I keep wondering what this “Recession” is going to look like in America. People losing their houses, their jobs, potentially their families. Yet in the media, we hear about the huge billions of dollars being written-off or down by the banks, mortgage services, and financial institutions. Billions and what’s worst is that they are screaming for a government bale-out plan that will ultimately cost the American taxpayers billions of dollars.
They, the financial institutions created this mess by creating worthless securities and investing in and encouraging others to invest in them. When someone figured it out and screamed the house of cards fell and now the creators are crying foul.
What’s worst is that they paid out more that $39 billion in bonuses to themselves… Omit Goldman Sachs because they chose not to participate in the monetary shellgame. But look at the money made at the same time the others were calling for help from the government, ultimately, the taxpayers…
Wall Street Bonuses Top $39 Billion on Merrill Payout
Goldman Morgan Merrill Lehman Bear
Sachs Stanley Lynch Brothers Stearns
Net Revenue $45.99 $28.03 $11.25 $19.26 $5.95
Comp/Revenue 43.9% 59% 141% 49.3% 57.6%
Compensation $20.19 $16.55 $15.90 $9.49 $3.43
Bonus* $12.11 $9.93 $9.54 $5.70 $2.06
Employees 30,522 48,256 64,200 28,556 14,153
Comp/Employee $661,490 $343,004 $247,710 $332,470 $241,998
Bonus/Employee $396,894 $205,802 $148,614 $199,482 $145,199
(*Bonuses are estimated to be 60 percent of total compensation. All figures are for fiscal 2007.)
Source: www.bloomberg.com
Sorry that I could not format the blog correctly, but the devil is in the detail. Suffice it to say, all lot of money was paid out in 2007 bonuses to reward very bad behavior... This does not include the termination payouts for the CEO's of certain very prestigious banks.
Something is definitely wrong with the system when your neighbor loses his/her house and the trader gets a bonus... What do you think...
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
What is the definition of a good friend?
I read somewhere that a friend will help you hunt down and kill those who have hurt you but a good friend will help you hide the bodies. My good friend Alan has a blog you should checkout.
www.alanosler.blogspot.com
Enjoy... :-)
www.alanosler.blogspot.com
Enjoy... :-)
Which is safer, illegal drugs or prescription drugs?
Well it depends on who you ask. Many of the "illegal" drugs grow naturally on the earth untouched by man until used. We learn everyday about prescription drugs that are supposed to heal us but harm us instead. This are usually created in a lab by a profit motivated drug company. I found the article below and thought you would enjoy reading it.
Recreational Drugs FAR Less Likely to Kill You than Prescribed Drugs!
By Christopher Kent, D.C., J.D.
Recreational drugs, including cocaine and heroin, are responsible for an estimated 10,000-20,000 American deaths per year [1,2]. While this represents a serious public health problem, it is a "smokescreen" for America's real drug problem. America's "war on drugs" is directed at the wrong enemy. It is obvious that interdiction, stiff mandatory sentences, and more vigorous enforcement of drug laws have failed.
The reason is simple. Cause and effect have been reversed.
The desire to solve problems by taking drugs is a product of our culture. When a child is taught by loving parents that the appropriate response to pain or discomfort is taking a pill, it is obvious that such a child, when faced with the challenges of adolescence, will seek comfort by taking drugs.
While approximately 10,000 per year die from the effects of illegal drugs, an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported that an estimated 106,000 hospitalized patients die each year from drugs which, by medical standards, are properly prescribed and properly administered. More than two million suffer serious side effects. [3]
An article in Newsweek [4] put this into perspective. Adverse drug reactions, from "properly" prescribed drugs, are the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. According to this article, only heart disease, cancer, and stroke kill more Americans than drugs prescribed by medical doctors. Reactions to prescription drugs kill more than twice as many Americans as HIV/AIDS or suicide. Fewer die from accidents or diabetes than adverse drug reactions. It is important to point out the limitations of this study. It did not include outpatients, cases of malpractice, or instances where the drugs were not taken as directed.
According to another AMA publication, drug related "problems" kill as many as 198,815 people, put 8.8 million in hospitals, and account for up to 28% of hospital admissions. [5] If these figures are accurate, only cancer and heart disease kill more patients than drugs. Has the situation improved since the publication of this information? Hardly. Null [6] et al have published the most comprehensive and well-documented study I have seen of deaths associated with medical practice. In this report, their research revealed some shocking facts. The findings are summarized in the abstract:
"A definitive review and close reading of medical peer-review journals, and government health statistics shows that American medicine frequently causes more harm than good. The number of people having in-hospital, adverse drug reactions (ADR) to prescribed medicine is 2.2 million. Dr. Richard Besser, of the CDC, in 1995, said the number of unnecessary antibiotics prescribed annually for viral infections was 20 million. Dr. Besser, in 2003, now refers to tens of millions of unnecessary antibiotics.
The number of unnecessary medical and surgical procedures performed annually is 7.5 million. The number of people exposed to unnecessary hospitalization annually is 8.9 million. The total number of iatrogenic deaths shown in the following table is 783,936. It is evident that the American medical system is the leading cause of death and injury in the United States. The 2001 heart disease annual death rate is 699,697; the annual cancer death rate, 553,251."
Drugs Number One Killer
The authors conclude: "When the number one killer in a society is the healthcare system, then, that system has no excuse except to address its own urgent shortcomings. It's a failed system in need of immediate attention. What we have outlined in this paper are insupportable aspects of our contemporary medical system that need to be changed -- beginning at its very foundations."
A recent article in Archives of Internal Medicine [7] stated that in the seven year period from 1998 through 2005, reported serious adverse drug events increased 2.6-fold, and fatal adverse drug events increased 2.7-fold. The authors noted that reported serious events increased 4 times faster than the total number of outpatient prescriptions during the period. Another study concluded that the majority(86%) of the adverse drug reactions for which patients were admitted to a medical intensive care unit were preventable. [8]
One proposed solution to the illegal drug problem was encouraging potential users to ignore peer pressure and "just say no." Interestingly, this strategy is not being recommended for prescription drugs. Bruce Pomeranz, MD , one of the authors of the JAMA paper, said he is not warning people to stay away from drugs. "That would be a terrible message," he said. Lucian Leape, MD, of the Harvard School of Public Health said, "When you realize how many drugs we use, maybe those numbers aren't so bad after all." [4]
Does that mean that the number of deaths due to illegal drugs, suicide, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, accidents, and drunk driving "aren't so bad" either? Does it mean that we shouldn't discourage drunk driving or unsafe sex?
The folly of such double standards should be obvious to all. It is time to address the real drug problem -- the cultural notion that the first solution to seek for relief of life's problems is a drug. That's the drug culture we need to address.
References
"Drug deaths." Globe & Mail (Canada). February 27, 1998.
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. CDC. 2007;56(05):93-96.
Lazarou J, Pomeranz BH, Corey PN: "Incidence of adverse drug reactions in hospitalized patients." JAMA 1998;279:1200.
Kalb C: "When drugs do harm." Newsweek. April 27, 1998. Page 61.
"Reaction." American Medical News. January 15, 1996. Page 11.
1. Null G, Dean C, Feldman, M, Rasio, D, Smith D: "Death by Medicine." Life Extension. March, 2004. www.lef.org/magazine/mag2004/mar2004_awsi_death_01.htm
Moore TJ, Cohen MR, Furberg CD: Serious adverse drug events reported to the Food and Drug Administration, 1998-2005. Archives of Internal Medicine 2007;167:1752-1759.
8. Rivkin A: Admissions to a medical intensive care unit related to adverse drug reactions. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy 2007;64(17):1840-1843.
You can read more about Dr. Kent's work in a special issue of The American Chiropractor.
Choices, choices, and more choices... My choice is clear... What do you think?
Recreational Drugs FAR Less Likely to Kill You than Prescribed Drugs!
By Christopher Kent, D.C., J.D.
Recreational drugs, including cocaine and heroin, are responsible for an estimated 10,000-20,000 American deaths per year [1,2]. While this represents a serious public health problem, it is a "smokescreen" for America's real drug problem. America's "war on drugs" is directed at the wrong enemy. It is obvious that interdiction, stiff mandatory sentences, and more vigorous enforcement of drug laws have failed.
The reason is simple. Cause and effect have been reversed.
The desire to solve problems by taking drugs is a product of our culture. When a child is taught by loving parents that the appropriate response to pain or discomfort is taking a pill, it is obvious that such a child, when faced with the challenges of adolescence, will seek comfort by taking drugs.
While approximately 10,000 per year die from the effects of illegal drugs, an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported that an estimated 106,000 hospitalized patients die each year from drugs which, by medical standards, are properly prescribed and properly administered. More than two million suffer serious side effects. [3]
An article in Newsweek [4] put this into perspective. Adverse drug reactions, from "properly" prescribed drugs, are the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. According to this article, only heart disease, cancer, and stroke kill more Americans than drugs prescribed by medical doctors. Reactions to prescription drugs kill more than twice as many Americans as HIV/AIDS or suicide. Fewer die from accidents or diabetes than adverse drug reactions. It is important to point out the limitations of this study. It did not include outpatients, cases of malpractice, or instances where the drugs were not taken as directed.
According to another AMA publication, drug related "problems" kill as many as 198,815 people, put 8.8 million in hospitals, and account for up to 28% of hospital admissions. [5] If these figures are accurate, only cancer and heart disease kill more patients than drugs. Has the situation improved since the publication of this information? Hardly. Null [6] et al have published the most comprehensive and well-documented study I have seen of deaths associated with medical practice. In this report, their research revealed some shocking facts. The findings are summarized in the abstract:
"A definitive review and close reading of medical peer-review journals, and government health statistics shows that American medicine frequently causes more harm than good. The number of people having in-hospital, adverse drug reactions (ADR) to prescribed medicine is 2.2 million. Dr. Richard Besser, of the CDC, in 1995, said the number of unnecessary antibiotics prescribed annually for viral infections was 20 million. Dr. Besser, in 2003, now refers to tens of millions of unnecessary antibiotics.
The number of unnecessary medical and surgical procedures performed annually is 7.5 million. The number of people exposed to unnecessary hospitalization annually is 8.9 million. The total number of iatrogenic deaths shown in the following table is 783,936. It is evident that the American medical system is the leading cause of death and injury in the United States. The 2001 heart disease annual death rate is 699,697; the annual cancer death rate, 553,251."
Drugs Number One Killer
The authors conclude: "When the number one killer in a society is the healthcare system, then, that system has no excuse except to address its own urgent shortcomings. It's a failed system in need of immediate attention. What we have outlined in this paper are insupportable aspects of our contemporary medical system that need to be changed -- beginning at its very foundations."
A recent article in Archives of Internal Medicine [7] stated that in the seven year period from 1998 through 2005, reported serious adverse drug events increased 2.6-fold, and fatal adverse drug events increased 2.7-fold. The authors noted that reported serious events increased 4 times faster than the total number of outpatient prescriptions during the period. Another study concluded that the majority(86%) of the adverse drug reactions for which patients were admitted to a medical intensive care unit were preventable. [8]
One proposed solution to the illegal drug problem was encouraging potential users to ignore peer pressure and "just say no." Interestingly, this strategy is not being recommended for prescription drugs. Bruce Pomeranz, MD , one of the authors of the JAMA paper, said he is not warning people to stay away from drugs. "That would be a terrible message," he said. Lucian Leape, MD, of the Harvard School of Public Health said, "When you realize how many drugs we use, maybe those numbers aren't so bad after all." [4]
Does that mean that the number of deaths due to illegal drugs, suicide, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, accidents, and drunk driving "aren't so bad" either? Does it mean that we shouldn't discourage drunk driving or unsafe sex?
The folly of such double standards should be obvious to all. It is time to address the real drug problem -- the cultural notion that the first solution to seek for relief of life's problems is a drug. That's the drug culture we need to address.
References
"Drug deaths." Globe & Mail (Canada). February 27, 1998.
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. CDC. 2007;56(05):93-96.
Lazarou J, Pomeranz BH, Corey PN: "Incidence of adverse drug reactions in hospitalized patients." JAMA 1998;279:1200.
Kalb C: "When drugs do harm." Newsweek. April 27, 1998. Page 61.
"Reaction." American Medical News. January 15, 1996. Page 11.
1. Null G, Dean C, Feldman, M, Rasio, D, Smith D: "Death by Medicine." Life Extension. March, 2004. www.lef.org/magazine/mag2004/mar2004_awsi_death_01.htm
Moore TJ, Cohen MR, Furberg CD: Serious adverse drug events reported to the Food and Drug Administration, 1998-2005. Archives of Internal Medicine 2007;167:1752-1759.
8. Rivkin A: Admissions to a medical intensive care unit related to adverse drug reactions. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy 2007;64(17):1840-1843.
You can read more about Dr. Kent's work in a special issue of The American Chiropractor.
Choices, choices, and more choices... My choice is clear... What do you think?
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Which tastes better "real" beef or "Frankenstein Cloned" beef?
Answer... Well Americans will soon become experts on the subject. A recent article in the NY Times announced that the following:
FDA Says Clones Are Safe For Food
"A long-awaited final report from the Food and Drug Administration concludes that foods from healthy cloned animals and their offspring are as safe as those from ordinary animals, effectively removing the last U.S. regulatory barrier to the marketing of meat and milk from cloned cattle, pigs and goats. "
"The 968-page "final risk assessment," not yet released but obtained by The Washington Post, finds no evidence to support opponents' concerns that food from clones may harbor hidden risks."
Next we will hear that the European Union has decided to import more American cloned meat so as not to violate current Trade Treaties.
As an american living in Germany, I always feel safer but the risks are growing and the power of companies like Monsanto and Archer-Daniels Midland is increasingly becoming unlimited...
Where is it going and will it ever end?
FDA Says Clones Are Safe For Food
"A long-awaited final report from the Food and Drug Administration concludes that foods from healthy cloned animals and their offspring are as safe as those from ordinary animals, effectively removing the last U.S. regulatory barrier to the marketing of meat and milk from cloned cattle, pigs and goats. "
"The 968-page "final risk assessment," not yet released but obtained by The Washington Post, finds no evidence to support opponents' concerns that food from clones may harbor hidden risks."
Next we will hear that the European Union has decided to import more American cloned meat so as not to violate current Trade Treaties.
As an american living in Germany, I always feel safer but the risks are growing and the power of companies like Monsanto and Archer-Daniels Midland is increasingly becoming unlimited...
Where is it going and will it ever end?
What is the best way to create a safe and secure Middle East?
Sell them $20 billion worth of American-made weapons! That way, if there are Regime changes, America can always declare that they are trying to kill Americans and go to war with them.
Here is a quote from an article on www.quote.com:
"The proposed sale of advanced US weaponry, including Patriot missiles follows notification of five other packages worth US$11.5 billion to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, that the administration has announced it will provide to friendly Arab nations, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said."
"According to administration officials the net worth of eventual sales as part of the long-awaited Gulf Security Dialogue" is estimated at $20 billion."
What a way to create jobs in America's Defense industry. Arm the guys who have no arms then later, when they are not your friends, blow them to pieces after convincing the world (actually convincing only other Americans) that they have really bad weapons and are a threat to world security.
Gulf Security Dialogue, a code name for the project to insure that there will always be war and rumors of war on the plant...
Go figure...
Here is a quote from an article on www.quote.com:
"The proposed sale of advanced US weaponry, including Patriot missiles follows notification of five other packages worth US$11.5 billion to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, that the administration has announced it will provide to friendly Arab nations, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said."
"According to administration officials the net worth of eventual sales as part of the long-awaited Gulf Security Dialogue" is estimated at $20 billion."
What a way to create jobs in America's Defense industry. Arm the guys who have no arms then later, when they are not your friends, blow them to pieces after convincing the world (actually convincing only other Americans) that they have really bad weapons and are a threat to world security.
Gulf Security Dialogue, a code name for the project to insure that there will always be war and rumors of war on the plant...
Go figure...
Monday, January 14, 2008
Why are the Rich getting Richer again?
This one defies logic and reason. I am amazed at the amount of work Congress puts into maaking sure the rich get richer and the rest of Americans pay the price. I found this article on msn.money. Give it a read and be astonished:
Debt relief for rich Americans
Congress cut the tax penalties homeowners could face from renegotiated mortgages or foreclosures, but the wealthy will benefit the most.
By Jeff Schnepper (Thanks Jeff for the information)
Just before Christmas, Congress and President Bush handed a $1.15 billion gift to the American public. And most of that gift will go to the wealthy.
Here's the deal: On Dec. 20, the president signed the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007. It got some news coverage, mostly in the vein of "this will help contain the slump in real-estate markets across the country." But the devil is in the details.
For most people, debt relief in a mortgage renegotiation or foreclosure won't be counted as taxable income. This is a laudable goal in an environment where home prices and sales are falling because of overbuilding, too much speculation and a ridiculous orgy of offering mortgages with terms a lot of people can't afford.
However, the law makes as much as $2 million in debt relief tax-free. That's way too much.
Under prior law, if your mortgage lender forgave part or all of your debt, that relief was considered taxable income. You had borrowed money and no longer had to pay it back.
Under the new law, debt forgiveness on your primary residence, up to the $2 million ceiling, escapes taxation for 2007, 2008 and 2009. The original House bill had sought permanent relief. But the Senate limited the exclusion to those three years.
At a White House signing ceremony, President Bush applauded the new law, saying it would help reduce market turbulence.
Why it's wrong
Too bad everybody was so busy playing to the media to think about what they were doing. My problem with the law isn't the objective. Debt relief is appropriate for middle-class taxpayers whose interest rates exploded while their home values cratered. But because of the $2 million ceiling, that's not where the big money is going.
Personally, I know few people making less than $250,000 a year who qualify for a $2 million mortgage. If you have a $2 million mortgage, you're more likely than not to be in the 35% bracket. That's a $700,000 reduction in your taxes -- paid for by the rest of us. It's more than what the average schoolteacher makes in a dozen years.
If you're smart enough to get a $2 million loan, you should be smart enough to pay it back, or eat the tax when your debt is forgiven. I'd cap the relief at $500,000 (sorry, California) and exclude those with adjusted gross incomes of more than $200,000.
How not to reduce real-estate speculation
The reality of the new law is that it will encourage more people to take out loans they can't afford. That's not what the law was supposed to do.
There's another provision in the law that bothers me: The law extends, through 2010, the deductibility of private mortgage insurance. Though I like anything that can be deducted, I must be missing something here.
My understanding of the housing crisis is that we want to temper, rather than encourage, real-estate speculation. Private mortgage insurance is for those who borrow more than 80% of the value of their homes. By making the premiums deductible, the government, with our money, is financing higher leverage and increasing the risk. Isn't that what we're trying not to do?
What else is in the new law
Surviving spouses get a real-estate break. If a surviving spouse sells a personal residence within two years of being widowed, the survivor qualifies for a $500,000-gain tax exclusion. Normally, a single taxpayer would be limited to a gain exclusion of $250,000. This provision applies only to sales after Dec. 31, 2007. It's projected to cost $67 million over the next 10 years.
Some state and local government payments to volunteer firefighters and emergency medical responders are excluded from income. That's projected to reduce tax revenue by $267 million over the next 10 years.
In an attempt to partly offset these tax breaks, Congress imposed and increased late-filing penalties for partnerships and S corporations, entities that function much like partnerships. Congress also increased estimated tax payments by some large corporate taxpayers by 1.5%. The partnership penalty jumps from $50 per partner per month for up to five months to $85 per partner per month for up to 12 months. The new S corporation penalty is also $85 per shareholder per month for up to 12 months.
Sorry, I really don't care what color crayon they're using, that's not gonna cover the cost of our latest federal giveaways.
This article was published Jan. 14, 2008. Like Jeff, i don't know people who can get a $2 mil mortgage either. What kind of "crap" is this? Why does it continue to happen? Help me understand...
Debt relief for rich Americans
Congress cut the tax penalties homeowners could face from renegotiated mortgages or foreclosures, but the wealthy will benefit the most.
By Jeff Schnepper (Thanks Jeff for the information)
Just before Christmas, Congress and President Bush handed a $1.15 billion gift to the American public. And most of that gift will go to the wealthy.
Here's the deal: On Dec. 20, the president signed the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007. It got some news coverage, mostly in the vein of "this will help contain the slump in real-estate markets across the country." But the devil is in the details.
For most people, debt relief in a mortgage renegotiation or foreclosure won't be counted as taxable income. This is a laudable goal in an environment where home prices and sales are falling because of overbuilding, too much speculation and a ridiculous orgy of offering mortgages with terms a lot of people can't afford.
However, the law makes as much as $2 million in debt relief tax-free. That's way too much.
Under prior law, if your mortgage lender forgave part or all of your debt, that relief was considered taxable income. You had borrowed money and no longer had to pay it back.
Under the new law, debt forgiveness on your primary residence, up to the $2 million ceiling, escapes taxation for 2007, 2008 and 2009. The original House bill had sought permanent relief. But the Senate limited the exclusion to those three years.
At a White House signing ceremony, President Bush applauded the new law, saying it would help reduce market turbulence.
Why it's wrong
Too bad everybody was so busy playing to the media to think about what they were doing. My problem with the law isn't the objective. Debt relief is appropriate for middle-class taxpayers whose interest rates exploded while their home values cratered. But because of the $2 million ceiling, that's not where the big money is going.
Personally, I know few people making less than $250,000 a year who qualify for a $2 million mortgage. If you have a $2 million mortgage, you're more likely than not to be in the 35% bracket. That's a $700,000 reduction in your taxes -- paid for by the rest of us. It's more than what the average schoolteacher makes in a dozen years.
If you're smart enough to get a $2 million loan, you should be smart enough to pay it back, or eat the tax when your debt is forgiven. I'd cap the relief at $500,000 (sorry, California) and exclude those with adjusted gross incomes of more than $200,000.
How not to reduce real-estate speculation
The reality of the new law is that it will encourage more people to take out loans they can't afford. That's not what the law was supposed to do.
There's another provision in the law that bothers me: The law extends, through 2010, the deductibility of private mortgage insurance. Though I like anything that can be deducted, I must be missing something here.
My understanding of the housing crisis is that we want to temper, rather than encourage, real-estate speculation. Private mortgage insurance is for those who borrow more than 80% of the value of their homes. By making the premiums deductible, the government, with our money, is financing higher leverage and increasing the risk. Isn't that what we're trying not to do?
What else is in the new law
Surviving spouses get a real-estate break. If a surviving spouse sells a personal residence within two years of being widowed, the survivor qualifies for a $500,000-gain tax exclusion. Normally, a single taxpayer would be limited to a gain exclusion of $250,000. This provision applies only to sales after Dec. 31, 2007. It's projected to cost $67 million over the next 10 years.
Some state and local government payments to volunteer firefighters and emergency medical responders are excluded from income. That's projected to reduce tax revenue by $267 million over the next 10 years.
In an attempt to partly offset these tax breaks, Congress imposed and increased late-filing penalties for partnerships and S corporations, entities that function much like partnerships. Congress also increased estimated tax payments by some large corporate taxpayers by 1.5%. The partnership penalty jumps from $50 per partner per month for up to five months to $85 per partner per month for up to 12 months. The new S corporation penalty is also $85 per shareholder per month for up to 12 months.
Sorry, I really don't care what color crayon they're using, that's not gonna cover the cost of our latest federal giveaways.
This article was published Jan. 14, 2008. Like Jeff, i don't know people who can get a $2 mil mortgage either. What kind of "crap" is this? Why does it continue to happen? Help me understand...
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Is Iran still in the warmongering sights of America and Israel?
Well the short answer is yes and the long answer is yes!! Check out this article found on the Veterans for Common Sense (http://www.veteransforcommonsense.com)/website:
We'll nuke Iran - Bush promises Israel
Thu, 01/10/2008 - 16:08 - Wire Services - US President George W. Bush promised Israel's opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu that the United States will join the Jewish state in a nuclear strike against Iran, Israel Radio reported today.
Former Prime Minister Netanyahu, opposition Likud party's hardline chairman who opposes the US-backed Annapolis peace process, reiterated to President Bush his stance, that a pre-emptive nuclear strike against Iran's nuclear installations was the only way to stop the Islamic nation's nuclear weapons ambitions.
"I told him my position and Bush agreed," Netanyahu told Israel Radio.
During their 45-minute meeting at King David hotel in Jerusalem Netanyahu also told Bush that "Jerusalem belongs to the Jewish people and will remain under Israeli sovereignty for eternity."
President Bush issued a stark warning to Iran over Strait of Hormuz incident, saying that "all options are on the table to protect our assets."
“There will be serious consequences if they attack our ships, pure and simple,” Bush said during the joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem. “And my advice to them is, don't do it.”
Bush criticized those who interpret the National Intelligence Estimate, which found that Iran gave up its nuclear weapons program in 2003, as a sign that Iran was no longer a threat."Let me remind you what the NIE actually said," Bush stold reporters. "It said that as far as the intelligence community could tell, at one time the Iranians had a military -- covert military program that was suspended in 2003 because of international pressure. My attitude is that a non-transparent country, a country which has yet to disclose what it was up to, can easily restart a program."
Sort of sums it all up doesn't it... Why do Americans sit back and let these things continue to happen? Too busy trying to keep their jobs, working 50-60 hours per week to pay that horrible mortgage, and keeping their families safe from a non-existent threat from Fundamentalist.
We'll nuke Iran - Bush promises Israel
Thu, 01/10/2008 - 16:08 - Wire Services - US President George W. Bush promised Israel's opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu that the United States will join the Jewish state in a nuclear strike against Iran, Israel Radio reported today.
Former Prime Minister Netanyahu, opposition Likud party's hardline chairman who opposes the US-backed Annapolis peace process, reiterated to President Bush his stance, that a pre-emptive nuclear strike against Iran's nuclear installations was the only way to stop the Islamic nation's nuclear weapons ambitions.
"I told him my position and Bush agreed," Netanyahu told Israel Radio.
During their 45-minute meeting at King David hotel in Jerusalem Netanyahu also told Bush that "Jerusalem belongs to the Jewish people and will remain under Israeli sovereignty for eternity."
President Bush issued a stark warning to Iran over Strait of Hormuz incident, saying that "all options are on the table to protect our assets."
“There will be serious consequences if they attack our ships, pure and simple,” Bush said during the joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem. “And my advice to them is, don't do it.”
Bush criticized those who interpret the National Intelligence Estimate, which found that Iran gave up its nuclear weapons program in 2003, as a sign that Iran was no longer a threat."Let me remind you what the NIE actually said," Bush stold reporters. "It said that as far as the intelligence community could tell, at one time the Iranians had a military -- covert military program that was suspended in 2003 because of international pressure. My attitude is that a non-transparent country, a country which has yet to disclose what it was up to, can easily restart a program."
Sort of sums it all up doesn't it... Why do Americans sit back and let these things continue to happen? Too busy trying to keep their jobs, working 50-60 hours per week to pay that horrible mortgage, and keeping their families safe from a non-existent threat from Fundamentalist.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
What is the HR -1955, the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorist Prevention Act of 2007?
This one defies words, common sense, and the US Constitution. Below is the introduction to this unbelievable "proposed" LAW!
Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to add provisions concerning the prevention of homegrown terrorism (terrorism by individuals born, raised, or based and operating primarily in the United States). Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to: (1) establish a grant program to prevent radicalization (use of an extremist belief system for facilitating ideologically-based violence) and homegrown terrorism in the United States; (2) establish or designate a university-based Center of Excellence for the Study of Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism in the United States; and (3) conduct a survey of methodologies implemented by foreign nations to prevent radicalization and homegrown terrorism.
The US House of Representatives voted 404 - 6 for this bill. Ron Paul was not in the House on the day of the voting. Everyone with any time must look at this bill. It is beyond belief. Look at the following links:
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/110-h1955/show
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/gpoxmlc110/h1955_rfs.xml
and video on youtube...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wJsovPRTEM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYPislFxkc0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GylkGRh6_DQ&feature=related
Help stop this thing now!!! Open your eyes...
Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to add provisions concerning the prevention of homegrown terrorism (terrorism by individuals born, raised, or based and operating primarily in the United States). Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to: (1) establish a grant program to prevent radicalization (use of an extremist belief system for facilitating ideologically-based violence) and homegrown terrorism in the United States; (2) establish or designate a university-based Center of Excellence for the Study of Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism in the United States; and (3) conduct a survey of methodologies implemented by foreign nations to prevent radicalization and homegrown terrorism.
The US House of Representatives voted 404 - 6 for this bill. Ron Paul was not in the House on the day of the voting. Everyone with any time must look at this bill. It is beyond belief. Look at the following links:
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/110-h1955/show
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/gpoxmlc110/h1955_rfs.xml
and video on youtube...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wJsovPRTEM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYPislFxkc0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GylkGRh6_DQ&feature=related
Help stop this thing now!!! Open your eyes...
Monday, January 7, 2008
Why are the rich getting richer in America, the middle class staying the same, and the poor getting poorer?
This is the book cover of an interesting book...
Easy answer… Good Lobbying… But seriously, check out this book, Free Lunch – How the rich get richer, by David Cay Johnston. I was amazed by the information. Also, you can here an interview on the NPR Program, Fresh Air, at http://www.npr.org/.
Here is a synopsis of the book:
Fresh Air from WHYY, January 3, 2008 · Investigative reporter David Cay Johnston explores in his new book how in recent years, government subsidies and new regulations have quietly funneled money from the poor and the middle class to the rich and politically connected.
Cay Johnston covers tax policy for The New York Times, where he won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on that beat. His previous book, Perfectly Legal: The Covert Campaign to Rig Our Tax System to Benefit the Super Rich — and Cheat Everybody Else, was a best seller.
The new book, which expands the inquiry beyond tax policy into a whole range of regulatory machinery, is titled Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and Stick You With the Bill).
Enjoy and comment…
Here is a synopsis of the book:
Fresh Air from WHYY, January 3, 2008 · Investigative reporter David Cay Johnston explores in his new book how in recent years, government subsidies and new regulations have quietly funneled money from the poor and the middle class to the rich and politically connected.
Cay Johnston covers tax policy for The New York Times, where he won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on that beat. His previous book, Perfectly Legal: The Covert Campaign to Rig Our Tax System to Benefit the Super Rich — and Cheat Everybody Else, was a best seller.
The new book, which expands the inquiry beyond tax policy into a whole range of regulatory machinery, is titled Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and Stick You With the Bill).
Enjoy and comment…
Saturday, January 5, 2008
TO VACCINATE YOUR CHILD OR NOT...
Great question... And the answer is... Well consider the following testimony/information...
This article appeared in Wise Traditions in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts, the quarterly magazine of the Weston A. Price Foundation, Fall 2000.
Autism and Vaccinations
By Mary Megson, MD
I have practiced pediatrics for twenty-two years, the last fifteen years seeing only children with developmental disabilities, which include learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, cerebral palsy, mental retardation and autism.
In 1978, I learned as a resident at Boston Floating Hospital that the incidence of autism was one in 10,000 children. Over the last ten years I have watched the incidence of autism skyrocket to 1/300-1/600 children.
Over the last nine months, I have treated over 1,200 children in my office. Ninety percent of these children are autistic and from the Richmond area alone. Yet the State Department of Education reports that there are only 1,522 autistic students in the entire state of Virginia.
MHMR (Mental Health Mental Retardation) agencies have created local infant intervention programs, and they have had a hard time keeping up with the numbers of delayed infants and toddlers. I have served as advisor to the City of Richmond and the surrounding counties as they have established entire programs for autistic children that fill multiple classes in several schools in each district.
The segment of children with "regressive autism," the form where children develop normally for a period of time then lose skills and sink into autism, most commonly at 18-24 months of age, is increasing at a phenomenal rate. I am seeing several children in the same family affected, including in the last week four cases of "autistic regression" developing in four-year-old children after their MMR and DPT vaccination. In the past, this was unheard of.
In the vast majority of these cases, one parent reports night blindness or other rarer disorders which are caused by a genetic defect in a G protein, where they join cell membrane receptors, which are activated by retinoids, neurotransmitters, hormones, secretin and other protein messengers. G proteins are cellular proteins that upgrade or downgrade signals in sensory organs that regulate touch, taste, smell, hearing and vision. They are found all over the body, in high concentration in the gut and the brain. They turn on or off multiple metabolic pathways including those for glucose, lipid and protein metabolism as well as cell growth and survival.
Close to the age of "autistic regression," we add pertussis toxin, which completely disrupts G alpha signals. The opposite G proteins are turned on without inhibition leading to the following:
Glycogen breakdown or gluconeogenesis. Many of these children have elevated blood sugars. There is a 68 percent incidence of diabetes in parents and grandparents of these children.
Lipid breakdown which increases blood fats that lead to hyperlipidemia. One-third of families has either a parent or grandparent who died from myocardial infarction at less than 55 years of age and was diagnosed with hyperlipidemia.
Cell growth differentiation and survival which leads to uncontrolled cell growth. There are 62 cases of malignancies associated with ras-oncogene [a cancer gene] in 60 families of these autistic children.
The measles antibody cross reacts with intermediate filaments which are the glue that hold cells together in the gut wall. The loss of cell-to-cell connection interrupts aproptosis or the ability of neighboring cells to kill off abnormal cells. The MMR vaccine at 15 months precedes the DPT at 18 months, which turns on uncontrolled cell growth differentiation and survival.
Most families report cancer in the parents or grandparents, the most common being colon cancer. The genetic defect, found in 30-50 percent of adult cancers, is a cancer gene (ras-oncogene). It is the same defect as that for congenital stationary night blindness.
G-protein defects cause severe loss of rod function in most autistic children. They lose night vision, and light-to-dark shading on objects in the daylight. They sink into a "magic eye puzzle," seeing only color and shape in all of their visual field, except for a "box" in the middle, the only place where they get the impression of the three dimensional nature of objects.
Only when they look at television or a computer do they predictably hear the right language for what they see. They try to make sense of the world around them by lining up toys, sorting by color. They have to "see" objects by adding boxes together, thus "thinking in pictures." Their avoidance of eye contact is an attempt to get light to land off center in the retina where they have some rod function.
Suddenly mother’s touch feels like sand-paper on their skin. Common sounds become like nails scraped on a blackboard. We think they cannot abstract, but we are sinking these children into an abstract painting at 18 months of age and they are left trying to figure out if the language they are hearing is connected to what they are looking at.
The defect for congenital stationary night blindness on the short arm of the X chromosome affects cell membrane calcium channels which, if not functioning, block NMDA/glutamate receptors in the hippocampus where pathways connect the left and right brain with the frontal lobe.
Margaret Bauman has described a lack of cell growth and differentiation in the hippocampus seen on autopsy in autistic children. The frontal lobe is the seat of attention, inhibition of impulse, social judgment and all executive function.
When stimulated, these NMDA receptors through G proteins stimulate nuclear vitamin A receptors discovered by Ron Evans and his colleagues in December, 1998. When blocked, in the animal model, mice are unable to learn and remember changes in their environment. They act as if they have significant visual perceptual problems and have spatial learning deficits.
Of concern is the fact that the hepatitis B virus protein sequence was originally isolated in the gene for a similar retinoid receptor (RAR beta), which is the critical receptor important for brain plasticity and retinoid signaling in the hippocampus. After the mercury is removed, I understand we will restart hepatitis B vaccine at day one of life. Studies need to be done to determine if this plays an additive role in the marked increase in autism.
I am using natural lipid soluble concentrated cis form of vitamin A in cod liver oil to bypass blocked G protein pathways and turn on these central retinoid receptors. In a few days, most of these children regain eye contact and some say their "box" of clear vision grows. After two months on vitamin-A treatment some of these children, when given a single dose of bethanechol [a drug related to acetlycholene, a substance that transmits nerve impulses] to stimulate pathways in the parasympathetic system in the gut, focus, laugh, concentrate, show a sense of humor and talk after 30 minutes, as if reconnected.
This improves cognition, but they are still physically ill. When these children get the MMR vaccine, their vitamin A stores are depleted and they cannot compensate for blocked pathways. Lack of vitamin A, which has been called "the anti-infective agent," leaves them immunosuppressed. They lack cell-mediated immunity. T cell activation, important for long term immune memory, requires 14-hydroxy retro-retinol. On cod liver oil, the only natural source of this natural substance, the children get well. The parasympathetic nervous system is blocked by the second G protein defect.
These children are unable to relax, focus and digest their food. Instead, they are in sympathetic overdrive with a constant outpouring of adrenaline and stress hormones. They are anxious, pace, have dilated pupils, high blood pressure and rapid heart rate. These and other symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are part of this constant "fight or flight" response. These symptoms improve on bethanechol.
I live in a small middle class neighborhood with twenty-three houses. I recently counted thirty children who live in this community who are on medication for ADHD. One week ago my oldest son, who is gifted but dyslexic, had twelve neighborhood friends over for dinner. As I looked around the table, all of these children but one had dilated pupils. After two-and-one-half months of taking vitamin A and D in cod liver oil, my son announced, "I can read now! The letters don’t jump around on the page anymore!" He is able to focus and his handwriting has improved dramatically. In his high school for college-bound dyslexic students, 68 of 70 teenagers report seeing headlights with starbursts, a symptom of congenital stationary nightblindness.
I think we are staring a disaster in the face that has affected thousands of Americans. The children with autism or dyslexia/ADHD are lucky. There are many other children not identified, just disconnected.
We must direct all of our resources and efforts to establish multi-disciplinary centers to treat these children. Insurance companies should pay for evaluations, both medical and psychiatric, and treatment. These children are physically ill, immunosuppressed with a chronic autoimmune disorder affecting multiple organ systems. Funding to look at etiology of autism, to identify children at risk prior to "autistic regression," and to prevent this disorder is imperative.
Implementing vaccine policies that are safe for all children should become our first priority.
Mothers from all over the country have brought pictures of their autistic children to Washington this weekend. Most of these children were born normal and were lost to "autistic regression." Look into their eyes and you will hear their silence.
Editor’s note: In addition to cod liver oil, children with developmental disorders should be given a nutrient-dense diet that includes plenty of calcium and other minerals. Additional vitamin D may also be helpful. (See page 11.)
About the Author
Dr. Mary Megson is a board-certified pediatrician, trained in child development, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and assistant professor of pediatrics at the Medical College of Virginia. This testimony was given April 6, 2000 at Senate hearings on autisim and vaccinations. Parts of this article are technical.
For further information, see info@seasilverhealth.com
This article appeared in Wise Traditions in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts, the quarterly magazine of the Weston A. Price Foundation, Fall 2000.
Autism and Vaccinations
By Mary Megson, MD
I have practiced pediatrics for twenty-two years, the last fifteen years seeing only children with developmental disabilities, which include learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, cerebral palsy, mental retardation and autism.
In 1978, I learned as a resident at Boston Floating Hospital that the incidence of autism was one in 10,000 children. Over the last ten years I have watched the incidence of autism skyrocket to 1/300-1/600 children.
Over the last nine months, I have treated over 1,200 children in my office. Ninety percent of these children are autistic and from the Richmond area alone. Yet the State Department of Education reports that there are only 1,522 autistic students in the entire state of Virginia.
MHMR (Mental Health Mental Retardation) agencies have created local infant intervention programs, and they have had a hard time keeping up with the numbers of delayed infants and toddlers. I have served as advisor to the City of Richmond and the surrounding counties as they have established entire programs for autistic children that fill multiple classes in several schools in each district.
The segment of children with "regressive autism," the form where children develop normally for a period of time then lose skills and sink into autism, most commonly at 18-24 months of age, is increasing at a phenomenal rate. I am seeing several children in the same family affected, including in the last week four cases of "autistic regression" developing in four-year-old children after their MMR and DPT vaccination. In the past, this was unheard of.
In the vast majority of these cases, one parent reports night blindness or other rarer disorders which are caused by a genetic defect in a G protein, where they join cell membrane receptors, which are activated by retinoids, neurotransmitters, hormones, secretin and other protein messengers. G proteins are cellular proteins that upgrade or downgrade signals in sensory organs that regulate touch, taste, smell, hearing and vision. They are found all over the body, in high concentration in the gut and the brain. They turn on or off multiple metabolic pathways including those for glucose, lipid and protein metabolism as well as cell growth and survival.
Close to the age of "autistic regression," we add pertussis toxin, which completely disrupts G alpha signals. The opposite G proteins are turned on without inhibition leading to the following:
Glycogen breakdown or gluconeogenesis. Many of these children have elevated blood sugars. There is a 68 percent incidence of diabetes in parents and grandparents of these children.
Lipid breakdown which increases blood fats that lead to hyperlipidemia. One-third of families has either a parent or grandparent who died from myocardial infarction at less than 55 years of age and was diagnosed with hyperlipidemia.
Cell growth differentiation and survival which leads to uncontrolled cell growth. There are 62 cases of malignancies associated with ras-oncogene [a cancer gene] in 60 families of these autistic children.
The measles antibody cross reacts with intermediate filaments which are the glue that hold cells together in the gut wall. The loss of cell-to-cell connection interrupts aproptosis or the ability of neighboring cells to kill off abnormal cells. The MMR vaccine at 15 months precedes the DPT at 18 months, which turns on uncontrolled cell growth differentiation and survival.
Most families report cancer in the parents or grandparents, the most common being colon cancer. The genetic defect, found in 30-50 percent of adult cancers, is a cancer gene (ras-oncogene). It is the same defect as that for congenital stationary night blindness.
G-protein defects cause severe loss of rod function in most autistic children. They lose night vision, and light-to-dark shading on objects in the daylight. They sink into a "magic eye puzzle," seeing only color and shape in all of their visual field, except for a "box" in the middle, the only place where they get the impression of the three dimensional nature of objects.
Only when they look at television or a computer do they predictably hear the right language for what they see. They try to make sense of the world around them by lining up toys, sorting by color. They have to "see" objects by adding boxes together, thus "thinking in pictures." Their avoidance of eye contact is an attempt to get light to land off center in the retina where they have some rod function.
Suddenly mother’s touch feels like sand-paper on their skin. Common sounds become like nails scraped on a blackboard. We think they cannot abstract, but we are sinking these children into an abstract painting at 18 months of age and they are left trying to figure out if the language they are hearing is connected to what they are looking at.
The defect for congenital stationary night blindness on the short arm of the X chromosome affects cell membrane calcium channels which, if not functioning, block NMDA/glutamate receptors in the hippocampus where pathways connect the left and right brain with the frontal lobe.
Margaret Bauman has described a lack of cell growth and differentiation in the hippocampus seen on autopsy in autistic children. The frontal lobe is the seat of attention, inhibition of impulse, social judgment and all executive function.
When stimulated, these NMDA receptors through G proteins stimulate nuclear vitamin A receptors discovered by Ron Evans and his colleagues in December, 1998. When blocked, in the animal model, mice are unable to learn and remember changes in their environment. They act as if they have significant visual perceptual problems and have spatial learning deficits.
Of concern is the fact that the hepatitis B virus protein sequence was originally isolated in the gene for a similar retinoid receptor (RAR beta), which is the critical receptor important for brain plasticity and retinoid signaling in the hippocampus. After the mercury is removed, I understand we will restart hepatitis B vaccine at day one of life. Studies need to be done to determine if this plays an additive role in the marked increase in autism.
I am using natural lipid soluble concentrated cis form of vitamin A in cod liver oil to bypass blocked G protein pathways and turn on these central retinoid receptors. In a few days, most of these children regain eye contact and some say their "box" of clear vision grows. After two months on vitamin-A treatment some of these children, when given a single dose of bethanechol [a drug related to acetlycholene, a substance that transmits nerve impulses] to stimulate pathways in the parasympathetic system in the gut, focus, laugh, concentrate, show a sense of humor and talk after 30 minutes, as if reconnected.
This improves cognition, but they are still physically ill. When these children get the MMR vaccine, their vitamin A stores are depleted and they cannot compensate for blocked pathways. Lack of vitamin A, which has been called "the anti-infective agent," leaves them immunosuppressed. They lack cell-mediated immunity. T cell activation, important for long term immune memory, requires 14-hydroxy retro-retinol. On cod liver oil, the only natural source of this natural substance, the children get well. The parasympathetic nervous system is blocked by the second G protein defect.
These children are unable to relax, focus and digest their food. Instead, they are in sympathetic overdrive with a constant outpouring of adrenaline and stress hormones. They are anxious, pace, have dilated pupils, high blood pressure and rapid heart rate. These and other symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are part of this constant "fight or flight" response. These symptoms improve on bethanechol.
I live in a small middle class neighborhood with twenty-three houses. I recently counted thirty children who live in this community who are on medication for ADHD. One week ago my oldest son, who is gifted but dyslexic, had twelve neighborhood friends over for dinner. As I looked around the table, all of these children but one had dilated pupils. After two-and-one-half months of taking vitamin A and D in cod liver oil, my son announced, "I can read now! The letters don’t jump around on the page anymore!" He is able to focus and his handwriting has improved dramatically. In his high school for college-bound dyslexic students, 68 of 70 teenagers report seeing headlights with starbursts, a symptom of congenital stationary nightblindness.
I think we are staring a disaster in the face that has affected thousands of Americans. The children with autism or dyslexia/ADHD are lucky. There are many other children not identified, just disconnected.
We must direct all of our resources and efforts to establish multi-disciplinary centers to treat these children. Insurance companies should pay for evaluations, both medical and psychiatric, and treatment. These children are physically ill, immunosuppressed with a chronic autoimmune disorder affecting multiple organ systems. Funding to look at etiology of autism, to identify children at risk prior to "autistic regression," and to prevent this disorder is imperative.
Implementing vaccine policies that are safe for all children should become our first priority.
Mothers from all over the country have brought pictures of their autistic children to Washington this weekend. Most of these children were born normal and were lost to "autistic regression." Look into their eyes and you will hear their silence.
Editor’s note: In addition to cod liver oil, children with developmental disorders should be given a nutrient-dense diet that includes plenty of calcium and other minerals. Additional vitamin D may also be helpful. (See page 11.)
About the Author
Dr. Mary Megson is a board-certified pediatrician, trained in child development, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and assistant professor of pediatrics at the Medical College of Virginia. This testimony was given April 6, 2000 at Senate hearings on autisim and vaccinations. Parts of this article are technical.
For further information, see info@seasilverhealth.com
Friday, January 4, 2008
Reader Welcome
Just thought I would take this opportunity to welcome you to my new blog. A good friend gave me the idea of starting one and I am excited to be a part of the Blogging World! You will find over time links to interesting information as well as my commentary and questions. Please feel free to comment and lets educate each other through discussion.
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