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Sarah Palin may not be speaking at this year's Republican convention in Tampa, but Lisa Ann, the adult film actress, and star of Hustler's political parody porn Who's Nailin' Paylin, is slated for some stage time. During convention week, the "Favorite MILF"-award winner will be performing a pole routine as "Sarah Paylin" at one of Tampa's gagillion strip clubs, The Dollhouse. We caught up with Lisa Ann to talk about the upcoming GOP-palooza and get her thoughts on the 2012 election.
GQ: The big news is that you're heading down to Tampa for the convention as Sarah Palin... or Paylin. How did it that invitation come about?
Lisa: The Dollhouse, which is a club that I'll be featured at, reached out to my agency asked, "Hey, is Lisa Ann's still doing the Palin thing? We'd like to invite her to the Republican convention." This was, like, 4 months ago, and since then, I cannot believe how many interviews I've been doing. I think it's kind of funny that Sarah Palin herself is not going. I feel like I'm her rep at this point. Like, "Hey, don't worry, I'm your double. Just stay at home and relax with your family. I'll take care of this convention thing."
GQ: Do you get the sense convention attendees really go to the strip clubs enough to bring in extra acts?
Lisa: They do! I know this from girls who travel. There are some girls who only travel, just go to different clubs different times each year. During the Super Bowl, they'll travel to wherever the Super Bowl is. They'll go to all of the different conventions during Election Year, and they find it to be financially beneficial to them. So they've told me about the conventions, supposedly it gets really crowded. There are a lot of people with a lot of money there. I definitely think there's going to be a lot of people down there this year because even Republicans have come in to see me and said, "you know, we think this is hilarious." It's just light humor, after all.
GQ: So tell me about what you do during the show.
Lisa: I have on a suit and the glasses with my hair up and I go out to the Eminem song that I'm in his video as Sarah Palin. I dance to that song, and it's pretty cool because the club has all the TV monitors so we can play the music video while I'm doing the show. And I've tried to figure out what Sarah Palin would listen to. So, I use songs like Jay-Z's "Big Pimpin." I have Soulja Boy's "Turn My Swag On." Just really taking things silly. And I give away some Palin products. I have Palin T-shirts now. I give out DVDs and posters of Palin, and I'll put my suit back on after the show because a lot of the guys want pictures with me in the suit so they can put it on their Facebook or whatever they choose. Because I'm dressed for once! It's really funny that they want the picture of me dressed because, of course, that's never happened to me before, except when you're on the street. But if I were to see any of those guys on the street and say, "Hey, do you want to see me with my clothes off," I'm sure they'd say yes.
GQ: So, did you have to learn how to strip for this or did you know how?
Lisa: Well, I've been dancing my whole life and stripping since I was legally allowed to, so from 18 on, this has been my career. So you just switch things up with an outfit.
GQ: Any signature Palin moves in the routine?
Lisa: No, but I'll tell you, I have the glasses, and I have a little wink like hers, so when I go out there and just walk around the response from everyone is so funny. It's just that first moment when they see me and they just shake their heads and laugh and smile. It's been that simple.
GQ: No Alaska-themed props?
Lisa: Nope. Only because it's so hard to travel with things now. You're so limited with how many bags you can bring. My last Palin movie, which was Nailin' Paylin II, they ended up renting this huge moosehead, and had all of this animal stuff mounted. It was hilarious. I thought, gosh, it would be so cool if I could travel with these things. I want to order a sash, because in the movie I have her sash from when she won Miss Alaska. But I keep it simple because I'm limited when traveling, and I do so many other shows, as well, that I have to have such a variety of stuff.
GQ: I only heard about Nailin' Palin I. What's the plot of Nailin' Palin II?
Lisa: In Nailin' Palin II, we kind of take on her next step of life, which was her doing the reality show and Bristol's baby, Bristol having a relationship. It was really just more in-depth on the family. So we did Nailin' Palin, the original, and we did Obama's Nailin' Palin, which was released on Election Day. We did Letterman's Nailin' Palin, which was released when she had all of that drama with Letterman. We did an interactive called You're Nailin' Palin because, on the road, everybody would tell me that "I want to nail Palin," so we did that. Then we did Nailin' Palin II, so we've covered all the bases.
GQ: Why do you think men like her so much?
Lisa: I don't know! It actually really blows my mind. It blows my mind at how many men across the country voted just because she was so hot. I'm like, "Oh, that is so crazy." But if you think about it, years ago, it was the same with the Kennedys. A lot of women voted for Clinton because of his appearance. So, we've seen that. We've finally got to see what that's like with the male demographic and I think it's even stronger because I believe that probably more men vote than women. As sad as that is. I'm always like, "You know what, you're better off not voting. You're better off not voting, okay?" What if you buy a car and you don't do any research on why you're buying this car? What the benefits are to you? Why would you just vote for somebody without finding out what the benefits are to you?
But I don't know what it is about her. She does really have a sassy way about her, and I think that's part of it. Did you watch the movie Game Change when it came out on HBO?
GQ: Yes. Very good.
Lisa: How good was that? It was so good. I really enjoyed it. First movie in a while when I couldn't move. How good was Julianne Moore in the movie? You forgot it was Julianne Moore. She was amazing.
GQ: It's been a year since we last talked. What else have you been up to?
Lisa: So many things. I've been shooting. I've got myself an apartment in New York, and I've been dividing my time between New York and L.A. and the road. I'm working really aggressively on writing a book, I've found that I'm just more inspired here in New York. Everything in L.A. is just so busy, and you don't really get that time, where here, it's a fresh start. We're not shooting here. It is a working city, and I can equally just go to the bridge and take a walk, and the come back and get right back to it. It's a really personal story to talk about your first forty years of life, so it's so time consuming. Hours.
GQ: How are you liking New York living?
Lisa: I love it. New York's great. I'm in Midtown, in Times Square, so I really blend in e because everybody's so busy looking around at all of the buildings and all of the scenery. I can walk around without people bothering me, because everybody's doing their own thing, you know what I mean?
GQ: Do you get recognized on the street normally?
Lisa: Everywhere I go. Everywhere. It's so crazy. Just the other day, I was trying to get a cab, and I'm standing on the side of the road, and these two guys roll up and they're like, "Lisa, where do you want to go? We'll take you." I was like, "It's very sweet of you two to offer, but no woman in her right mind would get in the car with you two right now." They're like, "Oookay." I get stopped in all the shops, all the restaurants. It's funny because I get recognized more here than in L.A., and I think that's because here you're walking and you're in a mix of people. In L.A., it's like car to destination, and destination to car. I don't really mind it. Everyone here's been great, and the most they want is a picture. You just hope you look decent enough to feel good about taking them.
GQ: You would think that some men would not want to admit that they recognize you ...
Lisa: You know, I've watched that transition over the past 20 years, and it's amazing. Even women approach me now. I was just at a little rooftop lounge the other afternoon, and a woman came up to me. She goes, "I love your work!" The comfort level of people approaching us has changed. Back in the day, guys would look at you and they'd feel really guilty and they'd look away. So, really, I have to reward them for being open enough sexually to admit that they watch it. For me, I don't want anyone to ever feel like a pervert or a weirdo or that I look down on them in any way, shape or form because, wow, they feel comfortable enough to go talk to me right now, and that's them admitting what their life is like, especially women and especially couples. So, it's up to me to take it on the chin and be like, "Well, I've got to spin this as positive as possible so they don't feel creeped out or they don't feel like they're doing anything wrong."
GQ: What do you make of the two campaigns so far this year?
Lisa: I do, and I'm for Obama. It's hard work, keeping up. You have to be reading a bunch of different news online. You can't go by these commercials and you can't go by even the news that's being put out there, it's just constant propaganda. It's sad because a lot of people don't take the time to do their homework and they just go off of these negative advertisements. In other countries, they don't allow the negative back-and-forth. They just talk about what they're going to do. So, it's hard, but I'm comfortable with what Obama has done. I don't think people realize the president has a little less power than you think, and that the president is fixing things that were put into effect 5, 10, 15 years ago. Things don't happen overnight. It doesn't. The economy is based on the stock market and the stock market is based on things-- like right now, there's a low inventory in New York, and they're saying that people who want to buy so badly are those who are inflating the prices of homes again, because they're making multiple bids to get the place they want. So it shows you that it has nothing to do with the president. It has to do with the buyer. You've got to read a lot. You really do. And it's hard to say you're 100% anything, whether it's Republican or Democrat, you know. It's hard to pick one because there are so many things you believe in from both parties. Then you have to weigh it out and go, "Okay, where do I feel the strongest?"


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Home based consultants can make a decent part time or full time income if they have a good client base. In the age of the "part time gig", many people will see their need to obtain "consultant fees" increase to make a good living.
While consultants are hired to train "soft skills" like customer service and other "touchy feely" subjects, increasingly it pays to be able to help people navigate software products and other technology that are intended to maximize the value of existing sales and customer relationship skills. While companies can save a certain amount of money by going "lean" and building that sort of culture, by the end of the day, they also must maximize the customer relationship. That's where a skill like helping a company sales force squeeze the most value out of a software solution like "Salesforce.com" comes into play.
If you say to yourself, "I don't know how I'd even start offering such a service!" then you'll be happy to know there are companies who can train home based consultants to be trainers in these fields.
Here's a message I received about one such opportunity for Salesforce training.
As a consultant, I've worked from home the past 6 years, even through the recession. Even during that time I was making at least $60/hr.
Starting salaries for employed Salesforce.com consultants are typically $30-60/hr, depending on your region, and independent consultants who sign their own clients often make several times those amounts. If you have had an interest in expanding your career options by adding a practical technology proficiency to your skill set, Salesforce.com System Administration is where many non-technical people find their opportunity.
Here's a special offer for our readers:
Visit Aspiretech.com to learn more about online training you can take to gain the skills you need to do the work. Use the following coupon code to save $50 on the online video training course price: aspiratech199
Editor's Note: Thanks to Aspiretech for offering this special discount to our readers! For more information these special offers see our "about" page.

subset: commoncrawl


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Twistin' Dials # 686
Here's the lowdown on that uniquely odd and now apparently obscure eighties mini-series DC allowed Trina Robbins featuring the old, pre-Crisis Wonder Woman.
Here, in Spanish, is a fascinating look at the changes from conception to cover of the now iconic Iron Man # 1 art by Gene Colan.
True Love Comics Tales stupidly rigs it so you can't link to a direct post (it goes to a Cafe Press link when you try) but they've had some cool posts lately including some of Dan DeCarlo's Jetta, as in Craig's book!
Finally today, a mid-seventies interview with Jack King Kirby.
— booksteve


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Your MIDlet can manage the update of the Notification Enabler on the targeted device. If the Notification Enabler is not up-to-date, it provides the user with an option to update the software.
The Installer related interface classes are available in the com.nokia.notifications.installer package.
Classes include:
If you want Notification Enabler to always be up-to-date on a user´s device then you must include the Installer implementation as part of your Notification integration.
There is direct API NotificationsEnablerInstaller.checkAndUpdateNapiEnabler( ) which handles the checking of the latest available Notifications Enabler and updating it on user's device.
The API will give callback results through Installer.installResult() which should be handled by your MIDlet implementation.
Possible results from the callback are:
ALREADY_EXISTS: This is returned if the Notification Enabler is already up-to-date. The MIDlet can continue with registering to Notification Enabler.
INSTALLATION_OK: This is returned if the Notification Enabler finds out that there is a newer version available and user is in a process of fetching the updated version. The MIDlet can continue with registering their application to Notification Enabler.
Last updated 5 March 2014


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This down jacket has been discontinued. See our complete Down Jacket Review to find the best of the currently available options.
The North Face Honcho Jacket features a fully water proof shell and was the most weather resistant of any jacket we tested down or synthetic a fact certainly some should take note of. Though this combined with the fully featured nature of the Honcho we thought that the Honcho would suit skiers, Snow Boarders, and other people to whom weather resistance and features are more important than packability and warmth. We liked most of the pockets on this jacket and it was one of the few pieces we tested to feature pit zips.
First Look Gear Review |
Street Price:
Best Uses: Skiing
— Ian Nicholson OutdoorGearLab Member ReviewsMost recent review: April 14, 2010
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Will Ferrell plants his fanny in new Tonight host Conan O'Brien's plush new guest chair.
The Land of the Lost star arrived in a style befitting Cleopatra, carried by four men in Egyptian costumes.
After bantering about his age, Republican presidential contender and Arizona Senator John McCain pretends to doze off on Conan O'Brien during his Friday visit to Late Night.


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Hov's latest acquisition for his Roc Nation Sports venture is New York Jets rookie Quarterback Geno Smith; joining New York Yankees' second baseman Robinson Cano and female hoop star Skylar Diggins.
Who's next?
Posted in News | Tags: geno smith, jay-z, nfl
Pretty sure Victor Cruz is also onboard
He's supposed to pick up Victor Cruz
Jay is making some major chess moves...
Hopefully he can get geno's mind right. The jets need em yo.
victor cruz just signed to CAA, hes not going anywhere.
CAA is under Roc Nation
Heard he was gonna pick up Nerlens Noel too
Good stuff
He should sign Trey Burke while yall bullshitting!
ummmmm sign a rookie qb drafted late on an awful team? yeah makes sense. HOV!


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Some collections are pure accidents. The intent is pure function and usefulness. Then one day you look in your cabinet and there sits a collection. You still use each and every one of them; that's why it was never before considered a collection. Here is my collection as it stands today. I'll only show one of each, most of the ones we bought were in pairs so Wifey and I would have our own.
I'm not going to include the many cups and saucers purchased or handed down from family, included in dish sets. They are only used for special occasions and too delicate to use every day, and they are really too small for regular use. I also have travel mugs with company advertising which are seldom used and not in the collection yet.
The cups have special meaning in many cases; special places we visited, past employers, sports teams we follow and an occasional gift from friends, gathered from many places over the years and traveling around the country, buying antiques for our other collections, decorating our home or purchased for resale.
Company cups often wound up at home in multiples, carried in the car cup holder and left at home. They were normally passed out to customers as a thank you for an order. Many examples are no longer with the collection through breakage. That's the price you pay for using parts of a collection for their intended purpose and not just having them sit on a shelf, or worse yet, stored were they are never seen and never used.
The collection of reindeer cups are special: part of our extensive holiday season decorations and only used once a year. They're ready for return to storage and an exception to the display rule, as are other seasonal changes in our decorating scheme. And my readers know that we feature our collections throughout the house and put my ice buckets, kitchen gadgets and record collection to good use.


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Bargain-Basement Picks From a Hedge Fund
Occidental Petroleum (OXY - Get Report), which made our list of the most popular energy stocks among hedge funds, was a 590,000-share Chilton holding as of Dec. 31. With trailing and forward P/Es of 15x and 11x, respectively, Occidental is actually valued at a premium to some oil majors. Earnings were down sharply last quarter from the prior year, and while analysts expect the company to recover, we think investors should at least compare the stock with its peers.
Finally, Chilton and his team owned about 440,000 shares of Agrium (AGU - Get Report) at the end of the year --though the firm has cut their stake by 51%. Activist fund Jana Partners has been urging Agrium to split its wholesale and retailer businesses -- the company sells agricultural products, including fertilizers and crop-protection products, through both channels -- against resistance from Agrium. The stock currently carries a trailing P/E of 11x. Earnings rose sharply in the company's most recent quarter, but that growth rate is not sustainable, given its much weaker improvements in sales.
-- Written by Matt Doiron
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Parliament of Australia
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Intraoral Cameras - Australia
Results 1-2 of 2 Australian Companies
Henry Schein Regional in Rosebery, Nsw, Australia
Henry Schein Regional 11 Primrose Avenue Rosebery, Nsw 2018 Australia http://www.henryscheinregional.com.au/HTML/01_New%20Products/01_HSbrand.html Description Planmeca is one of the world's leading manufacturers of dental equipment. Location Products Clothing ...
Dental Medical Technologies Co in Melbourne, Vic, Australia
Dental Medical Technologies Co 580 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Vic 3004 Australia tel: +61 34 1800 632 http://www.dmt.com.au/products/global/index.html Description Dental Medical Technologies International Pty Ltd is the leader in dental technology. DMT specialises in microdentistry, intraoral ...


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How Important Is Kissing Compatibility?
In all my dating years, I never thought much about kissing styles, and never put much weight into a great first kiss. But recently, I've had a couple of experiences that leave me wondering … how important is kissing compatibility?
In my opinion, most first kisses are a little awkward. I think it's natural to need a little practice before two sets of lips can find their perfect rhythm. And I would never deny a guy a second date because he kissed outside the lines, or because we clumsily knocked teeth. (I would wonder, however … "Is his mouth just that much bigger than mine? Or, does he have very big teeth?")
So I never thought much about having an amazing first kiss. Until I had one. I had known Tom for a while before we ever dated, and truth be told, I had a crush on him since the first time I saw him. Before we ever kissed, I remember expecting a hard, bony kind of kiss, the kind I had received once before from a guy with similarly small, thin lips. Should You Kiss On A First Date?
At the end of our first date, Tom really surprised me. His kiss wasn't hard or bony at all. It was perfect. I can only describe it by saying it made my insides sparkle, and it made me want to kiss him all night long. In the weeks to come, I couldn't get enough. I found myself saying things like, "A week is too long to go without your kisses." Yes, I had fallen for him, hard. How A Kiss Can Save Your Relationship
But great kissing isn't enough to make a great relationship, and things with Tom ended. It was difficult to let go of the idea of the relationship with him, and I think the kissing was largely to blame. Looking back, I realize I had ignored lots of warning signs that he didn't truly care for me. Damn my sparkling insides!
And then, there was Andy. Andy and I had great chemistry, but you'd never know it from our kisses. Our first kiss was … well, I don't remember how it was. I remember where and when it happened, but not any details of how it felt. It couldn't have been too good or too bad, I suppose.
More kissing advice from YourTango:


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Toronto councillor Ana Bailao did not appear in court on Monday on impaired driving charges stemming from an incident earlier this year.
Instead, her lawyer appeared and a new court date was set for Dec. 31.
She has said she intends to plead not guilty.
Bailao, who represents Ward 18-Davenport, was charged with impaired driving and having a blood-alcohol level over 80 milligrams after being stopped by police near Bathurst and Harbord streets early Oct. 16. She was reportedly driving without her headlights on.
She was at the Mayor's Ball for the Arts at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre hours before.
Bailao, 36, was first elected to office on Oct. 10, 2010, replacing former councillor Adam Giambrone. She sits on several committees and agencies and headed a task force that saved many Toronto Community Housing properties slated for sale.
She has continued to serve on council since she was charged.
First-time offenders face a $1,000 fine and one-year driving suspension if convicted.
With files from CityNews.ca staff


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high speed chase
Charges Move Forward in Goodstein Crash Case
Man Arrested for Allegedly Pulling a Gun on His Wife and Her Boyfriend
Man Accused of Trying to Hit a Trooper Changes his Plea [AUDIO]
EXCLUSIVE: Troopers Contact Crash Suspect Day Before [AUDIO]
The Wyoming Highway Patrol had contact the day before with the man accused of killing a pedestrian and crashing his pickup truck into a downtown building in Casper on Tuesday.
Casper Homicide Suspect Preludes Events on Personal Facebook Page
The driver arrested in the tragic crash that killed a pedestrian in downtown Casper Tuesday left Facebook posts just prior to the incident.
38 year-old Scott Coleman's Facebook post at 7:44 am Tuesday, about an hour before the crash, indicate a desire to take a moral stand against local clubs featuring female strippers. In an online post entitled, "Bring It", Coleman writes at length about his anger at Sonny Pilcher, owner of "Cowboys". He also targets "Northern Dreams" in his online post.
Downtown Casper High Speed Collision Update [Video]
High Speed Chase Through Downtown Casper [VIDEO]
At about 9:00 AM, a Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper observed a vehicle pass him at CY and Poplar at speeds in excess of 90 mph. The chase ended after one pedestrian was struck and severely injured and the vehicle crashed into the Goodstein Building located at 330 N. Center St. More detail


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RoSPA's mission is to save lives and reduce injuries
RoSPA here in Belfast provides a vast array of information, training and support services for all aspects of home safety, but also supports road safety and workplace safety.
Public Health Here you can view Northern Ireland's Big Book of Accident Prevention and read a recent press release about our public health activities in Northern Ireland.
For further information please contact:
RoSPA Ground Floor 3 Orchard Close Newpark Industrial Estate Antrim BT41 2RZ Tel: 028 9447 7261 E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
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Product Number: | ZMSKSA5 |
Item Price: | $18.79 $15.99 |
Availability: | In Stock |
Shipping Weight: | 0.42 lb. |
The SKS-A5 is a 20 rd magazine designed for SKS rifles and carbines. The magazine body and follower are constructed of a proprietary DuPont® Zytel™ based polymer to ensure a long service life. The springs are made from heat treated Chrome-silicon wire for increased reliability and smooth feeding. Made in the U.S.A.
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text:
Harvesting 10 tons of alfalfa per acre is not an impossible goal in Nebraska, says Bruce Anderson, University of Nebraska extension forage specialist.
"But it will take top management and a lot of cooperation from Mother Nature to reach it," says Anderson. "We've done it in small research plots, but on a commercial scale it will mean proper replenishment of nutrients, irrigation or plenty of rainfall at the right times, and very minimal harvest losses."
If a grower already is applying recommended amounts of the major and minor nutrients, significant yield gains from a new fertilizer product or program would be surprising, says Anderson.
However, he encourages farmers to try new fertilizers and other products said to increase yield.
"There's no way," he states, "that any university or commercial concern is going to have a monopoly on whatever might be the next yield-enhancing breakthrough. But we've also got to recognize that sometimes what appears to be increasing yield is occurring when other factors in that same field are also enhancing yield. So a cause-and-effect relationship may not truly be established."
Test new products in strips more than one year before reaching conclusions about their merits. Manage treated and untreated areas identically to avoid yield differences due to factors other than the treatments, Anderson advises.


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McAfee And Intel Redefine Consumer Security
McAfee and Intel today announced their commitment to lead in delivering innovative security solutions aimed at protecting a consumer's entire digital life, reflecting the broad adoption and usage of personal devices. Together with Intel, McAfee is redefining the consumer security experience with a focus on safeguarding consumer devices, securing personal data and protecting identities online. This user-centric approach will deliver a comprehensive and valuable service offering that helps meet the evolving needs of consumers as they enjoy their digital lives, anywhere, from any device. The first of these personalized security offerings from McAfee is available in beta to partners, with a consumer version of the product available mid-year 2013.
The explosion in connected devices and the availability of online content and services has consumers spending more of their lives online. Always-connected consumers who are shopping, banking, and sharing information online have an unprecedented amount of their personal and financial information at risk to increasingly sophisticated attacks and scams. Because of these new usages and the resulting distribution of personal information, a more comprehensive approach to security is required to protect consumers.
A New Approach for a New Computing Paradigm
"As consumers live their lives online and use two, three, or more different types of devices to accommodate their online lifestyles, their needs are evolving," said Gary Davis, vice president of consumer marketing for McAfee. "Given this paradigm shift, McAfee is relentlessly focused on keeping consumers' online lives safe so every user can fully explore the possibilities of today's digital age. It is no longer good enough to just protect a device from a particular piece of malware; instead we need to protect what a consumer does online no matter the device or where it is used."
Key attributes of consumer-centric online security and safety include:- Safeguarding Devices: Comprehensive protection for PCs and Macs, along with mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets. Increased security services will be available "cross-device" and in the cloud, enabling for consumers to utilize capabilities from any device at any time.
- Identity Protection: A user-centric approach to security incorporates solutions to protect identity and personal information from theft and misuse so that consumers can have confidence their identity remains safe and trusted. Plus, safe access destinations and services on the Internet.
- Personal Data Security: Simplified security technologies that ensure personal data remains personal, whether it's stored on a device or stored in the cloud.
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My friends and I read good reviews of Signature Crest and decided to check in over the weekend. We had never been there before so we purely went by the reviews. I knew that the hotel is located slightly away from the main Lonavala market, but that seemed perfectly fine considering we did have a car to move around. Signature... More
India >
Maharashtra >
Price Range (Based on Average Rates):
Number of rooms: 30


text:
There are more choices for men's wedding rings than ever before. Many men choose a simple gold band because they are not aware of the options that are available to them now. Choosing the right style is as important as it is for a women's wedding ring. It is something you will wear every day, and should reflect your personality. Beyond choosing between the standard metals of yellow gold, white gold, and platinum, there are also titanium, CobaltchromeTM, and even ceramic rings. Bands can have mixed metals, decorative grooving, and embedded diamonds. Width is important with men's rings, too. A man with very large hands will need a much wider band than a man with smaller hands. With all of the new styles, there is nothing boring about men's wedding bands anymore.
Find your ring size online in just a few steps or request a ring sizer.
Learn all about creating the perfect engagement and wedding ring.
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'Casino Royale' Synopsis
CASINO ROYALE traces the early career of James Bond. His first "007" mission leads him to Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), banker to the world's terrorists. In order to stop him and bring down the terrorist network, Bond must beat Le Chiffre in a high-stakes poker game at Casino Royale. Bond is initially annoyed when a beautiful Treasury official, Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), is assigned to deliver his stake for the game and watch over the government's money. But as Bond and Vesper survive a series of lethal attacks by Le Chiffre and his henchmen, a mutual attraction develops, leading them both into further danger and events that will shape Bond's life forever.
Albert R. Broccoli's EON Productions presents Daniel Craig as Ian Fleming's James Bond 007 in CASINO ROYALE. With a screenplay by Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and Oscar winner Paul Haggis, the film was directed by Martin Campbell and produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. A United Kingdom - Czech Republic - German - USA Co-Production, CASINO ROYALE was produced under the combined banners of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and Columbia Pictures with filming in Prague and Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic and on New Providence and Paradise Island in the Bahamas. Filming also took place at Lake Como and Venice in Italy before returning to the U.K. Back in the U.K., the production filmed at Dunsfold Airfield in Surrey, Buckinghamshire's Black Park and on the legendary 007 stage at Pinewood Studios.
British actor Daniel Craig is introduced in the role of James Bond in CASINO ROYALE, supported by a strong international cast. Dame Judi Dench returns as M, the Head of the British Secret Service. Vesper Lynd, the first woman with whom James Bond falls in love, is played by French actress Eva Green, and Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen takes the role of Le Chiffre, international money launderer and Bond's rival in the highstakes poker game at the heart of the film.
American actor Jeffrey Wright plays Felix Leiter, Bond's ally in the CIA, and distinguished Italian actor Giancarlo Giannini takes the role of Mathis, his MI6 contact. Caterina Murino, also Italian, plays Solange, the beautiful but unhappy wife of one of Le Chiffre's villainous associates, who succumbs to Bond's charms.
Featured in the film is the new Aston Martin DBS (in a special color, Casino Ice, not available until 2007) alongside the Bond favorite Aston Martin DB5. And finally, Bond reveals the recipe for his favorite martini, "The Vesper."
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Vesper: am i going to have proplem with you bond?
Bond: No, don't worry you're not my type
Vesper: smart?
Bond: single
im new in james bond series so i can't just compare Craig from other bonds, but, to disregard the previous ones, Craig is great, the film itself is great, everything is great,
it's not something that deals more on special effects, i can see that concentration is in the character and the story, considering that, fighting scene is superb and quite realistic. it isn't exaggerated at all.
one of the best action film i saw to date
9 / 10 rawrrrrrsCraigs the man! This is my fav of the 00's
4 years agoby @nautical05Flag
Daniel Craig played the best Bond ever. Love love love.
4 years agoby @thenameslisaFlag
5 years agoby @doubler0522Flag
6 years agoby @indianajonesFlag
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Lott confirmed speaker at gun rights conference
Professor John Lott, whose book More Guns=Less Crime rocked the gun control movement more than a decade ago, will be one of the main speakers during this years Gun Rights Policy Conference, according to the Bellevue-based Second Amendment Foundation.
Lott confirmed speaker at gun rights conference, says Gottlieb - Seattle gun rights | Examiner.com
This thing will be held in Orland at the end of this month. Anybody in the Orlando area can sign up -- attendance is free and attend the weekend or just one day.


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I was not a big fan of watermelon growing up. When my brother-in-law introduced watermelon juice to me years ago, I was reluctant to try but ended up being surprised by how delicious it was.
Growing up, watermelon was the most common fruit during the summer time in Japan. We usually spent the summer in my grandparents' home in Osaka. They have a big backyard and I remember having watermelon seeds spitting contents with my brother to see who can spit farther.
I also remember eating watermelon with my late grandpa on the porch after helping him tend the garden. When my family went camping, we would put the watermelon in the river to cool and played a traditional Japanese game called suikawari (スイカ割り).
Suikawari is a game where everyone takes turn to smash watermelon with a stick while blindfolded. The rule is similar to piñata except you play with a watermelon. Each person is blindfolded, spun around three times, and handed a wooden stick to strike with. The first to crack the watermelon open wins, and everyone enjoys the chunks of watermelon afterwards.
Hope you try playing Suikawari and making watermelon juice this summer!
- 2 cups chopped watermelon
- Juice from ¼ lime
- 1 Tbsp. simple syrup
- A slice of lime for garnish (optional)
- Mint leaves for garnish (optional)
- Cut the watermelon into chunks removing the rind and seeds. Place the chunks into a bowl and let them cool in refrigerator for 1-2 hours.
- In blender, combine watermelon, lime juice and simple syrup and puree.
- Pour into the glass and garnish with a slice of lime and mint leaves (optional). Chill before serving if you like.
If you prefer to remove pulp, strain through a fine sieve. You will also need to double the portions for each ingredient per glass.


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Last night and today 2 sorts of news popped up. Felipe Massa and David Coulthard joined Martin Whitmarsh and others in calls for changes to Q3 format or rules. Then Bridgestone announced they will evaluate 3 different types of slick tyre compounds in April test in Barcelona. It is all about the same issue – having at the same time on track cars with big difference in speed.
We all still remember last weekend and the super slow return of some cars to pits at the end of Q3 while Heidfeld, Alonso were still on their flying lap. Place few snails into the racing line (let's call them for example Hamilton and Kovalainen) and we have recipe for disaster.
Coulthard's big mouth made news recently, here is nice summary if you like to read it, but he also has a valid point on this issue (last sentence, in bold):
"In my view a rule change is the easiest way to make sure this problem doesn't keep occurring. I like the suggestion that drivers will be penalised unless their in-lap is within a certain percentage of their best time. It's clear-cut, and there would be no grounds for a stewards' enquiry. If you're one-tenth slower than the time you're supposed to do then you'll get a penalty. People won't do it then – simple as that. But give them the opportunity to try and save fuel and they will."
To forget about race fuel qualifying in Q3 would eliminate the need for fuel saving but the drivers can still choose to go slow on their way in … So some sort of speed limit and penalty may be the only way to go. The only issue I see here is that the in-lap is not a complete lap. I am not sure how would they plan to time it or compare it to their best time. In any case it looks like the talks are on to have some changes ready in time for the Bahrain GP next weekend. Let's hope FIA and teams come up with something sensible, not with some half cooked amendment that will be hard to police …
It is strange that nobody actually thought about these problems earlier because this is not the first time the slow versus fast cars on the track issue is discussed. Already during the winter testing there were complains from drivers about the proposed ban on tyre warmers from 2009 season onwards. It would take few laps for cars to warm their cold tyres without the warmers and make them several seconds a lap slower than other cars on track. These few seconds were already described as potentially dangerous situation. The Q3 rules created situation where the difference between Heidfeld and Hamilton in Malaysia was perhaps half a minute per lap …
The upcoming tests by Bridgestone of several slick tyre compounds are set to address this issue with cold tyres warm up. Hirohide Hamashima, director of Bridgestone's motorsport tyre development:
"We are thinking about the compound range at the moment. We want to check our warm-up issue, because in the winter time we had a warm-up problem and many drivers complained about the warm-up of the tyre. It took too long and there was an imbalance, because the rears warmed up quickly. So after two or three laps, the fronts were cold and the rears were hot. So the rears got a little bit tired before the fronts came in, which made it difficult to drive."
I am wondering why is it necessary in the budget control days to spend the money on all this development and testing when cheaper solution called tyre warmers is readily available … What is wrong with them anyway ?


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Dec 04, 2012, 12:07 PM | |
Joined Jan 2011
14 Posts
First Purchase from Banana - FMS Skyraider
NOTE: Please read the entire thread for my day by day updates, but my verdict (pre-first flight) is that BH is a good company to order an inexpensive, but good quality, RC plane through. Not sure about all the neg press, considering what you get for the money. If you want hand-holding and someone at your fingertips - then support your LHS and build a relationship there. I cannot afford to pay $300+ for my first mid-sized park flyer - so this was a worthwhile purchase. Even if I swapped out all the electronics because they crapped out before the first flight or just got the vanilla kit and built it up with parts from my LHS - this plane was well worth the money. It looks great and feels solid - and for under $90 -with free shipping???? No brainer. I will update post-flight to report on the actual plane.
ALSO - please read this post before your maiden flight -- http://goo.gl/JvUQg The CG and how you try to take off will make or break this plane. ORIGINAL POST: OK - Kinda spooked by the haters on here, but I am not too worried about a little DIY repair if needed... Just ordered (Order #18113-121203) an FMS A1 Skyraider. First impressions... Good News: Price for this model with free shipping is great - lowest around and reviews all over the web say that this is a great little plane. The free shipping made me decide to buy here instead of from NitroPlanes. I really like their videos and the photos of their products are nice - I hope I get what I see in the pictures, if so I will be VERY pleased considering the cost. The Not-So-Good: I was not able to apply the Facebook Like 3% discount. Not a huge deal, but a bad customer experience on first purchase is kind of a bummer. This was an already good deal, so I won't fuss too much. I did put a note on my order that their promo code was rejected as expired and hope they offer to make good either through including an extra prop or servo or something to make it a wash - will see. I also asked if I could email a shipping label and ship it on my personal express shipping account (since they are eating the shipping cost as it is) - this would increase their margin as well as satisfy my impatient nature. I have not heard a response yet. Certainly not a deal breaker, but it would be a nice (and simple to implement) perk to help retain a customer... My big hope is that I get it by this weekend so I can get it in the air. Stay tuned. |
Dec 04, 2012, 07:49 PM | ||
Please note that the Facebook discount was applied to your order, which you should be able to see issued back into your account within 1 - 3 business days. In regards to us using the label from you, unfortunately, we are unable to do so. I do apologize for the inconveniences that this may have caused. When checking up on your order, your package should be delivered to you sometime next week. Best Regards, Nancy |
Dec 15, 2012, 01:13 AM | |
Joined Jan 2011
14 Posts
Found the answers on the forum...
http://goo.gl/JvUQg Hand launch is a no no. Got it. Will have to find a better park to fly in so I can get a good takeoff roll. I need to set the CG and make sure my battery is not sliding around. Takeoff needs to gradually throttle up and not be straight out full throttle since the plane design requires speed for lift - hand launched, poor CG and HIGH torque caused an immediate stall and nose dive roll. Banana Hobbies - good, FMS planes - good, Bobby as a pilot - BAD!!! |
Dec 20, 2012, 03:45 PM | ||
When I saw the hand launch part, that's where I went . Can't hand launch that aircraft. This is what I tell myself sometimes, "Epoxy fixes everything.". I say it's time for round 3. - Nancy |
May 08, 2013, 04:03 PM | |
Joined Jan 2011
14 Posts
Sorry for the late reply - I had a bunch of things going on and the plane has not been out of the closet since the last flight. I have to order some new props and re-glue the engine in - the last flight has knocked it off center and it is kind of loose in the nose. Now that the weather is beautiful - I plan to get back into the A1 cockpit.
Banana - I will need to double check, but to answer your questions. The battery is the stock as well as an extra battery that I ordered from you - I don't think it was a larger battery - I THINK they are identical. Placement - there is really not a lot of room under the cockpit, so I THINK i inserted it as far forward as it would slide towards the nose so that there was more room for the wires and ESC. If I didn't do that - the cockpit would not sit so that the magnet would hold it together. If you can PM me your email address - I will send you pictures of the off-angle motor as well as the way I have the wires situated. Thanks for your help in advance!!! |
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Cognitive impairments are prominent sequelae of prolonged continuous seizures (status epilepticus; SE) in humans and animal models. While often associated with dendritic injury, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. The mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) pathway is hyperactivated following SE. This pathway modulates learning and memory and is associated with regulation of neuronal, dendritic, and glial properties. Thus, in the present study we tested the hypothesis that SE-induced mTORC1 hyperactivation is a candidate mechanism underlying cognitive deficits and dendritic pathology seen following SE. We examined the effects of rapamycin, an mTORC1 inhibitor, on the early hippocampal-dependent spatial learning and memory deficits associated with an episode of pilocarpine-induced SE. Rapamycin-treated SE rats performed significantly better than the vehicle-treated rats in two spatial memory tasks, the Morris water maze and the novel object recognition test. At the molecular level, we found that the SE-induced increase in mTORC1 signaling was localized in neurons and microglia. Rapamycin decreased the SE-induced mTOR activation and attenuated microgliosis which was mostly localized within the CA1 area. These findings paralleled a reversal of the SE-induced decreases in dendritic Map2 and ion channels levels as well as improved dendritic branching and spine density in area CA1 following rapamycin treatment. Taken together, these findings suggest that mTORC1 hyperactivity contributes to early hippocampal-dependent spatial learning and memory deficits and dendritic dysregulation associated with SE.
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I'll never forget the evening, several years ago, when I was racing around the house getting ready for a party we were hosting. I barked orders at my family, did a lot of loud sighing and grumbling and generally made myself and everyone around my crazy as I prepared to welcome our guests. Once the doorbell rang, though, I was all smiles and as … [Read more...]
Hosting a Holiday Party!
17 Comments Filed Under: Good Ideas, Holiday Parties, Holidays, HomeTalk, Parties, Recipes Tagged With: cookie exchange, holiday parties, hometalk, hosting, parties, Wayfair


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Herbal therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia
Herbal supplements that may be used to relieve symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) include saw palmetto, beta-sitosterol, Pygeum africanum, and Cernilton.
Generally, the trials using these substances have been short, and self-improvement scores can be biased. Because different preparations are available for each substance and they are not always equivalent, the results cannot be generalized to all preparations, and results may vary.
Talk with your doctor before starting any herbal therapy.
Saw palmetto
Saw palmetto is made from the ripe berries of the plant Serenoa repens, the dwarf palm. The dwarf palm is a native plant in America.
Studies conflict on whether saw palmetto improves men's symptoms. In one study, men taking saw palmetto were no better than those who took a placebo.1
But one review of trials on different saw palmetto preparations report that more men rated their symptoms improved while using saw palmetto compared with a placebo.2 The reviews also report that:2
- Saw palmetto improved symptoms just as well as tamsulosin and finasteride.
- The risk of erection problems when using saw palmetto was less than that of finasteride.
See more information on saw palmetto.
Beta-sitosterol extract
Beta-sitosterol is an extract made from Hypoxis rooperi, the South African star grass.
One review of trials using beta-sitosterol reports that beta-sitosterol reduced the American Urological Association (AUA) symptom index more than a placebo did.2
See more information on beta-sitosterol.
Pygeum africanum
P. africanum extract is made from the bark of the African plum tree.
One review of 18 studies shows that P. africanum improved symptoms compared to a placebo. It also increased urine flow and decreased the amount of urine retained in the bladder.2 But these studies did not follow up for very long. The type of extract and how much was used was also different in each study, so the results are hard to compare.
Cernilton is an extract made from Secale cereale, or rye grass pollen.
In two studies, more men who took rye grass pollen said they had improved symptoms, compared to men who took a placebo.2 But both studies were small and had no long-term follow-up. Also, it was not known in either study how the extract was made or how much the men used.
Last Updated: March 24, 2008
Author: Monica Rhodes
Medical Review: E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine & Christopher G. Wood - Urology, Oncology


text:
The academic curriculum of St. Patrick's Seminary & University teaches Roman Catholic theology from an integrated perspective. The primary goal of the curriculum is to help students bring together all aspects of their formation with a view to readiness for pastoral ministry in the Church. Thus, all of the theological courses incorporate the following themes:
- The Church as the people of God;
- The Church as a community of Word and Sacrament, with special emphasis on the Eucharist;
- The role of the priest as minister of Word and Sacrament;
- The prophetic call to social justice and its implications for contemporary living;
- Ecumenism and the promotion of understanding of and respect for other faiths;
- The importance of family life and the dignity of the human person as a basis for society;
- The implications of living in a multicultural Church and world.
These seven themes, which apply in all dimensions of the curriculum, are interwoven throughout the students' theological studies in order to provide a vision of the future and to help form priests with a truly "catholic" vision of the world.


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The Page of Wands: The Pony Express
The Page of Wands is associated with the zodiac fire signs of Aries (determination), Leo (ready to be on the go with a moment's notice) and Sagittarius (the explorer that loves to travel).
The Page represents the Prince, the youngest of the Royal Court in the Tarot. He is growing into his role, as the messenger and this is the reason he is connected to all the zodiac fire signs, because he is still learning his role.
The Page of Wands is numerated eleven. The number eleven represents completion and beginning with a situation. I feel that you should expect a message within 1 to 11 days when the Page of Wands comes out in a reading.
The Page is on a mission and he is the deliverer of messages. I named the Page of Wands the "Pony Express," he delivers news to you, good or bad. The Page will follow through with his job to deliver news swiftly. He represents the young "Indian Warrior" that wants to obtain another red feather to add to his collection of the brave acts that he has performed.
The Page of Wands is a loyal and trusted friend who is devoted to your best interests and welfare in the upright position. The Page is still young and learning, his personality shifts like the wind changes direction. The Page is the restless traveler who loves to explore new places and gets bored easily. He has excessive energy that pulls him in new directions all the time and is always ready to take on a new job.
However, when the Page comes out in the reverse position, he is edgy, clever, direct and outspoken. You cannot trust him because he can be unwelcome trouble. He still wants to obtain more red feathers, and he will go out of his way to get them. He wants to gain personal success, and he has ulterior motives.
In the reverse position, he becomes the challenging Page, known as the spy who holds secrets and ulterior motives. He is waiting to reveal a message to someone, and he will be frank with his words! Remember, he is the "Pony Express," the deliverer of both good and bad news. The Page represents the box of chocolates of life that Forest Gump talked about. And Forest always said, "You never know what you are gonna get."
In the reversed position, he moves rapidly to deliver his messages. He may suddenly bring out the truth, very unpleasantly with a warning about something that you are overlooking, or he may bring unwelcome news about a situation that you do not want to hear about.
In the reversed position, the Page is also connected to gossip and represents a person who will confront you or bring unwelcome tidings that will infuriate you. The Page is gifted with insight by virtue of his strong creativity and he will turn things to his advantage because he is sly and has ulterior motives.
In the reversed position, he is never at a loss with his fluent communication skills and is still learning how to follow through with his ideas and goals. Young and still testing the waters, he will cause more trouble than he solves, but he does not see it that way. When this card comes out in a reading, it usually means you are going to receive objectionable news.
Ralf Kraft | Dreamstime.com
Unexpected News
The Page Represents The Box Of Chocolates Of Life That Forest Gump Talked About.
And Forest Always Said, "You Never Know What You Are Gonna Get!"
With Love and Joy,
© Safina 2012
Hi Safina, after sending me " The Poney Express" card i had a message of apology from my daughter. How right the card is and what you said. Cheers Shirley.
Like or Dislike: 0 0
Hi Safina,
I started doing my own tarot in the last 2-3 months. Today I did a relationship spread for questions about a man I have been involved with hoping for guidance as to where this situation might head. In the position I know as defining "Outcome for him if following this course" I couldn't understand the meaning so I drew several cards. The cards that came out in order were: Page of wands, Page of cups, King of cups, Knight of cups and then The Lovers. I feel this is a strong meaning but I can't figure it out. Any thoughts..?
Regards, Loz.
Like or Dislike: 0 0
Thanks Safina!
He is overseas for 2 weeks and I'm hoping to hear from him. He is working through past heartbreak too.
I use the Queen of Cups as my signifier. I've done a few similar questions related to the matter and the cards repeat along with Knight of Wands, King of Swords and also The World and occasionally 2 of Cups and Ace of Wands. I'm drawing up to 10 Major Arcana and Court Cards in a row some times from a full deck. There's just so much yet to learn!
Thanks for your reply and your blog, it's giving me a lot of different information I haven't read before:)
Like or Dislike: 0 0
Login to Lotus Tarot Live (LTL) to comment.
(This is not the same as your free Lotus Tarot Online Readings account or your membership! If you don't have an LTL user account, you can register one for free here in about 15 seconds!)


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Lemon Berry Tart
From Redbook
Celebrate Passover with this lemon berry tart. Matzo cake meal is the base for the crust, which is filled with a creamy lemon filling.
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Nutritional Information
(per serving)
Calories | 361 |
Total Fat | 22g |
Saturated Fat | -- |
Cholesterol | -- |
Sodium | -- |
Total Carbohydrate | 38g |
Dietary Fiber | -- |
Sugars | -- |
Protein | 7g |
Calcium | -- |
Rita Maas
Serves: 10
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 10 min
Oven Temp: 375
U.S. | Metric | Conversion chart |
- 3/4 cup(s) matzo cake meal
- 1/4 cup(s) sugar
- 2 tablespoon(s) potato starch
- 1/4 teaspoon(s) kosher salt
- 1/2 cup(s) (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
- 1 large egg yolk, beaten with 3 tablespoons ice water
- 1/2 cup(s) lemon juice
- 6 large eggs
- 1 cup(s) sugar
- 1/2 cup(s) (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
- 1 tablespoon(s) grated lemon zest
Topping (optional)
- 1.5 cup(s) mixed berries
- Passover confectioners' sugar
- Crust: Butter the bottom of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. In a food processor, pulse cake meal, sugar, potato starch, and salt until blended. Add butter; pulse until coarse crumbs form. Drizzle yolk mixture over crumbs; process until dough clumps together. With fingers, press dough onto bottom and up sides of prepared pan. Prick bottom of dough in a few places with a fork; place in freezer 20 minutes.
- Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Line tart shell snugly with nonstick foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and weights; bake 12 minutes longer, or until crust is golden brown. Let cool.
- Filling: In a medium saucepan over low heat, whisk together lemon juice, eggs, and sugar until well blended. Cook, stirring constantly with a heat-proof rubber spatula, 5 minutes or until mixture is hot. Whisk in butter, a few pieces at a time, until just melted and fully incorporated. Continue to cook, stirring constantly and scraping bottom of pan with rubber spatula, 3 to 5 minutes or until filling is thick and smooth (do not let mixture boil). Scrape filling through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Stir in lemon zest. Pour filling into tart shell and smooth top. Bake until filling is set, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool tart in pan on a wire rack. (Can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated.)
- Just before serving, top with berries and lightly dust with Passover confectioners' sugar, if desired.
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An intense drama on the portrayal of brotherhood. BROTHERS depicts the mistrust and feud between two brothers through the eyes of an investigating police officer. Despite their close relationship, Yiu and Shun were separated at a young age due to a decision made by their father. Years later they meet again when the family runs into crisis where Yiu, inspired by his father's last words, manipulates a series of setups which endangers Shun's life, so as to achieve his goal. Click here to list more Andy Lau's DVD titles |
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Please watch, very short. From US Politics | AMERICAblog News: This man is having none of Romney's bullying:
Category Archives: Human Rights
He's Not White (video) – updated
That's what this ad really says. Look at the ad with the sound off, and you'll see it.
Stunning, an ad with a doctored audio in it that makes it seem Obama said something that he didn't, and then the ad goes on with people saying "I can't believe he just said that."
He didn't say it, it's a lie.
PS We're not allowed to know which billionaire, company or country paid for this ad, by the way.
Update – Ed Kilgore, Washington Monthly Political Animal, Return of the Scary Black Man,
Looking at the particular Crossroads ad Chait's talking about, it is striking that all the "small business owners" who are reacting with horror to the highly edited Obama excerpts are white, and are watching him on what appears to be an iPad—like you'd watch some scary figure—maybe a criminal—in a distant news event. One through gritted teeth growls that she "worked—for—every—thing—we've—gotten"—a sentiment you hear often from middle-class retirees as well as "job creators."
The Psychopathic Right
Wanna guess how the right is reacting to the news of the atrocity committed by a soldier in Afghanistan, even killing children? Do you even need to ask?
Go read Little Green Footballs – Fox News Commenters React to Afghan Killings: 'A Dead Muslim Is a Good Muslim',
I've looked at about a dozen right wing sites this morning to see how they'd react to the news from Afghanistan, and the comments at every single one of them were full of people celebrating the killings, praising the soldier who allegedly committed them, and denying there was any crime, while at the same time frantically trying to blame the crime on President Obama.
Seriously, click through and read what they're saying. These are the people who might be in charge after the election.
These People Are Just Nuts
The latest right-wing frenzy is over a film of Barack Obama as a student giving a speech in favor of racial diversity in universities, and then hugging Derrick Bell, who was the first black law professor at Harvard. At the time Obama has been elected President of Harvard Law Review – the first black person in that position.
That's it. They are saying that advocating racial diversity is "Marxist" and that being the first black law professor proves the guy is a "radical." They say that letting a black guy be a law professor is "demonizing whites." They say that Obama advocating racial diversity reveals "another corner of the president's murky past," and proves that "Obama is not so secretly a radical."
That's it. He was the first black law professor at Harvard, therefore he is a "Marxist" and a "radical." Because Harvard is such a "radical" institution, I guess. Even though it didn't hire any black law professors before the 90s.
China Is Very "Business-Friendly"
China is very, very "business-friendly." Corporate conservatives lecture us that we should be more "business-friendly," in order to "compete" with China. They say we need to cut wages and benefits, work longer hours, get rid of overtime and sick pay — even lunch breaks. They say we should shed unions, get rid of environmental and safety regulations, gut government services, and especially, especially, especially we should cut taxes. But America can never be "business-friendly" enough to compete with China, and here is why.
Workers In Dormatories, 12 To A Room, Rousted At Midnight
China is very, very "business friendly." Recent stories about Apple's manufacturing contractors have started to reveal just how "business-friendly" China is. Recently the NY Times' Charles Duhigg and Keith Bradsher exposed the conditions of workers at Apple's Chinese suppliers, in How the U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Work. They describe how China's massive government subsidies and exploitation of workers mean, as Steve Jobs told President Obama, "Those jobs aren't coming back."
One former executive described how the company relied upon a Chinese factory to revamp iPhone manufacturing just weeks before the device was due on shelves. … New screens began arriving at the plant near midnight.
A foreman immediately roused 8,000 workers inside the company's dormitories, according to the executive. Each employee was given a biscuit and a cup of tea, guided to a workstation and within half an hour started a 12-hour shift fitting glass screens into beveled frames. Within 96 hours, the plant was producing over 10,000 iPhones a day.
"The speed and flexibility is breathtaking," the executive said. "There's no American plant that can match that."
Right. No American plant can roust workers out of nearby dorms at midnight to force them onto a 12-hour shift. And the corporate conservatives criticize America for this, not China, saying we are not "business-friendly" enough to compete. This is because we are a place where We, the People still have at least some say in how things are done. (Don't we?) Later in the story,
The first truckloads of cut glass arrived at Foxconn City in the dead of night, according to the former Apple executive. That's when managers woke thousands of workers, who crawled into their uniforms — white and black shirts for men, red for women — and quickly lined up to assemble, by hand, the phones.
"Business-friendly" = living 12 to a room in dorms, rousted out of bed at midnight for 12-hour shifts, working in a plant paid for by the government, using a neurotoxin cleaner that harms people but enables more production for companies like Apple.
Forced Labor Is The Real "Business-Friendly"
Arun Gupta at AlterNet, in iEmpire: Apple's Sordid Business Practices Are Even Worse Than You Think, writes,
Researchers with the Hong Kong-based Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM) say that legions of vocational and university students, some as young as 16, are forced to take months'-long "internships" in Foxconn's mainland China factories assembling Apple products. The details of the internship program paint a far more disturbing picture than the Times does of how Foxconn, "the Chinese hell factory," treats its workers, relying on public humiliation, military discipline, forced labor and physical abuse as management tools to hold down costs and extract maximum profits for Apple.
… Foxconn and Apple depend on tax breaks, repression of labor, subsidies and Chinese government aid, including housing, infrastructure, transportation and recruitment, to fatten their corporate treasuries. As the students function as seasonal employees to meet increased demand for new product rollouts, Apple is directly dependent on forced labor.
… The use of hundreds of thousands of students is one way in which China's state regulates labor in the interests of Foxconn and Apple. Other measures include banning independent unions and enforcing a household registration system that denies migrants social services and many political rights once they leave their home region, ensuring they can be easily exploited. In Shenzhen about 85 percent of the 14 million residents are migrants. Migrants work on average 286 hours a month and earn less than 60 percent of what urban workers make. Half of migrants are owed back wages and only one in 10 has health insurance. They are socially marginalized, live in extremely crowded and unsanitary conditions, perform the most dangerous and deadly jobs, and are more vulnerable to crime.
Please read the entire AlterNet piece, iEmpire: Apple's Sordid Business Practices Are Even Worse Than You Think. These things are not "costs" that we can compete with by lowering our wages, these things are something else.
Not JUST Low Taxes — Massive Government Subsidies
These stories also describe how the Chinese government massively subsidizes these operations, assists their low-wage labor-recruitment schemes, and looks the other way at violations of labor and trade policies. The Chinese government is very "business-friendly." They hand money to businesses so they are much more able to "compete." They are so friendly to business that they even own many businesses.
Trade Secret Theft
Another area where China has very "business-friendly" policies is when their own businesses steal from non-Chinese businesses. This NY Times story, U.S. to Share Cautionary Tale of Trade Secret Theft With Chinese Official details just one case of the "unbelievably endemic" problem of Chinese theft of "intellectual property" — the trade secrets that keep businesses competitive. In this case China's Sinovel sole the software that ran an American company's products, and immediately cancelled their orders for those products because they could now make them in China:
Last March, China's Sinovel, the world's second largest wind turbine manufacturer, abruptly refused shipments of American Superconductor's wind turbine electrical systems and control software. The blow was devastating; Sinovel provided more than 70 percent of the firm's revenues.
… Last summer, evidence emerged that Sinovel had promised $1.5 million to Dejan Karabasevic, a Serbian employee of American Superconductor in Austria.
If you steal the ideas, processes, techniques, expertise, plans, designs, software and the other things that give companies a competitive edge, then you don't have to pay them and you can just make the things yourself. When you get in bed with a very "business-friendly" country, you might find that they are more friendly to their own businesses. Because they consider themselves to be a country with a national strategy, not a self-balancing, self-regulating "market."
Trade Deficit Drains Our Economy
As a result of our ideological blindness, refusing to understand China's game, we have a massive trade deficit with them. This means hundreds of billions of dollars are drained from our economy, year after year. And to make up for this we borrow from them in order to keep buying from them. But this does not cause their currency to strengthen in the "markets" because China loves this game the way it is going, and intervenes against the markets to keep their currency low. And so it continues, year after year. We believe in "markets" they believe in rigging markets so they come out ahead…
Markets Can't "Compete" With This
Corporate conservatives tell us we need to be more "business-friendly" to "compete" with China. But at the same time Steve Jobs was being a realist when he said "the jobs are never coming back" because he understood that the current political climate, controlled by a wealthy few who benefit from China's "business-friendly" policies will not let us fight this. Why should these companies bring jobs back here, when over there they can roust thousands from dorms at midnight and make them use toxic chemicals for 12 hours a day for very low pay to make iPhone screens that he can sell at fantastically high prices? Why should they, unless We, the People tell them they can't do that to people, and that we won't let them profit from it?
As long as we continue to think that this is about "markets" competing, we will lose. China sees itself as a nation, and they have a national strategy to continue to be so "business-friendly" that our businesses can't compete. Our leaders and corporations may have "moved on" past this quaint nation thing but China has not.
We, The People Need To Act To Fix This
As long as we continue to send our companies out there alone against national economic strategies that engage entire national systems utilizing the resources of nations, our companies will lose. But the executives at those companies are currently getting very rich now from these schemes, so what happens in the future is not their problem. Maybe the companies they manage won't be around later, but that is not their problem. Others are concerned, but are forced to play the game because no one can compete with national systems like China's.
When everyone is in a position where something isn't their problem, or where they can't do anything about it on their own, it means this is a larger problem, and this is where government — We, the People — needs to get involved. It is our problem but we have been convinced that we — government — shouldn't interfere, or "protect" our industries, because "the markets" don't like "government" — We, the People — butting in. This is a very convenient viewpoint for few who are geting very, very wealthy at the expense of the rest of us.
We Need A Plan
In U.S. must end China's rulers' free pass at Politico, AAM's Scott Paul writes, Read it, read it, read it!)
We shouldn't fear China's citizens. But we should be worried about the actions of its authoritarian — and, yes, still communist — regime that tightly controls the People's Republic. And we should be downright terrified by some of our own leaders' attitudes toward China.
… China is not merely the key U.S. supplier of cheap toys, clothing and electronics: Its government is also one of our foreign financiers. China achieved this status by defying the free market and its international obligations toward more open trade and investment.
[. . .] History didn't do in the Soviet Union. A sustained and aggressive strategy did. China engaged our business and political elites — and seduced them into believing these policies were no longer necessary.
… There has been no strategy, no effort to prevail economically.
… No one is suggesting that China is an enemy and we should just update our Cold War strategies. No one can accurately define what China's intentions are in terms of foreign policy or defense. But on the economic front, the lessons of the past are instructive: We need a plan.
We need a plan. We need to understand that China is not competing with us in "markets' they are competing with us as a nation. We need a national economic/industrial strategy that understands the urgent need to fight as a country to win the industries of the future.
It's not just price, it is things a democracy cannot allow. We can't ever be "business-friendly" ENOUGH. We have to do something else. We have to understand that We, the People — the 99% — are in a real fight here to keep our democracy, or we will lose what is left of it.
Democracy Is The Best Economics
When people have a say they demand good wages, benefits, reasonable working conditions, a clean environment, workplace safety and dignity on the job. We need more of that, not less of that. We must demand that goods made in places where people who do not have a say do not have a competitive advantage over goods made in places where people do have a say. And we must demand that those places give their people a say.
As long as we let democracy be a competitive disadvantage, We, the People will lose.
This post originally appeared at Campaign for America's Future (CAF) at their Blog for OurFuture. I am a Fellow with CAF.
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Gotta Watch This, A Republican Talks About Gay Marriage
Here is a hero. Watch WA State Rep. Maureen Walsh:
Democracy V. Plutocracy, Unions V. Servitude
Servitude: "a condition in which one lacks liberty especially to determine one's course of action or way of life"
Democracy: "a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections"
Plutocracy: government by the wealthy
Labor union: an organization of workers formed for the purpose of advancing its members' interests in respect to wages, benefits, and working conditions
You may have seen the recent flurry of stories about how hi-tech products are made in China. The stories focus on Apple, but it isn't just Apple. These stories of exploited Chinese workers are also the story of how and why we — 99% of us, anyway — are all feeling such a squeeze here, because we are suffering the disappearance of our middle class. Our choice is democracy or servitude.
Working In China
A collection of excerpts from the Charles Duhigg and David Barboza story, Human Costs Are Built Into an iPad and the Charles Duhigg and Keith Bradsher story, How the U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Work both from the NY Times:
Rousted from dorms at midnight, told to work:
Apple had redesigned the iPhone's screen at the last minute, forcing an assembly line overhaul. New screens began arriving at the plant near midnight.
A foreman immediately roused 8,000 workers inside the company's dormitories, according to the executive. Each employee was given a biscuit and a cup of tea, guided to a workstation and within half an hour started a 12-hour shift fitting glass screens into beveled frames. Within 96 hours, the plant was producing over 10,000 iPhones a day.
"Work hard on the job today or work hard to find a job tomorrow."
Banners on the walls warned the 120,000 employees: "Work hard on the job today or work hard to find a job tomorrow."
(How close is that to the very definition of servitude?)
Long shifts, legs swollen from standing:
Shifts ran 24 hours a day, and the factory was always bright. At any moment, there were thousands of workers standing on assembly lines or sitting in backless chairs, crouching next to large machinery, or jogging between loading bays. Some workers' legs swelled so much they waddled. "It's hard to stand all day," said Zhao Sheng, a plant worker.
Write confessions if late:
Mr. Lai was soon spending 12 hours a day, six days a week inside the factory, according to his paychecks. Employees who arrived late were sometimes required to write confession letters and copy quotations. There were "continuous shifts," when workers were told to work two stretches in a row, according to interviews.
Injuries from speed-up toxics:
Investigations by news organizations revealed that over a hundred employees had been injured by n-hexane, a toxic chemical that can cause nerve damage and paralysis.
Employees said they had been ordered to use n-hexane to clean iPhone screens because it evaporated almost three times as fast as rubbing alcohol. Faster evaporation meant workers could clean more screens each minute.
American companies forcing Asian suppliers to squeeze workers:
"You can set all the rules you want, but they're meaningless if you don't give suppliers enough profit to treat workers well," said one former Apple executive with firsthand knowledge of the supplier responsibility group. "If you squeeze margins, you're forcing them to cut safety."
The Results For The 1%
A series of recent newspaper headlines tells the story of how China's working conditions benefit the 1% here.
NYT: Apple's Profit Soars
CBS Moneywatch: Apple shares close at record high
SF Chronicle: Apple CEO's Stock Awards Lift Compensation to $378 Million
ZDNet: Apple: made in China, untaxed profits kept offshore. We don't even get to tax the profits from moving our jobs to China, to use for schools, roads, police, etc.
The Results For The 99%
Headlines like these show how things are going better and better for the 1%. But what happened to our middle-class prosperity? We allowed companies to move jobs and factories across the borders of democracy to places where workers are exploited, calling that "trade." This enabled the breaking of unions and the weakening of our democracy.
The threat is in the air: "Shut up and take the wage cuts or we will move your job to China." How is that threat used on us? Here is an example: We have heard the stories of Mitt Romney's company Bain Capital, and how it "earned" its millions. According to the Christian Science Monitor, this is the story of what happened when a Bain-owned company "came to town":
The new owner, American Pad & Paper, owned in turn by Bain Capital, told all 258 union workers they were fired, in a cost-cutting move. Security guards hustled them out of the building. They would be able to reapply for their jobs, at lesser wages and benefits, but not all would be rehired.
Workers in countries like China where people have no say have low wages, terrible working conditions, long hours, and are told to shut up and take it or they won[t have any job at all. They are given no choice.
Increasingly workers here have their wages, hours, benefits, dignity cut and are told to shut up and take it or their jobs will be moved to China. Because we are pitted against exploited workers in countries where people have no say, we have no choice.
The unions are weakened, the government doesn't enforce or weakly enforces labor laws and regulations, age, gender or race discrimination laws, worker safety laws, so workers are placed in a terrible squeeze. Workers who try to organize unions are isolated, moved, smeared, fired, humiliated, whatever it takes.
This quote by Steve Jobs is from How the U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Work,
Not long ago, Apple boasted that its products were made in America. Today, few are. Almost all of the 70 million iPhones, 30 million iPads and 59 million other products Apple sold last year were manufactured overseas.
Why can't that work come home? Mr. Obama asked.
Mr. Jobs's reply was unambiguous. "Those jobs aren't coming back," he said, according to another dinner guest.
Democracy Brought Us Prosperity
We used to be a democracy, where everyone used to have a say in things. Because we had a say we built up a country with good schools, good infrastructure, good courts, and we made rules that said workers had to be safe, get a minimum wage, overtime, weekends… we protected the environment, we set up Social Security. We took care of each other. This made us prosperous. A share of the prosperity for the 99% was the fruit of democracy.
China, on the other hand, is not a democracy, and workers in China don't really have a say. So they don't make much money, they don't have good working conditions, the environment isn't protected, etc.
We Used To Protect Democracy
We used to protect our democracy. We used to put a tariff on goods coming in if they were made by people who didn't have the ability to speak up and better their condition. We'd let the goods in but we would use a tariff to strengthen our country, our infrastructure, our schools – our democracy. This brought us prosperity.
For some reason, we started letting our companies move our factories over there, forcing our workers to compete with workers who have no say. We got tricked, by people who call that "trade," and said it would be good for us. (Like cutting taxes for the wealthy "job creators" is good for us.)
We opened the borders and let the big companies move the jobs, factories and industries over the border of our democracy, to places where workers don't have a say, so they are exploited. And the result was the big corporations were able to come back and cut our pay, and get rid of our pensions, and tell us, "take it, shut up, or we will move your job, too." We made the wages and working and conditions and environmental protections prosperity that democracy brings into a cost. We turned ourselves into a cost. We made democracy a competitive disadvantage.
Plutocrats Say Shed Benefits Of Democracy
Plutocrats say we need to shed the benefits of democracy and become more like China if we want to compete. They say get rid of regulations, employee protections, environmental protections, good wages, benefits like pensions and time off, etc… They say that We, the People (government) "get in the way of doing business." They say the taxes that pay for good infrastructure and schools and police and courts and services like Social Security and care for the disabled and health care for children "take money out of the economy" but they mean these take some of the money that they have been taking from the economy.
Democracy Is The Best Economics
Look at the primary target of the corporate/conservatives: unions. That should tell you something. This is a power confrontation. This is the power of the 1% overcoming the power of the 99%.
Democracy is the power of the 99% to make the decisions, and to build structures that protect us from exploitation by the wealthy and powerful. This confrontation is the story of the origin of our country — how We, the People confronted the power and corruption of the British aristocracy, overcame that power, and built a country of, by and for the people.
Democracy and the taxes it enabled us to ask from the wealthiest is what enabled us to build the infrastructure and schools and everything that enabled our prosperity. The regulations of democracy are what enable our smaller businesses to compete with the giants. The shared prosperity — redistribution of wealth — is what enabled the middle class to grow, and turned us into the most prosperous country and largest market in the world.
Unions are about building up the power of groups of people, to confront and overcome the advantages of wealth and the power wealth brings to a few. When a union is strong enough to be able to confront the power of big corporations the result is that the 99% get a share of the pie. When unions are strong we all get better wages and better working conditions and a say in how we are treated, whether we are in unions or not. The benefits flow to the rest of the economy.
It would be nice if our system worked well enough that we didn't need to organize unions on top of the structure of laws and regulations, but it is just the fact of life that the wealthy and powerful and their corporations have throughout our history been able to exert tremendous influence over legislative bodies, again and again. So to fight that working people organize and build these organized unions of people, and leverage that power of the group to demand wages and benefits and weekends and a share of the prosperity. The story of the power confrontation between unions of working people (99%) and the large corporations (1%) is the story of how we built a middle class that brought us the prosperity we enjoyed.
It is not just a coincidence that the weakening of the unions coincides with the decline of the middle class. It is not just a coincidence that the current rise of the plutocrats brings in a swarm of anti-union legislation. It is not just a coincidence that the times when our democracy is strongest we all do so much better. And now, when our demcoracy has been weakened by the money and power of the 1% and their corporations, the rest of us are so much worse off.
Not US v. China
This is not about US workers and markets vs China. Working people in all countries are at risk when their countries trade with countries where workers are exploited. China's huge trade imbalance is threatening the world's economy. The loss of manufacturing to countries that exploit workers is threatening workers in many countries.
The US market is still large, and the US can still demand that imported goods be made according to better standards for workers. The rest of the world can also demand that China's workers be brought up to international standards. And we can certainly hold companies like Apple accountable, and demand that they only buy from suppliers that treat and pay workers according to international standards, because allowing companies to cheat, exploit workers and commit fraud drives the good companies out of business.
This is not about taking jobs back from Chinese workers! This is about demanding they be paid fairly and given a say in their workplaces! This is about not exploiting people there or here!
Trade can be an upward spiral, rather than a lever for exploitation of the 99% by the 1%. If Chinese workers are given a say and paid fairly then they can buy things we make and we can keep buying things they make.
Unions = Democracy = Middle Class = Shared Prosperity
Jon Stewart explains:
This post originally appeared at Campaign for America's Future (CAF) at their Blog for OurFuture. I am a Fellow with CAF.
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Don't You Let Nobody Turn You Around
Read how working people in Europe are treated. No wonder Republicans dread "European-style" government! Human rights, dignity, decent working conditions, health care… Daily Kos: Musings of a housekeeper in Belgium
Homo for the Holidays – "Born this Way"
Just wow:
Why No Right To A Job?
This post originally appeared at Campaign for America's Future (CAF) at their Blog for OurFuture. I am a Fellow with CAF.
Note: See also Isaiah Poole's We Need An Unemployed People's Campaign
Why don't we all have a right to a job? Who is our country and our economy for? The first three words of our Constitution provide us with a hint: "We, the People."
There are millions of people out of work and millions of jobs that need doing. The jobs that need doing pay for themselves because they make our economy more competitive, like modernizing our infrastructure and improving the energy efficiency of buildings.
Millions Of People Out Of Work
Here is The Chart (from Calculated Risk.)
The following two charts are from this analysis. They are unemployed over 26 weeks and part time for economic reasons (underemployed)
Millions Of Jobs That Need Doing
Since the Reagan-era tax cuts caused us to defer maintaining out infrastructure we have fallen behind much of the world in economic competitiveness. Modernizing ports, roads, rail, airports, Internet, wireless, water, sewer, schools… Retrofitting buildings and homes to be energy efficient would save us from buying so much oil from the Middle East. So would building wind, solar, electric car charging stations, efficient power grids, etc.
Meanwhile our economic competitors, countries like China and Germany and India, have been investing in their people and building modern infrastructure like crazy. Other countries are investing, educating, improving public services because they know these things make the economy explode later, paying dividends for decades.
The Right To A Job
Robert Borosage wrote this week about the 67th anniversary of FDR's Second Bill of Rights,
How does America dig out of the hole we are in? Surely the focus must be on first principles: how do we recreate an economy that works for working people? With the right talking about a return to the principles of the Constitution, it is worth remembering how Americans thought about first principles coming out of the last great economic calamity.
Among the rights FDR proposed: "The right to a useful and remunerative job…"
Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
"If a man doesn't have a job or an income, he has neither life nor liberty nor the possibility for the pursuit of happiness. He merely exists."
"If a man doesn't have a job or an income he has neither life nor liberty nor the possibility for the pursuit of happiness, he merely exists." "All labor has dignity." "It is a crime for people to live in this rich nation and receive starvation wages." "… bridge the gulf between the haves and the have nots .. we now have the techniques and the resources to get rid of poverty."
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Republicans Filibustered DREAM Act!
Republicans successfully filibustered the DREAM Act.
DREAM Act Fails in Senate, 55 to 41