Posted in Communications, Disaster, Environment, Health and Food, Human Rights, Humanism, Indigenous, Nature, Politics, tagged BP Oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico, Haliburton on July 18, 2010| 1 Comment »
Truthout has published a photo essay by independent journalists on the current state of the Gulf. The photos and statistics continue to stun. If we want to change our future, the time is now:
The Source of Our Despair in the Gulf
by Dahr Jamail and Erika Blumenfeld
Posted in 51 Percent, Communications, ERA, Feminism, Feminist Majority, Health and Food, Health Care, Humanism, Justice, Politics, Women's Rights, tagged Abortion Rights, New Insurance Pools, Preexisting on July 15, 2010| Leave a Comment »
On my travels through FaceBook today, I came across an astounding announcement over at the National ACLU site. It isn’t yet on their webpage. It said:
ACLU Nationwide: BREAKING: Obama shockingly adds abortion coverage ban to new insurance pools for women with pre-existing conditions. More soon.2 hours ago
http://www.facebook.com/aclu.nationwide?v=wall&story_fbid=142916209053423
Looking for any source, I found two.
Earned Media, a rightist site reported:
Administration Reiterates That No Federal Funds Will Be Used for Abortion
“Despite Claims by Republican Groups, High Risk Pools will not pay for Abortion”
Then there was NARAL:
Pro-Choice America Speaks Out!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 15, 2010
Statement on Obama Administration Policy Excluding Abortion Coverage from High-Risk Pools
[Washington, D.C. – Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, called the Obama administration’s decision today to exclude abortion coverage from newly created high-risk pools wrongheaded and inexplicable….]
http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/news/press-releases/2010/0707152010_obamaexcludeabortionhcr.html
Bemusedly, I looked for any announcements from the White House, but there was only one up to the time of this blog, an Executive Order on March 24th.
Now I don’t know about you, but I thought it was pretty clear from the Order in March, even if you didn’t grasp all of the nuances of the Patient Protection and Affordable health Care Act, so recently in our memory, that existing conditions for women were never part of the final deal. That’s just one more reason the Act was so heinous for women. In March, over at the Confluence, people were having this kind of discussion about it.
RH Reality check had the best discussion of today’s debate HERE.
So, what is with these groups? Are they really so slow on the uptake? Or is something else going on? If Nancy (I don’t believe in abortion, but I run NARAL and spent big bucks to get Obama elected and drop kick Clinton) is screaming, it must be about something else? Koolaid withdrawals? The start of a new battle?
Hey what do I know, I’m just one of those low information working class voters, with dial-up. Someone out there in blog land, enlighten me.
No enlightenment thus far. Maybe it’s as mundane as basic “Velveteen Rabbit” legaleze. It’s not real until you rub it’s fur off and pull its eyes out, and the PA kurfluffle is a first test. If that’s the case why not present it like that instead of pretending it’s some new horribleness?
Posted in 51 Percent, Disaster, Environment, Health and Food, Health Care, Humanism, Justice, Nature, Politics, tagged BP, Cap, Gulf OIl Spill on July 15, 2010| Leave a Comment »
SacBee is reporting HERE, that the BP gulf oil cap has stopped the oil gusher in the Gulf. No news yet on the permanency of the cap, but so far so good.
Posted in Communications, Congress, Disaster, Health and Food, Humanism, Indigenous, Justice, Media, Nature, Politics, War on June 15, 2010| 4 Comments »
On my way over to the WH to download this evening’s Presidential address re: the Gulf oil spill, I noticed that Dandelion already had. So, here is that blog’s transcript link with just about the same two word comment I would make were I able to be that polite right now:
Posted in Health and Food, Sports, tagged 3-D, Sony on March 9, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Oh, joy.
As person who can get motion sick swimming in a pool, don’t expect me to come over to watch the football game on THIS.
Posted in 51 Percent, Congress, Feminism, Finance, Health and Food, Health Care, Justice, Politics, War, women, tagged AFL-CIO, Blackwater, Evansville, FEDEX Boycott, Financial Innovation, H.R. 2847, Jobs Bill, Kinko's Boycott, Levin, Nevada, Refrigerators, Senate, Underwater home loans, Whirlpool, XE Services on February 24, 2010| 1 Comment »
I’ve just been so busy with some home remodeling and the new shop, I really haven’t had time to post. However, I hope you all are keeping up with events.
Did you read Dakinikat’s financial innovation post, HERE, over at the Confluence?
BlueLyon reports the stats that Nevada now has the highest percentage of underwater home loans in the Country at 70% – truly an astonishing figure. California, by comparison, only comes in at 35%.
Marching and petitioning are at the top of the list today.
The AFL-CIO is asking for signatures to their petition HERE, to keep Whirlpool from closing their last shop in the US that makes refrigerators. The Evansville plant has a long history and a fine working base. Whirlpool took Stimulus money and now wants to move the plant to Mexico.
BlueLyon is asking you to boycott FedEx. (I think that would also mean Kinko’s since they are the same company.) HERE is why.
The Women’s National Law Center is asking you to do a virtual march and send an email HERE to Congress. Let them know that being a woman is not the same is a “pre-existing medical condition”.
Send your thoughts to Senator Carl Levin on Blackwater (XE Services). It’s hilarious, in a deeply twisted way, that Blackwater (now XE Services) was able to divert hundreds of guns, including 500 AK-47 assault rifles intended for the Afghani Police, and pass them out like popcorn amongst themselves. Remind me again, for whom these people are working and why we need mercenaries? Blackwater’s contract to protect diplomats in Afghanistan ends this year, but the Defense Department is looking at them to train Afghan police. In the way of things political, I imagine the reason we are now addressing these complaints are those upcoming contractual events. Blackwater still hasn’t returned all the weapons. I’ll bet they can’t, with reports about that some weapons were sold on the black market.
Here is Senator Levin’s latest statement on the hearings being conducted today.
The Senate passed their version of the jobs bill this morning. I’ll have more on it later.
Posted in Children, Health and Food, Health Care, Politics, tagged Arizona, California, Canada, Colorado, FDA, Kansas, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington on December 22, 2009| 2 Comments »
In the spirit of the holidays, The FDA has put out several alerts on hazelnuts, otherwise known to some of us as filberts. Seems a few batches have been infected with salmonella. So if you have nuts (not wingnuts) ready for your table, check out where you got them first. Check back HERE for any future notifications.
Kunze Farms Recalls Hazelnut Kernels because of Possible Health Risks
[..Hazelnut kernels were distributed to several different processors and wholesaler’s in the following areas: Dayton, OR; , Milton-Freewater, OR; Hauppauge, NY; Mesa, AZ; Cottonwood, AZ; Seattle, WA; Ogden, UT; San Antonio, TX.; and Parker, CO.
The product was packed in 25 lb cartons, under our product brand name of Kunze Farms, ‘Select Shelled Hazelnuts’ Dayton, Oregon with the code numbers 289091A or 299091A….]
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm194867.htm
Willamette Shelling Recalls Shelled Hazelnuts Because of Possible Health Risk
[…After product sampling, Salmonella was found on one production lot. To ensure consumer safety, Willamette Shelling has decided to recall all shelled hazelnuts processed at its facility from October 12th 2009 through November 25th 2009.
Hazelnuts subject to the recall were shelled at Willamette Shelling’s facility on behalf of hazelnut processors. Shelled Hazelnuts processed by Willamette Shelling were returned to Oregon processors and a Canadian processor, and were further distributed by those firms. Unshelled hazelnuts are not affected by this recall.
All products subject to recall were packed in 25 lbs. and 50 lbs. corrugated boxes with lot code numbers 296091A, 299091A, 300091A, VH3696BO, and 310091A. Those corrugated boxes bore the following brand names: Kunze Farms, Evonuk Oregon Hazelnuts, Canadian Hazelnuts, and Firestone Farms…]
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm194806.htm
Willamette Shelling Recalls Shelled Hazelnuts Because of Possible Health Risk
[…Shelled Hazelnuts and Shelled Organic Hazelnuts were distributed in Oregon and California through wholesale distributors and direct delivery. Unshelled hazelnuts are not subject to this recall.
All products subject to recall were packed in 25 lbs. corrugated boxes bearing Willamette Filbert Growers or Meridian Organic Hazelnuts labeled with lot code numbers 289091A and 311091A…]
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm194810.htm
Whole Foods Market® Recalls Bulk Hazelnuts
[December 19, 2009 – AUSTIN, TX – Whole Foods Market is recalling organic raw hazelnuts (filberts) sold in bulk through its stores in California, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington because the nuts were part of a batch that was contaminated with salmonella. The company is also recalling non-organic dry roasted hazelnuts (filberts) sold in bulk through its stores in California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, and non-organic raw hazelnuts (filberts) sold in bulk through its stores in Oregon and Washington. These hazelnuts should not be consumed. No illnesses have been reported at this time….]
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm195060.htm
Evonuk Oregon Hazelnuts Recalls Raw and Dry Roasted Hazelnut Kernels Because of Possible Health Risk
Evonuk Oregon Hazelnuts brand raw hazelnut kernels and dry roasted hazelnut kernels subject to recall include:
• Raw hazelnut kernels packed in 25 pound corrugated boxes with lot code numbers 299091A and 296091A.
• Dry roasted hazelnut kernels packed in 25 pound corrugated boxes with lot code numbers 299091A and 296091A.
• 8 ounce, 2.5 pound, and 5 pound packages of raw hazelnut kernels in clear plastic packages, bearing no lot code. Shipped in corrugated boxes with lot code numbers 299091A and 296091A.
• 4 ounce, 8 ounce, 2.5 pound, and 5 pound packages of dry roasted, salt free, hazelnut kernels in clear plastic packages, bearing no lot code. Shipped in corrugated boxes with lot code numbers 299091A and 296091A.
These raw and dry roasted products were distributed in retail and wholesale stores, restaurants and bakeries in Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Oklahoma and New Jersey. No illnesses have been reported to date.
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm195017.htm
Harry and David Conducts Hazelnut Recall in Medford, Oregon because of Possible Risk to Health
[..The Harry & David Country Village store removed all the raw, shelled hazelnuts supplied by Evonuk from sale on December 17, 2009. This was done in response to a recall issued on December 17, 2009, by Willamette Sheller, Inc., the company that processed the hazelnuts for Evonuk.
The hazelnuts affected by this recall were sold as Filbert (hazelnut) kernels in bulk bin #10077 only at the Harry & David Country Village store, Medford, Oregon, prior to December 18, 2009…]
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm195026.htm
Burnt Ridge Orchards, Inc. Recalls Shelled Hazelnuts Because of Possible Health Risks
[..The shelled hazelnuts that are subject to recall were sold Nov. 17th to Dec. 13th at the Olympia Farmer’s Market in Olympia, WA. They were packed in 8 oz and 16 oz zip lock plastic bags. This recall does not apply to hazelnuts sold in the shell…]
Posted in Climate, Communications, Feminism, Health and Food, Human Rights, Humanism, Justice, Men's Rights, Nature, Politics, War, Women's Rights, tagged Ban Ki-moon, China, Cop15, Copenhagen, Global Warming, Green, India, Obama on December 18, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Revised 4:33 PM, PST
“Mitigation. Transparency. Financing.”
Politico says agreement of a sort has been reached at Cop15. Read their article. It sounds like everyone is going to go home to lick her/his wounds and figure out what to do next. Phrases like “a visibly angry Obama”, “no binding agreement”, “leaving before the last vote (Obama)” and “funds to poor countries remain on the table only as long as the Chinese submit to monitoring”, all lend credence to the idea that none of this is a done deal and a lot of posturing all around was needed. I suppose after eight years of Bushco, the refined US position was a pretty big change to take in for China and India.
POLITICO Breaking News:
—————————————————–
The U.S. China, India and South Africa have reached a “meaningful” climate change deal that sets a cap on worldwide temperature increases, according to administration officials.
For more information…http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/30794.html
Ban Ki-moon’s entreaty for nations to get it together and commit, have common sense and move forward, I think, reflects in all of us.
The bottom line was introduced by the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It has found “that to stave off the worst effects of climate change, industrialized countries must slash emissions by 25 to 40 per cent from 1990 levels by 2020, and that global emissions must be halved by 2050”.
Both China and India have been deeply and increasingly involved with trade negotiations in Africa for some time. If you think how our trade with Mexico has worked, you will understand the similarity; cheaper goods, fewer laws in place to protect environment and people, and cheaper labor. In particular, raw goods are wanted. As an example, China only has a little over 14% arable land, having lost one fifth to desertification, and a population of around 1.39 billion, as opposed to the United States with 18% arable land, and a population of a little under 308 million. At first glance, India seems in better shape with arable land of around 50%, however they live with yearly losses due to monsoons. Also, they have a population of just under 1.67 billion. One thing all three have in common is very large coal reserves, increasing the temptation to assign value to it’s use.
An interesting comparison of international environmental treaties signed and ratified by these three or any other countries can be found in the CIA World Fact Book. This is the list as of December 18th, 2009. The Fact Book is updated regularly and these may change as countries work toward further agreement.
Posted in Children, Feminism, Health and Food, Health Care, Human Rights, Humanism, Indigenous, Justice, LGBT, Men's Rights, Politics, women, Women's Rights, tagged H.R. 3590, US Senate on December 11, 2009| 1 Comment »
Today’s installment of the continuing saga of H.R. 3950.
We left off on the 8th with the tabling of the Nelson amendment. In fact, three additional events occurred on the 8th. The first two items were introduced to the floor but have not been acted upon. They are: The Dorgan modified amendment and a motion by Senator Crapo to commit the bill to the Committee on Finance. The third item was acted upon, and a unanimous agreement was reached to devote a specified time to debate.
(As it reads below, the “Pending” Reid amendment refers to the approved amendment, which ordered H.R. 3950 to lie on the table and changed it from the home ownership bill to the health reform bill. It is now the bill around which all action is occurring.)
On December 8th the Daily Digest reported the following:
Pending:
Reid Amendment No. 2786, in the nature of a substitute.
Page S12648
Dorgan Modified Amendment No. 2793 (to Amendment No. 2786), to provide for the importation of prescription drugs.
Pages S12685-88
Crapo motion to commit the bill to the Committee on Finance, with instructions.
Page S12685
A unanimous-consent-time agreement was reached providing for further consideration of the bill at approximately 9:30 a.m., on Wednesday, December 9, 2009, and that following any remarks of the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Finance, or their designees, for up to 10 minutes each, the next two hours be for debate only, with the time equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders or their designees, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each; the Republicans controlling the first 30 minutes, and the Majority controlling the second 30 minutes; with the remaining time equally divided and used in alternating fashion; provided further, that no amendments are in order during this time.
Page S12742
Measures Considered:
Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act–Agreement: Senate continued consideration of H.R. 3590, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the first-time homebuyers credit in the case of members of the Armed Forces and certain other Federal employees, taking action on the following amendments proposed thereto:
Pages S12745-99
On December 9th the Daily Digest reported the following:
Pending:
Reid Amendment No. 2786, in the nature of a substitute.
Page S12745
Dorgan Modified Amendment No. 2793 (to Amendment No. 2786), to provide for the importation of prescription drugs.
Pages S12745, S12753-99
Crapo motion to commit the bill to the Committee on Finance, with instructions.
Page S12745
A unanimous-consent-time agreement was reached providing for further consideration of the bill at approximately 10 a.m., on Thursday, December 10, 2009, that following Leader remarks the time until 1 p.m., be for debate only and equally divided, with the time until 11 a.m. controlled between the two Leaders, or their designees; with the remaining time until 1 p.m. controlled in alternating 30-minute blocks of time with the Majority controlling the first block and the Republicans controlling the next block.
Page S12833
As you may have figured out these two days look pretty much identical, except the page numbers are different. That’s where all the rhetoric in the Senate Chamber is occurring. The Daily Digest is recording them. It truly is remarkable that so many mostly men can spend so much time exhorting, day in and day out.
If you want to see what they are saying go HERE.
Look to the right under Floor Schedule and click on the link that says Daily Digest. Scroll down to the part that says:
[Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act–Agreement: Senate continued consideration of H.R. 3590, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the first-time homebuyers credit in the case of members of the Armed Forces and certain other Federal employees, taking action on the following amendments proposed thereto:
Pages S12745-99]
Click on “Pages s12745-99”.
That takes you to:
Pages S12745-S12799
1 . HEALTH CARE: IMPACT ON SMALL BUSINESS — (Senate – December 09, 2009)
2 . RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME — (Senate – December 09, 2009)
3 . SERVICE MEMBERS HOME OWNERSHIP TAX ACT OF 2009 — (Senate – December 09, 2009)
4 . RECESS — (Senate – December 09, 2009)
5 . SERVICEMEMBERS HOME OWNERSHIP TAX ACT OF 2009–Continued — (Senate – December 09, 2009)
6 . MORNING BUSINESS — (Senate – December 09, 2009)
7 . CLIMATE CHANGE — (Senate – December 09, 2009)
#1, 3 and 5 are the debate indexes. Check them out. For example Senator Graham is on page s12791, and talks about Obama’s mandate to have the debate on C-Span for transparency. He does some finger pointing at Senator Reid’s announcement that Democrats have been working off camera to reach the “broad Consensus” reported yesterday in the media.
Senator McConnell, earlier in the day on page s12744, essentially threatens the Democrats with the recent election in New Jersey:
There is a new development. Just yesterday–just yesterday in my home State–there was a special election for the State senate. Why would that be worthy of commentary on the Senate floor? Let me describe the situation. It is a 3-to-1 Democratic district. Because of State issues, the Democratic State administration was intensely interested in winning that seat. They spent $1 million cumulatively–the candidate, the Democratic State party, and an outside interest group–in support of the Democrat–$1 million on one side of a State senate race in a rural area of my State.
On the other side was a Republican candidate, who was outspent 5 to 1–outspent 5 to 1 in a 3-to-1 Democratic district. The Republican candidate for the State senate won by 12 points. How did that happen? He had one message–one message: oppose the Reid bill, oppose what PELOSI is doing, oppose what the Democrats in Washington are doing.
And on it goes. By the way, the number of proposed amendments to this bill now submitted for review is up to THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY SEVEN!!!
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Grab and Keel 