There are 55,000 homeless women vets in the U.S. and that number is only getting bigger. What are we going to do about it?
(Continue reading..)
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Obama's Secret Plan To Lose The Election: A Rhetoric of Irony | The New Republic
President Obama is stumping in Scranton this afternoon, which is strange, because as everyone now knows, he has decided to abandon the white working class.
What, you hadn't heard? Everyone's been reporting it. Well, almost everyone. On Monday, Fox News' web site linked to a New York Times column by Tom Edsall by giving it this headline:...(Click here to read more)
Requiem for a Failed Education Policy: The Long Slow Death of No Child Left Behind - The New Republic
"Eleven years ago, I moved to Washington, D.C. to work on education. The liberal think tank that hired me focused on state issues, so I had nothing to do with the project that was consuming D.C. wonks at the time: a once-a-decade reauthorization of the mammoth federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act that would become the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001....."CLICK TO READ MORE....
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Friday, July 20, 2012
End the madness, Penn State, and give us Paterno's statue - NCAA Football - CBSSports.com
Give us the statue, Penn State. Take it down, and do it now.
What about this don't you understand? Seven months ago the school fired Joe Paterno for not doing enough -- barely doing anything, really -- during the previous decade to stop longtime assistant Jerry Sandusky from molesting kids. Eight days ago Penn State released its own commissioned report on the Sandusky scandal, a report that focused on blame for the cover-up and concluded it lay heavily with Joe Paterno.(read more...)
Pathos of the Plutocrat - NYTimes.com-Paul Krugman
“Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me.” So wrote F. Scott Fitzgerald — and he didn’t just mean that they have more money. What he meant instead, at least in part, was that many of the very rich expect a level of deference that the rest of us never experience and are deeply distressed when they don’t get the special treatment they consider their birthright; their wealth “makes them soft where we are hard.”(read more)
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
How America Became a Country That Lets Little Kids Go Homeless | Economy | AlterNet
Family homelessness essentially did not exist until the 1980s. And the financial crisis has made the problem massively worse.
CONTINUE READING: How America Became a Country That Lets Little Kids Go Homeless | Economy | AlterNet
CONTINUE READING: How America Became a Country That Lets Little Kids Go Homeless | Economy | AlterNet
Master Teacher Corps: Barack Obama Proposes $1 Billion Effort To Boost Students' Achievement In Math, Science
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration unveiled plans Wednesday to create an elite corps of master teachers, a $1 billion effort to boost U.S. students' achievement in science, technology, engineering and math.
CONTINUE READING: Master Teacher Corps: Barack Obama Proposes $1 Billion Effort To Boost Students' Achievement In Math, Science
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Willard Without Shame…It is All About the Win and Too Close for Comfort | God's Own Party?
When I was directed to this site, I was incredibly delighted! As a "recovering Catholic", and not in favor of organized religion, yet with a devout broad spirituality....this was like 'spiritual thinkers' crack'! The site self-describes as : DOMINIONISM IN AMERICAN POLITICS – "EXPANDING THE DISCUSSION BEHIND THE HEADLINES"
READ MORE!! Willard Without Shame…It is All About the Win and Too Close for Comfort | God's Own Party?
READ MORE!! Willard Without Shame…It is All About the Win and Too Close for Comfort | God's Own Party?
Monday, July 16, 2012
Random post from Huff Post today....
I read this outstanding post on the Huff Post today....fully appreciated it:
Things the Republican base has to like to vote for Mitt.
Corrupt mafia like figures that want to buy a war with Iran because they are more a citizen of Israel than the US: By corrupt I mean gambling kingpins who bribe with cash, women, use stand over tactics and who put wealth over nation, greed over good.
A Presidential candidate who is devoid of all notions of patriotism and decency, someone who courted Sheldon’s billions even though Sheldon paid for King of Bain, a documentary that showed just how amoral and heartless Mitt’s days at Bain were.
Politicians that block tax breaks and incentives for job importers and fight to keep an expand tax breaks and expanded incentives for job exporters leading to 12 million jobs going to China alone in the past decade and then complaining about Obama not doing anything about jobs.
Billionaires openly buying or attempting to buy the government and them supporting the eventual disenfranchisement of even themselves as government is finally bought and all opposition crushed, who think they’ll be fighting a pitch battle for freedom against the left while they give a very few people the whole country by supporting the sale of it wholesale and in collusion with vast amounts of foreign derived money.
Thank God they are a rapidly aging ethno-homogenous species in a nation undergoing a renaissance of ethno diversity and expansion adding the dimension of an outside world.
The old White billionaires might own the media and therefore have control of the perceived message and own most of everything else but the internet is where we get to fight back, spread the truth, organize and plan to reintroduce democracy back into the wild freeing it from its captivity program that has seen nearly all of it locked away.
With the only illusion of freedom being the freedom to shop and the freedom to be mind numbingly entertained and programmed by our TV screens.
Not forgetting the freedom to throw our money away at Sheldon’s house always wins casinos or Wall Street’s house always wins casinos.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Banker Writes Suicide Note, Disappears, Perhaps with $17 Million
Compelling article...and not complete without the ending footnotes (which indicate the current shift).
CLICK TO READ IMPORTANT UPDATE:Banker Writes Suicide Note, Disappears, Perhaps with $17 Million
CLICK TO READ IMPORTANT UPDATE:Banker Writes Suicide Note, Disappears, Perhaps with $17 Million
Friday, July 13, 2012
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Mitt’s real insult to the NAACP - Salon.com
I have to admit, I started out giving Mitt Romney some credit for agreeing to address the NAACP. I’m a sucker for the make-nice gesture in this age of political division and cruelty. Republican presidential candidates have been known to snub the group’s annual gathering: Bob Dole did in 1996, and while George W. Bush attended in 2000, when he was promising to be a compassionate conservative, he skipped it in 2004, when it was clear that he was not.
I knew Romney’s visit was mainly designed to make him appear reasonable to white swing voters who are a little worried about the GOP’s wingnuttery when it comes to our first black president. Still, I thought it was a mildly reassuring symbolic gesture that might serve to keep the chasm between African-Americans and the GOP from turning into a dangerous canyon.
I expected it would be awkward; .......
READ MORE: Mitt’s real insult to the NAACP - Salon.com
Joe Biden's speech to Military Heroes will rank with one of the best ever
This Memorial Day Weekend, VP Joe Biden gave a speech to the families of those that have given their life for their country. The speech was given at the opening session of the 18th Annual TAPS National Military Survivor Seminar.
Bidens Honor Survivors, Biden Shares LossBy Lisa Daniel
American Forces Press Service
ARLINGTON, Va., May 25, 2012 – The first family of the military......
CONTINUE READING.......Joe Biden's speech to Military Heroes will rank with one of the best ever
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Supreme Court Finds Frivolous Lawsuit to Be Frivolous; Upholds “Obamacare” | News & Politics | AlterNet
Today's ruling was an enormous win for the Obama administration, and will likely lead to a fundraising bonanza for corporate front-groups opposed to the law......
KEEP READING: Supreme Court Finds Frivolous Lawsuit to Be Frivolous; Upholds “Obamacare” | News & Politics | AlterNet
KEEP READING: Supreme Court Finds Frivolous Lawsuit to Be Frivolous; Upholds “Obamacare” | News & Politics | AlterNet
Thoughts on Texas, and .......
.....their eliminating HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills) and CTS (Critical Thinking Skills) courses from all school curriculums:
"They don’t want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don’t want well-informed, well-educated people capable of critical thinking. They’re not interested in that. That doesn’t help them. That’s against their interests. That’s right. They don’t want people who are smart enough to sit around a kitchen table and think about how badly they’re getting [screwed] by a system that threw them overboard 30 years ago. They don’t want that. You know what they want? They want obedient workers. Obedient workers, people who are just smart enough to run the machines and do the paperwork. And just dumb enough to passively accept all these increasingly [worse] jobs with the lower pay, the longer hours, the reduced benefits, the end of overtime and vanishing pension that disappears the minute you go to collect it"
~ George Carlin, 2005
"They don’t want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don’t want well-informed, well-educated people capable of critical thinking. They’re not interested in that. That doesn’t help them. That’s against their interests. That’s right. They don’t want people who are smart enough to sit around a kitchen table and think about how badly they’re getting [screwed] by a system that threw them overboard 30 years ago. They don’t want that. You know what they want? They want obedient workers. Obedient workers, people who are just smart enough to run the machines and do the paperwork. And just dumb enough to passively accept all these increasingly [worse] jobs with the lower pay, the longer hours, the reduced benefits, the end of overtime and vanishing pension that disappears the minute you go to collect it"
~ George Carlin, 2005
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Gratitude movement leader to speak in S.F. - SFGate
Are we in the middle of a gratitude movement? Evidence suggests so.
Publishers can't seem to print enough books with the words "gratitude" or "gratefulness" in the title. Scientists rake in millions of dollars in grants to study how feelings of gratitude might improve physical health and psychological well-being. And this weekend.........
READ MORE: Gratitude movement leader to speak in S.F. - SFGate
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Pharmageddon: The Drug Industry's Grip on Our Health and Lives | Personal Health | AlterNet
David Healy is a Professor of Psychiatry at Bangor University. He is a former Secretary of the British Association for Psychopharmacology, and author of over 175 peer reviewed articles, 200 other pieces and 20 books, including The Antidepressant Era, and The Creation of Psychopharmacology from Harvard University Press,The Psychopharmacologists Volumes 1-3, Let Them Eat Prozac, Mania, & Pharmageddon. He has been involved as an expert witness in homicide, suicide and birth defect legal actions involving psychotropic drugs, and in bringing problems with these drugs to the attention of American and British regulators, as well raising awareness of how pharmaceutical companies sell drugs by marketing diseases and co-opting academic opinion-leaders, ghostwriting their articles.
READ MORE.....Pharmageddon: The Drug Industry's Grip on Our Health and Lives | Personal Health | AlterNet
READ MORE.....Pharmageddon: The Drug Industry's Grip on Our Health and Lives | Personal Health | AlterNet
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Yes, Romney's Vision for America Is Really That Scary / Jonathan Cohn / The New Republic
Yes, Romney's Vision for America Really Is That Scary
- June 14, 2012 | 5:20 pm
- President Obama’s speech today was long on words and short on new ideas. I know some pundits are disappointed but, as I wrote earlier today, they shouldn't be. Obama has laid out his philosophy and proposals. So has Mitt Romney. The campaign is all about contrasting the two. And, boy, is the contrast stark. Obama would preserve the safety net and most other federal......
READ MORE: In Cleveland Speech, Obama Warns Of Dramatic Cuts To Safety Net And Tax Breaks For Wealthy If Romney Wins. The Facts Back Up Obama. | The New Republic
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
What Parents Can Learn From Prison Guards | Mother Jones
Hilarious, true and extremely well-written and balanced!
READ MORE: What Parents Can Learn From Prison Guards | Mother Jones
READ MORE: What Parents Can Learn From Prison Guards | Mother Jones
Monday, June 18, 2012
How to raise a “Dakota Fanning” | Soul’s Code
If your child is an 'old soul', he or she......
READ ARTICLE: How to raise a “Dakota Fanning” | Soul’s Code
READ ARTICLE: How to raise a “Dakota Fanning” | Soul’s Code
Dr. Christine Jax-Castillo: How To Parent An 'Old Soul'
(A mother of seven uses a method called, “show, remind and tell” to raise a child who is an ‘old soul’)
GUEST COLUMN: DR. CHRISTINE JAX-CASTILLO — If you are a parent, you probably question if you are doing all that you can to ensure that your children find their own spiritual paths, and reach their full potential. You wonder how you can help your children progress on their spiritual journeys, while encouraging them to follow your rules.
How can you can teach them right from wrong, while teaching them to see the good in all things? How can you keep them safe, while relaying to them that fear is an illusion of the ego?
Now people are claiming that their children are “indigo” children or“old soul” children, and you wonder . . . are yours?
Because of your spiritual evolution and path, it is most likely that all your children, born or adopted, are “old soul” children. But remember, we are all special and all have a reason for being on this planet at this time: we are each here for individual spiritual growthand to inspire further growth in others, and, if you are a parent, you have agreed to juggle both. In the case of rearing an “old soul” child, you have agreed to expedite their spiritual development for their benefit, as well as for the benefit of humanity, as the children who are traveling this path have agreed to do so.
Common traits of “old soul” children
- Develop faster emotionally and intellectually than other children, yet may struggle in school due to constrictions on their creativity and critical thinking abilities
- Understand and demand justice long before such development is typically seen in children
- Demonstrate a global perspective and ask about people not like themselves
- Articulate a sense of charity and service; they want to help others
- Remember past lives
- Question the authority of adults and leaders, and demand respect for themselves
- Possess one or more “paranormal abilities:” ie. may see or communicate with non-physical beings such as angels, spirits, and ghosts; heal by touch; remember past lives; share mutual dreams with others; predict future events; sense when something is wrong; view remotely; experience astral projection
- Have a deep interest in religion or spiritual practices
- Communicate easily and actively with their guides, even if they have yet to identify what gives them knowledge about things
How to be a model parent for an “old soul” child
To raise an “old soul” child you need to model (show proper behavior), induct (bring out of the child what he or she already knows), and instruct (provide new information). I refer to this as “show, remind, tell.”
Show your children how to be good citizens and stewards of the earth, and be mindful that they are going to emulate much of your behavior. Also keep in mind that they will quickly recognize hypocrisy and just as quickly lose respect for you. Do your best to walk your talk. This means not using physical force, coercion, insults or shaming to get what you want, including proper behavior, from your child.
I always tell people, “If you wouldn’t do or say something to or in front of your boss, don’t do or say it to or in front of your children.”
You can model empathy by speaking your thoughts out loud: “I guess I should pick-up this box I dropped. It wouldn’t be nice to leave more work for the grocer.” Show grace in how you admit mistakes and don’t blame others. Find the good in all situations and in all people. When you are struggling with something someone has done, talk out loud to your child about how you are trying to understand their decisions without judging them.
Remember to teach love to all children
Remind your children of who they are and where they come from. Let them know everything is made out of the same energy, love, which makes all people equal and everything worthy of care and respect. Remind them that happiness is our right, and that it is found only in the moment because the past and present do not concurrently exist.
Help them remember that preparation for the next moment takes knowledge, good work, honesty, and faith; they will see whatever they believe and expect. Discuss with them how forgiveness is essential for personal growth and happiness; peace can only exist if there is forgiveness. It may help to develop meditative and spiritual practices with them as part of your lifestyle.
Tell them every day that you love them, and tell them regularly that you are proud of them and amazed by them. Let them develop with you the household rules and the consequences for breaking those rules. Make sure they understand why there are rules, and be consistent and calm when you enforce those rules and enact punishment. Give them opportunities to care for other people and to care for the earth. Tell your children to follow their dreams, and then give them space and advice for how to do so. Allow them to fulfill their dreams for themselves, not yourdreams for them.
Introduce your children to many different spiritual practices, including yours, but let them choose what is comfortable for them. Let them experience chanting, drumming, walking a labyrinth, sitting silently with incense — experiment. Point out to your children all that you have learned from other people and how much is achieved when people work together. Explain that there are multiple perspectives of, and reactions to, any situation.
Create a life for yourself beyond parenting so you can allow and encourage your child to grow beyond you, your beliefs, and your needs, but always, always be your child’s biggest fan.
Dr. Christine Jax-Castillo has a B.A. in Child Psychology, and a Ph.D. in Education. She is an author and international spiritual coach, consultant and speaker. She and her husband have seven children, ages 7 – 25, and they reside in West Palm Beach, Florida.
(Angel photo by Cyndi Ingle.)
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Kevin Powell: Being a Father
I am a father. I did not know that I was one, but I am. Not even sure when it happened but, alas, it is a reality for me now. I did not ask for it, nor was it planned. And, to be brutally honest, I scratch my head and wonder how this came to me. I mean, for sure, I have a vague idea, but I am struggling to recollect what led to this.
This is especially profound for me because.......
CONTINUE READING! Kevin Powell: Being a Father
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Are Corporations and Big Banks Making a Windfall From Food Stamps? | Food | AlterNet
June 13, 2012
Photo Credit: AlexAnnaButs/ shutterstock.com
Perhaps you've heard: At a time of record need for food assistance among America's poor, the U.S. Senate is poised to cut roughly $4.5 billion from food stamps, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which 46 million Americans -- one in seven of us -- rely upon.
READ MORE: Are Corporations and Big Banks Making a Windfall From Food Stamps? | Food | AlterNet
Friday, June 8, 2012
Military Suicide Rate Surges to One per Day: 50% More Suicides Than Afghanistan Combat Fatalities!!!!! / Huff Post
This fact is one of the most compelling upon which to deliberate, when considering action to withdraw from Afghanistan ... or any other war whatsoever. Probing this horror of our sons and daughters at war, evokes such a strong response ... and requires the deepest self-interrogation of each and any citizen/official who has any influence. Without going there, at the moment ... that citizenry also includes certainly includes you and me.
But war is highly profitable ... let's just cut to the chase. This article should strong-arm even the hearts of those who appear not to have one .... those who send our children into death's path for money:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/07/military-suicide-surges-_n_1578821.html
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"there were no words, but images flooded every cell in her being ...4 and a half decades!"
