The Darfur Dream Team
Posted by Michelle Moquin on September 26th, 2009
Good Morning.
Doug: As far as the G20, I hear what you are saying, and you have made some very valid points. I agree that billions have been given to corps and banks with no accountability. We have seen the repercussions in our own country and the picture is not good. I am hopeful that the G20 countries, including our country, will pull through and help Darfur. I am hoping that they will have stipulations in place that will help the people of Darfur, and the money won’t get lost in the pockets of their government. We will survive (I hope) but the people of Darfur may not and that is not acceptable.
In regards to the debt owed, the Save Darfur coalition is not against forgiving Sudan’s debt, they just want to make sure that whatever money Sudan doesn’t have to pay back goes to help the people. Whether they can make that deal in favor of the people, we’ll just have to wait and see. We know that the Sudan government is corrupt.
The atrocities affect all the people but who does it impact the most? The children. The children are the most impacted…it is their future that is at risk….it is their future that we have to think about.
Which brings me to today’s topic. The Darfur Dream Team.
The Darfur Dream Team is a dynamic partnership of organizations and professional basketball players working together on the Sister Schools Program, an initiative to connect American middle schools, high schools, colleges, and universities with sister schools in the 12 refugee camps in Chad.
It all began when Tracy McGrady of the Houston Rockets decided to take a trip over to Chad when he heard about the incredible challenges that the children of Darfur face daily in the refugee camps. In the midst of all of the shocking stories that he was told, what he heard over and over was the desire from parents, for their children to get a better education and opportunities that other children have. They wanted a chance to help rebuild their lives and homes. Tracy decided this was his time to act.
When Tracy and his traveling companions from the Enough Project returned, they hatched the idea for the Darfur Dream Team’s Sister Schools program linking American middle schools, high schools, colleges, and universities with schools in the Darfuri refugee camps. Tracy’s Journey to the refugee camps in eastern Chad is chronicled in the movie 3 Points.
About the Sister Schools Program
There are two main objectives of the Darfur Dream Team’s Sister Schools Program. They are: (1) to provide a quality education to every refugee child from Darfur; and, (2) to develop connections between students from Darfur and the United States and promote mutual understanding. Principal partners in the Darfur Dream Team’s Sister Schools Program include: USA for UNHCR, Participant Media, The Enough Project, Facing History and Ourselves, the Education Partnership for Children of Conflict, and i-ACT.
Several NBA players have already signed on to this initiative by pledging financial support and/or dedicating time to working directly with U.S. sister schools. Tracy McGrady, Derek Fisher, and Baron Davis are currently recruiting additional players. Early participants include Luol Deng, Jermaine O’Neal, Etan Thomas, and others.
The Sister Schools Program brings together a diverse coalition — students, professional athletes, and international, private, and non-profit organizations — to provide Darfuri refugee children with access to quality education. If successful, the sister schools model can be replicated to respond to other humanitarian crises around the world.
How it Works
The active participation of you and your classmates is the only way the Sister Schools Program can be successful. Team up now with your classmates, friends, and families to provide Darfuri refugee youth with access to quality education. Together, you can spread the word about the crisis in Darfur, raise funds, and share your stories. Get Involved Now
With the funds raised, UNHCR and its partner organizations in eastern Chad will build and rehabilitate primary school buildings, and provide students in the refugee camps with school supplies and sports equipment.
How You Can Get Involved
You can easily sign up today and begin participating in the Sister Schools Program. Once you sign up, the Darfur Dream Team will contact you. As a sister school, you will be able to make a lasting connection to Darfuri students by communicating through letters, pictures, care packages,and eventually video blogs. Join us now!
I think this is a wonderful idea.
When I traveled to Vietnam the first time, I was lucky to be a part of United Airlines Inaugural flight, a delegate representing San Francisco, a sister city of Vietnam. One of our day trips was a visit to one of the schools that we supported. I can’t express enough how the children were so delighted by our visit and the school supplies that we gifted them. The school had just received computers that year and it had changed their lives.
All of the delegates including myself, were so inspired by these children and their desire to learn, that we wanted to do more. So right then and there, we all pulled out money from our pockets and made donations to the school so that they could buy more of what they needed. It was one of my most memorable times from my visit there.
Children are like little sponges just waiting to soak up all of the information from what they see and hear. It is our job, it is our responsibility, to make sure that the information they are given enriches their lives, and has a positive affect.
Peace out…
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor
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September 26th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
Hi Mischa, good posts/videos. Great info to know. Will read again and comment then…
Very busy working through Mon aft, have to make September matter $-wise!
Women of MM blog, keep journaling what you’re eating and when. I’m so not into deprivation so I’ve eaten enough dark chocolate covered blueberries to take care of all our hormonal cramps : ) I’m good now and no change in weight, you can get away with that occassionally if you’re nit indugung in garbage the rest of the time. Just wanted to share that in case you think you’ve been ‘bad’ this week. This isn’t about perfection, it’s about awareness.
I’m outta here, have to go make other women look and feel awesome : )
Luv, Zen Lill
PS Anonz, I think we may share an acquantance. Am I right?
September 26th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Hey Michelle, I got another one for you and your readers.
“Land of the Free”
The Propaganda series urges viewers to contemplate and evaluate the information they receive before accepting it as the truth; to question authority and the decisions made by those in power; to become an active participant and producer of thought as opposed to a passive receptacle for broadcast hype. The message is conveyed using a simple and direct visual language resulting in pieces that are easy to interpret and have immediate impact. In addition, animated pieces use audio/visual exclamation points to drive the message home. The purpose of this series is its message. If you agree with this message you can aid in its spread. All images in this series are public domain and I encourage you to download and distribute using the links on each piece’s information page. The downloadable PDF & SWF differ slightly from the original as I have included my url to aid in the virulent dissemination of this work and its message.
September 26th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
There are 4 more in this propoganda series. Hope you enjoyed them and found them informative.
Al
September 27th, 2009 at 6:21 am
Had some technical difficulties up there one post #2. This is “land of the free”
It is called the land of the free, but everything seems to have a price. In fact, the higher a price you pay for things, the more respect and admiration you receive. Movie stars and athletes are revered not only for their fame, but also for the lavish lifestyles that fame affords them. Wildly overpriced SUVs have become the status symbol of the new millennium, with every car manufacturer scrambling to cash in on this new windfall, regardless of the socio-economic and ecological repercussions. Yes, in America it even costs money to be healthy. While most first world countries realize that healthcare is a basic human right to be provided socially, we feel the profit generated by our hospitals and doctors’ practices are just too lucrative to pass up. Money is so important to us that we will even export our manufacturing to third world counties for cheaper labor, regardless of the collapsing U.S. job market. But are these savings passed on to the consumer? Of course not, they just add to a greater profit margin and larger year-end bonuses for the multi-billionaire company executives. And as ENRON recently showed, the bottom line is more important than anything, including honest accounting and the livelihood of your employees. Yes, America truly is one nation, under the dollar.
September 27th, 2009 at 7:12 am
The Two Vegetables That Can Kill a Wine
Karen Page
Andrew Dornenburg
There are lots of misconceptions about wine. In fact, the only thing most casual wine drinkers know about wine pairings is the old rule “Drink red wine with meat and white wine with fish.” As it happens, even this is not always accurate.
Bottom Line/Personal asked sommeliers Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg to answer some of the most common questions about wine…
What’s something most people don’t know about wine?
Most people think that only white wine goes with fish, but stronger-flavored fish, including salmon and tuna, pair even better with a light-bodied red, such as pinot noir. Grilled fish — because of the strong smoky flavor from the grilling — goes nicely with pinot noir as well.
Another thing many people don’t realize is that deep-fat-fried fish, as in fish-and-chips, pairs best with a sparkling white wine, whether champagne, Spanish cava or Italian prosecco. These bubbly wines are wonderfully refreshing with fried food.
What’s the most important factor to consider when pairing wines?
A key factor is the “body” or “weight” of the wine. Generally, full-bodied wines are best paired with heavier foods… light-bodied wines with lighter foods.
Among leading red wines…
Pinot noirs are typically light-bodied and go well with light foods, such as grilled tuna or salmon.
Merlots tend to be medium-bodied and go well with pork or veal
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Cabernet sauvignons (“cabs,” for short) and zinfandels are full-bodied and go well with heavy foods, such as steak or venison.
Among leading white wines…
Rieslings typically are light-bodied and tend to go well with spicy Asian food or trout.
Sauvignon blancs are medium-bodied and pair well with many chicken, seafood and vegetarian dishes.
Chardonnays are more full-bodied and go well with dishes that feature seafood and poultry in heavy butter or cream sauces.
If you are not sure how full-bodied a wine is, its alcohol level (marked on the label) often is a clue. Wines at less than 12% alcohol are generally light-bodied… those at more than 14% alcohol are full-bodied.
Is there a wine that goes well with a vinegar salad dressing?
The acid in vinegar can clash with the flavors of wine. Many restaurants serve salads dressed with verjus (the juice of unripe fruit, such as grapes or apples) rather than vinaigrette to avoid this problem, or they’ll add wine-friendly ingredients, such as meats, cheeses or nuts to help the pairing.
If you must pair a wine with a vinegary dish, select a high-acid wine — for example, Sauvignon blanc or, if you want a red wine, a chianti.
I’ve heard that if a food is from a certain region, it should be paired with a wine from that region. True?
It is not necessary, but that can be a great shortcut to an effective wine pairing. Many regions’ wines were developed with their areas’ cuisines in mind. Selecting a geographically matching wine will take you 75% of the way to a great pairing.
For example, bouillabaisse, the fish soup from the south of France, pairs very nicely with that region’s dry rosés.
Pesto is from the Liguria region of Italy and pairs very well with Liguria’s light-bodied, dry vermentino white wines.
What are some of the most difficult foods to pair with wine?
A few of the hardest…
Artichokes and asparagus are potential wine killers. The chemical compounds in these vegetables can make wine taste weirdly sweet or metallic. Sauvignon blanc is your best bet.
Cheese plates featuring a wide variety of cheeses can be difficult to pair with a single wine. Alsatian gewürztraminers, fruity and floral white wines, pair well with a wide range of cheeses.
Egg dishes can taste horrible when paired with “oaked” wines, including many California chardonnays. Select an unoaked white wine instead — one that has not been aged in oak barrels. A general rule of thumb is that the less expensive the wine, the less likely it is to have spent time in oak. Sparkling wines can be good choices.
Are there any red wines that can be served chilled?
Serving red wines too warm is one of the most common mistakes wine drinkers make. Most reds are best enjoyed at cellar temperatures — the high 50s — not room temperature, which might be in the 70s. If you do not have a cellar that remains cool year-round, put your room-temperature red wines in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes before serving.
On the other hand, most people drink their white wines too cold. Take whites out of the fridge about 20 minutes before serving. Sparkling wines and white dessert wines are best enjoyed at refrigerator temperatures.
Of course, when people say they like red wines chilled, they usually mean chilled to temperatures lower than cellar temperature. In the warmer months, turn to Beaujolais, a light-bodied French red commonly served at temperatures cooler than most other red wines. A half-hour in the fridge should do it.
How can I find good but inexpensive wines?
There are lots of very good wines available for about $10 a bottle. One way to discover bargains is to explore wines from outside the classic wine-making regions of France, Italy and California.
Some of our favorites…
Portuguese vinho verdes, dry light-bodied white wines that go well with shellfish.
Spanish sherries, medium-bodied white wines that go well with tapas, from roasted almonds to fried fish.
Argentinean malbecs, full-bodied red wines that pair well with beef stew, barbecue or steak.
Some great inexpensive wines…
2006 Cartlidge & Browne Pinot Noir. $14. Pair it with red meat, pasta in red sauce or salmon. Cartlidge & Browne’s chardonnay ($11) and merlot ($11) also are worth seeking out.
2006 De Bortoli “dB Selection” Merlot. $9. This affordable Australian merlot goes well with red meat or pasta in red sauce. Also try De Bortoli Chardonnay ($9), perfect for crab cakes.
2006 Osborne Solaz. $7. Pair this Spanish red with red meat. You’ll be amazed that a wine of this quality is available at this price.
2006 Columbia Winery Cellarmaster’s Riesling. $10. This inexpensive white wine from Washington State is a wonderful match for white meats and even spicy Asian dishes.
If a wine has a screw top, is that a sign of inferior quality?
Not at all. Even top winemakers are moving in that direction.
Also, the technology for preserving wine in a box — great to take on a picnic — has improved dramatically, so wine snobs soon might have to get over their preconceptions.
Do I really need different glasses for red and white wines?
No, but having them can enhance the wine-drinking experience. Best for reds is a glass with a wide bulb so that you get the full effect of the aroma when you swirl and sip.
For sparkling wines, you want a tall, thin flute so that the bubbles don’t escape quickly.
For white wine, the glass falls in between these two shapes.
Good source for wine glasses at good value: Target (www.target.com), which currently offers the well-known Riedel brand at affordable prices.
Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, married coauthors of several books on food and wine, including What to Drink with What You Eat (Bulfinch), winner of the 2007 International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Cookbook of the Year Award. The couple lives in New York City. http://www.becomingachef.com.
September 27th, 2009 at 7:34 am
My emails have been full of complaints that I have not been keeping you up to date with the latest news on Guam.
I would like to take a page from Michelle’s book(I that is alright with you Michelle) and say. This is a hobby not a job. I am not getting paid to keep you informed. You have relatives on the island. Call sometimes. It is a local call if you have AT&T, even on your cell.
Now for the latest news on Guam.
We are starting a “Silver” Alert on Guam. It is like the Amber Alert, except it is for senior citizens. Here is a recent article about it.
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On July 17, 2004, Gov. Felix Camacho’s office spearheaded a task force of more than 200 people for the final full search of Joseph Duenas Quan.
Quan, who was 71 years old and suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, wandered off from his home in Santa Rita on June 24 and was never seen again. I was on the search team, and it was heartbreaking to see the Quan family being told that there was nothing more we could do for them after a full day of looking for their loved one.
Perhaps, if Guam had an “Amber Alert” for seniors (manamko’) called “Silver Alert,” the outcome may have been more favorable.
In April 2008, Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis, a Republican from Florida, introduced legislation that would establish a national grant program to help the states and territories establish Silver Alert notification systems to locate missing individuals suffering from dementia-related illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease.
The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that more than 60 percent of people suffering from this disease will wander away from their homes or care-giving facilities during their lifetimes.
The National Silver Alert Program was developed to provide vital information to law enforcement to assist in the search and safe recovery of these individuals.
The program captures vital personal, medical, caregiver information and color photograph, and prints the information on two wallet-sized ID cards and one large ID card. Should a person with dementia wander off or get lost, a care-giver needs only to present an ID card to authorities to begin the search and recovery effort.
For information on bringing the National Silver Alert Program to Guam, visit the contact page on http://national silveralert.org.
Cole Herndon is a resident of Yona.
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Hafa adai
Anna
September 27th, 2009 at 7:44 am
I have been very busy preparing for new assignments that seem to pop up daily. I love it here in France. Je suis tres bien!
Yes, I am studying the language, but I am not good with them. I hope the natives will be patient. Here is something I found on the net. I can’t say the whole thing in french, but I think the – here is something is – Ici est quelque chose; I can.
I know you have a large french audience. If any of you would like to offer me any advice, If would be greatly appreciated. Merci beaucoup.
Oh, the article: I got it from the web .
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A recipe for dysfunction
Dear Friend,
One of the most common complaints I hear from friends and patients alike is that it’s so hard to shop for groceries — and impossible to know what’s healthy and what’s junk.
I always tell them the same thing: It’s not as hard as you think. In fact, it’s not hard at all. Just don’t buy anything in a bag, box or can and you’ll do fine. Shop at an organic market that focuses almost exclusively on fresh meats and veggies, and you won’t have many hard decisions to make.
I’ve found that the more benefits and claims a product label touts, the more reasons you have to run far, far away from it — especially if it’s a product that you just know isn’t supposed to be healthy.
I’ve always known these confusing foods were a problem, but I was stunned when I read PricewaterhouseCoopers’ August report that said so-called functional foods represented $27 billion per year in sales — about 5 percent of the U.S. food market.
You know these foods. I’ve told you about them before. Most of these are the processed foods, snacks and prepackaged meals that make up the heart of what I call the Torture Chamber Diet, that high-carb road to ruin that has left so many Americans obese and sick. But they’ve added a little bit of a vitamin or fish oil to make this garbage look healthier — and to confuse consumers.
And that’s not even the worst of it. When I read in the report that these foods are expected to grow at a rate of up to 20 percent per year, I nearly fell out of my chair. To put that into perspective, the rest of the grocery industry is expected to grow at between 1 percent and 4 percent per year.
The latest wave of “functional” junk food to hit store shelves includes granola bars that are little more than candy (some of them even have bits of candy baked right into the bar), fake butter spreads, and sugar-packed yogurts and cereals.
Most of these have been on the market for years, but a minor change in the ingredients allows manufacturers to slap a bright new label on the package that makes the product sound healthy.
Many junk foods now wear packages that scream “ZERO TRANS FAT!” as if not having the worst additive possible is a reason to buy it.
But make no mistake about it: No matter what they pull out or put into these products, junk food is still junk food — and you shouldn’t eat it.
If you want to enjoy truly functional foods, avoid the carbs and stick to a diet of real, fresh foods. That means doing some cooking and skipping prepared meals and drive- through windows, but it’s not as hard as it sounds.
Eat well-balanced meals of these real foods and you’ll quickly find yourself enjoying good health as your body naturally obtains most of the vitamins it needs through your diet. If you’ve been eating processed foods, some of these may be nutrients you’ve been missing out on for years.
You might be surprised at how quickly you feel better, stronger and sharper — even if you think you’re in relatively good health right now.
That’s the real gift of real foods — and one you can give yourself today.
Be Well,
William B. Ferril, M.D.
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Ruth
September 27th, 2009 at 7:59 am
Hafa adai
Whites america has once again used their laws to take up most of an island peoples’ coastal land. They have by one law or another taken control of 75% of Guam’s coastal property.
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The Sept. 18 PDN had a “Man, Land & Sea” insert from the Guam Coastal Management Program of the Bureau of Statistics and Plans, featuring an article that shows a map that the marine protected areas only restrict about 11 percent of the island’s coastline.
This is very misleading. They should show the fishing-access-on-Guam map that features the effective social (private property, etc.), public health and safety (EPA advisories, etc.); political (military bases, homeland security, etc.) and natural (clifflines, etc.) marine preserves which take up 50 to 75 percent of the island’s coastline. The map exists. We need to ask them why it has not been made public.
In November 2006, at a meeting in preparation for the 2006 Micronesia Challenge Action Planning Meeting in the Republic of Palau, I noted that there were two fishermen who had just lost their lives fishing in Pogo Bay and said we should look into any relationship the fishing deaths may have with any possible displacement from traditional or cultural fishing areas since the enforcement of the MPAs in 2001. I was told “the men did not have to go fishing.”
According to the 2000 Census, about 25 percent of our population was below the poverty level. Subsistence fishing is necessary to provide food for our families.
I also said the map showing fishing access on Guam that was worked on by the Guam Fishermen’s Cooperative Association, the Guam Coastal Management Program and myself should be included in the presentation in Palau. These inaccessible and restricted areas inadvertently, but effectively, created de facto marine preserves. I was told the map didn’t exist, though it had been provided to me by the GCMP in March of 2006.
I was since “not invited” to the Micronesia Challenge and other meetings, which is a red flag on transparency in our natural resource agencies. The subsequent report presented in Palau and put into the final document was wrought with errors. The write up immediately after the marine “Managed Areas” table noted, “In 2004, a law was passed creating a MP eco-permit to regulate non-fishing activity.” This is misleading. While there is an Eco-Permit law, there has been no such eco-permit process implemented to date.
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Why is white america always so greedy and heartless? Is not 49% enough of a native peoples’ land enough for them? Why deprive them of their own homeland while promising them the benefits of becoming part of a greater society.
It seems that this “greater society” only applies to them.
Peter
September 27th, 2009 at 8:05 am
Sorry Anna, I didn’t mean to sound so strident. I was facetiously expressing my missing your column.
AH and Adam I read this article and I wonder if you two could go back and fill in some details.
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World War II vet recalls how he and fellow sailors survived at sea after attack
12:00 AM CDT on Sunday, September 27, 2009
Joshua Hull, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
MEMPHIS, Texas – The first torpedo hit after midnight.
Cleatus LeBow, a long way from his home in landlocked Abernathy, Texas, jumped out of his bunk at the rear of his ship and threw on some clothes before running on deck.
By then the second Japanese torpedo had struck, shearing off the bow of the USS Indianapolis and ensuring that the 600-foot-long cruiser would soon rest on the ocean floor.
As the boat came loose, it slid down and crushed several men, forcing the survivors to jump in the water.
“No one knew we were missing,” LeBow said. “We were out about halfway between Guam and the Philippine Islands, out in the middle of the ocean, and no one knew we were lost or sunk.”
The date was July 30, 1945.
There were almost 1,200 men serving aboard the Indy, 900 of whom would make it into the water. Nearly five days without food or water, floating alone in lifeboats and unprotected from sharks, only 316 would be pulled from the ocean alive.
Now 85 and one of the few living survivors of the U.S. Navy’s worst disaster at sea, LeBow enjoys the slow pace of life in the Panhandle with his wife.
By sunrise after the sinking of the Indianapolis, it was obvious that the helpless men were in trouble. Shark fins were visible in the distance.
Without drinking water for hydration, many of the men experienced delusions. Those who couldn’t bear the thirst any longer would drink the sea water, which LeBow said almost immediately sealed their fates.
“All we could do was just sit there and talk about things we’d done and things we were going to do,” he said.
Some men swam away from the group, shouting about nearby islands or other inventions of the imagination.
“They wouldn’t get very far,” LeBow said. “You’d see a fin come along, take them under the water, and they’d be gone.”
He said his faith in God, his belief that he would either go home to his family or go home with Jesus, carried him through. By the fourth day his own delirium had set in, and if it weren’t for a caring friend he probably would have been eaten as well after he swam away from the floating net.
On Aug. 2, the men were seen when a patrol flight found the survivors. LeBow doesn’t remember the rescue.
After the war, LeBow worked for a telephone company, moving across the state. He was living in Plano until 12 years ago, when his wife’s mother became ill and they moved to Memphis to care for her.
Through time, LeBow said he has learned to forgive the Japanese for the war and for sinking his ship. He said he realizes they were following orders, just like he was.
“They were doing for their country what we were doing for ours,” he said. “I wish the war had never happened.”
Joshua Hull,
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
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Hafa adai
Christine
September 27th, 2009 at 8:14 am
Michelle
Many african males here have had your blog message shown to us by our females as proof that we should be more kind. I have pushed them away in the past. but today I wish to thank you for keeping our misery in the minds of others. We have had many moneys and kindnesss sent to us by those who say Michelle told us about your need. My mother cried when I told her who you were. She says you will always be her daughter in america. I promise I will be better and like anonz a help to our females.
Fakhri
September 27th, 2009 at 8:29 am
I just heard on the news that commuters in Washington, DC. were stuck in a metro station for over an hour on Friday [I think it was] evening after the agent at the metro station closed up and went home. WITHOUT checking in the last train; he thought they were all in so HE CLOSED THE STATION!
Is there more that they can do to them besides fire him/her? (which imho is the least they should do to him/her). LAZY!!!!!! Ugh
September 27th, 2009 at 8:32 am
We need to do something about those representatives in both houses that take money from the pharmaceutical industry and insurance companies. Why doesn’t someone call them out?
Name names.
Maude
September 27th, 2009 at 8:38 am
I’m with you Peter, I am white. But I was born on Guam. I like to think it is my home too. The mainland should not take over islands and promise them that if they accept american citizenship they will be treated equally to all americans and then fuck them.
Why should health care to american citizens on an american island be any different than those for americans on the mainland? Why do my white brothers always scheme to get the most for themselves?
We on Guam and the rest of the islands are fighting to get treated equally.
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Guam, USVI press equal health care rights for the US territories
Guam Gov. Felix P. Camacho and U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. John P. de Jongh Jr. urged U.S. senators Max Baucus and Charles Grassley in a letter Friday to ensure that U.S. offshore areas, including Guam, the CNMI, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico, be eligible for the enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentage for new eligibles.
Baucus, chairman for the Committee on Finance in the U.S. Senate, released his chairman’s mark for health care legislation that is now pending before the Senate Finance Committee. His mark provides that coverage of newly eligibles in the U.S. territories would not be subject to the new Medicaid spending caps. However, his mark does not state whether the expanded coverage would be subject to enhanced FMAP on the same basis as the states.
Guam’s and the other territories’ FMAP for 2009 is 50 percent, effective through Sept. 30, 2009. While the chairman’s mark would extend the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act increase in the Medicaid cap and increase the territorial FMAP to 55 percent, it would leave the U.S. territories “severely disadvantaged in comparison with their fellow Americans on the mainland,” the letter states.
Camacho and de Jongh urged the senators to reduce this disparity by clarifying in the legislation that the extended FMAP for new eligibles also applies to the U.S. territories. They noted that this “would represent a significant step forward in fulfilling [President Barack Obama's] commitment to provide equal treatment for the territories and to ensure that federal health care benefits are available to all Americans, regardless of where they reside.” (PR)
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Hafa adai
Hunter
September 27th, 2009 at 8:46 am
Maude my suggestion:
Term Limits on Congressional Prostitutes solves all of these ills.
Preventing Congressional Prostitutes from voting on legislation they personally have a stake in via lobbyist directed campaign contributions is another way.
In my opinion if any one of these Congressional Prostitutes took money from the private healthcare industry, they should be banned from voting on any health care legislation.
Would you put the family members of a murderer on the jury charged with deciding his guilt?
Of course not, that would be stupid! But we do it every day in Washington.
Mitch McConnell alone has received over $4 million in campaing contributions from Big HMO so how on earth could he be unbiased? He can’t.
Lobbying and stupid people are the two biggest threats to American democracy.
September 27th, 2009 at 8:48 am
Why can’t we get as much done as FDR or LBJ or Reagan?
For two reasons. First, the country is badly divided now.
FDR won 44 states in his landslide victory in 1932.
LBJ won 44 states in his landslide victory in 1964.
Reagan won 42 states in his landslide victory in 1980.
Those were truly broad-based victories, in which all regions of the country had states that voted for those Presidents.
But in 2008, Obama won only 28 states. And polls show that in the 22 states that didn’t vote for him, he’s just as unpopular now as we was then.
America is a union of states. And right now, roughly half the states in America don’t like the direction Obama is taking the country.
Second, America has become more risk-averse. Any project has to run a gauntlet of a thousand different stakeholders and protesters. The Left insisted on much of that–OSHA and the EPA and environmentalists and community activists can stop any project in its tracks if they wish.
The Ground Zero project in New York City went through a zillion revisions, because the 9-11 Families objected to much of the design (WHY are a bunch of widows getting veto power over skyscrapers?). And the Fire Department wanted it more secure against fire. And the Police Department wanted it more secure against bombing. So the project was revised a zillion times–and delayed a zillion times.
September 27th, 2009 at 8:56 am
Michelle
I am a Kenyan. I read your blog every day. I mostly like what I read. I get to know what america and the rest of the world knows when they know it. That is a very fine thing.
But do you have to be so hard on men? The ladies here say Michelle says this and Michelle says that. I say why don’t MIchelle say females should be nice to the men too?
I take a lot of messing with be cause my name means =He is hot=. The girls are the most with this teasing me. I say Michelle tell your female readers in Kenya to stop.
Thank you
Hiuhu
September 27th, 2009 at 9:56 am
The way I see it is that nothing is getting done because of our bipartisan “machine”. Why even have a president who is supposed to lead when political agendas interfere with what he may want to get accomplished, or what the American people may or may not want? He can only lead to a certain degree. Why wasn’t going to war in Iraq put before Congress? Why don’t we take health reform to the American public to vote on?
September 27th, 2009 at 10:10 am
This is the type of race bating the republicans are spreading through the south. They have racist judges that issue orders that protect their identities so that they can not be called out.
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Trial lawyers group admits role in racially charged election flier
By Steve Bousquet and Marc Caputo, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
In Print: Thursday, September 24, 2009
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A mailer sent by the Conservative Voters’ Coalition was called “appalling” by Tom Edwards, whose group paid for it. Jacksonville Republican John Thrasher, a former House speaker, overcame a barrage of trial-lawyer attacks to defeat three rivals for a state Senate seat.
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TALLAHASSEE — In a highly embarrassing mea culpa, Florida’s powerful trial lawyer lobby admitted Wednesday that it was behind an ugly race-baiting flier in a recent North Florida Senate election.
“Morally and politically, it was indefensible,” said Scott Carruthers, executive director of the Florida Justice Association, the trial bar group, who said its leaders had no knowledge of it. “I accept full responsibility for not having done everything to stop that piece from going out.”
The flier juxtaposed images of the Black Panthers, President Barack Obama, the Rev. Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam and black marchers holding a large ACORN banner. The caption read: “Is this the change YOU want to believe in? Violence and intimidation at the voting booth.”
The admission sheds new light on the growing practice in Florida of electioneering groups known as 527s that transfer large sums of money among each other to buy ads to influence voters while concealing their affiliations.
Those tactics exploded in recent weeks in the Senate election after a federal judge struck down a law requiring such groups to quickly disclose their contributions and expenses. Now they can wait until long after the election.
The controversial flier also may have damaged the trial bar’s reputation with African-American legislators. Said Rep. Joe Gibbons, a former president of the legislative black caucus: “An apology won’t do.”
“Armed thugs may try and scare you away from the voting booth,” read the text of the mailer, a message still volatile in Jacksonville since the 2000 presidential recount. The city was the epicenter of the recent Senate election in which Republican John Thrasher, a former House speaker, overcame a barrage of trial-lawyer attacks to defeat three rivals.
The mailer included a tear-off absentee ballot request form and was the trial bar’s way of building a pool of persuadable absentee voters through a phony political group. The so-called Conservative Voters’ Coalition was a 527 political organization acting as a front for the trial bar.
Lawyer David Ramba created the new organization and the trial bar enlisted Republican campaign consultant Bill Helmich to design the mailer.
The money for the mailer came from a trial bar-aligned 527 group, the similarly named Conservative Citizens for Justice, which sent a check for $68,999.53 to pay for the piece to go to 88,000 Jacksonville area homes on Aug. 18-19.
On Aug. 21, the mailer’s existence was noted on a Jacksonville political blog, triggering an uproar. Tom Edwards, the lawyer whose Conservative Citizens for Justice group paid for it, resigned, calling the piece “detestable,” “appalling” and “inappropriate.”
Trial bar executive director Carruthers said the group’s internal process of vetting all political advertising was not followed, including a review by its election-law adviser, attorney Ron Meyer.
Rep. Gibbons, D-Hallandale Beach, said the trial bar’s actions are especially damaging, coming at a time when some feel that criticism of Obama’s presidency has racial overtones.
“That’s just bad faith,” Gibbons said. “You would like to think nobody would use race, particularly at a time when you have a black president, and you have these hard people out there with all these hard feelings built up. It’s an insult to me … to think that people just trying to win an office would go to those kinds of depths to win is shocking.”
What was especially embarrassing about the mailer is that trial lawyers overwhelmingly backed Obama’s election, and Carruthers personally gave $2,300 to Obama’s effort.
Helmich declined to comment on his role in the mail piece. The trial bar said it paid no money to Helmich directly.
Ramba, the lawyer who filed the paperwork for the group, called his role “purely administrative.”
Steve Bousquet can be reached at bousquet@sptimes.com or (850) 224-7263.
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These are the white lawyers who are not being asked to be disbarred for their despicable behavior.
Suzette
September 27th, 2009 at 10:25 am
The tonsils, which have long been regarded as unnecessary beyond childhood, actually are a part of your lymphatic system, and as such are essential for proper immune function. In addition to their lymphatic function, they produce natural antibiotic compounds called beta-defensins, which are effective against bacteria, viruses, and even fungi. They are often the first defense in your upper respiratory tract. When they are enlarged, it is generally a sign that either they are working to eliminate these foreign antigens or there is a food allergy, which is most commonly from milk and/or milk products. Oftentimes, eliminating milk from the diet will allow the problem to resolve.
The tonsils also stand guard at the entry to your digestive system. As pathogens in your food (or in the air, if you’re breathing through your mouth) pass by, they set off the release of the beta-defensins, along with other immune components such as IgA and B cells. In the short time it takes a substance to make its way down your esophagus, your body is prepared to meet the invader.
Doctors started removing tonsils at about the turn of the last century, and the practice reached a peak in the early 1930s. After a brief break in the mid-‘30s, the trend continued well into the 1960s. During this period, tonsils were removed in response to continued infections or sore throats.
These days, one of the main reasons for tonsil removal in children is sleep apnea, which is a health problem that used to be practically unheard of in children. Sleep apnea, along with high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels, started surfacing in the last couple of generations due to the growing childhood obesity problem. Most doctors have been led to believe that the tonsils are fairly useless after the age of four or five, so cutting them out to treat sleep apnea seems far more practical than getting children to change their diets and increase their activity. However, some research strongly suggests that removing these glands may have far more impact than anyone realized.
Researchers at the University of Buffalo in New York found that, on average, children experienced a 13 percent increase in weight following the removal of their tonsils and adenoids. Dr. James Roemmich, the lead researcher in the study, stated that the weight gain caused by the surgery to help relieve the breathing problem in these children could create a vicious cycle. Weight gain in these children is a concern. Obesity may be a primary cause of obstructive sleep-disordered breathing, so additional weight gain may lead to a re-occurrence of obstructed breathing during sleep in spite of the surgery.
If the child is experiencing sleep apnea and also happens to be obese, as were the children in this study, it should go without saying that surgery isn’t the answer. Not only could the surgery contribute to additional weight gain, the removing the tonsils also eliminates the extra protection against infections these “unnecessary” organs provide.
Until next time,
Dr. David Williams
July 13th, 2011 at 7:09 am
Thanks for more information. I found it helpful and will use it in our veterinary practice.