september 2011

Now it is true that I believe this country is following a dangerous trend when it permits too great a degree of centralization of governmental functions. I oppose this--in some instances the fight is a rather desperate one. But to attain any success it is quite clear that the Federal government cannot avoid or escape responsibilities which the mass of the people firmly believe should be undertaken by it. The political processes of our country are such that if a rule of reason is not applied in this effort, we will lose everything--even to a possible and drastic change in the Constitution. This is what I mean by my constant insistence upon "moderation" in government. Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are H. L. Hunt (you possibly know his background), a few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas.⁵ Their number is negligible and they are stupid. eisenhower in letter to brother ed nov 8, 1954

sunday sept 4 -- pA2 -- hard to believe that "Ed Dept figures show about 41% of the state's 1.57

million students qualify for the meals" (free lunches) last year in flint 81% qualified, beecher 82%. checked stats at the national and state program data frac.org site to see if this could be true; no 2010 stats available but still state by state info and quite interesting


imprelis imperils? p 56 organic gardening oct/nov 2011. article is about an herbicide that has been mentioned in articles recently for killing homeowners vegetation. it includes clopyralid, aninopyralid and aminocyclopyrachlor which is the active ingredient in DuPont's Imprelis. (i checked on line on pyridines and printed out info for maybe a master gardener article) "They are classified as having a plant growth regulator, which means they kill plants by altering plant hormone levels--.....they are generally considered safe for [ingestion by] livestock." however using clippings from treated areas for mulching or composting or for compost facilities is a no go. "This summer, additional problems were discovered as tree damage and death--mostly to shallow-rooted trees such as spruces and white pines--linked to imprelis use were reported in more than 11 states..."


same organic gardening issue--article about gardens in colonial williamsburg. book coming out Vegetable Gardening the Colonial Williamsburg Way by wesley greene an interpreter at williamsbury

corn should be planted before or after GM corn so silk is not exposed during the 2 week period the GM corn tassels are releasing pollin. suggested 150 feet separation between garden and GM corn; some states require 600 ft


a prevention article that i sent a friend who can't take generic med or she ends up in ER. p.26 -- "generics have to be as effective as brand-name drugs....You may have heard the the fda allows a difference of up to 20% between how the brand name affects your body and how a generic does. that's true--but 20% typically isn't enough to make a difference in effectiveness. that said, there are a few drugs for which the 20% leeway could be significant. these include warfarin (coumadin), levothyroxine (synthroid) and certain seizure medications. for these particular drugs, switching between a generic and the brand can be a bad idea, so check with your doctor first."

Richardville singles out public school employees for Right to Work FOR LESS bill

In what is probably one of the most blatant examples of anti-union, anti- school employee legislation yet, Sen. Majority Leader Randy Richardville (R-Monroe) says he supports right-to-work legislation that only affects public school employees and will have legislation ready soon.

In support of what looks like political payback for MEA's recall efforts, Richardville said on PBS's Off the Record, "The teachers union--specifically the Michigan Education Association--have lost their way and public school employees should no longer be forced to join them."

Richardville singled out teachers unions because he claimed they haven't recognized the state's tough economic times like other unions have.

MEA President Steve Cook responded in a press statement this morning, "Republican leaders have slashed school funding, increased taxes, stripped collective bargaining rights from school employees, forced them to pay more out-of-pocket for retirement and health insurance. They've completely undermined and demoralized the educators of this state.

"MEA members are fed up. That's why thousands have been engaged, alongside thousands of other Michigan citizens, in recall efforts designed to stop these constant attacks on public education and the middle class."

Richardville's actions put the Republican agenda clearly into focus--an all-out war on public education and public school employees. And how will that save Michigan's economy or create jobs?

"Sen. Richardville seems to think that MEA members don't stand behind their union," Cook continued. "I have news for him -- we've heard from countless MEA members who don't think we've gone far enough in fighting back against these attacks. We're encouraging every MEA member to contact Sen. Richardville's office immediately and tell him just how wrong he is."

FIGHT BACK! Contact Sen. Richardville's office immediately at 866-556-7917. Tell him just how wrong he is. MEA members support their union. They've done more than their part in "shared sacrifice." Tell Sen. Richardville to stop attacking public education and the middle class and focus on getting Michigan citizens back to work.

Reminder: Many school districts have policies about communicating with legislators on school time and equipment, so wait until you are away from school to contact your legislators or use your personal cell phone when you are off duty.

The anti-union attacks continue -- bills attacking dues deduction, retirement introduced

In addition to Senate Bills 618-624, which would increase the number of charter schools, privatize teachers and allow for back-door school vouchers, both chambers have introduced legislation that would prohibit school districts from automatically deducting union dues from members' paychecks.

SB 636 and HB 4929 only apply to public school union members. In June, the state Supreme Court banned automatic payroll deduction for donations to union political action committees. The Republicans have gone one step further with these new attacks.

Senate Majority Floor Leader Arlan Meekhof (R-West Olive), one of the bill's sponsors, claims this is to ensure people are aware that dues are coming out of their paycheck and questioning how much value they're getting for their dues dollars.

But the bills are really just more examples of anti-union attacks which do nothing to improve education or create jobs. MEA opposes SB 636 and HB 4929.

The Senate also introduced SB 593 which amends the Public School Employees Retirement Act so that all new members hired on or after July 31, 2011 would become members of a Tier 3 defined contribution plan. If you were an employee and member of MPSERS before that date, you would have three options available: staying in your current defined benefit plan in Tier 1; moving to a hybrid plan--Pension Plus in Tier 2; or electing to move to Tier 3. Sen. Rick Jones (R-Grand Ledge) is sponsor of the bill. MEA experts are analyzing the details of the bill and will have more information next week.

insignificance--kept trying to find this movie title so i find it and it's not available at netflix. wonderful

ORGANIC GARDENING vol 58:5 p 76--food at the frontline a conversation/vandana shiva Ph.d
She wants a gmo free future for India where Monsanto brought in the first gmo, its BT cotton seed. "I saw the laws of my country and checked with the environmental administrator, and found Monsanto did not ask for approval, although we have an environmental protection act stating any deliberate release of gmos must go under environmental assessment. Just like they have sponsored the dismantling of bio-safety rules in the US, the corporation thought they could just walk into India and do the same". she filed a case that held the gmo off until 2002 when approval was given. "Since then we've seen an escalating rate of farmer suicides. . .Today, Monsanto has 90% control over the seed supply of cotton in a land where we used to have 1500 varieties, including open pollinated varieties." When seed came into india it was more than 3 times the cost of conventional seed--nearly 80% of which was a royalty share paid to monsanto.
"It is a failed technology: Pesticide usages have increased, farmers are in debt, and it's that indebtedness that has since '97 pushed 200,000 Indian farmers to suicide."

weed - organic solutions include boiling water, vinegar (high %) maybe with a little diswashing liquid, propane torch, herbicidal soaps, essential oils

whirly gigs for scaring woodchucks

NATION july 18/25 2011 p6-7 article The War on Civil Liberties
In May Congress reauthorized for 4 more years: ..." provisions permitting the gov to obtain roving wiretaps without identifying the person or the phones to be tapped; demand records from libraries and businesses without establishing any reason to believe the target is involved in criminal, much less terrorist, activity, and use surveillance powers initially redistricted to "lone wolves" not affiliated with any such group or gov."

same issue Greece in Debt, Eurozone in Crisis p11-15 sounds a lot like here--"the new austerity package will see most of the state's assets, from ports to power plants and banks to motorways, sold off to foreign companies which will have no compunction about firing workers. The troika's main aim is to rescue not the Greek economy but the country's creditors--or at the least to postpone default until "contagion" can be limited and the banks protected, by transferring the debt to taxpayer-funded lenders like the IMF and ECB."
Boris Johnson, London's Conservative mayor: "Bit by bit we seem to be creating a fiscal as well as monetary union, in which huge sums. . .are being transferred from the richer to the poorer parts of the EU."


p15-17 New York's AG Takes on the Banks: "Some 47$ billion in claims are lodged against B of America alone--more than its total capital."

HOBBY FARM HOME july/aug 2011:
bon ami all purpose cleaner--spray bottle
p. 16 has a basic pesto recipe
p. 17 how to dry herbs
p 20 tarrgon deviled eggs
p. 28 ice cream recipes -- love ice cream. there is a bagged ice cream recipe which would be fun for kids, chocolate recipe using ghirardelli
p. 39 ad for what odor spray--good for diaper pails it says. might be useful
p. 53 crochet book ami ami dogs: seriously cute crochet by mitsuki hoshi, harper design
p. 53 homemade cheese: recipes for 50 cheeses from artisan cheesemakers by janet hurst, voyageur press
p 62 --article on blueberries w/ names of plants suggested to buy. www.blueberries.msu.edu and www.blueberry.org
new msu release=draper an early season variety
p. 78 article on bees and honey. see www.beemaster.com www.brushymountainbeefarm.com www.dadent .com (mentioned at bee group)
www.instructables.com for info on making a honey extractor
p. 87 ad for canine zip line www.fetchdog.com


Liberatarian views via the Kochs which the tea party has incorporated:

POVERTY AND UNEMPLOYMENT Government fiscal and monetary measures that artificially foster business expansion guarantee an eventual increase in unemployment rather than curtailing it. We call for the immediate cessation of such policies as well as any governmental attempts to affect employment levels. We support repeal of all laws that impede the ability of any person to find employment, such as minimum wage laws, so-called "protective" labor legislation for women and children, governmental restrictions on the establishment of private day-care centers, and the National Labor Relations Act. We deplore government-fostered forced retirement, which robs the elderly of the right to work. We seek the elimination of occupational licensure, which prevents human beings from working in whatever trade they wish. We call for the abolition of all federal, state, and local government agencies that restrict entry into any profession, such as education and law, or regulate its practice. No worker should be legally penalized for lack of certification, and no consumer should be legally restrained from hiring unlicensed individuals. We oppose all government welfare, relief projects, and "aid to the poor" programs. All these government programs are invasive of privacy, paternalistic, demeaning, and inefficient. The proper source of help for such persons is the voluntary efforts of private groups and individuals. To speed the time when governmental programs are replaced by effective private institutions we advocate dollar-for-dollar tax credits for all charitable contributions.

EDUCATION

We advocate the complete separation of education and State. Government schools lead to the indoctrination of children and interfere with the free choice of individuals. Government ownership, operation, regulation, and subsidy of schools and colleges should be ended. We call for the repeal of the guarantees of tax-funded, government-provided education, which are found in most state constitutions.

As an interim measure to encourage the growth of private schools and variety in education, including home schooling, we support tax credits for tuition and other expenditures related to an individual's education. We likewise favor tax credits for child care and oppose nationalization of the child-care industry. We oppose denial of tax-exempt status to schools because of those schools' private policies on hiring, admissions, and student deportment. We support the repeal of all taxes on the income or property of private schools, whether for profit or non-profit.

We condemn compulsory education laws, which spawn prison-like schools with many of the problems associated with prisons, and we call for an immediate repeal of such laws.

Until government involvement in education is ended, we support elimination, within the governmental school system, of forced busing and corporal punishment. We further support immediate reduction of tax support for schools, and removal of the burden of school taxes from those not responsible for the education of children.

CONSUMER PROTECTION

We support strong and effective laws against fraud and misrepresentation. However, we oppose paternalistic regulations which dictate to consumers, impose prices, define standards for products, or otherwise restrict risk-taking and free choice. We oppose governmental promotion or imposition of the metric system.

We oppose all so-called "consumer protection" legislation which infringes upon voluntary trade, and call for the abolition of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. We advocate the repeal of all laws banning or restricting the advertising of prices, products, or services. We specifically oppose laws requiring an individual to buy or use so-called "self-protection" equipment such as safety belts, air bags, or crash helmets.

We advocate the abolition of the Federal Aviation Administration, which has jeopardized safety by arrogating to itself a monopoly of safety regulation and enforcement. We call for privatizing the air traffic control system and transferring the FAA's other functions to private agencies.

We advocate the abolition of the Food and Drug Administration and particularly its policies of mandating specific nutritional requirements and denying the right of manufacturers to make non-fraudulent claims concerning their products. We advocate an end to compulsory fluoridation of water supplies. We specifically oppose government regulation of the price, potency, or quantity able to be produced or purchased of drugs or other consumer goods. There should be no laws regarding what substances (nicotine, alcohol, hallucinogens, narcotics, Laetrile, artificial sweeteners, vitamin supplements, or other "drugs") a person may ingest or otherwise use.

In case you missed it, here's Michele Bachmann's "jobs package":

"if we took away the minimum wage — if conceivably it was gone — we could potentially virtually wipe out unemployment completely because we would be able to offer jobs at whatever level."

Regulators Weaken Dodd-Frank Draft Regs, Allow More Risk

read the rest -- unbelievable/well maybe not

by Marian Wang
ProPublica, Sep. 22, 2011, 3:36 p.m.

The regulatory agencies in charge of finalizing some of the most controversial rules mandated by the financial reform law are leaning toward making them looser and more favorable to banks and other traders, according to recent reports in the financial press.

Les fruits défendus sont les meilleurs.
Forbidden fruits are the sweetest (literally, best).

REPEAL FEDERAL WORKPLACE ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAWS. Also repeal the last 100 years.

good luck poor people--michigan at its best

How 15,000 lost a lottery they didn’t even play

WINS, THEN LOSES: Leroy Fick, center, won a $2 million lottery game in 2010 -- and helped spark a revamp of Michigan food assistance policy that will leave at least 15,000 families without food stamps as of Oct. 1. Fick is shown in 2010 on the lottery show "Make Me Rich" with hosts Christopher Knight and Beth McLeod. (Courtesy photo/Michigan Lottery)

Ron French/Bridge Magazine

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Did one man’s luck turn into a financial catastrophe for Michigan’s poor?

Mention the name Leroy Fick in a room of social service agency directors, and the temperature drops. Heads shake. Shoulders slump. Curses are mumbled.

Fick won the lottery — and 15,000 people will lose their food assistance, as of Oct. 1. That’s the too-simple, but easily digestible, story of Michigan’s welfare reform.

The Auburn man, who continued to receive food stamps after winning about $850,000 in a Michigan Lottery game show in 2010, was held up as an example of abuses of Michigan’s welfare system. Come October, an estimated 15,000 families will lose food stamps when the Department of Human Services changes its eligibility guidelines to exclude Fick — and anyone else with assets greater than $5,000.

Thousands more will lose cash assistance the same week as a result of a new 48-month lifetime limit on aid — and heat assistance after a state-run program lost its source of cash this summer.

Rightly or wrongly, Fisk was cast as the catalyst for the impending catastrophe for the poor. How much is he actually to blame? It depends on who you talk to, but the most likely answer is very little. Yet Fick has become the unlikely villain for both the political right and the left — held up as the symbol of welfare excess by fiscal conservatives and used as a scapegoat for changes to the system by social liberals.

Fick may be the most notorious lucky man in Michigan. After the 59-year-old Auburn resident won $2 million in the lottery game show “Make Me Rich” in June 2010, he continued to collect food stamps, which are financed with federal dollars. He didn’t cheat. He didn’t lie. In fact, he called his Department of Human Services caseworker within a week to say he’d won the lottery and that he figured he needed to turn in his Bridge Card, a state-issued debit card for food and cash assistance.

But Fick still qualified for food stamps, the DHS worker told the lottery winner. Food assistance is based only on income; because Fick had chosen to take a lump-sum payment of about $850,000, instead of monthly payments spread over 20 years, his winnings were considered an asset, not income.

Feeling that luck was continuing to shine on him, Fick kept using food assistance for the next 10 months, driving his newly purchased 2008 Audi TT sports car to and from the grocery store.

The food stamps hit the fan in May, though, when a disgruntled neighbor tattled to a local TV station. Fick didn’t help his cause with his first TV interview. “If you’re going to try to make me feel bad” about using food stamps after winning the lottery, Fick said defiantly, “you’re not going to do it.”

Within days, the story of the food stamp millionaire had spanned the globe. Michigan legislators jumped into action, introducing bills to force lottery winners’ names to be cross-checked with DHS assistance recipients.

“I am not going to sit and debate the ethics of this,” Fick’s attorney, John Wilson, said earlier this year, “but from his standpoint, he did what he was supposed to do. The problem is with the state.”

State officials jumped to fix the Fick problem, and, in the process, they are knocking another estimated 15,000 families off food stamps.

Fresh off serving on a task force examining the underground cash economy in Michigan, DHS Director Maura Corrigan believed some Michiganians were gaming the system, collecting food stamps on a low level of reported income, while figuratively stuffing their mattresses with cash.

Gilda Jacobs, president of the Michigan League of Human Services, scoffs at the notion of a state filled with undocumented cash. “Maybe people are in an underground economy because they can’t make enough money because they can’t find a regular job,” Jacobs said. “They’re not reporting their baby-sitting dollars? Come on! There’s this myth that everyone is out there trying to defraud the system.”

While food stamps are a federal program, each state has some leeway in setting guidelines. Corrigan changed the state’s eligibility guidelines to take into account not only a person’s income, but their assets as well.

(DHS document details eligibility requirements)

A person with $5,000 in assets no longer would receive food stamps. Here’s how it will work:

*A person’s home doesn’t count toward the asset limit, as long as the person lives there; a second house, such as an Up North cottage or rental home, does count.

* The total value of all family vehicles, including cars, trucks, boats, all-terrain vehicles and recreational vehicles, cannot exceed $15,000. Every dollar over $15,000 counts against the $5,000 limit.

For example, a family that owned a beat-up 2001 Chrysler Town & Country minivan ($3,500), a decent 2004 GMC Sierra truck ($14,000) and a 15-year-old snowmobile ($950), could have a total vehicle value of $18,400, according to Kelly Blue Book, the same vehicle valuation system the state plans to use (snowmobile value was taken from eBay). The $3,400 in excess of the $15,000 vehicle limit would count against the family’s asset limit – meaning they could have only $1,600 in non-vehicle assets and still qualify for public assistance.

* Certificates of deposit, money market accounts, bank account balances and cash on hand count as assets; retirement accounts are excluded.

“The director wanted to go back to the integrity of the program,” said Colleen Rosso, DHS director of communications. “These are federal dollars, but I’m a federal taxpayer and so are you. We need to keep those dollars for people who really need it.”

DHS sent out about 5,000 letters this month to food stamp recipients telling them they were being removed from the program because their assets were believed to be higher than $5,000; Another 80,000 letters were sent to food stamp recipients who the state isn’t sure about; those recipients must provide proof of assets by Sept. 30 (letters were sent Sept. 20) or be cut off, too.

The state estimates 15,000 families will lose benefits immediately, with more families cut off as recipients undergo their annual case reviews over the next 12 months.

Brian Rooney, director of policy and compliance for DHS, said Michigan crafted its asset-based guidelines off of those of Texas. The Lone Star State has a lower unemployment rate than Michigan, but also has a higher poverty rate. Michigan has the third-highest unemployment rate in the nation, 11.2 percent, and has a poverty rate of 17 percent.

Currently, 33 states do not have an asset test for food assistance, and 15 of the remaining states exclude one family vehicle from assets, according to the Michigan League of Human Services.

MLHS’ Jacobs said she expects the recently unemployed will be impacted the most by the asset test, because they may still have a fairly new car and other niceties of a middle-class life.

Forcing the unemployed to trade in newer cars for older ones in order to get food stamps is counterproductive, Jacobs argues, because older, less reliable cars add another hurdle to finding work.

“It’s going to be a couple of months until we see the real impact,” Jacobs said. “We are going to have a lot of hungry people in this state. We already know a lot of food banks are experiencing way higher usage than they used to …”

Meanwhile, another 11,000 families are expected to lose their cash assistance beginning next week, because of the state’s new 48-month lifetime limit on cash assistance. Social service agencies have been gearing up for an expected flood of phone calls next week from people who don’t understand why their Bridge Cards are empty.

At the same time, a program that helps pay heating bills for 95,000 needy families is on the blink.

In July, the Michigan Court of Appeals struck down the financing system used by Michigan’s Low Income and Energy Efficiency Fund. The Legislature hasn’t created a new funding mechanism.

“The timing (of assistance cuts) couldn’t be worse,” Jacobs said. “You have to look at layer after layer of erosion.

“DHS is operating under these crazy expectations that there is going to be a safety net out there for a soft landing for these people,” Jacobs said, “and it doesn’t exist.”

Donna Hart still on hold w/sprint again. supposedly the contract allows this increase but since i did a 2yr contract via phone no paper contract is given --you can get it yourself on line though. so says louie. the words "the change they made violated the terms and conditions of the contract and represent a material change" did get the customer "service" person to immediately suggest i talk to her supervisor. the supervisor just told me the legislatures of all the states and the FCC allowed the 50 extra cents/phone; all the companies did this (i said i didn't believe that); i can check on line; isn't this 50 cents better than a charge whenever "i turn a page" on the internet (i don't have internet access) or should sprint charge every time the crews go out to repair a tower?. . .i said at $3/phone/month for sprint surcharges i think they are getting enough to cover costs. screw the customer; contracts are worthless.2 seconds ago ·

Donna Hart

good news--2012 budget for fed gov includes 1% extra for the military. 60% vs 59% for this year. (dept of defense, war, vet affairs and nuclear weapons programs) feeling safer?
health and human services 7% (6% last year)
education 6% (same)
state 5% (4%)
other programs 4% (same)
dept of homeland security 3.5% (4%)
housing and urban development 3% (same)
justice and ag both 2% (same)
NASA 1.5% (1% last year)
energy, labor, treasury, interior, environmental protection agency and transportation all 1% (same)

august 2011

just tried to renew license plate on line and of course can't. great system.


from p34 maryjanesfarm = Monsanto continues to report that genetically modified Bt corn (in most all non organic corn) is safe for humans because the toxin in it that kills insects cannot survive the human digestive system. Reproductive Toxicology reports "that in blood samples of 39 pregnant women who ate conventional diets, 93% of women and 80% of fetuses had the toxin in their systems." will have to see if this canadian report is available on line. title i believe is Maternal and fetal exposure to pesticides associated to genetically modified
foods in Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada
Aziz Arisa, Samuel Leblanc

same page = estimated that we have removed as much as 90% of large predatory fish such as shark, swordfish, and cod from the oceans and that 70% of the world's fisheries are now being harvested at capacity. Monterey Bay Aquarium publishes Seafood Watch to help choose fish that are caught sustainably. guide at : www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/download.aspx (link viable)

p33 = sign the organic consumers association's truth in labeling petition at www.organicconsumers.org/monsanto/action.cfm. there is a petition to sign there too.
aware that 70 to 80% of the non organic processed foods e buy contain GM ingredients? want labels telling this?
book to read: the audacity of genetically modified foods by bruce robinson 2011 (could not locate book in county library nor in Mel)

lots of toads at dad's, 4 different age groups i think. they have made mowing a real challenge but usually they have jumped out of the way. today i did have to stop and talk to 2 to hurry them on. even 1 frog. of course a 4 speed mower that really has 1 gear and a self propelled mower that does move by itself when i mow the driveway--these help keep toads safe. as far as i know no toad has been slaughtered. at first i thought this as great environmentally but what is now politically correct is NOT saving the environment, so rethinking this i have decided it is like 1 of the plagues in egypt--toads toads toads. they are cute but mr frog was cutest. only saw him once.

cannot believe the gogo squeez applesauce to go is a great idea. handy maybe but what a waste of packaging.

newly purchased johnson and johnson floss--made in the dominican republic. why can't america make it? cheaper to do it there and ship it here? not buying that logic. and how about a prescription from kroger--made in india.

got new hedge trimmers, black and decker, quality made in china. labeled as "hardended steel blades provide a soild cut". yeh, pretty close so it's ok


neighbor with a 19 year mortgage relationship with chase bank is moving out and letting the bank have the house. he owes 50,000 on a house now worth 40,000 and chase doesn't seem to want to work with him. surprise there? i have the feeling from what he said that he paid about 115,000 for it; lost his job a few years ago when the business went to costa rica, has had a low paying job since (no health care) which even though not great $ he likes, used his 401k and savings up since the latest job. good luck chase---i'm sure they'll write off the loss, get a tax break, maybe resell the house sometime and make $. way to go chase. oh yes, i forgot to say: must be his fault, personal responsibility needed, at least he has a job, blah blah blah

prevention magazine: "cool-fired power plants are the largest man-made source of mercury emissions in the US and once the neurotoxin enters the water, it's practically impossible to eliminate from the food chain" You can have your hair tested for $20 at www.sierraclub.org/mercury


gray water -- ways to reuse grey water see greywateraction.org

odd mole? www.skinofmine.com lets you upload a photo of your mole then analyze size, color, and borders. if it looks questionable you can get in touch with an online dr/cost 50$

michigan farmer newspaper: localizing dairy products may not be best for environment.
"a new study finds it's not always economically or environmentally viable for multi-product industries to focus heavily on local sales.....we find that increased localization reduces assembly costs while increasing processing and distribution costs. the weighted average source distance for some products decreased at the expense of increases in other products." (p18,21) cornell study "localization may not be the best venue to reduce carbon footprint in the case of dairy"


also from michigan farmer: rep don young R-AK recently refused to accept an award from humane society and the humane society legislative fund that would have honored his work for animals in 2010. he said "this organization has absolutely nothing to do with animal welfare. instead, they prey on the emotions of big-hearted americans, they flash images of abused animals on our tv screens to raise money that will eventually go to pay their salaries and pensions, not to helping better the lives of these animals, they run anti-hunting and anti-trapping campaigns and are of the same cloth as PETA and other extremist organizations. HSUS are hypocrites, plain and simple, and i will not join them by accepting this award. . . . i can only guess that i was to receive this award due to ny support of the wildlife without borders program which develops wildlife management and conservation efforts to maintain global species diversity, that program is true conservation; what this group wants is preservation. to accept this award would be supporting their manipulative ways and misguided agenda, and i want no part of that."

june 2011 France Amerique: an article about fracking -- general info and events in the US. world reserved of natural gas in impermeable rocks = 4 to 5 times the amount of conventional gas (90 years vs a 30 year supply). the US is the major producer of natural gas with 500,000 wells in 31 states and fracking supplies about half of the gas. pour laisser le gaz s'echapper, il faut faire exploser la roche en injectant de tres grandes un puits ne peut etre quantites d'eau, de sel, et de produits chimiques, a plus de 2 000 metres de profondeur. sous l'enorme pression le gaz remonte a la surface. chaque frack necessite 15 millions de litres d'eau. une partie seulement de l'eau est recuperee le reste (10-15%) infiltre directement les nappes phreatiques.
un puits ne peut etre fracture que 14 fois. il peut y avoir un puits tous les 500 metres. other than the amazing amount of water used it was also a surprise to hear that according to the chambre des respresentants, between 2005 and 2009 wells were injected with 2500 chemicals, 29 of which are cancer causing. large groups like exxon mobil are buying up small companies --alors que le gaz naturel se vend autour de $ 4/gigajoule mais coute $ 6/gigajoule a produire.

article about bessie coleman la premiere pilote noire de l'histoire en 1921.

film = sarah's key book by tatiana de rosnay Elle s'appelait sarah


ACLU in action: in TN legislators introduced bill to prevent any instruction or materials discussing sexual orientation other than heterosexuality

SD considered a bill that would have provided legal protection to husbands or boyfriends for killing medical personnel involved in a woman's abortion

ARKANSAS legislators entertained a bill that would have allowed health care providers, ed programs and others to opt out of providing any services at any time for any religious reason

AL enacted anti-immigrant law the requires proof of citizenship for children enrolling in kindergarten and grade school, makes it a crime to knowingly rent housing to an illegal and authorizes the state to create its own state immigration police force

NM legislators considered a bill that would have mandated drug testing to receive public assistance such as unemployment benefits


Sojourners sept-oct 2011:

sites: www.EntertheBible.org
p. 10 irrational discourse article--will we control high US health care costs or just shif them to seniors? ryan's proposals would double out of pocket costs to seniors over the coming decade while enriching private insurance cos. even if medicare seems expensive, remember it payys 2,200 for an average hospital stay almost 50% less than the US average
syncrude's aurora tar sands
movies: solaris, the tree of life, insignificance, blow out, kes, super 8 (i liked)


nonpetroleum plywood -- uswda forest products lab in madison have a new soy milk tofu protein based glue with supposedly superior strength and water resistance--let's hope (from hobby farms p 60 j-feb 2011)

coupon sites: bargainstobounty.com/centsablemomma.com/couponproblog.com/couponmom.com

MMAP = mi medicare/medicaid assistance program has counselors available to help understand medicare/caid, identify resources for prescription drug assistance and help a part d plan, review your supplemental needs, compare policies help w/claims and refunds

MiCAFE--serves at risk seniors for nutrition ed, food assistance and income support

Commodity supplement food program and TeFAP program--food distribution sites/guide lines for income eligibility

from journal august 21 2011 - "the # of children relying on public insurance in Mi jumped from 23% in 2001 to 39 % in 2010. at the same time the # of doctors accepting public insurance has dropped significantly making it almost impossible for many families to access health care. as a result, many end up in hospitals for preventable illnesses, that hurts everybody by increasing health care costs across the board".

AARP magazine sept-oct 2011: p 79
Bernie Sanders I-VT: I get a little bit disturbed when I hear folks...talking about SS is going broke...We have to reduce benefits we have to privatize it, we have to raise the retirement age. That is all total nonsense.
Alan Simpson, former senator R-WY: We've reached a point now where (SS is) like a milk cow with 310 tits.
Ron Paul R-TX: I'd let (young people) out--just get out of the program, opt out! Restore your freedom, demand your rights to take care of yourself, And then take care of the elderly who are dependent--don't put them out in the streets.

thermionic conversion -- investigate
carbon nanotubes -- standford university research using special ink that turns ordinary fabric even paper into an energy storage device. called eTextiles

books to read: merchants of doubt naomi oreskes and erik conway
the climate war eric pooley

organic flowers lacking but elzinga and loeksema greenhouse in portage MI has been growing more of its flowers organically each year. customers not asking for that and they aren't advertising it either. see the quest for organic ornamentals p 34 organic gardening april/may 2011. organic fertilizers are more expensive than synthetic ones--regulatory requirements for pest control=if snails found in certified snail free nurseries, they must treat any found snails.

p80 asparagus water wars: Peru where more than half of America's asparagus comes from, since 2002 the industry has extracted water faster than it can be recharged, giving the region the fastest rate of aquifer depletion in the world. the Michigan farmer paper has discussed the gov allowing importation of Peruvian asparagus harming us production. hard to think it's cheaper to import it. west of mi used to be large source of asparagus.

goldman sachs got $10 billion for itself and probably a lot more in backdoor subsdidies from the federal reserve. not they have given 1000 employees notice that their jobs are going to singapore where cheaper employees are available (p3 hightower aug 2011) pretty funny isn't it?

also from hightower's lowdown: re supreme court-----"in case after case the 5 hard-core republicans have been chopping furiously at the hard-earned legal rights of workers, consumers, voters and others who dare to challenge the power of big business elites to reign over us, both politically and economically." remember these names and hope for their demise: roberts, alito, kennedy, scalia, thomas. let them reap the evil they have sown.

according to michigan farm news feb 28, 2011: "the basic underlying rationale driving much of environmental policy making is that human beings are a blight on the earth, and that the only way to preserve the planet is to make sure people are actively prevented from using resources, said robert gordon, senior advisor for strategic outreach for the heritage foundation, speaking at an issues conference at the am. farm bureau federation's 92nd annual meeting. otherwise, or so this viewpoint dictates, humans will inevitably degrade and destroy those resources. but what should also stick out, gordon said, is that this rationale is deeply flawed". read more p.2/also investigate the heritage foundation.

michigan farm news aug 15, 2011: p.4 a USDA (economic research service) report says farmers prefer biotech varieties of soybeans, cotton and corn over their conventional and organic counterparts. the report, "Adoption of genetically engineered crops in the US" says in 2011 the use of biotech soybeans rose to 94%, cotton to 90%, and corn to 88%. why do i not feel content with these statistics?

farmers support a new bridge to canada for transportation of goods--it's a "sweet smelling opportunity to help get MI back on its feet according to farm bureau officials". p1 july 15, 2011

March 30, 2011: p1 article Farmers teach unions lessons in unity "unity can survive without a union, but a union cannot survive without unity....you could say we have a union if that means we get together and negotiate in the price discovery process".

canning -- lowescreativeideas.com/extras
crafts --etsy.com

Michigan funding for the arts in 2002 = $25 million. this year = $2.3 million. Moral of the story = Synder might just as well cut that 2.3 million and pass it on to business and corporations. (from natural awakenings sept 2011)

www.anniesheirloomseeds.com
red dragon equipment supposedly us made--site for sale


food at the frontline--saving seed on a workldwide scale while rejecting gmo crops is our best insurance for a safer future -- vandana shiva

june 2011

book ideas: belly of the beast and the wolves at the door by judy pearson



courage:

courage is doing what you're afraid to do. there can be no courage unless you're scared -- edward vernon rickenbacker

it is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare -- twain

when we are afraid we ought not to occupy ourselves with endeavoring to prove that there is no danger, but in strengthening ourselves to go on in spite of the danger -- mark rutherford

courage is the power to let go of the familiar -- raymond lindquist

courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear --ambrose redmoon

each time we face our fear, we gain strength, courage, and confidence in the doing -- eleanor roosevelt


read about a newish game called pickleball in the natural awakenings magazine. sounds interesting--wonder who plays? invented in '65 by congressman joel pritchard supposedly. recently added to senior olympics. start with underhand serve diagonally, games go to 11 pts, played on badminton court, net at 3ft, play closer to net, wooden paddles and a wiffleball.

from the may 9 2011 issue of nation, p 6: article "Teachers Aren't the Enemy"
"The attack has diverse roots, and comes not only from Republicans. Groups like Democrats for Education Reform have dedicated substantial resources to undermining teachers unions. With Race to the Top, the Obama administration has put its weight behind a reform agenda featuring charter schools, which employ mostly nonunion labor as its centerpiece. A disturbing bipartisan consensus is emerging that favors a market model for public schools that would abandon America's historic commitment to providing education to all children as a civil right. This model would make opportunities available largely to those motivated and able to leave local schools; treat parents as consumers and children as disposable commodities that can be judged by their test scores; and unravel collective bargaining agreements so that experienced teachers can be replaced with fungible itinerant workers who have little training, less experience and no long-term commitment to the profession." Authors are from New York U and U of New York.

same issue p 4 on policing pregnancy: women being jailed when unborn child died, several interesting cases cited

onearth summer 2011 issue:' ABC/Washington Post poll last June found 71% of respondents believed the federal gov should curb carbon dioxide pollution from cars and power plants". where then the politicians who used to support that view but now do not? the article suggests . . "reversals look to be nothing other than a stampede to endear themselves to Tea Party hard-liners whose extremist agenda included last spring's attempts in Congress to cripple the EPA, an agency created 4 decades ago by overwhelming majorities in both houses of Congress and signed by Nixon."

US Chamber of Commerce told the EPA in a recent filing that there's no need to worry because "populations can acclimatize to warmer climates via a range of behavioral, physiological, and technological adaptations". p23

same issue p. 44: article The Corn Mob discusses benefits to corn growers and ethanol blenders when corn goes into ethanol which gets a tax credit of 45 cents for every gallon they mix with
gasoline. i think this was either eliminated or is in discussion about eliminating credits--unhappy people will result. ..."although corn growers don't receive subsidies directly, the ethanol industry is a reliable and expanding market, with higher demand translating into higher prices"

the corn for ethanol is not the corn people eat. . an increased demand for feed corn drives up the cost of business, dairy, meat and poultry producers. . . ditto prices for chain restaurants like for nuggets and big macs. see http://switchboard.nrdc.org

The Progressive Populist June 15, 2011: p. 3 Chevron's CEO "I don't think people want shared sacrifice from oil corporations. I think they want shared prosperity."

about requests for all emails with certain words like scott walker, madison, rachel maddow, etc from the machinac center -- 3 profs at 3 different michigan universities -- check names koch, devos, princes and walton who are funding many right wing people and so called think tanks.

p 7 GOP chokes on own Medicare Kool-Aid: Obama's words: The GOP roadmap "asks Americans to accept that even though we can't afford to care for seniors and poor children, we can somehow afford more than $1 trillion in new tax breaks for the wealthy."


p. 9 Feds to States: 'Drop Dead'--suggestion here to take our deposits out of wall street banks and put the $ in state-owned banks = sounds like a good idea. or use a local credit union.

p. 13 Deconstructing a Paul Ryan Sound Bite: "taxpayers at america's tippy top--taxpayers with the nations' 400 highest incomes--have seen the share of income they pay in federal income tax drop from 51.2% of their income in 1955 to 18.1% in 2008".

research Philip morris international (altria) -- owns 7 of the world's top 15 cigarette brands under auspices of Kraft Foods, non tobacco holdings are cookies, cool whip, coffee, cadbury. . . see kraftfoodscompany.com and search for brands.


loved (hms pinafore):

I always voted at my party's call
and i never thought of thinking for myself at all

the june atlas meeting again fit the monday night baseball, friday night fights and a 3 ring circus moniker. they voted to continue membership in the township/municipal organization and pay the extra for insurance and then heard a surprise letter read by the clerk from wendall kelly naming 4 people who should not be on the police funding board. the chair they did not want--he went to the state board because he didn't believe he should have to pay the police assessment the board imposed. he crossed them? wow. read the principles of a trustee (i read these to the board in 2008 when the new supervisor took office--they don't like her--but they like ammon i guess (issues with destroyed hard drive ignored--rumor has it they all knew about it anyway. similar event recently in goodrich city. how suspect is that--coincidence?) need to write what to say at the july meeting about these "cons"

july 2011 sojourners p 17-21: "A Web of Power" summarizes the use of online tools to transform social change.

"Stranger in a Strange Land" p 26-29 about work of intelligence people especially in iraq. "According to news reports, Manning had a transformative conscientious awakening when he found himself responsible for the unjust imprisonment of 15 Iraqi activists. When he determined that the pamphlets they were distributing were not terrorist tracts, but instead highlighted corruption in the al-Maliki government, Manning took the info directly to his commanding officer. . .Manning also allegedly discovered classified footage taken from Army Apache helicopters during 2007 air to ground attack near Baghdad that killed 2 Reuters correspondents and at least 10 others and wounded 2 children. . . (Evan Knappenberger, WA)

film REJOICE AND SHOUT the story of gospel music
Submarine
Project Nim
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

p40 "The Ayn Rand Makeover": "Anyone who has so far managed to avoid Rand's work or her disciples should know that in her novels and essays Rand expounded a world view dubbed Objectivism that can be summed up as a pastiche of free-market libertarianism and cartoon Nietzscheanism. To the Randian, there is no God but self, and self will and pursuit of self interest is the only virtue."

p. 9 Last year, Manhattan hedge fund manager John Paulson took home $.9 billion in pay. Before the crash, Paulson helped inflate the housing bubble by designing junk mortgage-backed securities for Goldman Sachs--and then profited from the pop by betting that those very securities would fail. Yet instead of being run out of business, last year he made about $1.5 billion more than the federal food stamp program spent in all of New York City. p.9 July 2011 Sojourners "The Safety Net Frays" p8-9

books to read: Indignez-vous by stephane hessel available in french or english and Cultures of war by john dower



from the Nation p 5 april 11. 2011 Michigan Monarchy by John Nichols: Jefferson outlined the most egregious acts of King George III "For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments: For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever" Jefferson argued in the Declaration of Independence, the king was engaged in "the Establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States." Under the mid-March law passed in MI, the governor "essentially has financial martial-law powers. If he determines that a city or school district is experiencing financial difficulties he can replace its elected officials with managers who are permitted under the law to assume all their powers." They "can be private individuals allied with the governor or even corporations with consulting contracts. They can cancel local labor contracts, cut or eliminate social services and even begin processes of dissolving existing units of government and forcing mergers of cities and school districts". Would you not assume that Snyder has assumed the powers of a monarch?

any reason the NFL doesn't want the players to see the league's financial records? is this what the lockout is really about? wouldn't surprise anyone. "The owners refused to open the books, offering instead "a single sheet of paper with 2 numbers on it". This single sheet would be available to the union only after being vetted by an independent 3rd party". p 6 the Nation april 11, 2011 Players are also asking to choose their own doctors--

the Nation p 11-15 How Wall Street Crooks Get Out of Jail Free
The article points out the lack of government interest/desire to prosecute Wall Street and the resulting surmise that big business/Wall Street can get away with fraud with no repercussions. "The technical difficulties in making a case for criminal prosecutions are real enough, given the complexities of modern finance. But the government's lack of response to enormous wrongdoing reflects a deeper conflict of values. Will society's sense of right and wrong prevail, or will corporate capitalism's amoral need to maximize profit. So fare the marketplace appears to be winning. Deferring prosecution was made standard practice by George W Bush's Justice Department, which over eight years deferred or canceled some 108 prosecutions. Important corporations that have settled without a public trial include Boeing, AIG, AOL, Halliburton, BP, Health South, Daimler Chrysler, Wachovia, Merrill Lynch, Pfizer, UBS and Barclays Bank.

When NJ Gov Chris Christie was a US Attorney, he approved a series of deferred prosecution agreements and handed out sinecures to political pals--a lucrative lawyer's job of monitoring corporations. In one settlement Christie ordered Bristol-Myers-Squibb to finance an endowed chair at Seton Hall law school, Christie's alma mater.

The confusion of values starts with the fictitious premise that the corporation is a person, for purposes of law. . . But corporations are not mortal beings, of course, and unlike people, they can live forever. The language of 'corporate person-hood' is really a slick way of saying property rights come before people's rights. . . for many years people have been led to believe that corporate good fortune is synonymous with general prosperity. As broadly shared prosperity is steadily withdrawn, people may rise up and demand serious reforms." but i'm not holding my breath.


Taking Aim at the Pentagon Budget p, 22-30:
the so called Iron Triangle = pentagon, military contractors and lobbyists, and hawks on the congressional armed services committees

"the biggest chunk of the military budget is for administration, overhead, salaries and benefits which make up about 42%. Tricare=insurance/health care. "Tricare absorbs about 1/10 of all pentagon spending and its costs gave skyrocketed from 19 billion 10 years ago to 53 billion today". wow

june 26--day of tandem skydive at ray mi. supposed to go fri but rainy. sun was a great day, warm but not hot. 13,000 ft and free fall to about 10,000; free fall of about 167ft/sec, great view of land. everyone should try it but . . . nick on plane w/me; i think he was on 1st flight by self but had an accompanying diver. same with the other guy, 2nd by self maybe.

JustAnswer.com -- site where you can pose a question, get a reply, pay answering attorney.

high end shopping = onekingslane.com, jossandmain.com, ruelala.com, giltgroup.com

shoedazzle.com
theoutnet.com

insurance helps: having financial problems, contact the patient advocate foundation (copays.org) and cancercare (cancercare.org)
if claims are denied, don't give up. speak to a supervisor, get doctor help, patient representatives at hospitals, read the book i mentioned in an earlier post, get a friend to go with you to help take notes at appointments, meetings, etc

who knew bird nests are protected? hobby farm home sept-oct 2011, p84, had an article about having a nest in your possession. Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, "it's illegal to disturb the next of any native bird without a permit. It's also illegal to collect or have in your possession live native birds (adults or young), bird feathers, nests or eggs; to incubate wild-bird eggs; to keep nests or eggs, even for "show and tell" purposes; or to have road-killed birds in your possession without a permit". The law also applies to transporting, trapping or killing other birds that may be nuisances like chickadees and doves; non native birds and exotics are exempted--like canadian geese, house sparrow, starlings, domestic pigeons, etc. It's also illegal to move an active nest without a permit from the US Fish and Wildlife Service and sometimes from your state. No permit needed to scare or herd migratory birds other than endangered or protected ones; fines up to 6 mos in jail and fine up to 15,000.