Monthly Archives: February 2011

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TGIF …thoughts of Egypt &some News


As President Obama visits Penn State to talk on energy he will also reveal his plan to reinvest in the future to a crowd of 3ooo, he will also be holding a news conference 3pmET with Canadian PMinister, which you can watch on CSPAN … if you want to read about the visit to Penn State go to: www.centredaily.com

President Obama visited the Penn State Campus in State College, Pennsylvania and toured labs focused on energy-efficient building solutions. The President then delivered remarks on the importance of investing in innovation and clean energy to put people back to work and grow the economy. http://c-span.com/Events/President-Obama-Remarks-on-Innovation-at-Penn-State/10737419391/

It is Friday night in Egypt, Cairo ….and

The World is now watching …

The marches started in Tunisia; which gave way to Egypt and moved on to cities like Alexandria. As the protests get ramped up the violence has as well but the people of Egypt like Iran have had enough, though this revolt seems to be on a roll to the people getting an opportunity to shape their own democracy, freedoms and human rights. The President appointed a VP announced he will not run for office again yet tells the World he will see his country through until the September elections. The fact is …this just seems like a military man who not only is stubborn but unwilling to listen or do right by his own people. It has been about 11 days later, several hundred injured and at least 15 dead and it gives the viewer the idea that Mubarak would rather see his country be torn up and down than do what is right and save face. The World has been watching the physical crackdown by either Mubarak and or the new VP with orders to harass foreign media, take Cameras, and detain people in the name of safety or something else. Now, it is getting harder and harder to tell the pro-Mubarak people from the pro-democracy protestors, as it is obvious being undercover enables them to do more damage.

Remember … there is always strength in numbers

people dying for wanting to be heard, for wanting to be participants in their own futures is not new … mothers with children, older men and women and college students are coming out in droves to let the current dictators know it’s time for a change

We see a country in possible transition, definitely a movement against a dictatorship who has been President for thirty years; obviously, the votes of millions have gone uncounted. The people of Egypt are demanding to be heard and it is obvious that many know that to get the change they need and want … it means demanding to be heard and fear or fear of authority is not an option… and the possibility of death imminent.

Mubarak and or his new VP have tried to cut off all connections to the outside World, have been diverting responsibility, and obviously willing to use extreme force. The military and the police have let things go so far then they show their might with gun fire; but don’t they want personal freedom too … a change from the old ways to a more positive way of life … human rights, a chance for a better economy and a chance to be heard, to be a real participant in the process of life ….

They have a dictator who will not step down quietly has threatened and is now bringing the pain to his own people for what started out as a non-violent protest and demand for freedom and it is shameful.

The journey toward freedom is sometimes paved with danger

Pray for all those involved and hope Americans are safe

Other News …

** Top Iran leader to Mubarak… you betrayed your people-response is appropriate against his rule

**Tens of thousands still in the square of Cairo as night comes

**Folks all around the country are marking the 100yrs since RonReagan was born

**Monster storm keeps beating down on the East Coast

**Fighting between Cambodia and Thai troops near disputed temple- the Preah Vihear — on the border

**Giffords husband will go on last NASA flight 

**Senate Panel Backs Patent Overhaul Bill

**Report states FBI failed ,Fort Hood shooting

**House Repubs Propose $32Bil Cut in Fed Spending- FYI remember that is less than 1/3 of the $100Bil they promised

**Al-Jazeera’s offices torched during Egypt unrest

**Zimbabwe protesters mob aid project handover

**LA school dist cancels Chef JamieOliver’s reality shoot

**the protests in Egypt cost around $300M per day says their govt

**Dollar climbs as the job rate falls to 9%

CSPAN …

 Journalists discussed the protests in Egypt and looked at the future implications of that uprising at an event hosted by the Center for Strategic & International Studies. Speakers include Bob Schieffer, anchor of the CBS Sunday morning program “Face the Nation,” as well as al Jazeera Arabic’s Washington Bureau Chief and the Chief Pentagon Correspondent for McClathcy Newspapers. http://c-span.com/Events/CSIS-Discussion-on-Political-Unrest-in-Egypt/10737419389/ 

With protests continuing in Egypt, and recent developments in Tunisia, the Obama administration faces a changing landscape in the Middle East. Two human rights experts and a former State Department official discussed the developments at this event hosted by Carnegie Endowment for Int’l Peace. http://c-span.com/Events/Carnegie-Endowment-for-Int39l-Peace-Discussion-on-Political-Unrest-in-Egypt/10737419396/

Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-ME) spoke to reporters on Capitol Hill about the latest report on the Fort Hood shootings. The report blames the army and the FBI for not doing enough to prevent the 2009 shootings which killed 13 people. http://c-span.com/Events/News-Conference-on-Fort-Hood-Shootings/10737419394/

Iraq U.S. Forces Commander General Lloyd Austin and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey gave an upbeat assessment on the transition in the country from a military mission to a civilian-led effort at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. They appeared before the committee to answer questions about a 2008 agreement between the U.S. and Iraq that calls for all U.S. troops to withdraw from the region by the end of this year. According to a Senate Foreign Relations Committee report released recently, American diplomats and other mission employees may not be safe in Iraq if the U.S. military leaves by the deadline. http://c-span.com/Events/Senate-Armed-Services-Cmte-Hearing-on-Policy-Toward-Iraq/10737419393/

The Senate Budget Committee held a hearing on U.S. economic recovery efforts. This is one of a series of hearings the Committee held on the U.S. economy and the federal budget. President Obama is scheduled to release his federal budget proposal to Congress later this month, which will kick off the budget process for the federal government’s fiscal 2012. Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) chairs the committee http://c-span.com/Events/Senate-Budget-Cmte-Hearing-on-Economic-Recovery/10737419388/

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Bankrate.com


Bankrate.com    Here are stories published today.

 How to get a credit consolidation loan | 2011-02-03

A credit consolidation loan can be a good tool. Here’s how to choose the right loan.

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/debt/how-to-get-a-credit-consolidation-loan.aspx?ec_id=brmint_newsalert_20110202

Bump up your credit score | 2011-02-03

How much of your credit card limit should you use? http://www.bankrate.com/finance/credit-cards/how-to-bump-up-your-credit-score.aspx?ec_id=brmint_newsalert_20110202

~ Recent Post

This needs to be a headline …OFA


Yesterday, Democrats in the Senate successfully blocked the repeal of health reform — preventing Republicans from tacking it on as an amendment to a completely unrelated bill.

But Republicans in Congress aren’t finished with the political games.

Instead of focusing on creating jobs and growing the economy, they are insisting on re-litigating the battles of the last two years. They’ve vowed to do whatever it takes to tear apart the Affordable Care Act bit by bit, and they’re already planning to go after it at every turn.

These opponents of reform are in full campaign mode.

But we don’t just have the facts on our side — we also have the millions of Americans who already benefit from reform. And it’s up to us to help tell their stories, to make sure everyone understands the costs of repeal.

So, in the next week, we want to make sure those stories are on the letters pages of your local papers — one place we know lawmakers and folks in your community are sure to look.

http://my.barackobama.com/RepealLTE1?keycode=f73ee748a8755ee96cbf68fb490ba6bac3a1b3eea88077a8e4437e5b3f5b84a5&email=louvenia77@comcast.net

Will you write a letter to the editor exposing repeal — and highlight how the Affordable Care Act is improving lives in your community?

Using our letter-to-the-editor tool is easy, and we’ll even get you started with a few tips and helpful points you can use to make your case.

But, discussion points aside, you already know why we can’t afford repeal. The Affordable Care Act is helping millions of people around the country — and these are our friends and neighbors.

We’re on their side.

We’re on the side of the folks who used to worry about losing their coverage when someone on their plan got sick.

We’re on the side of the young adults who can now stay on their parents’ health plan until they turn 26.

We’re on the side of the seniors who used to pay thousands out of pocket because they fell in the “donut hole” in prescription drug coverage.

We’re on the side of the people the insurance companies can no longer discriminate against, like children who have a pre-existing condition.

That’s why we fought for reform in the first place.

That’s why we can’t stand by while the other side tries to tear it down, exposing millions of Americans once again to the whims of the insurance industry.

It’s why we can’t just sit back while a few activist judges rehash last year’s debate as they attempt to legislate from the bench and strike down provisions in the bill.

Because it shouldn’t be repeal that we should be reading about in tomorrow’s papers. The headlines we see should be about the people whose lives are improving because of reform.

They’re counting on you.

Tell their story — or yours. Write a letter to the editor today to protect our progress:

http://my.barackobama.com/RepealLTE

Thanks,

Yohannes

Yohannes Abraham

Political Director

Organizing for America

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Tell Congress: Stop wasting taxpayer money on bottled water


During and after the State of the Union last Tuesday, President Obama and Congressional Republicans waxed poetic about the need to cut wasteful spending in Washington. Here’s an easy place to start:

According to Corporate Accountability International, Congress spent nearly $200,000 on bottled water in just three months last year. Recent studies estimate that bottled water costs almost 2,000 times more than tap water – even though the two types of water often come from the same sources.

Besides being a waste of money, bottled water is terrible for the environment: The energy needed to produce the plastic consumption is enough to fuel three million cars for a year. Nearly one million tons of plastic bottles are discarded as litter each year, ending up in landfills, lakes and streams. What’s more, public water infrastructure in DC and around the whole country needs all the support it can get— especially from Congress.

Tell Congress to stop wasting our money and end its use of bottled water. www.change.org

To sweeten the deal, DC Water (a local utility) has even offered to provide every member of Congress with a reusable water bottle as well as free water quality testing systems for Congressional office buildings.

When members of Congress complain about wasteful spending, they should curb their own bad habits first.

Sign this petition today to tell Congress to end its use of bottled water:

www.change.org 

Thanks for taking action,

Judith and the Change.org team

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Vote Imminent: Senate Takes Up Health Care Law Repeal


 

We Can’t Go Back to Being at the Mercy of Insurance Companies

Call your Senators today and tell them to vote NO on repealing the health care law.

Call 877-667-6650

Yes, they are at it again. Are health care law opponents creating more jobs and helping our struggling economy, you ask? Nope, not until they have accomplished political priority #1 — scoring points with their base by trying to repeal the health care law, even though that would harm women’s health.

A vote in the Senate to repeal the health care law is imminent. Call your Senators today at 877-667-6650 and tell them to vote NO on repealing the health care law.

I know you’ve sent letters and called your Members of Congress in the past to tell them you support the health care law — but let me explain why we need you to pick up the phone again to protect this critical law.

Because of the health care law:

a mother who is diagnosed with breast cancer can focus on her treatment and not worry about whether her insurance company will drop her because she got sick;

a young boy who has type 1 diabetes won’t have trouble getting health care coverage because of a pre-existing condition or face a lifetime cap on coverage;

a young woman can go to her gynecologist and get a pap smear without a referral and without paying a co-pay.

Repealing the health care law will take away these important benefits — and more — that women and their families are already enjoying. It will also re-open the door to discriminatory insurance practices like charging women more than men for health care coverage and denying coverage to mothers who have had Caesarean sections and domestic violence survivors under the guise that these are “pre-existing conditions.”

Women and their families can’t go back to being at the mercy of insurance companies. Call your Senators today at 877-667-6650 and tell them to vote NO on repealing the health care law.

Please send a strong message of support for the law. Call your Senators today.

Sincerely,

Judy Waxman

Vice President for Health and Reproductive Rights

National Women’s Law Center