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Stem Cells are Back!
Author: TriSec    Date: 03/07/2009 13:18:31

Imagine the nerve of a politician that has the audacity to actually keep a campaign promise. President Obama is set to reverse a Bush-era policy that severely limited stem-cell research.


WASHINGTON – Eight years of frustration are close to an end for scientists seeking ways to use embryonic stem cells to combat illness and injury.

On Monday, President Barack Obama plans to reverse limits imposed by President George W. Bush on using federal money for research with embryonic stem cells.

The long-promised move will allow a rush of research aimed at one day better treating, if not curing, ailments from diabetes to paralysis — research that is has drawn broad support, including from notables like Nancy Reagan, widow of the late Republican President Ronald Reagan, and the late Christopher Reeve.

But it stirs intense controversy over whether government crosses a moral line with such research, and opponents promptly denounced the move.

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15 comments (Latest Comment: 03/08/2009 06:47:14 by livingonli)

A Continent in Flames
Author: BobR    Date: 03/06/2009 13:39:53

When an airplane crashes in the U.S., the news coverage is nonstop with constant angst and human pathos stories of those lost so suddenly. When a bomb explodes in Israel, we are horrified. When a planeload of Americans was crashed into the WTC on 9/11 killing less than 4000 people, it was the event that "changed everything" (regarding the Constitution and presidential powers - it certainly did).

And yet - some of the most horrific things going on in the world, comparable in scale and scope to the Nazi's most inhumane excesses in WWII, are occurring in Africa, and most people in the U.S don't know or don't care (or both). Pick nearly any country on that poor continent, and you'll find despotic rule, rape, torture, militias, and terrorism. I'll pick two: Sudan and the Congo.
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87 comments (Latest Comment: 03/07/2009 05:55:45 by livingonli)

Who frames the debate now?
Author: Raine    Date: 03/05/2009 13:36:15

You know what? It is hard to write a blog these days. I am afraid I am going to have to start railing against the new administration just to be able to write something! Pff -- I am just kidding, that is what the Mainstream Media is for. You know, that mean liberal media. The one who just said mean things about the previous pResident just because they could. We all know that was actually not true until about the last year of his term, and even then it was filled with half-assed reporting.

Suddenly, for that very same M$M, it is fun to be the voice of the opposition for the current administration. Suddenly they are doing the job they were meant to. Oh scrap that - they are not. They are just a mouth piece for the opposition now. Why? When the previous administration was in office, it was easier to sell advertisements when the talking heads told us how great the war was, how great the economy was how great everything was. The Media and the reporting was driven by those who bought advertising -- free market and all.

We have known this all along - I am speaking to the choir here. What strikes me about this ongoing phenomena is how many people outside of our so-called 'progressive way of thinking' (also know as "Commie Homo-Loving sons of Guns") feel the same way too. The exception is, as it always has been, those that live and die by the Church of Rush Limbaugh.

We had the chance to go back to NY last month. It was a wonderful trip. It really was, but as many of you know, I have some members of my family that have always felt I was just a little too left for them. Like many others here on this blog and in my political circle of friends, it has caused some angst in the past. Not this time. This time, if the topic of the economy was broached, people actually wanted to hear what we had to say, and if they didn't have all the answers, we were not dismissed as America haters. It was sadly, quite refreshing.

I say sadly, because so many people don't really know what is going on. Many people still watch FAUX News and I realized they are not getting the information they need to understand what is happening. They do not like to see the our president bashed left and right, and they know who exactly got us to this point. People know, they just won't come out and say it. Maybe they think Rush will come knocking on the door and yell at them personally. They know the media is not telling them the truth and they cannot admit that because that would mean they have been lied to for years. That is a terrible pill to swallow.

Now is indeed the time to come together. We will never get the far right ditto-heads, I concede that, but now is a time to talk to those who are moderate or on the fence. We have an advantage: it's called the truth. We no longer have to beat the facts into other peoples heads, all we have to do is explain, talk and engage. The years of fact finding, researching and reading are the tools we as regular Americans have and it is those things that we must use to help bring this nation back together.

The MSM isn't going to do that. We have known this all along. Now regular Americans are understanding that they have been lied to as well, and because they are hurting just like everyone else, they want truth. To expect TV to do that is unrealistic, there is no money in a United Nation.

We have an administration that has called upon this country to unite, it's time to strike while the iron is hot. Get out and talk to people, let them know we are all together in this. Believe me, it makes a difference; I came to realize this when talking to my family and friends.

Don't let the ditto-heads frame the debate. This moment in history is what we have been waiting for. Despite all the crises that our nation is going thru, we can still make a huge difference in the way the conversation continues.

:peace: and
Raine



 
70 comments (Latest Comment: 03/06/2009 02:13:56 by TriSec)

Much too Close to Home
Author: BobR    Date: 03/04/2009 13:14:23

Over the last several months, I've written several blogs on the economic crisis. I've railed against the Republicans for being obstructionists of the stimulus bill. I've used the statistics to show how bad things really are. It got personal when a fellow blogger got the ax at his job. It got scary last week when I became one of the statistics.
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66 comments (Latest Comment: 03/05/2009 03:10:58 by trojanrabbit)

Ask a Vet
Author: TriSec    Date: 03/03/2009 11:58:22

Good Morning.

Today is our 2,176th day in Iraq.

We'll start this morning as we always do, with the latest casualty figures from Iraq and Afghanistan, courtesy of Antiwar.com:

American Deaths
Since war began (3/19/03): 4254
Since "Mission Accomplished" (5/1/03): 4115
Since Capture of Saddam (12/13/03): 3793
Since Handover (6/29/04): 3396
Since Obama Inauguration (1/20/09): 25

Other Coalition Troops - Iraq: 318
US Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 660
Other Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 431
Contractor Deaths - Iraq: 446

We find this morning's cost of war has reached yet another milestone, as we're already quickly past 600 billion.

$ 601, 593, 100, 000.00


One could only wonder how things would be if that money had gone back into the American economy over the past 6 years.

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120 comments (Latest Comment: 03/04/2009 04:15:50 by livingonli)

In like a Lion, out like a Lamb?
Author: Raine    Date: 03/02/2009 13:26:45

Hi everyone! Nice to see you again! It's good to be back home, even though Atlanta has about 23 degree weather-- and a wind chill that makes it feel like 10 degrees. After 10 days of seeing snow on the ground back in NY, it doesn't seem so strange to come back to see snow here. Like everything else, it could be worse. Once again, thank you to everyone for filling in while we were away. It's a blessed thing to have a network of friends and people that are there for you when you need it.

Bob and I are fortunate. We don't own a home, and we don't have children. Our life is not one that must be rooted to any one place. It opens the door of opportunity to seek out new things. Many are not as fortunate as we are. Many are far worse off. Imagine struggling to get a good education, knowing what each night has in store for you.
Daniel, his mother and five brothers, ages 1 to 17, live in a garage without heat or running water in a modest, low-lying neighborhood that sits between celebrity-owned mansions in the hills and the Pacific Ocean. Each morning, they arise at 6:30, get dressed and then leave quietly; they return only after dark — a routine born out of the fear that detection could mean the loss of even this humble dwelling.

Daniel and his brothers have been sleeping in the garage for more than a year — members of what school officials and youth advocates say is a rapidly growing legion of homeless youth.
It is a growing issue in America. The housing crisis often does not talk about how it affects the youth of our nation. We talk about families losing their homes, but often the idea of drilling down into the details of what happens is something we, as Americans, don't really look at. Republicans outright deny those details, and quite often actually blame the victims when forced to confront those details.

Our economic crisis, our housing crisis, our banking crisis and our war crisis is not the fault of the America electorate. It won't be solved by bootstraps or by the government getting out of the way, as little Bobby Jindal told us last week. Real people are suffering and real people need help. The have gone for far too long, watching the social safety nets set up by FDR, be slowly stripped away. People like Bobby Jindal think it is GREAT that his dad had to pay for his son in installments. People like me believe that Americans, by way of the constitution are given a right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The powers that be have been slowly taking away those rights, and this is where we are, A country on the verge of depression, with republicans blaming Americans instead of themselves for the mess that we are in. Yes, I can blame the dems as well, but by and large, this country has been following the lead of conservative politics and ideaologies set in place decades aqo. It is time for a serious shift, not just from our leaders, but for ourselves. We must confront the details of the crisis in order to understand how this affects us ALL -- not just our friends and the person around the corner. The devil is really in the details.

I know that I don't need to tell our regular members these things. I just had to get it of my chest this morning. No child deserves to be homeless. It's frustrating to watch so many people suffer at the hands of this crisis, while those that actually have money feel like they are cutting back by maybe taking one vacation to Hawaii this year instead of 2 and then telling their workers they must cut hours due to the economy.

Let's get this month rolling. This is gonna be a great day and a better month!
:peace: and
Raine


 
106 comments (Latest Comment: 03/03/2009 02:11:40 by livingonli)

Confusion sets in....
Author: velveeta jones    Date: 03/01/2009 14:54:21

A letter to Conservatives:

Dear Michael, Rush, Sarah, Newt, Mtitt, John, "Bobby", et al:

Okay, so Velveeta will be the first to admit that she's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but please.... I beg you, help me understand what the hell is going on here.

Back, way back before January 20, things were so easy to explain. We had a boob in the White House, so when some Republican said or did something totally stupid, we knew who it was and why. Even ya'll can agree with that.

But please explain these things that are happening now? Or, as my 22 year old friend asks, "WTF, dudes, WTF"?

Why? If Government is so damn bad why are you in it? Seriously, "Bobby" Jindal recently said, "The strength of America is not found in our government. It is found in the compassionate hearts and enterprising spirit of our citizens", echoing the words of his fellow conservatives all the way back to Reagan. So I ask you, why do you run? Government to big? Get out! Downsize yourselves.
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16 comments (Latest Comment: 03/02/2009 04:36:34 by livingonli)

Falling out of the sky?
Author: TriSec    Date: 02/28/2009 13:10:25

I awoke this morning and skimmed the news like I always do. Yet another aviation story leaped off the page at me, this one from Romania:


TIMISOARA, Romania – A Romanian plane carrying 51 people made a safe emergency landing in western Romania on Saturday and all the occupants escaped injury, officials said.

The Carpatair flight's front landing gear became stuck and the plane circled Timisoara International Airport for almost two hours, using up its fuel to avoid a potential fire before it landed on a bed of foam laid out by firefighters, officials said.

The Saab 2000 aircraft was carrying 47 passengers and four crew members on its flight from the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, to Timisoara, airport spokeswoman Carmen Stoica said.

The Emergency Inspectorate said at least 10 ambulances and three fire engines were waiting for the stricken plane.

Timisoara ambulance chief Iancu Leonida said there were no injuries, but people were very frightened.

"There are no injured people, although some might have minor scratches, but they are very scared and traumatized," he said. "They are being given medical care."

Realitatea TV broadcast footage of passengers hugging and kissing people who had come to meet them at the airport. One unidentified female passenger with gray hair and tears in her eyes told the TV the passengers did not know about the landing gear and had thought there was a problem with ice and fog.

The airport said the plane landed using only the main landing gear, on a 200-yard (200-meter) long bed of foam. The airport was closed for 2 1/2 hours Saturday morning after the incident.

Carpatair vice president Dan Andrei said that "when it landed, the plane came down on the side wheels; it braked sharply and at a low speed it came on its front belly, while the front landing gear remained stuck."


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12 comments (Latest Comment: 03/01/2009 04:04:57 by livingonli)

Just Something Off Topic
Author: wickedpam    Date: 02/27/2009 13:22:30

There are probably a lot more relevant things I could blog on. Congress Critters “twittering” before, during and after the Presidents speech, was it rude or not. The awesomeness of the speech that happened Tuesday night and the dull as dishwater respond from Piyush “The Exorcist” Jindal. The shovel ready projects that started yesterday giving people jobs and starting to move around money. There are so many worthwhile topics. It is however a Friday, and my brain is not in the mood to tackle anything big and important. Sorry.

Instead I’d like mention Crafting. I want to know what people do to keep themselves busy and that creates something new. It could be simple or something detailed and elaborate.

I’ve been finding that being able to create something has lightened some of the stress that’s been pressing down for all sorts of reasons. I’ve gone from crocheting hats and scarves to just now learning to decorate cakes. In between I’ve picked up all sorts of new skills, like making melt and pour soap, creating tile mosaics for table tops and the best thing is that I’ve been repurposing odds and ends to extend the use of something and save some money.

So what have you been up to?

 
45 comments (Latest Comment: 02/28/2009 03:14:19 by livingonli)

Rising Star
Author: Random    Date: 02/26/2009 13:23:35

A brief(and histerical) look at the rising stars of the republican party.

First on our list of Rising stars is Mrs. Palin. That’s right, Govern of Alaska. Mother of who the hell knows how many kids, married to a snow machine(whatever the hell that is) driver. Grandmother. And all around perfect example of a wolf in MILF’s clothing. Palin’s rise to fame came when she was plucked from the boonies of Alaska, and I don’t care if it was an actual city, Alaska by definition, is a boonie.

Rising Star or not, even loyal republicans started to get headaches when she talked, also, too, as well. Sarah Palin as successfully drove every English major to the bottle, thus making Jack and Johnny stocks shoot through the roof. Which may or may not be a bad thing, I haven’t decided yet. But the final word on Palin, I shall leave to one of her supporters. “…when she clearly knew she was doing well, it was so sparkling it was almost mesmerizing. It sent little starbursts through the screen and ricocheting around the living rooms of America.” There is no fighting such devotion. Men like this should be put down for their own sake.
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65 comments (Latest Comment: 02/27/2009 13:35:50 by Scoopster)

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