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CSER represents a diverse collection of projects seeking to study the effectiveness of integrating genome sequencing into the clinical care of diverse and medically underserved individuals. Collectively, CSER aims to develop and share best practices in areas such as return of results, health outcomes and metrics, healthcare utilization, and the ethical, legal, and social implications of sequencing in diverse populations.

Cancer Health Assessments Reaching Many

The CHARM (Cancer Health Assessment Reaching Many) study will assess the utility of clinical exome sequencing and how it affects care in diverse populations. Our study population includes adults at risk for hereditary cancer syndromes.

ClinSeq A2

The ClinSeq project is conducting genetic sequencing amongst healthy volunteers in order to study the impact of returning their individual genetic results and to build a resource for genotype-drive research.

Evaluating Utility And Improving Implementation Of Genomic Sequencing For Pediatric Cancer Patients In The Diverse Population And Healthcare Settings Of Texas: The KidsCanSeq Study

The Baylor College of Medicine Texas KidsCanSeq Study aims to assess the utility of genome-scale testing, compared with more targeted methods, in diverse pediatric cancer patient populations and diverse healthcare settings in Texas.

North Carolina Clinical Genomic Evaluation by Next-generation Exome Sequencing 2

NCGENES 2 will generate evidence regarding the clinical utility of genomic sequencing using a prospective randomized controlled trial comparing exome sequencing to usual care and investigating the use of pre-visit preparation to improve patient-centered outcomes.

NYCKidSeq seeks to advance use of genomic medicine for underserved NYC children and assess improved management of childhood disease.

Prenatal and Pediatric Genome Sequencing

The UCSF Program in Prenatal and Pediatric Genome Sequencing (P3EGS) will study the utility of whole exome sequencing as a tool for 1) diagnosing infants and children with serious developmental disorders, and, 2) providing genetic information to parents when a prenatal study reveals a fetus with a structural anomaly.

In “SouthSeq”, we will perform whole-genome sequencing on newborns suspected to have genetic disorders and develop and test return of results mechanisms to expand access to genetic testing to diverse, especially historically underserved, communities.

Clinical Sequencing Exploratory Research

The precursor to the current CSER consortium was the Clinical Sequencing Exploratory Research (CSER1) Consortium, a national multi-site research program funded jointly by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and National Cancer Institute (NCI), which conducted multidimensional, translational research to evaluate the integration of genome and exome sequencing into clinical care.


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CSN Login
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Great news so far - Update -

Crow71's picture
Posts: 681
Joined: Jan 2010

Hey everyone,
Great news all around.
The trip to NYC was great. Kim and I had a wonderful time walking around the city. The highlight was a stroll and a carriage ride through a snow covered Central Park. That type of touristy activity is usually not my kind of thing, but the warmth of Kim beside me, the rhythmic clip clop of the horse and the chatter of the children ice skating was peaceful and calming.

Actually the highlight of the trip was our visit with a most kind and wonderful Dr. at Sloan. After a very thorough physical exam Dr. Veach took lots of time to let us talk, answer our questions and give us his opinion. Unlike Wake Forest, Sloan does not do the type of surgery that I need because they don't believe that the uncertainty of the results justify the extensive surgery. However, Dr. Veach said that surgery followed by chemo would certainly be the most aggressive and appropriate course in my case. "If I were you at your age, I'd do it." What more could I ask from a 2nd opinion?

I meet again tomorrow with my surgeon to go over the results of recent tests and make a final decision about surgery. In the meantime, here's what I know.

Last Friday I had another colonoscopy. The one polyp that they found came back negative for cancer. The area of the rectal tumor showed significant improvement. Great news.

On Monday I had another MRI. Some of the liver mets which did not show up on the CT scan are visible on the MRI. That's not good, but it's not entirely bad. The real questions are how many mets? And where are they? My Oncologist did not want to put words in my surgeon's mouth, but he said nothing that leads us to believe that the MRI results will negate surgery. Great News.

On Tuesday I had another PET scan. The area of the rectal tumor is the only place that lights up at this point. Great News.

Basically my Oncologist is very pleased with my response to chemo. There is a 40 to 50 percent overall reduction. He characterized the cancer as "stunned." I prefer to characterize the cancer as getting the crap stomped out of it. I'm trying not to be too hopeful about what the surgeon will say tomorrow, but I can't help it. I believe that I'll walk out of the office tomorrow with a surgery date.

Cancer hates happiness. Be happy

Update: The surgeon wants to put my case back in front of the tumor board next Tuesday and meet with me afterwards. No indication of whether this is good or bad. I suspect he is being as thorough and prudent as possible. The waiting game is back on.

Sundanceh's picture
Posts: 4408
Joined: Jun 2009

Great news, Roger

Man, they've been "lightin' you up" but good with all of those scans. Here's hoping for your surgery date tomorrow...may the force be with you :)

Your buggy ride sounded marvelouos - a regular Hallmark moment.

Posts: 827
Joined: Jan 2010

Pulling for you to get the news you want to hear tomorrow. Stay happy!

Kerry S's picture
Kerry S
Posts: 607
Joined: Dec 2009

Remember you can not only beat the crap out of cancer cells you can water board the little bastards as well.

robinvan's picture
Posts: 1014
Joined: May 2007

Glad you enjoyed New York!

It sounds like a very worthwhile trip! Good luck with the treatment program.

Be well... Rob; in Vancouver

lisa42's picture
Posts: 3661
Joined: Jul 2008

I'm glad you went to Sloan- sounds like they did a good job with carefully evaluating everything about your situation. Hope the surgery will be a go for you.
Keep us informed.

Posts: 3692
Joined: Oct 2009

I am very happy for your good news, Roger! It sounds like you had a wonderful trip to NYC what a great city!

Lovekitties's picture
Posts: 3333
Joined: Jan 2010

Glad to hear NYC was a hit.

Hoping that you get the surgery date and all will lead to healthy and happy days ahead.

sfmarie's picture
Posts: 605
Joined: Aug 2009

Wow! That is fantastic. It certainly sounds like you had a fantastic second opinion followed by amazing results. I have followed your journey closely and could not be happier for you. I too would treat it aggressively. Enjoy the weekend you deserve it! Marie

Posts: 964
Joined: Nov 2008

I am glad that you were both able to enjoy your time in NYC. It is a fantastic city to explore and I never get tired of being there.

What a fantastic response to chemotherapy! I hope you have good news from the surgeon and that you are able to move forward in your treatment.

Posts: 186
Joined: Jun 2009

All our best to you, sounds like a great trip!
Will be thinking of you...

geotina's picture
Posts: 2118
Joined: Oct 2009

All around this sounds like very positive news. I'm happy you and Kim were able to enjoy New York while there. Make sure you come back and tell us the game plan. It sounds so promising sure hope all works out well for you, Kim and the kids. Take care - Tina

P_I_T_A's picture
Posts: 133
Joined: Oct 2009

Glad to hear you've had a good trip so far. Let's hope the news continues to be promising!

Posts: 3692
Joined: Oct 2009

Hi Roger,

I think preseenting to the tumour board is a good thing - you will have the opinions of many smart, experienced people. I think this "team" approach is the way most of the large cancer centres are coming up with recommended courses of action. Best of luck!

JDuke's picture
Posts: 443
Joined: Nov 2009

hear that the trip to NYC was so enjoyable. You deserved it. I hope that the tumor board comes up with a fantastic plan for your next phase of treatment.

Fight for my love
Posts: 1530
Joined: Jun 2009

I love your motto.Stay happy.Good luck with everything.

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Big Y Express & Pride Stores Begin Removing Plastic Bags at Checkout

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Big Y Express & Pride Stores Begin Removing Plastic Bags at Checkout

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The retailers' decisions come as more Massachusetts towns enact single-use plastic bag bans.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Two Massachusetts retailers will stop using single-use plastic bags in the coming weeks.

Big Y Express Gas and Convenience locations will eliminate the bags effective Monday, April 22. The date corresponds with Earth Day.

Currently, the Lee, Mass., Big Y Express is the only one of the grocer's gas and convenience locations that stopped giving customers single-use plastic bags, as part of that town's ordinance, reported Convenience Store News sister publication Progressive Grocer.

The other eight Big Y Express stores in Massachusetts and Connecticut will now follow suit. The moves comes as its parent company, Big Y Foods Inc., pledged to phase out the bags at checkout by 2020.

Springfield-based Big Y operates 80 locations throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut, including 70 supermarkets, 40 pharmacies, Fresh Acres Market, Table & Vine Fine Wines and Liquors, and nine Big Y Express gas and convenience locations.

The retailer is already complying with single-use plastic bag bans in five Massachusetts municipalities that have laws on the books: Amherst, Great Barrington, Lee, Northampton and South Hadley.

Another Springfield-based retailer, Pride Stores, is also taking steps to remove single-use plastic bags from its checkouts.

Beginning on May 1, Pride will give away reusable bags and offer a 5-cent discount whenever a customer uses a reusable bag of any kind, said Pride CEO Robert Bolduc. The stores will also provide paper grocery bags to customers who ask for them, eliminating single-use plastic bags, according to

"This is going to sound crazy for a boss to say — I don't know if this is going to cost or if it is going to save us money," Bolduc said. "I didn't even look at the cost. It's the right thing to do."

The retailer's decision comes as the Springfield City Council is expected to vote on a citywide single-use plastic bag ban on Tuesday, April 23. The city's ban wouldn't take effect for a year to 18 months after its passage, depending on the size of the store, according to the news outlet.


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Tag Archives: Hans Urs von Balthasar

Essay: Henri de Lubac (1896-1991) and Contemporary Mystical Theology, by Andrew Prevot

Appearing in A Companion to Jesuit Mysticism, Andrew Prevot‘s essay argues for the presence of a mystical theology throughout much of Henri de Lubac’s writings even though he never devoted a work exclusively to it. Here is Prevot’s concluding paragraph: This … Continue reading

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Book: Thinking Prayer: Theology and Spirituality amid the Crises of Modernity, by Andrew Prevot

Published in 2015 by the University of Notre Dame Press, Andrew Prevot’s book argues for prayer having a crucial role to play in theology today. He grounds his argument in the work of a number of recent thinkers in philosophy and theology. Here’s … Continue reading

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PASS BASIC Program - The Industry Standard

PASS BASIC Program - The Industry Standard

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ATTENTION: The Driver MUST use their own personal accurate email address to Start the course and receive their certificate.

If you have an access code - click add to cart.

This self-paced course includes 7 modules with a test at the end of each module. Upon completion of all 7 modules, learners will be emailed a numbered PASS Basic certificate.

FIRST TIME USER: Click "Add to Cart"

Single purchases: Enter “DRIVER” name and email address on the contact page

Multiple purchases: Enter payee information. CTAA will email access codes

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Tag Archives: applications

Opportunities for Parents to Engage Students with Math

Math is often considered an esoteric set of information that is disjointed from the reality people face, aside perhaps from money. Sadly, in school, especially in older grade levels, math is indeed presented this way.

sally math problem

A situation as simple as riding an elevator provides opportunities to show and engage a student with math applied in authentic and common situations. For example, the elevator buttons address counting and cardinality (4 indicates a total of 4 floors – ignoring the R), comparison (if we are on floor 2 and need to go down, which floor do we go to?) and measurement (height above ground floor measured in floors). Such situations also provides opportunities for generalization into other settings – the important settings of every day life!

2019-01-18 18.33.56

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Rate of Change in Real Life

61 cents per ounce is a rate of change. Graph the line modeled by this (y intercept is 0) and it becomes slope of the line. In referring to algebra we often hear, “when will I ever need this?” My response is “all the time!” Our job as teachers is to make this connection for students.

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Triple Threat Reactive Target

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Use as a replacement or swap out your current target to a variety to you training

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3 unique reactive panels

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Conversions, Temperatures & Substitutions

This tab is to give information on proper cooking temperatures, measuring conversion as well as ingredient substitution ideas.

For example, if you need 3 cups of cream, do you need to buy a pint or a quart? or say you need sour cream and forgot to pick it up. What can you use instead so you don’t have to run back out to the grocery store?

Please select on of the sub topics in the menu tabs above or from the list below:

Abbreviations used throughout the site:

gal = Gallon
qt = Quart
pt = Pint
c = Cup
oz = Ounces
L = Liters
tbsp / TBS = Tablespoon
tsp – Teaspoon
fl = Fluid
ea = Each
lg = Large
sm = Small
med = Medium
EVOO / Olive Oil = Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Stock / broth = low sodium and low-fat variety

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So many things to be grateful for

I am sitting on my sofa, with the sun streaming through the wide-open window, warming my skin and I am wondering what to write about today.  After a few false starts where I type and delete a couple of paragraphs, I decide to consult my angel cards and see if they have any suggestion about what I should focus on. I shuffle the cards carefully and choose one of the 80 glossy cards from the tiny stack spread out in my left palm, I turn it over and… the word on the card is GRATITUDE!  Hahaha, OK, so much for that;) I guess it is a luxury problem not to know what to concentrate my gratitude on.

So here are a few things from the past days that I am particularly grateful for:

  • having time to write Morning Pages at home while drinking coffee (and feeling light anxiety release its grip when I lean into it and write out my thoughts, making the day ahead so much easier)
  • seeing a gripping and original play about 9/11 terrorist attacks (and the subsequent discussions with Paolo about it)
  • gorgeous sunshine (and enjoying a lovely walk with a dear colleague and her son, discovering favorite spots in their neighbourhood)
  • attending an intimate Q&A with author Kristen Roupenian (and learning all about her approach to the craft of writing, extremely inspiring!)
  • keeping up the rhythm of writing two pages per week (and getting precious feedback from Paolo about which parts work and how to move the piece forward)

Wishing you all a great weekend!

2 thoughts on “So many things to be grateful for

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glass, cupping, cupping therapy, cupping therapy set, facial cupping, face cupping, cupping for face, chinese cupping, massage cupping, anti aging,cupping, cupping set, cupping therapy, cupping therapy set, professional cupping, professional cupping set, cupping kit, cupping equipment, cupping supplies, cupping tools, polycarbonate cups, polycarbonate cupping, silicone cupping, massage cupping, physical therapy cups, massage therapy cups, suction cups, vacuum cups, cupping cups, best cupping set, cellulite cupping, arthritis cupping, joint cupping, muscle cupping, body cupping, trigger point cupping, dry cupping, wet cupping, dynamic cupping, active cupping, moving cupping, rom cupping, how to use cupping, how to cupping, cupping how to, cupping education, cupping class, cupping secrets, cupping warehouse, rubber cupping set, best cupping set for athletes, sports cupping, athletic cupping, olympic cupping, best cupping set for physical therapists, cupping canada, cupping usa, kangzhu, ks choi, hansol, cupping therapy benefits, cupping marks, cupping bruise, dangers of cupping, fire cupping, chinese cupping, self cupping, self care cupping, for cupping, suction cups for muscles, suction cups for body, suction cups for massage, dry cupping, wet cupping, static cupping, dynamic cupping, physicupping, physiotherapy cupping, cupping points, cupping for back pain, cupping for face, cupping for knee pain, cupping for shoulder pain, cupping for low back pain, cupping set with pump gun, glass cupping set, silicone cupping set, removeable suction valve, plastic cupping set, plastic cupping kit, cupping kit, best cupping set, best silicone cupping, best glass cupping, best plastic cupping, best rubber cupping, best massage cups, best physical therapy cups, face cupping, facial cupping, supreme cups, intermediate cups, deep pro cups, 6065 cups, 5560 cups, small cup, medium cup, large cup, x-large cup, small body cup, x-small body cup, large body cup, face cup, eye cup, lip cup, grip cups, grip classic cups, 6870 pro, how to clean cupping cups, how to clean your cups, disinfect cupping, disinfect cups, squeeze bulb cups

Cupping Warehouse TM Face and Body Glass 4 Blue Bulb Professional Massage Set: Written Instructions Included (1 Small, 1 Medium, 1 Large and 1 X-Large White)

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Product Description

When you look in the mirror? What’s looking back? Beautiful, Supple, Tight, Lifted facial Skin or Wrinkles and Cracks reminding you of the Sahara Desert? It’s not too late and it’s never too early! Cupping Warehouse Glass 4 Blue Bulb Facial & Body Cup Set is used at a premium price by professionals in spa’s and now available to you at home. Cupping has been reported to increase Collagen & Elastin which helps with plumping, firming and lifting facial tissue.

  • Your Vacuum Facial & Body Glass Cupping Kit includes: (4 Glass Cups with Blue Silicone Bulbs*)1 Small, 1 Medium, 1 Large Tissue Face Cup(35mm) &  1 X-Large Glass Face Cup (55mm)  *Written Instructions and Access to Video’s & Tutorials online* Our International Professional Glass Face & Eye Massage Cupping Therapy Set is favored by many over facial fillers and injections and painful surgeries.
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  • Ageless Solution to help increase blood circulation, reduce fine lines, smooth skin, refine pores, improves and stimulates collagen and elastin, lymph and fluid drainage, facial contours. Improves efficiency of skincare systems (oil, moisturizer, serum, cleanser). Designed to leave less cupping marks (bruises) than conventional cups and molds to the skin tissue for best results.
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These clear cups have great visibility and strong suction. We specifically chose the clear cups to market for facial cupping as they are our favorite due to the great visibility. You can see the color of the tissue through the cup to assist you with your determination of the amount of stagnation in the tissues.

Apply lubrication (cream, oil, lotion)  prior to facial cupping.  Used in some Spas’s as Non-Surgical Facelifts as the sucking and moving has been reported to increase collagen in the tissues causing plumping and therefore is used to decrease wrinkles and lift the skin on the face.

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    Reported to Plump, Tighten and Lifts Sagging Skin by draining lymph, increasing blood flow, toning muscles and stimulating collagen production. For Anti-Aging, Facelift, Lip Plumping, Reduce Eye Bags and Puffiness.
  • Ingredients
    Glass and Silicone
  • Directions
    Facial Cupping Instruction recommended prior to use.
  • Cleaning and Disinfecting – High Level Disinfection Required. (Bacteria, Mold, Spores, Virus and Trace Amounts of Blood). You can clean your cups with warm soapy water, but to disinfect your cups, Hydrogen Peroxide at 7.5 % Dilution for 30 minute soaking is recommended after cleaning. Household bleach does not provide high level disinfection. (Wear gloves to avoid contact with the hydrogen peroxide) Hydrogen Peroxide is cleared by the CDC as High Level Disinfectant and has shown to be safe for cupping products.

Additional information

Weight 1 lbs
Dimensions 4.00 × 1.00 × 2.00 in

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2014 Predictions: AL West

This is a really tough division to pick. A lot of teams made a lot of of changes this year, but I still think it will be a two horse race between the A’s and Rangers. Without further adieu:

AL West
1. Oakland 92-70
Bob Melvin’s green and yellow elephants will be, once again, in the playoffs (will we see a third straight A’s/Tigers ALDS?). Last year was a very solid year for the A’s, namely behind the offensive production of Josh Donaldson (.301/29/93, 4th in MVP voting). Despite their winning record, Donaldson was actually the only player to hit over .300 (other than Kurt Suzuki who played in 15 games), but they came in third in the AL in runs and home runs, so the long ball was essential to them last year. This year will be mostly the same: GM whiz kid Billy Beane did not make any major free agent pick ups, so Melvin will be putting out nearly the same lineup. Reddick and Crisp, both excellent defensive outfielders, had down years, hitting .226 and .261 respectively. Reddick was bothered with a wrist injury, resulting in a lack of hitting to the power alleys and simply a lack of playing time. Crisp’s average was down but his on base percentage was right on par with the rest of his career, though his stolen bases were far down compared to his last few years in Oakland. The rotation lost 18-6 ageless wonder Bartolo Colon, but other than him, the oldest starter last year was Tommy Milone at age 26, so the future is very bright on the bump. Right now their rotation is looking like Griffin, Parker, Gray, Milone, and Straily. Very young, but a lot of potential. Last year they won 96 games, I think that’s possible but not all that probable given the Mariners revamping of their roster.

2. Texas 90-72
The Rangers lost some key players in this offseason: AJ Pierzynski, Joe Nathan, Ian Kinsler, and Nelson Cruz. Cruz was gone most of last season and they did just fine, but there’s no denying his big bat will be missed. That said, manager Ron Washington was also given a lot to work with this offseason, signing Mitch Moreland and JP Arencibia to deals, as well as outfielder Shin Soo Choo to a 7-year deal and Prince Fielder from the Tigers. There is a little bit of pressure on Fielder because of all the talk of moving to a more hitter-friendly ballpark. Last year, Comerica had a park factor of 108 and Arlington had a 102 which means that Comerica was even more friendly to hitters, but maybe the change in the atmosphere will be good for him. Andrus and Beltre will be excellent as usual, but youngster Jurickson Profar will be tried at second base. I think he’ll do fine as long as he doesn’t hit in the 2 slot. Choo was a hotly contested free agent, sought after by a number of teams for his crazy .423 OBP (granted, he played in a matchbox in GABP). He’ll most likely play center and young stud Leonys Martin will take over in right for Cruz. The Rangers’ rotation is top heavy, with Darvish (Cy Young candidate) and Derek Holland at the top. Matt Garza was a nice addition last year but he has moved on to Milwaukee, so Alexi Ogando will take over and continue the nice season he had in 2011 (13-8, 3.51 ERA). The key to the Rangers season, and this is bold, I know, is Neftali Feliz. The former ROY has oscillated back and forth from starter to closer and its taken a toll on his body, causing some lingering biceps issues last year. With Nathan gone, the closing role should be his and if he stays healthy, the Rangers could do some damage.

3. Los Angeles 81-81
Scioscia is an awesome manager. Last season, he had a lot of things working against him in terms of injuries (Pujols and Bourjos) and completely underperformance (Joe Blanton going 2-14). Trout will be Trout and likely go .325/.430/.560 (wow) and rub off on JB Shuck on both sides of the ball. Hamilton is a wild card, his first year in LA was not pretty, and I think he’ll improve but not much. We won’t see 2010’s .359 average, but we won’t see 2013’s .250 average, either. My prediction is somewhere around .270 but with a lot of fly balls and strikeouts. Pujols will be heathy (hopefully), adding some protection, and the offseason pickup of David Freese, likely 5-hitter, will add even more. Raul Ibanez is a good addition, likely as a DH for an injection of power every once in a while. He won’t put up an MVP campaign, but will have a respectable year for a 42-year old. Kendrick is a highly underrated second baseman, and I expect him to hit .310 this year. Similar to the Mariners, they are offensively challenged when it comes to catchers; between Hank Conger and Chris Ianetta, they produced 18 home runs and 60 RBIs. Signing veteran Yorvit Torrealba will aid their growth in hitting. CJ Wilson will again anchor the aging rotation, which is their weakest link. Past he and Weaver, it’s a crapshoot. Ernesto Frieri was pretty shaky last year, going 2-4 with 1.4 home runs per nine. Not good. If the Angels want to win this year they will have to hit, hit, and hit some more. Last year, their team average of .264 was 3rd in the AL and their 733 runs scored was 6th.

4. Seattle 74-88
Oh boy. Jack Z did some work this offseason. With a solid core of King Felix, Hisashi Iwakuma, and Justin Smoak, the Mariners overloaded their artillery with offense by signing Robinson Cano, Corey Hart, and Logan Morrison.

By adding closer Fernando Rodney, last year’s shaky closer Tom Wilhemsen will be off the hook, though I don’t think Seattle fans know exactly Rodney’s style (walk two people, throw a wild pitch then strike out the side). Young catcher Mike Zunino will be the everyday catcher so maybe his .214 average will sneak above .250. Hard to believe last year at .214 he was Seattle’s best offensive catcher. Kendrys Morales is not coming back and Justin Smoak will most likely once again barely hit .230. Signing Hart and Cano is great, but the guys around them are not there yet. They are either too young or just have too many bugs in their swing to be successful. I also don’t think Cano will have as many home runs at Safeco, but he will have more doubles. Last year he hit .313/.383/.516 with 27 home runs and 107 RBIs. In a pitcher’s park like Safeco, I’m guessing he’ll have a .298/.365/.478 with 24 home runs and 99 RBIs, as well as a vicious chorus of boos when he goes back to the Bronx. Also, let me say I think the Mariners settled big time with hiring Lloyd McClendon. In 4.5 years managing the Pirates, he was 110 games below .500. He is not a good manager and I think they were just impatient in signing someone to man the helm. All in all, a few big names will not bring a championship. I think they’ll bring a winning season (eventually) but aside from their bright stars, the future is kind of dim.

5. Houston 57-105
The Astros will probably be in the basement for a few more years. Their farm system is wicked, with Mark Appel, Carlos Correa, and Jonathan Singleton, but these guys can’t even drink a beer yet (well Correa can’t), so they probably won’t be playing professionally any time soon. As far as this year goes, Bo Porter will do what he can with what he’s given. He’s not a bad manager, he just has players that can’t compete. Jason Castro, Jose Altuve, and acquisition Dexter Fowler are bright spots, but when your best pitcher is 4-12 with a 4.59 ERA, good things won’t happen. Seeing how Fowler will adapt to the hill in center will be interesting. He’s played there a few times before, when the Astros were in NL, but other than that, I’m sure he’s rarely been to the Juice Box (Minute Maid Park).

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JetBlue pilot who had mid-air meltdown suing airline

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AMARILLO, TX -  Remember that JetBlue pilot who, while flying a plane full of passengers from New York to Vegas in 2012, had a bit of a breakdown?

Pilot Clayton Osbon busted out of his cockpit and screaming about Al Qaeda and Jesus. His meltdown went on until he was physically restrained, and the plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Amarillo, Texas.

Ten passengers from that flight ended up suing JetBlue a few months later saying the airline should've known the pilot was going to snap.

Osbon wasn't charged with any crime after the incident because a judge said he was insane. Now, Osbon is suing the airline for nearly $15-million, saying JetBlue should've kept him from flying after he showed signs of mental illness.

It sounds crazy, but the fate of Osbon's lawsuit could shed some light on an airline's responsibility to know and report the mental-status of their employees.

It's a legal hot button, considering the co-pilot responsible for crashing the Germanwings flight into the side of a mountain earlier this month was also said to be mentally ill.

It'll be interesting to see if the court lets this suit fly or if it's grounded straight out of the gate.

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Youth Officer
Office of the
Youth Officer

You and your children are welcome!

If you currently have a questions or concerns not answered on this page, please contact the recent Youth Officer, Bantiarna Ceara,

The Barony of Cynnabar is currently looking for a Youth Officer.

If you are interested in this position,
Please contact the seneschal, Master Derian le Breton .

If you have office specific office related questions,
our previous Youth Office is more than happy to assist you.

Bantiarna Ceara,

Duties and Responsibilities of a Youth Officer

  • Keep the Barony up to date on law and policy changes that happen within the Kingdom and Society.
  • Upkeep the current Baronial Youth Officer webpage
  • Provide young members with educational opportunites and engage them in SCA activities suitable for their ages.
    • While you can be, you do not have to be the Coordinator that works with youth and runs youth activities at events/practices/meetings (It is up to you where and when youth activities occure by contacting the proper people holding the event/practice/meeting)
    • Youth point can be ran several ways as long as a few simple rules are covered.
      • A background checked person acts as the Youth Coordinator of the specific event.
      • There must be TWO unrelated adults there at all times.
    • Examples of what you can do to manage activties at events:
      • Be the Youth Coordinator and run all activities that happen in at youth point.
      • Be the Youth Coordinator and have two adults signed up at specific times to over see youth at Youth point
      • Be the Youth Coordinator and ask people to teach specific topics and bring a second adult with them. (This format is ran in the way arts and science classes would be held for adults.)
      • Have someone else with a background check run all activities that happen in at youth point.
      • Have someone else with a background check have two adults signed up at specific times to over see youth at Youth point
      • Have someone else with a background check ask people to teach specific topics and bring a second adult with them. (This format is ran in the way arts and science classes would be held for adults.)
  • Enlist the aid of other group officers, members, and others to support planned activties.

Information for newcomers

Children in the SCA: An Introduction for Newcomers - Honor and Victory blog by Genoveva

Activity Resources

BaronyKids - Step-by-step activities, page maintained by Cynnabar MoY

Historical Toys and Games

Garb your family!

Facebook Children's Clothing Exchange Group

Elizabethan Smock Generator - Put in the measurements, add some trim and you have simple and pretty garb for your little people!

Viking Tunics

Pennsic for kids!

It Takes A Child to Raze a Village - Held in Howell, MI

Who is considered a youth in the SCA (USA)?

Any Minor under the age of 18 is considered a youth.

What is there for youth to do in the SCA?

There is a lot for our kids to do in the SCA. They can do the same things that adults find enjoyable, with very few exceptions. My goal is to find ways to adapt activities to include our youth in historically accurate, engaging, and youth-safe ways. I've often found a number of adults joining in on youth activities as well!

My goal is to teach, help and encourage our SCA youth to try new things and discover what they love. I do that by offering opportunities to show our kids how to do something that is historically accurate or use a modern day technique to teach kids about things they need to know being part of the SCA (A water balloon fight used to teach the meaning of "lay on" and "hold".) There are many youth in our Barony that also love to teach their peers new skills they have learned as well. Either way, our kids get involved and have a great time!

When are forms needed for children attending an event?

Waivers are required at events. Events are any function announced in either a branch, kingdom, or principality newsletter or other communications made on official social media sites, e-lists or e-newsletters. In this case it includes any place where combat related activities will occur and a youth is actively participating in those activities. Specifically excluded from the definition of an event are business meetings, demos, guild meetings, dance practices, or planning sessions, as long as no combat related activities are involved. If you have any questions, please let me know.

What forms are needed for a child to attend an event?

If fighting the minor will also need:

*All waivers are only good for the event itself. They do not carry on. The Medical Authorization form may be filled out for specific dates when filled out properly.

  • No minor may attend an event if under the age of 18 without a parent/legal guardian/Adult with a (notarized OR witness having seen the signing of) medical authorization form from minor’s parents.
  • A parent is responsible for the supervision, care and well-being of their children at all times. As well as their behavior. They must check on their child periodically to ensure their safety and suitable behavior. They are responsible to disciplining the them. At no time are they to leave the sight without their children.
  • There is no Day Care at events or during activities (This is Society Law). Though parents may have their own baby sitters for their children.
  • No Adult/older teen can be left alone with a child during youth activities.
  • Minors under the age of fourteen are not suitable for child minders/baby sitters.
  • Minors must be signed out by a parent/legal guardian no later than fifteen minutes after the posted close of the activity.
  • Coordinators may, at their discretion, refuse to admit a child into children’s activities or require their parent’s presence if they have any concerns about the ability of a child to play appropriately or behave themselves.
  • "All official or 'published' SCA Youth Activities must have one background checked adult member who acts as the official 'coordinator' for the SCA Youth Activity. For example if there are 10 youth A&S classes each in their own separate classroom, each classroom needs to follow the '2 Deep Rule' but there only needs to be one overall youth 'coordinator' responsible for the all activity in all classrooms." Seneschal’s Handbook April 2014 Edition, Revision 1.5
  • Two adults, unrelated by blood, marriage or personal relationship must be present for up to ten children.
  • Bathroom runs must be with two adults to one child, one adult and two children, or everyone goes. If a child goes to the bathroom on their own, they must sign themselves out and back in. No four of five year old may go by themselves.

More information can be found at the Midrealm Youth Page.


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New York Knicks’ Rumors: Putting an End to the Rajon Rondo Speculation

The rumor mill is spinning again! Jackie MacMullan is reporting that Boston Celtics’ point guard, Rajon Rondo, has indeed asked for a trade. The comment came on ESPN’s Around the Horn earlier this week.

According to MacMullan, Rondo has told Celtic management that he does not intend to re-sign with the team in the offseason, nor will he sign with the Sacramento Kings, therefore he would like to be traded elsewhere. The video was originally brought to everyone’s attention by Jay King of, but the YouTube video has since been taken down. Coincidence?

Of course the New York Knicks are mentioned as possible trade partners. When has there ever been a trade of a superstar that the Knicks were speculated to be in on? The different this time is that they actually shouldn’t (and realistically aren’t)be interested in the Celtics’ point guard.

How could the Knicks not be interested in the four time all star point guard, especially when they easily had the worst point guard ever last year?! Two things: the Knicks already addressed that issue when they acquired Jose Calderon, and Rajon Rondo is one of the worst shooting point guards this league has seen in a while.

Obviously, Rondo is an extremely talented basketball player and would be an upgrade over Calderon strictly based on talent. However, it’s all about putting a TEAM together. The Knicks have already tried the method of accumulating as much talent as possible, no matter the position, and hoping they just “out talent” everyone else. Clearly that doesn’t work. That’s why Phil Jackson was brought in to assemble a roster that fits a system.

Calderon does exactly this. He is a lights out shooter, can beat his man off the dribble, never turns the ball over, and has fantastic floor vision. While Rondo satisfies two out of the four criteria, the two he lacks are major issues in the triangle offense.

Rondo is a miserable jump shooter and always has been since he came into the league. Last year he shot 40% from the field and a career high 28% from downtown. Those are some pretty awful shooting numbers. Rondo also rarely takes or makes (27% for his career) corner threes which further hurts his value as a point guard in the triangle offense. By struggling to make open jump shots, opponents will sag off Rondo and prevent the ball from getting into the post.

It doesn’t really matter that Rondo fills up the stat sheet; he simply fails to fit the Knicks’ offensive scheme. If you need a reference as to why the point guard needs to be able to shoot, check out this article where I break down the triangle offense.

Another area where Calderon is actually much better than Rondo is taking care of the ball. Calderon had the 4th lowest turnover rate in the NBA last season at 1.3 turnovers per game. Rondo on the other hand has not taken care of the ball as well, averaging 3.3 turnovers per game last year, which shockingly was an improvement from the previous two years where he averaged 3.75 turnover per game.

The other obstacle in this whole situation is how in the world do the Knicks actually acquire him? The only young assets they have are Tim Hardaway Jr., Iman Shumpert, Cleanthony Early, and Shane Larkin. While some of those players are enticing, that is certainly not the best package out there for Rondo. Also, factor in that the Knicks don’t want to trade Hardaway Jr. or future first round picks (let’s not go there right now), so this deal becomes virtually impossible.

At the end of the day, the rumors may be out there that Rajon Rondo wants out of Boston, but don’t expect the Knicks to get involved. If this was still James Dolan calling all the shots, yeah, maybe Rondo ends up in New York. But Phil Jackson knows better and will not veer off course just to satisfy Dolan. Jose Calderon is the Knicks’ point guard for the foreseeable future, especially with three years at roughly $8 million a year remaining on his contract.

Sorry to disappoint you Knick fans, but Rajon Rondo will not (and should not) be wearing orange and blue anytime soon.

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Index shared the terrifying news that the singer was almost attacked onstage by a maniac. Anna Pásztor, the singer of the very popular Hungarian band, Anna & the Barbies opened up about the scary story in a live Facebook stream on Saturday evening.

The police took the attacker into custody on Friday night during the concert. He attended the show in the busy Budapest Park with a knife hidden in his shoes with the intent to attack the singer of Anna & the Barbies.

Before the attack

As Anna Pásztor explained in her Facebook video, the man had been bothering her for a long time now. First, he kept sending love messages to her private Facebook page. “He has been writing to me for about a year now, saying how much he is in love with me and how he will fulfil that love.”

The upset singer asked the man to leave her alone in vain, he would not stop.

“My partner pleaded with him as well. I told him that I am a mother of two, and I am not interested in any relationships, do not want to start anything.” However, the maniac could not restrain himself. When Anna blocked him, he simply created new profiles and kept besieging her with his messages. The singer got 196 pages worth of letters from five accounts altogether.

After a point the man was threating her with killing the members of her family and band one by one.

Anna Pásztor on stage. Photo:

Smuggling the knife in

The man attended the concert with a knife and was captured by the Budapest Park security service based on his image. They managed to find him among about five thousand guests and handed him over to the police.

Index interviewed the managing director of the venue, Budapest Park. Dániel Kólya told them that the maniac was apprehended in the first half of the concert by their security team. “The band notified us in advance regarding the attacker, and they sent us a photo. We distributed this photo to everyone in our security staff, and all our on-duty members were looking for him. We also informed the IX. District Police Station before the concert so they were patrolling in the neighbourhood.”

According to Kólya the man, who had a valid ticket, was taken into a 72-hour-long custody by the police around 10 p.m and put up no resistance.

Until then he was watched over by the Park security. “He smuggled in the small knife in his shoes, and unfortunately we are not authorised to check clothes or to search our guests, but all possible security checks are regular in the Park”, the managing director ensured all.

Despite the circumstances, Anna declared the concert to be one of the best gigs this year.

“Nobody gets to threaten my band and my family” she said at the end of her video.

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Matošević – Istria, Coastal Region

The Matošević Wine Cellars are located in the Northern-most reaches of the Mediterranean in Krunčići, Istria. Wine making in this region is steeped in tradition and forms an integral part of everyday life. With strong attachments to the old wine world, their mission is to produce wines that reflect this unique territory’s soil, sunshine and sea.
Compared to Dalmatia, Istria is significantly cooler

This is due to the Adriatic Sea’s lower water temperatures, along with the higher altitudes of the Istrian hinterland.
The coastal region of western Istria is characterised by a mild, Mediterranean climate and gentle slopes that face the sea’s prevailing onshore breeze

Central Istria is dominated by a continental climate with valleys shrouded in mist, accounting for far cooler nights than the rest of the region


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Countdown: McCain Makes False Assertion + Back on the Bus? + Pardons/Prosecutions

Dandelion Salad

July 22, 2008

McCain Makes False Assertion on CBS News

Keith reports on John McCain making getting the time line wrong on the Sunni Awakening and the surge on CBS news during his interview with Katie Couric.

Eugene Robinson Interview

Keith talks to Eugene Robinson about McCain’s gaffe on the Sunni Awakening and his accusations on the campaign trail that Obama wants to lose the war in Iraq, which I’ll add is not a war. It’s an occupation.

Phil Gramm Back on the Bus?

Keith reports on Steve Forbes saying that Phil Gramm would still be giving economic advice to the McCain campaign. Chris Kofinis weighs in.

Tonight’s: Appeasement-Gate, Support The Troops-Gate and Cuban Missle Crisis-Gate.

Jonathan Turle on Pardons/Prosecutions

Keith talks to Jonathan Turley about Bush might pre-emptively pardon anyone who committed crimes in his administration and an Obama legal advisor Cass Sunstein who has said that only the most egrecious crimes would or should be prosecuted.

Worst Person

And the winner is….Bill O’Reilly. Runners up Bret Beher and Bill O’Reilly has a two-fer tonight.

Richard Lewis Interview

Kucinich: Thanks to you, impeachment will be heard Friday

Cass Sunstein Debates Glenn Greenwald on FISA Vote

Obama, The Democratic ‘War President’ by Eric Margolis

Countdown: Iraqi Gov. Agrees With Obama + Bushed

Dandelion Salad

Updated: added more vids from last night’s show

Iraqi Gov. Agrees With Obama

Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow discuss the recent statements by the Iraqi Government Officials, agreeing to the timetable as offered by Barack Obama, and not Bush or McCain.

Lame Duck-Gate, Small Government-Gate, and Justice Delayed-Gate are the topics tonight.

Obama on using Bush I, James Baker and Colon Powell

In a July 15, 2008 appearance on Larry King Live, Barack Obama stated he would utilize the assistance of George Herbert Walker Bush, James Baker and Colon Powell as a foreign policy brain trust in his administration.

posted on July 22, 2008

New McCain Attack Ad On Gas Prices

Rachel reports on the new John McCain attack ad trying to blame Barack Obama for high gas prices. Chris Kofinis weighs in.

Spinning Out Of Control

Keith reports on the spin coming out of the McCain campaign on the Iraqis agreeing with Obama’s time line for withdrawal and the gaffe made by McCain on Good Morning America which the media has mainly ignored. Chris Hayes from The Nation weighs in.

Iraqis Want the US To Leave

Keith reports on the Iraqis wishes that the US leaves Iraq by 2010 which agrees with Barack Obama’s proposed time table despite the Bush administrations attempts to spin the story to the contrary. Howard Fineman weighs in.

Matt Gonzalez – Natl Latino Congresso

First All-Women-of-Color Presidential Ticket in US History

The Pentagonization of US life + Obama and the national security system + Cold War mentality

Reality Check – The Democrats Are The Real Problem By Mike Whitney

U.S. Perpetuates Mass Killings In Iraq by Prof. Peter Phillips

Dandelion Salad

by Prof. Peter Phillips
Global Research, July 22, 2008

The United States is directly responsible for over one million Iraqi deaths since the invasion five and half years ago.

In a January 2008 report, a British polling group Opinion Research Business (ORB) reports that, “survey work confirms our earlier estimate that over 1,000,000 Iraqi citizens have died as a result of the conflict which started in 2003…. We now estimate that the death toll between March 2003 and August 2007 is likely to have been of the order of 1,033,000. If one takes into account the margin of error associated with survey data of this nature then the estimated range is between 946,000 and 1,120,000”.

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Mosaic News – 07/21/08: World News From The Middle East

Dandelion Salad

This video may contain images depicting the reality and horror of war/violence and should only be viewed by a mature audience.

For more:
“Seize chance of peace, Brown urges Israel,” Al Jazeera English, Qatar
“Brown Threatens Iran with Furthur Sanctions,” Al Arabiya TV, UAE
“Israeli Soldier Caught on Tape,” Dubai TV, UAE
“Witness in Olmert corruption probe questioned,” IBA TV, Israel
“Arab League Criticizes ICC,” Abu Dhabi TV, UAE
“Conference on Dialogue?” New TV, Lebanon
“The History of Syrian-Lebanese Relations,” Al Jazeera TV, Qatar
“Security Forces Lack Proper Equipment in Mosul,” Alsumaria TV, Iraq
“Al Aqsa TV Targeted by Congress,” Al Aqsa, Gaza
Produced for Link TV by Jamal Dajani.

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Mosaic News – 07/18/08: World News From The Middle East

Dandelion Salad

This video may contain images depicting the reality and horror of war/violence and should only be viewed by a mature audience.

For more:
“Yemen says fighting over but rebels seize village,” Al Jazeera TV, Qatar
“China Expresses Rejectsr the Indictment of President of Sudan,” Al Jazeera TV, Qatar
“UN Pursues Rebel Leaders in Darfur,” Dubai TV, UAE
“Did Sarkozy Succeed in the Mediterranean Summit?” Al Arabiya TV, UAE
“Iraqis Suffer from Polluted Water,” Al Sharqiya TV, Iraq
“First US-Iran Talks For 30 Years,” Press TV, Iran
“Iraq crackdown focuses on arms smuggling from Iran,” Al Arabiya TV, UAE
“Did Hezbollah Win?” Link TV, USA
Produced for Link TV by Jamal Dajani.

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Everybody Knows! By Jim Kirwan

Dandelion Salad

By Jim Kirwan
07/22/08 “ICH”

“CHANGE” sounded like a really catchy thought two years ago, before we began this non-stop farce of political selections, amid the mountains of propaganda that rise from the open wastelands of the never-ending lies.

‘Everybody knows’ that all government’s lie; the bigger the government, the bigger the lies. Most people also lie, but only politicians and criminals seek to make a career out of lying. Yet most Americans still believe that they live in a free country with laws that govern this society and protect the citizens from any and all attacks: because to fail to believe in this; is to be “Un- American” in some way.

The truth is that we have been using Doublespeak & Newspeak for so long now that many actually believe that “lies are truth” and that “freedom is slavery.” The facts are that we have been living on the edge of CHANGE almost exclusively, or at least since Lyndon Baines Johnson declared “The Great Society.”

The real history is far too long and dusty for most to care about. So let’s begin with the beginning of the end of our own time, which seriously began during Harry S. Truman’s stint in the Oval Office. HST brought us the Atom Bomb and the end of the Second World War in the Pacific. He also created the CIA and the National Intelligence Agency; the same NIA that took over the day-to-day running of the federal government from the congress. Truman also pushed the idea of “Israel,” as a “new state” to be decided upon by the U.N. “Harry” was however known to the public for his famous desk plate which read “The Buck Stops Here,” and for firing General Douglas MacArthur.

HST was followed by Eisenhower who presided over the formation of the military-industrial (and congressional) complex, while he slept his way through his presidency, between golf games. He was remembered for the single line of warning he left for the world upon his departure from office: warning us all about the creation that was actually formed on his watch. It was during these years that the revolving doors of government service began to lead directly to multi-million dollar profits for the connected who had figured out how to vote themselves money at the public’s expense. This was the era of the Gray Flannel Suit and all things ‘Corporate’ were great and good.’ America was in love with consumerism and two-car garages, in the Burbs: however the price for all this company loyalty was the beginning of the end of anything beyond the all-consuming passionate pursuit of money!

It was the 50’s and the ‘Beats’ were heard from in small towns and cities across the land As Allen Ginsberg’s HOWL made its paperback way into the heartland; the revolt of the young against this mindless pre-occupation was finally on ~

“I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness,

starving hysterical naked,

dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for

an angry fix,

angelheaded hipsters, burning for the ancient heavenly connection

to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night,”

~ And the youth of the late 1950’s began to vote with their feet against the sell-out by their parents and the sterile corporate lives that too many had begun to hate. The ‘Beats’ were educated but not tempted by the kind of ‘security’ offered by the soulless corporate world. Thought mattered to these people, as did excesses of all kinds, which killed so many in the end.

With the end of the Beats, came the beginnings of the Vietnam War and a whole new generation called the Hippies. Drop-outs druggies, flower-children free-love advocates and a whole range of wanderers, drifters and general non-conformists, most of whom simply hated any limitations on their ‘care-free’ lives. But with the war, the ‘purity’ of the pre-pubescent children in the streets of San Francisco and elsewhere begin to lose its promise, in the direct degree, to which the drug culture began to reclaim the ancient ways of capital, and all the “isms” that naturally flow from that.

During this same period the old-world-order was re-inventing itself once more and beginning to test the limits of its new found status, beneath the ominous shield of the Cold War. ‘Communism’ was the boogie man of the hour, especially since it was internationally linked with the labor movement which threatened the elite with loss of control over the economic-slavery-class-which is where their corporate wealth came from. So discrediting communism became synonymous with stopping the international growth of trade unions, at any price!

They used the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings, to drive home their points, by instilling terror and fear into people in the government and the motion picture industry. Senator Joe McCarthy led this charade and was assisted by staff attorney’s Richard Nixon and Robert Kennedy; with Ronald Reagan serving as the scapegoat, who was then the head of the Screen Actors Guild. The Blacklist was created by this committee and valuable lives were destroyed, in this opening bid to marginalize “political thought” for the nation-despite constitutional provisions against exactly that!

At the same time the fledgling Corporatocracy was beginning to get its collective act together, while they used Corporate Welfare, the IMF and the World Bank to subjugate dozens of struggling nations around the planet-supposedly in the “national security interests” of the United States. However in reality this was just bare- knuckled bloody-capitalism, and it worked!

In 1970 Nixon replaced Johnson until he was forced out without facing impeachment proceedings that should have been held, but because too many key congressional players would have also been charged, Nixon was allowed to resign. He was followed by Ford who pardoned him (as was pre-agreed by all involved) and that gave us Carter & the Iran hostages that led directly to Reagan.

But back when JFK was in the White House, America was not afraid of itself or of much of anything else. Then it was November 22, 1963 and JFK had been in the middle of denying nuclear weapons to Israel only weeks before, when he was assassinated in Dallas and now the American-world turned black. Jack was replaced by a blood enemy of his, Lyndon Baines Johnston of Texas, and America had its second treasonous ‘leader’ since Harry Truman.

With Kennedy’s death the Vietnam War belonged to LBJ who then brought us the Great Society, The War on Poverty, and the Age of Contradictions. “The Great Society” was the first blow against a living wage for the middle class; just as “The War on Poverty” was created not to solve poverty, but to expand that condition to the middle class by initiating the first of many redistribution of wealth schemes. These masqueraded as “WARS” to improve the lot of Americans and their hard won earnings. But the “New Age” LBJ ushered in was marked by the introduction of Doublespeak for government officialdom as well as for everyone else who wanted to be seen as “players” in the New (NOT Great) Society. (1)

LBJ was duplicitous and the second of several would-be dictators of America. His social engineering packages began the cultural destruction of the nation and the set-up the socialist-corporate- models for the unfettered greed of the ever-expanding corporate states within this country: Socialism for the Corporations; and Fascism for the poor and middle classes-but at this stage velvet gloves still covered the iron fists of state-fascism.

Along the way a gruesome and unbelievable thing took place during the ‘Six-Day-War’ in 1967. That is when Israel tried to sink the USS Liberty, an unarmed American spy ship off the coast of Israel. During the attack the ship managed to get out a call for assistance and US Navy fighters were scrambled to come to her aid. But at the last minute the fighters were ordered to turn back by the Pentagon. Not satisfied with this order the US squadron commander ordered the jets to return to help the Liberty, at which point LBJ told that commander to stand down and ‘I want that ship on the bottom of the Mediterranean!’ The ‘investigation of this “incident” was a charade that has no equal in US military history, and it was successfully covered up by the Pentagon and the US media until very recently-to the disgrace of everyone involved. (2)

This cover-up left bloody footprints, because until very recently few could fathom why any American president would ever dare to order such a thing to happen. Who could be that powerful to order LBJ to call for that outcome; only one country comes to mind and that is Israel. Who stood to gain the most from JFK’s death, if not LBJ: Who had the motive and means to carry out the assassination of a sitting US president? I cannot prove that this is true, but it would certainly explain a great deal about why the US never challenges anything that Israel wants done in the world- regardless of the cost. At the very least this ought to be officially investigated-and that’ll happen on the 32nd day of next month-no doubt!

Simultaneously, back in the late 1970’s the extreme left with its Political Correctness was also busy tearing this nation to pieces, and creating barriers everywhere for their own twisted ‘new- realities.’ The War upon Americans was an equal-opportunity attack, in which CHANGE was the one true weapon that was used to destroy and desecrate everything of critical value to the lives of most of us. It was from the Left that we got Political Correctness and Zero Tolerance along with every kind of barrier between all the different races, religions and even genders.(3)

All of the above was “CHANGE” yet nobody apparently knew that. Because it received no in-depth coverage, and soon the radical nature of its real purposes joined the political sideshow of the investigations into the death of Kennedy-that ended in the official pack of lies issued by the Warren Commission.

Many potential leaders were also murdered most prominently among these were RFK, and Martin Luther King along with others like Malcolm X, and more recently Senator Wellstone and John F. Kennedy Jr. Isn’t it strange that only those opposed to the Owners seem to meet with violent ends-while the dinosaurs in power just keep on living like animated cadavers.

Vietnam was the first of the ‘new wars’ for corporate greed and global power, in the middle of the Cold War with the USSR. But that war was televised and covered to a degree that let the public know enough to demand an end to it. Afterwards, the Corporatocracy bought up the media in order to prevent this situation from ever- again interfering with the plans for the NWO, or any of its global plans for world dominance over all jobs, while at the same time removing all controls over price-fixing, Anti-trust laws, excess- profits taxes, and virtually everything else that had once kept our criminally-minded would-be-owners at bay.

With the 1980’s came “Morning in America” and the Regan Revolution which began to decimate the remaining key components in everyday life. “Greed is Good” was their motto. When Ronnie crushed the Air Traffic Controller’s Union and essentially fired all 11,000 members-that marked the official end of any thoughts about the viability of unions in the USA. Simultaneously Regan’s Vice- President, George H.W. Bush, fresh from a stint as head of the CIA, negotiated the release of the American hostages held for 444 days in Iran (this was done before the election so that when Ronnie won, the first thing that would happen is that all the hostages would be released). He did this by agreeing to secretly and illegally sell weapons to Iran (the Arms for Hostages Scandal) and Poppy was granted total immunity from any disclosure in the first official act of his son, the 43rd president, George W. Bush.

The Reagan administration went on to create the Death Squads that were used in Central and South America in the 1980’s and early 1990’s. This involved drug running and weapons smuggling by the CIA and the DEA, in an effort to maintain control over drugs and guns in the Western Hemisphere. With this failure of the War on Drugs, government itself became the dealer. The adventures of Oliver North were part of this charade and America quietly became a rogue-state, no different than the so-called ‘Banana Republics’ where we were supposedly still fighting communism!

By 1995 Newt Gingrich declared his ‘Contract on America’ that featured shutting down the government as the way of coercing congress to “play ball” or face certain failure in any political future: This very public political murder killed politics and ended the pretence of a two-party system that we once had. While there had always been degrees of corruption in the past, with the arrival of the Reagan Era the three braches of government became officially just two; and with the death of congress we lost our “public representation.” This was followed on December 12, 2000 (with the interference in the Florida vote) when the Supreme Court too lost its independence and left the nation with only one branch of government-the now criminally-treasonous ‘executive’ and his powers as ‘the Decider.’

The presidency has been a dictatorship since even before George W. Bush took his stolen oath of office! And now eight years on we still behave as if the two year long campaign for the presidency has meaning to the public. The game is fixed, the choice was rigged by the owners-and after two stolen elections the public apparently still believes that voting matters and that the people they pay to represent them will actually listen to them. Can the public still believe that congress will go against their own private interests just to honor their oath to the Constitution: That same founding document which these same people have been destroying, both secretly and publically for the last eight years! The selections do matter, but not to ordinary people because this is no longer “our” government.

By the time Clinton began we were already finished, but there were still some loose ends that needed to be cleaned up. Clinton’s job was to privatize all that was left of what the public had once owned and controlled. The FCC was tasked with destroying all competing interests in media: newspapers, television, radio and print: and they’ve been very thorough! One of Clinton’s star accomplishments was the Telecommunications Act, and all of its subsequent expansions. He and Hillary also oversaw the gutting of much of the social legislation that remained from Roosevelt’s days and the congress joined with the White House in removing the fire-walls that would have prevented the current crisis in banking and commerce, which allowed the financial outrages that have led us to the brink of collapse today. But Slick-Willy also brought us the big-time fast-tracking of GATT and NAFTA and paved the way for similar trade associations throughout this Hemisphere as well. Clinton also secretly oversaw the beginnings of the North American Union, (NAU), and the creation of a number of the components so necessary to the chessboard for the acting out of what came after 911. (4)

Then came “the Decider” to wrap it all up into a very public and very ugly Empire! This too has been composed of nothing but change: CHANGE that now threatens the entire world, with massive slaughter and destruction for the private profits of the few that will end the planet as we knew it, and hasten the collapse of all authority that doesn’t come from the barrel of a gun!

Why do we pay taxes, or the salaries of these imposters that occupy those offices in the state houses or in Washington D.C.? The servants have taken over the mansion and we have refused to do anything about it. Consequently our silence is taken for compliance and the abuse gets worse with every passing day! In fact it has been all these CHANGES that have brought all this about-yet-the newbie’s in this presidential year haven’t got a clue!

Our foreign policies are courting oblivion, and yet the ‘players’ are the same ones that got us into this nightmare with our eyes wide shut against all constructive doubt or even any questions. Have you noticed that no one is ever fired for their failures on the job! This has to do with why the Decider began his political tyranny with; “You’re either with us or against us,” the true mind-set of any professional criminal. There is no longer any loyalty to the Constitution or the moral imperative, there is only loyalty to the Corporations and to the power-structure that controls them all. The US is no longer a nation of laws-we are a Barbarian rogue-state-that answers to no law except the law of the corporate jungle!

That’s a bit of what happened to us, but what our silence and inattention has created goes far beyond destroying just our nation- we have threatened the world with semi-extinction. We have created crimes against humanity and supported a state that makes Nazi Germany look like an amateur. Millions of people have died and millions more have been crippled, tortured, deported or emotionally destroyed, not to mention the millions that our actions have permanently displaced: all because our owners want it all! This appears to be a CHANGE from what we once said we stood for, but since everything is secret how can these be measured!

If we really sought to CHANGE things we could make a carburetor that gets between 60 and 100 miles to the gallon and we could commit to changing everything about the way we look at our union with the natural world and the environment. There is at least three times as much of an economy to be made from resource uses and infrastructure repair than from oil and gas, but that will not happen so long as this private-stranglehold remains upon the world for the rights to all the oil and all the water.

We could put every man woman and child to work revitalizing our infrastructure (instead of selling off our roads and natural resources wholesale to other nations): and if we were really serious we could bring back jobs and punish those who fled this country for no regulations and unlimited profits. But all of this takes work and a real commitment to living under the rule of law- and that is much harder to resurrect than any commercial challenge could ever be!

On the plus side, the one thing that the Owners are not counting on is that thanks to the volume and variety of all the lies that have undercut our national foundations-the public is rapidly approaching saturation with this farce on every front. There is the whisper of a thought-form growing with every new lie poured over all the old ones. No longer can the public simply accept the word of any government agency or uniformed person; in fact because these people now work for a fascist police state: they should be challenged at each and every turn about every single thing, no matter how small. It the government or any of its minions say anything-if they’re lips are moving then it must be assumed that they are lying! No sane person can come to any other conclusion! (5)

1) The State of the Nation 1966

2) The Israeli Attack on the USS Liberty – video

3) Endgame  Revisited

4) Local Agenda 21 – The U.N. Plan for your community

5) Israeli involvement in shadow-government operations internationally – video from Montreal

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Cass Sunstein Debates Glenn Greenwald on FISA Vote

Dandelion Salad

Democracy Now!

July 22, 2008

Obama Adviser Cass Sunstein Debates Glenn Greenwald on FISA Vote, Executive Power and Prosecuting White House Officials for War Crimes

We host a discussion with Cass Sunstein, an informal advisor to Barack Obama and an outgoing University of Chicago Law School professor who has been described as “the nation’s most-cited legal scholar,” and Glenn Greenwald, a former constitutional law attorney and political and legal blogger for The two debate issues ranging from the FISA bill to Obama’s refusal to support calls for the prosecution of President Bush and top White House officials for war crimes and other abuses of power.

Real Video Stream

Real Audio Stream

MP3 Download

Police State USA: Spying as Law of the Land

Democrats lose on FISA

1984 Knocking On Your Door – FISA – Telecom Immunity Bill

Senate Approves HR6304: 4th Amendment Abolished

“Keeping America Safe”- from the Constitution

Domestic Spying

Police State

O-Bummer by Bruce Gagnon

The Pentagonization of US life + Obama and the national security system + Cold War mentality

Reality Check – The Democrats Are The Real Problem By Mike Whitney

Obama, The Democratic ‘War President’ by Eric Margolis

Dandelion Salad

by Eric Margolis
July 20, 2008

CALGARY – Barack Obama wants to withdraw US troops from Iraq and send them to Afghanistan, which he calls the real front on the `war on terror.’ He also has repeated threats to attack Pakistan `if necessary.’

One understands Obama’s need to sound macho. Rival John McCain has been beating his chest, proclaiming, `I know how to win wars.’ Polls show Americans trust McCain three to one over Obama as a war leader. Unfortunately, recent US presidents seem to require small military conflicts to prove their political virility.

But Obama has long called the US-led occupation of Afghanistan a `good war,’ a view most Americans and Canadians share. They see Afghanistan – and now Pakistan – as hotbeds of al-Qaida and Taliban terrorists that must be eradicated.

It is distressing to see Obama succumb to the blitz of war propaganda over Afghanistan and adopt George Bush’s faux terminology of terrorism. Before Obama urges widening America’s war there, he should consider:

*Al-Qaida never numbered more than 300 men. There are hardly any left in Afghanistan. Survivors scattered into Pakistan. Finding them is police and intelligence work, not a job for thousands more western troops

*US policy towards Afghanistan is driven by energy geopolitics. Pacification of rebellious Pashtun tribesmen is necessary in order to build energy pipelines south from the Caspian Basin. That is the primary strategic mission of US and Canadian troops.

*Taliban fighters are not `terrorists.’ Taliban was founded as a fundamentalist Muslim religious movement of Pashtun tribesmen to fight banditry, rape, drugs, and Afghan Communists. Taliban received millions in US aid until fourth months before 9/11. It had no part in 9/11 and knew nothing about them. The US overthrow of Taliban resulted in the Communists resuming control over half of Afghanistan. Under US occupation, Afghanistan has become a narco-state that supplies over 90% of the world’s heroin.

*Pashtun tribes comprise half of Afghanistan’s population, and 15% of neighboring Pakistan’s people. The western powers are involved in an old-fashioned, colonial-style pacification campaign against the Pashtun Taliban. Imperial Britain, the Soviets, and now the US and its allies all employed the same classical colonial strategy: using puppet rulers, local mercenary troops, and lavish bribes to enforce their will. Afghans who resist get bombed.

*Before urging expansion of the Afghan war, Obama should total up the bill for America’s military misadventures. As of last January, according to the Pentagon and data revealed under the Freedom of Information Act, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars cost 72,043 American battlefield casualties. Veteran’s Administration hospitals have treated 263,909 veterans from these wars and registered over 245,000 disability claims.

No one knows how many Iraqis and Afghans have been killed. The number could be over one million. Just last week over 50 Afghans in a wedding party were killed by a US air strike. But without the constant use of massive air power, including B-1 bombers, the US could not maintain its occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan.

*According to a Democratic Congressional committee report, the two wars will cost $1.6 trillion by the end of 2008, or $16,500 per US family of four – not counting the cost of borrowing money to pay for the wars.

Obama and McCain believe Afghan resistance can be crushed by more brute force. They are wrong. More western troops and more bombed villages will mean fiercer Afghan resistance.

The war is now seeping into Pakistan, a nation of 165 million. Obama’s threats to attack Pakistan and go after its nuclear arsenal are reckless and extremely dangerous. He appears headed over the same cliff as those would-be `war presidents, Bush and McCain. As the head of NATO recently admitted, political settlement, not bombs, is the only way to end the unnecessary Afghan war.

Is Obama beginning to fall under the influence of the same military-petroleum complex that guided Bush’s imperial-minded presidency? Could Pakistan become a disaster for the Democrats as Iraq was for Republicans?

Copyright © 2008 Eric Margolis

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

O-Bummer by Bruce Gagnon

The Pentagonization of US life + Obama and the national security system + Cold War mentality

Reality Check – The Democrats Are The Real Problem By Mike Whitney

TSA to Use Full-Body Imaging This Fall at Chicago O’Hare + Miami

Dandelion Salad

Updated: Here’s another one from Miami:

Miami is one of 21 airports nationwide receiving the new technology.

The whole body imaging machines are already in use in Los Angeles, New York’s JFK, Baltimore-Washington, Denver, Albuquerque, Ronald Reagan Washington, Detroit, Dallas-Fort Worth and Phoenix Sky-Harbor, Washington Dulles and Las Vegas airports.

Other airports that will get the new machines in the coming months include Chicago O’Hare, Atlanta, Newark, Boston, Indianapolis, New York LaGuardia, Tampa, San Juan and San Francisco, the TSA said. There are no current plans to place the machines at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood.

Airport scanners see through clothes

By Jon Hilkevitch
After Downing Street
Chicago Tribune

New airport security devices “see” through clothing

Potentially embarrassing “graphic” full-body scans to begin in the fall at O’Hare

Air travelers in Chicago will soon be literally exposed to a revealing full-body scan before boarding planes.

The new procedure, which is sure to make some passengers blush and others burn in anger over what critics call a virtual reality strip-search, is part of a “security evolution” at airport passenger checkpoints around the country.

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

The people who make the scanners used by TSA employees at U.S. airports to look at your bottom

Scanners that see through clothing installed in US airports

Behavior Scanners in Airports: WATCH Your Micro-Expressions! (video)

New Body Screeners in use in London

You are undie surveillance (picture) (over 18 only) (Big Brother UK)

Bush Executive Order Expands Data Collection – Will Share Data with “Foreign Partners”

“Big Brother” Presidential Directive: “Biometrics for Identification & Screening to Enhance National Security”

Bush pushes biometrics for national security + NSPD-59 & HSPD-24


text:
Paulson the Bungler By Mike Whitney

Dandelion Salad

By Mike Whitney
November 13, 2008 “Information Clearinghouse

Henry Paulson’s time at Treasury has been one pratfall after another. Even so, on Tuesday he managed to out-due himself. Paulson held a “surprise” press conference where he announced that the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) wouldn’t be used to buy troubled assets after all.  Instead, the money will used to bail out insurance giant AIG, provide extra capital for the banks to hoard, and now (this is new part) give money to “nonbank financial institutions, like insurers and specialty-finance companies” so they can lend to credit-worthy consumers. (Isn’t that why we gave money to the banks?)

Paulson’s announcement was like tossing a hand-grenade in a San-i-can; it blew the stock market to Kingdom come.  Just minutes after the opening bell on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) stocks plummeted to new lows ending the session in a 400 point death-spiral. Wall Street doesn’t like uncertainty and Paulson’s sudden about-face sent jittery investors running for cover. The message to investors is clear, the government doesn’t have the foggiest idea of what it’s doing and is just grasping at straws.

But Paulson’s no fool; he knew exactly what the reaction would be on Wall Street. He simply decided that blowing up the equities market was worth the price of reviving “securitization”–the transformation of loans into securities. You see, securitization is Wall Street’s Golden Goose. It’s the foundation block upon which structured finance and all its complex credit-enhancing derivatives rests. Keep in mind, that all these exotic, financially-engineered products–the CDOs, MBS, and CDS–were all created with one goal in mind; to maximize leverage with minimum capital so that profits can be skimmed off the top. That’s how Paulson managed to walk away from Goldman Sachs with hundreds of millions of dollars in his pockets. It’s a racket.

There’s a myth that credit is contracting because the banks won’t lend. But, in truth, total bank credit expanded by $575 billion over the past 10 weeks. The real problem is that the securitzation market remains frozen.

So now Paulson wants to breathe new life into securitization by providing liquidity for nonbank financial institutions who get their money from the wholesale market. Of course, no one really knows how this will work since these operations are completely unregulated by the federal government. No worries; the charade will persist behind the dodgy claim that “it’s needed to get credit to the consumer”. Baloney. What the consumer needs job security and a pay-raise, not more debt. This is just more Paulson flim-flam.

It was clear that the Treasury Secretary was concocting a new swindle a couple weeks ago when Fed chief Bernanke defended “securitzation in a speech where he said:

“The ability of financial intermediaries to sell the mortgages they originate into the broader capital market by means of the securitization process serves two important purposes: First, it provides originators much wider sources of funding than they could obtain through conventional sources, such as retail deposits; second, it substantially reduces the originator’s exposure to interest rate, credit, prepayment, and other risks associated with holding mortgages to maturity, thereby reducing the overall costs of providing mortgage credit.”

Nonsense. What it really does is create the optimal environment for speculative leveraging, debt-pyramiding and massive profit-taking. But, that’s beside the point. The real issue is that securitization is dead already because Paulson and his ilk poisoned the well by adding subprime garbage and Alt As to the mix. Now investors are steering clear of any securities that bundle debt. It’s  a confidence issue.

According to the Wall Street Journal:

“Banks and other finance companies making loans for autos, credit cards and college tuition are having virtually no success in selling those loans to other investors, a potent sign of just how tight credit markets remain.

The market for selling such loans — by packaging, or securitizing, them into bonds — had just one $500 million deal for all of October, according to Barclays Capital. That compares with $50.7 billion worth of deals made one year earlier, according to market-research firm Dealogic. The overall market for so-called asset-backed securitization is estimated at $2.5 trillion. (Bond Woes Choke off some Credit to Consumers, Wall Street Journal, Robin Sidel)

$500 million is just 1 percent of $50 billion! Securitization will be dead for a decade or so; it was destroyed by lax lending standards and easy credit. Paulson and his fellows will have to find a new way to fleece gulible investors.

The TARP is most expensive boondoggle in history. No one even knows what the banks are doing with the money. There’s neither accountability nor transparency. As a result, investor confidence has deteriorated and stocks have continued to fall. No one trusts Paulson to do the right thing anymore; it’s that simple.

The Treasury’s new Financial Stability Oversight Board has met four times, but they still can’t say how the banks are using the money. It’s a joke. Congress has been missing in action, too. They promised to create their own oversight board, but five weeks have passed and still nothing has happened. Apparently, the idea throwing $700 billion down rathole isn’t enough to prod Ms. Pelosi and her congressional cohorts into action. All that really matters to them is getting reelected and nuzzling ever-closer to the public trough.

The TARP fiasco is not taking place in a vacuum either; the country is at the beginning of the deepest consumer-led recession in the last half century. Retail spending and automobile sales have been following the same grim flightpath as housing, while unemployment is at a 7 year high soaring to nearly 4 million. Household debt is at record levels of $14 trillion. The job market is steadily weakening while the consumer is more vulnerable than ever. Meanwhile, Paulson has dragged his feet on rewriting mortgages to slow foreclosures, stalled on providing another stimulus package, and diverted all the money from the $700 billion bailout to his friends in the financial industry. Not one dime has gone to a working man or woman. Paulson continues to play games while Rome burns even though, according to his colleague, former G-Sax chairman John Whitehead, the current downturn will be worse than the Great Depression.

According to Reuters:

“The economy faces a slump deeper than the Great Depression and a growing deficit threatens the credit of the United States itself, former Goldman Sachs chairman John Whitehead …

“I think it would be worse than the depression,” Whitehead said. “We’re talking about reducing the credit of the United States of America, which is the backbone of the economic system. … I see nothing but large increases in the deficit, all of which are serving to decrease the credit standing of America. … I just want to get people thinking about this, and to realize this is a road to disaster. I’ve always been a positive person and optimistic, but I don’t see a solution here.”

There is no solution. The first thing to realize is that it is not a matter of “fixing” the economy. The economy is fixing itself by purging the unsustainable debt from the system. That’s how markets work. Greenspan’s low interest rates created a subsidy for debt which–along with the alphabet soup of leveraged derivatives–buoyed the economy along on the biggest wave of speculative financing the world has ever seen. The distortions that were caused by the unprecedented credit expansion stimulated artificial demand that created the appearance of growth and prosperity but, in truth, was nothing more than an equity bubble. Now the bubble has popped and the financial system is returning to the mean. That means that credit will probably contract by 30 to 40 percent putting us on the path to another Great Depression. Unless the government takes preventative action to get money into the hands of consumers and restore confidence, the nation will face (what David Brooks called) “grueling scarcity” and widespread panic. That’s probably why all the voting machines and exit polls finally matched up with the election results in the 2008 presidential balloting for the first time in 8 years; because the ruling elites know that they need a popular executive to put in front of the cameras when they try to calm the crowds and keep the country from disintegrating into anarchy. It also explains the nervous smiles on the faces of the money-lenders and graybeards assembled on the stage behind Obama at his first press conference. The American establishment is placing all its hopes for economic survival on the narrow shoulders of their newest posterboy, Barack Hussein Obama.

There’s more pain to come, but the suffering can be mitigated by sound decision-making and Keynesian policies. That means public work programs, bankruptcy reform, and extensions on unemployment. Nobel prize winner Paul Krugman recommends a stimulus package of $600 billion. That’s a good start, but it will take much more than that. And foreign investors will have to be confident in our choices or the sale of Treasurys will slip and the US will face a funding crisis. The Fed’s lending facilities have already loaned $2 trillion while the Treasury’s bailout is $700 billion. By the end of 2010, fiscal deficits will be nearly $2 tillion and the total cost to the US taxpayer will be at least $5 trillion. That means rising interest rates, flagging growth and hard times ahead.

The present financial crisis is a self-inflicted wound. It started at the Federal Reserve with their cynical neoliberal monetary policies. Any solution, that does not involve the dismantling of the Fed, is unacceptable.

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Crisis Is Beyond The Reach of Traditional Solutions By Paul Craig Roberts

Towards a Common Standard Benchmark for evaluating all Monetary Reform Proposals

Why The Bailout Isn’t Working by Josh Sidman

The New World Order Monetary System

Sign Petition for a Monetary System That Puts People First – Open Letter to G-20

End The FED: November 22, 2008

The Economy Sucks and or Collapse


text:
Rubber band

I just got back from the World Fantasy Convention in Baltimore. For those of you who haven’t had a chance to attend, it’s largely a series of in-depth panels carried out over the course of a couple days. I like to think about it as more theory crafting as opposed to word crafting. It’s a great place for authors, fans, editors, and reviewers to all intermingle and talk about books and the industry we love. Oh, and the occasional agent shows up there too from time to time.

Anyway, I always come out fresh with ideas, brain going a mile a minute. In one panel we talked about monsters and another the role of ports in fantasy settings. So, there’s a pretty broad range there.

So many kernels of stories and characters tend to start bouncing around my brain after each one. I’ve actually written a number of short stories based on ideas from these panels and included many elements into manuscripts I’ve been working on at the time. This was my third WFC so I considered myself old guard by now.

As you can imagine in a convention about writing, tropes are often brought up from panel to panel. More importantly, the inversion of tropes and the tropes to avoid at all cost get brought up a lot. So while I’m buzzing with excitement, I’m also shaking with anxiety. For every idea I want to write, I feel like someone somewhere has some warning of what I should avoid if I go down that route. It becomes a balancing act of trying to do what I want, but then try and make it fresh, while also appealing to the publishing industry at large. So it’s like do what I want, but then don’t do what I want. That’s pretty much the crux of the whole industry, right?

Well, what I decided by the end was that I was worrying too much. Why limit myself at the idea stage already? I’m a career coach by day and I often get students coming to me who’ve cut themselves off from options for whatever reason, usually out of fear of failure. I always tell them to just apply and see what happens. Let the universe give you your choices and then figure out the best path. When those choices are limitless, of course its overwhelming. But say you’ve applied to 20 jobs and 3 of them get back to you for interviews, well then you’re potentially choosing between 1 and 3 as opposed to 1 and 20. That’s much more manageable. I really need to take my own advice.

So yes, there are tropes and characteristics I should avoid if I want my work to stand out, but ultimately, I want to write something I’m excited about. Yes, I want others to like it, but I’m my first reader. If I don’t like it, why would someone else?

I’m going to let those kernels percolate for a while. They’re definitely over the fire. I know my next book is in there somewhere. How about I just apply a little elbow grease to all of those ideas to see what works and then go back and figure out how to make it fresh?

Boy that sounds like a great idea. I wonder who thought of that. He sounds like a pretty smart guy.

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