To the wave coming after me….from grand children to seniors!

"Gang Rape in India, Routine and Visible" - from "Want to Know" / New York Tomes

Gang Rape in India, Routine and Invisible
2013-10-27, New York Times
Posted: 2013-11-05 08:53:34
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/27/world/asia/gang-rape-in-india-routine-and-i...

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The trial in [a] Mumbai gang-rape case has opened ... without the crush of reporters who documented every twist in a similar case in New Delhi in which a woman died after being gang-raped on a private bus. The Mumbai case provides an unusual glimpse into a group of bored young men who had committed the same crime often enough to develop a routine. The police say the men had committed at least five rapes in the same spot. Their casual confidence reinforces the notion that rape has been a largely invisible crime here, where convictions are infrequent and victims silently go away. Not until their arrest, at a moment when sexual violence has grabbed headlines and risen to the top of the state’s agenda, did the seriousness of the crime sink in. “It was exactly like watching a kid in school who has been caught doing something,” said [the victim's coworker], who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect the identity of the victim, who cannot be identified according to Indian law. “It’s like a bunch of kids who found a dog and tied a bunch of firecrackers to its tail, just to see what would happen. Only in this case it was far more egregious. It was malevolent, what happened.” None of the men worked regularly. There were jobs chicken-plucking at a neighborhood stand — a hot, stinking eight-hour shift that paid 250 rupees, or $4. The men told their families they wanted something better, something indoors, but that thing never seemed to come. They passed time playing cards and drinking.

Note: For more on sex crimes, see the deeply revealing reports from reliable major media sources available here.

EXCELLENT! Daily Kos: "Won't Somebody Please Think Of The Children?"

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), in their continuing effort to protect people from reality, has slapped an R-rating on Lee Hirsch’s new documentary 'Bully,' which followed the lives of middle-school & high-school students.     CLICK HERE TO READ THIS COMPREHENSIVE ARTICLE

Joel Osteen’s gay problem: The religious right is history if he can’t solve it

Joel Osteen’s gay problem: The religious right is history if he can’t solve it

The Surprising Truth About Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar – Your Brain’s Silent Killers | Alternet

The Surprising Truth About Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar – Your Brain’s Silent Killers | Alternet

You Will Be Shocked at How Ignorant Americans Really Are | Alternet

CLICK TO READ: "You Will Be Shocked at How Ignorant Americans Really Are" | Alternet

Scientists finally admit H1N1 vaccine causes increased risk of Guillain-Barre syndrome

"A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) admits that the vaccine widely administered for H1N1, also known as "swine flu," is linked to causing neurological damage in the form of Guillain-Barre syndrome. The findings confirm several earlier studies in both the U.S. and U.K. that also linked the H1N1 vaccine to severe neurological damage......"  (CLICK HERE TO READ....)

"The Sankofa Bird ... and the Meaning of the Symbol"

The Meaning of the Symbol of the Sankofa Bird

The concept of SANKOFA is derived from King Adinkera of the Akan people of West Afrika.  Literally translated it means "it is not taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot".

"Sankofa" teaches us that we must go back to our roots in order to move forward. That is, we should reach back and gather the best of what our past has to teach us, so that we can achieve our full potential as we move forward. Whatever we have lost, forgotten, forgone or been stripped of, can be reclaimed, revived, preserved and perpetuated.

 Visually and symbolically "Sankofa" is expressed as a mythic bird that flies forward while looking backward with an egg (symbolizing the future) in its mouth. This is emphasizing on the fact that even though the bird is advancing, it periodically makes it a point to examine/ return to it's past, since this is the only way for one to have a better future. It affirms the belief that there must be movement and new learning as time passes, but as this forward march proceeds the knowledge of the past must never be forgotten

Some also interpret Sankofa to mean, no matter how far away one travels they must always return home.  If not physically, then figuratively.  However Sankofa is interpreted, the basic and important meaning still lies; one's past is an important aspect of one's future. So in order to make the best of one's future ... to lead a life with ongoing health and growth ...unequivocally one must visit one's past .  

Meet 3 Master Manipulators of America’s Oligarchy | Alternet

Financiers Stanley Druckenmiller, Pete Peterson and John Arnold form a trifecta of treachery.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com

October 24, 2013  |  

Ideas are costly, especially bogus ones. And a growing class of billionaires is more than willing to pay.

Whether they’re ginning up deficit hysteria to cut Social Security or blaming teachers and firefighters for state budget crises, these 1 percenters pose as defenders of your interests while arranging things so that they can plunder America and 
leave hard-working people with scraps.....CLICK HERE TO READ ARTICLE

Here’s how GOP Obamacare hypocrisy backfires - Michael Lind / Salon

GOP base doesn't understand right wants to turn Medicare, Social Security and more into a very similar program......

CLICK TO READ ARTICLE

Consumer Alert: 300+ Health Problems Linked To Statin Drugs

"A growing body of clinical research now indicates that the cholesterol-lowering class of drugs known as statins, are associated with over 300 adverse health effects -- research boldly flying in the face of national health policy, medical insurance premium guidelines, statin drug manufacturer advertising claims, and the general sentiment of the public, with approximately 1 in every 4 adult Americans over 45 currently using these drugs to "prevent heart disease."

The Cholesterol Myth

For well over 40 years, statin drugs have successfully concretized a century old myth about the primary cause of heart disease: namely, that cholesterol "causes" plaque build up in the arteries, ultimately leading to obstruction of blood flow, and subsequent morbidity and mortality.................."

CLICK TO READ THIS IMPORTANT ARTICLE

Textism: Is Spelling Over? | Alternet

".....case, the grammar that Mrs. Bustard drilled into my head served me well on standardized tests, in college and in my career, so it’s easy for me to go wobbly on rules now.  But what about today’s texting toddlers who grow up thinking that lol is a word?  Are we raising a generation of illiterates whose fuzzy spelling is the precursor of fuzzy thinking? .........
CLICK TO READ

"Get Your GOP Hands Off My Medicare!" | Alternet

CLICK TO READ THIS EXCELLENT ARTICLE!!

Backfire! GOP Hostage-Taking Boosts Obamacare's Popularity | Alternet

"Polls find Americans want more healthcare options".......“The opposition to the insurance companies is so palpable in the groups,” Greenberg said. “The biggest changes in this law is that insurance companies actually have to act like insurance companies and provide health coverage when you need it.”

CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING

Doctors' Secret for How to Die Right | Alternet

Why do physicians make different end-of-life choices than the rest of us?
CLICK HERE TO READ ARTICLE

"The religious right is a fraud: Nothing Christian about Michele Bachmann’s values" ~ Salon

"The American right obsesses over abortion and birth control, not helping people. It's different around the globe."

CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING

"The Dark Side of Soy" ~ Mary Vance Terrain / Utne Reader

by Mary Vance Terrain

Image by Mo Riza, licensed under Creative Commons.

As someone who is conscious of her health, I spent 13 years cultivating a vegetarian diet. I took time to plan and balance meals that included products such as soy milk, soy yogurt, tofu, and Chick'n patties. I pored over labels looking for words I couldn't pronounce--occasionally one or two would pop up. Soy protein isolate? Great! They've isolated the protein from the soybean to make it more concentrated. Hydrolyzed soy protein? I never successfully rationalized that one, but I wasn't too worried. After all, in 1999 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved labeling I found on nearly every soy product I purchased: 'Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 25 grams of soy protein a day may reduce the risk of heart disease.' Soy ingredients weren't only safe--they were beneficial.
After years of consuming various forms of soy nearly every day, I felt reasonably fit, but somewhere along the line I'd stopped menstruating. I couldn't figure out why my stomach became so upset after I ate edamame or why I was often moody and bloated. It didn't occur to me at the time to question soy, heart protector and miracle food.
When I began studying holistic health and nutrition, I kept running across risks associated with eating soy. Endocrine disruption? Check. Digestive problems? Check. I researched soy's deleterious effects on thyroid, fertility, hormones, sex drive, digestion, and even its potential to contribute to certain cancers. For every study that proved a connection between soy and reduced disease risk another cropped up to challenge the claims. What was going on?
'Studies showing the dark side of soy date back 100 years,' says clinical nutritionist Kaayla Daniel, author of The Whole Soy Story (New Trends, 2005). 'The 1999 FDA-approved health claim pleased big business, despite massive evidence showing risks associated with soy, and against the protest of the FDA's own top scientists. Soy is a $4 billion [U.S.] industry that's taken these health claims to the bank.' Besides promoting heart health, the industry says, soy can alleviate symptoms associated with menopause, reduce the risk of certain cancers, and lower levels of LDL, the 'bad' cholesterol.
Epidemiological studies have shown that Asians, particularly in Japan and China, have a lower incidence of breast and prostate cancer than people in the United States, and many of these studies credit a traditional diet that includes soy. But Asian diets include small amounts--about nine grams a day--of primarily fermented soy products, such as miso, natto, and tempeh, and some tofu. Fermenting soy creates health-promoting probiotics, the good bacteria our bodies need to maintain digestive and overall wellness. By contrast, in the United States, processed soy food snacks or shakes can contain over 20 grams of nonfermented soy protein in one serving.
'There is important information on the cancer-protective values of soy,' says clinical nutritionist Ed Bauman, head of Bauman Clinic in Sebastopol, California, and director of Bauman College. Bauman cautions against painting the bean with a broad brush. 'As with any food, it can have benefits in one system and detriments in another. [An individual who is sensitive to it] may have an adverse response to soy. And not all soy is alike,' he adds, referring to processing methods and quality.
'Soy is not a food that is native to North America or Europe, and you have issues when you move food from one part of the world to another,' Bauman says. 'We fare better when we eat according to our ethnicity. Soy is a viable food, but we need to look at how it's used.'
Once considered a small-scale poverty food, soy exploded onto the American market. Studies--some funded by the industry--promoted soy's ability to lower disease risk while absolving guilt associated with eating meat. 'The soy industry has come a long way from when hippies were boiling up the beans,' says Daniel.
These days the industry has discovered ways to use every part of the bean for profit. Soy oil has become the base for most vegetable oils; soy lecithin, the waste product left over after the soybean is processed, is used as an emulsifier; soy flour appears in baked and packaged goods; different forms of processed soy protein are added to everything from animal feed to muscle-building protein powders. 'Soy protein isolate was invented for use in cardboard,' Daniel says. 'It hasn't actually been approved as a food ingredient.'
Soy is everywhere in our food supply, as the star in cereals and health-promoting foods and hidden in processed foods. Even if you read every label and avoid cardboard boxes, you are likely to find soy in your supplements and vitamins (look out for vitamin E derived from soy oil), in foods such as canned tuna, soups, sauces, breads, meats (injected under poultry skin), and chocolate, and in pet food and body-care products. It hides in tofu dogs under aliases such as textured vegetable protein, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, and lecithin--which is troubling, since the processing required to hydrolyze soy protein into vegetable protein produces excitotoxins such as glutamate (think MSG) and aspartate (a component of aspartame), which cause brain-cell death.
Soy also is one of the foods--in addition to wheat, corn, eggs, milk, nuts, and shellfish--most likely to cause allergic reactions. Most people equate food allergies with anaphylaxis, or a severe emergency immune response, but it is possible to have a subclinical sensitivity, which can lead to health problems over time (and is exacerbated by the lack of variety common in today's American diet).
'People can do an empirical food sensitivity test by eliminating the food for a period of time and reintroducing it to see if there's an immune response, but most don't do this,' says Bauman. 'Genetically modified (GM) soy is the most problematic, and that's probably what most people are eating if they're not paying attention. People can develop sensitivity to a food that has antigens or bacteria not originally in the food chain, as is the case with GM foods.'
Yet avoiding GM soy doesn't mean all is well, Daniel says: 'One question I get all the time is, ?What if I only eat organic soy?' The assumption is that GM soy is problematic and organic is fine. Certainly, organic is better, but the bottom line is that soybeans naturally contain plant estrogens, toxins, and antinutrients, and you can't remove those.'
The highest risk is for infants who are fed soy formula. 'It's the only thing they're eating, they're very small, and they're at a key stage developmentally,' says Daniel. 'The estrogens in soy will affect the hormonal development of these children, and it will certainly affect their growing brains, reproductive systems, and thyroids.' Soy formula also contains large amounts of manganese, which has been linked to attention deficit disorder and neurotoxicity in infants. The Israeli health ministry recently issued an advisory stating that infants should avoid soy formula altogether.
Antinutrients in soy block enzymes needed for digestion, and naturally occur-ring phytates block absorption of essential minerals. This is most worrisome for vegans and vegetarians who eat soy as their main source of protein, and for women in menopause who up their soy intake through supplements.
Soy contains phytochemicals--plant nutrients with disease-fighting activity--called isoflavones. Studies claim isoflavones can mimic the body's own estrogens, raising a woman's estrogen levels, which fall after menopause, causing hot flashes and other symptoms. On the other hand, isoflavones may also block the body's estrogens, which can help reduce high estrogen levels, therefore reducing risk for breast cancer or uterine cancer before menopause. (High estrogen levels have been linked to cancers of the reproductive system in women.)
Although soy's isoflavones may have an adaptogenic effect (contributing to an estrogen-boosting or -blocking effect where needed), they also have the potential to promote hormone-sensitive cancers in some people. Studies on the effects of isoflavones on human estrogen levels are conflicting, and it's possible that they affect people differently. In men, soy has been shown to lower testosterone levels and sex drive, according to Daniel.
Bauman believes processed soy foods are problematic but maintains that soy has beneficial hormone-mediating effects. 'People are largely convenience-driven,' he says. 'We're looking at this whole processed-food convenience market and we're making generalizations about a plant. Is soy the problem, or is it the handling and packaging and processing of the plant that's the problem?
'Primary sources of food are a good thing. Once there was a bean, but then it got cooked and squeezed and the pulp was separated out, and it was heated and processed for better shelf life and mouth feel. Soy milk is second or third level in terms of processing.'
Bauman's eating-for-health approach calls for a variety of natural and seasonal unprocessed whole foods, including soy in moderation, tailored to individual biochemistry and sensitivities. 'Using soy as part of a diet can bring relief for perimenopause, for example,' he says. 'Throw out the soy and you throw out the isoflavones.' (It is possible to obtain plant estrogens to a lesser extent from other foods, such as lima beans or flax.) 'The literature is extensive on the benefits of soy, and that should always be stated, just as the hazards should be. That's science. These studies are not ridiculous or contrived, but take a look at them. Who's funding them?' asks Bauman.
'There are a lot of problems with these studies,' Daniel says, adding that the 1999 heart health claim was an industry-funded initiative. 'Even if there is positive information, and even if these studies are well designed, we need to weigh that against the fact that we've also got really good studies showing the dangers. Better safe than sorry is the precautionary principle. Possible bene-fits are far outweighed by proven risks.'
Daniel and Bauman agree on the benefits of variety. 'My experience as a clinical nutritionist is that people who have a varied diet tend not to get into trouble,' says Daniel.
'We like to demonize certain foods in this society,' says Bauman. 'If you want to find a fault, you'll find it. The bottom line is: What is a healthy diet?'

Reprinted from Terrain (Spring 2007), published by Berkeley's Ecology Center. Dedicated to fine feature writing about environmental issues, Terrain is distributed free throughout Northern California. Subscriptions: $15/yr. (3 issues) from 2530 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley, CA 94702; www.ecologycenter.org/terrain.

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Soy 'Nuggets'
Tofu
Soy milk, curdled and pressed into cubes of varying firmness. Often used as meat substitute. A nonfermented product, tofu contains antinutrients, which can block absorption of essential minerals.
Miso
Fermented soybean paste, used in soups and sauces. Rich in probiotics, good bacteria that aid vitamin absorption. Miso is high in sodium but is considered one of the healthiest soy products.
Soybean Oil
To extract oil, soybeans are superheated, ground, pressed, mixed with chemicals, and washed in a centrifuge. Soybean oil accounts for 80 percent of all liquid oils consumed annually in the United States.
Soy Milk
A processed beverage made of ground soybeans mixed with water and boiled, which removes some toxins. Sugar is added to improve flavor. An eight-ounce serving contains up to 35 milligrams of isoflavones, which may change estrogen levels and hormonal function.
Snack Food
Highly processed, a source of trans fat. Check your labels: Potato chips, tortilla crisps, and many other deep-fried things have been cooked in soy oil--straight up or partially hydrogenated.
Tempeh
Whole soybeans pressed into loaves, which are then fermented. Often used as a meat substitute. Tempeh is rich in B vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Fast Food
A source of hidden soy. Processed soy proteins extend some burgers and chicken (nuggets, patties, even 'grilled breasts'). Buns contain soy oil and to a lesser extent soy flour and lecithin. Soy oil also appears in dressings and dips, in American 'cheese,' and as the No. 2 ingredient in fries. There's even soy in Big Mac's secret sauce: Soybean oil nets top billing.
Edamame
Whole soybeans, commonly boiled in the pod and eaten as a snack. Most commercial edamame has been preheated to make digestion easier, but it still contains antinutrients.

Image by Mo Riza, licensed under Creative Commons. 

"You Think You Knew Crazy? Think Again. 10 Shockers from the Increasingly Unhinged Right Wing" | Alternet

Nothing shuts down America's far-right lunatic fringe.........



CLICK HERE FOR ARTICLE

"How Redshirting Your Kindergartner Could Backfire" ~ Benjy Hansen-Bundy

Delaying kindergarten can have early benefits, but the long-term effects aren't so appealing—for both redshirted kids and their peers.

By Benjy Hansen-Bundy | Wed Oct. 2, 2013 3:00 AM PDT

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Social Title: 

How redshirting your kindergartner could backfire

In this era of hypercompetitive parenting [1], more families are choosing to delay their children's entry into kindergarten, under the impression that the kids will have an academic and social advantage. In fact, a 2008 study [2] by Harvard researchers claims that since the late 1960s, the number of six-year-olds in first grade has dropped by 9 percent because they are increasingly likely to be enrolled in kindergarten.
No one disputes the immediate results of "redshirting," a phrase borrowed from the sports world [3]. Six-year-olds categorically test better [4] than five-year-olds in kindergarten, and they enjoy greater social and physical maturity that helps them make friends and win at tag. But there's a growing [5] debate [6] about the effectiveness of redshirting in the long term—not only for the kids held back, but for their peers, as well.
Some context: Like private school, redshirting is most prevalent among white, Asian, and relatively wealthy families. Here's 2010 data [7] from the National Center for Education Statistics on the percentages of kids delaying kindergarten:

There are several factors at play here, including the traditional wisdom, backed up by research [8], that shows little boys to be particularly fidgety in kindergarten. That said, the most striking disparity is also the most worrying. For families earning the least in this country, redshirting is cost-prohibitive [9] (PDF). As higher-income families delay their kids' kindergarten entry, children from lower-income families end up "competing" against older and more-prepared classmates—at a crucial time for learning and development.

Given the increasingly dramatic size of the existing achievement gap [10]—one exacerbated by few affordable pre-K options [11]—some worry that as teachers make kindergarten more challenging to engage the older students, low-income kids will fall even further behind [12](PDF). Poor students already repeat the grade three times [7] more frequently than wealthy kids.
What's more, a growing body of research suggests that redshirted kids might not enjoy benefits over the long run, anyway. A 2007 paper[13] for the National Bureau of Economic Research argues that "contrary to much academic and popular discussion of school entry age—being old relative to one's peers is not beneficial." (Also, unpublished research [14] from 2012 found that the advantages of redshirting "fade out and appear to reverse by eighth grade.")
Until more-conclusive research emerges, well-meaning parents are likely to continue redshirting their children. And depending on the individual child, that could be the right choice. But as Harvard researcher David Deming says, it's crucial that parents "make a decision with the whole life course in mind."

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Source URL: http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/10/redshirting-kindergarten-backfire-education

Links:
[1] http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2013/09/high-tech-baby-gadgets-helicopter-parents
[2] http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/ddeming/files/deming_dynarski_childhood.pdf
[3] http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/07/magazine/07wwln_freak.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&
[4] http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ973826.pdf
[5] http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/25/opinion/sunday/dont-delay-your-kindergartners-start.html
[6] http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/elements/2013/09/youngest-kid-smartest-kid.html
[7] http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d12/tables/dt12_136.asp
[8] http://www.terry.uga.edu/~cornwl/research/cmvp.genderdiffs.pdf
[9] http://researchroom.wikispaces.com/file/view/Retention,+Social+Promotion+and+redshirting.pdf
[10] http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/27/no-rich-child-left-behind/
[11] http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/17/crushed-by-the-cost-of-child-care/
[12] https://www.msu.edu/~telder/2009-JHR.pdf
[13] http://www.nber.org/papers/w13663.pdf?new_window=1
[14] http://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/123591/1/Bixby_The%20Effect%20of%20Academic%20Redshirting%20on%20Math%20and%20Reading%20Achievement%20An%20Analysis%20of%20Short%20Term%20and%20Long%20Term%20Impacts.pdf

"The Shutdown in 10 Infuriating Sentences" by Kevin Drum / Mother Jones

Forget the blather. Here's what is actually going on.

By Kevin Drum | Fri Oct. 4, 2013 3:00 AM PDT

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Social Title: 

The shutdown in 10 infuriating sentences

At its core, the dispute over the budget and the debt ceiling isn't complicated at all. But it is full of misconceptions and urban myths. Here are the 10 facts worth remembering past all the obfuscation:
1. Democrats have already agreed to fund the government at Republican levels. [1]
2. Despite what you might have heard, there have only been two serious government shutdowns in recent history, and both were the result of Republican ultimatums. [2]
3. Democrats in the Senate have been begging the House to negotiate over the budget [3] for the past six months, but Republicans have refused.
4. That's because Republicans wanted to wait until they had either a government shutdown or a debt ceiling breach as leverage, something they've been very clear [4] about all along.

5. Republicans keep talking about compromise, but they've offered nothing in return [5] for agreeing to their demands—except to keep the government intact if they get their way.
6. The public is very strongly opposed [6] to using a government shutdown to stop Obamacare.
7. Contrary to Republican claims, the deficit is not increasing [7]—it peaked in 2009 and has been dropping ever since, declining by $200 billion last year with another $450 billion drop projected this year.
8. A long government shutdown is likely to seriously hurt economic growth [8], with a monthlong shutdown projected to slash GDP in the fourth quarter by 1 percentage point and reduce employment by over a million jobs.
9. No, Democrats have not used debt ceiling hostage taking [9] in the past to force presidents to accept their political agenda.
10. This whole dispute is about the Republican Party fighting to make sure the working poor don't have access to affordable health care. 

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Source URL: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2013/10/shutdown-debt-ceiling-explained