26 lies about the Health Care Bill debunked

... at FactCheck.org --

http://factcheck.org/2009/08/twenty-six-lies-about-hr-3200/

How to get out of having to go shopping with someone

"Care without coverage...too little, too late"

Here are some Youtube videos on the subject of Health Care Reform.

• This one is from a young man in the U.K. giving his opinion about the U.K. health system.
  

• This one is from a U.S. man with some interesting numbers. 18,000 people die in the U.S. each year because they have no health care. (Perhaps a bit extreme in his conclusion, but he is personally affected by our health care problems and says several things worth consideration.)
  

Editorial Cartoon

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/aug/09/town-hall-meeting/?opinioncartoons

Health Care Reform facts

Here is a growing list of resources for factual information and informed, civil dialogue. Be sure to see older posts below this one.

• (Added 8/16/2009)
  
  Diane Rehm has a very civilized and informative program on NPR every day -- 91.7 FM in the Detroit area. Tomorrow's program is described here -- http://wamu.org/programs/dr/09/08/17.php#24726. If you can't listen when the show is live, after the show is over there will be a link to listen to the recording. Also, her show is available as a free iTunes podcast that you can subscribe to in the iTunes store.
  
  
  I hold her program in high regard because she works hard to balance discussions and get the facts on the table. She specifically does not permit ad hominem attacks, shouting, heckling, and such.
  
  
• (Added 8/16/2009) British like their health care and tell U.S. Republicans to stop lying: http://digg.com/political_opinion/British_like_their_healthcare_don_t_care_what_you_think?OTC-widget
  
• (Added 8/16/2009) LA arena is site for health care of last resort for thousands of poor and needy, with doctors from a program that serve Third World Countries - http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE57C0PE20090813?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews
• Radio discussion on Diane Rehm Show -- Debate over health care proposals -- http://wamu.org/programs/dr/09/08/11.php#26709 - also available as a free podcast download from iTunes by the end of the day.
  
• Statements on Health at Politifact -- http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/subjects/health/
• Reality Check by the White House -- http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/
• Eyes On Obama: Health Care Reform Link Compendium -- http://www.eyesonobama.com/blog/content/id_57746/title_Health-Care-Reform-Link-Compendium/
• Religious groups and ministers on Obama's side in Health Care Reform -- http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE57947020090810?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews
• Does Canada's Health Care Need Fixing? (Investigative report on NPR) -- http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=111721651&m=111721665
• Obama's own words on reform -- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/08/obama-uses-jobs-report-to_n_254563.html
• What's Behind the Opposition to Health Care Reform? -- http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/opinion/09rich.html?_r=1
• (Added 8/12/2009) Far-right religious group behind outrageous health care lies -- http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/8/11/765163/-Far-right-religious-group-behind-outrageous-health-care-lies
• (Added 8/13/2009) Stephen Hawking likes his British health care, contrary to GOP propaganda -- http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/erica/2009/08/stephen-hawking-likes-his-deat.php?ref=recdc
• (Added 8/16/2009) According to this article in the news August 13 -- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/13/internal-memo-confirms-bi_n_258285.html, the White House may or may not have made a deal with the pharmaceutical companies such that the Health Reform Bill would not force a reduction in pharmaceutical prices as much as possible, in return for a promise from pharmaceutical companies that they would voluntarily lower prices for $80 billion in savings over the coming years. I am not sure why this is news today because I remember it being announced the day the they promised to lower prices by $80 billion many weeks ago (the headline on this page is a typo, it should say billion - http://seniorliving.about.com/b/2009/06/22/drug-companies-to-reduce-prescription-drug-discounts-by-80-million-in-10-years.htm).
  
  Nevertheless, there is now a copy of a memo floating around summarizing the alleged deal, which may or may not be authentic. What's more, it appears of no consequence because various people in Congress said they were not party to any such deal and were not bound by it, and they have already included provisions in the bill that contradict what the White House allegedly promised. However, perhaps this is the start of some new controversy you will want to be aware of, which may be yet another diversion from the facts.
• (Added 8/13/2009) Looking for the text of the Health Care Reform bill in Congress so you can read it for yourself and see for yourself how true all the claims are?
  
  One place is here -- http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h3200/text?goto_comment=115255&nid=t0%3Aih%3A5&version=ih On this site, you can hover your mouse over each sentence and add a comment or read the comments posted by others. This site promises to stay up to date as the Bill moves forward and gets modified.
  
  Other locations are:
  
• http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.3200
• http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/search/pagedetails.action?granuleId=&packageId=BILLS-111hr3200IH
• http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1687:health-care-reform&catid=156:reports&Itemid=55
• http://edlabor.house.gov/markups/2009/07/hr-3200-americas-affordable-he.shtml

Below is a letter i wrote in reply to a flood of email containing falsehoods about health care reform, which serves as my guiding principle for providing the above information:
________________________________

People:

Here is a link that shows the majority of people in a variety of surveys want single payer health care. This is not being offered in the current legislation, but the [email to which I was responding] seems to imply that it is. http://www.wpasinglepayer.org/PollResults.html

And here is a list of nations that have some form of universal health care that is successful:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_health_care

Here is what doctors say about single-payer universal health care:

http://cthealth.server101.com/the_case_for_universal_health_care_in_the_united_states.htm

And I recently sent a message containing what a prominent evangelical minister says about health care.

My question is:

If we have evidence that universal health care is what the majority of citizens want and need, and...

If we have evidence that it can and does work very well for at least 28 other modern nations that we compete with, and ...

If we have testimony from doctors that health care is better when it is universal single-payer, and...

If we have statements from religious leaders that it is our moral duty to ensure that all among us, even the poorest of the poor, have the care they need, without regard to their ability to pay...

Then why is there so much talk saying health care reform -- particularly universal coverage -- can't work and shouldn't be adopted? Why so much attention given to fear mongers, and to people trying to prevent civil information meetings, shouting and ranting to disrupt all orderly conversation and exchange of information?

As concerned Christians and thinking individuals, should we not be the light in the darkness? Should we not be the people who show leadership to say, "Come, let us calmly and rationally look at the facts and discuss them, to arrive at what is best for the common good"?

Why not let's discuss the points the President makes? -- http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN0742097620090808?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews or the points Jim Wallis makes in the message I sent the other day?

If anything, rather than suggesting health care reform as currently proposed goes too far, many people are concerned it does not go far enough because it does not include single-payer universal coverage.

At the very least, I suggest we should see it as our duty to look objectively at the facts and spread truth. We, of all people, have a responsibility to be careful to avoid passing on false statements or those intended to spread fear. And we should be supportive of appropriate and needed change when the facts, rather than emotions, show they are needed and are in our best interest.

What are your thoughts?

Respectfully,

Jon Stewart rips town hall crazies

No organized helpful facts in this post like the list I posted yesterday, but a lot of good points made through humor in two video clips on this page -- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/11/jon-stewart-vs-town-hall_n_256272.html

Resources for Facts vs. Myths, Distortions, and Outright Lies about Health Care Reform

Here is a growing list of resources for factual information and informed, civil dialogue.

• Radio discussion on Diane Rehm Show -- Debate over health care proposals -- http://wamu.org/programs/dr/09/08/11.php#26709 - also available as a free podcast download from iTunes by the end of the day.
  
• Statements on Health at Politifact -- http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/subjects/health/
• Reality Check by the White House -- http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/
• Eyes On Obama: Health Care Reform Link Compendium -- http://www.eyesonobama.com/blog/content/id_57746/title_Health-Care-Reform-Link-Compendium/
• Religious groups and ministers on Obama's side in Health Care Reform -- http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE57947020090810?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews
• Does Canada's Health Care Need Fixing? (Investigative report on NPR) -- http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=111721651&m=111721665
• Obama's own words on reform -- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/08/obama-uses-jobs-report-to_n_254563.html
• What's Behind the Opposition to Health Care Reform? -- http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/opinion/09rich.html?_r=1
• (Added 8/12/2009) Far-right religious group behind outrageous health care lies -- http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/8/11/765163/-Far-right-religious-group-behind-outrageous-health-care-lies
• (Added 8/13/2009) Stephen Hawking likes his British health care, contrary to GOP propaganda -- http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/erica/2009/08/stephen-hawking-likes-his-deat.php?ref=recdc
  

Below is a letter i wrote in reply to a flood of email containing falsehoods about health care reform, which serves as my guiding principle for providing the above information:
________________________________

People:

Here is a link that shows the majority of people in a variety of surveys want single payer health care. This is not being offered in the current legislation, but the [email to which I was responding] seems to imply that it is. http://www.wpasinglepayer.org/PollResults.html

And here is a list of nations that have some form of universal health care that is successful:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_health_care

Here is what doctors say about single-payer universal health care:

http://cthealth.server101.com/the_case_for_universal_health_care_in_the_united_states.htm

And I recently sent a message containing what a prominent evangelical minister says about health care.

My question is:

If we have evidence that universal health care is what the majority of citizens want and need, and...

If we have evidence that it can and does work very well for at least 28 other modern nations that we compete with, and ...

If we have testimony from doctors that health care is better when it is universal single-payer, and...

If we have statements from religious leaders that it is our moral duty to ensure that all among us, even the poorest of the poor, have the care they need, without regard to their ability to pay...

Then why is there so much talk saying health care reform -- particularly universal coverage -- can't work and shouldn't be adopted? Why so much attention given to fear mongers, and to people trying to prevent civil information meetings, shouting and ranting to disrupt all orderly conversation and exchange of information?

As concerned Christians and thinking individuals, should we not be the light in the darkness? Should we not be the people who show leadership to say, "Come, let us calmly and rationally look at the facts and discuss them, to arrive at what is best for the common good"?

Why not let's discuss the points the President makes? -- http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN0742097620090808?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews or the points Jim Wallis makes in the message I sent the other day?

If anything, rather than suggesting health care reform as currently proposed goes too far, many people are concerned it does not go far enough because it does not include single-payer universal coverage.

At the very least, I suggest we should see it as our duty to look objectively at the facts and spread truth. We, of all people, have a responsibility to be careful to avoid passing on false statements or those intended to spread fear. And we should be supportive of appropriate and needed change when the facts, rather than emotions, show they are needed and are in our best interest.

What are your thoughts?

Respectfully,

Evangelical Minster to Palin: Stop Embarassing Christians with evil behavior

Below is a reprint of an article by Jim Wallis on his blog -- http://blog.sojo.net/2009/08/11/palin-bad-for-dialogue/

Palin Bad for Dialogue

by Jim Wallis 08-11-2009

Last Thursday, I wrote about truth-telling and responsibility in the debate over health care, urging an honest and fair debate with good information, not sabotage of reform with half-truths and misinformation.

On Friday, I read a statement from Sarah Palin, first on her Facebook page, then reported by the media:

The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s ‘death panel’ so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their ‘level of productivity in society,’ whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil.

I thought I had heard it all, but I couldn’t believe what I was reading. The statement is a new low for our political discourse.

Sarah, you’re the one who is acting in an “evil” way. After listening to your policy pronouncements during the campaign, many Americans decided, generously, that you weren’t ready yet for high political office. Others thought you just weren’t very smart. But this statement last week really does clear up the question for me. You are speaking like a demagogue in the worst tradition of those who knowingly distort and deceive, for their own political purposes. You want to stoke people’s worst fears and then, hopefully, they will look to someone like you to be their leader. You’re not stupid after all. You know that neither President Obama, nor anyone else in this health-care debate, would deny health care for your parents or child, and that none of the ideas being debated would suggest that. But people are confused and concerned, so you see your chance to prey upon their misunderstandings. Politics for people like you is really all about you, your fame and power, and your taste of it during the last election has revealed what kind of politician you truly are.

Please don’t invoke your “Christian faith” anymore and embarrass the people of God even further. May your efforts to scare Americans during this important debate fail. May your political future also fail, and may your star fall as fast as it rose just a few months ago — because we now know who you really are.

Jim Wallis is CEO of Sojourners.

To learn more about health-care reform, click here to visit Sojourners’ Health-Care Resources Web page.

America’s Sea of Red Ink Was Years in the Making

There are two basic truths about the enormous deficits that the federal government will run in the coming years.

The first is that President Obama’s agenda, ambitious as it may be, is responsible for only a sliver of the deficits, despite what many of his Republican critics are saying. The second is that Mr. Obama does not have a realistic plan for eliminating the deficit, despite what his advisers have suggested. -- David Leonhardt, New York Times

Outstanding videos -- "Validation" and "Rent-a-Person"

Tortured... but not questioned

http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/06/08/gitmo-detainee-needles-iv-tubes/

Olbermann: Fox News to blame for murder -- TURN IT OFF!

Keith Olbermann shows how Fox News personalities, especially Bill O'Reilly, repeatedly incited violence leading to the shooting death of a doctor in his church. And his suggested solution: Whatever businesses you patronize, if they are playing Fox News, ask them to turn it off, and say why, and if they don't, say why, and leave.

Jon Stewart calls Fox News "extremists"

Yes, of course Jon Stewart is irreverent and a comedian. But look at the clips of people on Fox "News" here telling you Obama was wrong in the speech you (hopefully) just saw him give. (See my earlier posts.)

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Looking for Comity in the Muslim World
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Economic Crisis

Analysis of President Obama's Cairo speech

Analysis of President Obama's speech in Cairo -- This helps put things into perspective, especially what President Obama's words mean to people around the world.

• http://www.onpointradio.org/2009/06/obama-addresses-the-muslim-world

A New Beginning

President Obama gave a speech this week that has been widely hailed as inspiring and a major first step in bringing peace and prosperity to the Middle East and around the world. In it, he shows how peace is the purpose of all three great religions of the area -- Islam, Judaism, and Christianity -- and how respect for one another and really listening to each other's needs instead of breeding hate and fear is the way forward we must choose, no matter how difficult.

Sadly, some major news media and politicians have distorted the message or downplayed it.

I urge you hear and see the speech for yourself. I promise you it is inspiring. You must hear the entire speech for yourself --

• If you are serious about your faith
• If you are serious about your patriotism
• If you have any expectation of being perceived as an informed and intelligent individual
• If you care about helping promote peace and respectful relationships

Sufjan Stevens

I discovered this really interesting indie band on Austin City Limits tonight -- Sufjan Stevens --
http://www.pbs.org/klru/austin/flash/video/player2/index.php?xml=/klru/austin/images/stories/ACL/Episodes/2000s/2006/sufjan_calexico/video/3205_sufjan_song.xml

Expert says torture cost thousands of American lives

http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/05/26/military-interrogator-torture-american-lives/

Why the recent arrests do not prove America is still under attack

http://www.alternet.org/world/140209/fbi_blows_it%3A_supposed_terror_plot_against_ny_synagogues_is_bogus/

McCain says Obama is right, Cheney is wrong on torture

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/05/22/mccain-cheney-torture/

Waterboarding is no big deal, right?

http://rawstory.com/blog/2009/05/conservative-radio-hosts-waterboarded/

The Creationist Method

Evolution: What it is, what it isn't -- http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/evolution-fact.html

Here is the definition of the word tyranny. A tyrant is a brutal dictator, such as Hitler or Stalin.

Now, a curious number of Fox News employees and their guests have been throwing around the word tyranny. With help from Jon Stewart, you be the judge of whether they are right. What exactly is going on here with this so-called "news" channel?

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Baracknophobia - Obey
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor

A "hulu" for PBS programs

http://www.pbs.org/video/program/979359667/

Very interesting Web site design

http://www.bio-bak.nl/?ref-reallyflippingcool

Major drug company established a "hit list" of doctors

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25272600-2702,00.html

4 Librarians Beat the Patroit Act to Defend Your Rights

http://digg.com/people/How_Four_Librarians_Beat_the_Patriot_Act?OTC-widget

FBI agent says torture was not needed

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/opinion/23soufan.html?_r=1

Amazing creative animation

British view of Fox "News"

Has Fox News no sense of decency?

More hate and fear-mongering on Fox News -- http://mediamatters.org/countyfair/200904090036. Clearly, they have no shame.

On the other hand, if you are looking for real civil discourse and real fair and balanced journalism, here are two other sources:

• NPR Find a station near you -- http://www.npr.org/templates/stations/stations/
  
• BBC
  

Soros says recovery is far off, banks insolvent

http://www.cnbc.com/id/30069223

Puma: The Segway/GM concept vehicle

Electric.... 2 seats... 2 wheels.... battery... 35 MPH... 35 miles on a 6 hour charge.

It is only a concept vehicle today, but think of the possibilities for the right uses.


More here.

"The best way to rob a bank...

... is to own one."

That is the title of a book by William K. Black, an expert in banking and financial regulation. He says that fraud is at the heart of the current financial crisis because bank executives knowingly sold high risk loans with assurances that they had no risk at all. He also blames certain members of Congress over the past 10 years of colluding with the fraud, not only by not passing laws to regulate what are now troubled assets, but in fact, by passing laws that prohibited anyone from regulating them. His big concern now is that both the Bush and Obama Administrations are allowing the same people who caused the crisis to remain in their jobs at the head of failed banks, and that things will not improve until those people are replaced.

See the video of the interview here -- http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04032009/watch.html.

Google Voice is coming with free phone calls

You get a phone number for your incoming calls that links to every phone and every number you already have... Plus many other cool features.

Sign up to be notified when it is rolled out in a few weeks. Click here.

Rep. Sandy Levin invites you to offer your thoughts about health care reform

http://sanderlevin.congressnewsletter.net/mail/util.cfm?gpiv=2100035330.18527.363&gen=1

Obama called the antichrist by those who call themselves Christians

http://www.newsweek.com/id/169192?digg=1

Why Republican Politicians fear Rush Limbaugh

http://www.eyesonobama.com/blog/content/id_48182/title_It-Didnt-Take-Dem-Plotting-to-Make-Limbaugh-GOP-Leader/

Open Letter to the Republican Traitors (From a Former Republican)

Is he right or is he wrong?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-schaeffer/open-letter-to-the-republ_b_172822.html

Real News, Information, and Civil Discussion

Some of you have asked recently about where to find good news and information programs on the radio and for listening on iPods or other devices. So, I put together a some information and posted it on my Web site here -- http://sites.google.com/site/dnspeak/Home/nprinfo.

Sorry to burst your bubble...

553 to go!

That's how close we are to fulfilling my July prediction for the Dow. Today's close is at 7552.6.

By now, perhaps, you already have your converter box for the transition to digital TV. And if you have used it at all, you have discovered that the signal is either good enough or not -- there is nothing in between -- and you may not get in all your favorite channels as well as you hoped. That was my problem. And I also wanted to pick up some new PBS stations I had heard about

Antennaweb.org is a helpful Web site with a tool to help you figure out what antenna will help you get the best over the air reception possible. After you put in your zip code, it tells you what stations are possible for you to pick up, and what type of antenna you need, depending upon which channels you are interested in.

Based upon information I found there, I researched more about indoor antennas, and came upon the Terk HDTVa. (Note: The link is to the Best Buy Web site. The price in the store was more, and I had to point out the ad price to them. It is even cheaper at Radio Shack's Web site, and you can pick it up in their store. And cheaper still at several online stores including Amazon.)

With this new antenna, Channel 50 now comes in much more stably. All other local channels have more strength. And now I can pick up 2 more PBS channels from Flint -- 28.1 and 28.2. I am pleased about that, but I don't understand why I can get that channel from about 60 miles away, but others that are closer (but still distant) I don't pick up. Or at least, I haven't figured out how yet. It is a directional antenna, and it took me a while to figure out exactly how to position it to pick up the Flint channels, and it wasn't even what I expected. I lose the signal if I put the antenna too high -- I thought higher was better, but evidently sumothing gets in the way higher up.

It stands less than a foot tall, and the fishbone arm is about a foot long, so with a little creativity, it can be made to blend in to the decor much better than old style rebbit ears. (It has rabbit ears, but I have them completely collapsed and put away; don't need them.)

I also tried this RCA. It looks nice and would be even easier to hide. Reception with it was slightly better than my old rabbit ears -- Channel 50 was a little stronger and more stable -- but not good enough to pick up 28.1 and 28.2. I see there is an amplified version of that one, which I did not try. However, customer reviews at online sites seem more numerous and more positive for the Terk than any RCA antenna.

Lies and more lies

You thought that it would stop after the elections. But no. You thought that the crisis we are in is big enough that they would put aside all pettiness, and work for the common good. But no. Have these people no scruples? Do they not care what the truth is? Are they so hell-bent on having their way like spoiled children that they will tell bald-faced lies and keep their fingers crossed you won't find out? Evidently.Have they no shame? Apparently not.

I am speaking, of course, about certain so-called "conservatives".

How else to explain the false statements by a long list of "conservatives" speaking out against the stimulus package because it supposedly contained $30 million for mice? What other explanation can there be for stating that the stimulus bill contains very scary provisions that would dictate to your doctors what treatment they can give you, and lead to rationing of health care?

Here are the facts:

• There are no mice in the bill. Even Republican staffers admit such claims about mice in the bill are falsehoods. Knowing this does not stop the Republicans from repeating the falsehoods over and over and over. Someone once said if you are going to tell a lie, make it a big one, and tell it over and over again and the public will believe it.
• The stimulus package would fund a system of electronic medical records -- just as candidate Obama promised during his campaign -- to help make sure that whatever doctor you go to would have complete and accurate information about your medical conditions to treat you effectively, avoid errors, and lower the administrative costs of health care. The bill also mentions a National Coordinator for Health Information, but this is not new a new position; it has been in existence for years already. There is nothing in the bill about dictating anything to anyone or rationing health care. That was all made up to scare you. The false claims are funded by big pharmaceutical lobbyists. See the video coverage below.

Now, I know it is too late in the game for you to be too concerned about the details of what is or is not in the bill. In the bigger scheme of things, though, we must ask ourselves whether we will tolerate and support such bad behavior from certain elected officials and certain media when so much is at stake, when they make clear they are looking out not for your best interests, but for those of others with lots of money to spend.

Fun with GPS

This guy is British, so he calls it "sat-nav".

To those who delay stimulus in Congress: Get Real! (Rachel Maddow)

Dylan's Couch -- Youtube worth watching

More info about the financial situation

There are articles and opinions at this site written by experts --
http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2009/02/04/playing-chicken-with-the-fed/

Sarah says she's ready to take if you are ready to give.

OK, now is your chance if you want to get a head start on the next campaign for President!

Sarah has got her Web site up and ready for your contributions. She pledges to bring change -- which, if the Obama Administration succeeds, would mean a change for the worse -- so I'm not sure what the draw is there. That seems like a set-up for a futile campaign, if you ask me, so if I were in her shoes, I'd wait a little longer to see whether in 4 years, "change" is a winning strategy; if not you'd look pretty foolish. And we wouldn't want that to happen and ruin a reputation as a rock solid thinker and strategist. But what do I know?

And she promises to bring new ideas -- although there are precious few of them expressed on the site. The only new idea I could find was the one that said our nation was founded on Conservative principles. I've never heard of a revolution that conserves old things; I thought revolution meant you get rid of old ways of thinking -- because they aren't working -- and you replace them with something new. I'm so confused! How did the fathers of our nation conserve the old and overthrow it all at the same time? But maybe that's just me.

One thing I've always been in favor of conserving is the real dictionary-definition meanings of words -- like conserve and revolution, for instance.

Anyway, for all you fans who are eager to ride this wave, here it comes --http://www.sarahpac.com/

Will the Republican party follow Rush?

... and would it be good for the U.S. if they do?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/opinion/01rich.html?ex=1391144400&en=382539eaf489a066&ei=5124&partner=digg&exprod=digg

The Church's role in sex education

In Boston, two churches have teamed up on a whole new approach to sex education -- one that focuses on more than mechanics and more than risks, dangers, and statistics. Is this where we should be headed?

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/magazine/articles/2009/02/01/lets_talk_about_sex/?page=full

Hilarious cakes

This just goes to show how important good communication skill are -- even in skilled trades, like baking.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/howaboutthat/4401631/Cake-Wrecks-when-professional-cakes-go-horribly-hilariously-wrong.html

Save your money!

Disclaimer: I have no training or expertise. Don't listen to me. This is not advice. Don't make any decisions based on what's here. Do your own homework, and I recommend you listen to NPR.

We used to joke when I was a kid. My father would come home from work. He would walk in the door. My mother would ask, "What's new?"

Without fail, he would reply, "Save your money!" That was a motto he learned from living through the Great Depression. It was a motto he lived by, and one he taught all of us to live by as well. And it has served all of us well.

The President and certain economists of late have been saying the economy will still get worse before it gets better, and we haven't seen the worst yet. What does this mean? Is that just one of those things people say for the sake of drama?

Here is what I expect from the economy; these are my further projections based on new information.

• I still expect the Dow to drop to 7000 or lower by July 2009, and not exceed 10,000 for 5 years or more. The reasons are in the following bullets. Actually, I now think this projection may have understated the problem, and things may be even worse.
  
• The GDP is very bad. This is the Gross Domestic Product -- how much our nation is producing. We are producing less.
• Jobs are being lost in record numbers from nearly all sectors of the economy. Unemployment is very high in historical terms, and it will get even higher -- much higher. That means people will not have money to spend. This is not just another cyclic recession. It is the worst it has been since the depression.
  
• Manufacturing jobs will be hard hit, more than they already are. This is because manufacturers did not quickly enough respond to lower sales, and they continued producing goods. These unsold goods are either sitting in warehouses, costing storage, or they are being sold at cut rate just to free up the cash. When sales pick up again -- however long that may take -- there is plenty of unsold inventory to be sold before manufacturers need to bring workers back. So, more spending now will not necessarily mean more jobs now. Unsold inventory and reduced profitability means less justification for higher stock prices, except for those who wish to speculate.
• A new demographic must be taken into account: The baby boom generation that created the growth of the past 60 years is mainly done buying stuff. Their kids are grown and have their own families -- but not as many, and they are smaller and have less cash available. Rather than buying more stuff, as we would hope for the sake of the economy, the baby boom generation now is ready to downsize and get rid of stuff it doesn't need, rather than acquire more. And, many -- of all generations -- are now discovering that they can get by with less stuff. Remember how your parents and grandparents may have said things like "Why, during the depression, things were tough. And we just made do without all the fancy things you have." Well, now there is a whole new generation that is learning that philosophy from their own personal experience -- a whole new generation whose motto will be "Save your money!" They will be more focused now than in recent decades on saving for the future as being more important than "shinies" today. These factors will keep buying at lower rates than in recent decades. Good for them, but not so good for the economy if we were hoping for a quick fix precipitated by lots of people going out and spending money instead of saving.
  
• People have generally lost confidence in the stock market. The new Administration and Congress may take steps to improve oversight of the markets and banks, but it will take a long time for people to trust that anything has really gotten better and safer and more fair, and that any legal authority is protecting their interests. And each scandal of how the banks squander the bailout money or how the Madoffs of the world defrauded people of billions while an incompetent government did nothing even after being tipped off, will only delay the rise of confidence necessary for average people to invest in stocks in high numbers. There is serious speculation that Madoff is only the first of many, many others who will be exposed in coming months, and when these stories hit the news, it will dampen enthusiasm for the market.
  
• The money for recovery programs in which we are now embarking does not exist in some government vault, so the government will have to get it from somewhere. The government gets money in 3 ways.
  

1. One way is taxing, but we have not been taxed to a level sufficient to cover the debt being created. There is no appetite to raise taxes, and some even hope to cut them further.
2. We borrow from other countries. When our dollar is strong and interest rates are high, we become increasingly the world's banker. However, in recent months the dollar either has not been strong, or only regained strength relative to other currencies because their own economies got impacted by the financial problems in the U.S., not because of any inherent soundness or desirability of the U.S. dollar. That is to say, for the moment, foreign investors may reason that the U.S. dollar is not as secure an investment as it used to be, and not as safe as they would like, but compared to everyone else at the moment, it is the safest. This is not much of an incentive, and there is no guarantee our relative advantage will last, especially if Asian, European, or Middle Eastern economies are able more quickly than we to get back on track -- or if any of them are perceived to have greater expertise and diligence in protecting investments. Imagine, for instance, what a boon it would be for the European community to compete with the U.S. for foreign investments by guaranteeing a level of oversight and regulation that we have not done. We angered foreign investors -- we have made them feel cheated and defrauded; it would not take much to woo them to something more secure. If we want to be the world's banker, if we want their investments to keep our economy moving, we owe it to our creditors to perform due diligence and regulate and oversee financial institutions. When banks and the economy tanked, so did the billions of dollars invested by foreigners. They read the papers too, and they can plainly see that we could have and should have prevented this mess but did not. They too will need to see a history of enforcement and due diligence before they will invest the huge sums we are going to need. It remains to be seen whether the Congress can pass and fund bills to provide serious regulation of the sort needed to raise investor confidence, and to compete with any foreign market that wants to best us. Furthermore, it is popular for certain politicians and media to promote smaller government, deregulation, and less oversight; every time their message plays in the press, it will weaken the perception that the U.S. is serious about doing what it takes to ensure foreign investments in the U.S. are safe. Our credibility will suffer if those in or running for office are perceived to be arrogant, uneducated, or inclined to act on the basis of ideology instead of facts and pragmatics.
3. The government can create more money simply by printing more. If it prints more money without a basis of value, as would be the case at the moment, the result further down the road is high inflation. Historically, some economists, in fact -- such as in the Reagan Administration -- propose that we can inflate our way out of debt. As inflation reduces the value of the dollar in terms of what it can buy, the relative value of the debt shrinks. This may help the government balance its books and it may look good on paper, but it is harmful to large parts of the population. If unemployment is low, then workers' wages would rise with inflation; good for you, perhaps, if you have a job; workers can be taxed more dollars to pay off the debt, but would notice it less because they will have more dollars (although with less buying power). But those on fixed incomes will be unable to keep up with the rising costs and will be severely impoverished if inflation is high; costs go up, and they are without any means of bringing in more income to keep up.
   

• Because taxes will not be raised and interest rates are being kept artificially low in order to free up borrowing in the U.S. banking industry, the most likely choice will be #3 -- print lots more money, which will inevitably lead to high inflation.
• When inflation occurs, the Fed will eventually need to bring it under control, lest it cause other damage to the economy. The Fed will respond by raising interest rates -- a lot. How much? In the late 1970s and early 80s, you could easily get 6% interest on daily savings at a bank and 13% on a 3 year CD. Our situation is more severe, and the resulting inflation could be very much higher, so we could easily surpass those rates.
• High interest rates will do three things:

1. High interest rates will make it harder again for people to borrow. This will work against our recovery efforts because people won't be able to buy things as easily, hence less will be manufactured, fewer people will be employed making them, fewer people will have money to spend, and the stock market will have no basis to rise.
2. High interest rates will encourage more savings in banks and credit unions instead of in stocks and mutual funds. This could be unfortunate. If the stock market is depressed, then at its lowest point would be the best time to buy stocks or mutual funds, and long term investments could easily earn 25% a year or more if the economy recovers and does well. The more money in banks instead of in stocks, the longer the market will take to recover, and the less investors stand to make. The problem, of course, as we stated earlier, is that things will get worse than they are now, so only those who like big risks and can stay in the market for the long haul, should consider the market. Moreover, while some -- perhaps many -- investors will be able to make 25% or more a year in the market by proper timing, that is not easy and it is not guaranteed. Many will also lose 25% or more -- something they might ill afford after losing 40-50% already. Many will conclude, therefore, that 10% or maybe even 15% in a bank CD that is guaranteed not to lose money is better than an investment in the stock market or mutual funds, where I can possibly lose everything. With compounding, a 10% APY doubles your principle in only 7 years; can you guarantee that in the market? On the other hand, if inflation were high, would the interest you earn even keep pace? If not, then money in the bank means still means a loss in relative terms because you can buy less with my money in the future than you can today. Only those lucky enough to pick wise investments will keep up with inflation or surpass it and thus feel wealthy; everyone else will fall ever further behind and be able to afford less and less.
   
3. If interest rates get high enough, it will further encourage the foreign investment we need. So, once the economy is moving at least a little, there will be an incentive for the Fed to raise interest rates even if it makes it somewhat harder for consumers to buy. The foreign investments may be a higher priority than consumer spending.
   

• Gas prices are artificially low at the moment because of the glut on the oil market. The glut was created when prices were high. They were high, in part, because China bought huge quantities in order to prepare for, and host, the world Olympics. Oil prices dropped when China stopped buying so much after the Olympics, and when the global economy suddenly reduced consumption. To compensate, oil producing nations are cutting back production. Oil and gas prices will start rising again in coming months. This will cause more hardship and make people again have fewer dollars available to buy other things, and this, in turn, will further add to the recession. In fact, depending upon the timing it can also lead to inflation or add substantially to the inflation mentioned earlier in this post. We could then see ourselves in the ironic situation of recession and inflation at the same time -- something some economists traditionally taught was impossible.
• Given these considerations, I do not see a reason for the Dow to go up and stay up. There is no basis in productivity or in near term sales or growth. On what basis will companies be able to pay dividends? You only buy shares in companies you expect to do well, and when you buy shares you are buying part of the company. What company do you have any confidence in to weather the storm of the next few years and survive? -- for if they don't survive, you lose your investment. Any increase in the Dow that i see in the short term, I interpret as day trading and speculation -- people trying to drive up a stock or the market at large so they can sell fast and make a quick profit. But this is not a basis for a strong market, and is not a reason for most people to invest.
  

Clearly, this is all unlike anything seen in the lifetime of most of us. Much of the "common wisdom", like "the market always goes up" and "houses always rise in value", needs to be carefully reassessed. Such things may not be true any more, or perhaps not at this point in time. This is not a time for "business as usual", nor is it a time for fear. What is needed is careful and thoughtful saving and investing. Whatever you do, save your money!

Disclaimer: I have no training or expertise. Don't listen to me. This is not advice. Don't make any decisions based on what's here. Do your own homework, and I recommend you listen to NPR.

Amusing letter about airline food

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/4344890/Virgin-the-worlds-best-passenger-complaint-letter.html

Do you want us to succeed or fail?

Here is a 5 minute explanation of what our President wants our country to be able to do. Hear it in his own words in the first video. In the second video, listen to the words of Fox "news" personalities and Rush Limbaugh.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Fox News Fear Imbalance

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Avoid these words in your job resume

This looks like a good resource to me.
http://www.squawkfox.com/2009/01/19/6-words-that-make-your-resume-suck/

Neil Patrick Harris loses his head on Ellen

How does he do it?

Free short films from the Sundance festival

Here are the shorts available on iTunes and their descriptions provided by Sundance. To get to them on iTunes, click Movies, click on the Shorts genre and then see the Sundance banner at the top. Click that to get to the Sundance shorts, as opposed to shorts from everyone else. These are free, and will say so near their titles, although iTunes requires you register with a credit card number for future purchases you may make.

• Acting for the Camera--An acting class. Today's scene: the orgasm from When Harry Met Sally.
• Countertransference-- A comedy about an awkward woman with assertiveness problems who seeks the questionable help of a therapist.
• HUG--Drew is a musician with a contract ready to sign. When Asa, his friend and manager, realizes Drew is off his meds the across-town drive to sign the contract becomes significantly more complicated.
• Field Notes From Dimension X: Oasis--Captain Fred T. Rogard muses in isolation on planet Oasis.
• From Burger It Came--An animated film that recounts early 1980s-era Cold War fears of a young boy in middle America. Using a variety of techniques, the visual narrative is colorfully assembled over semi-documentary audio conversations between a grown adult recounting his fears and his mother's memory of the time and her own concerns.
• I Live In The Woods--A Woodsman's fast-paced journey, fueled by happiness, slaughter, and a confrontation with America's God.
• Instead of Abracadabra--Tomas is a little bit too old to still be living with his parents, but his dream of becoming a magician leaves him with no other option.
• James--A young man grapples with the impulses and thoughts about being gay.
• Magnetic Movie--Natural magnetic fields are revealed as chaotic ever-changing geometries, as scientists from NASA's space sciences laboratory excitedly describe their discoveries.
• This Way Up--Laying the dead to rest has never been so much trouble.

Seagate hard drive issue

New drives are not losing data, but you may lose access to it until you to the firmware update.

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=storage&articleId=9126280&taxonomyId=19&intsrc=kc_top

The perfect apartment!

This is a real listing in Craigslist. Grab it before it is too late! -- http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/rnr/964514051.html



All the tenants I interview aren't good enough (Broadway and Commercial)

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Reply to: pers-964514051@craigslist.org ^[?]
Date: 2008-12-19, 6:05PM PST

I am a born again Christian. Why is this a problem for people????! I have a house that's MINE and I PAID FOR IT. I also have a basement apartment for rent. It's a great space for I'm charing very little for it, $480 monthly, for the right tenant. I know it's ILLEGAL to require a Christian in the apartment, against the human rights. That's why I NEVER put this in my ad. Why then does it keep getting taken down?

HERE IS THE AD I POSTED, AND THE AD THAT KEEPS GETTING REMOVED:

Available Immediately – Broadway and Commercial – Showing Saturday and Sunday – Email for directions and additional information.

What kind of apartment is it?

• One bedroom basement apartment with separate entrance
• Tastefully decorated with modern décor
• Approximately 650 square feet
• There is even a window! Security bars installed for your safety and to prevent unauthorized activity
• Closed circuit camera installed for security and safety. One in your suite, one at the entrance, and one in the exercise yard

Rent:
• $480.00 per month
• First month’s rent + ½ month security deposit due at move in
• Small pet allowed with approval and payment of additional ½ month pet damage deposit
• One year lease permitted, option to renew lease at end of the term with no increase in rent
• LANDLORD’S SPECIAL! Move in before January 1st and don’t pay for the remainder of December! That’s significant savings.

Included in the rent:

• Electricity
• Heat – Maintained at 21 degrees with lock box to prevent unauthorized tampering. Additional heating available for $20.00 per extra degree of heating per month. You may not use your oven to heat the apartment. If you do, you will be fined $50.00 per occurrence.
• Air conditioning – Maintained at 25 degrees during the summer with lock box to prevent extra cooling from being dispensed. Additional cooling for sale for $20.00 per degree of cooling requested per month.
• 25" Zenith color television set with basic cable service - INCLUDED IN RENT!
• Wireless internet (with content filter applied to block forbidden/immoral websites) - INCLUDED IN RENT!
• Provision of coin laundry services - You will have your own personal coin laundry washer and dryer machines. Washers and dryers are paid using a token system. Tokens can be purchased through the landlord. Washer tokens cost $4.15 each and dryer tokens cost $3.60 each. You are not allowed to use foreign
currency or slugs in the washer and dryer. Violators will be fined $100.00 per infraction.

About us: (Landlords)

We are conservative, bible believing, God-fearing, born again, evangelical Christians. We interpret the bible literally in every way possible. We live a strict moral code and observe God’s laws in our everyday life. My wife stays at home and teaches our home-schooled children. I work as a pastor at a local congregation and am active in the faith community.

About you: (Tenant)

• You are employed
• You do not participate in lascivious deviant sexual behavior
• You do not choose alternative lifestyles as your lifestyle
• You do not have any criminal history
• You must have excellent character references
• You do not smoke, drink or take drugs. Mandatory drug screening required.


Additional Rules/Conditions:

CLEANLINESS: You are responsible for the cleanliness and orderliness of
your apartment. Beds are to be made before leaving your suite,
countertops must be wiped down, and you must remove all trash. Upon
inspection, if the tenant's basement suite is not clean, the cost of
cleaning services plus a fine of $100.00 will be levied.
LIGHTS: The lights in your basement suite and in the day room are not to
be tampered with. If a light needs repair, report the condition to the
Landlord.
WAKE-UP: Wake up will be at 5:30am each morning. All ceiling lights in
the suite will be turned on automatically.
LIGHTS OUT: Ceiling lights in the suite will be turned off at 11:30pm.
CONTRABAND: The following items are considered contraband – alcohol, illegal drugs, tobacco, weapons, lock picking equipment. If any contraband is discovered to be in your possession, you will be subject to a minimum $1,000.00 fine. In addition, your items will be confiscated permanently. Second offense – you will be evicted without notice. A bailiff will escort you and your belongings off the premises. Your security deposit will not be returned.
SMOKING: The basement suite is non-smoking. Anyone in possession of
tobacco products of any kind or any lighter or matches, will have their
contraband items confiscated and will be fined $100.00.
INSPECTIONS: The Landlord will conduct unannounced inspections to ensure
that these rules and regulations are being followed.
VISITATION: Visitation periods will be on Saturdays and Sundays from
1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. All visitors and their vehicles are subject
to search while on landlord property. Refusal to allow a search can
result in their being barred from all future visitation privileges. All
visitors must sign the Visitor's Log. Unauthorized visitors will be
escorted from the property, and the tenant will be fined $250.00.
I.D. BRACELETS: Each tenant will be issued an I.D. bracelet with his/her
photograph. It must be worn at all times. If you lose your I.D.
bracelet or it is broken, you will be required to purchase a new one at
the nominal cost of $5.00.
EXERCISE YARD: The tenant will have access to the exercise yard in the
area to the back of the property for 2 hours per day from 4:00 pm to
6:00 pm. The tenant is not allowed to bring any personal property to
the exercise yard. Once the tenant leaves the exercise yard on a
particular day, he or she may not return. No boisterous behavior is
allowed in the exercise yard. There is no smoking allowed in the
exercise yard. Minimum fine for exercise yard infractions is $50.00.

• Location: Broadway and Commercial
• it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

PostingID: 964514051

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Sell your old computer stuff to HP

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10132421-54.html

Online game teaches how to recognize phishing sites

Are you sure you know how to avoid scam Web sites that look like real businesses? Do you know a family member or friend who you think might get taken in by one of these "phishing" sites?

Anti-Phishing Phil is an online game provided for free to teach people of all ages how to know when it is safe to click on a URL. It was created by a university student using Flash. It looks like a child's game, but has plenty of good information, and it drills you on the the lessons in an entertaining way.

http://cups.cs.cmu.edu/antiphishing_phil/new/index.html