Health Care Reform NOW
Posted by Michelle Moquin on July 19th, 2009
It’s been awhile since I’ve said anything about our health care but it is getting down to decision time and we need to support our president. I needed to get off of my ass this morning, say something, and participate in moving this thing forward.
Obama wants to make a decision before the fall break and the naysayers are saying, “What’s the rush?” What’s the rush?(!) I understand that it needs to be the right policy when it comes to health care reform and I think Obama’s plan has it. The naysayers just don’t want him to succeed. Everyday people are losing their health care. I heard on the MSNBC that 140,000 more people will lose their health care insurance by the end of next week. This is just unacceptable. But it’s happening…health care insurance premiums are on the uprise.
On a personal level, our health care provider just increased out premium by 30%! If someone is having a tough time meeting their mortgage or their monthly bills, and their health care increased, as ours just did, dropping their health care is going to be on the top of their list. It shouldn’t be but people simply can’t live without the basics. And as much as health care is important it isn’t something that we use everyday even though we need it everyday ‘just in case’. So, when it comes down to either losing one’s house or having their electricity turned off or dropping their health care plan, it isn’t suprising which one would be let go first. I understand the urgency to get this handled.
So…you can afford your premium you say? – good for you. But this isn’t about just you. It’s about our entire country and we the people need to stick up for each other even when we aren’t directly affected. That is what coming together as a community, as a nation is all about.
Sam Stein of the Huff reported that the war in Iraq has costed the taxpayers two times what Health care reform would cost us today. The ‘Just say no’ers’ didn’t know the word ‘no’ when it came to dumping money into Iraq every day for the last how many years. No, you didn’t hear anyone speak up then about being fiscally responsible, when it came to the war. Obviously the repugnicants weren’t paying attention to the numbers then; they were too busy breeding fear, and stuffing their pockets.
And now? While president Obama is releasing his detailed reform plan, lobbyists are spend 10 million each week to stop progress. They are literally trying to kill his plan through delay. Once again, the repugnicants will do anything they can to prevent Obama from succeeding in anything.
It is a critical time for health care reform and the time is NOW. This is his plan in a nutshell:
President Obama has called for health care reform in 2009 that upholds three core principles. It must:
- Reduce costs — Rising health care costs are crushing the budgets of governments, businesses, individuals, and families, and they must be brought under control
- Guarantee choice — Every American must have the freedom to choose their plan and doctor – including the choice of a public insurance option
- Ensure quality care for all — All Americans must have quality and affordable health care
Furthermore, president Obama made this statement on the health care reform legislation introduced in the house just a few days ago. Check it out:
“For decades, Washington failed to act as health care costs continued to rise, crushing businesses and families and placing an unsustainable burden on governments. But today, key committees in the House of Representatives have engaged in unprecedented cooperation to produce a health care reform proposal that will lower costs, provide better care for patients, and ensure fair treatment of consumers by the insurance industry.
This proposal controls the skyrocketing cost of health care by rooting out waste and fraud and promoting quality and accountability. Its savings of more than $500 billion over 10 years will strengthen Medicare and contribute to our goal of reforming health care in a fiscally responsible way. It will change the incentives in our health care system so that Americans can receive the best care, not the most expensive care. And it will offer families and businesses more choices and more affordable health care.
This proposal will also prevent insurance companies from denying people coverage because of a pre-existing medical condition. It will ensure that workers can still have health insurance if they lose their job, change their job or start a new business. And it includes a health insurance exchange that will allow families and small businesses to compare prices and quality so they can choose the health care plan that best suits their needs. Among the choices that would be available in the exchange would be a public health insurance option that would make health care affordable by increasing competition, providing more choices, and keeping the insurance companies honest.
The House proposal will begin the process of fixing what’s broken about our health care system, reducing costs for all, building on what works, and covering an estimated 97% of all Americans. And by emphasizing prevention and wellness, it will also help improve the quality of health care for every American.
I thank Chairmen Rangel, Waxman, and Miller for their hard work on this bill that fundamentally reforms the health care system. As this process moves forward, I look forward to continuing to work with all House members in ensuring this legislation helps all Americans and plays an essential role in reducing deficits and bringing fiscal sustainability to our nation.”
Think about what Robert said yesterday. I can’t imagine if we didn’t have Social Security or Medicare today. C’mon peeps….It’s Sunday….a perfect day to do something about it. I got off my ass; now it’s time for you get off of yours, if you haven’t done so already. We need Health Care Reform NOW. Thanks for all you do. :)
Fred, Larry, and anyone else wanting to complain about the timing of my weekend posts: Look, I need to have a life too. I like to relax a bit on the weekends. Not always, but sometimes the post is going to get out later, and sometimes I’ll get it out early. It all depends. You might need ‘the rush’ but believe me, I am rushing every morning. So be patient with me.
Fred, as far as a new pic….when the inspiration hits is when I will post another. Geez, I didn’t think I’d get so much flak for a fuzzy photo. It was all in fun – not to be taken so seriously.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor
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July 19th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
My take on Mr. Walter Cronkie;
While we can moan the man’s accomplishment., I think that this is the time for the rest of america to stop allowing the white man to continue to game the system. What I mean is white men set up the government so that they had everything.
The result is that today we celebrate them as “the first man on the moon,” “the most trusteed man in america”, ec, etc, as these men die. We are the generation that will experience the dying of these men. Men that the white man will tell us are our heros, america’s great success stories, and humanitarians.
Actually these “great” men are merely men who benefited from the immoral perversion of the US Constitution so that they as a group could be the chief benefiters of the country’s opportunities in every category available.
Now as they pass, they leave a system that is set up for us to praise them as great men. I am a white woman who was left out of those opportunities. I refuse to honor those men. Honoring them allows white men to continue to game the system. They get to continue to manipulate the political system for their power and financial advantage as long as we blindly follow their lead.
We as OTWM(I added the M for men) should question their attempts to manipulate our emotions with stories of the greatness of these white men. Cronkite, for example, is a white man who may have been exceptional among the white men he competed against to become the man he was.
But he was just another white man who got his start without having to compete with OTWM who could have been ten times as competent in that position. So are we really recognizing exception or mediocrity masquerading as greatness?
What the white man considers a great accomplishment in many academic, political, financial, and athletic arenas has been shown to be mediocre at best. White men game the system by holding up to us white men who did not have to compete with OTWM for the position they got. Then they tell us what these men did was a great feat. We are supposed to accept the standards they use to evaluate greatness. We are supposed to forget that only they got to set those standards because we as OTWM were excluded from being part of the field.
That brings us back to honoring Mr. Walter Cronkite. The man that was “the most trusted man in america. Yes, he was trusted to silently maintain the status quo. He never mentioned that women were excluded from the opportunities he and the rest of the white men enjoyed. He never mentioned that OTWM fought and died in Vietnam and returned to the same inequality they left.
No, I am sorry that Walter Cronkite died as sorry as I would be for any one passing away. But he deserves and gets no special consideration for his so called accomplishments from me. They were neither earned nor deserved since they were attained as a result of his group depriving the rest of America’s citizens of their equal rights and their opportunity to compete for the job that we are supposed to honor him for doing.
What was so honest about a man who could not say to the country that trusted him so much that the system was rigged to allow him to be where he was because he was a white man not because he was the best qualified person to have the job?
OTWM must stop allowing the white man to give us our heroes. We must question all the white men they put before us as great, exceptional, honest, moral or just competent. Their standards are suspect at best and hypocritical at worst.
One white woman’s opinion
Joyce
July 19th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
NATURAL GARDENING FOR HEALTHIER PEOPLE AND PLANET
I’ve gone “green” as a gardener, using only natural products in my vegetable garden, flowerbeds and on my lawn. Growing my own organic seasonal fruits and vegetables is a fun, economical way to eat healthfully. Plus, as any gardener will tell you, all of that digging and hoeing is great exercise and a wonderful way to spend time outdoors on these beautiful warm days.
“Natural gardening is a growing area of interest among people who want to avoid the toxins in many mainstream gardening products — plus, it really works,” said Howard Garrett, a registered landscape architect, organic horticulturalist and author of The Organic Manual: Natural Organic Gardening and Living For Your Family, Plants and Pets. How is “natural organic” gardening, as Garrett refers to it, different? “Natural organic gardening is working with only natural materials to promote healthy gardens, without the use of toxic chemicals or artificial fertilizers,” said Garrett. “It is not just a matter of using a different set of products, it’s a whole different thought process and procedure.”
SYNTHETIC GARDENING PRODUCTS ?ARE HARMFUL
There is plenty of proof that synthetic gardening products, including pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, fungicides) and fertilizers aren’t good for us, nor our earth, whether they’re used by commercial farmers or individuals.
First, let’s look at synthetic pesticides: An abundance of scientific evidence demonstrates their harmful effects. In 2004, a study was published by scientists at the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute for Environmental Health Science who conducted a review of more than 300 studies and found a link between pesticides and cancers such as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, leukemia and prostate cancer. In addition, researchers found that chronic low-level pesticide exposure is associated with a broad range of nervous system symptoms such as headache, fatigue, dizziness, tension, anger, depression and impaired cognitive function. They also found that pesticide exposure may increase Parkinson’s disease and could be associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
It turns out that pesticides don’t do much good for plants, either. “Synthetic pesticides do not even work,” said Garrett. “They kill beneficial insects and microorganisms more effectively than the insects and microorganisms that you’re trying to kill. There are natural organic alternatives that work much better.”
Now let’s look at fertilizers. While synthetic fertilizers have not been linked to specific human diseases, many contain nitrates that can leach into the ground, affecting our environment and our drinking water. Perhaps not surprisingly, synthetic fertilizers also don’t work well on plants. In fact, said Garrett, these products often “fool” people by creating impressive growth initially, followed by a “pooping out” period that encourages people to apply more product, which perpetuates the cycle. “Most people are surprised to learn that synthetic fertilizers are basically salts,” Garrett explains. “When you put salts on plants over and over again, it throws the plant’s biology out of balance, which eventually kills it. The salts also cause the soil to harden and get so compact that it won’t drain water well.”
LET MOTHER NATURE BE YOUR GARDENER
Natural gardening is immensely better for our health and our environment, and it turns out that it’s great for plants, too. Natural gardening creates stronger plants that can withstand stressors such as extreme changes in temperature, insects and disease. “The most significant benefit you will notice is your plants have greater tolerance for dramatic weather,” said Garrett. “For instance, plants aren’t as vulnerable to frost, and therefore can enjoy a longer growing season. These plants are also more resistant to insects and disease.”
A common misconception is that natural gardening is more costly — but Garrett says it actually saves money in the long run. For one thing, you never have to rebuild the garden beds — they just continue to get better and better. You’ll also need to fertilize less often, because the natural products are slow-releasing and longer-lasting.
GOING GREEN IN YOUR GARDEN
Stop using all synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and other chemicals that harm living organisms. Don’t try to combine natural and conventional approaches, as it won’t work, says Garrett.
Fertilize with only natural products such as compost or natural fertilizer products two or three time a year. Feed the soil in which your plants grow with liquid fertilizer or compost “tea” (see recipe below) during the growing season.
Create a compost pile, nature’s own living fertilizer. It can be started any time of the year in sun or shade. Anything that was once alive can go in the compost, including grass clippings, leaves, vegetable and fruit food scraps, bark, sawdust, rice hulls, weeds, nut hulls and animal manure. Mix the ingredients together and simply pile the material on the ground. The best mixture is 80% vegetative matter and 20% animal waste, although any mix will compost.
Build soil health with natural organic products and techniques. Apply compost, rock materials such as lava sand, granite and basalt and dry molasses (which you can find at gardening centers that cater to organic gardeners) to all planting areas.
Mulch bare soil around all shrubs, trees, ground covers and food crops. This protects the soil from sunlight, wind and rain, inhibits weeds, decreases watering needs and mediates soil temperature. Native cedar is the best choice.
Water only as needed. Natural gardening reduces the frequency and volume of water needed. Water when plants begin to wilt.
Mow lawns only as necessary and leave clippings on the lawn. This returns nutrients and organic matter to the soil. Put occasional excess clippings in compost pile.
For weed control, hand-pull large weeds and cultivate soil health. Mulch all bare soil to keep weeds to a minimum. Avoid all synthetic herbicides. Spray weeds as needed with vinegar-based herbicides.
Control pests the natural way. Use natural products to encourage beneficial insects and spray plants with compost tea mixtures such as Garrett Juice, which is a mixture of natural ingredients including compost, water, apple cider, vinegar, molasses and seaweed (see below).
If you aren’t experienced and want to get started, Garrett says that vegetables and herbs such as garlic, chives, radishes, beans, peas and okra are easiest for beginners. “Also small tomatoes, most greens, including spinach during the cooler weather, and beets and sweet potatoes, which are almost foolproof especially for those with sandy soil.” Note: If your plants are already growing strong, it’s likely too late to go all the way green this season… but you certainly can start planning for a naturally healthy, environmentally friendly garden going forward.
Recipe for Compost Tea and Garrett Juice:
Make Compost Tea by soaking compost in water. Fill any container half full of compost and finish filling with water. Let the mix sit 24 hours, then dilute and spray on the foliage of any and all plants. Be sure to strain the solids out with old pantyhose or cheesecloth. For Garrett Juice, mix one gallon of water with 1 cup of manure-based compost tea. Add 1 ounce apple cider vinegar, 1 ounce molasses and 1 ounce liquid seaweed.
For homemade fire ant killer, add 2 ounces of citrus oil to the gallon of Garrett Juice.
For more information, visit Garrett’s Web site at http://www.DirtDoctor.com. You can also e-mail questions to Garrett at info@dirtdoctor.com.
Source(s): ??Howard Garrett is a registered landscape architect, organic horticulturalist, broadcaster and writer with extensive experience in landscape contracting, greenhouse growing, golf course planning and maintenance and organic product development. Garrett is author of several books, including The Organic Manual: Natural Organic Gardening and Living For Your Family, Plants and Pets, a non-regional guide to organic gardening (Tapestry). For more information go to http://www.DirtDoctor.com.
July 19th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Okay Michelle. I can understand your need to take more time on the weekends. But what’s with this “when the inspiration hits” line? We the admiring men who read your blog should be your inspiration.
I dare say there are more than a few ladies who feel the same way we do also. Are you prepared to disappoint your faithful fans? As for that “fuzzy photo,” I would venture to guess that your husband took it. The next time insist that he only take pictures of you with a camera. They are cheap enough for him to carry one with him all the time.
If I had such a lovely subject who was not ashamed of her beautiful body, I would consider it a must and an honor to keep a camera ready for those special times when she chose to offer a special vision for the world’s appreciation.
As for serious, serious is the money it cost to make a photo into a decal and it comes out too fuzzy for serious (no pun intended) appreciation.
Once again you have managed to get to the meat of an issue. We need to get united behind Obama on this health care thing. The OTWs are not the only ones who need it. We whites with insurance policies are but one huge medical bill away form financial ruin.
I appreciate your input. But let’s not forget a mind alone is a terrible waste. We need to seed that body too. HInt, hint,
Ronald
July 19th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Zen Lill
Are you available? I’m moving from New York to LA in three months. I am 43 6’7”, 231 lbs. I joined a shoe company after my pro basketball days were over.
I like your way of thinking. Perhaps a lunch or dinner so that we could check each other out?
Chuck
July 19th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Michelle as much as I hate to agree with a man, I must say I agree with Ronald.
Most certainly there are more than a few women reading your blog who would love to get into your pants. I have sent you a first class round trip ticket to an event of the same. The dates are amenable so just let me know what times are best for you. A stay of at least a week and as long as you’d like would be nice.
As for the picture. Yes most definitely put something HOT in for us to drool over. It’s all in fun.
Linsay
July 19th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
Come on back to Guam. The minimum wage has increased $.70 an hour.
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Minimum wage to increase
The 70-cent-per-hour increase will help Guam’s minimum wage earners cope with soaring prices for gasoline and food and other costs, but comes at a time when many businesses are struggling, island residents said recently.
More than 10,000 employees on island are expected to be affected by the pay increase this week, according to past Guam Department of Labor estimates.
The minimum wage increase represents the third of a three-tier, yearly increase in the U.S. minimum wage, which Guam businesses must follow. The minimum wage rose to $6.55 last year.
No future minimum wage hikes have been authorized at the local or federal level, said Roman Quinata, administrator of the Guam Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division.
Yigo resident Anely Pascual, working recently at The Coffee Beanery, said the wage increase was great news.
“It does help,” she said. “I’m saving up for school so I’m going to need the money.”
==================================
Hafa adai
Anna
July 19th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
To the TAO: Last evening, Al and I were sitting on our Terrace looking out at the sky and clouds and we witnessed the strangest thing. It was four circular lights doing a dance for several hours. They would revolve in a circle, then come together and meet in the middle, then separate and do this same dance over and over again.
It was late and there were no lights beaming into the sky so it was a phenomenon that I cannot explain. There was intelligence behind this dance of lights. It was hypnotizing. We could not stop watching them.
The first thing that came to my mind was the TAO. were you buzzing by my building last night? Was it just a natural phenomenon or something entirely different?
It certainly was not a natural occurring dance of lights. Can you tell me if we had an encounter with an Alien intelligence. I am certain that our minds were not playing tricks on us. It was real to us and very pretty.
It looked like many of the video clips of UFO’s taken by Earthlings and shown on TV as evidence of Aliens visiting our Planet because there was an intelligence causing this dance of light.
At any rate, We thoroughly enjoyed watching it and waved back at the lights. Were we hallucinating or did we see a little demonstration of UFO technology?
HOWIE
July 19th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Michelle
I wish the dykes would leave you alone. But I must say you are into teasing your faithful. You seldom put in a picture that is complete enough to give us a chance to truly appreciate it.
A glimpse here and there is a tease. A full image is what is needed. When I play with myself I like to see what is exciting me. So far I have to get off on the full mind and the partial body of the woman I am pleasing myself to.
Morris
July 19th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
Howie:
I couldn’t reveal to you that it was us or any other alien craft that was present. As long as you enjoyed the experience, it should matter not the confirmation.
Viv
July 19th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
Hey Michelle
Whats’s up? Good post today. Health care reform is a gotta happen thing. The fact that the repunks won’t get behind Obama and let this pass shows that they don’t give two shits about the welfare of this country or it’s people. Only care about how much cheese they can stuff into there friggin’ pockets.
Oh yeah, Howie and I both signed the petition you linked us to a while back, the health care one, and the others too. Maybe you could repost that link so that those who missed it can sign as well. Watched SICKO again this week.
Tao,
was that you guys buzzin’ around my building last night? We were out on the terrace watching these three and sometimes four balls of light flying around in some formations one might see at an airshow, except I have never seen maneuvers like these, totally silent too. Hmmmmm…
Al
July 19th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
Viv
Did not see your comment, so nevermind.
Al
July 19th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
Zen Lilly,
Have not acknowledged you for some time, please do not think this was intentional. So how’s it been going sis’? Everything honkydorio? Good.
Your pal,
Al
July 19th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
How to Keep Your Family from Fighting Over Money
Adam R. Gaslowitz, Esq.
Adam R. Gaslowitz & Associates LLC
The more money you hope to pass along to loved ones, the greater the chance that your children will fight over it. Even close-knit families aren’t immune.
Contesting a will can hold up the distribution of assets for years. Even worse, it never resolves the emotional issues that underlie most inheritance fights, such as which child was loved most.
To reduce the likelihood of bitter legal disputes in your family after you are gone…
Treat each heir equally. Many parents leave the largest share of their estate to the child who makes the least money. Or they put the inheritance of a free-spending child in a trust with stipulations but leave assets to his/her siblings free and clear.
Problem: Grown children often equate their inheritances with the depth of their parents’ love. Children who feel they were shortchanged might sue because they believe that their siblings must have manipulated the parent.
Exception: Wills involving family businesses. It’s difficult to treat children equally if they don’t all have an active interest in operating the company. If you have a family business, meet with your accountant and estate attorney to discuss business succession planning as well as distribution of nonbusiness assets among family members. If the business is the only family asset, look into life insurance trusts or the sale of the business to provide for nonparticipating family members.
Reveal big surprises before you put them in your will. Discussions about inheritances are taboo in most families. While it’s not necessary to tell your children exactly what you’re planning to leave to them, make them aware of out-of-the ordinary decisions, such as unexpected large gifts to charity or to one child.
If you don’t disclose the gifts in advance, it is easier for one of your children to contest the will. Courts often agree to hear a will contest if one child appears to be unusually favored over another.
Also explain your motivation in the will itself.
You might write — Son, I have left your sister the summer house because she will use it more. This may seem unfair, but it doesn’t mean that I love you any less. It gives me great pleasure to know that she and the children will get to enjoy it. Since you and Helen work such long hours, you would hardly spend any time there anyway. I appreciate your understanding of my wishes.
Don’t go into extensive detail. You risk slandering one of your heirs, which can give him/her an excuse to challenge your will.
Helpful: A well-drafted “no-contest” clause in a will — which automatically disinherits any recipient who challenges the document — is worth including, but it is no panacea. Beneficiaries might contest the will anyway, and many probate courts refuse to honor no-contest clauses.
Give away sentimental objects now. I tried a case in which a woman wanted her $30 million estate split equally between her son and daughter. The brother and sister wound up litigating the case for years over a single piece of jewelry — a ring that was worth only a few thousand dollars that had been passed down in their family for generations.
You can sidestep such controversy by giving beloved personal items to family members while you are alive, especially heirlooms that you don’t use or wear regularly. (Discuss tax ramifications with an adviser if you think beneficiaries will sell these items down the road.)
To avoid unhappy surprises, let each heir know what you are giving the others.
Don’t unintentionally disinherit a child. Common scenario: Your will divides your estate equally among your children. When you fall ill and need help with such daily chores as cooking, shopping and paying bills, you rely on the child who lives closest to you. For convenience, you put the caregiver child’s name jointly on your bank accounts. By law, these joint assets automatically pass to the caregiver child when you die, overriding your will — and your other children are then shortchanged.
Better: Establish power-of-attorney accounts with banks and brokerage firms so that individuals you designate — your child, a trusted friend, an accountant — can write checks and make decisions about your money on your behalf without being a joint owner of your assets.
Also remember to change your will or include flexible language that allows for such tragic occurrences as the death of a child.
SPECIAL SITUATION: SECOND MARRIAGE
A second marriage can create unique inheritance-planning challenges. Smart strategies…
Provide directly for children from your first marriage. Often, a father leaves everything to his second wife with the understanding that the second wife will provide for his children from his first marriage — but taking this shortcut almost guarantees a will contest.
Better: Use marital trusts, such as a qualified terminal interest property (QTIP) trust, to earmark assets for your children upon your second spouse’s death.
Choose a nonbiased executor. Men often try to promote family harmony by making a second wife and one of the children from the first marriage coexecutors of their estates or cotrustees of marital trusts. This just pits the second wife against the child over such issues as how to invest assets or manage the estate.
Better: Use a bank as executor or trustee, if the will has trust provisions. Most large regional banks offer this service to customers. Cost: Typically 1% to 2% of the estate’s value on a sliding scale, based on the size of the estate.
Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Adam R. Gaslowitz, Esq., nationally recognized expert in estate litigation with the law firm Adam R. Gaslowitz & Associates LLC in Atlanta. He is chairman of the estate-planning section of the Atlanta Bar Association. His cases have been featured on CNN and in The New York Times.
July 19th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
Hafa adai
There is going to be a solar eclipse in Guam on Wednesday that will be the longest eclipse to occur in this century.
______________________________________________
Solar eclipse to pass over Guam this week
A rare and historic occurrence in the sky will happen next week. And if you miss it, another one like it won’t occur for at least another two decades.
This Wednesday, do not be alarmed when the sky suddenly becomes dark and the sun disappears. This is simply the occurrence of a rare solar eclipse which will be the longest solar eclipse to occur in this century. Pam Eastlick from the University of Guam tells us that it will also be the most viewed eclipse in history.
She told KUAM News, “The eclipse is not total over Guam, it is a total eclipse, but the path of totality does not pass over Guam or any of the Marianas, it passes north of us through the southern Ryukyu’s and it ends and is in fact total over Enewetak, the eclipse will probably be viewed by the most people who have ever seen a solar eclipse, because totality passes very close to shanghai, china and there are 20 million people who live in Shanghai, China. So a lot of people will see totality, but we will not see totality here on Guam the sun will be about 75% covered by the moon.”
The next eclipse equal in duration will not be until the year 2132. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the earth, partially or fully covering the sun. A solar eclipse can only take place during a new moon. This particular eclipse is a rare occasion because it is not a partial eclipse, but a total one.
Eastlick also adds that local residents should not fear the onset of a tsunami occurring at the time of the eclipse as Guam’s dramatic rise out of the water makes it not vulnerable to tsunamis in general. Eastlick states the only danger with the eclipse is that people will look at it directly and damage their eyes. The eclipse will begin on Guam at around 11am and will maximize at 12:53 and should be over around 2pm on the 22nd.
So for those of you on Guam, please take caution and avoid direct eye contact with the sun during these times.
__________________________________________
Peter
July 19th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
Al, how come you acknowledge Zen Lill and you don’t say boo to me?
i read the blog every day looking for word from you. You have ignored me for the last time. I hope those aliens come and snatch you and Howie right up.
Howie teach Al some manners. Educate him on how to treat a lady. I could come by and let him look into as the Japanese call it eternity.
C.
July 19th, 2009 at 11:01 pm
Howie and Al
I want to tell you about a group of aliens in Centralia Pennslyvania in the early 60′s. I worked with the government agency that investigated their discovery in the area. They preyed on the inhabitants. They took over a few of the humans who lived there.
We learned how to tell them apart from the humans because they breathed carbon monoxide. We later discovered that in their real forms they breathed fire and looked like Dragons. Nothing we had could deal with them. We made an agreement with them to give them that area if they agreed to eat only coal.
They had explained to us that they were stranded on earth for about 300 years until their companions returned to retrieve them. It turns out that they thought that the planet was uninhabited by intelligent beings and they could mine the coal. It is the bread of life to them.
Their ship was attacked by both the US and some other alien ship. The latter did the most damage to the the Dragon ship. It was forced to leave without picking up the crew it had dropped for exploration. They did promise them that they would return for them after they had repaired their ship.
When we discovered the Dragons in the late fifties, they had begone to infiltrate the human population. They were not very good at it then. Many civilians died in the effort. The government promised the Dragons that they would give the area to them.
The Dragons needed cover to continue living off the coal. They created a diversion by breathing fire to enable them to continue using the huge coal supply in the area. The Dragons breath fire around the coal supply.
They told us that it would take about 30 years of practice among humans to master the ability to live among us as humans. We gave them the time and in the early 90′s. We forced out the rest of the real humans. Any humans who visit Centralia are either eaten or return as aliens in disguise.
They told us that buoys would be set off by their ship to locate where they were as their ship approached our solar system. They said that this would occur when their rescue ship was about 200 earth years from our sun. So maybe what we are seeing are their light buoys looking for an answer from the Dragons.
They have no doubt infiltrated the human population by now. They can not maintain their human form for more than 16 years at a time, So they must return to Centralia for whatever they need.
I have long since retired. But the agency that manages the relationship with the Dragons is still managing the situation. I still have nightmares about those Dragons whenever I see a movie about dragons.
Parker
July 19th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
Hafa adai
Bad news: Guam just suffered his its first swine flu death.
______________________________________
Swine Flu Death Confirmed on Guam
Published Jul 20, 2009
Officials from the Department of Public Health announced during a press conference this afternoon that Guam has recorded its first death related to the H1N1 virus. The victim was only identified as a 26-year-old woman from the village of Yigo. The woman died about a week ago. There are ten confirmed cases of the H1N1 Influenza on Guam.
______________________________________________
Peter
July 19th, 2009 at 11:37 pm
Peter
You are unnecessarily alarming the people. Here is a more accurate story.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Guam Records 1st Death From Swine Flu
Written by Kevin Kerrigan
Monday, 20 July 2009 14:40
Newsflash
Guam – Public Health officials have confirmed that a 26 year old Yigo woman has died of complications caused by swine flu.
It is the island’s first confirmed death from swine flu. The identity of the woman has not been released. The woman died a week ago today at Guam Memorial Hospital, three days after being admitted. It is just being reported now because it took 7 days to confirm the test results.
Officials say that the woman was vulnerable because she had a pre-existing medical condition. They did not say what the medical condition was. The official cause of her death was pneumonia
In addition health officials say that there are now 16 confirmed cases of swine flu on island, including the woman who died.
Of the 15 other cases, 5 are still recovering, and the other ten have fully recovered.
Governor Felix Camacho said that GovGuam is on top of the situation and cautioned against panic.
===========================
Hafa adai
Anna
July 19th, 2009 at 11:53 pm
Michelle, mon cher;
Here in France, i think you will find a consensus that a better picture is required. I have gone through the archives and I can say with authority that a full photo of the Madame is due tout de suite.
Yannick
July 19th, 2009 at 11:56 pm
CRY YOUR WAY TO GOOD HEALTH
When a friend of mine started to cry a few weeks ago, I found myself wondering what I should do — comfort her and urge her to cry it out… or distract her and encourage her to just get over it. Common lore is that it’s good for us to cry when we need to — and that’s also the conclusion of researchers at University of South Florida in a study entitled When Is Crying Cathartic?
STUDYING TEARS
The study was published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology in 2008. I spoke with doctoral student of clinical psychology Lauren M. Bylsma, who helped analyze the findings. The researchers evaluated data on more than 5,000 male and female volunteers from 35 countries and reviewed how they felt after their last crying experience.
Bylsma’s focus was on when and under what circumstances crying became cathartic — that is, where the subject’s mood and physical well-being improved after crying. The fact that the study is international is important because it “makes the findings generalizable to different cultures,” says Bylsma. For example, people from America and Italy cry more frequently than those in China or Ghana.
The participants identified who or what was responsible for each crying episode and also provided details about who (family, friends, strangers) was present during the crying episode and described their reaction. Bylsma explained that “because so little is known about crying, we also looked into what was the response of others nearby to the crier and what caused the crying to stop.”
DOES CRYING HELP OR HURT?
Here’s what Bylsma learned from her analyses of the post-crying information…
Seven different types of events were identified triggers for crying — conflict, loss, personal inadequacy, witnessing suffering of someone else, experiencing physical suffering, experiencing psychological suffering and positive events.
Crying because of having witnessed other people suffering (in real life or in the news media) resulted in the lowest mood afterward. Bylsma speculated that this may be due to feelings of helplessness on the part of the crier.
The biggest mood boost came from happy tears — for example, crying at a wedding or graduation.
Crying about some personal inadequacy — such as being unattractive or not making enough money — delivered a post-crying boost in mood. Bylsma surmises that this may be because subjects feel they have some control over such triggers and so crying may be a way to express a desire to make a change.
If a stranger caused the crying (say, by stealing something of yours) the subject’s mood was lower after crying.
Social context was very important to how a person felt afterward. Crying in the presence of one supportive person improved mood… however, the opposite was true if the companion was angry, passive or embarrassed about the crying episode and/or when there was more than one person present.
Some reasons people stopped crying included improvement of the situation or because they found a way to perceive the situation differently.
WHY DO WE CRY?
Why we cry and what happens physiologically when we cry remains something of a mystery to scientists. One theory says that crying is essentially a distress signal for help (i.e. a baby crying for food), while another sees crying as a way to reduce arousal after distress. A recent study in Emotion says we cry for both reasons. When 60 female subjects were monitored while watching a poignant movie, those who cried showed a rise in heart rate upon crying (arousal)… which then decreased as they continued to cry, as did their respiration rates (soothing).
One challenge in the study of crying is that “self-reports of crying episodes are generally retrospective,” points out Bylsma. Therefore, events that transpired afterward may affect that recollection and how a person feels about it. New research underway uses hand-held Palm Pilot computers so subjects can record crying episodes and emotions in real time.
TO AVOID A BAD CRY
Of course, there is no one-size-fits-all advice on crying, but here are some of the takeaways from the research for those who want to make their cry a “good” one…
Choose your company. You’ll likely get more resolution and feel better if you allow yourself to cry in the presence of one supportive person. More than one person can lead to feelings of embarrassment, and you may be less likely to feel comfort from others, which can negatively impact your mood afterward. Also, if you know a particular person will not be supportive of your crying, save your tears for later.
Don’t hold in your tears when you are facing a loss — be it of a person you love, a job or even a favorite piece of jewelry.
Do cry. It helps clear your mood by providing a release and a way to process the feelings if you are upset with yourself.
Source(s):
Lauren M. Bylsma, MA, doctoral candidate, clinical psychology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida.
July 20th, 2009 at 12:07 am
Wouldn’t any congressman or woman who speak out against lobbying be super-popular right now? Seeing as how 70% of the public support a public option for HC. Why do i feel like no one speaks out?
July 20th, 2009 at 12:11 am
First of all, redefine “lobbying” as the crime it is bribery and penalize heavily anyone who engages in bribery. Penalties should include a ban from ever holding any public office or employment ever, jail terms and stiff fines.
Our reps and sens should be afraid of getting cozy with any particular interest other than their constituents. Return the control to citizens. If this were the case I think our % of public that votes would increase substantially as many are disenfranchised with the system.
July 20th, 2009 at 12:14 am
Stewardesses’ is the longest word typed with only the left hand.
July 20th, 2009 at 1:01 am
Republicans created their own law which made child rape and sexual mutilation perfectly legal. They also say they can take your children out of school anytime they need them.
July 20th, 2009 at 1:02 am
nstead of asking the experts, “What works?”, the disease that is George W. Bush and Dick Cheney went to their lawyers and asked, “How can we torture?”
They weren’t interested in getting information.
They contracted psychologists who had created a program that was designed to torture people into lying. The lie they wanted was a link between Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein.
George W. Bush and Dick Cheney weren’t looking to keep Americans safe. They were looking for a way to justify attacking and occupying Iraq.
July 20th, 2009 at 1:07 am
Madaline’s aid said that we can do what we have been planning tomorrow. If the men will cooperate, we will make things happen.
July 20th, 2009 at 1:09 am
Now that we have an american prisoner, let’s see how you like it when we torture your citizens.
July 20th, 2009 at 2:15 am
The CIA killed people. People died because of their “interrogation techniques”. Why isn’t that in bold, glittery letters going round and round the news cycles? Even the so-called liberal branch of the media is making this sound much more complex and nuanced than it really is.
They say they’re liberal, but they only report the parts of the story that make the conservatives sound like they have a valid argument, leaving out huge gaps where the info didn’t fit the frame. They’re inventing controversy on clear-cut cases of criminal activity. It’s just giving license to the new administration to selectively borrow tactics from the old one.
July 20th, 2009 at 2:33 am
To all of you out their that like to cut conspiracy theorists, how come no one ventured to tell what cheney did? They conspired to keep it secret. Thus no one stopped cheney’s inhumane program.
Who stepped forward or informed Congress about the stinging ants put on a detainee’s head to break him?
You conservatives have lost your claim to humanity. You have also put our men and women risking their lives in combat in terrible jeopardy if they become prisoners.
You have remove the moral high ground from under America’s feet. How can we now argue that they shouldn’t torture our captured soldier, when we have tortured theirs?
Cheney is a chicken hawk who have never faced danger because he has sought and used deferments all his life. This gutless man has made it easy for the enemy to torture any captured american.
Oscar
July 20th, 2009 at 7:04 am
Hi C.
Please forgive me Boo Boo for my lack of manners for never acknowledging you. Especially after your letter July 3 stating your admiration and that you had missed hearing from me. That certainly is no way to treat a lady of your caliber. You are of course Claire, yes?
I don’t encourage that you admire me, I mean what’s to admire?
If Claire you are not, then perhaps I should prepare for what the Japanese call eternity.
Do not be envious of Zen Lill. As an adult orphan, Zen Lill had adopted me as her Blog Brother, only because of the goodness of her heart and the pity she must have felt for this wreckage of a prior good man.
C. sweetie do not be offended if your name is not Claire, that would be my mistake, of which I make a lot of.
Al
July 20th, 2009 at 7:15 am
Parker, your story about the Dragons of Centralia, Pennsylvania is very interesting to me. It stirs my imagination.
I hear about how often our society has been infiltrated by Alien Beings and how they live among us without our knowledge.
The Universe is full of life in many forms, and some of it comes our way, even though we seem to be off the main highway of space travelers. I hope their comrades find them and they return safely to their Planet. Hearing about Humans walking around possessed by Dragonlike beings will keep me out of Centralia.
This must have been an experience you will never forget. I too, would be frieghtened by Dragin movies had I experienced a similar situation. Parker, thanks for blogging in about your Alien encounter. It takes guts to talk about subjects that others may judge as insanity. I personally know that you speak the truth and believe you.
I wish more Humans would write in about their experiences. It makes me wonder why the Nations of our Planet try so hard to keep everything a secret from us. I suppose they fear that if the population of Earth knew we had no control over our futures, we would live in panic and fear, so they keep us in the dark.
HOWIE