Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
In a first, gas and other fuels are top US export
Big shift for gas-guzzling nation: fuels are top US export; oil imports still world's highest
NEW YORK (AP) -- For the first time in at least 21 years, the top export of the world's biggest gas guzzler, is — wait for it — fuel.
Measured in dollars, the United States is on pace this year to ship more gasoline, diesel and jet fuel than any other type of export, according to government records dating back to 1990.
Here are the top U.S. exports for the past six years, according to U.S. Census records. Read More Here
Thursday, December 29, 2011
2011 Year in Review: Eight Ways the Health Care Law Helps You | The White House
2011 Year in Review: Eight Ways the Health Care Law Helps You | The White House
As we ring in the New Year, we also want to take a minute to reflect on the progress we made in 2011. I’m proud to say that we had a very productive year for protecting the health of all Americans, especially those who are least able to help themselves. From strengthening Medicare to expanding access to preventive services to holding insurance companies accountable – young adults, families, and seniors have begun to see benefits from the health care law that took effect in 2010.
Here are eight important ways that you or your family might have benefited from the health law in 2011: Read More Here
Here are eight important ways that you or your family might have benefited from the health law in 2011: Read More Here
Rush Limbaugh: Climate Change Misinformer of the Year
Rush Limbaugh: Climate Change Misinformer of the Year: by Jocelyn Fong and Shauna Theel, in a Media Matters cross-post In 1994 Rush Limbaugh declared, “There is no global warming going on,” adding that scientists “admit” they “may need 20 years more data to prove it.” Since then, Limbaugh has managed to shield his brain from 18 years of mounting evidence that humans are [...]/ Read More Here
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Stamp of Disapproval--Motivated in Ohio
Cross posted from The Book of Cletis
Note from Cletis: The Post Office is in the news again and this is a good time to reprint this excellent piece showing what the real story is behind the headlines. Republicans, who want to destroy unions through privatization efforts so they may complete the return to a feudal society, are constantly decrying the inefficiency of postal workers. That's a lie! It's a ruse and they have so hamstrung the Post Office they are on the verge of succeeding. Read this from Motivatedinohio and tell me these pension funding requirements make any sense.
In 2006, the Republican Congress passed and President George W. Bush signed into law, a bill called the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act. This bill sounds nice but, in truth, it is a brazen attempt to privatize the post office.
Note from Cletis: The Post Office is in the news again and this is a good time to reprint this excellent piece showing what the real story is behind the headlines. Republicans, who want to destroy unions through privatization efforts so they may complete the return to a feudal society, are constantly decrying the inefficiency of postal workers. That's a lie! It's a ruse and they have so hamstrung the Post Office they are on the verge of succeeding. Read this from Motivatedinohio and tell me these pension funding requirements make any sense.
In 2006, the Republican Congress passed and President George W. Bush signed into law, a bill called the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act. This bill sounds nice but, in truth, it is a brazen attempt to privatize the post office.
The bill requires the Post Office to fund their retirement plan a full seventy-five years into the future and, to make matters worse, the requisite funds must be set aside by 2016. In other words when future employees hired in 2026 retire at 65, funding for their retirement must be in place ten years before they're born. No other government agency has to do this.
Every year, since 2006, the Post Office has put billions of dollars into the treasury but, five years later, because of this onerous funding requirement things are getting tight. I just finished watching an interview on Democracy Now where one man kept talking about selling off the property of the post office to pay for this bizarre policy.
The Post Office has always been a great American success story. It is self-funding so no taxpayer dollars are spent. It services out-of-the-way areas, that for-profit companies refuse to service because it is not cost effective to do so. The Post Office is even mentioned in the Constitution of the United States (Article I, Section 8, Clause 7).
The Post Office has always been a great American success story. It is self-funding so no taxpayer dollars are spent. It services out-of-the-way areas, that for-profit companies refuse to service because it is not cost effective to do so. The Post Office is even mentioned in the Constitution of the United States (Article I, Section 8, Clause 7).
To undermine the Post Office with this poison pill to make it appear privatization is a better option, is inexcusable and shows where Republican policies take us. If we let them do this, is any program safe?
#occupywallstreet, kelsium: SOPA Emergency IP list anglophonic: ...
#occupywallstreet, kelsium: SOPA Emergency IP list anglophonic: ...
Here’s how to access your favorite sites in the event of a DNS takedown
tumblr.com 174.121.194.34
wikipedia.org 208.80.152.201
# News
bbc.co.uk 212.58.241.131
aljazeera.com 198.78.201.252
# Social media
reddit.com 72.247.244.88
imgur.com 173.231.140.219
google.com 74.125.157.99
youtube.com 74.125.65.91
yahoo.com 98.137.149.56
hotmail.com 65.55.72.135
bing.com 65.55.175.254
digg.com 64.191.203.30
theonion.com 97.107.137.164
hush.com 65.39.178.43
gamespot.com 216.239.113.172
ign.com 69.10.25.46
cracked.com 98.124.248.77
sidereel.com 144.198.29.112
github.com 207.97.227.239
# Torrent sites
thepiratebay.org 194.71.107.15
mininova.com 80.94.76.5
btjunkie.com 93.158.65.211
demonoid.com 62.149.24.66
demonoid.me 62.149.24.67
Here’s how to access your favorite sites in the event of a DNS takedown
tumblr.com 174.121.194.34
wikipedia.org 208.80.152.201
# News
bbc.co.uk 212.58.241.131
aljazeera.com 198.78.201.252
# Social media
reddit.com 72.247.244.88
imgur.com 173.231.140.219
google.com 74.125.157.99
youtube.com 74.125.65.91
yahoo.com 98.137.149.56
hotmail.com 65.55.72.135
bing.com 65.55.175.254
digg.com 64.191.203.30
theonion.com 97.107.137.164
hush.com 65.39.178.43
gamespot.com 216.239.113.172
ign.com 69.10.25.46
cracked.com 98.124.248.77
sidereel.com 144.198.29.112
github.com 207.97.227.239
# Torrent sites
thepiratebay.org 194.71.107.15
mininova.com 80.94.76.5
btjunkie.com 93.158.65.211
demonoid.com 62.149.24.66
demonoid.me 62.149.24.67
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Monday, December 26, 2011
NASA: Climate Change May Flip 40% of Earth’s Major Ecosystems This Century
NASA: Climate Change May Flip 40% of Earth’s Major Ecosystems This Century:
by Rolf Schuttenhelm, cross-posted from Bits of Science
The results of studies that try to quantify the effects of climate change on biodiversity loss — which include damage to the micro scale level of subspecies and genetic variation — are perhaps most shocking. When, however, you focus on the response to climate change at the [...]/ Read More Here.
by Rolf Schuttenhelm, cross-posted from Bits of Science
The results of studies that try to quantify the effects of climate change on biodiversity loss — which include damage to the micro scale level of subspecies and genetic variation — are perhaps most shocking. When, however, you focus on the response to climate change at the [...]/ Read More Here.
Famine early warning system gives Africa a chance to prepare - CSMonitor.com
Famine early warning system gives Africa a chance to prepare - CSMonitor.com
US government system, using ground sensors and satellite imagery, helped to predict this year's drought in Horn of Africa, allowing aid groups and governments to prepare relief.
As the world enters a new phase of politically charged climate talks, some scientists have focused on less-contentious projects like a famine early warning system that can help poor nations adapt to the planet's changes. Read More Here
US government system, using ground sensors and satellite imagery, helped to predict this year's drought in Horn of Africa, allowing aid groups and governments to prepare relief.
As the world enters a new phase of politically charged climate talks, some scientists have focused on less-contentious projects like a famine early warning system that can help poor nations adapt to the planet's changes. Read More Here
How Right-Wing Conspiracy Theories May Pose a Genuine Threat to Humanity | Tea Party and the Right | AlterNet
How Right-Wing Conspiracy Theories May Pose a Genuine Threat to Humanity | Tea Party and the Right | AlterNet
Tea Partiers, freaking out about "Agenda 21" and convinced global warming isn't real, are gumming up the works for those trying to save the planet.
The paranoia infecting a broad swath of the American right-wing can be comical at times -- think about Orly Taitz and her fellow Birthers. But we laugh at our own peril, because what Richard Hofstadter famously characterized as "the paranoid style in American politics" poses a serious threat to our future: the right's snowballing conspiracy theories could ultimately lead to disaster.
Consider what's happening in Virginia's Middle Peninsula on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay, among the areas in the U.S. most vulnerable to climate change. Earlier this month, Darryl Fears, reporting for the Washington Post, offered a glimpse into the madness that city planners have faced in recent months as a local Tea Party group, convinced that a nefarious plot by scientists and city officials is afoot, have disrupted their work trying to mitigate the potential impacts of rising sea levels. Read More Here
Tea Partiers, freaking out about "Agenda 21" and convinced global warming isn't real, are gumming up the works for those trying to save the planet.
The paranoia infecting a broad swath of the American right-wing can be comical at times -- think about Orly Taitz and her fellow Birthers. But we laugh at our own peril, because what Richard Hofstadter famously characterized as "the paranoid style in American politics" poses a serious threat to our future: the right's snowballing conspiracy theories could ultimately lead to disaster.
Consider what's happening in Virginia's Middle Peninsula on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay, among the areas in the U.S. most vulnerable to climate change. Earlier this month, Darryl Fears, reporting for the Washington Post, offered a glimpse into the madness that city planners have faced in recent months as a local Tea Party group, convinced that a nefarious plot by scientists and city officials is afoot, have disrupted their work trying to mitigate the potential impacts of rising sea levels. Read More Here
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday To All
Cross posted at thebookofcletis.blogspot.com
Currently, we do a pretty good job of celebrating the birth of Jesus on Christmas, the death of Jesus on Good Friday, and the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday. In spite of the commercialization and the increasingly rote manner in which many Christians observe these seminal events, there are still millions of people worldwide who pause and sincerely reflect on the true significance of these holy days.
Currently, we do a pretty good job of celebrating the birth of Jesus on Christmas, the death of Jesus on Good Friday, and the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday. In spite of the commercialization and the increasingly rote manner in which many Christians observe these seminal events, there are still millions of people worldwide who pause and sincerely reflect on the true significance of these holy days.
Personally, and largely in spite of Christmas trees and chocolate bunnies, I'm generally okay with how we affirm our faith on these special occasions. I do, however, have a suggestion. Let's do a better job of celebrating the actual life of Jesus by living in accordance with what he said and did. Fortunately, we don't have to guess about that. Buy a New Teatament and read it for yourself. What Jesus said and did is right there for us to know.
Here are a few highlights: Jesus was not impressed by power and money because he knew it wouldn't last. He was impressed with right-mindedness and the power of good intention. He chastised the power brokers and called out the hypocrites. He said you are your brother's keeper and that all men are your brothers; regardless of race, religious affiliation and, yes, even sexual orientation. Loving your neighbor as yourself is not an option. It's required.
Jesus made it very clear that love is not an abstract concept; it's an action word. He said that over and over and over again: feed the poor, clothe those without clothes, and if you have two cloaks and your neighbor doesn't have one, then you have one too many. Remember, these are not metaphoric phrases. Jesus meant them literally. Go through your closets, go through your pantry, and look through your purse or wallet. Take out what you don't need and put it into the hands of those who do need it.
If you have accepted Christ as you savior, you have chosen a difficult path. If you are a Christian and are currently walking a smooth, easy road, then you have obviously made a wrong turn. We can't serve God simply by showing up at church twice a week. We can memorize chapter and verse of the entire New Testament but if we don't lift up our neighbors, if we don't use our gifts for the well being of those less fortunate than us, and if we don't stand as a living example of our faith, then we need to search our hearts and ask for strength to do better. We all fall short in our efforts to be Christ-like but lately, folks, we haven't even come close.
Merry Christmas and Peace on Earth to all men. Cletis and Old Blue
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