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Mar 21 (1 day ago)
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Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Pfizer: Notorious prescription price gouger! Sign the Petition!
All Hat No Cattle: What violence at Trump Rallies?
This link has some hilarious posters! The phrase, "all hat, no cattle" , is appropriate for any of them!
All Hat No Cattle: What violence at Trump Rallies?
All Hat No Cattle: What violence at Trump Rallies?
Friday, March 18, 2016
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Hillary Might Break the Glass Ceiling If She Wins, But She Won't Put a Dent in the Military-Industrial Complex | Alternet
n the lead-up to International Women's Day, we present an excerpt from False Choices: The Faux Feminism of Hillary Clinton. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
Sunday, March 6, 2016
BLOCK PFIZER...outrageous thief and exploitationist!
We urge you to instruct the Treasury Department to update its 2014 Notice or issue a new Notice to prevent Pfizer and other corporate tax dodgers from shirking their responsibility to pay the taxes they owe on their current untaxed offshore profits. Pfizer alone owes an estimated $35 billion on its stash of untaxed offshore profits. That huge sum could be used to pay for investments in education, infrastructure, public safety, renewable energy, medical research, and much more. Mr. President, please stand up for the American people – not corporate tax dodgers!
Pfizer, a notorious price gouger, hopes to dodge paying an estimated $35 billion in taxes by merging with a foreign firm.1
Pfizer’s shareholders are expected to approve this merger by the middle of this year. That means we have a few months to block the enormous tax break Pfizer is after.
Pfizer will still remain based in New York and continue to benefit from all that America offers – legal protections for its lucrative drug patents, $1 billion a year in government purchases from Medicare and Medicaid, and much more. Pfizer will simply stop paying its fair share of U.S. taxes.
President Obama has the power to stop corporate deserters like Pfizer. He can direct his Treasury Department to close the loophole that Pfizer and an increasing number of multinational corporations are using to change their legal address to a tax haven and dodge paying the taxes they owe.
Please sign the petition to President Obama and the U.S. Treasury Department demanding action now. Your signature will be sent directly to the White House. If we reach 100,000 confirmed petition signatures, the White House will respond with a public statement.
American Family Voices
Americans for Tax Fairness
Campaign for America's Future
Corporate Accountability International
Courage Campaign
Daily Kos
Deluge
Economic Policy Institute
Left Action
National People's Action
National Priorities Project
People For the American Way
The Nation
The Other 98%
The Zero Hour
USAction
Watchdog.net
Americans for Tax Fairness
Campaign for America's Future
Corporate Accountability International
Courage Campaign
Daily Kos
Deluge
Economic Policy Institute
Left Action
National People's Action
National Priorities Project
People For the American Way
The Nation
The Other 98%
The Zero Hour
USAction
Watchdog.net
Saturday, March 5, 2016
Stand against Pfizer!!! STOP them from deserting America!!
Petition to Congress: "Stop Pfizer from dodging billions in taxes owed to the American people by passing the Stop Corporate Inversions Act, which would block companies from hiding their profits by moving their tax address, but not their business, overseas." | |
Dear Madelaine,
One of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies makes billions off of U.S. government contracts, develops and sells its drugs here, relies on our roads and workforce – and is about to desert Americans to the tune of billions of dollars.1 American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer recently announced that it would be merging with Allergan, a tiny European rival, in a move designed to move Pfizer’s tax address offshore – while it continues to do business here in the U.S.2 Called a “corporate tax inversion,” the move would help Pfizer dodge taxes while robbing Americans of revenue that could fund infrastructure or education.3 Sen. Elizabeth Warren has had enough. While regulators still have a chance to stop the Pfizer merger, she’s calling on Congress to end corporate tax inversions altogether. The Pfizer case is only the latest outrageous example of corporations refusing to pay their fair share. That is why we are standing with our friends at Americans for Tax Fairness, and Democracy for America, to show that Americans back Sen. Warren and demand an end to corporate tax inversions. Pfizer already is already dodging taxes on nearly $150 billion parked offshore. It pays an effective tax rate of around 7.5%, thanks to a corporate tax code shredded with loopholes – far lower than what ordinary Americans and small businesses pay. It isn’t even planning to change its business model, keeping its headquarters, employees, and customers in the U.S. Pfizer simply wants to change its address and swindle America out of the billions we invested in helping make it successful.4 Tens of thousands of CREDO members have previously demanded strong regulators, who are willing to crack down on mergers, and for the Obama administration to use its executive authority to close tax loopholes. But we also need to demand that Congress pass the Stop Corporate Inversions Act, which would:5
As Sen. Warren puts it, “People like you have to pay your fair share of taxes. So do small businesses that don’t have armies of lawyers to help them stash their money in the Cayman Islands – or magically move their corporate citizenship to Ireland.”6 Pfizer’s actions are so outrageous, it is crucial to force members of Congress to pick a side by making a concerted demand for an end to inversions now. At its simplest, this is about a pharmaceutical industry that is out of control, CEOs chasing short-term profits over long-term growth, government regulators who have gone soft on corporate mega-mergers, and more. In the past, when our leaders decided to allow big companies to bring money back from overseas with lower taxes, Pfizer rewarded America’s generosity by raising its CEO’s pay while laying off more than 10,000 U.S. workers.6 This is about yet another corporation relying on our schools, roads, courts, markets, and customers – then shirking their responsibility when it comes time to paying their fair share in taxes. We have had enough. The time is now for us to demand Congress end tax inversions once and for all, or go on the record supporting tax dodging corporations. Stand with Sen. Warren: Stop Pfizer from deserting America. Click below to sign the petition: Thank you for speaking out, |
Monday, February 29, 2016
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Developing Healthy Detachment by Lucinda Bassett--Inspirational articles from Living Life Fully
| In her best-seller Codependent No More, Melody Beatty calls healthy detachment an act and an art. She believes that "detachment can become a habitual response in the same manner that obsessing, worrying, and controlling become habitual responses--with practice." Healthy detachment is about * allowing others to be themselves. * reversing the need to rescue, save or fix anyone who is ill, dysfunctional, or irrational. * reversing the need to be rescued, saved, or fixed yourself * giving other people the space to be themselves. * disengaging from overly enmeshed or dependent relationships * being willing to accept that you cannot control other people or situations. * developing and maintaining a safe emotional distance from someone to whom you previously gave away your power. * establishing emotional boundaries between you and those who are overly dependent on you. * feeling your own feelings when you see someone else falter, being neither responsible nor guilty. * facing life with a healthy perspective. * recognizing the need to avoid uncontrollable and unchangeable realities. * exercising emotional self-protection to avoid emotional devastation. | ||
| * allowing your loved ones to accept responsibility for their actions as you avoid scolding them. * avoiding being hurt, abused, or taken advantage of by others, especially those with whom you have been overly enmeshed. Now you need to know when you should detach. Melody Beatty suggests we do it "when we can't stop thinking, talking about, or worrying about someone or something; when our emotions are churning and boiling; when we feel like we have to do something about someone because we can't stand it another minute; when we're hanging on by a thread, and it feels like the single thread is frayed; and when we believe we can no longer live with the problem we've been trying to live with." A good rule of thumb is: You need to detach most when it seems the least likely or possible thing to do. This is a very humbling but true realization. Developing inner detachment is no different from developing any other skill. It requires an understanding of detachment and the desire to achieve it, which takes patience, practice and skills. Based on the research of Dr. Bruce Perry, a clinician, researcher, and internationally recognized authority on children in crisis, here are some powerful steps for developing healthy detachment from toxic relationships. Step One: Once you've identified your toxic people and areas of dysfunction, spend time thinking through [these areas] to gain complete understanding about why you are in these toxic relationships and why it is so hard to detach. Step Two: Identify irrational or false beliefs in your toxic relationship that stop you from detaching. Replace those beliefs with healthy, rational, honest ones. Step Three: Identify why you feel hurt or threatened by the relationship. Step Four: Admit that the other person or situation is irrational, unhealthy, toxic, or addictive. No matter what you say or do, you cannot change or control this reality. But the one thing you can change is you. Stop imagining things to be better than they really are. Be honest about what the relationship really is or isn't. Step Five: Map out the reasons why there is no need to feel guilty over being emotionally detached from the relationship. Let go of the emotional "hooks." Step Six: Affirm yourself as someone who deserves healthy, wholesome relationships. See yourself as a good person at home, at work, and in the community. Step Seven: Seek support in therapy, from friends, and from support groups for letting go of your enmeshment in an unhealthy relationship. Step Eight: Meditate and pray for the strength to detach from unhealthy people and situations. Step Nine: Allow no one and nothing to affect your good feelings about yourself. Step Ten: Practice, practice, practice the fine art of letting go. It takes time. Step Eleven: Go back to Step One and go through the steps all over again. Unhealthy attachments come in many different forms--not just to people, but also to the underlying belief systems that urge us to look outside of ourselves for strength and support. These beliefs tell us that we're not strong or capable enough to take care of ourselves. To some degree, within all of us resides a frightened child who still believes we need something or someone more powerful than us, or we could die. This unhealed, scarred child within is looking for a "magic pill"--a person who will take away our fear and vulnerability. | ||
Matt Drudge slams 'media cover-up' of Hillary Clinton's declining health - Washington Times
Drudge Report creator Matt Drudge slammed what he called a “media cover-up” ofHillary Clinton’s “flaring hypothyroidism” after the Democratic presidential candidate suffered another coughing fit on the campaign trail.
Mrs. Clinton, 68, struggled to recover from a coughing fit during a speech at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York City Tuesday, perpetuating rumors that the former secretary of state is in poor health. She suffered similar attacks last month during a speech in West Des Moines, Iowa, and during the Benghazi hearings in October. CLICK HERE TO READ ARTICLE
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Developing Healthy Detachment by Lucinda Bassett--Inspirational articles from Living Life Fully
"Now you need to know when you should detach. Melody Beatty suggests we do it "when we can't stop thinking, talking about, or worrying about someone or something; when our emotions are churning and boiling; when we feel like we have to do something about someone because we can't stand it another minute; when we're hanging on by a thread, and it feels like the single thread is frayed; and when we believe we can no longer live with the problem we've been trying to live with."
A good rule of thumb is: You need to detach most when it seems the least likely or possible thing to do.
This is a very humbling but true realization."
Anger and Aversion/views on Buddhism.org
ANGER AND AVERSION
A BAG OF NAILS
"It is natural for the immature to harm others.
Getting angry with them is like resenting a fire for burning."
Shantideva
"It is natural for the immature to harm others.
Getting angry with them is like resenting a fire for burning."
Shantideva
Once upon a time there was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he should hammer a nail in the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. But gradually, the number of daily nails dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.
Finally the first day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He proudly told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.
"You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out, it won't matter how many times you say 'I'm sorry', the wound is still there."
Finally the first day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He proudly told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.
"You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out, it won't matter how many times you say 'I'm sorry', the wound is still there."
SOME DEFINITIONS
The definition of Aversion is: Exaggerated wanting to be separated from someone or something. (Exact opposite of Attachment.) Because the label of "unpleasant" is very relative and based upon limited information, aversion includes an aspect of exaggeration or "projection".
The definition of Anger is: Being unable to bear the object, or the intention to cause harm to the object. Anger is defined as aversion with stronger exaggeration.
The definition of Anger is: Being unable to bear the object, or the intention to cause harm to the object. Anger is defined as aversion with stronger exaggeration.
A BIT OF BUDDHIST PSYCHOLOGY
The basic problem according to Buddhism, is that emotions like anger and hatred are based on projections and exaggeration, not on objectivity or wisdom, and thus basically incorrect.
There is little need to explain what anger and hatred do to ourselves by means of the laws of karma; the misery we cause others will come back at ourselves. Nobody wants suffering, so next is a summary of methods which can not only reduce but even eliminate anger and hatred from our minds.
It must be emphasise that to completely eliminate these negative emotions from our mind is a lengthy psychological process, requiring study, mindfulness, reflection and honest observation of one's own mind. To begin with, meditation is an ideal method to review a situation in which one became angry (see the page on meditation). This has the advantage that one is not exposed to the actual situation, but one can review it much more objectively. When regular meditation gives some insight into what anger is and what happens to oneself when feeling angry, then one can gradually try to apply it in real-life situations, preferably of course before one is already under complete control of anger. It is a slow process, but the change in your life and the ones around you can profoundly change for the better.
There is little need to explain what anger and hatred do to ourselves by means of the laws of karma; the misery we cause others will come back at ourselves. Nobody wants suffering, so next is a summary of methods which can not only reduce but even eliminate anger and hatred from our minds.
It must be emphasise that to completely eliminate these negative emotions from our mind is a lengthy psychological process, requiring study, mindfulness, reflection and honest observation of one's own mind. To begin with, meditation is an ideal method to review a situation in which one became angry (see the page on meditation). This has the advantage that one is not exposed to the actual situation, but one can review it much more objectively. When regular meditation gives some insight into what anger is and what happens to oneself when feeling angry, then one can gradually try to apply it in real-life situations, preferably of course before one is already under complete control of anger. It is a slow process, but the change in your life and the ones around you can profoundly change for the better.
As His Holiness the Dalai Lama mentioned:
"When reason ends, then anger begins.
Therefore, anger is a sign of weakness."
Is anger or hatred ever justified? A direct answer from Allan Wallace in 'Tibetan Buddhism from the Ground up':
"'Righteous hatred' is in the same category as 'righteous cancer'or 'righteous tuberculosis'. All of them are absurd concepts."This does not mean that one should never take action against aggression or injustice! Instead, one should try to develop an inner calmness and insight to deal with these situations in an appropriate way. We all know that anger and aggression give rise to anger and aggression. One could say that there are three ways to get rid of anger: kill the opponent, kill yourself or kill the anger - which one makes most sense to you?"
And as Khenpo Konchog Gyaltsen Rinpoche mentioned:
"Some people feel patience is showing weakness or pessimism.
But, actually, patience shows the strength and clarity of mind, which are based on wisdom and compassion.
Without proper wisdom and compassion, one cannot practice patience."
But of course not only Buddhism recognises the shortcomings of anger, in the Bible for example in Psalm 37, 14-16 it reads:
"The angry ones draw their swords, the angry ones aim their bows
To put down the poor and the weakened and to kill those who walk on the path of righteousness.
But their sword hits their own heart, their bows will be broken.
With his poverty, the righteous one is richer than all the angry ones in their abundance.""Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned."
The Buddha"If subconscious anger had a parallel in Buddhist writings, it would have to do with what is called mental unhappiness or dissatisfaction. This is regarded as the source of anger and hostility. We can see subconscious anger in terms of a lack of awarness, as well as an active misconstruing of reality."
His Holiness the Dalai Lama"If there are sound reasons or bases for the points you demand, then there is no need to use violence. On the other hand, when there is no sound reason that concessions should be made to you but mainly your own desire, then reason cannot work and you have to rely on force. Thus, using force is not a sign of strength but rather a sign of weakness. Even in daily human contact, if we talk seriously, using reasons, there is no need to feel anger. We can argue the points. When we fail to prove with reason, then anger comes. When reason ends, then anger begins. Therefore, anger is a sign of weakness."
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, from 'The Dalai Lama, A Policy of Kindness: An Anthology of Writings by and About the Dalai Lama', Snow Lion Publications.
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