well all we really ARE good for is birthin' babies after all

white women that is. women of color don't count. john gibson thinks so, that is

Fox Anchor Gibson Celebrates Increase in "Anglo" Birth Rate, Asks "Do You Still Think I’m a Racist?"
Posted by Matt Corley, Think Progress

In May 2006, Fox News host John Gibson sparked controversy when he claimed on air that "twenty-five years and the majority of the population is Hispanic" because "Hispanics are having more kids than others" and "white people are having fewer." Worried about the demographic shift in America, Gibson urged his audience to "do your duty. Make more babies."
On his radio show yesterday, Gibson returned to the controversy, touting an Associated Press article about the "baby boomlet" in the U.S. in 2006 as vindication for his call that "the dominant, or largest, population sector, which is Caucasians" should "make more babies." Declaring "I was right," Gibson celebrated the increased birth rate of "non-Hispanic white women":
"The nearly 4.3 million births in 2006 were mostly due to a bigger population, especially a growing number of Hispanics. That group accounted for nearly one-quarter of all U.S. births." As you can tell, Hispanics are doing the hard work of child raising. "But non-Hispanic white women and other racial and ethnic groups were" also "having more babies, too." A big round of applause for all of you out there having those babies.
Claiming that "people were following my advice," Gibson exclaimed that he was "not only right," but "prescient" and that it was time for "a John Gibson victory lap." ........

while we're investigating steroid abuse in mlb.....

THIS is going on
how sad is this? how many places is this happening other than denver? why aren't we protecting those that protect us? my goddess what hath we wrought?

Ailing GIs deployed to war zones
Ft. Carson sent ailing GIs to meet deployment goals, notes say
By Erin Emery The Denver Post
COLORADO SPRINGS — Fort Carson sent soldiers who were not medically fit to war zones last month to meet "deployable strength" goals, according to e-mails obtained by The Denver Post.
One e-mail, written Jan. 3 by the surgeon for Fort Carson's 3rd Brigade Combat Team, says: "We have been having issues reaching deployable strength, and thus have been taking along some borderline soldiers who we would otherwise have left behind for continued treatment."
Capt. Scot Tebo's e-mail was, in part, a reference to Master Sgt. Denny Nelson, a 19-year Army veteran, who was sent overseas last month despite doctors' orders that he not run, jump or carry more than 20 pounds for three months because of a severe foot injury.
Nelson took the medical report to the Soldier Readiness Process, or SRP, site on Fort Carson, where health-care professionals recommended Nelson stay home.
The soldier, who has a Bronze Star and is a member of the Mountain Post's Audie Murphy Chapter, was sent to Kuwait on Dec. 29.
Nelson says he was one of at least 52 soldiers deployed who should not have been, and a veterans group says the military is endangering soldiers to meet its goals.
But Fort Carson officials say they do not believe unfit soldiers have been sent to the Middle East and say there is no repercussion for not meeting goals. They say the battalion commander has the final decision as to who is deployed.
On Jan. 5, a physician in Kuwait sent a strongly worded e-mail to Tebo urging him to send Nelson back to the U.S. .........

canada steps up to the plate

and slams one into the bleachers

as i mentioned the other day, i work for the insurance/financial industry. we're effected by the patriot act and anti-money laundering laws. we have certain countries we cannot deal with/accept money from. now WE are one of those countries (not the money part but the watch part) on someone else's list!

Canada puts U.S., Israel on torture watchlist -CTV
OTTAWA, Jan 17 (Reuters) - An official Canadian government document has put both the United States and Israel on a watch list of countries where prisoners run the risk of being tortured, CTV television reported on Thursday.The revelation is likely to embarrass the minority Conservative government, which is a staunch U.S. ally.The document mentions the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba where a Canadian man is being held.CTV said the document was part of a course on torture awareness given to Canadian diplomats to help them determine whether prisoners they visited abroad had been mistreated.It said the document mentioned U.S. interrogation techniques such as "forced nudity, isolation, and sleep deprivation."Other countries on the watch list include Syria, China, Iran and Afghanistan, CTV said...........

apology or not

chris matthews is still an asshole. there's nothing he can do or say to convince me he's not a misogynist either

believe me i am NO fan of hillary. i will N OT ever in a million years vote for her. it's NOT because she's a woman though. it's because i think she's a lyin' weasel. i don't trust her as far as i can throw her. i don't think she's a senator because her husband stepped out on her. i think she was elected because she's BRIGHT, charismatic and a good liar.

Chris Matthews Backs Off 'Nasty' Remark on Clinton

By Howard Kurtz Washington Post Staff Writer
Under pressure from feminist groups and his own bosses at MSNBC, Chris Matthews apologized yesterday for remarks about Hillary Clinton that he now admits sounded "nasty."
For 10 days, the "Hardball" host had doggedly insisted he was just reciting a bit of history when he said on the air that "the reason she's a U.S. senator, the reason she's a candidate for president, the reason she may be a front-runner is her husband messed around."
But protests against those and other remarks by Matthews reached a peak yesterday when the presidents of such groups as the National Organization for Women, Feminist Majority and National Women's Political Caucus sent a joint letter of complaint to NBC News President Steve Capus. ...........

David Brock Issues Open Letter to NBC News President Steve Capus
Washington, D.C. -- Today, Media Matters for America President & CEO David Brock issued an open letter to Steve Capus, the president of NBC News, raising serious questions about the on-air conduct of MSNBC Hardball host Chris Matthews. Given Matthews' long history of degrading commentary, Brock has urged Capus to protect the network's trusted reputation for fair and equal coverage and, as Capus himself articulated, "continue the dialogue about what is appropriate conduct and speech" on the air.
Highlights from the letter include:
"Senator Clinton's candidacy aside, Matthews' degrading attacks on women constitute a broader and more troubling pattern that has unfolded over the years. During his coverage of the 2000 presidential race, Matthews repeatedly referred to author Naomi Wolf as "the political equivalent of Viagra." His on-air treatment of CNBC anchor Erin Burnett ("Could you get a little closer to the camera? ...You're beautiful. ...You're a knockout.") has been described by Emily's List President Ellen Malcolm as "sexual harassment brought to you by MSNBC."'........

Chris Matthews addresses firestorm
On the January 17 edition of MSNBC's Hardball, host Chris Matthews addressed the firestorm sparked by his comment about Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) that "the reason she's a U.S. senator, the reason she's a candidate for president, the reason she may be a front-runner is her husband messed around. That's how she got to be senator from New York. We keep forgetting it. She didn't win there on her merit."
From the January 17 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews:
MATTHEWS: Good evening, I'm Chris Matthews. Welcome to Hardball. Well, we're in a time of a lot of frustration in this country -- Iraq, of course; the lack of health care for people who work every day; gas prices going up; the weakening economy that scares us every day -- and I come on here every night and try to wrestle with these frustrations, and also the changes in our country. We might soon have the first woman president, the first African-American president, or a man older than we've ever elected before. And of course, we always treat things here with hope -- our uniquely American hope that we can actually make things better, that we can make the greatest of countries, not only survive, but as [author] William Faulkner once said, "prevail.".........

surreal moment of the week

i don't work in hartford anymore. it was a two minute trip. i work in windsor now and i go the backroads. on my way in this morning, as i do every morning, i have the bbc on (via npr). so, i'm on a VERY dark road surrounded by tobacco fields or whatever and on comes a story about dog sled racing. siberian husky dog sled racing. that's all well and good and normally NOT surreal. HOWEVER, the person doing the story was a scot (wicked heavy trainspotting accent) and the racing was happening in the uk (scotland i believe). the announcer then started interviewing this woman (she had a heavy british accent). she was talking about how most of the time there really isn't any snow so they do have to race on wheels. anyway, you had to hear it to get the full effect

Dog teams gather ahead of races
Mushers have arrived in Aviemore for the town's annual dog sled rally.
About 200 teams from all over the country will do practice runs on Friday ahead of two-days of competition. The event finishes next Tuesday.
Organised by the Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain the rally is run on tracks around Loch Morlich.
Competitors include schoolchildren and veterans who will mush teams of two and eight dogs running at up to 20mph over four-mile track..........

more

(my question is, if they are so god-like - because they are the ONLY ones who can save us - why do they want this video off the net? why do they continue to harass and sue everyone? why why and why?)

Tom Cruise
Church of Scientology Claims Copyright Infringement
Claims Copyright Infringement
The Church of Scientology, and Tom Cruise, the organization's most prominent evangelist, are both notoriously litigious. The sect's founder, science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, wrote in a 1955 magazine article, "The purpose of a lawsuit is to harass and discourage rather than to win." At the peak in the 1990s, according to the St. Petersburg Times, the organization spent $30m in one year on legal action, in part to win tax-exempt status as a religion, but also to parry and tire its many critics. So it's hardly surprising that the Scientologists' lawyers would at least threaten a huge lawsuit against the author of this week's controversial new biography of Tom Cruise, which also exposes many of the sect's most embarrassing secrets. ........


my original posting on the ONLY person in the entire cosmos who can save someone who was in an accident or is addicted to drugs or on and on and on and on

my new circular knitting needle case arrived

yesterday! it was a special order from the etsy shop of

granny's closet

it is SOOOOOOOOOOOO WICKED KICK ASS.

it's got 24 (that's right TWENTY - FOUR) pockets

how much more?

how many more times are we going to hear and read this? how many times are we going to ignore the health and well-being of our enlisted men and women and our veterans?
oh wait, we have something WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY more important to do. yes, that's right, INVESTIGATE STEROIDS IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL (how many people does THAT encompass? a couple of thousand give or take) and now the rap industry??????????????? yup, mlb players and rap artists are FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN OUR SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN
Rate of Traumatic Stress Triples Among U.S. Troops
TUESDAY, Jan. 15 (HealthDay News) -- The incidence of new cases of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among combat-exposed U.S. soldiers has risen threefold since 2001, a new study finds.
PTSD is an anxiety disorder involving nightmares, flashbacks and panic attacks linked to event "triggers" that develop after exposure to combat or other extremely disturbing events.
Researchers at the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego analyzed data on more than 50,000 participants in the Millennium Cohort Study, which is tracking the health of U.S. military personnel over 22 years. The researchers compared data collected in July 2001 and June 2003 against data collected from June 2004 to February 2006.
The data included details about combat exposure, new onset PTSD symptoms, cigarette smoking and problem drinking...........

at work

our emails are recorded and stored for, i believe, 5 years. from what i understand it is part of some new law(s) that went through (although i could be wrong here). if i'm right, how come MY emails (yesterday i emailed building services because one of the elevators was not functioning correctly) have to be saved and THEIRS DON'T?
White House Says It Routinely Overwrote E-Mail Tapes From 2001 to 2003

By Elizabeth Williamson and Dan EggenWashington Post Staff Writers
E-mail messages sent and received by White House personnel during the first three years of the Bush administration were routinely recorded on tapes that were "recycled," the White House's chief information officer said in a court filing this week.
During the period in question, the Bush presidency faced some of its biggest controversies, including the Iraq war, the leak of former CIA officer Valerie Plame Wilson's name and the CIA's destruction of interrogation videotapes.
White House spokesman Tony Fratto said he has no reason to believe any e-mails were deliberately destroyed.
From 2001 to October 2003, the White House's practice was to use the same backup tape each day to copy new as well as old e-mails, he said, making it possible that some of those e-mails could still be recovered even from a tape that was repeatedly overwritten. "We are continuing to analyze our systems," Fratto said last night........

did he really help terrorists on purpose

OR could it be totally innocent? i don't know and i don't think ANYONE else really knows right now.

i work in the insurance/financial industry. i can tell you there are WICKED STRICT anti-money laundering laws out there (as part of the patriot act i will add) for the industry (i know, i worked on the implementation of the laws into some of our systems).

Ex-Congressman Indicted In Terrorism-Funding Case

By Dan EggenWashington Post Staff Writer
A former Republican congressman from Michigan who has dedicated himself to building ties between Christians and Muslims was indicted in federal court yesterday for alleged ties to an Islamic charity that sent money to suspected terrorists.
Mark D. Siljander, who served more than two terms in the House in the 1980s and later ran as a Republican candidate for the House from Northern Virginia, was charged with money laundering, obstruction of justice and conspiracy.
The indictment alleges that he lied to the FBI about his work on behalf of the Islamic American Relief Agency, which the Treasury Department designated as a terrorist organization in 2004. ........

Ex-lawmaker charged in terror conspiracy
Former Congressman Charged in Conspiracy Involving Terror Fundraising Ring
LARA JAKES JORDAN
A former congressman and delegate to the United Nations was indicted Wednesday as part of a terrorist fundraising ring that allegedly sent more than $130,000 to an al-Qaida and Taliban supporter who has threatened U.S. and international troops in Afghanistan. Mark Deli Siljander, a Michigan Republican when he was in the House, was charged with money laundering, conspiracy and obstructing justice for allegedly lying about lobbying senators on behalf of an Islamic charity that authorities said was secretly sending funds to terrorists.
A 42-count indictment, unsealed in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., accuses the Islamic American Relief Agency of paying Siljander $50,000 for the lobbying — money that turned out to be stolen from the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Siljander, who served in the House from 1981-1987, was appointed by President Reagan to serve as a U.S. delegate to the United Nations for one year in 1987..........

harold bloom speaks

and it's not good news
Harold Bloom: 'What We Are Seeing Is the Fall of America'
By Eva Sohlman, The Wip
Harold Bloom, Yale literature professor and cultural critic, is one of America's most prominent and provocative intellectuals. Unabashedly, he has always spoken up for what he calls "the fight for truth and beauty" making a lot of foes in the process, but also some friends. As one of the first critical voices against the Bush administration and the war in Iraq, Bloom landed in the hot seat with the satire "MacBush" in 2004. Lately, he sparked worldwide outrage by calling Harry Potter "garbage." Speaking at his home in New Haven where he is recovering from a recent health scare, a pale and weak Bloom seems to have symbolically embodied what he calls the "poor state of the nation."
"I am 77 years old and I have never seen this country in such a bad state. It is madness. What we are seeing is the fall of the Roman Empire, only now it is the fall of America, the glory of our Empire. This war is what Parthia was to Rome.........

(for the record, i disagree with him on harry potter)

yeah, it's getting better all right

in the minds of the good ol' boys

Iraq's healthcare left in disarray after invasion
Sarah Boseley, health editor Wednesday January 16, 2008 The Guardian
The full extent of the destruction of Iraq's healthcare system and the devastating impact it has had on its people is documented today in a new report which indicts the allied invasion force for failing in its duty to protect medical institutions and staff.
The report, by an independent team of researchers and advisers from Iraq, the UK, the US and elsewhere, says the provision of healthcare "has become increasingly difficult" since the invasion. "Doctors and nurses have emigrated en masse, exacerbating existing staff shortages.
"The health system is in disarray owing to the lack of an institutional framework, intermittent electricity, unsafe water, and frequent violations of medical neutrality. The ministry of health and local health authorities are mostly unable to meet these huge challenges, while the activities of UN agencies and non-governmental organisations are severely limited."...............

see what i mean?
GAO questions report on Iraq
GAO Says Figures in Administration's September 'Benchmark' Report Were Unreliable
PAULINE JELINEK AP News
The Bush administration, in its last so-called Iraq "benchmark" report, used questionable financial data to assert that the Baghdad government was making progress in managing its budget, a new study says. The study released Tuesday by the Government Accountability Office focused specifically on whether Iraqis were spending their capital budget, that is money for infrastructure needed to boost the country's lagging economic growth and improve poor public services.
The administration reported in its September Iraqi benchmark assessment that Iraq's central government ministries had spent 24 percent of their 2007 capital projects budget as of July 15, 2007. "This report is not consistent with Iraq's official expenditure reports," which show that the central ministries had spent only 4.4 percent of their investment budget as of August, the GAO said. It said capital projects are 90 percent of Iraq's investment budget.....

honey

it does have healing and antiseptic powers. years ago i learned to put it on minor skin problems such as blemishes. i've read about the medical field using honey for a while now. how cool is this? (then again look at aspirin. the native americans were using the same thing for hunders of years before the good ol' boys made pills and put 'em in bottles. white willow bark is what they used.

(that's why i can't consider myself 100% vegan. i eat and use honey AND i use wool in my knitting as well)

The Healing Power Of Honey
Mainstream Medicine Rediscovers Natural Infection Fighter, Treatment For Non-Healing Wounds
By LINDA A. JOHNSON Associated Press
Amid growing concern over drug-resistant superbugs and non-healing wounds that endanger diabetes patients, nature's original antibiotic — honey — is making a comeback.More than 4,000 years after Egyptians began applying honey to wounds, Derma Sciences Inc., a New Jersey company that makes medicated and other advanced wound-care products, began selling the first honey-based dressing last fall after it was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Called Medihoney, it is made from a highly absorbent seaweed material, saturated with manuka honey, a particularly potent type that experts say kills germs and speeds healing. Also called Leptospermum honey, manuka honey comes from hives of bees that collect nectar from manuka and jelly bushes in Australia and New Zealand......

(prior posting i did on it why do i keep honey in my bathroom?

the nutmeg grater: is it just me?#links#links

the nutmeg grater: is it just me?#links#links

before this video is taken down

PLEASE go to this link and watch it.



it is THE MOST frightening thing i have ever seen in my whole life. AND i have seen someone

die (due to VERY UNNATURAL causes)

wow wow wow

cruise on down (so to speak) to the video (from gawker)


The video that Scientology apparently didn't want you to see is back again

............Cruise goes on to say that the religion is all about helping others,"being a Scientologist, when you drive past an accident, it's not like anyone else. As you drive past you know you have to do something about it because you know you're the only one that can really help.""We are the authorities on getting people off drugs," says Cruise. "We are the authorities on the mind. We are the authorities on improving conditions. We can rehabilitate criminals ... we can bring peace and unite cultures. Once you know these tools and you know that they work, it's not good enough that I'm just doing okay."Cruise also lets out a hearty laugh talking about suppressive persons (or anti-social persons), which are referred to by Scientologists as SPs. He recalls a member of the church asking him "So have you met an SP?" After gathering himself from chuckling, Cruise says "I looked at them and I thought, what a beautiful thing because maybe one day it will be like that. SPs, you'll read about them in the history books."............

jim hightower

and i feel the exact same way on this subject
(get up stand up - for your RIGHTS. get up stand up - don't give up the fight - apologies to bob marley)

We're Mad as Hell and the Dems Aren't Listening
By Jim Hightower, Hightower Lowdown.

What I am hearing from across the country is a surge of angst and discouragement. In conversations, calls, emails, and letters, people in general (and progressives in particular) are expressing profound dismay at the deterioration of America's democracy, not only because of the BushCheney regime, but also, and especially, because of the fecklessness of the Democratic Congress.
"For crying out loud! Why do we even bother to have elections?" Mark wailed in an email.
I am afraid of what this country has become and that at any minute the people in charge may bomb Iran, and I have lost all hope that there will be any checks and balances," Marshaleigh wrote, adding bluntly, "Congress doesn't work."
Jay bemoaned the dismal performance of Congress in this letter to the editor: "Despite the 2006 congressional elections and the overwhelming antiwar sentiment among our citizens...[Democrats] have become enablers of the White House's misbegotten Iraq venture."
Susan wrote, "What little optimism I had is vanishing. I am much more overwhelmed by the Democratic party's lack of gumption than I was by Bush's wickedness. And the small ideas offered by the presidential candidates make me cringe. I need help."
The damage now being done to America's political psyche by the Democrats' fizzle is way out of the ordinary............

if this is an example of

turning the OTHER cheek, we're in big big trouble

Lawmaker kicks photog during prayer
Colorado Lawmaker Kicks Photographer Who Took His Picture During Statehouse Prayer
STEVEN K. PAULSON
Carrying a family Bible, a state representative-elect kicked a photographer who took a picture of him during a statehouse prayer — then was sworn into office. Douglas Bruce went to the House floor Monday morning as a guest of Rep. Kent Lambert, a fellow Colorado Springs Republican.
When Rocky Mountain News photographer Javier Manzano took his photo during the traditional morning prayer, Bruce, who was standing, brought the sole of his shoe down hard on the photographer's bent knee.
"Don't do that again," Bruce told him.
Later, Bruce refused to apologize.
"I think that's the most offensive thing I've seen a photographer do in 21 years," he said. "If people are going to cause a disruption during a public prayer, they should be called for it. He owes an apology to the House and the public.".....

we shouldn't be giving weapons

(or selling them rather) TO ANYONE. NO ONE. india, saudia arabia and goddess knows who else (look what we did to iraq. we sold saddam weapons don't forget and nicaragua too). those spineless democrats won't do anything either. where the hell are the voices of the people. we can't all be ok with this, can we?

New US weapons sale for Saudis
US Announces Sales of Advanced Weaponry to Saudis As Bush Visits Riyadh
MATTHEW LEE and ANNE FLAHERTY
The Democratic-led Congress is unlikely to block U.S. plans to sell $123 million worth of sophisticated precision-guided bomb technology to Saudi Arabia, despite concerns from some members that the systems could be used against Israel
The Bush administration on Monday officially notified Congress of its intent to sell the bomb-delivery systems as part of a multibillion-dollar arms package to bolster the defense of U.S. allies in the Gulf.
Rep. Tom Lantos, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, does not intend consider a resolution of disapproval, said spokesman Lynne Weil. Otherwise, Lantos declined to comment..........

draw your brakes brodda*

and in this case i mean BIG BRODDA (cause he really IS watching)

US drafting plan to allow government access to any email or Web search
National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell is drawing up plans for cyberspace spying that would make the current debate on warrantless wiretaps look like a "walk in the park," according to an interview published in the New Yorker's print edition today.
Debate on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act “will be a walk in the park compared to this,” McConnell said. “this is going to be a goat rope on the Hill. My prediction is that we’re going to screw around with this until something horrendous happens.”
The article, which profiles the 65-year-old former admiral appointed by President George W. Bush in January 2007 to oversee all of America's intelligence agencies, was not published on the New Yorker's Web site........

things like this just leave me wondering. right now let's just say, screw MY rights (just for now). i must wonder why our government is spending money on shite like this when our returning veterans (just as ONE instance out of a kazillion) aren't getting the care they need.

*one of my favorite reggae songs. it was on the album the harder they come by jimmy cliff

right now

i happened to catch the tail end of the jimmy kimmel show (and i do mean right now)

xavier rudd was performing. i MUST listen to more of his work (white moth is his new cd). his music seems wicked cool. he had a didgeridoo (what looked like a TRIPLE didgeridoo at that)