The NAACP put to rest a long-standing expression of racism Monday (7-9-07) by symbolically burying the "n" word in a ceremony.The timing for the burial ceremony could not have been better as the NAACP was having its annual convention at Detroit's Cobo Center. Delegates marched about a quarter mile to Hart Plaza as two horses pulled a pine box adorned with a bouquet of black roses.The n-word has been used as a slur against blacks for more than a...more
Bin Laden's 1998 Atomic Message & the Neocon DreamHouston on August 6th and New Orleans on August 9th ? "Nothing can stop you except retaliation in kindÂ…Your religion does not forbid you from killing innocents." Osama Bin Laden*"U.S. policy should have as its explicit goal removing Saddam Hussein's regime from power and establishing a peaceful and democratic Iraq in its place... It hardly needs to be added that if Saddam does acquire the...more
1) The government can't run anything. I don't trust the government.The current gang in Washington may be a good reason not to trust the government to do ANYTHING right.However, Medicare and Social Security are good examples of systems that run well and on time. People receive their checks the same time every month and health care is provided: on time.2) I'm a free market person and don't want any part of "socialized medicine."Single Payer Insurance is defined as a single government fund with each state which pays hospitals, physicians and other health care providers, thus replacing the current multi-payer system of private insurance companies.It would provide coverage for the fifty million people who are uninsured.It would eliminate the financial threat and impaired access to care for tens of millions who do not have coverage and are unable to afford the out-of-pocket expenses because of deficiencies in their insurance plans.It would return to the patient free choice of health care provider and hospitals, not the choice that only the restrictive health plans allow.It would relieve businesses of the administrative hassle and expense of maintaining a health benefits program.It...more
This issue is receiving much attention in the news with many declaring the end of the earth as we know it and insisting that we take immediate action or it will be too late. They enlisted many entertainment professionals to aid in their declaration, but is it fact or fiction? One thing is curtain, haste makes waste.I raise this question for many...more
As a child growing up in America I was taught from a young age that our nation was a nation ruled by the PEOPLE. I was told we elect representatives to serve us in political office and they are to do the will of the PEOPLE. I'm still told this today. Our nation is a nation of the PEOPLE by the PEOPLE and for the PEOPLE. I'm a bit confused by this....more
Well Darlings,There has been a hell of a lot of rubbish talked about our refuse collections lately. Under the pretext of it increasing the recycling of waste - a theory now being dismissed as having no substance - 140 authorities have already moved to alternate weekly collections where recyclables are collected one week and other waste the next. What long-term implications this will have on public health remain to be seen. Despite the stories of increased vermin, flies and maggots everywhere this system has been adopted, with such a lousy summer this year any major adverse affects are hardly likely to be noticed - but what of the years when we have a good summer? A long, hot, dry summer? Though we tend to easily forget them, summers with hot, dry spells are not so infrequent that they should be dismissed. Local authorities using alternate week collections claim there is no clear evidence of any adverse public health effects, but the devil is in the detail of that claim. The difference between "evidence" and "clear evidence" can be as vast as the imagination. We can only have clear evidence after something has been tried, tested and proven, whereas evidence alone can be based on...more
Emergency supplies of drinking water require planning to meet maximum demand during an emergency. As the world enters the tropical storm season and faces other serious emergencies that may affect the drinking water supply, federal, state and local...more
The Earth's surface temperature has risen by about 1 degree Fahrenheit in the past century, with accelerated warming during the past two decades. There is new and stronger evidence that most of the warming over the last 50 years is attributable to...more
Well Readers,After seeing "darling" used twice on forums this week with a new derogatory meaning, I am still avoiding my traditional opening in case anyone should take it as an unsuitable salutatory address. I do hope this new usage is only...more
The transformation of the very content of the concept of security, whose formulation was based on the analysis of safety risks and forms of threats to security of the people, property and the state as a whole, began internationally after the end of...more
What affect will climate change have on our society as we know it? This question poses considerable analytical problems for governments around the world. We all watched the events of Hurricane Katrina unfold on our TV screens as the storm developed...more
Everyone markets their brand, including Presidential candidates. Whereas in the past, candidates have relied heavily upon volunteers to create a grassroots movement through door-to-door and telephone marketing, the 2008 election has added internet...more