Aruba

Aruba
aloe factory
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead

Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall--confucius

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page." anon

A man is but the product of his thoughts--what he thinks, he becomes. Gandhi


I am only one, but still I am one.
I cannot do everything,
but still I can do something;
and because I cannot do everything,
I will not refuse to do something that I can do. edward everett hale
Donna Hart
Doom to you who legislate evil, who make laws that make victims -- laws that make misery for the poor, that rob my destitute people of dignity, exploiting defenseless widows, taking advantage of homeless children. What will you have to say on Judgment Day, when Doomsday arrives out of the blue? Who will you get to help you? What good will your money do you? (Isaiah 10:1-3, The Message)

There is nothing in the world more beautiful than the forest clothed to its very hollows in snow. It is the still ecstasy of nature, wherein every spray, every blade of grass, every spire of reed, every intricacy of twig, is clad w/radiance. william sharp

I think no matter how old or infirm I may become, I will always plant a large garden in the spring. Who can resist the feelings of hope and joy that one gets from participating in nature's rebirth? edward giobbi

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. marcel proust

I am only one, but still I am one.I cannot do everything,but still I can do something;and because I cannot do everything,I will not refuse to do something that I can do. edward everett hale




Thursday, July 3, 2014

july 2014

sierra july/aug 14
p54   "oil and gas got 4.8 billion a year in fed support from 1918 to 2009, according to dbl investors, a socially responsible venture capital firm in san francisco.  nuclear got 3.5 billion/yr between 1947-99.  and renewable energy received 370 million annually between 1994-09.  plus, the nuclear and fossil incentives were 3 and 6 times longer than those for renewables, respectively"
p19  3/4 of the us corn crop is bioengineered to include a gene from the natural toxin Bt to make the plant resistant to corn rootworms.  corn rootworms are now becoming resistant to Bt.
p 20  solar power in italy and germany is now as cheap as power from fossil fuels  (sources = sierraclub.org/uptospeed)

sierra  march/april 14  p.23  britain refuses to finance new coal-fired power plants abroad.  in the us, a similar ban is lifted by congress (sierraclub.org/uptospeed)

ody can deny the fact that Christianity has played a huge role in our history. From the first Thanksgiving to the ideas of Jesus Christ that are embroidered in our culture today, Christianity and the Bible is responsible a big part of our heritage.
However, many conservatives will take this fact way out of context. They'll think that you haveto be a Christian to be patriotic, which is simply not true. Following the more secular teachings of Jesus Christ (being charitable, loving one another, treating strangers with kindness) is what the men who founded this country were for.
I don't want to waste my time listing all these obscurant far-right arguments, so instead I'll list the facts straight from our forefathers.
“If I could conceive that the general government might ever be so administered as to render the liberty of conscience insecure, I beg you will be persuaded, that no one would be more zealous than myself to establish effectual barriers against the horrors of spiritual tyranny, and every species of religious persecution.”
- George Washington, letter to the United Baptist Chamber of Virginia (1789)
“Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, then that of blindfolded fear.”
- Thomas Jefferson, letter to Peter Carr (1787)
"In regard to religion, mutual toleration in the different professions thereof is what all good and candid minds in all ages have ever practiced, and both by precept and example inculcated on mankind.”
- Samuel Adams, The Rights of the Colonists (1771)
“Persecution is not an original feature in any religion; but it is always the strongly marked feature of all religions established by law. Take away the law-establishment, and every religion re-assumes its original benignity.”
- Thomas Paine, The Rights of Man (1791)
“Congress has no power to make any religious establishments.”
- Roger Sherman, Congress (1789)
"The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason."
- Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack (1758)
"I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people build a wall of separation between Church & State."
- Thomas Jefferson, letter to the Danbury Baptists (1802)
"To argue with a man who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead."
- Thomas Paine, The American Crisis No. V (1776)
Note: You can read Paine's whole pamphlet, where he expresses his atheistic beliefs, here.
“Our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions, any more than our opinions in physics or geometry.”
- Thomas Jefferson, A Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom (1779)
"Christian establishments tend to great ignorance and corruption, all of which facilitate the execution of mischievous projects."
- James Madison, letter to William Bradford, Jr. (1774)
"There is nothing which can better deserve our patronage than the promotion of science and literature. Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of public happiness."
- George Washington, address to Congress (1790)
"During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What has been its fruits? More or less, in all places, pride and indolence in the clergy; ignorance and servility in the laity; in both, superstition, bigotry and persecution."
- James Madison, General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia (1785)

ORIGINALLY POSTED TO TOLERANT LIBERTARIAN ON MON MAR 17, 2014 AT 10:52 PM PDT.

ALSO REPUBLISHED BY PROGRESSIVE ATHEISTS AND STREET PROPHETS .

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hopping

7 smart tips for saving on eyeglasses online

Jody RohlenaShopSmart
July 2, 2014 at 9:19 AM ET
While forking over hundreds of dollars for a pair of prescription eyeglasses may seem inevitable — and painful — most glasses shoppers don't realize they can skip the eye doctor or retail shop for a number of cheaper alternatives online. 
The almost 19,500 readers who responded to a 2013 survey said they spent a median of $244 out-of-pocket on their last pair of prescription specs. 
Yet their suffering may soon be over. Because of volume sales and no overhead, websites are able to sell lenses and frames at steep discounts.
With cheaper prices online, that's no doubt why this 34 billion dollar industry is migrating to the web — since 2007, the share of prescription eyeglasses purchased online has grown from 1 percent to 3 percent, according to Statista.com. 
But before getting your glasses online, you need to know what to look for.ShopSmart magazine shares smart, practical tips:


UPDATE:  All of this is absolutely true.
Yesterday, July 6, 2014, We were reborn as a Limited Liability Corporation called James Alexander Protzman, Inc. (DBA, James, Inc.). It's very exciting and We are giddy with glee about the possibilities.
The process was simple, though not inexpensive.  For less than $200 using an online filing, We were able to purchase this sacred status in only five minutes.  Now We have all the rights of other corporations, which as We all know, is the fastest growing front for freedom in America.  In any case, We now have many more rights than "regular" people, even though We are also still a regular person, too. We think of it as dual citizenship with benefits. And We get to use the royal "we"!
Our corporate agenda is a work in progress, and We would appreciate any input and guidance you may have.  One thing We are considering, for example, is filing for office here in North Carolina, perhaps for governor. We already have one unincorporated corporation in that top spot, Pat McCrory (Duke Energy), so the precedent is well on its way to being cemented in stone.
One established part of Our corporate agenda is the promotion of world peace.  We object to the burden of paying taxes to fund the US war machine, which violate Our religious beliefs. We will be filing suit shortly, based on the Hobby Lobby ruling.
Corporate welfare also goes against Our religion, which is ironic since We are a corporation. More litigation to come here.
We have been a corporation for only one day, but We can already feel that change is in the air. And please be advised that our corporation has already lawyered up. We are in a position to take you to the cleaners for any perceived threat to our religious freedom.
Of course, We have not yet chosen a religion, having not yet completed our scenario modeling and crisis simulation planning. But We will in due course.  As soon as We understand which denominations confer the greatest competitive advantage, We will be making an announcement.  Early evidence suggests that something in the poly-theistic domain could be promising. We are especially interested in the maximum number of paid holidays.
Speaking of pay, We believe that working for our corporation is a privilege. Pay and benefits are out of the question.
If you have other suggestions to help shape Our corporate agenda, please share them.  For those who wish to invest, an IPO is in the works. We are also looking to establish a board of directors with special experience in frivolous litigation and off-shore investing.
These are exciting times, no?

ORIGINALLY POSTED TO JAMES PROTZMAN ON MON JUL 07, 2014 AT 05:47 AM PDT.

ALSO REPUBLISHED BY POSTHUFFPOST: CONNECTION-CONVERSATION-COMMUNITY .

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Video: ShopSmart magazine’s Jody Rohlena joins TODAY with some tips on what you’ll need to know before you guy your glasses online, and where to get them at a fair price.
Things you need to know before buying online:
  1. Your prescription.
  2. Your pupillary distance. When having your eyes examined, ask your doctor for this number. You’ll need it if you shop for glasses online. (These sites typically give instructions for measuring as well.)
  3. What type of lens is best for you. You’ll also want to ask the doctor what type of lens is best for you, such as a bifocal or a trifocal.
  4. What frame style you like. It's smart to try on some glasses before you buy online so you know what frame style looks good on you. You can do this virtually, using a photo, but it's even better to try them on in person.
  5. Your insurance coverage. Does the site take your insurance? If not, can you pay for your glasses yourself and submit for reimbursement? 
  6. Where to shop safely. Always check out a new online retailer before you buy something. The sites we featured all pass muster according to our vetting process. But some eyeglasses vendors didn't. Two easy checks: Google the name of the retailer and the word "complaints" and check out the retailer at BBB.org (the website of the Better Business Bureau).
  7. Shipping and returns info. It's important to know this up front. Make sure you can return glasses if they don't work for you.  
    Where to buy online:
Coastal.comNew customers can get their first pair of glasses for free by entering a discount code "firstpairfree" at the checkout. After your first free pair, frames and prescription lenses start at $48. They also offer 365-day free returns – if you don't like your glasses, you have a year to return them and get a full refund. Customers must choose from a set selection for the free frames, and pay for shipping and handling (around $10 to start).
Glasses.comPrescription eye-wear starts at $59 (including lenses!) and ranges up to over $500 for some designer frames like Roberto Cavalli and TAG Heuer. All prices include lenses, and shipping is free. Shoppers can shop by trend (like geek chic, cat eye or hipster), or chat with a glasses guru while they shop online. And they have a 30-day return policy, with a full refund. 
Mezzmer.com All eyeglass frames are $69, including poly-carbonate prescription lenses. Mezzmer also donates 3 percent of every completed purchase to a charity, and they ask shoppers to select the charity (from a list of five) that they’d like to donate to. However, shoppers have to pay a $15 return fee if unsatisfied with their pair. 
 Does the fact that these glasses are cheaper mean they’ll be of lesser quality?Not necessarily, since glasses prices vary widely. ShopSmart shopped for the same pair of glasses online and at walk-in stores and found prices ranging from $80 online to $160 in-store. That's twice the price! Online retailers say they can offer steep discounts because of volume sales and no overhead. Many frames cost more because they have a designer name on them, but if that's not important to you, you can save big.

BLUE MARBLE

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14 Wacky "Facts" Kids Will Learn in Louisiana's Voucher Schools

—By 
| Tue Aug. 7, 2012 6:00 AM EDT
Separation of church and what? Currier & Ives/Library of Congress
Thanks to a new law privatizing public education in Louisiana, Bible-based curriculum can now indoctrinate young, pliant minds with the good news of the Lord—all on the state taxpayers' dime.
Under Gov. Bobby Jindal's voucher program, considered the most sweepingin the country, Louisiana is poised to spend tens of millions of dollars to help poor and middle-class students from the state's notoriously terrible public schoolsreceive a private education. While the governor's plan sounds great in the glittery parlance of the state's PR machine, the program is rife with accountability problemsthat actually haven't been solved by the new standards the Louisiana Department of Education adopted two weeks ago.
For one, of the 119 (mostly Christian) participating schools, Zack Kopplin, a gutsy college sophomore who's taken to Change.org to stonewall the program, has identified at least 19 that teach or champion creationist nonscience and will rake innearly $4 million in public funding from the initial round of voucher designations.
Read about Bobby Jindal's exorcism problem.
Many of these schools, Kopplin notes, rely on Pensacola-based A Beka Book curriculum or Bob Jones University Presstextbooks to teach their pupils Bible-based "facts," such as the existence of Nessie the Loch Ness Monster and all sorts of pseudoscience that researcher Rachel Tabachnick and writer Thomas Vinciguerra have thankfully pored over so the rest of world doesn't have to.
Here are some of my favorite lessons:
1. Dinosaurs and humans probably hung out: "Bible-believing Christians cannot accept any evolutionary interpretation. Dinosaurs and humans were definitely on the earth at the same time and may have even lived side by side within the past few thousand years."—Life Science, 3rd ed., Bob Jones University Press, 2007
Much like Whoopi and Teddy in the cinematic classic Theodore Rex. Screenshot: YouTubeMuch like tough cop Katie Coltrane and Teddy the T-rex in the direct-to-video hit Theodore RexScreenshot: YouTube
2. Dragons were totally real: "[Is] it possible that a fire-breathing animal really existed? Today some scientists are saying yes. They have found large chambers in certain dinosaur skulls…The large skull chambers could have contained special chemical-producing glands. When the animal forced the chemicals out of its mouth or nose, these substances may have combined and produced fire and smoke."—Life Science, 3rd ed., Bob Jones University Press, 2007
3. "God used the Trail of Tears to bring many Indians to Christ."—America: Land That I Love, Teacher ed., A Beka Book, 1994
4. Africa needs religion: "Africa is a continent with many needs. It is still in need of the gospel…Only about ten percent of Africans can read and write. In some areas the mission schools have been shut down by Communists who have taken over the government."—Old World History and Geography in Christian Perspective, 3rd ed., A Beka Book, 2004
The literacy rate in Africa is "only about 10 percent"--give or take a few dozen percentage points. residentevil_stars2001/FlickrThe literacy rate in Africa is "only about 10 percent"…give or take a few dozen percentage points.residentevil_stars2001/Flickr
5. Slave masters were nice guys: "A few slave holders were undeniably cruel. Examples of slaves beaten to death were not common, neither were they unknown. The majority of slave holders treated their slaves well."—United States History for Christian Schools, 2nd ed., Bob Jones University Press, 1991
Slaves and their masters: BFF 4lyfe! Edward Williams Clay/Library of CongressDoesn't everyone look happy?! Edward Williams Clay/Library of Congress
6. The KKK was A-OK: "[The Ku Klux] Klan in some areas of the country tried to be a means of reform, fighting the decline in morality and using the symbol of the cross. Klan targets were bootleggers, wife-beaters, and immoral movies. In some communities it achieved a certain respectability as it worked with politicians."—United States History for Christian Schools, 3rd ed., Bob Jones University Press, 2001
Just your friendly neighborhood Imperial Wizard! Unknown/Library of CongressJust your friendly neighborhood Imperial Wizard Unknown/Library of Congress
7. The Great Depression wasn't as bad as the liberals made it sound:"Perhaps the best known work of propaganda to come from the Depression was John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath…Other forms of propaganda included rumors of mortgage foreclosures, mass evictions, and hunger riots and exaggerated statistics representing the number of unemployed and homeless people in America."—United States History: Heritage of Freedom, 2nd ed., A Beka Book, 1996
Definitely Photoshopped. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration/WikipediaDefinitely Photoshopped. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration/Wikipedia
8. SCOTUS enslaved fetuses: "Ignoring 3,500 years of Judeo-Christian civilization, religion, morality, and law, the Burger Court held that an unborn child was not a living person but rather the "property" of the mother (much like slaves were considered property in the 1857 case of Dred Scott v. Sandford)."—American Government in Christian Perspective, 2nd ed., A Beka Book, 1997
9. The Red Scare isn't over yet: "It is no wonder that Satan hates the family and has hurled his venom against it in the form of Communism."— American Government in Christian Perspective, 2nd ed., A Beka Book, 1997
Meanwhile, God sneezes glitter snot in the form of Capitalism. Catechetical Guild/WikipediaCatechetical Guild/Wikipedia
10. Mark Twain and Emily Dickinson were a couple of hacks: "[Mark] Twain's outlook was both self-centered and ultimately hopeless…Twain's skepticism was clearly not the honest questioning of a seeker of truth but the deliberate defiance of a confessed rebel."—Elements of Literature for Christian Schools, Bob Jones University, 2001
"Several of [Emily Dickinson's] poems show a presumptuous attitude concerning her eternal destiny and a veiled disrespect for authority in general. Throughout her life she viewed salvation as a gamble, not a certainty. Although she did view the Bible as a source of poetic inspiration, she never accepted it as an inerrant guide to life."—Elements of Literature for Christian Schools, Bob Jones University, 2001
And her grammar was just despicable! Ugh! Todd-Bingham picture collection, 1837-1966 (inclusive)/ Manuscripts & Archives, Yale UniversityTo say nothing of her poetry's Syntax and Punctuation—how odious it is.Todd-Bingham picture collection, 1837-1966 (inclusive)/ Manuscripts & Archives, Yale University
11. Abstract algebra is too dang complicated: "Unlike the 'modern math' theorists, who believe that mathematics is a creation of man and thus arbitrary and relative, A Beka Book teaches that the laws of mathematics are a creation of God and thus absolute…A Beka Book provides attractive, legible, and workable traditional mathematics texts that are not burdened with modern theories such as set theory."—ABeka.com
Maths is hard! Screenshot: MittRomney.comMATHS: Y U SO HARD? Screenshot: MittRomney.com
12. Gay people "have no more claims to special rights than child molesters or rapists."—Teacher's Resource Guide to Current Events for Christian Schools, 1998-1999, Bob Jones University Press, 1998
13. "Global environmentalists have said and written enough to leave no doubt that their goal is to destroy the prosperous economies of the world's richest nations."—Economics: Work and Prosperity in Christian Perspective, 2nd ed., A Beka Book, 1999

Plotting economic apocalypse, BRB Lynn Freeny, Department of Energy/Flickr
14. Globalization is a precursor to rapture: "But instead of this world unification ushering in an age of prosperity and peace, as most globalists believe it will, it will be a time of unimaginable human suffering as recorded in God's Word. The Anti-christ will tightly regulate who may buy and sell."—Economics: Work and Prosperity in Christian Perspective, 2nd ed., A Beka Book, 1999
He'll probably be in cahoots with the global environmentalists. Luca Signorelli/WikipediaSwapping insider-trading secrets is the devil's favorite pastime. Luca Signorelli/WikipediaWhew! Seems extreme. But perhaps we shouldn't be too surprised. Gov. Jindal, you remember, once tried to perform an exorcism on a college gal pal.

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