Early Voting? Make Sure You Have Election Protection
Posted by Michelle Moquin on October 31st, 2008
Good morning!
Thanks to Anonz, as promised I said that I would post the poll pointers again. Since so many of you are voting early I wanted to bring it up one more time before Election Day, November 4th. So here is your heads up…things to heed while doing the voting deed. :)
Either party can preset the computer to give a preset response. In most cases McCain’s name is posted first and the pressure to activate his name is extended to the space below which has Obama’s name.
If the person just presses Obama’s name and doesn’t bother to check he will have pressed Obama but the computer will register McCain.
Michelle and you should tell all voters to stay and see what the computer registers on the screen as to what vote was cast. He/she can just reset and hit Obama again. If McCain continues to post as his/her choice, a pole assistant should be called over to correct the problem. The voter should also call several government numbers*, including *CNN, *MSNBC and report their problem. I don’t have the numbers presently, you and Michelle can look them up and post them on your blogs.
An additional problem in those states controlled by republican employees is that they will do everything in their power to steal your vote. It is a badge of honor for them to steal votes for republican candidates. Hence, it is imperative that the voter check all his/her votes so that any other democratic candidate or Initiative he/she has chosen is registered as he/she intended to vote.
Anonz also suggests that you take your cell phone with you to the voting booth and take a photo of your voting card showing how you voted. I did yesterday and photographed the section where I voted for Obama. Ya know…just in case. Not that I don’t trust Madaline’s bad-ass-abilities, but it is always better to be safe than sorry. It only took a few seconds and hey, it’ll be my souvenir…history in the making.
Any how, the phone numbers took me forever to find but here they are should you have any problems at the polls:
No citizen should be deprived of their right to vote by reason of their race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin, or by reason of fraudulent practices.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) encourages anyone with a complaint about voter discrimination to inform them of the problem, where it is, and how it affects voters. There are no special forms to use or procedures to follow. If you feel that your rights have been violated you can file a complaint under the Voting Rights Act.
You may contact the Voting Section of the DOJ Civil Rights Division by phone or mail at:
*Phone: 1-800-253-3931 or 1-202-307-2767
TTY: 1-202-616-1415
Fax: 1-202-305-0752
Department of Justice
Civil Rights Division
Voting Section, Room 7254, NWB
950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20530
*CNN: If you experience any issues while voting please call our national voter hotline at 877.GOCNN08 (877.462.6608) and provide us with the information regarding your experience. This hotline is fully staff 24 hours a day seven days per week with a team who will investigate each reported issue.
* MSNBC: For information or to report voting problems, 866ourvote.org can help or call 1-866-OUR-VOTE.
Additional tips for voters:
Verify your registration.
Before going to the polls, confirm your voter registration at 1-866-OUR-VOTE. You can also contact your Secretary of State office. Click here for a list of sites.
Confirm your polling location.
Even if you’ve voted in the same place for 30 years, polling places can change, so make sure you know where to go on Election Day. Check Google Maps for your polling location right here.
Vote early.
Record turnout is expected this year, so if your state offers early voting (before Election Day), take advantage of it to avoid long lines and alleviate the strain on local election officials.
Remember your ID.
Every state identification law is different and many have changed recently, so make sure you know which forms of ID are accepted in your state before you get to the polls.
Don’t give anyone an excuse to keep you out of the polls.
In some states, wearing campaign paraphernalia into a polling place —shirts, a buttons, etc.—is against the law. Cover up your campaign materials to ensure a smooth voting experience.
Do not be intimidated by false rumors.
Eligible registered voters cannot be denied the right to vote because their homes have been foreclosed upon, they are late on child support payments, they have outstanding parking tickets, or they are students at local universities.
If you have been convicted of a felony, know your rights.
Many states allow people who have been convicted of a felony and completed their sentence to vote. Know your state laws and don’t be intimidated by misinformation.
Do not use a provisional ballot unless you absolutely have to.
Provisional ballots often aren’t counted until after a winner has been declared.
Bring your family, friends and neighbors.
Help elderly voters, disabled Americans, and people without transport get to the polls – no one should be left behind on Election Day!
********
Hey ZL: I have got to hear about this! Does it really work?
Doug: And as Madaline stated so clearly…men are so unwilling to have an otw be president that they would rather have a white unqualified man as our CIC protecting the ones that they supposedly love so much. To me McCain in office is just as risky as fucking without a condom.
Women Readers: Take Maddie’s advice. Women, and just white women alone, are 51% of the vote – Don’t be an echo of your husband’s; make your own voice heard this election.
Readers: I know many of you are from overseas and we have been so focused on ‘America’ lately. I am ready for this election to be over and Obama to be in – how about you? After November 4th, life will get back to some normalcy and we won’t be so focused on politics…or will we? Hmm…we shall see but my plan is to gab about some other important issues as well as some fun ones too. Speaking of fun…
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
(My favorite Holiday! – Have some fun!)
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor
For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:
or click here: “A Day in the life of…”
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October 31st, 2008 at 9:35 am
Best Wines for Your Health
Roger Corder, PhD
William Harvey Research Institute
For years, scientists theorized that the “French Paradox” — the phenomenon of relatively low rates of heart disease among the French, who are known for their rich, fatty foods — may be due, in part, to the daily consumption of red wine.
Now: The cumulative body of scientific evidence shows that moderate consumption of red wine not only reduces the risk for heart disease, but also for stroke and metabolic syndrome (a constellation of health problems that can lead to heart disease and diabetes). Wine also helps people live longer and avoid dementia. Only recently, however, have scientists begun to identify the specific compounds in red wine that confer health benefits.
Trap: Mass-produced, sweet red wines with high alcohol content (above 14%) do not offer high levels of health-promoting chemicals.
What you must know to choose the most healthful wines — and the best options for nondrinkers…
WINE’S PROTECTIVE EFFECTS
Recent research shows that white wine may offer some of the same health benefits of red wine, such as protection from heart disease, but the bulk of scientific evidence focuses on red wine.
Latest developments: Animal experiments show that polyphenols — chemicals found abundantly in dark and/or colorful foods, such as red and purple grapes, cocoa and pomegranates — can stop atherosclerosis (fatty buildup in the arteries). That’s because polyphenols affect the endothelium (cells lining the arteries), causing blood vessels to widen (vasodilate), increasing blood flow.
Breakthrough: In November 2006, English scientists published a paper in Nature — a renowned scientific journal — showing that…
The most potent polyphenols in red wines are procyanidins, healthful plant substances that over time become condensed tannins, compounds that give an astringent taste to wine. The more procyanidins consumed, the greater degree of vasodilation that occurs.
Regions in Europe with the highest rates of proven longevity produce wines with two to four times more procyanidins than do other regions.
Examples: Many varieties of Bordeaux wines from France and Chianti wines from Italy.
What you may not know: Resveratrol is often mentioned as the key heart-protecting component of red wine. But to get enough resveratrol to benefit the heart, you would need to drink 1,000 quarts of wine a day. Resveratrol supplements haven’t been proven safe or effective.
HEART-FRIENDLY WINES
Many factors influence the level of procyanidins in red wine.
Certain varieties of grapes, including cabernet sauvignon and malbec, are higher in procyanidins than other red and white grapes. Other positive factors include the altitude of the vineyard (the higher, the better)… a slower ripening process… a lower yield (the amount of grapes produced per vine)… and older vines.
Useful: Wines described as having “firm” tannins are more likely to have high levels of procyanidins than wines with “soft” or “ripe” tannins. Look for this description in wine reviews and at the Web sites of wine retailers, such as K&L Wine Merchants and Wine.com, Inc.
DRINK WITH MEALS
The most healthful way to drink red wine is in the classic French style — one or two small glasses at lunch and/or with dinner, as food slows alcohol absorption. Most research shows that women should not exceed five ounces of wine per day, and men should limit their daily consumption to 10 ounces.
When red wine is consumed in excess, its health benefits are outweighed by the risks associated with alcohol abuse, including increased risks for many types of cancer, as well as heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
Caution: Drinking wine quickly or on an empty stomach speeds alcohol absorption, increasing the risk for high blood pressure.
NONALCOHOLIC PROCYANIDINS
If you prefer not to drink red wine, consider these procyanidin-rich foods…
Dark chocolate. Look for a bittersweet or extra-dark chocolate, with 70% to 85% cacao. One ounce of dark chocolate delivers the amount of procyanidins in four ounces of red wine.
Caution: To limit calories, don’t eat more than one ounce to one-and-a-half ounces of dark chocolate daily.
Apples. Red Delicious and Granny Smith have high levels of procyanidins. One medium-sized apple is equivalent to four ounces of red wine.
Cranberry juice. An eight-ounce serving of juice containing 25% cranberry is roughly equivalent to a four-ounce glass of red wine. Choose low-sugar versions with at least 25% cranberry content.
Other sources of heart-healthy procyanidins: Raspberries, blackberries and strawberries, Concord grape juice, pomegranates, walnuts, pinto beans and cinnamon.
HEALTHFUL WINES
Laboratory analyses of more than 400 red wines at William Harvey Research Institute show that the following have high levels of healthful procyanidins…
Argentina. Cabernet Sauvignon, from Bodegas Catena Zapata.
Australia. Cabernet Sauvignon, from Wynns.
California. Cabernet Sauvignon, from Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Reserve… and many other Napa Valley cabernets.
Chile. Cabernet sauvignons from Veramonte.
France. Large numbers of Bordeaux wines — both at the top end of the market and modestly priced — have high or better-than-average procyanidin levels.
Italy. In Tuscany, wines made from the Sangiovese grape that tested well include Il Colombaio di Cencios Chianti Classico Riserva.
In Sardinia, where wine-drinkers are particularly long-lived, a good choice is Rosso Superiore del Mandrolisai.
interviewed Roger Corder, PhD, professor of experimental therapeutics at the William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary’s School of Medicine and Dentistry in London. The author or coauthor of more than 100 scientific studies, his primary research interests are the relationship between diabetes and heart disease, and the health benefits of wine. He is the author of the forthcoming book The Red wine.
October 31st, 2008 at 11:02 am
Hi Mischa,
Just rec’d it, keep you posted ;0 and o o o 00000 – ahhahaha…
Thanks for the info above, I tried to hunt down #’s myself but have little time lately, have bigger fish to fry at the mo’. I’ll post this same info on my blog tonight, thanks for saving me writing time, you and anonz are always helpful in that blog fodder regard : )
I smirked when I read Madaline’s remarks bc unless during his 5 years at the Hanoi Hilton they were having military strategy sessions, I’d say he’s not prepared for much in that arena. I hope every last repub wifey who’s saying ‘oh yes honey, McCain is ‘our’ guy’ gets in that booth and says ‘bring it on, Obama’ gives a groovin’ dance move and steps out smiling.
- Zen Lill
October 31st, 2008 at 1:53 pm
It looks as though the Repugnicants have sent out flyers in key states that tell the reader that due to the lines expected at the polls on Nov. 4th, in order to help alleviate the long lines and frustration for the voters, it is noted that the Republicans should vote on Nov.4th and the Democrats have been scheduled to vote on Nov. 5th.
Through the right winged independent organizations that sent these fraudulent flyers out will create many to eliminate their vote.
November 1st, 2008 at 6:10 am
LATEST FINDINGS ON BEST CALCIUM SOURCES
Too often the media sound bite is the only thing people remember from a news story, which can be a problem when important pieces of information get left out. This happened not long ago when headlines proclaimed that “dietary calcium is better than supplements at protecting bones.” There’s a whole lot more to that story than can be learned from the nibble of news delivered in the headline.
Most people already know that maintaining bone density is a challenge as we age. This study saying that it is better to get calcium from food sources than supplements seems easy enough to digest — but actually, it’s not quite so simple. Calcium doesn’t do the work on its own. Researchers have long been aware that estrogen plays an important protective role in bone health. In fact, this was an often-cited benefit of HRT for post-menopausal women. In the body, estrogen has two primary fates — it can metabolize into one of two different metabolites, each with a different effect on bone health. One metabolite, the 16 alpha-hydroxyestrone, is believed to be more “active” (or estrogenic) and protective against bones, while another — the 2-hydroxyestrone — has less estrogenic activity, and may be associated with bone loss in vulnerable individuals.
CALCIUM IS LIKE A COP
I spoke with Reina Armamento-Villareal, MD, an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Bone and Mineral Diseases at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and an author of this latest study on calcium intake and bone health. She told me that the point of the research was to learn more about calcium’s role on the metabolism of estrogen in the body, specifically its effect on bone density. Did it act as a traffic cop, sending estrogen down certain pathways and not others? And if so, what forms of calcium were most effective at this task?
In the study, 168 healthy post-menopausal women were given detailed questionnaires about their dietary habits over the course of seven days so researchers could then calculate the calcium intake for each, along with where it was coming from — diet, supplements or a combination of both. Based on the results, the women were divided into three groups — those who got 70% or more of their calcium from diet… those who got 70% or more of their calcium from supplements… and an in-between group, whose calcium intake derived somewhat equally from both diet and supplements. Urine samples were used to measure the estrogen metabolites of the subjects. Their bone mineral density was also measured with a Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) scan.
The results indicated that the “diet plus supplement” group had the highest calcium intake, with more than 1,600 mg/day, along with the highest bone density of all three groups. Versus the supplement-only group, those women who got the majority of their calcium from dietary sources alone had higher amounts of the highly estrogenic metabolite 16 alpha-hydroxyestrone — and higher bone density readings as well, both of which help to provide greater protection against osteoporosis as this study suggests.
WHAT TO MAKE OF THIS?
But, as noted above, it’s not a straight line to the conclusion that “it’s better to get your calcium from dietary sources.” Here’s why: The 16 alpha-hydroxyestrone metabolite that measured higher in both the “diet” group and the “diet-plus-supplements” group and which appears to be so protective to bone health is also probably carcinogenic, implicated in hormone-dependent cancers for both men and women. It is exactly the metabolite you don’t want to elevate. The health-promoting anti-cancer compounds in vegetables like broccoli are helpful precisely because they do act as traffic cops, directing estrogen metabolism into the “2″ pathway instead of the “16,” thus supporting a less cancer-prone estrogen environment. “Unfortunately, the ratio of 2:16 metabolites that’s most protective for bones is also the least desirable from a breast cancer point of view,” said Dr. Armamento-Villareal.
AND THE VILLIAN IS…
So which one is the villain? The supplements? The 16 alpha-hydroxyestrone? Actually it’s more likely the source of dietary calcium. For both the “diet” and “diet plus supplement” groups, more than 90% of the dietary calcium came from dairy products. The additional hormones in the dairy products could be a mitigating factor: “Because the main source of dietary calcium in our subjects was indeed dairy, the increase in the 16 alpha-hydroxyestrone metabolites might have been related to the presence of active estrogen metabolites in milk products, rather than from the dietary calcium in general,” Dr. Armamento-Villareal acknowledges. Another factor could be that different supplements are digested differently.
So it turns out that the take-away from this research is more nuanced than merely getting your calcium from food, not supplements. “The prudent course is to get your calcium from a combination of foods and supplements, while also reducing your reliance on dairy as a calcium source,” says Jonny Bowden, author of The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth (Fair Winds). He suggests eating foods like sardines canned with the bones (325 mg per 3 ounces)… fermented soy products like natto (380 mg per cup), miso (157 mg per cup) and tempeh (184 mg per cup)… dried uncooked figs (241 mg per cup)… rhubarb (348 mg per cup)… pinto beans (172 mg per cup)… turnip greens (249 mg per cup)… swiss cheese (224 mg per ounce)… blackstrap molasses (172 mg per tablespoon)… cooked kale (94 mg per cup)… canned pumpkin (64 mg per cup)… and cooked broccoli (62 mg per cup).
Add to that well-known bone building activity like strength-training, he advises. “The supplement-plus-diet regimen protects bones, especially if you avoid the possible estrogenic dairy products, and most especially if you add weight training to the mix.” It’s a matter of balance, once again.
Source(s): ??Reina Armamento-Villareal, MD, a bone specialist and assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Bone and Mineral Diseases at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.