Political Pandering Stunts…
Posted by Michelle Moquin on September 28th, 2011
…or “Straw Polls”? Same same difference.
Rachel Maddow Trashes Straw Polls Again
Rachel Maddow took another swipe at Republican straw polls, trashing the state contests in a sarcastic monologue on her Monday show.
In August, Maddow caustically took down the Iowa straw poll, calling it a fundraising “racket” where candidates can easily buy their victories, and which has no predictive power.
On Monday, she made the same critique of other state straw polls and media coverage of them. She began with a sarcastic projection of the results for the Republican race for the presidential nomination according to the polls. Maddow said that the results indicate Herman Cain in first place, followed by Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann. She added, “There are rumors there is a Texas governor named Rick Perry running for this nomination as well but you would have no way of knowing that if you were just looking at the polling.”
Then, she dropped the sarcasm and made her opinion of state straw polls clear: that they are “cooked-up publicity stunts to get media attention,” and a waste of newspaper and television space that try “to force the candidates to pander to the most manipulative and cynical activists in the political system. Oh, and to raise money for Republican parties and activists groups.”
“We could call them embarrassing political pandering stunts,” she lampooned. “Or we could call them straw polls. Same difference.”
WATCH:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Ya know blogging only one topic a day just isn’t satisfying to me when there is so much to talk about.
So speaking of political pandering, did any of you make it to LinkedIn to attend Obama’s town hall meeting the other day? Pandering he was not. I heard he was ________. You fill in the blank because there are just so many good things to say here. Ooh I really wish I could’ve been there to see him.
Obama LinkedIn Town Hall: President Promotes Jobs Plan In Silicon Valley (VIDEO)
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Inviting questions, President Barack Obama got one he was happy to answer.
“Would you please raise my taxes?” one man asked the president at a town hall here Monday, hosted by the social networking company LinkedIn.
The questioner described himself as unemployed by choice after succeeding at a search-engine startup company that did “quite well” – he was later identified as former Google executive Doug Edwards – and said he wants the nation to spend more on education, infrastructure and job training. That gave Obama a chance to promote his nearly $450 billion jobs plan that would be paid for by higher taxes opposed by Republicans but not, evidently, by some of Silicon Valley’s wealthiest.
“I appreciate the fact that you recognize that we’re in this thing together. We’re not on our own,” Obama said. “Those of us who have been successful, we’ve always got to remember that.”
In a session dominated by economic concerns, the president plugged his jobs agenda in fielding questions on the employment picture, education, Medicare and Social Security. The president spoke midway through a three-state Western swing built largely around fundraising for himself and other Democrats.
Obama is in a deadlock with congressional Republicans, including House leaders, over raising taxes as part of a formula for helping a staggering economy. He has put forward a debt-reduction plan that would raise $1.5 trillion in new revenue, including about $800 billion over 10 years from repealing the Bush-era tax cuts for couples making more than $250,000.
Obama also said the financial crisis rippling through Europe is “scaring the world” and that steps taken by European nations to stem the eurozone debt problem “haven’t been as quick as they need to be.” His reference to the European debt crisis came on the heels of remarks by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who over the weekend urged governments to unite with the European Central Bank to help defuse the “most serious risk now confronting the world economy.”
In the short term, Obama wants Congress to cover the cost of his jobs plan by, among other changes, limiting the itemized deductions for charitable contributions and other deductions that can be taken by individuals making more than $200,000 a year and families making over $250,000.
Obama said he did not want to punish the rich, but rather to return income tax rates to the level of the 1990s that he said were fair.
“During that period, the rich got richer,” the president said. “The middle class expanded. People rose out of poverty.”
Edwards, former director of consumer marketing and brand management for Google, encouraged Obama to “stay strong” in his push for higher taxes on the wealthy.
Obama also made no apologies for Wall Street regulation and environmental rules and doesn’t buy the GOP charge they’re costing jobs.
The event was at the Computer History Museum, near LinkedIn’s Silicon Valley headquarters.
Referring to the countries of Europe, Obama said they have not fully dealt with banking crises, and now the struggles in Greece have compounded the problem. “So they are going through a financial crisis that is scaring the world and they’re trying to take responsible actions, but those actions haven’t been quite as quick as they need to be,” he said.
Obama is on the road selling both his jobs plan and his own re-election.
The town hall was the White House’s latest attempt to meld old-school campaigning with new media capabilities.
Obama also was holding three fundraisers Monday, two in Los Angeles and one in San Diego, on the heels of four he held Sunday as he races to collect cash ahead of a Friday quarterly fundraising deadline that will provide a snapshot of the president’s strength against the gelling GOP field.
The president has been using the events to try out his newly aggressive tone with supporters who have been disappointed with the president’s compromises with the GOP. The president is mixing frontal attacks on Republicans with words of encouragement intended to buck up the faithful as the 2012 campaign revs up.
“I can’t do it alone. You guys are my ambassadors, you guys are my advocates and my shock troops out there,” Obama told donors in La Jolla, Calif., where 130 guests paid $5,000 per ticket to attend a private lunch where he spoke.
***********
I didn’t post the video from the article because I really enjoyed Ed’s comments on Obama so much more:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Obama: A “warrior for the working class” don’t ya love it?
Please excuse me president Obama for not giving you the headliner spot today. But you know me…”I’m a girl’s girl.” :)
Peace out.
Oh…and do blog me.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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September 28th, 2011 at 1:12 pm
I know many who hover at that 250K mark that would oppose the plan bc they think they’re power players, they’re not…maybe he should go for the over 1 mil club first : ) those precious 250 hoverers wouldn’t be opposed to that, this way they’d get to play their ‘we’re headed on up’ game with themselves and we’d get more tax dollars and not by squeezing the true middle class. I know a few who consider themselves ‘social dems’ and ‘fiscal repugs’ and guess who they’d vote for if their taxes are at risk of going up, the party that would not raise them, it’s a simple equation for them. And yes, they could be and should be thinking about others but they do not. – ZL
September 28th, 2011 at 4:43 pm
WHY IT MATTERS WHAT YOUR PILLS LOOK LIKE
Like many people, my mother takes a handful of pills at various times every day — some white ones, some pastel-colored ones, some round, some oblong and even a triangle.
But last week, when she picked up next month’s supply of medications at the pharmacy, the pharmacist told her that instead of the pale green, triangular pill she’s been taking, she will now be getting another white, oblong one —
slightly larger than the other white pill that she takes twice a day. You see, they changed the color/shape of her pill.
Uh-oh! Trouble may lie ahead… this is a situation that can easily lead to a pill-taking error. Forewarned is forearmed.
I have to admit that before I researched this story, I had never put much thought into this particular issue — and it is an important one for you and your loved ones.
WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PILL?
According to Jeremy A. Greene, MD, PhD, a primary care physician and a professor at Harvard Medical School, it’s entirely possible that the simple change I described above –
substituting a generic white pill for that brand-name, pale green one — will interfere with my mom’s ability to properly take her prescription medication.
At a time when “an unprecedented number of people are taking medications for multiple medical problems, about half of Americans aren’t taking their medications as they’re supposed to,” Dr. Greene told me, adding that he believes confusion about their appearance may be a contributor to the problem.
With Aaron S. Kesselheim, MD, JD, Dr. Greene published an article in a recent issue of The New England Journal of Medicine to bring attention to what he sees as the highly problematic “trade dress law” for generic medications, which requires generic pills to look different than their brand-name counterparts.
There are benefits to this rule — including the fact that it helps patients be more certain that they are getting the brand-name drug when that is what they request.
The problem, however, is that when less costly generic drugs become available to replace expensive brand-name varieties, your insurance company likely will insist that your pharmacist give you the lower-cost alternative (unless your doctor specifically requests brand-name drugs)
— and that pill is going to look very different from what you’re used to taking. The blue or green or pink pill formerly taken three times daily may now be yellow or white or orange –
and what you get next month may look different from that if there are multiple generic manufacturers of the same product!
The result? Potential disaster for older people — or anyone, really — taking multiple medications.
IT’S SO CONFUSING!
To make matters worse, in the coming year there are a number of top-selling drugs, including cash cows such as Lipitor, Plavix and Seroquel, that will be coming off-patent, which means generic versions will be released.
What can we do today to stay safe while the trade dress law is under scrutiny and new generics pour into the marketplace? Dr. Greene shared some advice…
Be aware of the issue. Understand the potential for error when the same medications change appearance, such as when a familiar prescription is refilled with a generic drug.
Know what you are taking and why. Take a moment to look at your pills every time you fill your prescription and make an effort to be familiar with all the pills you are taking and the reason you are taking them.
If one has changed in appearance, confirm with your pharmacist that the change is correct.
Ask for help.
Pharmacists try to be proactive in advising patients who are struggling with all the confusion, sometimes even placing stickers on the pill bottles when a switch has been made.
If you or the person you are caring for takes multiple meds, Dr. Greene suggests reviewing the medication schedule with the pharmacist and then flagging potential mix-ups (such as similar-looking pills).
You can check both generic and brand-name medications using the US National Library of Medicine Web site pill identifier, http://PillBox.nlm.nih.gov.
Search by typing the code on the pill or capsule into the search box. Take whatever steps are necessary to avoid making a dangerous mistake.
The more drugs you take, the more potential for confusion. Make it a habit to pay attention to the color and shape of every pill that you get.
If something changes, double-check with your pharmacist that the change is correct and not an accidental mix-up.
If the drug did indeed switch to a generic, take careful notes and follow the new guidelines carefully. A mix-up in medications can be fatal.
Source(s):
Jeremy A. Greene, MD, PhD, a primary care physician, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, instructor in the division of pharmacoeconomics of Harvard Medical School, and assistant professor in the history of science department, Harvard University, Boston.
September 28th, 2011 at 4:53 pm
From Page Six, NYPOST today:
JP Morgan honcho Jamie Dimon, once a “fat cat” ally of President Obama, seems to have strayed to Republican contender Mitt Romney.
Dimon, a lifelong Democrat who was rumored to be on Obama’s short list for treasury secretary before he settled on Tim Geithner, met privately with Romney on Tuesday morning before a fund-raiser at Brasserie 8¹/2 hosted by Highbridge Capital, a JPMorgan-owned hedge fund.
Dimon, who was spotted “in a discreet one-on-one” discussion with Romney, cannot publicly endorse a candidate because he sits on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. But he donated to Democratic candidates in 2008 and privately supported Obama.
While Dimon’s spokesperson declined to comment, a JP Morgan insider tells us that Dimon has not attended an Obama fund-raiser and has not made any contributions to his campaign during this election cycle. And Dimon has met privately with many of the Republican presidential candidates.
Political insiders are buzzing that a defection would signal further Wall Street hostility toward Obama, who famously called them “fat cat” bankers in 2009. Dimon responded, “I don’t think the president of the United States should paint everyone with the same brush.”
One insider said, “There is not a person on Wall Street, with the exception of the genetic Democrats, who would get anywhere near supporting Obama. The hostility to the administration is huge. Dimon will continue to look bipartisan, then work behind the scenes to get a Republican elected.”
There were few big Wall Street names openly linked to Obama’s fund-raisers in New York. And we’re told ticket sales for Obama’s Friday event with Warren Buffett have been slower than expected, with staffers calling and e-mailing supporters to shift tickets at up to $35,800. Obama’s team insist they are expecting a “packed house,” but didn’t get back to us about Dimon last night.
———
I guess I’m a generic democract. I’m voting for Obama in ’12. But even if “We the People” all vote for Obama, I fear its moot as long as the Electoral College is the deciding factor. (The Electoral College was established by the founding fathers as a compromise between election of the president by Congress and election by popular vote.) How can The People’s vote, no matter how “popular” ever win the office?
Is our government just a farce? I sees similarities with the French Revolution and where our country is heading — a period of radical social and political upheaval that saw a series of major changes in power and political systems. I believe The Have Nots will eventually revolt. What other option is there for change? Congress is in it for their careers and wallets – not the health and welfare of the country and its citizens.
/SB
September 28th, 2011 at 7:05 pm
SB, I believe the Have Nots will eventually revolt also, their day is coming, instead of working long hours to make ends meet, a lot of them are unemployed and nothing is going to happen until people take to the streets, I just HOPE that it doesn’t turn into a violent scene rather than real street protest for change for the HNots who deserve a chance that’s better than just mere survival, and like revolts in other parts of the world it has to sustain until change takes place, no less and no more than that. There’s just too many people who are pretending that it’s not happening. I never knew 2 of my neighbors were thinking of foreclosure/short selling until the day it occurred, no one wants to speak up and say it, we always just wave and say how you doing/great and chat about the doggies. And just an hour ago, a good acquaintance asked me if she ad her daughter could move here temporarily from December till May because she has to vacate her property. Sigh…I’m sure this kind of thing is happening all over. I’m waiting for the revolt, and I’ll be there. – ZL
September 29th, 2011 at 5:59 am
An important excerpt from a Dr Mercola article – read it in full http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/09/29/is-this-simple-sugar-a-major-factor-in-the-failure-of-the-war-on-cancer.aspx?e_cid=20110929_DNL_art_2
Use a variety of relaxing tools such as meditation, yoga and social support to manage and relieve emotional stress in your life. Even the CDC states that 85 percent of disease is caused by emotions. It is likely that this factor may be more important than all the other physical ones listed here, so make sure this is addressed.
If you don’t have time to read the whole article, scan down to the 12 important points for preserving your health, they are all things that have been mentioned in ‘health info’ and everything I’ve ever written here : ) and it’s easy to start implementing it into your life today…please read it.
Luv, Zen Lill
September 29th, 2011 at 6:43 am
Social Butterfly:
The word is out that Obama is livid with Geithner’s behavior. It is also known that Obama has said privately that if he gets reelected he will take Anonz’s advice and gut most of the monopoly held financial institutions. He is even looking at going on the trail to publicly get the people to support some of his proposals, like a minimum tax that has to be paid by every corporation making a 100 million dollars or more.
The white rich are lining up to support Romney. They are distrustful of Perry because he is a wanna be and he has a sex secret poised to come out. Romney is one of their own.
SB. don’t give up yet. Remember his chances of winning is still greater than they were the first time. Yes, the republicans think that they have the votes controlled. They own the software companies that will count the votes of all who vote electronically and the votes will be counted by computers. Obama won’t win that battle unless their is some kind of intervention.
Every Southern state has enacted a picture requirement to vote. While they publicly claim they are free, they charge the OTWs for them. They are scouring the rolls to eliminate anyone white in the districts that unusually vote democratic. This will be one of the most crooked elections in history.
While most whites are anxious to get the black man out of office, they too will suffer enormously when the republicans lock up the political offices for the next 200 years. There will be families worth hundreds of billions and almost no middle class because all the money with be in the hands of a very few at the top.
Some billionaires like Anonz and Buffett see this as the downfall of America. They realize that most of those billionaires don’t give a damn about the flag they are under. They don’t intend to pay any taxes and they could care less about the people under those flags. It is all about the money.
But the have nots will never revolt because they will be filled with racist superiority, religious righteousness, and nationalism manipulative rhetoric that tells them they are better than their neighbors. And the carrot will be held out that they too can one day join the great white elite super rich.
Robert
September 29th, 2011 at 7:05 am
Hafa adai Robert. It is almost 12PM here in Guam. I glanced at the blog before I toss in as I do every night and saw your article.
I hope Obama breaks up these monopolies. The rich are content to buy up the competition so they can have a oligopoly. I remember Anonz warning us about such mega mergers. I used to hate that guy. Maybe it was one of those “kill-the-messenger knee jerk reactions, but now I look forward to his alerts.
United has merged with Continental to corner the market on flights from the mainland to Guam. They have jacked up the ticket prices and introduced less flights to force the people to be crammed into less space planes.
Since there is no competition, they intend to charge for food. They are cutting staff in every department including maintenance. It is all about the money as you said. Continental Micronesia flight attendants will lose their jobs or have to take a 20% pay cut because they can no longer fly the Tokyo Honolulu routes that will now be flown by United.
The scheme is the same as the telephone scam. The same corporation owns both airlines but using different names they can charge twice as much. Now the passenger will be forced to pay for the mainland trip to Honolulu to Continental what he/she paid to Continental for the full leg from the mainland to Guam.
Then he/she will have to pony up the same amount again for the leg from Honolulu to Guam which now will only be flown by United. The merger has devalued the frequent flier miles.
Hafa adai Social Butterfly, I want to say you are a welcome addition to the regulars here.
Peter
September 29th, 2011 at 7:15 am
Hafa Adai Peter and you early risers on the mainland. It is after 12 Friday morning hear on Guam. I wanted to post a letter sent to Senator McCain by Guam’s Senator Guthertz.
Senator Guthertz wrote the letter to McCain after he insulted Guam on the Senate floor last week. It seems Robert was correct when the said most whites have little respect for the feelings of OTWs.
READ Guam Senator Guthert’z letter to U.S. Senator McCain[or read it below]
Specifically McCain was critical of any spending on a “cultural repository” and a mental health facility.
Guthertz responds that the “cultural repository” or museum “was not difficult for buildup planners to understand” because DoD and GovGuam signed an agreement to protect these artifacts given that “massive earthmoving will inevitably disturb both archaeological sites and ancient human remains” on Guam. And the need for a new mental health facility “became obvious,” writes Guthertz, “when the buildup planning process revealed that there was no military commitment to expand such services despite the prospective demands of thousands of additional Marines and accompanying dependents upon a civilian system that is near collapse.”
Senator Guthertz’s letter to Senator McCain:
September 27, 2011
The Honorable John McCain
U.S. Senate
241 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator McCain:
I am sure that by now you are well aware of the hurtful impact of your recent remarks about Guam and your ridicule of some of the budgetary items related to the military buildup that are intended to mitigate its impacts on our population of U.S. citizens.
Our memories are long enough to include your remarks for a 2008 campaign fundraiser here in which you referred to the Guam military buildup approvingly and to the island in particular as the military ‘tip of the spear’ in the region.
ʺThis increase in U.S. military presence will translate into an improved quality of life for all of the people of Guam and the entire Western Pacific,” you said back then. “As your future president, I will work closely with (then‐Gov. Felix Camacho) as well as the rest of your leaders to help move Guam forward into a new era of prosperity for the Western Pacific and Micronesia.ʺ
We took you at your word and worked hard with the DoD and the various branches of the military to develop plans that would lead to both a successful buildup and to that ‘improved quality of life’ for our people that you advocated in 2008.
So it is painful then to listen to you deride supporting elements of the buildup that were developed to mitigate the problems of such a huge project on a very small island. Unlike some of your more junior colleagues, you are familiar with the region and Guam itself and your remarks seemed more geared to incite less informed persons rather than to clarify matters.
For example the need for the ‘cultural repository’—let’s say ‘museum’—which you play as comically irrelevant to bringing Marines to Guam, was not difficult for buildup planners to understand. Massive earthmoving will inevitably disturb both archaeological sites and ancient human remains. The need to protect these artifacts led to a signed agreement between the Government of Guam and the Department of Defense.
The need for construction of a mental health facility became obvious when the buildup planning process revealed that there was no military commitment to expand such services despite the prospective demands of thousands of additional Marines and accompanying dependents upon a civilian system that is near collapse.
Senator McCain, while we understand that the overriding purpose of the Guam military buildup is the defense and protection of the United States, the interests and needs of our citizens can not be neglected or worse made the subject of jokes.
Nearly a third of our island has been given over to the U.S. military and as you, as a naval aviator, would know better than most, Guamanians over the years have served in our military in disproportionate numbers.
As Chairperson of the Committee on the Guam Military Buildup and Homeland Security, I haven’t changed my position since my previous correspondence with you.
“My Committee’s vision is supportive of the buildup while advocating for Guam being treated with respect and fairness throughout the buildup process. We want the civilian community outside the base fences to have the same quality of life as the military community inside the fences.”
I ask that you apologize to the people of Guam for your hurtful remarks. While it is true that we in Guam are far away from Washington DC and that you may not consider us worthy enough to be considered your constituents because of our unincorporated territory status, we nevertheless are Americans too—although your uncalled for and insensitive remarks might make us feel otherwise.
Senseramente ,
Judith P. Guthertz, D.P.A.
—————————-
Lea
September 29th, 2011 at 7:23 am
272
No. 272 of 365
Pick a fight with a liberal on:
PC
PC costs American lives. In 2000 when the USS Cole refueled in Yemen’s port of Aden, Navy brass were so concerned about appearing to be “sensitive guests” that sailors patrolling the deck were not permitted to carry loaded weapons. Nor did the destroyer deploy “picket boats” and establish a defensive perimeter—even though Yemen had only recently been taken off the State Department’s list of countries that sponsored terrorism.
All this pandering to imaginary foreign sensitivities made it pitifully easy for an al Qaeda motorized skiff packed with explosives to approach the destroyer and blow a hole in its side, killing seventeen sailors.
Two hours after this entirely avoidable terrorist attack, another motorized skiff approached the stricken vessel. A sentry raised his rifle, only to be told by his superior: “Let me tell you something about the rules of engagement. You can’t point a loaded weapon at these people.
That’s an act of aggression.” And you wonder why our enemies no longer take U.S. military power seriously?
==================REBUTTAL==============
This is wholly made up bullshit. NONE of it happened. It is the kind of lies that republicans make every day to enrage their ignorant rank and file.
What is true is that under Bush’s watch we got 9/11 because and his administration refused to take the warning the Clinton administration had given them about threats to use commercial planes to blow up America targets.
So while they sat on their asses, the terrorist with box cutters changed the way the world exists for all of us. That was Bush’s true legacy. But you won’t hear a peep out of the repubs about that.
Robert
September 29th, 2011 at 7:46 am
I got this from the Newt Gingrich email he sends out(I like to know what they are up to). He is promoting his wife’s book that she didn’t write either. Now they are trying to launch their get the minds of the young early campaign.
—————————————-
Ellis the Elephant and Sweet Land of Liberty
by Newt Gingrich
ORDER TODAY!
One of the most exciting events this fall for me personally is the arrival of Ellis the Elephant.
As you know, I love American history. Having coauthored eight historical novels, I would say finding creative ways to tell the American story has been one of the main objectives of my career.
Ellis the Elephant appears this week in a new book, Sweet Land of Liberty, written by my wife, Callista Gingrich, and illustrated by Susan Arciero. I am convinced that Ellis the Elephant will introduce a new generation of young people to our American history.
Sweet Land of Liberty already has a review at Amazon more overwhelmingly positive and glowing than any review I’ve received after writing 24 books.
I’m not surprised. When you see Ellis, it’s hard not to fall in love with him. Callista considered many types of animals to accompany children through American history — including giraffes, bunnies, and hippos. But when she saw Ellis, she couldn’t resist this adorable elephant.
How Did America Become the Land of the Free?
In Callista Gingrich’s delightful new children’s book, Sweet Land of Liberty, Ellis the Elephant sets off on a quest to discover what makes America a free and exceptional nation.
Click here…
Written for 4-8-year olds, Ellis’ adventures through history are the perfect introduction to understanding America. With Ellis, children learn about the pivotal moments that have shaped our nation. Ellis joins the Pilgrims at their first Thanksgiving. He helps American colonists throw tea into the Boston Harbor at the Boston Tea Party. Ellis crosses the Delaware River with George Washington. And when Orville Wright flies the first airplane, Ellis is right there on the wing. (He is a light elephant!)
I think children are going to love discovering American history with Ellis. Our history is shaped by so many wonderful stories of heroic achievement. Creative inventors, determined entrepreneurs, and visionary leaders have made America a great nation. Helping children understand America’s greatness is critical.
America is a nation defined by its history. I suspect this is why the elites have quit teaching American history. For two generations, our children have been denied the opportunity to learn about this land we love. Without history, it’s hard for them to understand how lucky we really are to live here.
The results of this neglect have been devastating. Young Americans simply don’t know about America.
The Department of Education’s “National Report Card” last June showed that a majority of fourth graders didn’t know why Abraham Lincoln was important. Fewer than half knew that George Washington won the Revolutionary War and became our first president.
Another recent survey showed that more than half of the teenagers polled didn’t know when the Civil War was fought. A fourth of those surveyed got Christopher Columbus’ discovery of America wrong by 250 years.
Since our schools clearly fail to teach students even the basic facts of American history, it’s up to parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and patriotic friends to step in and help our children learn about America.
That’s why I’m proud of what Callista has done with Sweet Land of Liberty and why I’m excited about Ellis the Elephant.
I have to say, I’m very impressed with the result. After writing so many books for adults, it never occurred to me how hard it is to write for 4-8-year-olds. The vocabulary has to be both interesting and understandable. The rhymes have to work so the book can be read out loud with a nice rhythm. The pictures have to be lively, educational, accurate, and fun.
Callista and Susan took painstaking care to make sure the book was just right for young children.
With students scoring so poorly in American history, Sweet Land of Liberty is more important now than ever. I’m hoping we’ll see a lot more of Ellis soon, as well as more students who understand what makes America exceptional.
Your Friend,
—————————–
Same lies, only dumbed down even more for the little minds of the dumb parents.
Barbara
September 29th, 2011 at 8:52 am
PROTECT YOUR LIVER!
I’ve mentioned the danger that sugary drinks can pose to your liver previously in Daily Health News. And I’m here today to mention it again.
We’re all so aware of the damage that alcohol poses, it’s easy to overlook the threat from all those innocent-looking soft drinks and sweetened fruit juices that line the grocery store shelves.
With the summer season coming on and shopping carts piled high with soda bottles and cans of every color and size, I wanted to be sure that each reader understands the dangers in that colorful array.
A study reported last March from Duke University Medical Center found that daily consumption of fructose, the main kind of sugar added to soft drinks and sweetened juice drinks, increases liver fibrosis, which leads to scarring and progressive loss of liver function. The increased consumption of fructose, as well as the increase in fibrosis, are both alarming new trends.
I’d spoken previously with Brent Tetri, MD, a professor of internal medicine at Saint Louis University School of Medicine and an authority on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and I decided to check in again for an update. No, he said — there’s no exaggeration here.
Fructose and high fructose corn syrup are among the worst offenders in our diet and can definitely threaten the health of the liver. Fructose is not metabolized well by other cells in the body, he explained, so the liver absorbs it and turns it into fat, some of which is stored in — and has the potential to damage — this organ, whose function is so important to every aspect of our health.
NAFLD is a condition that’s showing up with increasing frequency in the US, Dr. Tetri noted. In fact, about 30% of adults have fat accumulation in the liver that is not related to alcohol.
If there’s good news here, it’s that if damage to your liver hasn’t progressed far, the amount of fructose you consume is a factor that you can easily control. If you lower your caloric intake, causing less inflammation and potential for scarring, the problem will reverse to a variable degree.
The liver has an amazing ability to regenerate, Dr. Tetri emphasized. Once it’s scarred, however, the scars hang around, and the liver has to regrow around the scars.
That’s why you don’t get your completely undamaged liver back once scarring has begun. So, don’t let that happen!
LIVER CARE
The liver doesn’t really ask too much of us in return. If we eat right, exercise and avoid excessive alcohol use and — now we know — excessive sugar and fructose, and manage to maintain a healthy weight, Dr. Tetri assured me, very little happens to the liver as we age.
The liver at 90 years can look and work much like the liver at nine. It is when you stray from this simple, straightforward formula and challenge your liver with poor diet and a lack of exercise that it runs into trouble.
Here’s what to do…
Make vegetables, whole grains, fish, fruit and olive oil the centerpieces of your diet.
A recent Middle Eastern study found that extra virgin olive oil in particular offers potent antioxidant protection against toxins that harm the liver.
Your liver-healthy hint: If you have diagnosed liver damage, avoid alcohol altogether. If not, you can enjoy red wine in moderation, due to the partially protective effect of the polyphenols.
Limit unhealthy fats. Despite all their well-deserved bad press, trans fats still are added to many processed foods — and when Dr. Tetri fed mice a hefty dose of these fats, they quickly developed liver inflammation that can lead to cirrohsis.
Your liver-healthy hint: Don’t rely on any claims of “zero trans fats” on food packaging, even on a product’s nutrient label, because the law allows food manufacturers to round trans fat content down to zero as long as there is less than one-half gram per serving.
Instead, read the ingredient list, which must still include such trans fats as partially hydrogenated oils if they are added during manufacture.
Don’t take unnecessary medication. For instance, acetaminophen, the active ingredient in many pain pills such as Tylenol, can damage the liver if it is taken in excessive doses.
Keep moving. Exercise adjusts the body’s metabolism and will help you burn fat that might otherwise end up in your liver.
Your liver-healthy hint: If you’re overweight, losing just 10% of your body weight — whatever you weigh — has enormous liver benefits and quickly improves NAFLD.
If you are sedentary, Dr. Tetri says that walking is a good place to start working out… but the reality is that you need to step up your activity level enough to get sweaty and out of breath at least four times a week to see real benefits.
We’re lucky that our livers are so forgiving, lets give them a break, too.
Source(s):
Brent A. Tetri, MD, professor of internal medicine, director, division of gastroenterology and hepatology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis.
September 29th, 2011 at 8:59 am
Did you hear about “occupy Wall street in Liberty square in NY. It has been going on since 9/13 but hasn’t really been in the news until now.
Moving from state to state. Michael moore was on Lawrence o’donnel show last night talking about it.
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Well, here is the republican response to that protest. This is what they are telling their rank and file. Notice as Robert called them out on how they denigrate messengers when they have no viable argument against the message.
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There were hordes of naked women, the kind of chicks that should never bare it all in public. Ever. There were illegal narcotics, mostly weed. Lots and lots of weed. There were police barriers broken, fistfights with law enforcement started, and an unseemly amount of patchouli.
If you’re thinking, “Hmm, Jason, what you’re describing must be a leftist protest,” you are correct. Specifically, it was the gathering of unemployed Marxist sympathizers who’ve descended into NYC’s financial district to organize sit-ins and marches under the banner of what they’re calling “Occupy Wall Street.”
These “fight the power” wannabes made headlines over the weekend for their clash with the police, with more than 80 of them getting arrested for disorderly conduct, blocking traffic, and assaulting police officers.
But like most leftist demonstrations, this army of Birkenstocks has no idea what it’s supposed to be protesting and why. Listen for yourself! Exclusive audio that will make laugh and cry, but mostly cry… because these people vote. — Jason Mattera
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Again as Robert pointed out. Who are the women in this party that accept this kind of personal abuse of the messengers?
T.
September 29th, 2011 at 9:12 am
Robert,
And you say to me, don’t give up yet?
Tell me please where is the hope (and change) to come from after reading your input?
Respectfully,
/SB
September 29th, 2011 at 9:15 am
/SB;
The Hope and the Change comes from the Heart and Mind. One has to feel it and want it bad enough to keep the mind on it until it finds a solution.
NOTHING is more powerful than the human mind focused.
Robert
November 2nd, 2011 at 4:55 pm
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[...]Michelle Moquin's "A day in the life of…" » Blog Archive » Political Pandering Stunts…[...]…
November 4th, 2011 at 4:41 am
Birkenstock 37…
[...]Michelle Moquin's "A day in the life of…" » Blog Archive » Political Pandering Stunts…[...]…