This ‘N That Chitchat
Posted by Michelle Moquin on April 10th, 2010
Good morning.
Topics tend to be all over the place when it comes to my blog. I am sure we can all agree that this blog is a place to learn. At least it is for me, and I wouldn’t doubt you too. Lots going on this morning from chats about Immigration reform, and the racist whites in full foam whipping up the base into a frenzy. Love that visual Mike – thanks, to the tragic news of the plane crash in Poland, killing the president and many top military and civilian leaders – my heart goes out to the families and the people in Poland – and last but not least, not to mention the night before the elections begin in Sudan.
The forum is open for discussion on these, and of course as usual, anything else you want to chat about. Speaking of Sudan, if you didn’t sign up for the latest election alerts, here it is:
ELECTION ALERT #1
With less than 48 hours to go before polls are scheduled to open in Sudan on April 11, ominous trends continue to underscore that the election will not meet international standards of credibility. On Wednesday, the major opposition party in northern Sudan, the Umma party, announced it was withdrawing all of its candidates, dealing another critical blow to the election’s credibility following the decision of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) to withdraw its presidential candidate and parliamentary candidates in Darfur late last week. Additionally, many SPLM parliamentary candidates in northern Sudan have withdrawn, apparently against the wishes of some of the SPLM leadership in Juba.
Yesterday, US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice expressed concern about the situation on the ground in Sudan and suggested that a slight delay in the election could be supported by Washington. However, there is no sign that the National Electoral Commission expects to delay the elections (although a decision could come as late as the evening of April 10). Former President Jimmy Carter arrived in Khartoum on Thursday to head the Carter Center’s election observation mission, expressing his regret that a number of parties were boycotting and that he “hope[d] that the elections would be fair and honest, at least for the participants [still] in it.”
Finally, there have been reports that two opposition party leaders in Darfur have been detained, but were later released. One of them reports that the security agents targeted them for signing a statement urging all Darfuris to boycott the elections.
TAKE ACTION:
Please call Secretary of State Clinton today and encourage her to ensure that the upcoming Sudanese elections do not legitimize a genocidal, corrupt government and instead reflect the true will of the Sudanese people.
Call her today at:
1-800-GENOCIDE
Thank you!
Howard: I liked the article. Thanks for posting. Vitamin D just keeps coming up doesn’t it? As I mentioned, my blog is so informative. It isn’t just the articles that I post, but thanks to you and my other readers, we all get a huge lesson in a variety of topics. I just love it. Oh…and yes, you broke it down quite nicely, thank you.
Barry: Loved the story and so surprised I hadn’t heard of it before being a Bay Area girl. What a wonderful and thoughtful gift to give to the poor and elderly in SF. I drive by Broderick St. all of the time when I am headed to my PO Box. I’m kind of excited to check out “Zygmunt Arendt House” when it’s complete.
Kent: I too love the diversity of America and I too see it as an enrichment of the brain pool. And we all know….well, maybe not the racists… we can use a little enriching in this country.
Readers: I feel I haven’t had much to say lately, or much to personally contribute, but I’ve been enjoying the dialogue so much – keep it coming.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my ‘loyal’(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Peace out…
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the ‘Donate’ button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my ‘Donate’ page)
April 10th, 2010 at 11:01 am
The ’10,000 Hour Rule’
Malcolm Gladwell
What are the secrets to success and wealth? Why are certain individuals able to have such amazing careers, earning accolades and millions of dollars? The answer may surprise you.
We spoke to best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell, one of the most provocative cultural thinkers today, who has a recent book called Outliers: The Story of Success.
Gladwell found that the usual explanations — that extraordinary achievers are much smarter and talented than the rest of us — are insufficient.
There are plenty of smart, gifted people who aren’t particularly successful. What Gladwell found by talking to Microsoft founder Bill Gates and others is that successful geniuses aren’t born… they’re created.
In other words, their innate qualities aren’t the only reason they reached the top. The reason is a mix of fortunate factors…
Aren’t talent and high IQ vital for great success?
Extensive research shows that they matter only to a point. For instance, once you have an IQ of 130, more points don’t seem to translate into any measurable real-world advantage. A scientist with an IQ of 130 is as likely to win a Nobel Prize as one who has an IQ of 180.
So what’s the crucial factor?
One of the most significant factors is what scientists call the “10,000-hour rule.” When we look at any kind of cognitively complex field
— for example, playing chess, writing fiction or being a neurosurgeon — we find that you are unlikely to master it unless you have practiced for 10,000 hours.
That’s 20 hours a week for 10 years. The brain takes that long to assimilate all it needs to know to achieve true mastery.
Take the case of Bill Gates. When he was 13, his father, a wealthy lawyer in Seattle, sent him to a private school that happened to have one of the only computers in the country where students could do real-time programming.
At age 15, Gates heard that there was a giant mainframe computer at the nearby University of Washington that was not being used between 2:00 am and 6:00 am.
So Gates would get up at 1:30 in the morning, walk a mile, then program for four hours. All told, during the course of seven months in 1971, Gates ran up 1,575 hours of computer time, which averages out to about eight hours a day, seven days a week.
By the time Gates dropped out of Harvard after his sophomore year to try his hand at his own computer software company, he had been programming nonstop for seven consecutive years.
He was way past 10,000 hours. In fact, there were only a handful of people in the entire world who had as much practice as he had.
How young do you have to be when you put in those 10,000 hours? Is there any hope for adults in their 50s or beyond?
The interesting thing is that the age at which you devote 10,000 hours doesn’t seem to matter.
Sure, the freshness and exuberance and freedom from responsibility that you have as a youth are helpful. But what’s necessary is the application of time and effort.
Putting in many years late in life and being successful are real and achievable phenomena.
For instance, the artist Cézanne didn’t have his first one-man show until age 56. Laura Ingalls Wilder, who wrote the Little House series of children’s books, published her first novel at age 65. Colonel Sanders began his Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise in his late 60s.
What other factors open the door to great achievements?
The culture we belong to and the legacies passed down by our ancestors often shape the patterns of our achievements in astonishing ways.
For instance, I’ve always been fascinated that so many math geniuses are Asian — disproportionately so. Students from Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan score much higher than students in America or Europe on country-by-country — ranked math tests.
Asians aren’t born with some calculus or algebra gene that makes them excel, but they do have a different kind of built-in advantage. Children in Asian countries have more persistence than their Western counterparts.
Why? Research has attributed this greater willingness to stick with tough problems to a cultural legacy of hard work that stems from the cultivation of rice.
Growing rice demands constant attention. Asian survival depended on working relentlessly and exalting the virtues of patience and dedication.
Cultures that believe in working relentlessly don’t give their children long summer vacations. The Japanese school year is 243 days long, and the South Korean school year, 220 days. The US school year is, on average, 180 days long.
Doesn’t luck play a big role?
Luck is too simple a term. Great success usually comes from a steady accumulation of advantages and a confluence of circumstances.
For example, timing is important. Extraordinary achievement is possible if you have just the right skills when massive changes in our culture present opportunities.
The election of President Obama is a perfect example of this. Another is the inordinate number of multibillionaires in the US today that were all born between 1953 and 1955 — people such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs (CEO of Apple Inc.) and Eric Schmidt (CEO of Google).
Why? Because they were all in their early 20s when the computer revolution hit in 1975. The early 20s is the optimal age to be during the early part of a revolution.
If you were still in high school in 1975, you were too young to start a computer company. If you were in the workforce and had a mortgage and a family, you weren’t going to quit a good job to take a risk.
How can you predict if someone will be a great success?
Studies have shown that intelligence is a poor predictor of how well people will do in a highly complex job.
The best approach is to let them do the job for a while. In other words, you are better off using your time, money and energy establishing an apprenticeship system and observing which one of multiple candidates does the best than trying to predict who will do well.
Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Malcolm Gladwell, a staff writer since 1996 for The New Yorker, New York City. He is author of the best-sellers The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference… Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking… and, most recently, Outliers: The Story of Success (all from Little, Brown). In 2005, Time named him one of the country’s “100 Most Influential People.” http://www.gladwell.com.
April 10th, 2010 at 8:07 pm
Hafa adai
As I predicted the greedy bastards are at it again at the pump. They just raised the price of a gallon of gas 10 cents. Now it is $3.75 a gallon. That’s the price for regular unleaded.
You know that the other two gougers on the island Mobil and 76 are going to follow suit. They are just waiting a few days to make it seem like they are not in collusion to rip off the people of Guam.
Obviously if they kept their prices at $3.65 we would only buy from them and Mobile would be forced to lower its price back to $3.65 to get any business. But we are supposed to be brain dead and think that the other two decided to raise their prices to make the profits that Mobile is making. Like people are just flocking to Mobile to give them an extra 10 cents for a gallon of gas.
Now you know why other gas gougers are anxious to come to Guam’s captive market and join the collusion to rip off the people of Guam.
______________________________________
Gas Up Again – Shell Hikes Price by 10 Cents to $3.75 A Gallon
Last Updated on Sunday, 11 April 2010 12:40
Written by Kevin Kerrigan
Sunday, 11 April 2010 10:57
Guam – Guam News
Guam – The price of gasoline is on the rise again. Shell raised its price per gallon by 10 cents overnight. The other 2 island fuel suppliers are expected to follow suit soon.
Shell is now selling a gallon of regular unleaded at $3.75 [$3.749] … premium is at $4.05 [$4.049] … and diesel is going for $3.80 [3.799].
Mobil and 76 are holding their prices steady at $3.65 for regular … premium at $3.95 [$3.949] … diesel at $3.70 [$3.699].
As usual there has been no explanation for the price hike. However crude oil prices have recently surged to $84.92 on the international oil markets.
See price of crude on oilprice.net
The last gasoline price hike on Guam was on Sunday March 14 and in that case Shell was also first to jack up its costs by 10 cents. Mobil and 76 followed with the same 10 cent boost within days and they’re expected to do the same again this week.
___________________________________________________
What can we do? The republicans that most Guamanians seem to be stuck on being are working for these crooks to keep Obama from putting any laws in force to prevent this type of collusion.
How a people can be so stupid is beyond me.
Peter
April 10th, 2010 at 10:31 pm
Hey, Howie
Y is Guam a tourist attraction for the Ukraine? I read this with disbelief.
===================
During the meeting they also discussed the process of implementing the project of joint tourist product GUAM in partnership with Japan. The sides stressed the importance of cooperation in tourism to improve the investment attractiveness of the region.
The sides also discussed opportunities of implementation of the GUAM projects in the sphere of culture, in particular organization of joint exhibitions, publications and themed evenings
==================
Is this our Guam or another place on the planet?
Raul
April 10th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
Hafa adai, Raul
I don’t know about that, but I do know that Continental Micronesia is about to increase the Guam-Manila flights.
This is going to be one busy island.
April 10th, 2010 at 10:44 pm
Mike and Midge
You guys are so right. My husband is so keyed up about all the money he stands to lose from the Obama administration that he is buying and investing in all the scare tactic schemes the Right is mailing him. Here is his latest.
——————————
Democratic Senators Foresee
Financial Pandemonium!
No Longer Blinded By ‘Hope and Change,’
They See a Crisis in the Works
— Prepare Yourself Now!
Dear Reader,
Some Democrats have finally begun to see the writing on the wall.
Unfortunately for you and me, that writing spells the words: “American Economic Disaster.”
And President Obama’s missteps have only guaranteed that our nation and your wealth could suffer immense setbacks in the very near future.
In a sense of tragic irony, the only bipartisan acts of Obama’s presidency have been scorn for his repeatedly failed decisions.
Regarding healthcare reform, Democrat Max Baucus called the new law: “an income shift.”
That sure sounds like a politically correct way of saying “highway robbery.”
I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to see my hard-earned money “shifted” to other folks.
And just because President Obama has finally decided to allow for offshore drilling, please don’t be fooled into thinking we are out of the woods on his economy-busting, “green” initiatives.
I can assure you this is nothing more than a bargaining stance.
We’ll shortly see the “cap-and-trade” push rear its ugly head. And Democrats aren’t all too happy with that idea, either.
In fact, former Democratic Sen. Timothy Wirth recently stated it best when he said cap and trade has “gotten out of control . . . the Republicans are right, it’s a cap-and-tax bill.”
It’s a bit alarming when the left starts echoing the sentiment we have been proclaiming for years.
Take the falsely titled “Consumer Protection Agency” that President Obama and Sen. Christopher Dodd want to create. Republicans hate the idea of having the government grow larger and encroach even further into our affairs.
Even blue-dog Democrats oppose the plan, stating: “We’re punishing our independent community banks.”
So now the general consensus is that Obama’s plan to save us from another market collapse involves handicapping the mom-and-pop institutions that are the backbone of our nation.
So you may be asking yourself: What does this “Democratic wake-up” mean to me?
For more than a month, we at Newsmax have
been warning you about an upcoming
financial meltdown that could be brought on by two
economic bubbles on the verge of exploding.
Even Democrats are starting to see the writing on the wall.
And these Obama programs are doing nothing but ensuring that this inevitable catastrophe ensues.
Which is why it’s critical you take the necessary steps to protect your wealth at this very moment.
I want to send you a book right now for FREE that describes in great detail the perils facing your wealth.
The book is called Aftershock. It’s a $28 value at bookstores and online retailers, but it’s my gift to you.
In its pages, Aftershock predicts the fall of our
economy because of an impending burst of the
dollar and government-debt bubbles.
When Dick Morris got his hands on this book, he immediately called it a “must read.”
The authors have analyzed the health of our economy, and their diagnosis is not good. If these two bubbles burst, the consequences could be disastrous:
Unimaginable unemployment levels
A complete Wall Street collapse
The utter destruction of the American economy
These are just a few of the startling outlooks portrayed in Aftershock. Ignore them at your own risk.
You see, the three authors who penned Aftershock accurately predicted, in their previous book published in 2006, the four bubbles that brought our economy to its knees. To brush off their analysis now would be a very dangerous move.
I’d like to send you a 100% totally free copy of
Aftershock now (a $28 value).
Not just for its dire predictions, but because it also details a specific battle plan you can utilize for your wealth right now to better ensure it not only survives, but thrives in the dangerous times ahead.
To claim your free copy of Aftershock — simply click here!
To Your Success,
Aaron DeHoog
Financial Publisher
Newsmax and Moneynews
——————————
You are dead on. First they scare the shit out of their readers, then they just happen to have a solution. The solution is either a tell all book or some investment scheme that will prevent financial disaster.
My stupid husband is buying into all of it.
Beatrice
April 10th, 2010 at 10:48 pm
Mike and Midge
They are even selling T-Shirts.
————————
Like most Americans, you’ve been deluged with expensive advertising to promote the 2010 Census. TV ads, Radio Ads, Banner Ads, and Billboards galore. Uncle Sam is putting your hard-earned tax dollars to work.
Sure, the US Constitution does authorize the Congress to count it’s citizens once every ten years. But give the Federal Government an inch, and they’ll take an unconstitutional mile.
The 2010 Census form does more than ask how many people live in your home. They want to know your race, age, gender, etc. Why does one’s ethnicity or gender matter?
Why is the Federal Government concerned about your skin color or whether or not you are male or female? Aren’t we all equal under the Law?
The Patriot Update and Vision to America have launched an alternative Census—The 2010 Census for Liberty. The Liberty Census 2010 asks 5 simple questions that should be asked by the real Census!
WARNING: THIS CENSUS IS POLITICALLY INCORRECT! So, get all your friends and family to fill out The Liberty Census. We’re sending the results to all 535 Members of Congress and The White House!
Fill Out The Liberty Census & Send It To Congress!
Plus, you’ll get a FREE Report on the 10th Amendment, which outlines the forgotten power of the States, sent to you via E-Mail!
Hey – be sure to send this to 10 of your friends (preferably American Citizens)!
New Reagan vs. Obama T-Shirt!
Once we had Ronald Reagan, Bob Hope & Johnny Cash. Now we have Obama, No Hope and No Cash!
Need we say more?
RETAIL $25.00 • ONLY $19.95 • PRE-ORDER NOW!
In stock and shipping April 20, 2010. Gildan Heavy Ultra Weight 6.1 oz cotton. White. Available in Small, Medium, Large, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL, and 5XL.
___________________________________
Notice how they trash the Census report and then immediately go into the sales pitch for the $25 T-Shirt.
Clark
April 10th, 2010 at 11:24 pm
Anybody taking this stuff should be aware of the problems with it. My cousin is still going though hell.
====================================
Avandia researchers linked to Big Pharma
As the Avandia scandal grows, new details are emerging on the researchers who’ve been pushing this bad med on you– even after they knew of the clear risks and problems associated with it.
It turns out that behind the scenes, one of the key researchers was a certain Mr. Green–and a new study shows how nearly all of the scientific articles in favor of Avandia were written by people with financial ties to the drug’s manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline.
Money certainly talks!
Researchers from the Mayo Clinic looked at 202 studies, opinions and commentaries on Avandia that appeared after a 2007 study in the New England Journal of Medicine linked this med to a 43 percent increased risk of heart attacks in diabetics.
And what they found would trouble anyone who hopes for fair and impartial science: Almost 90 percent of researchers who had a favorable opinion of the drug had financial ties to the company, while just 6 percent of the pro-Avandia crowd had no financial ties of any kind to the drug industry.
But wait–it gets even worse, because a quarter of the researchers didn’t bother to disclose their financial ties when they wrote about Avandia, according to the study published in BMJ.
Avandia has suffered through a long and troubled history, and the most recent chapter is by far the worst. A recent U.S. Senate report blamed this drug for 83,000 heart attacks between 1999 and 2007.
Already, the pressure is growing on the FDA to halt Avandia sales–even from inside the agency, as two of its own reviewers have publicly urged it to pull the plug on this bad med.
And it actually has been pulled off the market… in Saudi Arabia. Here in the United States, however, the feds merely issued a statement telling patients they should keep right on taking their potentially dangerous pills while the agency continues its eternal review process.
To put it bluntly: The Saudis have beaten us to the punch on drug safety.
I don’t know what our own watchdogs are waiting for– there’s no real reason to keep this drug on the shelf. Even if you want to believe that meds are the best way to control diabetes, there are far safer alternatives available.
But even those come with unnecessary risks. They might be better–but only because they’re not quite as deadly.
If you really want to take control of your condition, you can do so much more for yourself through lifestyle changes such as careful dieting and steady exercise. In fact, many diabetics who’ve committed to reshaping their lives can get by without drugs or even insulin.
Avandia isn’t the only med backed by shady research… keep reading for more on one common trick used in drug studies.
=============================
I say if you have been taking it. Get a lawyer and sue.
Sam
April 10th, 2010 at 11:30 pm
Hands-Only CPR
Michael Sayre, MD
The Ohio State University
Mouth-to-mouth breathing is not necessary to save the life of someone whose heart has suddenly stopped.
Better: Call 911, then use hands-only CPR — rapid, deep presses on the victim’s chest — until help arrives. Aim to do 100 chest presses per minute until emergency medical personnel take over.
This applies to adults who unexpectedly collapse, stop breathing and are unresponsive.
When to use mouth-to-mouth: Do use mouth-to-mouth breathing (30 compressions to two breaths) for children who collapse, since the cause is probably due to breathing problems.
Mouth-to-mouth is also needed for adults who suffer from lack of oxygen because of a drug overdose or drowning.
Bottom Line/Retirement interviewed Michael Sayre, MD, associate professor of emergency medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, and leader of a committee that made CPR recommendations to the American Heart Association.
April 10th, 2010 at 11:43 pm
I just love this.
++++++++++++++++++++++
Light Drinking Benefits the Heart While Heavy Drinking is Dangerous
New studies confirm that light to moderate drinking can be beneficial for the heart but that heavy drinking is bad for the heart and overall health. Both new studies were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
One study looked at death from stroke and heart attack and found a lower rate of death from these conditions in the light and moderate drinking groups, as compared to both non-drinkers and heavy drinkers.
See How Light Drinking Benefits The Heart
What is considered “light drinking”?
A major nationwide survey of 43,000 U.S. adults by the National Institutes of Health shows that only about 2 in 100 people who drink within both the single-day and weekly limits below have alcoholism or alcohol abuse. See if your drinking pattern is within low risk levels.
Visit rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov To Learn More.
Editor’s Note: Those at risk for cardiovascular disease should discuss alcohol consumption with their doctors. Alcohol can increase risks for other disorders, such as certain types of cancers, so the choice to drink should be made on an individual basis in consultation with physicians.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Gotta go get my benefit,
Bob
April 10th, 2010 at 11:51 pm
Hafa adai
Our usually talkative archbishop(here after to known as archvillian) is being very quite about all the sex abuse his romp rustlers have been guilty of. So SNAP has called him out.
____________________________________________
Guam- In a letter addressed to Guam‘s top Catholic officials, victims of sexual abuse are urging church staff to stop stonewalling and immediately provide information that they say will help keep kids safe.
Leaders of a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org) are asking that Guam Archbishop Anthony Apuron:
- make public the named of all accused priests who work or have worked on Guam,
- explain if and why a prominent local priest, Raymond Cepeda, is being defrocked,
- turn over secret documents that outline abuse allegations and actions taken (if any) by church officials, and
- make public all information about abuse on Guam disclosed to officials in other dioceses.
The letter, sent today by fax & email, is in response to a recent trip made by a leader of the organization to reach out to victims of child sex abuse.
During her trip, she was able to warn the public about one alleged perpetrator – Fr. Randolph Nowack – on the island. The group believes there may be others.
“More than a dozen survivors reached out to us,” the letter says. “All of them were overcome with shame over their abuse, fear about their perpetrators, and anger at your personal refusal to be transparent, open and pastoral in dealing with the problem of sexual abuse on Guam.”
Joelle Casteix, a California woman who visited last month at the request of survivors, was amazed at the archdiocese’s silence on the issue of abuse.
“Victims told me that they reported their abuse to church officials on Guam and in California; they confided in me that a prominent priest on the island is currently being defrocked; and I was told about abuse in Agat, Yona, Sinajana and Tamuning.
The victims were men and women, boys and girls, and all of them told me that child sexual abuse is the 500-pound gorilla in the room that no one will discuss. To protect our kids, this must stop.”
Rumors, fears, and shame have no place in a discussion about ending child sexual abuse, she said.
While on island, Casteix set up two confidential support meetings for victims. While no one attended, many still reached out to her through calls and emails, asking for help.
The Archdiocese has yet to make any statement on her visit, allegations of abuse, or comment on whether or not there are any child protection measures in the Archdiocese.
“We fear for the Catholic children of Guam,” the letter says. “You have refused to do even the smallest things to assure parents that their children are safe in your parishes and schools.
The time has come for you to make tangible strides towards accountability and simple compassion.”
The group is also citing the current sex abuse scandal involving the Pope and Vatican involvement in the cover-up of child sex abuse as a reason to come clean and protect kids.
“The truth always comes out eventually,” the letter said. “It is better that you do it now, willingly, and begin to make real changes than for your Archdiocese to be shamed and scandalized as lies and half truths are exposed by victims, law enforcement and advocacy organizations.”
Here is the text version of the letter sent to the Archdiocese of Agana:
Dear Archbishop Apuron,
Once again, the simple requests of victims of sexual abuse have fallen on deaf ears. We have sent letters imploring you to reach out to hurting men and women in your churches.
We have asked for transparency and change. One of our leaders even came to Guam and met with victims, listened to their stories and offered help.
More than a dozen survivors reached out to us, All of them were overcome with shame over their abuse, fear about their perpetrators, and anger at your personal refusal to be transparent, open and pastoral in dealing with the problem of sexual abuse on Guam.
That is why we are asking that you:
- make public the named of all accused priests who have ever worked on Guam,
- explain if and why a prominent local priest is currently in the process of laicization,
- turn over secret documents that outline abuse allegations and actions taken by church officials, and
- make public all information about abuse on Guam disclosed to officials in other dioceses.
Right now, your Archdiocese is rife with rumor and innuendo. Your children are at risk because you refuse to engage in any real discussion about safety, accountability and change.
Alleged abusers are still in active ministry, where they can intimidate their victims into silence.
It shouldn’t take an outsider to expose an abuser in your employ. We fear that there will be many, many more men exposed over the next few months.
The truth always comes out eventually. It is better that you do it now, willingly, and begin to make real changes than for your Archdiocese to be shamed and scandalized as lies and half truths are exposed by victims, law enforcement and advocacy organizations.
The current child sex abuse scandal plaguing the Vatican is only going to get worse, we fear. You have the opportunity to come clean right now and make sure that no other child is hurt while in your care.
Our requests are simple and are based on numerous conversations and interviews Joelle Casteix had with Guam residents. Now is your time to be a true leader, directly address the issue, and help victims heal.
We look forward to your immediate response.
Sincerely,
Joelle Casteix
SNAP SW Regional Director
_______________________________________
If the arch villain is more concerned about the people he is supposed to serve in the name of God than the church he works for in the name of God, he will come clean.
He will protect his flock by removing the offending butt bandits hiding under the cloth of the church.
Peter
April 10th, 2010 at 11:56 pm
The vote in Darfur will not be free or even credible. It is a farce.
April 11th, 2010 at 12:07 am
Sam
I read your article and it reminded me of one from the same source that I received just after April 1. I guess it was timed to be after that so that we would take it seriously. It was an eye opener for me. I don’t know if you saw it but here it is.
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How placebos keep beating meds
When it comes to placebos, the pills might be fake… but the reaction is real. New research shows that the placebo effect isn’t just your mind playing tricks on you, but an actual physical reaction inside the human body that can ignite the healing process.
In one study, patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease who were given placebos had an actual release of dopamine in the brain, sparking other changes in the brain as well, according to a new review of placebo research published in Lancet.
You probably know how placebos work. All of Big Pharma’s meds at some point are supposed to go head-to-head against these usually inert pills and sham treatments.
If the med is more effective than the phony pill, they’re one step closer to selling it to you. And if it’s not… it’s back to the drawing board.
Roughly half of the drugs that fail late in the development process are pulled from trials because they simply can’t beat or even replicate that placebo process.
Not long ago, Wired magazine did a big feature on placebos and concluded that many drugs on the market today, especially antidepressants, would never have been approved if they had to face new tests against them.
The new review shows that even the doctor’s attitude can help spark that placebo effect.
In one study they examined, patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome got one of three treatments: a placebo acupuncture treatment from doctors who were told not to interact much; a placebo acupuncture treatment from warm and friendly doctors; or no treatment at all.
All three groups improved to different degrees… but the biggest change took place in the group that got the attention from a warm and friendly doctor.
If placebos work so well, you might be wondering why docs don’t just give patients placebos instead of the real drugs. Well, that’s a sticky subject.
See, in order for a placebo to “work,” the patient can’t know it’s not the real thing–which means the doctor can’t tell you what you’re really taking.
But some researchers say honesty could be the best policy after all. Some people, especially those with conditions such as moderate depression, may just need kindly, reassuring doctors– doctors like the ones in the irritable bowel study I just mentioned.
In those cases, the doctor can come right out and admit the “drug” is a placebo… but reassured patients that it might help them just the same.
There’s no real research on that idea yet–but I’d love to see some. Of course, I know who won’t be funding it: Big Pharma. And since they control most of the research, it might be a while before we see anything solid on this.
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Jack
April 11th, 2010 at 8:30 am
Mike and Midge
My son forwarded me this. He is 38 and a rabid racist. He quotes this publication like it is the Bible. The Right has raised the “founding fathers” to demi-god status.
It allows them to quote them as if they are quoting from the Bible, thereby making anyone who disagrees automatically a traitor.
My son uses this crap to justify all his sneaky (he thinks) acts of bigotry.
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The truth about the Founding Fathers — and how they would lead America today
Dear Fellow Conservative:
Did you know that Human Events, America’s conservative newsweekly, is the place I call my editorial “home”?
It’s true. For the past 12 years, in fact, I’ve not only been a regular contributor to Human Events, I’ve also been a key voice in their weekly editorial meetings.
Which means that, more than any other publication today, Human Events reflects my brand of conservatism.
I think you know what that is. No excuses. No compromises. No prisoners. Lots of spunk — and punch. And laughs.
That’s why I don’t just write for Human Events — I devour it every week, from cover to cover.
And so will you, I’m convinced — if you’ll just give it a try, by taking advantage of this specially-discounted Charter Subscriber offer, which includes a FREE hardcover copy of Brion McClanahan’s, The Politically Incorrect Guide™ to the Founding Fathers.
Click here to learn more. Meantime, I’ll be waiting for you… at “home.”
Your friend,
Ann Coulter
P.S. You know who else loved Human Events? My hero Ronald Reagan — the greatest president since George Washington. In fact, he called it his “favorite newspaper.” Find out why — by giving it a try, at zero risk. And you get a FREE book, too!
____________________________________________
I used to think that these were sick people. You two and others have opened my eyes to the truth. They are simply greedy people making money off fear, racism, xenophobia and greed.
Susan
April 11th, 2010 at 8:33 am
Michelle
Most of the time when I attempt to post to your blog, I get this message:
Safari can’t open the page.
Safari can’t open the page “http://blog.michellemoquin.com/2010/04/10/this-n-that-chitchat-11/#comment-10696” because the server unexpectedly dropped the connection. This sometimes occurs when the server is busy. Wait for a few minutes, and then try again.
April 11th, 2010 at 8:49 am
For those of you who read labels when you purchase food looking for the “ORGANIC” label, this is huge.
Jack
I believe that Placebo article because most of the stuff the Pharmaceutical Industry puts out is strictly for profit. They have a built in factor for how long they can keep a defective product on the market. It defines their Profit and Loss Statement.
I got this in my email this morning. I think you will find it very educational.
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When “organic” is just a word on a label
If you’ve been paying a premium for organic food, then the latest news out of Washington is going to leave a bitter taste in your mouth.
A new report finds that foods bearing the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s organic label aren’t being held to the higher standard that’s supposed to come with that higher price tag.
This report doesn’t come from a political group with an axe to grind, an organization with an agenda, or even some radical seeking free attention.
It comes from within the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The agency’s inspector general says the department has been unable or unwilling to enforce organic standards–even with companies that have been caught red-handed slapping an organic label on ordinary non-organic food.
The USDA has the power to levy fines against these firms and even strip them of their organic certification. But instead, it’s often doing nothing at all.
For example, the USDA caught one company selling non- organic mint as organic. Two years later, the department has yet to take any enforcement action at all, according to the inspector general.
In other cases, it has taken up to 32 months–nearly three years!–for the department to take action against companies found selling “organic” foods that didn’t actually meet organic standards.
And during that time, these companies continued to mislead the public by selling falsely labeled goods, almost certainly with those notorious organic price tags attached. Organic products can fetch between 30 percent and 110 percent more than their non-organic counterparts.
That’s a lot of money for an empty promise.
The inspector general also says the agents who issue organic certifications aren’t following consistent rules– which should surprise no one.
After all, the agency itself hasn’t been consistent, frequently changing its own definition of what’s allowed and what’s not.
But the problems with organic foods don’t end there. In fact, the inspector general’s report is just the beginning.
Next time you consider buying frozen organic veggies, for example, take a closer look at the label. Many of these “organic” greens come from China.
In theory, these foods are supposed to meet the same standards as organic vegetables grown here in the United States.
In reality–well, I’m sure you can see some of the issues with that. They’re having a hard enough time policing the food grown within our own borders.
But that’s not even the biggest problem.
I’ll bet you didn’t know that the USDA doesn’t even inspect imported foods. They let third-party companies handle that.
Even foods that meet USDA standards aren’t always 100 percent organic. Under the rules, packaged foods can contain up to 5 percent non-organic ingredients… and still earn an “organic” label.
That’s not the only deception. Just take a look at the company names–they often conjure up images of small farms and family operations, and maybe some of these once were.
In reality, many of these brands are now just Big Food in disguise: General Mills owns Cascadian Farms and Muir Glen,
Kellogg owns Morningstar Farms and Kashi,
Coca-Cola owns Odwalla, Dean Foods owns Horizon and Kraft owns Boca.
Of course, it’s very easy to see why they want in on this.
Organic foods did $24.6 billion in business in 2008 alone, with sales still growing in leaps and bounds.
These foods make up the fastest-growing section of the supermarket– something you’ve probably seen for yourself as organics have gone from a shelf or two, to an aisle, to an entire department in many supermarkets over the past few years.
That doesn’t mean organic food is bad. Quite the opposite– true organic products are the best way to ensure that you’re feeding yourself and your family the healthiest food, especially if you stick to fresh meats and vegetables from a local farmers’ market and avoid questionable “organic” frozen foods and packaged meals.
Let the new report serve as a warning–as with anything else, you need to be a smart consumer and make informed decisions to ensure that you get what you’ve paid for.
On a mission for your health,
Ed Martin
Editor, House Calls
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Greed is everywhere from politics to food. So who do you believe, or trust? I say read what others like us find out and share what you find out.
Let’s keep each other informed. At least then we can avoid some of the creeps.
Trudy