influential investors met for lunch at George Soros's Southampton estate on the eastern end of Long Island. The first tremors of what would become the global credit crunch had rippled out a week or so earlier, when the French bank BNP Paribas froze withdrawals from three of its funds, and in response, central bankers made a huge injection of liquidity into the money markets in an effort to keep the world's banks lending to one another."

A Protected Forest's Fast Decline
http://www.truthout.org/020809E
Joshua Partlow, The Washington Post: "Antonio Elson Portela had already passed acres of charred stumps and rows of corn and coffee plants when he drove up behind a flatbed truck hauling logs out of this Amazonian forest. It was yet another affront to Portela, an environmental official responsible for protecting this rapidly dwindling national forest from settlers and loggers, but both Portela and the truck driver knew where things stood."

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/4182


February 6th 2009, by Mark Weisbrot, Rebecca Ray and Luis Sandoval - CEPR 

For the full report in its original PDF format, click here

Executive Summary 

This paper looks at some of the most important economic and social indicators during the 10 years of the Chávez administration in Venezuela, as well as the current economic expansion. It also looks at the current situation and challenges. 

Among the highlights:
  • The current economic expansion began when the government got control over the national oil company in the first quarter of 2003. Since then, real (inflation adjusted) GDP has nearly doubled, growing by 94.7 percent in 5.25 years, or 13.5 percent annually.
  • Most of this growth has been in the non oil sector of the economy, and the private sector has grown faster than the public sector.
  • During the current economic expansion, the poverty rate has been cut by more than half, from 54 percent of households in the first half of 2003 to 26 percent at the end of 2008. Extreme poverty has fallen even more, by 72 percent. These poverty rates measure only cash income, and does take into account increased access to health care or education.
  • Over the entire decade, the percentage of households in poverty has been reduced by 39 percent, and extreme poverty by more than half.
  • Inequality, as measured by the Gini index, has also fallen substantially. The index has fallen to 41 in 2008, from 48.1 in 2003 and 47 in 1999. This represents a large reduction in inequality.
  • Real (inflation adjusted) social spending per person more than tripled from 1998-2006.
  • From 1998-2006, infant mortality has fallen by more than one third. The number of primary care physicians in the public sector increased 12fold from 1999-2007, providing health care to millions of Venezuelans who previously did not have access.
  • There have been substantial gains in education, especially higher education, where gross enrollment rates more than doubled from 1999/2000 to 2007/2008.
  • The labor market also improved substantially over the last decade, with unemployment dropping from 11.3 percent to 7.8 percent. During the current expansion it has fallen by more than half. Other labor market indicators also show substantial gains.
  • Over the past decade, the number of social security beneficiaries has more than doubled.
  • Over the decade, the government's total public debt has fallen from 30.7 to 14.3 percent of GDP. The foreign public debt has fallen even more, from 25.6 to 9.8 percent of GDP.
  • Inflation is about where it was 10 years ago, ending the year at 31.4 percent. However it has been falling over the last half year (as measured by three month averages) and is likely to continue declining this year in the face of strong deflationary pressures worldwide.
Issued by Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC)  

6 February 2009  

The Congress of South African Trade Union is pleased to announce that its members, dock workers belonging to the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) achieved a victory last night when they stood firm by their decision not to offload the Johanna Russ, a ship that was carrying Israeli goods to South Africa. This, despite threats to COSATU members from sections of the pro-Israeli lobby, and despite severe provocation.  

The Johanna Russ, flying an Antigua flag, is owned by M. Dizengoff and Co., an established "pioneer of the modern era of shipping business in the Middle East" and shipping agent for the ironically named Zim Israel Navigation Company. (Ironic because, last year, the same SATAWU members refused to offload the Chinese ship An Yue Jiang, which was carrying arms and ammunition destined for Robert Mugabe's army.)  

The worker action last night took place despite attempted subterfuge on the part of the owners of the shipping company. There was an attempt to confound the plan by arriving earlier than originally scheduled, which was 8 February. Dates for the berthing of the Johanna Russ were changed constantly. Yesterday morning, SATAWU members were told that the ship would dock this morning (Friday) at 02:00. Thanks to the vigilance of the dock workers, SATAWU discovered that the ship had docked on Wednesday morning and was due to be offloaded last night at 21:00. But the vigilant workers were on guard and immediately they realised that it had docked, they then refused to handle it, despite pressures from management. SATAWU members maintained their refusal to offload the ship and also attempted to ensure that scab labour would not be used.  

Genders

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1) Male and Female people who are attracted (solely) to their opposite gender 
2) Male and Female people who are attracted (solely) to their identical gender 
3) Male and/or Female people who are not specific in their attraction (bi-sexuals, proper)
4) Female people who have CAIS, and are genetically male
5) Female people who have PAIS, are genetically male, and express some or most of that DNA
6) People of a sex who identify as the opposite of that sex (trans-gendered)
7) Other people more complexly defined (yeah, I've had them on the TV show)

Darlene

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If I mention the 'Good Health: Good Life' TV show on which I originally was a director ('95?), and at the end the producer/director, and mention the host, Darlene, this is her:

Producer:
  1. Young Gun (2007) (producer)
  2. Scarlet Momentum (2004) (producer)
  3. Blueberry Muffins (2003) (producer) (as Vivian Darlene Hanson)
  4. Crazy Like the Taz (2000) (producer) (supervising producer) 
Casting Director:
  1. Taming the Wild West: The Legend of Jedediah Smith (2005) (TV)
  2. Nothing But Life (2004)
  3. Scarlet Momentum (2004) 
The last time I saw her she was accepting an award in the big brother of the video contest I entered in Albuquerque.  Almost every year I get a reminder for her daughter's birthday (she used to be a geeky kid, now she's a supermodel).

Where I Got the Article Below

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  1. Fox-BGH Alleged Cover-up

    Steve Wilson & Jane Akre vs Fox Television Stations attempts to coverup Bovine ... into cows...and how pressure from the hormone maker Monsanto led Fox TV to fire ... filed their landmark lawsuit April 2, 1998 and survived three Fox ... Steve and Jane are now considering an appeal to the Florida state Supreme Court. ...
    www.foxbghsuit.com/ - 2k - Cached - Similar pages
  2. Monsanto and Fox TV Unite to Suppress Journalists' Free Speech by ...

    Monsanto and Fox TV Unite to Suppress Journalists' Free Speech by Ronnie Cummins ...On April 2, 1998, two award-winning Florida TV producers, Jane Akre and ... Full details of the lawsuit and the BGH story are available at: http://www. ...
    www.inmotionmagazine.com/fox.html - 31k - Cached - Similar pages
  3. Monsanto and Fox: Partners in Censorship | Center for Media and ...

    Immediately after FDA approval of rBGH, attorneys for Monsanto sued or .... what is going on in Florida, not only for Monsanto but also for Fox News and its ... the lawsuit has generated almost no national media attention and only a few ...
    www.prwatch.org/prwissues/1998Q2/foxbgh.html - 44k - Cached - Similar pages
  4. Green Left - MonsantoFox TV and censorship

    MonsantoFox TV and censorship. Two US former investigative journalists toured Australia in March to raise awareness of a lawsuit they have filed against ...
    www.greenleft.org.au/2000/400/23975 - 22k - Cached - Similar pages
  5. "We Paid $3 Billion For These Stations. We'll Decide What the News ...

    These are vital facts for consumers in Florida--and around the country--to know. ... (The pressure only intensified after Monsanto sent Ailes a second letter warning of ... In response, the reporters allege in their lawsuit against Fox...
    www.fair.org/extra/9806/foxbgh.html - 7k - Cached - Similar pages

Steve Wilson and Jane Akre, a husband-and-wife investigative reporting team at WTVTFox's Tampa Bay affiliate, thought they had a dynamite story: Despite promises to consumers, supermarkets in Florida were selling milk produced with rBGH, a synthetic growth hormone developed by Monsanto that boosts milk production. The use of rBGH causes udder infections in cows, requiring increased use of antibiotics, but the monitoring of antibiotic residues in milk was inadequate, Akre and Wilson found.

Most ominously, the Fox reporters found that some scientists believe that rBGH-boosted milk contains heightened levels of IGF-1, a hormone associated with increased risk of cancer (Science, 1/23/98). Despite Monsanto's claim that rBGH is "the most studied molecule certainly in the history of domestic animal science," no thorough studies exist on whether milk produced with rBGH is carcinogenic.

These are vital facts for consumers in Florida--and around the country--to know. But the story never aired on WTVT, and Wilson and Akre are now out of a job and suingFox--because of Fox's efforts to alter their story to make it acceptable to Monsanto.

On February 21, 1997, days before the first installment of the rBGH story was scheduled to air, Monsanto sent a letter to Roger Ailes, the head of Fox News. (Ailes was a campaign advisor to Ronald Reagan and George Bush, and the executive producer of Rush Limbaugh's TV show.) The letter questioned Akre and Wilson's "objectivity and capacity for reporting on this highly complex scientific subject," and charged that the reporters "have prejudged the safety of [rBGH] and the corporate behavior of Monsanto." The letter urged Ailes to involve himself directly in an effort to "get the facts straight" about rBGH, hinting none-too-subtly that the alternative would be a massive lawsuit: "There is a lot at stake in what is going on in Florida, not only for Monsanto, but also for Fox News and its owner."

That same day, Akre and Wilson were told that their story was being postponed, and an endless round of revisions, cuts and conferences with lawyers ensued. (The pressure only intensified after Monsanto sent Ailes a second letter warning of "dire consequences for Fox News.") Fox's attitude was made clear by in-house counsel Carolyn Forrest, who reportedly told Akre and Wilson, "I don't think this story is worth going to court and to trial spending a couple of hundred thousand dollars to fight Monsanto." Her position, the reporters say, was that "it doesn't matter if the facts are true"; what mattered was that no story air that could result in a Monsanto lawsuit that wouldn't be immediately dismissed.

In a memo, Akre and Wilson assured station management that they were willing to work with lawyers to produce a balanced and accurate story that would be legally unassailable, but insisted that they could not take part in airing a program that was false or misleading. In response, the reporters allege in their lawsuit against Fox, they were told by station manager David Boylan: "We paid $3 billion for these television stations. We will decide what the news is. The news is what we tell you it is."

After dozens of rewrites, the journalists and the station still couldn't agree on a version of the report that everyone was happy with. Fox didn't seem to want to kill the piece, but that appears to have been more about fear of bad PR than about a commitment to report the news: At one point the station offered to pay Wilson roughly $125,000, if he would just go away and never tell anyone how the story had been handled. He turned down the offer.

After Keystone Kops-like personnel maneuvers in which the couple were variously suspended without pay, suspended with pay and forbidden to work out of the studio,Fox eventually notified them by fax that they were both fired on November 30, 1997. The station never aired any version of the story they had produced.

All this has come to light because of Akre and Wilson's lawsuit against the Fox affiliate, charging breach of contract and violation of Florida's whistleblower protection act. How far the suit will get is unclear: Courts have been rightly reluctant to second-guess news judgments made by media owners. But regardless of its outcome, the filing of the suit has shed light on the cowardice and compromise often exhibited by news outlets in the face of corporate pressure.

The Destroyer

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And it goes like this:

You can tell some things about bad people, for instance, they are going to appear to be good ones, for the most part.

This doesn't mean you should be suspicious of the good people, but rather that you should not place any weight on the idea of how they 'appear' since the bad ones will appear the same as the good.

But still, there's ways to tell, for instance, the 'why do you go to church' question.

It's like sniffing out replicants.

OOps.

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MARINA'S TESTIMONIAL

 

The shocking truth about why and how the Secret Services are making Marina's life a living hell. The following report includes details of some conspiracies she is exposing and classified military information to which she is privy and therefore viewed as a threat to National Security.


Marina Findlay

In 1996, I was an outspoken and quite successful environmental campaigner. I was discrediting and speaking out against the Forestry Authority and the Scottish Natural Heritage and challenging landowners' outdated financial and property rights. In the underground media I was dismantling State propaganda while providing information that empowered others to actively protect native woodlands. I was involved in persuading the East Lothian council to put a precedential blanket Tree Preservation Order on an ancient wood, giving rights back to Nature and the people. Conservation put before exploitation.




January 2003.

Due to recent events, whilst Marina has been living in my home towards her protection from what she claims to be MI5 assassination attempts, it is now completely clear to me that she is not the person she publicly claims to be.  Because of the atrocities she has claimed upon herself since the age of 5, I have always, within my means and capabilities, tried to help and support her as much as possible.  However, since Marina's arrival in my home, to protect her from the forces that are supposedly attempting to murder her, she has shown her true colours.

I perceive myself as a man of truth and justice and I truly believed Marina was of the same calibre.  I now realise Marina has an ulterior agenda to which she publicly claims and, therefore, it is my duty to temporarily remove her story and related articles until I have fully investigated the true motives behind her words and actions.

In Truth and Justice

George Farquhar

What We Found in Gaza

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Strong Indications of Violations of the Laws of War, U.S. Law, and War Crimes Found in the Gaza Strip



GAZA CITY - We are a delegation of 8 American lawyers, members of the National Lawyers Guild in the United States, who have come here to the Gaza Strip to assess the effects of the recent attacks on the people, and to determine what, if any, violations of international law occurred and whether U.S. domestic law has been violated as a consequence. We have spent the last five days interviewing communities particularly impacted by the recent Israeli offensive, including medical personnel, humanitarian aid workers and United Nations representatives. In particular, the delegation examined three issues: 1) targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure; 2) illegal use of weapons and 3) blocking of medical and humanitarian assistance to civilians.

Targeting of Civilians and Civilian Infrastructure

Much of the debate surrounding Israel's aerial and ground offensive against Gaza has centered on whether or not Israel observed principles of proportionality and distinction. The debate suggests that Israel targeted Hamas i.e., its military installations, its leaders, and its militants, and in the process of its discrete military exercise it inadvertently killed Palestinian civilians. While we have found evidence that Palestinian civilians were victims of excessive force and collateral damage, we have also found troubling instances of Palestinian civilians being targets themselves.

The delegation recorded numerous accounts of Israeli soldiers shooting civilians, including women, children, and the elderly, in the head, chest, and stomach. Another common narrative described Israeli forces rounding civilians into a single location i.e., homes, schools which Israeli tanks or warplanes then shelled. Israeli forces continued to shoot at civilians fleeing the targeted structures.

We spoke to Khaled Abed Rabbo, who witnessed an Israeli soldier execute his 2-year-old and 7-year-old daughters, and critically injure a third daughter, Samar, 4-years old, on a sunny afternoon outside his home. Two other Israeli soldiers were standing nearby eating chips and chocolates at the time on January 7, 2009. Abed Rabbo recounts standing in front of the Israeli soldiers with his mother, wife and daughters for 5 - 7 minutes before one of the soldiers opened fire on his family.

We spoke to Ibtisam al-Sammouni, 31, and a resident of Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City. On January 4th, the Israeli army forced approximately 110 of Zaytoun's residents into Ibtisam's home. At approximately 7 am on January 5th, the Israeli military launched two tank shells at the house without warning killing two of Ibtisam's children: Rizka, 14 and Faris, 12. When the survivors attempted to flee Israeli forces shot at them. Her son Abdullah, 7, was injured in the shelling and remained in the home among his deceased siblings for four days before Israeli forces permitted medical personnel into Zaytoun to rescue them. After medical personnel removed the injured persons, an Israeli war plane destroyed the house and it crumbled over the lifeless bodies. The dead remained beneath the rubble for 17 days before the Israeli Army permitted medical personnel to remove their bodies for burial.

We spoke to the family of Rouhiya al-Najjar, 47, who lived in Khoza'a, Khan Younis. Israeli forces ordered her neighborhoods residents to march to the city center. Rouhiya led 20 women out of her home and into the alley. They all carried white scarves. Upon entering the alley, an Israeli sniper shot Rouhiya in her left temple killing her instantly. Israeli forces prevented medical personnel from reaching her body for twelve hours. These are only some of the accounts that we've collected.

Israeli forces also destroyed numerous buildings throughout the Gaza Strip during the recent incursion. Guild delegates viewed the remains of hundreds of demolished homes and businesses - in addition to the remains of the American School in Gaza, damaged medical centers, and the charred innards of UNRWA warehouses. While in situations of armed conflict, collateral damage and mistakes can occur, the circumstances surrounding the cases that the delegation investigated indicate deliberate targeting rather than collateral damage or mistake. Specifically:

The American School at Gaza, which was hit with two F-16 missiles on January 3, 2009, killing the watch guard on duty. According to Ribhi Salem, the school's director, the Israelis gave no warnings. Mr. Salem stated that the school had come to an agreement with resistance groups not to use school grounds and there had never been resistance activity on the property.

United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)

John Ging, the Director of Gaza Operations for UNRWA reported that Israeli forces fired missiles at UNRWA schools in Gaza City, Jabalyia and Bet Lahiya. The United Nation compound in Gaza city was also hit with white phosphorous shells and missiles. Ging noted that al United Nations buildings and vehicles all fly UN flags, are marked in blue paint from the top, and that during hostilities the UN personnel remained in constant contact with Israeli authorities.

Misuse of Weapons

Our delegation has heard allegations of the use of DIME (Dense Inert Metal Explosive) weaponry, white phosphorus and other possible weapons whose use in civilian areas is prohibited. We have also heard of the use of prohibited weapons, such as flachettes. We have found our own evidence of the use of flachette shells, which we will combine with evidence collected by Amnesty International to push for further investigation. We have not found any conclusive evidence of the use of DIME, though we believe that this warrants further investigation and disclosure by the Israeli military.

Our findings overwhelmingly point to the use of conventional weapons in a prohibited manner, specifically, the use of battlefield weaponry in densely populated civilian areas. Customary international law forbids the use of weapons calculated to cause unnecessary suffering. We found evidence that Israel used white phosphorus in extensively throughout its three-week offensive in a manner that led to numerous deaths and injuries. For example, Sabah Abu Halima, 45, lived in Beit Lahiya with her husband, seven boys, and one girl. It was midday and she and her entire family was home. Within minutes she felt her home shaking and missiles fell through the rooftop. She fell to the ground upon impact. When she looked up she saw her children burning.

Preventing Access to Medical and Humanitarian Aid

Under customary international humanitarian law, the wounded are protected persons and must receive the medical care and attention required by their conditions, to the fullest extent practicable and with the least possible delay. Parties to a conflict are required to ensure the unhindered movement of medical personnel and ambulances to carry out their duties and of wounded persons to access medical care. Speaking to medical workers and the family of victims, NLG delegates documented serious violations of this provision. Among the stories documented include:

Zaytoun neighborhood, which came under attack and invasion by ground foces on January 3, 2009. The Palestinian Red Crescent received 145 calls from Zaytoun for help, but were denied entry by Israel. Bashar Ahmed Murad, Director of Emergency Medical Services for the Palestinian Red Crescent Society told us that "a lot of people could have been saved, but hey weren't given medical care by the Israelis, nor did the Israeli army allow Palestinian medical services in." When paramedics were finally allowed to enter on January 7, Israeli forces only gave them a 3-hour "lull" to work and prohibited ambulances into the area. Instead they forced paramedics park the ambulances 2 kilometers away and enter the area on foot. Murad told delegation members how they had to pile the wounded on donkey carts and have the medical workers pull the carts in order to help the most people possible in the short time they were given. After the 3 hours were over, the Israeli army started shooting toward the ambulances. The Red Crescent was not able to reach that area again to evacuate the dead until January 17, 2009 when the Israeli army pulled out.

Al-Shurrab Family

On January 16th, Israeli forces shot at the jeep of Mohammed Shurrab, 64 years of age, and two of his sons, Kassab and Ibrahim, aged 28 and 18 as they were returning from their fields. Mohammad was shot in the left arm and Ibrahim was shot in the leg. The elder son, Kassab, sustained a fatal bullet wound to the chest, being shot multiple times after being ordered out of the car. Mohammad, bleeding from his wound, contacted the media, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and a number of NGOs via mobile phone in order to acquire medical assistance. Israeli forces denied medical relief agencies clearance to reach them until almost 24 hours after Mohammad, Ibrahim and Kassab had been shot. Earlier that morning, Ibrahim had succumbed to his wound and died. Mohammad Shurrab and his sons were shot during a so-called "lull" in Israeli ground operations, which Israeli forces had agreed to in order to allow humanitarian relief to enter and be distributed in the Gaza Strip. As such NLG delegates fail to see how this denial of medical access to the wounded Shurrab family could have been absolutely necessary and not simply arbitrary.

International humanitarian law also prohibits attacks on medical personnel, medical units and medical transports exclusively assigned to carry out medical functions. Delegate members saw ambulances seriously damaged and destroyed, some apparenly deliberately crushed by Israeli tanks. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society and the Palestinian Ministry of Health informed delegates that 15 Palestinian medics were killed and 21 injured in the course of Israel's assualt.

Conclusions

This delegation is seriously concerned by our initial findings. We have found strong indications of violations of the laws of war and possible war crimes committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip. We are particularly concerned that most of the weapons that were found used in the December 27 assualt on Gaza are US-made and supplied. We believe that Israel's use of these weapons may constitute a violation of US law, and particularly the Foreign Assistance Act and the US Arms Export Control Act.

A report of our initial findings will be compiled and submitted to, among others, members of the United States Congress. We intend to push for an investigation by the United States government into possible violations by Israel of US law. We also hope to contribute our finding and efforts to other efforts by local and international lawyers to push for accountability against those found responsible for the egregious crimes that we have documented.
Members of the Legal Delegation

Huwaida Arraf (New York, Washington DC)
huwaida.arraf@gmail.com
Palestine: 0599-130-426
USA: 1-202-294-8813

Noura Erekat (Washington DC)
noo194@yahoo.com
Palestine:
USA: 1-510-847-4239

James Marc Leas (Vermont)
jolly39@gmail.com
Palestine:
USA: 1-802 864-1575 and 1-802 734-8811(cell)

Linda Mansour (Ohio)
Lindamansour@aol.com
Palestine:
USA: 1-419-535-7100 and 1-419-283-8281 (cell)

Rose Mishaan (California)
roseindigo7@gmail.com
Palestine:
USA: 1-917-803-2201

Thomas Nelson (Oregon)
nelson@thnelson.com
Palestine:
USA: 1-503-709-6397

Radhika Sainath (California)
radhika.sainath@gmail.com
Palestine:
USA: 1-917-669-6903

Reem Salahi (California)
reemos@gmail.com
Palestine:
USA: 1-510-225-8880


Sucrecabre

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I realized that's the real term for you 'modern' folks (sugar-suckers).

I've slowly watched my culture's culinary palette (palate?) turn into Chef Boy Ar Dee brand food.

Just watching BBQ turn from a smoked to a candy-coated item was enough to convince me that something was afoot.

At Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse, they were confused when I didn't want to get any sauce on my meat (really).
2:35 PM EST February 6, 2009
Professor Richard Dawkins, the author of the book "The God Delusion," poses in front of a London bus featuring an atheist ad in January. Christians are about to launch their own campaign.
© AP

Christians are soldiering on in the battle over God's existence by putting ads on London's famous red buses urging people to have faith.

The posters are a response to an atheist campaign that told people to stop worrying about religion because God probably doesn't exist.

The Christian Party has paid $22,000 to run ads declaring: "There definitely is a God. So join the Christian Party and enjoy your life," in red, pink and orange letters.

The ads will start appearing buses Monday, just as a monthlong campaign by atheists ends. In that campaign, atheists paid for bus ads saying there is probably no God, so "stop worrying and enjoy your life."

The atheist campaign, organized by the British Humanist Association and backed by Oxford University biologist and author Richard Dawkins, sparked a debate over religious - or anti-religious - messages in public spaces.

Reuters
Published: February 02, 2009, 22:54

Vienna: Iran could gain the capability to make a nuclear weapon in 2-5 years but there is ample time to deal with the concern, the head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog said in a televised interview.

Mohammad Al Baradei, director-general of the Vienna-based UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said that after stockpiling enriched uranium, Iran would face further technical and political hurdles should it seek to build nuclear arms.

"There is a concern, but don't hype the concern," Al Baradei, alluding mainly to US and Israeli warnings, said in a CNN interview broadcast late on Sunday. "There is ample time to engage [Iran] and reverse the concern and to move into more engagement rather than more isolation."

Al Baradei said that for Iran to have weapons capacity, it would have to eject IAEA inspectors, leave the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), reconfigure production to refine uranium to the high degree needed for bomb fuel and fit the material into a warhead:

"Even if I go by the CIA and other US intelligence, the estimations [are] that even if they go through all these scenarios, we're still talking about two to five years from now."

Western powers believe Iran's declared programme to refine uranium to the low level required for civilian nuclear energy is a front for gaining the means to reprocess it into highly enriched material for bombs at short notice.

Iran insists its nuclear ambitions are for peaceful purposes.

Pot Munchies

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Hemp as a drug II

The most prepared hemp dish in islamic countries is the so-called Majoon.

Here is a recipe from Morocco:

  • roast one cup of excellent weed (full bloom) slightly on a low flame and then pulverize it. 
    Add:
  • 1/2 a cup of fine chopped dates
  • 1/2 a cup of almonds or nuts
  • 1/2 a cup of chopped dried figs
  • 1/4 a cup of honey
  • 1/4 a cup of water
  • 1/2 a teaspoonful of ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoonful of aniseed (optional)

Simmer on a low flame until the dates and figs are soft.
Afterwards stir in a tablespoonful of butter; when cold pour with 5 tablespoonful of orange blossom water.

This results in a candy to be cut into little cubes. Serve mint tea to go with it.

Ukiah Community Blog

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ukiahcommunityblog.com

Bloggers


Annie Esposito and Steve Scalmanini, Unusual Suspects, Ukiah

Benj Thomas, Community Advocate/City Councilperson, Ukiah

Dan Hamburg, Community Advocate/Environmentalist, Mendocino County

Dave Smith (UB Editor/Publisher), Mulligan Books, Ukiah

Earl Brown (UB Columnist), Earth Warrior, Ukiah

Evan Johnson (UB OP/ED), Artist/Photographer, Ukiah

Gail Johnson, Unusual Suspect, Ukiah

Janie Sheppard (UB Columnist), Community Advocate/Lawyer, Mendocino County

Jim Houle, Community Advocate, Redwood Valley

Linda Sanders, Community Advocate/Environmentalist, Ukiah

Mary Anne Landis, Community Advocate/City Councilperson, Ukiah

Michael Laybourn (UB Columnist), Co-Founder, Mendocino Brewing Co, Hopland

Ron Epstein, Community Advocate/Professor, Ukiah

Scott Cratty, Community Advocate, Farmers Markets, Mendocino County

Susan Jordan, Community Advocate/Lawyer, Ukiah

Luddite

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Leader of the luddites, engraving of 1812

The Luddites were a social movement of British textile artisans in the early nineteenth century who protested--often by destroying mechanized looms--against the changes produced by the Industrial Revolution, which they felt were leaving them without work.

This English historical movement has to be seen in its context of the harsh economic climate due to the Napoleonic Wars, and the degrading working conditions in the new textile factories; but since then, the term Luddite has been used derisively to describe anyone opposed to technological progress and technological change.

The Luddite movement, which began in 1811, took its name from the fictive Ned Ludd. For a short time the movement was so strong that it clashed in battles with the British Army. Measures taken by the government included a mass trial at York in 1812 that resulted in many executions and penal transportation.

The principal objection of the Luddites was against the introduction of new wide-framed automated looms that could be operated by cheap, relatively unskilled labour, resulting in the loss of jobs for many skilled textile workers.

Sabotage

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening an enemy, oppressor or employer through subversion, obstruction, disruption, and/or destruction. Sabotage also means to trick or misguide.

Origin

Claimed explanations include:

  • Sabotage is a term of French origin coined during the railway strike of 1910, when workers destroyed the wooden shoes, or sabots, that held rails in place, thus impeding the morning commute.[citation needed]
  • That the word is older by almost a century, the times of Industrial Revolution. It is said that powered looms could be damaged by angry or disgruntled workers throwing their wooden shoes or clogs (known in French as sabots, hence the term Sabotage) into the machinery, effectively clogging the machinery. This is often referenced as one of the first inklings of the Luddite Movement. However, this etymology is highly suspect and no wooden shoe sabotage is known to have been reported from the time of the word's origin. [1]
  • That the word comes from the slang name for people living in rural areas who wore wooden shoes after city dwellers had begun wearing leather shoes; when employers wanted strikebreakers they would import 'sabots'/rural workers to replace the strikers. Not used to machine-driven labor, the 'sabots' worked poorly and slowly. The strikers would be called back to work (with demands won) and, could win demands on the job by working like their country cousins -- the sabots. Thus 'sabotage'.

Great Point

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From Norm (LEAP):

Just consider the *first* prohibition (no, not alcohol, apples).

The 'cop' was omniscient, and omnipresent, had only TWO individuals to watch, and yet STILL, they managed to violate prohibition.

DNotes 2009-02-06

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Joe Arpaio, sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, has violated articles of the Geneva Convention (and likely the US Constitution's provision against 'cruel and unusual' punishment) by making a parade of prisoners going to jail.

Record number of suicides in the army (see note below).

popconnect.org

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For all you folks who are under the mis-impression that the 'changed' thing might be something other than FOUR BILLION EXTRA PEOPLE since I was born.

Gandhi Ate Meat, too.

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Gandhi's childhood friend, the "tragedy" in his life, Sheik Mehtab believed in the powers of meat-eating. He told the young Gandhi:

"We are a weak people because we do not eat meat. The English are able to rule over us, because they are meat-eaters. You know how hardy I am, and how great a runner too. It is because I am a meat-eater. Meat-eaters do not have boils or tumours, and even if they sometimes happen to have any, these heal quickly. Our teachers and other distinguished people who eat meat are no fools. They know its virtues. You should do likewise. There is nothing like trying. Try, and see what strength it gives." (4)

Mehtab also argued that meat-eating would cure Gandhi's other problems, including his irrational fear of the dark. Gandhi observed that both Mehtab and Gandhi's brother, also a meat-eater, possessed greater physical strength and athletic ability than himself. Gandhi saw indications that meat-eating produced stronger and more courageous men, not only in the British culture, but in India as well. The Kshatriyas, the warrior caste of India, had always eaten meat, and it was generally thought that their diet was one of the sources of their strength. (5) With these arguments, Mehtab eventually convinced Gandhi, well hidden from his parents, to eat meat. At first, Gandhi abhorred it. "The goat's meat was as tough as leather. I simply could not eat it. I was sick and had to leave off eating." (6) However, now that Mehtab knew that Gandhi was convinced of the benefits of eating meat, he would surrender. At extraordinary expense, he managed to get a room in a restaurant and have meat expertly prepared by a trained chef. After eating meat in this manner, hidden from his parents, Gandhi "became a relisher of meat-dishes, if not the meat itself." (7) Yet this came at a price for the painfully honest young Gandhi. He knew that every time he ate meat, he broke an implicit promise to his parents, especially his mother, who would have regarded her youngest son's meat-eating with horror. Gandhi vowed to give up meat, though he thought at the time, as he said in his autobiography, that "it is essential to eat meat, and also essential to take up food 'reform' in the country." He tempered his decision by promising himself that "when they are no more and I have found my freedom, I will eat meat openly, but until that moment arrives, I will abstain from it." (8) Thus, Gandhi based his decision not on the morals or ideals of vegetarianism, but on his desire to honor his parents. Gandhi, by his own admission, was not a true vegetarian. Only his respect for his parents forced him to remain a vegetarian. Gandhi believed in eating meat, because he believed that only by fighting, through physical strength, would his country be free.

Zolushka recommended two movies, and one of them I found quite amazing as a citation, as it's an MGM film that I'd never heard of starring Viven Leigh.

It's called Waterloo Bridge, and it's the story of a girl who falls in love with a Captain (and young Lord) in the British army when they meet on Waterloo Bridge.

She's fired from her job as a ballerina over him.

He is falsely reported as dead.

She has to stoop to prostitution to keep body and soul together.

He returns to find her trolling for servicemen in the station (but thinks it's a coincidence).

He takes her home to mom, and uncle 'Duke'.  They all love her.

Uncle Duke tells her that he's so happy, because the boy has finally found a fit wife, and it's important not to sully the tradition of 'the regiment'.

She tells 'mom' about her history, apologizes to mom, leaves forever, and kills herself by walking in front of an ambulance on Waterloo Bridge.

I think I like this girl.  This is the first drama of manners I've found to be anything other than depressing.  

Hot4Words

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With all this discussion about Michael Phelps smoking pot, I thought it would be timely to visit the origin of the word "pot".

Healthy Eating Coach's Corner

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Myth 1: A diet without meat and poultry is boring and hard to stick with

Not true! Forget everything you've heard about going meatless either full-time, or from time-to-time. I follow an "NMP" eating style full-time, and I regularly eat delicious food like cheeseburgers, chicken parmesan, tacos, BLTs and chicken caesar salad (in their non-meat/poultry versions of course). 

Myth 2: When you go "NMP", you have trouble getting enough protein

The trouble with the "Typical American Diet" is that most people think protein means just red meat, poultry, pork or fish. There are lots of great ways for someone who follows the "NMP" eating style to easily get the essential protein that they need to be healthy. For example, some great sources of protein without meat and poultry include: fish, soy-based meat and poultry substitute products, high-protein pasta, beans, nuts, fat-free and low-fat dairy products and eggs (ideally just egg whites) and vegetable-based protein powders

Myth 3: Any food that I find in my natural food/health food store is healthy 

Just because an item is available for sale in a natural food/health food store, does not mean that you can assume it is right for you. A frozen food entrée may have too much fat, salt or sugar even if it does not contain meat or poultry. There will still be white bread and white pastas, when whole grain would be healthier. A baked item could have partially-hydrogenated oil (trans-fat) in it. Nothing demonstrates better the fact that you still have to be on your guard at a health food store, than the fact that such major chains as Whole Foods Markets and Wild Oats Markets sell Ben & Jerry's ice cream. 

Myth 4: It's hard for those who go "NMP" to fit in socially 

Lots of people have special dietary needs and you shouldn't let "meat and poultry eaters' peer pressure" get in the way of your "NMP" lifestyle. Many of my friends and family did not even know I had changed my eating habits until I told them, because I tended to order food out from favorites like Italian, Chinese and Mexican or salad bars anyway. Instead of ordering a dish with chicken, I would go meatless or order fish, and no one was the wiser. If I went to a friend or family member's house where I knew that they might not have much for me to eat, I would bring along a healthy meatless dish like a pasta salad as an offering to the host or hostess. This would ensure I wouldn't "starve" and usually the meat and poultry eaters in attendance would enjoy it too. 

Myth 5: I could never go "NMP" 

Never say never! Even though I have been a healthy eater for nearly a decade after a "misspent youth", if someone would have told me years ago that I would adopt an "NMP" eating style and maintain it for nearly five years now, I would have thought they were crazy. Taking my healthy eating habits to a new level occurred when I witnessed first-hand the heart disease, diabetes and cancer present in my family worsen. While that was strong motivation, it might not have been enough if I was forced to eat foods I did not enjoy and give the heave-ho to all my favorites. If you find a way to get creative and still eat the foods you love, you'll find that you can stick with it. 

"Mythology" aside, the decision on whether or not you should go "NMP" either full-time, or from time-to-time, is a personal one between you and your team of health care professionals. But consider that such alifestyle change could help put you in the best possible position to live a long and healthy life--both for your benefit, and that of your loved ones. And that's a fact. 

Why Hindus Don't Eat Meat

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from www.ivu.org

1. The Dharmic Law Reason
Ahinsa, the law of noninjury, is the Hindu's first duty in fulfilling religious obligations to God and God's creation as defined by Vedic scripture.

2. The Karmic Consequences Reason
All of our actions, including our choice of food, have Karmic consequences. By involving oneself in the cycle of inflicting injury, pain and death, even indirectly by eating other creatures, one must in the future experience in equal measure the suffering caused.

3. The Spiritual Reason
Food is the source of the body's chemistry, and what we ingest affects our consciousnes, emotions and experiential patterns. If one wants to live in higher consciousness, in peace and happiness and love for all creatures, then he cannot eat meat, fish, shellfish, fowl or eggs. By ingesting the grosser chemistries of animal foods, one introduces into the body and mind anger, jealousy, anxiety, suspicion and a terrible fear of death, all of which are locked into the the flesh of the butchered creatures. For these reasons, vegetarians live in higher consciousness and meat-eaters abide in lower consciousness.

4. The Health Reason
Medical studies prove that a vegetarian diet is easier to digest, provides a wider ranger of nutrients and imposes fewer burdens and impurities on the body. Vegetarians are less susceptible to all the major diseases that afflict contemporary humanity, and thus live longer, healthier, more productive lives. They have fewer physical complaints, less frequent visits to the doctor, fewer dental problems and smaller medical bills. Their immune system is stronger, their bodies are purer, more refined and skin more beautiful.

5. The Ecological Reason
Planet Earth is suffereing. In large measure, the escalating loss of species, destruction of ancient rainforests to create pasture lands for live stock, loss of topsoils and the consequent increase of water impurities and air pollution have all been traced to the single fact of meat in the human diet. No decision that we can make as individuals or as a race can have such a dramatic effect on the improvement of our planetary ecology as the decision not to eat meat.

Buddist Veganism

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Hmmm... I'm still unsure whether to be a vegetarian...

Well... the Buddha left it to you to choose!

Remember- Buddhism is a free religion. Though there are always kinder and wiser choices you can make, you are also free to choose otherwise. 


"A vegetarian diet is not obligatory for Buddhists. Still, for those of us who follow the teachings of the Great Vehicle, it is important. But the teachings of the Buddha were open and flexible on this subject, and each practitioner has the choice to be vegetarian or not."
 

-His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama


The Dalai Lama tried being a vegetarian in the 1960s, developed jaundice (hepatitis), and was ordered by his doctors to eat meat again. This is not known to be a complication of vegetarianism and may have been coincidental or the result of an unbalanced vegetarian diet: reportedly, the Dalai Lama had subsisted mostly on nuts and milk. In large, controlled, long-term studies, vegetarians and vegans have tended to be slightly healthier and possibly longer-lived than comparable nonvegetarians. The American Dietetic Association and the Dietitians of Canada have consistently endorsed the safety and healthfulness of a well-planned vegetarian or vegan diet.
 

UPDATE, December 2004: In a Reader's Digest interview this year, The Dalai Lama said he is now entirely vegetarian, except when he's on the road. "My kitchen is now totally vegetarian," he said. "But when I visit places, occasionally I take non-vegetarian..." 

By Gurudeva Sivaya Subramuniyaswami


HinduismIs there a rule about Hindus eating meat?

Introduction

This is a very touchy subject.

Basically, there is a rule, an overlying rule, which gives the Hindu answer to this query. It is called ahimsa, refraining from injuring - physically, mentally or emotionally - anyone or any living creature. The Hindu who wishes to strictly follow the path of non-injury to all creatures naturally adopts a vegetarian diet.

We have collected many scriptural quotes which counsel Hindus not to eat meat. There are references in the Vedas and Manu Dharma Shastras to this effect, as well. As in other matters, Hinduism has very few rigid "do's and don'ts." Rather, its injunctions are called restraints and observances. The ultimate authority for answers to such questions is one's own guru, or our religious community and sampradaya and our own understanding of the spiritual benefits from abstaining from eating meat. Let me put it this way. There are good Hindus who eat meat, and there are bad Hindus who are vegetarians.

Today in America and Europe there are literally millions of vegetarians. This is because they want to live a long time and be healthy. Many feel a certain moral obligation to their own conscience which they wish to fulfill. There are some good new books on vegetarianism, such as Diet for a New America by John Robbins. If you want to know about vegetarianism from the American perspective, write to us and we can refer you to some excellent books. Perhaps at your next meeting you can invite some of these authorities to come and speak to your group. There is also a fine magazine dedicated to the subject, "Vegetarian Times," which comes out monthly. Now to some answers that you can memorize when asked about vegetarianism and its relationship to Hinduism.

 

Answer #1: Simply put, vegetarians are more numerous in the south of India than in the north. This is because of climactic conditions and the Islamic influence within the north of our country. Our religion does not lay down rigid "do's and don'ts." There are no commandments. Our religion gives us the wisdom to make up our own mind on what we put in our body, for it is the only one we have, in this life at least.

Answer #2: All of our priests and religious leaders are definitely vegetarian, because they have to awaken the more refined areas of their nature in order to perform their work. Our soldiers and law-enforcement people are generally not vegetarians. This is because they have to keep alive their aggressive forces in order to perform their work. To practice yoga and be successful in spiritual life it is advisable to become a vegetarian. It is a matter of wisdom. Wisdom is the application of knowledge at any given moment.

Answer #3: Today, about twenty or thirty percent of all Hindus are vegetarians and the rest are not.

 

Summary

Through my forty years of presenting the eternal Truths of Hinduism, I have found that families who are vegetarian have fewer problems than those who are not. This is because when we eat meat, fish, fowl and eggs, we absorb the vibration of the instinctive creatures into our nerve system and this amplifies our own lower nature. Our lower nature is prone to fear, anger, jealousy, confusion, resentment and the like. We advise all members of my Saiva Siddhanta Church to be well-established vegetarians prior to initiation into mantram and then remain vegetarian afterward. However, we don't insist upon members becoming vegetarian if they are not seeking initiation.

 

Prepared for the July 4th, 1990 meeting of the youth of the Hindu Temple of greater Chicago, by Gurudeva, Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

From Dale Pierc​e

This is a poem my son wrote​ after​ retur​ning from Iraq,​ befor​e he shot himse​lf for what Bush had him do in Iraq.​

Got home almos​t a year and a half ago
We were so happy​
That beer never​ taste​d so good
Iraq was the farth​est thing​ from my mind
That was the best week of my life.​ It crept​ up slowl​y
First​ just while​ sleep​ing
More real and scary​ than when it happe​ned
After​,​ it's on the mind awake​
Never​ 10 minut​es goes by witho​ut being​ remin​ded
Been home a year and a half physi​cally​
Menta​lly,​ I will never​ be home.​

- "​Still​ at War" by Noah Pierc​e,​ poem insid​e his funer​al folde​r

Thank​s Dale

PS. Go get him!

http:​/​/​www.​ after​downi​ngstr​eet.​ org/​node/​39561​

via:

The War on Terror is a Hoax

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By PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS 


http://www.counterpunch.org/roberts02042009.html

According to US government propaganda, terrorist cells are spread throughout America, making it necessary for the government to spy on all Americans and violate most other constitutional protections.  Among President Bush's last words as he left office was the warning that America would soon be struck again by Muslim terrorists.  
 
If America were infected with terrorists, we would not need the government to tell us.  We would know it from events.  As there are no events, the US government substitutes warnings in order to keep alive the fear that causes the public to accept pointless wars, the infringement of civil liberty, national ID cards, and inconveniences and harassments when they fly. 

The most obvious indication that there are no terrorist cells is that not a single neocon has been assassinated. 

I do not approve of assassinations, and am ashamed of my country's government for engaging in political assassination.  The US and Israel have set a very bad example for al Qaeda to follow.
 
The US deals with al Qaeda and Taliban by assassinating their leaders, and Israel deals with Hamas by assassinating its leaders.  It is reasonable to assume that al Qaeda would deal with the instigators and leaders of America's wars in the Middle East in the same way.
  
Today every al Qaeda member is aware of the complicity of neoconservatives in the death and devastation inflicted on Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Gaza.  Moreover, neocons are highly visible and are soft targets compared to Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.  Neocons have been identified in the media for years, and as everyone knows, multiple listings of their names are available online. 
 
Neocons do not have Secret Service protection.  Dreadful to contemplate, but it would be child's play for al Qaeda to assassinate any and every neocon.  Yet, neocons move around freely, a good indication that the US does not have a terrorist problem.
 
If, as neocons constantly allege, terrorists can smuggle nuclear weapons or dirty bombs into the US with which to wreak havoc upon our cities, terrorists can acquire weapons with which to assassinate any neocon or former government official. 

Yet, the neocons, who are the Americans most hated by Muslims, remain unscathed.
  
The "war on terror" is a hoax that fronts for American control of oil pipelines, the profits of the military-security complex, the assault on civil liberty by fomenters of a police state, and Israel's territorial expansion.
   
There were no al Qaeda in Iraq until the Americans brought them there by invading and overthrowing Saddam Hussein, who kept al Qaeda out of Iraq.  The Taliban is not a  terrorist organization, but a movement attempting to unify Afghanistan under Muslim law.  The only Americans threatened by the Taliban are the Americans Bush sent to Afghanistan to kill Taliban and to impose a puppet state on the Afghan people.
 
Hamas is the democratically elected government of Palestine, or what little remains of Palestine after Israel's illegal annexations.  Hamas is a terrorist organization in the same sense that the Israeli government and the US government are terrorist organizations.  In an effort to bring Hamas under Israeli hegemony, Israel employs terror bombing and assassinations against Palestinians.  Hamas replies to the Israeli terror with homemade and ineffectual rockets.
 
Hezbollah represents the Shi'ites of southern Lebanon, another area in the Middle East that Israel seeks for its territorial expansion.
 
The US brands Hamas and Hezbollah "terrorist organizations" for no other reason than the US is on Israel's side of the conflict.  There is no objective basis for the US Department of State's "finding" that Hamas and Hezbollah are terrorist organizations.  It is merely a propagandistic declaration.
 
Americans and Israelis do not call their bombings of civilians terror. What Americans and Israelis call terror is the response of oppressed people who are stateless because their countries are ruled by puppets loyal to the oppressors.  These people, dispossessed of their own countries, have no State Departments, Defense Departments, seats in the United Nations, or voices in the mainstream media.  They can submit to foreign hegemony or resist by the limited means available to them.
 
The fact that Israel and the United States carry on endless propaganda to prevent this fundamental truth from being realized indicates that it is Israel and the US that are in the wrong and the Palestinians, Lebanese, Iraqis, and Afghans who are being wronged.
 
The retired American generals who serve as war propagandists for Fox "News" are forever claiming that Iran arms the Iraqi and Afghan insurgents and Hamas. But where are the arms?  To deal with American tanks, insurgents have to construct homemade explosive devices out of artillery shells.  After six years of conflict the insurgents still have no weapon against the American helicopter gunships.  Contrast this "arming" with the weaponry the US supplied to the Afghans three decades ago when they were fighting to drive out the Soviets. 
The films of Israel's murderous assault on Gaza show large numbers of Gazans fleeing from Israeli bombs or digging out the dead and maimed, and none of these people is armed.  A person would think that by now every Palestinian would be armed, every man, woman, and child.  Yet, all the films of the Israeli attack show an unarmed population.  Hamas has to construct homemade rockets that are little more than a sign of defiance.  If Hamas were armed by Iran, Israel's assault on Gaza would have cost Israel its helicopter gunships, its tanks, and hundreds of lives of its soldiers.
 
Hamas is a small organization armed with small caliber rifles incapable of penetrating body armor.  Hamas is unable to stop small bands of Israeli settlers from descending on  West Bank Palestinian villages, driving out the Palestinians, and appropriating their land.
  
The great mystery is:  why after 60 years of oppression are the Palestinians still an unarmed people?  Clearly, the Muslim countries are complicit with Israel and the US in keeping the Palestinians unarmed.
 
The unsupported assertion that Iran supplies sophisticated arms to the Palestinians is like the unsupported assertion that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.  These assertions are propagandistic justifications for killing Arab civilians and destroying civilian infrastructure in order to secure US and Israeli hegemony in the Middle East. 

Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration. He is coauthor of The Tyranny of Good Intentions.He can be reached at: PaulCraigRoberts@yahoo.com 

From ASA

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Dear Friends, 

In a statement signaling what may be largest victory to date in the campaign to end federal interference and intimidation in the thirteen states where medical cannabis is legal, White House Spokesman Nick Shapiro said on Wednesday that he expects President Obama to end Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) raids once he can nominate someone to take charge of DEA, an agency still staffed by Bush officials.

Americans for Safe Access (ASA) has made ending federal raids a national priority since we opened the first office in Washington, DC dedicated exclusively to medical cannabis advocacy in 2006. We need your continued support to take advantage of this historic opportunity.

Please donate today to help ensure that ASA can continue our work with the Obama Administration and Congressional leaders to enact policies that support safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research.

Shapiro made the unprecedented statement in the wake of five DEA raids in California - four in a single day - since Inauguration Day. "The president believes that federal resources should not be used to circumvent state laws, and as he continues to appoint senior leadership to fill out the ranks of the federal government, he expects them to review their policies with that in mind," Shapiro said.

ASA was instrumental in creating the national media and grassroots outcry, which prompted the historic statement. ASA and other advocacy organizations generated thousands of calls to the White House following a January 22 raid in South Lake Tahoe and Tuesday's raids in the Los Angeles area. ASA members also helped push the issue of medical cannabis to number three on the list of priorities in the President's web site, Change.gov. Media reports of four raids in Los Angeles on Tuesday prompted critical coverage from media nationwide.

The artefacts in these images were dredged up in the Gulf of Cambay, off the North West coast of India, in operations conducted in November 2001. They are among thousands of other objects and artefacts recovered in the same locality, identified by India's National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) as the site of two flooded prehistoric cities. A piece of wood amongst the artifacts (photographs below) was carbon dated at two different laboratories - one giving a date of 8500 years ago and the other of 9500 years ago.


Reddish pottery fragments set within stony matrix.

Cambay F1
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The Precession Problem

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Ok, in a nutshell, it's pretty simple.  The 'wobblies' say that the precession of the equinox should move ahead one degree every seventy-two years.

Problem is, it doesn't.  It's speeding up.  Now, one could think that the 'wobbliness' is changing, or one could think, "Perhaps the sun is like MOST of the stars in the sky, and it's got a companion."


Sirius was reportedly a 'red' star.  Now, it's a blue one.

It might actually be the case that it's our companion, and we're about to see it close up (again).

There's this little problem of 'missing angular momentum' in the solar system (in the sun, in fact) which it being a binary would absolutely explain.

And there's the problem of the moon (it doesn't seem to precess).  If it were really happening, it would be happening to everything (since it would be our viewpoint that was altered).

I don't know that it's Sirius, but this is serious.

From DPA (and ASA)

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Urge Obama to Protect Medical Marijuana Patients

Call the White House and urge President Obama to keep his campaign promise and end the DEA's raids on medical marijuana patients and providers in California and other states.

This is done

Make a call to President (D) Barack Obama's Office

 

Phone: (202) 456-1414

 

District Phone: () -

 Tell us how your call to President (D) Barack Obama's Office went.
 

Please call the White House and politely urge President Obama to protect medical marijuana patients and providers. Below is a sample call script of what you can say, along with additional talking points for you to use.

Sample Call Script:
"I just read that the DEA made several raids recently on medical marijuana patients and providers in California. I'm calling to urge President Obama to put a stop to this."

Additional talking points you could use (choose one):

  • "I'm mad that my tax dollars are being used to harass cancer and AIDS patients."

  • "I know that President Obama said last year that if he was president he wouldn't waste law enforcement resources undermining state medical marijuana laws. I really hope he puts a stop to these wasteful raids."

  • "President Bush spent eight years undermining state medical marijuana laws. I hope President Obama doesn't spend eight years doing the same."

  • "I support medical marijuana and hope Obama does, too."

USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has given preliminary approval to the first of a new generation of pesticide-promoting, genetically engineered crops designed to survive spraying with multiple herbicides.  This GE corn variety was developed by DuPont subsidiary Pioneer Hi-Bred International to tolerate applications of  glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup) and acetolactate synthase-inhibiting herbicides (ALS inhibitors).  This latest petition to deregulate a new, untested, and complex GE crop poses food safety, environmental, and agronomic concerns that were not adequately evaluated by the Bush Administration's USDA. 

In a move that is characteristic of the Bush era, APHIS has failed to adequately address a range of health and environmental risks in its draft environmental assessment (EA), including novel food safety concerns, increased pesticide use and increased prevalence of weeds resistant to glyphosate, ALS inhibitors and to both herbicides. The draft EA also gets basic facts wrong, and does not provide a meaningful analysis of the cumulative impacts from introduction of Event 98140 in association with the current widespread use of other glyphosate-tolerant corn and other glyphosate-tolerant crops.

Tell USDA to stop this approval and prepare and publish a through Environmental Impact Statement before making a decision.  DuPont-Pioneer's dual herbicide-tolerant corn represents the first of a new generation of multiple herbicide-tolerant crops that require extremely careful consideration.  USDA should also extend the public comment period so that all interested parties can thoroughly examine the materials and comment appropriately.

USDA is only accepting comments until February 6th - please send your comment today!

Go to http://ga3.org/campaign/PioneerCorn to take action


Israel isn't actually the fourth largest military force on Earth as it was some years back.  Here's how the numbers shake out (it's really seventeenth in 'reported' expenditures):

Money spent (from globalsecurity.org):

Military Expenditure in Billions of Dollars

 Dollars/sq.
 Km.
Country Area in Sq. Kilometers
$623.00 $63,399.15 United States 9826630
$65.00 $6,772.98 China 9596960
$50.00 $2,928.22 Russia 17075200
$45.00 $69,938.00 France 643427
$42.80 $174,822.32 United Kingdom 244820
$41.75 $110,497.97 Japan 377835
$35.10 $98,313.54 Germany 357021
$28.20 $93,616.17 Italy 301230
$21.10 $214,256.70 South Korea 98480
$19.00 $5,779.31 India 3287590
$18.00 $8,373.30 Saudi Arabia 2149690
$16.90 $2,198.56 Australia 7686850
$12.20 $15,629.40 Turkey 780580
$9.90 $1,163.07 Brazil 8511965
$9.90 $19,612.43 Spain 504782
$9.80 $981.50 Canada 9984670
$9.40 $452,575.83 Israel 20770


On the other hand, I took into account the square footage defended.  What I found interesting was how low the US went, once you take into account just exactly how MUCH is being defended with this budget.


Dollars/sq. Km. Country Military Expenditure in Billions of Dollars      Area in Sq.    
  Kilometers

$452,575.83 Israel $9.40 20770
$214,256.70 South Korea $21.10 98480
$174,822.32 United Kingdom $42.80 244820
$110,497.97 Japan $41.75 377835
$98,313.54 Germany $35.10 357021
$93,616.17 Italy $28.20 301230
$69,938.00 France $45.00 643427
$63,399.15 United States $623.00 9826630
$19,612.43 Spain $9.90 504782
$15,629.40 Turkey $12.20 780580
$8,373.30 Saudi Arabia $18.00 2149690
$6,772.98 China $65.00 9596960
$5,779.31 India $19.00 3287590
$2,928.22 Russia $50.00 17075200
$2,198.56 Australia $16.90 7686850
$1,163.07 Brazil $9.90 8511965
$981.50 Canada $9.80 9984670


Mike Thompson's contact info: 
  1. Representative Mike Thompson. Fort Bragg, CA 95437. Phone: 707-962-0933  Fax: 707-962-0934   
  2. Post Office Box 2208. Fort Bragg, CA 95437
  3. Washington numbers:    DC Phone: 202-225-3311. DC Fax: 202-225-4335
Try to contact Congressman Thompson tomorrow, if possible!

Thanks, Richard and Pat 
P.S.  Look for the report of our Mendocino Coast healthcare meeting at the Woods in December in the recent Mendocino Beacon and Fort Bragg Advocate. 

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TOP 10 REASONS TO SUPPORT U.S. House Resolution - HR 676,
THE U.S. NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE ACT
?
1. Everybody In, Nobody Out. Universal means access to health care for everyone, period.
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2. Portability. If you are unemployed, or lose or change jobs, your health coverage stays with you.
?
3. Uniform Benefits. No Cadillac plans for the wealthy and Pinto plans for everyone else, with high
deductibles, limited services, caps on payments for care, and no protection in the event of a
catastrophe. One level of comprehensive care for everyone, regardless of the size of your wallet.
?
4. Prevention. By removing financial roadblocks, a universal health system encourages preventive
care that lowers an individual's ultimate cost and pain and suffering when problems are neglected and
societal cost in the over-utilization of emergency rooms or the spread of communicable diseases.
?
5. Choice. Most private insurance restricts your choice of providers and hospitals. Under the U.S.
National Health Insurance Act, patients have a choice, and the provider is assured a fair payment.
?
6. No Interference with Care. Caregivers and patients regain their autonomy to decide what's best
for a patient's health, not what's dictated by the billing department. No denial of coverage for preexisting
conditions or cancellation of policies for "unreported" minor health problems.
?
7. Reducing Waste. One third of every private health insurance dollar goes for paperwork and profits,
compared to about 3% under Medicare, the federal government?s universal system for senior citizen
healthcare.
?
8. Cost Savings. A guaranteed health care system can produce the cost savings needed to cover
everyone, largely by using existing resources without the waste. Taiwan, shifting from a U.S. private
health care model, adopted a similar system in 1995, boosting health coverage from 57% to 97% with
little increase in overall health care spending.
?
9. Common Sense Budgeting. The public system sets fair reimbursements applied equally to all
providers, private and public, while assuring that appropriate health care is delivered, and uses its
clout to negotiate volume discounts for prescription drugs and medical equipment.
?
10. Public Oversight. The public sets the policies and administers the system, not high priced CEOs
meeting in private and making decisions based on their company?s stock performance needs.


ON A HOT STREAK
SPORT'S SEXIEST BOOB FLASHERS
Oops! Ekaterina Rubleva and her partner Ivan Shefer.
Foto: Reuters
1 von 20
Ekaterina Rubleva and Ivan Shefer
ON A HOT STREAK
SPORT'S SEXIEST BOOB FLASHERS
Oops! Ekaterina Rubleva and her partner Ivan Shefer.
Foto: Reuters
1 von 20

Figure skating fans got more than they bargained for when Ekaterina Rubleva's dress slipped during a performance.

Read more?  Sure you want to *read* the article, right.


Olympic superstar swimmer Michael Phelps is at the centre of a drug scandal after he was photographed smoking a bong at a student party.

Phelps, who won an amazing eight medals for the United States at the Beijing Olympics, was snapped inhaling Marijuana last November at a party at the University of South Carolina - the 'News of the World' printed the shot yesterday.

According to the British newspaper, the swimming star flirted with girs and drank beer at the party. A fellow guest offered Phelps a glass bong and he started inhaling the marijuana. A source told them : "You could tell Michael had smoked before. He grabbed the bong and a lighter and knew exactly what to do. He looked just as natural with a bong in his hands as he does swimming in the pool. He was the gold medal winner of bong hits."

The newspaper also revealed that Phelps' management had bargained with them not to print the photo: " Spokesman Clifford Bloxham offered us an extraordinary deal not to publish our story, saying Phelps would become our columnist for three years, host events and get his sponsors to advertise with us."

Phelps (23), who has won 14 gold medals in his career admitted to smoking the bong, and made a public apology: "I engaged in behaviour which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgement."

It is not the first scandal to hit the young sports star. Phelps was arrested in 2004 for drink driving and was on parole for 18 months. After histriumph in Beijing he grabbed headlines for his outrageous lifestyle: Gambling in Las Vegas and flirting with a stripper. After this latest drugs scandal - could this be the end for the Olympic king?

His cannabis hit could lose him his sponsorship deal with Kellog's cornflakes, but it shouldn't affect his career. Lawyer and Doping expert Dr. Michael Lehner told BILD that the drug-related ban "is only for competition periods. He can't be booked for a private offence".

Chávez Condemns Attack on Venezuelan Synagogue


President Chavez speaks about the vandalism attack on the Caracas synagogue. (ABN)
President Chavez speaks about the vandalism attack on the Caracas synagogue. (ABN)
February 1, 2009 (venezuelanalysis.com)-- Venezuela's President Chávez, Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro, and Communications Minister Jesse Chacon all expressed their categorical condemnation of the vandalism of one of Venezuela's main synagogues early Saturday morning. 
The vandalism, in which a group of about 15 unidentified heavily armed individuals entered and systematically defaced the interior of the synagogue, was decried both internationally and in Venezuela by all sides.

The group subdued the two security guards of the synagogue, removed security video recordings, and disabled security cameras. They then spent over four hours in the area, spray painting anti-Israel and anti-Semitic slogans throughout the interior and threw sacred objects, such as the torah, to the ground.

The slogans said such things as "out, death to all" and "damn Israel, death." Also, on the exterior of the synagogue, a week earlier, vandals had spray painted stars of David and swastikas, with an equal sign between the two.
Venezuela's private media, though, were filled with opposition spokespersons that accused the Chávez government of being responsible for the attack. For example, the oppositional newspaper El Universal quoted a foreign policy expert, Maruja Tarre, as saying, "On state television there is a constant anti-semitism and attempts to equate the state of Israel with Hitler. Later, our government had the strongest reaction in the whole world [against Israel's attack on Gaza] when it expelled its ambassador from Israel."

Graffitti sprayed in the interior of Venezuela's Israeli Association. (AFP)


Mérida, January 30th 2009 (Venezuelanalysis.com) -- Social movements in Latin America have been in the "trenches of resistance" against global capitalism, and now need to move to an "offensive," taking concrete steps toward the creation of alternatives to capitalism, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez expressed during a speech to thousands of participants in the World Social Forum Thursday in Belém do Pará, Brazil.     

"Just like Latin America and the Caribbean received the biggest dose of neo-liberal venom, our continent has been the immense territory where social movements have sprouted with the greatest strength and begun to change the world," said Chávez.

Chávez expanded upon the traditional slogan of the World Social Forum, "Another world is possible," adding, "another world is necessary, and another world is being born in Latin America and the Caribbean!" 

The Venezuelan president, who was joined by several allies in the region, Presidents Evo Morales of Bolivia, Rafael Correa of Ecuador, Luiz Inacio "Lula" da Silva of Brazil, and Fernando Lugo of Paraguay, emphasized that the drive toward social justice has taken on a new character since leaders with leftist policies have been democratically elected over the past decade.

"Revolutions are no longer guerrilla battalions, no! This is a new revolutionary wave," Chávez asserted, requesting that social movements "step up their popular offensive toward revolutionary changes."

Thousands of activists from Latin America and abroad welcomed the heads of state with a thunderous ovation. The audience included radical organizations such as the Landless Worker's Movement (MST) in Brazil and the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) in Ecuador, which have criticized their governments for not moving far enough from the policies dictated by global financial institutions such as the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Outside of the event, a few hundred members of Brazil's United Socialist Workers Party (PSTU) protested against Lula, a former factory worker and union leader who they said has made to excessive concessions to bankers and big business and done little to stabilize employment in the wake of the world economic crisis.   

The Brazilian President blamed the economic crisis on the "casino" capitalism promoted by Global North countries, and said the crisis is much more severe and could get worse.  

President Correa agreed, using more decisive rhetoric against U.S.-dominated institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. "Using the art of deception they will try to confuse us into thinking the victims are the guilty ones," he said. "They are the ones responsible for the crisis. They are not the ones to give us lessons."

Correa, whose promotion of state-run industrial mining have been met with heated resistance from CONAIE and many environmental organizations in the Andean country, criticized transnational mining companies for destroying Latin America's environment in search of natural resources.

"It is very comfortable for the First World to say, 'Take care of the Amazon, don't drill, don't extract resources,' while they prey on its natural treasures and achieve luxurious lifestyles while our people wallow in misery and receive nothing in return," Correa said. "We have to demand co-responsibility."

President Chávez, who has headed up several regional integration initiatives, encouraged unity among Latin American and Caribbean movements, in order to chart an independent path toward development.

"This year will be hard, we must unite," Chávez said. "Our socialism should not be a copy. Our socialism should be a heroic creation... Socialism of 'our America,' a profoundly democratic socialism. This is our path." 

The World Social Forum originated in 2001 and has since expanded to include regional social forums in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and South Asia. It is "an open meeting space" where people opposed to capitalist and imperialist domination of the world exchange and debate ideas, and plan strategies for constructing alternatives, according to its website.

Shministim du Jour

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Omer Goldman

Name: Omer Goldman
Age: 19
Location:
 Tel-Aviv
Why I am one of the Shministim:
"I believe in service to the society I am part of, and that is precisely why I refuse to take part in the war crimes committed by my country. Violence will not bring any kind of solution, and I shall not commit violence, come what may."
First Sentence: 22nd Sept. - 10th Oct. 2008 (18 days)
Second Sentence: 
12th - 24th Oct. 2008 (10 days)

Read more...

hometop

GreenStream

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This page is an archive of entries from February 2009 listed from newest to oldest.

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Mentionables ...

It's been days since Israel broke the truce and started murdering Palestinians again.

Pres. Barack Obama
(202) 456-1111

Sen. Dianne Feinstein
(415) 393-0707

Sen. Barbara Boxer
(415) 403-0100

Mike Thompson
962-0933

S. Sen. Patricia Wiggins
(916) 651-4002

Assm. Wesley Chesbro
463-5770

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