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Issue 288
LLM trips
In November 2005, the Centre for Human Rights began investigating the possibility of a third destination for the LLM field trip. The reasons for increasing the number of field trip destinations to include Somaliland include the following:
• Somaliland is a state in the making; it would be ideal for students on the programme to have a first hand experience of this.
• Somaliland is being rebuilt after many years of conflict during which time it experienced serious human rights violation including the killing of thousands of people and devastation of its infrastructure.
• The field trip to Somaliland would be ideal for the students on the LLM programme because it would expose them to the democratisation efforts of a small African country, which is trying to make progress with very little external assistance (self-sustainability is a theme that features regularly in contemporary discourse on human rights and democratisation in Sub-Saharan Africa).
• Somaliland is not very well known. Although it has been seeking international recognition for many years, no country has yet given it formal recognition. The students would therefore familiarise themselves with the efforts that are being made in this regard and this is likely to hone their advocacy skills as human rights lawyers.
• The field trip to Somaliland would enable the students to visit various institutions of government, national NGOs, academic institutions and allow the students to interact with ordinary Somalilanders.
Based on the above reasons a familiarisation visit to Somaliland took place from 7 to 12 January 2006. The two members of staff were Norman Taku (Assistant Director of the Centre for Human Rights) and Martin Nsibirwa (Programme Manager of the LLM Programme).
In the planning stages for this visit the team met Dr Iqbal Jhazbhay, lecturer at the University of South Africa. Dr Jhazbhay briefed us on Somaliland, especially on efforts for Somaliland to get international recognition. He provided us with literature about Somaliland and, thereafter, he was very instrumental in ensuring that our arrangements for the trip went ahead very well. He contacted individuals and organisations on our behalf and helped with practical matters such as visas. His assistance proved invaluable.
Mr Boobe Yusuf Duale , Programme Coordinator at APD, was responsible for finalising our schedule during our stay in Somaliland. He organised all the meetings and went with us to some of the meetings.
Mr Ali, Senior researcher at APD, was our guide and provided us with excellent in-depth analysis of Somaliland. The APD is a dynamic, well-respected and prominent NGO based in Hargeisa, which conducts research into various aspects of Somaliland including its economy and politics. APD coordinates similar efforts by smaller organisations and many of its senior staff are closely associated with the liberation movement and the efforts at national reconciliation and reconstruction.
In view of the fact that the main organiser of our trip was the APD, we visited their offices on a number of occasions. We met the Director of APD and most of the staff members. Their level of organisation and the facilities that they have and the research that they have carried out particularly impressed us. The APD struck us as a very influential organisation in Somaliland due to the work that it was doing for the country. We also had an opportunity to watch a number of videos at the APD offices and these included the political history of Somaliland and the economic life of the country.
These videos also gave us an insight into the life outside Hargeisa and the APD were kind enough to make copies of these videos to bring back to South Africa. They also gave us some books, which we intend to share with students and others who would be interested in learning more about Somaliland.
Honourable Mr Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and two deputies told us about the work of the House of Representatives, which like most public institutions in Somaliland, functions with very little funding.
Meeting the speaker of Parliament (centre) and his two deputies (extreme left and right)
We met with the Honourable Mr Sheikh Ahmed Nuh, Deputy Speaker of the House of Elders, Heads of Committees and other elders . They told us about the role that the elders had played in bringing about peace in Somaliland. They also took us around the building that houses the Parliament. Some of the elders also said that they had been to South Africa and invited us for dinner where they told us about their experiences when they visited South Africa and the support that South Africa has shown for Somaliland's recognition as a state.
Some members of the House of Elders posing for a photo with us
We met Mrs Edna Adan Ismael, Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs . Mrs Adan told us about the difficulties that Somaliland had gone through in an effort to gain recognition and the devastation that it had suffered during the civil war the preceded its declaration of sovereignty. Mrs Adan also explained that Somaliland had always existed as an entity and the formal agreements of union with Somalia had never been properly concluded and that there was no doubt that Somaliland deserved to be recognised as a state.
Meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mrs Edna Adan (second from left) and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (far left)
Mr Ismail Adam, Minister of Interior, met us briefly despite his busy schedule. The Minister was, receptive of our efforts and indicated that he would be willing to help if at all necessary.
We had the privilege to visit the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital built by Mrs Edna Adan (Minister of Foreign Affairs) who is also a qualified nurse and midwife, and retired from international civil service. She used her pension from the United Nations to fund the building of the hospital, which was her childhood dream. Its size, cleanliness and the professionalism of staff were very impressive. We also spent time with Mrs Adan, who lives in the hospital, and watched a video showing the devastation of Hargeisa during the war that led to the downfall of the former president of Somalia Mohammed Siad Barre.
The Edna Adan Maternity Hospital
Mr Hussein Ali Duale, Minister of Finance, welcomed us at his house due to a bout of flu where we also had the opportunity to meet the Chief of Police. We spent a considerable amount of time with the Minister during which he shared with us some of the history of Somaliland. The Minister also indicated that even though Somaliland was not recognised and was therefore unable to borrow money from international lending institutions, it was nevertheless trying to do its best to make ends meet within the limited budget that it has. His vast experience as former ambassador for Somalia is clearly an asset to the current government of Somaliland.
Meeting with the Minister of Finance Mr Hussein Ali Duale (second from left)
Mr Rashid Sheikh Abdillahi, Chairman of the War Crimes Committee, and other staff exposed to us the war crimes that had been committed in Somaliland and the efforts that were underway to have proper records (including the involvement of the United Nations in forensic tests) and reburials of those who had been killed. The staff also arranged for us to visit mass graves within Hargeisa.
Some human remains at one of the sites where killings took place
We visited the University of Hargeisa where we met the Rector, Vice Rector, Dean of the Faculty of Law and other staff members. We had a long meeting with them exploring possible avenues of cooperation through the African Human Rights Moot Court Competition by having members of staff attend some of the short courses offered by the Centre for Human Rights and in sending students to study on the LLM programme. We also agreed that the University of Hargeisa would be the coordinating institution in the April field trip by LLM students during which opportunity for students from both universities to interact formally and informally.
The following people attended the meeting:
Mr Abdi Haybe Elmi (Vice Chancellor, University of Hargeisa) email: firstname.lastname@example.com
We were very well received at the Commission where we met two Commissioners of the Electoral Commission. Our visit exposed us to the work experience and challenges of the Commission, which has successfully organised three elections (National, parliamentary and local). We also learnt about the involvement of the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa in helping Somaliland hold its elections.
Coordinated by Mrs Su'Ad Ibrahim, a Researcher at APD and held at the APD offices, we met a cross section of the NGOs including œ Network for Peace and Governance œ Somaliland Human Rights Network œ Somaliland National Youth Umbrella œ Committee of Concerned Women. They told us about their work and the important role that NGOs are playing in complementing the government departments. There are 44 NGOs working with women, children and on minority ISSUEs.
Arrangements were made for us to visit Berbera, Somaliland's second largest town and port.
About 20 kilometres outside of Hargeisa we visited some recently discovered caves with rock paintings dating to 3500 years ago. The rock paintings are in pristine condition and the surroundings at the sites have now been improved and facilities such as toilets for visitors are available.
One of the rock paintings in the caves on the way to Berbera
Berbera itself is a beautiful place and the port, which is the main supply line for import and export for Somaliland. A planned visit Sheikh was to abandoned due to time constraints. The Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden are very beautiful.
The guns in Somaliland have fallen silent as can be seen from these guns on the coast in Berbera
We met with representatives of the political parties in Somaliland. These are UDUB (the ruling party), Kulmiye and UCID (opposition parties). We met all the parties at the offices of APD. The parties seemed to work very well together and the representative of the ruling party confirmed this. In view of the fact that the opposition parties have the majority in parliament (42 seats compared to 32 by UDUB) we were struck by the amicable relationship that exists between them. The political parties also informed us that they had difficulties in getting funding because only a small part of the population was able to contribute to their work.
We held a meeting with the Dr Hussein Bulhan the Director of the Centre for Creative Solutions who was involved in the rebuilding of Somaliland. He told us about the devastation that Somaliland had suffered and the fact that in spite of all the difficulties and lack of access to external funding, the Somalilanders had been able to rebuild their country with not much help from outside.
We met Dr Adam Abokor the Director of the Catholic Institute for International Relations (Somaliland Country office) for dinner. He is a very knowledgeable on the history of Somaliland in view of the fact that he took part in development initiatives even during the times of Mohammed Siad Barre. He was imprisoned (in solitary confinement) as a result.
His Excellency Mr Ahmed Yusuf Yasin, Vice President of Somaliland, we had the opportunity to meet the Vice President on our last day. We met him at the President's Office just before a cabinet meeting. He welcomed us very warmly and was interested in knowing about our work and welcomed future groups that planned to visit Somaliland.
1. Visas
Travel into Somaliland requires one to have a multiple entry visa for Ethiopia (due to having to transit there twice) and secondly a visa for Somaliland. The Ethiopian visa is ISSUEd in Pretoria and takes just one day. Mr Jhazbhay helped to arrange the Somaliland visas and these were ISSUEd in Somaliland and sent as attachments to an email. Payment for these visas was made upon arrival at Hargeisa International Airport in Somaliland.
2. Getting to Hargeisa:
Hargeisa is the capital city of Somaliland and the best way to get to Hargeisa from Johannesburg is on Ethiopian Airlines. First we flew to Addis Ababa were we spent two nights and then took a smaller Ethiopian Airlines plane to Hargeisa. In Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Airlines arranges accommodation but the quality of accommodation is not good and the airport shuttle to the hotel can be very delayed, so it would be advisable to make private arrangements for both a hotel and the shuttle from and back to the airport. The tickets to Hargeisa are reasonably priced and staying in Somaliland is affordable when compared to Rwanda, Tanzania and Sierra Leone to which LLM students travel. The tickets to Hargeisa can be bought through travel agencies in Pretoria but bookings need to be made as early as possible in view of the fact that the flight between Addis Ababa and Hargeisa is on a Fokker 50 which carries only about 50 passengers. There are, however, six flights per week between Addis Ababa and Hargeisa. Due to the fact that there are United Nations agencies and various NGOs operating in Somaliland there is a constant flow of people to and from Hargeisa and it could be difficult to book the entire group if this is left too late. The immigration service at Hargeisa International Airport is efficient and friendly.
3. Living in Hargeisa
Hargeisa is the capital city of Somaliland and even though it was razed to the ground, a lot of effort has gone into reconstruction. Basic services are available and it is very safe with ladies selling hundreds of thousands of US dollars worth of 21 carat gold jewellery on the street with no form of protection.
Part of the skyline of Hargeisa with its landmark: twin hills, which are commonly known as Nasa Hablod ("breasts of the maiden").
We stayed at Maansoor Hotel, which is a very comfortable hotel.
Maansoor Hotel
The rooms were very clean with no interruptions of electricity and water. The staff at the hotel was extremely professional and the food in Somaliland was superb. The discounted room rate for bed and breakfast was US$30 per night, which is quite affordable and the hotel was in a quiet part of town and very safe. The hotel also has a business centre with fast Internet service.
Another hotel where the students could stay is Ambassador Hotel Hargeisa. We visited this hotel to have a look at its facilities. The rooms were very nice and clean. Maansoor Hotel, however, is closeness to the city centre and smaller (which often means a better quality of service).
The roads in Hargeisa are good. The main roads have tarmac and most of the feeder roads are dust roads but are well maintained. There was no major traffic jams and traffic was well monitored by traffic police at major junctions so the group can move around easily.
We hired a car for the duration of our stay. A driver was also provided and he was available all the time. It would therefore be ideal that the group of students going to Somaliland should hire cars (perhaps one car for four students) because we think this is the best way to get around Hargeisa. Also in view of the fact that students might be spilt into groups with different assignments, it might be inconvenient for the group if they were not divided into smaller groups for purposes of transportation.
4. Dates for the field trip
The current dates (3-13 April) for the field trip might have to be revised if the current flight dates for Somaliland remain the same in April. This is because the connecting flight to Hargeisa is on Saturday and the return flight is on Thursday. However, this might need to be looked at more carefully. The most important consideration is flights to Hargeisa:
Norman Taku and Martin Nsibirwa
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Catastrophic Solar Storm Inevitable, Insurers Warn
The sun erupted on Monday, releasing a powerful flare that happened to point away from earth, a lucky break for earthlings. In 1859, a similar solar eruption knocked out telegraph systems across Europe and North America, and had Rocky Mountain gold miners up for breakfast at 1 a.m. because they thought it was daytime. Analysts say that another solar storm as severe as that 1859 event is inevitable, will be much more costly–and they note ominously that the sun is now near the peak of its activity cycle.
"The risk is real, and it will happen one day–we know that," Romain Launay, advisor to the chairman and chief executive officer of the Paris-based reinsurer, SCOR SE, told Risk & Compliance Journal in an interview, "The uncertainty lies in the exact consequences."
The consequences are likely to be more severe than in the horse-and-buggy 19th century. According to a new report from SCOR they could include long power blackouts affecting millions of people, and causing trillions of dollars in damage. "The more we rely on the Internet, the availability of all sorts of communication channels, GPS, etc., the more we are dependent on power. That's the major exposure driver," said Reto Schneider, head of emerging risk management at Swiss Re, which has also raised concerns about the risk. Lloyd's last year reported that a major solar storm is "almost inevitable", estimating the frequency at one every 150 years, and said that 20 million-40 million people in the U.S. are at risk of power outages lasting from two weeks to two years. Of course, it has been 155 years since that last really big one in 1859.
The threat of solar storm is serious enough that in January, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission proposed adoption of new standards to address "potentially severe, widespread effects on reliable operation of the nation's bulk-power system," according to a statement. Last year, Commissioner Cheryl A. LaFleur said in a statement, "While there is debate over whether a severe GMD [geomagnetic disturbance] event is more likely to cause the system to break apart due to excessive reactive power consumption or to collapse because of damage to high-voltage transformers and other vital equipment, there is no debate that the widespread blackouts that could result under either scenario are unacceptable."
Despite the severity of the threat seen by regulators and insurers, businesspeople ranked solar weather near the bottom of their 50 priority risk concerns in last year's Lloyd's Risk Index . Because so-called Carrington events (named for British astronomer Richard C. Carrington, who observed the 1859 solar activity) are infrequent, it may be too easy to ignore the potentially catastrophic results. "For various people it's an unthinkable scenario. What if the Internet is not available?" said Mr. Schneider.
Insurance may not be much help, while paradoxically the insurance industry could be hurt. Few insurance policies even mention solar risk. Actual physical damage is often required to activate business interruption policies, and a company may be without power yet without physical damage in a solar storm that knocks out the electricity grid. Sublimits on other insurance policies could limit what a company might expect to recover after a shutdown.
"The insured losses compared to the total losses, I would not call marginal but, I would say, limited," explained Philippe Trainar, chief risk officer of SCOR. Nonetheless, insurers could have exposure under a range of policies and the SCOR report notes that the accumulation of losses in a Carrington event could take an industrywide toll on insurers. The toll could be even greater if courts decide to broaden the definition of such terms as "physical damage," as they have done in some previous cases involving insurers sued by companies that suffered losses in less severe blackout scenarios.
There is little that companies other than electricity producers and distributors can do directly to prevent damage to the electric infrastructure, so one risk management strategy involves reducing dependence on that infrastructure. Mr. Schneider recommended taking a lesson from the Cold War era. "Very simple things can be done," he said, such as keeping buffer stocks of inventory, or refusing to completely abandon manual process controls that can provide a fallback if the Internet disappears. "In particular, the airlines are very well trained in coping with those issues," he said. The SCOR report notes that several airlines were able to deal with a "relatively modest" solar storm in 2012 by rerouting flights.
(Gregory J. Millman is a senior columnist with Risk & Compliance Journal He is the author of The Vandals' Crown: How Rebel Currency Traders Overthrew the World's Central Banks, and several other books. He can be reached at +1 (212) 416-2352 or by email at firstname.lastname@example.com)

subset: commoncrawl


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7 Signs That It's Time to Recharge
We are still early into 2011, so talking about recharging our batteries and taking a rest might sound crazy. However, it's important to remember that sufficient rest and recovery periods are necessary to avoid burnout and injuries, as well as to get the best results possible from our exercise routines.
Check out this list of signs to see if you may need a little recharging:


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BERKELEY -- The Cal women's basketball team got off to a blistering start against Saint Mary's College on Thursday night and cruised to a 89-41 win, looking every bit the part of a team ranked No. 12 in the nation.
Cal beat its East Bay neighbor for the eighth straight time, but few contests between the two have been so one-sided.
The Bears (2-0) used a frantic full-court pressure defense named "Silver" to force turnover after turnover in the game's opening minutes. Before Saint Mary's could settle down, Cal already owned a 13-0 lead.
The defense, which puts a post player on the ball with the guards able to read and react, helped lead to 24 total Saint Mary's turnovers. That, combined with some hot Cal shooting (55.9 percent from the floor), led to a long night for the Gaels (1-2).
"I challenged the team after (our first game) to be even more energetic and to jump on teams and be able to assert our will and dictate play," Cal coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. "I thought they took that game plan and ran with it. ... We made a statement tonight just about us and how we intend to be this year."
Cal relied on a balanced scoring effort as six Bears reached double figures, including all five starters. Afure Jemerigbe led the way with 15 points, and Gennifer Brandon and Talia Caldwell added 14 each.
Brandon also had a game-high 14 rebounds and Caldwell grabbed six offensive boards, but Gottlieb was particularly pleased with Jemerigbe's effort. The junior, who claimed the starting wing spot after Lindsay Sherbert transferred in the offseason, played a big part in the Bears' effective defense.
" 'Silver' gave everybody a bunch of energy, and I think I fed off of that," Jemerigbe said. "It felt good in my hands when I had it, and I just was in a rhythm."
Brittany Boyd (13 points), Layshia Clarendon (12) and Reshanda Gray (11) also reached double figures for Cal while guard Jackie Nared paced Saint Mary's with 13 points.
Follow Stephanie Hammon on Twitter at twitter.com/stephhammon.


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There are two schools of thought when it comes to how security researchers should respond to the discovery of exploitable bugs in the software running our electronic devices. On one hand are those who think the vendor who produces/distributes the software in which a researcher has found an exploitable bug should be notified immediately so that the bugs can be repaired; on the other, those who think researchers should avoid telling the software producer for as long as possible while auctioning the information they have discovered to random third parties who then use it to do goodness only knows what. These camps have generally been labeled along the lines of "public disclosure" and "professional response" advocates respectively.
For the longest time those in the "professional response" camp liked to pretend like the difference between the two was in the public disclosure part. The assertion was that under a "professional response" impacted software makers were being notified quickly along with the community of vetted academic professional consultancies who were able to deploy enterprise solutions while the vendor worked on deploying a public patch. The "public disclosure" side believed after being notified, if the manufacturer was not deploying a patch the vulnerability information became increasingly important to all IT professionals that may have their systems impacted (with any exploit, the likelihood of discovery by additional parties increases in direct proportion to the passage of time).
Then Anonymous went to war with HB Gary. And it turned out these "professional response" advocates weren't faithfully notifying the software makers at all. In fact, they were actively hiding these bugs from the software makers and selling them. Their dirty little secret was out.
Turns out the site is all but defunct. The software is old and administering a blog is difficult.
But hey ... at least there isn't a SQL error anymore. So there's that going for it.
New user signup is disabled. If for some reason old users want to log it, they should still be able to.
I'm figuring out what to do with the content and stuff ... but I'm feeling no real hurry or anything.
I am in the process of writing a book. It will be called "Censorship- A Liberal Value. Tales Of A Progressive Activist." It will be a say all, tell all. I will name names and organizations. I will explain and expose just how corrupted thinngs are here in Minnesota. Just so that you all get a taste, here is a partial list of the "progressive" organizations I will discuss in the book. Detailing my own experiences as an activist and a candidate.
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Minnesota Public Radio
Minnesota League Of Women Voters
Minnesota Nurses Association
Anti-War Committee
Women Against Military Madness
Minnesota Move To Amend
Take Action Minnesota
Minnesota Green Party
Minnesota Clean And Secure Elections
Minnesota United Health Care Coalition
Common Dreams
Op Ed News (Tough-Liberal-Progressive)
Drinking Liberally Minnesota ("progressive" blogging group)
This is just a partial list
Of course Jane Hamsher and Firedoglake will be included. With the prominence she and FDL deserve.
In all seriousness though, this is a conversation that we progressives need to have. Not just that there are "progressive" leaders who say terms like Veal Pen
but then promote the Veal Pen.
No, this question goes much deeper.. It goes to the heart and soul of what I have heard termed the "Golden Microphone." As in, if you speak for those with the gold- you get the golden microphone. The experiences I have had has shown me that this is not just the corporate media. This corruption goes much deeper into the 501 C3 Industrial Complex and how these groups corrupt any real progressive movements. With the aid and assistance of their Democratic Party buddies. Along with a call to action to organize around them.
Running for office has been one of the most horrifying experiences of my life.
I will never run for office again. This means that I need not kiss any of the asses of the above organizations or individuals. I will hold nothing back.
The book will be written in a very thoughtful and well documented manner. After we go around Minnesota, I intend to hit other places in the country.
This liberal censorship that I and others have exposed is a conversation we need to have and find a way to organize around.
Oh and for the record- there will be a chapter dedicated to "my" Congressman Keith Ellison. You see- I know why he flat out refused to engage in a debate with him, when I ran against him in 2008. Keith is the Co-Chair of the "Progressive Caucus."
That will be in the book as well. This book will NOT be a gripe list. It will be a call to action and organize. With the same goals as our US Senate race. Just a different format.
By now I'm sure you've heard the big news that Hostess Brands, Inc, maker of Twinkies, has shuttered it's doors. As my name would imply, I can assure you I did my best to avoid such a tragedy. I've been floating from depression at the news to a comic wondering of what that cop in the first two Die Hard movies would be thinking/saying/doing today. That alone would be worth it for me to give a view to Die Hard 5, or 6, or 8 or whatever the number is today.
Hostess blames the current strike for it's decision to liquidate, effective today, but they had been in bankruptcy twice over the last three years (see link above), so the strike, which did blast a hole in their cash flow, was really just the final straw.
My father, may he rest in peace, was a union organizer, who worked his way up through the ranks by getting a job as a meat cutter's apprentice at a Safeway, moving up to head of the meat department and becoming a shop steward and eventually, hired directly by the union as at first a representative (the guy that goes around all the unionized facilities handling complaints, issues, etc.) and then as an organizer.
So I've been around unions my whole life, was in one when I worked, and support them to this day by shopping at unionized facilities for everything I can (I only buy my groceries at Giant, a regional grocery chain here for example) and do whatever I can in other ways to support the overall goal of unions, which is to see workers get a fair shake. That goal, above ALL else, and the fact that without unions or government interfering workers would NEVER get a fair shake, is to me, the most important goal in an economy like ours.
But, there is, and IMO, always has been, a dirty little secret regarding unions in the supposed free market economy that has made up most of the western world today. And that little secret is this.. unionized businesses really can't compete with non-unionized ones. They can for awhile, some are capable of doing so for an entire generation or two, but over the long term, they just can't. I say it's a dirty little secret because hardly anyone involved with unions will ever admit it.
Probably one of the most well known unions is the UAW, that represents auto workers. Yes, GM, Ford, and Chrysler were able to compete for a lot of years while being unionized, but the way they did it was the same way we seem to do everything in this country, by putting everything you can on the credit card. By the time of "Obama's" famous bailout of GM (still not sure why it's considered Obama's bailout when I could've sworn the first checks were issued before he even took office, but my memory may be failing again and I don't feel like looking it up) GM had legacy costs of nearly $2,000 per vehicle built in. Chrysler and Ford had and to some degree, still have such issues.
If you read the link above, you will see that Hostess Brands, Inc. was suffering from very similar problems. And when GM or Hostess Brands opens their doors to sell their products, they do so in an environment where there are many, many alternatives, and the companies providing those many alternatives often times do so with non-unionized, much lower paid, employees. The result is, and always has been, a competitive disadvantage for the unionized companies.
Oh sure they can compete by quality, by brand, or other means. But only for awhile. It seems that in every industry, a time comes when the unionized company just can't cut it against the non-unionized one. The competitive disadvantage at some point just becomes too large to overcome. And the bigger the difference in salary and benefit between the unionized and non-unionized workers, the quicker that day of judgement arrives. It is, again in my opinion, inevitable.
It's an unfair fight that they can't win over the long term, and that's why labor would be better off in my opinion, forming one big "union" as a political movement rather than hundreds or thousands of individual "bargaining units". Because the only way workers are going to get a long term fair shake is if government intervenes. Laws will have to change, and right now, there is no political party out there (in the US) that will pursue that strategy.
It is along these lines that I wish labor would dump the Democratic Party, start from the bottom up and build a Labor Party and run them in town councils, county and state elections, and move on to the national stage. And their window of opportunity is closing, because after today there are 18,500 fewer unionized workers to gather resources from to help in that effort.
They need to move right now, as in TODAY, and take every resource they've ever used for the Democratic Party and use them instead to start a new third party that will be more of a movement than a party. Because if they keep waiting and those inevitable losses of union jobs keeps occurring, they're going to be too weak to be much of a player in the new movement. Because, make no mistake, that new movement is coming. It has too.
This is as good as it gets, when it comes to having the Bowles-Simpson "recommendations" for cutting Social Security articulated in a public forum.
[Conrad says that "he is speaking for himself."]
Here's the transcript:
00:00:28 AND A TECHNICAL WAY OF DETERMINING WHAT SOCIAL SECURITY PAYOUTS ARE. [My Words: The Big Kahuna: "Means Testing."]
So Americans went to the polls and voted overwhelmingly for two men that claim they have the right to assassinate and/or arrest and detain forever any one of them. Overwhelmingly. Third Party candidates got combined less than 5% of the national vote. Therefore, the people have spoken, and they agree with ending our basic human rights without so much as a whimper despite thousands and thousands of people dying trying to get those rights in the first place. It's pretty fucking amazing to me, and pathetic.
But I want to focus here on just a portion of those Americans that said they agreed with ending our rights yesterday, because it is telling. We have known for quite some time that the right wing does not believe in accountability for their kind, as they've proven this time and time again. Even right wing voters don't hold their elected officials accountable as shown by Republicans "caught" in, shall we say "compromising situations" and yet continue to serve while Democrats caught in eerily similar "compromising situations" usually resign or lose their next election.
However, this election has proved that those on the "left" (I use that term loosely here. VERY loosely) don't believe in holding their kind accountable either. That Barrack Obama is a war criminal is barely even arguable at this point. Sending drones into countries we're not at war with without their permission is, always has been, and hopefully always will be, against international law. Yet nearly 60 million Americans voted for a war criminal. A war criminal who is also clearly quite impeachable, as he has violated so many of the tenets of the constitution that I'm not going to bother counting them here. Two examples were pointed out in my first paragraph, as killing anyone without due process is unconstitutional as is ending habeas corpus.
But the ironic thing is, or, if you prefer, the overtly hypocritical thing is, that a good portion of, in fact probably a majority of, those 60 million Americans that refused to hold Obama accountable for his crimes lamented the fact that none of the banksters were held accountable for their trashing of the world economy through fraud. And they whined about torturers under the Bush regime not being held accountable for their crimes. Other examples include not holding BP accountable enough for their destruction of the Gulf of Mexico and not holding George W. Bush himself accountable for his crimes when Nancy Pelosi took impeachment off the table.
Yet these same folks that screamed loudly and often about accountability for others, knowingly and willfully refused to hold "their guy" accountable for his crimes. And in the highest form of hypocrisy, many of them also spoke often about how Republican voters never seemed to hold Republican politicians accountable for their actions. HA!
I've got a dirty little secret I want to share with you. No government, anywhere, will ever hold it's friends and/or contributors accountable for their misdeeds if the people don't hold those doing the governing accountable for theirs. It just will not happen.
So, enjoy your "victory" and the fact that you kept Romney out of office, no matter that it cost you all the integrity you ever had and all the rights any following generations of Americans will have. America has spoken, and proven the old saying "It's better to remain silent and have people think you're a fool rather than speak and remove all doubt."
If you were one of the less than 5% of Americans that do get it, I'm afraid your options are limited. Both sides are so entrenched on keeping teh other out that accountability is no longer an option and overt hypocrisy is now the norm. We must live with that, or leave the country. Because I don't see any way of things changing when those realizing change is needed is less than 5%.
Again, good luck to all of you. You're going to need it. And to any future generation of Americans, I want to apologize for the worst generation. We have taken your future rights away from you, nearly destroyed the planet you would live on, and have proven that holding people accountable for those things is not going to happen, ensuring that those things will continue unabated. I sincerely apologize.
Well, the election is over. That was fun.
Now, for those in non-hurricane ravaged regions ... get your butts out there and fill up those vehicles at election-day gas prices!
My bet is that they won't stick around for too long.
Back when Scott Walker and his crew in Wisconsin pushed through their controversial overhaul of the state's school system it caused quite a media stir. Causing far less of a national bru-ha-ha was the fact that very similar laws were rammed through in several other states at the same time. My home state of Idaho was one such state. Despite widespread protests and vigils held from the top north to bottom south, legislature went ahead and passed what are known here as "The Luna Laws."
The response to Walker's actions in Wisconsin was an epic recall attempt aimed at replacing Walker and company with fine, upstanding Democrats. In retrospect, even with 100% success, this solution would result in all the undesirable laws staying if full force .. only now under the watchful eye of Democrats who, naturally, would repeal them ... eventually ... maybe ... if it's not too hard. As it turns out, the solution was far from 100% successful. In the end, Democrats simply consumed the entire budget available to fight against the laws held in coffers of Wisconsin unions and achieved an extra seat or two for themselves in legislature. And today Walker's laws are totally in force. Lame if you happen to be student or teacher in Wisconsin.
Where the teachers of Wisconsin put their faith in the Democrats, the teachers of Idaho put their faith in the people. Here, they decided to invest all the resources into fighting the bad laws instead of fighting to elevate a specific political party. The "Vote no on Prop 1, 2 and 3" campaign has been nothing short of awesome. By not weighting the campaign down with the ideology of a specific party, the floor became open to lines of argument that spoke to the concerns of those in each party. From the government overreach to unfunded mandates and deficits to eliminating negotiations on class size and student safety issues. People from all walks of Idaho political life came together and threw the kitchen sink at it ... with a full garbage disposal.
And the campaign to halt these terrible laws has achieved an overwhelming success. The final tally isn't in yet ... but it isn't even close. With Prop 1 & 2 both lagging by double digits and Prop 3 getting creamed by more than 30, it's over. Excuse me ... but ... hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
That is not to say the Democrats of Idaho did not play a pivotal role in this success - they have worked it every step of the way. But this success was achieved because all of those involved have allowed the campaign to be about something bigger than a conflict between "good" and "bad" parties .... they presented a conflict between good and bad policy. Amazingly, the public isn't too stupid to understand a campaign asking them to decide on policy specifics after all - at least not the public of Idaho. And so it is that the Democrats, Republicans, independents and third-party voters of Idaho all have a part in this win. Pulling that off took the kind of real leadership America could use a whole lot more of ... the kind that doesn't demand a brand-name be attached.
And just think, once-credibly-liberal Democrats currently trying to wash the dry taste from your mouths of voting for more of the same of more of the same thing you supposedly voted against Republicans in 2008 to change; we're the spittle-spewing, knuckle-dragging, home-schooled, racist, anti-union, teabagger militia red-state fuckers poised to overrun America were Romney to win the election that obviated you having no choice but voting the way you did.
For those keeping score at home ... as far as the kiddies in school go, Idaho knuckle-draggers:1 Wisconsin Dems: zilch.
George W. Bush, former president. War criminal it has even been asserted at times. While individual tellings may differ in detail and specific focus, the point of these assertions usually revolve around a global network of secret prisons set up by Bush's national security apparatus - and the unfortunate actions that took place in them.
As we all remember, in a post-9/11 frenzy, American security forces were grabbing detainees in droves on the vaguest of suspicions from all over the globe and moving them through Bush's hidden prisoner processing plants. By all accounts now exposed to the public, it is clear that many actions taken by US interrogators while sorting an onslaught of the newly incarcerated appear identical to those that have been called both war crimes and torture when used against American personnel in past conflicts. In the absence of any rational negation of apparent facts, at best the question becomes a case of splitting hairs - certainly not a place our nation which prides itself on being a beacon of democracy and honor should feel particularly comfortable.
Take the case of Omar Khadr for example. Removed from the battlefield at 15 years old and placed in Bush's labyrinth of black prisons. No matter if one takes the view that young Omar was tortured ... or the view he was not ... the simple fact is he was 15 years old. I can only imagine what would go through the mind of a 15 year old in the middle of a battle - watching as everyone he knows fell dead one by one. Of all the reactions and decisions to make upon the capture of such a young person, I can not fathom the mindset that selected the course we took.
Recently Omar Khadr left the military prison complex at Guantánamo Bay. He is now in the Canadian justice system and an environment with potential to provide resources that may steer him in a positive direction. Beyond this, it is now known he will be released in a finite period of time.
Likewise in the case of David Hicks. Despite the flimsiest of evidence, he finally accepted a "conviction" in exchange for release - seemingly to allow the US government to save face (or perhaps more cynically, to avoid lawsuits). He is now free in Australia. It is difficult to imagine he doesn't still live with what happened in our prisons every day, but he is free, alive ... and moving forward. As are many other individuals who were graced with a visit to one or many of Bush's blacksite hotels.
Throughout Obama's administration, the president has paid a price in the form of media histrionics at almost every turn in the (at times grudging) process these cases have followed in the post-Bush era. Regardless how one feels about Obama's focus on making results happen quickly, or perhaps even fairly, the wheels of what passes for justice in this modern world have been grinding and slowly tossing out bits of humanity held in a limbo of the Bush administration's purported crimes. And Obama has indeed absorbed media criticism for every transfer - apparently a terrible burden for the modern politician to bear.
Therein lies the seed of a major difference between Bush and Obama. Bush never faced the political fallout associated with having sold a group of (at times randomly selected) detainees to the nation as admitted terrorists based on coerced confessions. He never had to ponder bringing them to trials that would, based on simple justice, see some prisoners acquitted. He left Obama with the question of how an individual can be set free after better than half the nation holds a gospel belief they are confirmed as terrorists ... at least without taking on an amazing downside political risk? Even worse, in today's environment this risk may hold true for any individual pulled from the global "battlefield" on which we play out our War on Terror, were they to go through American court proceedings.
So, the system adapts. In the new era America doesn't typically arrest terrorists in the War On Terror; certainly not under any publicly disclosed American law. The risk is too great. The political cost too high. There is now a cleaner approach.
And so it is today we are able to watch as many targets of Bush-era policies begin to collect the broken pieces of their lives and move forward, clearly damaged but alive. As with the Bush era, our current one too will eventually fade and America will move on to whatever comes next. Then perhaps the difference between Bush and Obama in this regard will become even more stark. While the policy is perhaps less prone to cause near-term political damage, the nature of mistakes now being made ensure an opportunity to move forward - as is slowly appearing for many caught in Bush-era blunders - will never exist for the victims of Obama's drone war excess. Humanity rendered to blood, dust and bone can never heal.
Happy voting day.
Election day 2012 is now upon us, and it is an election unlike any other in the history of the United States. On the ballot will be so called Americans running for the House and Senate that voted for and helped pass a bill that ends habeas corpus. This is the most basic human right we have, as it makes any and all other rights possible. And without it, we have none.
How can anyone claim the right to free speech if they can be detained, forever, without charge and without access to an attorney or a judge based on what they say? If you say the wrong thing, you can be imprisoned forever. That is not freedom of speech. How can anyone claim that they have the right to peaceably assemble if anyone that does can be arrested, detained and possibly even tortured, for doing so? And for all of you right wing gun nuts out there, how can you claim the right to possess a gun if you can be arrested and detained forever without trial or proof because someone in the government claims you intend to use such a gun for terrorism?
There are NO rights without the right to habeas corpus. And at the top of the ticket tomorrow will be the man who signed that bill into law, and who, unbelievably, also claims the grandest right of all, the right to decide who can live and who can die, again with no proof required or any checks and balances. It is the ultimate power, and this President claims that he and he alone (and any President that follows him including say Paul Ryan) can order anyone, anywhere killed without due process.
No, NEVER has there been an election with people running for office who had offended basic human rights to that extent. President Abraham Lincoln suspended habeas corpus rights during the Civil War but he did so strictly by the letter of the US Constitution which says habeas corpus can be suspended if the country is invaded by an enemy. When the Confederate forces crossed into Maryland and Pennsylvania, they did in fact invade the country of the United States. President Franklin Roosevelt ordered the detention of all Japanese Americans living on the West Coast without due process in another major swipe at human rights. However, like or it or not, the fact is his order only affected a small minority of US citizens, those of Japanese origin. Not so with the NDAA and claimed right to assassinate by President Obama. He claims he can arrest or kill ANYONE, anywhere.
Anyone and everyone that is aware of these facts knows they're wrong. They were wrong when King George claimed them, they were wrong when the totalitarian states around the world claimed them. And they are even more offensive when a so called American claims the right to arrest forever or kill anyone anywhere because it is exactly opposite of what America, freedom, and the United States Constitution stands for.
So many Americans know it's wrong for one man to claim such rights. They know it absolutely goes against our principles and Constitution, and yet they will vote for such a man tomorrow. Because they know it's wrong, and because they know who is responsible for such offenses, when they do cast that vote for the President they then become accomplices to the violations and in a perfect world would be held responsible for such.
And why are so many willing to become accomplices to murder and kidnapping? Because they are scared. They are scared that the other would potentially be even worse (even though there is no greater act against human rights than murdering anyone, anywhere without any due process). If you're reading this and planning on doing this very thing tomorrow, do you even realize how bad that makes you look?
Here's a news flash for you. I'm scared too. Do you think I would look forward to a Romney/Ryan executive in the Federal government? The thought of a President Ryan scares me so badly it sends chills down my back and through the chair I'm sitting in. But that doesn't excuse what must be done, what HAS to be done. Doing the right thing can often times be scary. Do you think the signers of the Declaration of Independence weren't scared when they did what had to be done against tyranny??? I can't imagine any of them not being scared.
It's horribly and completely unfair for the two parties to put it's citizens in such a dilemma, but here we are, and crying and whining about it doesn't change a Goddamned thing. It is time for everyone to grow the fuck up, take responsibility for their role in a democracy and DO THE RIGHT THING. And every damn person reading this knows that what Obama has done is the WRONG THING. If it had been a Republican claiming such power I would imagine most of you would've been out in the streets demanding justice. Well, guess what, one day a Republican will be President again, and when that day comes he/she will claim those same rights thanks to Obama starting it and the voters approving it by re-electing him.
It's not fair, it's not right, and it is scary. But each of us has a responsibility as citizens in a democracy to stand up for human rights for the next generation of Americans. So stop crying about how scary Mitt Romney is, and do the right thing and accept your responsibility as a voting citizen in a democracy and vote tomorrow for anyone EXCEPT Obama and any House/Senate incumbent that voted for the NDAA. It's not just the right thing to do, it's your duty to do it because otherwise you/we will enable the complete end of any and all basic human rights in this country for all the following generations. Imagine if our founders had let their fear drive them and as a result we still lived under a King of England today, without any rights at all. Is that the legacy you want to leave to the generations that follow us?
It's time for all of us to face our fears, grow the fuck up and act like adults, and do the right thing. And the right thing is NOT giving support to any man or woman that claims they can arrest and/or kill anyone anywhere without any checks and balances in the United States of America. It's time for all true patriots to stand up. Right. Now.
Good luck to every one of you.
Don't know anymore if anyone knows or cares. It is really hard to tell sometimes.
In the past few days I was re-reminded of the song "Don't Give Up" by Peter Gabriel. This song carried me through one of the toughest times of my life. Nursing school. It was a perfect description of how I felt then. It does so again today.
I rediscovered the song and its message a few days ago, when I was feeling at my lowest. Local corporate media refuse to mention our campaign, even "liberal" MPR do not have me (and so by extension our campaign) in their choices for US Senate. Most "progressive" groups look away when I walk in a room. As for the bannings at FDL and other "progressive" blogs with their usual flimsy excuses, what can I say?
There are now 16 days left. All I know is that I tried, I really tried to bring something real and meaningful to the people of Minnesota. Then I saw the Peter Gabriel song at FDL. Who knows what the hell that means, if anything.
I am glad I did this. I will never regret it. Thank you Peter Gabriel. Thank you Creator for giving me my mother- who taught me to stand tall, tell the truth and know who you are.
To George McGovern and to "Ma" RIP.
Help us break past the corporate media blockade- pass on to your facebook- e mail groups- friends
any any other way you can think.
Breaking News Folks
In the latest polls- both Amy Klobuchar and Republican Kurt Bills support is going down. Very quickly.
We are just about to change everything. So NOW IS THE TIME!!!!!!!!
Donate Here-
Since PayPal has been directly complicit in aiding the government to attack both Juliane Assange and Bradley Manning- we the the Cavlan For US Senate 2012 campaign refuse
to use PayPal. We recommend that others standing up for these two heroes do likewise and do it publicly.
So instead- we ask you to mail a check to
Committee To Elect Michael Cavlan
Anchor Bank
1570 Concordia Ave
St Paul, MN 55104
Michael James Cavlan RN
Candidate US Senate 2012
Minnesota Open Progressives


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Guess this is one demon you can check off your list of scary creatures to worry about this Halloween.
7. Kelpie – the Celtic sea monster
The kelpie is a monster right out of Celtic myth. The creature can take on multiple shapes, but usually it appears in the form of a horse.
The kelpie galloped around Ireland, looking like a lost pony, attempting to trick women and children into riding on it. But the strange thing about this pony is that its mane would always be dripping with water.
If a woman hopped on, the monster would then run into the water, drowning its victim, and then would take her to its lair to eat her.
The Irish demon would sometimes transform into a handsome man to lure women to its trap, but a telltale sign that it was a kelpie was if that "man" had kelp in its hair.
Ladies, take note – meet a guy with seaweed on his head on Halloween night, don't go home with him!
8. Caorthannach – the Celtic fire-spitter
Caorthannach, thought by some to be the devil's mother, is a demon that was fought off by St. Patrick when he banished the snakes out of Ireland.
The saint is said to have stood on the mountain now known as Croagh Patrick and expelled all the serpents and demons out of the Emerald Isle into the sea to drown.
One monster, however, managed to escape – Caorthannach, the fire-spitter. The demon slid down a mountain away from the saint, but Patrick spotted her, and chased her down upon the fastest horse in Ireland, which was brought to him.
The pursuit was a long one, and Caorthannach knew St. Patrick would need water to quench his thirst along the way, so she spit fire as she fled, and poisoned every well she passed.
Though the saint was desperately thirsty, he refused to drink from the poisoned wells and prayed for guidance.
Patrick eventually made it to the Hawk's Rock, where he waited for Caorthannach. As the demon approached, he jumped out from his hiding spot and banished her from Ireland with a single word.
The evil fire-spitter drowned in the ocean, leaving a swell behind that created the famous Hawk's Well.
9. Leanan Sidhe – the evil Irish fairy-muse
Both a muse and a demon, Leanan Sidhe is another one of Ireland's mythological vampires.
The fairy was a beautiful woman who was said to give inspiration to poets and musicians – but at the price of their lives.
She would make the artist her lover, sharing with them her intelligence, creativity and magic, but when she left, the men would be so depressed, they'd die.
Leanan Sidhe would then take her dead lovers back to her lair.
Rather than directly suck the blood of her victims, Leanan Sidhe got creative, and collected their blood in a giant red cauldron, which was the source of her beauty and artistic inspiration.
As with Dearg-due, to prevent the undead Leanan Sidhe from rising, one must put a cairn of stones over her resting place.
A tip to artists: perhaps you should look elsewhere for inspiration, rather than risking falling into the evil hands of the Leanan Sidhe!
10. Questing Beast – the Celtic hybrid monster
Another snake-like evil Celtic creature is the Questing Beast, a monster with the head of a snake, the body of a leopard, the backside of a lion and the hooves of a deer.
The beast's constant cry was said to sound like the bark of 30 dogs.
The Questing Beast, known to be quick, was hunted down by many a knight, and in Celtic myth was chased by King Pellinore, an Arthurian character.
This beast appears not only in the legends of King Arhtur, but also in Edmund Spenser's epic tale "The Faerie Queene," which in part, tackles the troubled relationship between England and Ireland in the 16th century.
This is one scary creature you don't have to worry about this Halloween – unless you dress up as a knight.
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Linda Schwartz's Art of Life Clay will hold an open house 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the studio, 515 N. Fifth St., Stroudsburg.
Refreshments will be served. New ceramic work will be available for sale, and attendees will have a chance to speak to Schwartz and watch her at work.
For information, email email@example.com.
Location, ST | website.com


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More original online programming is coming your way.
Amazon Studios on Wednesday announced it has green-lit two new pilots -- an hourlong dramedy called "The Cosmopolitans," and a drama titled "Hand of God."
The shows will be part of Amazon's third pilot season and customers will once again be invited to watch and provide feedback. Additional pilots will be announced in the coming weeks.
Descriptions of the two shows:
It's Perlman's first TV series since "Sons of Anarchy." The cast also includes Dana Delany and Garret Dillahunt. The pilot was written by Ben Watkins.
Contact Chuck Barney at Facebook.com/BayAreaNewsGroup.ChuckBarney, or Twitter.com/chuckbarney


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Wednesday's letters: Sen. Bright's legislation
Published: Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 3:15 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, January 28, 2013 at 3:20 p.m.
Reading the recent spate of letters to the editor, one would believe we were in the midst of a primary campaign. The letters chastising Sen. Lee Bright seem to be written by members of a cabal intent on marginalizing him as a senator and belittling him as an individual to improve the chances that they would be back in the driver's seat after the next election.
That a bill has little chance of passage does not make it a bad bill or idea. Teaching the safe way to handle a firearm in school is better than the head-in-the-sand approach of trying to ban fire arms, which has failed everywhere it has been tried. There is no way to control illegal weapons — that is why they exist and will continue to be out there. They are illegal and criminals do not obey laws. That is why we call them criminals.
You may not agree with some of the senator's positions and ideas, but name calling and belittling him in print is not an effective way to modify his positions or promote yours.
My sense is that the same cabal that constantly calls for the ouster of the governor is also trying to oust Sen. Bright. It is a different tune it is playing, but it appears to me to be the same orchestra and conductor.
In my opinion, the purpose of the letters may not be to change the senator's mind but to win over "low-information" voters to their cause. It worked for Barack Obama and his visible surrogates.
Gene E. Nowak
Spartanburg Charter School
Thank you for your recent article reporting on the statewide South Carolina Public Charter School District. This statewide public school district provides an alternative to traditional local districts for charter schools seeking administrative approval and oversight. It's funding source is separate from that of traditional districts.
In the article, you mention that one school in the statewide district has received an A rating. It is worth noting that this A-rated school is Spartanburg's very own Spartanburg Charter School (SCS). The A rating indicates that it is among the top schools in the state and comparable to Spartanburg's best traditional public schools.
This is an achievement of which SCS and all of the residents of Spartanburg County can be proud. Kudos to SCS and to all of the community supporters who pulled together to bring this school to fruition!
Kelly Petoskey Reid
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


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Poetry: 'Take My Hand, My Love'
Published: Saturday, November 24, 2012 at 5:13 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, November 24, 2012 at 5:13 a.m.
It seems like only yesterday when our golden anniversary cake
was being cut
Surrounded by family and friends wishing us well with hugs and kisses,
smiles and laughter
And yet, my dear, that was ten years ago, I can tell by how our
Grandchildren are growing up
They are tall and smart, climbing the ladder of life and now our first
Great granddaughter is running quickly after
And most of our dreams worth dreaming have come true
We've done so many things others might have tired long ago
Sixty years as one, so blessed we are in everything we do
With a love to match the galaxies that shine each night anew
How many times have I said I love you? At least one for every starry way.
How many times have you held my hand? At least one for every drop of rain.
How many times has your lovely face brightened my difficult day?
How many times, my love? It doesn't matter; the answers are all the same.
How many petals in the biggest bouquet the world has ever seen?
For us alone to enjoy in our bond of loving care
Our story is still being written, as we continue our exciting dream
Take my hand, my love, there's so much more waiting for us to share.
Winter Haven
[ Ledger readers are invited to send original poems to Write On!, The Ledger, P.O. Box 408, Lakeland 33802. Poems may be emailed to email@example.com. Put poem in the subject line. No more than one a month should be submitted. Poems must be submitted and signed by the author. ]
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


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The blonde beauty Abbey Brooks performs a slow and sexy striptease for you boys and girls. She stands and takes off her clothes piece by piece including her bra and panties. Abbey gets comfy and spreads her gorgeous legs so we get to see her pretty little pussy as she plays with her big bouncy tits.
Sexy Abbey Brooks loves to show off her gorgeous body and curves. She gets super horny as she strips off her shirt, skirt and thong panties. She spreads her beautiful legs and inserts two fingers inside her pretty pussy. Once she gets wet with her natural juices she then inserts her glass toy. HOT HOT HOT!
Wow Abbey Brooks is stunning in her pink lingerie, it really shows off her curvy figure. She pulls her big full breasts out and plays with them. She also shows off her pink thong panties and us how her ass looks so delicious and tight. She spreads her legs and puts a few fingers in her excited, wet pussy. Abbey is so beautiful and down right hot! Super sexy photo set!
The beautiful blonde bombshell Abbey Brooks shows off her sexy curves while posing poolside in her pink bikini. She slowly teases and flirts with the camera as she strips off her top then her bottom. She spreads her legs nice and wide so we get a good look of her tight, shaved pussy. She plays with her big breasts and really turns us on!
This week Abbey gives us a nice little outdoor striptease. She starts off in a sexy little baby doll top and a pair of sheer pink panties .. which for some reason she cannot keep her hands out of. Not a problem as far as we're concerned. So, here we present Abbey Brooks, busty blonde babe doing some serious finger banging.
Abbey Brooks! Naked! With a toy! What a great day it is. One of Abbey's hottest sets yet and that means a lot. And of course you can enjoy her photos over and over again because you can download and keep all Aziani photo sets forever. You can even quickly download them all with just one click - just find the Zip file link and you're all set!


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SAN JOSE -- A woman was displaced and her three pets perished in a fire that apparently started when a candle set papers ablaze on a table at an East San Jose home Wednesday afternoon.
Fire officials responded to the single-story residence on the 100 block of Lynwood Drive shortly after 4 p.m. and found the home with heavy smoke pouring out of it, the attic and roof on fire.
"They could see a column of smoke when they left the station," said San Jose fire Capt. Rob Brown.
Brown said the woman suffered mild smoke inhalation and was treated at the scene. However, two dogs and a cat were still in the house and succumbed to the smoke.
The woman told fire officials that she had placed some votive candles on her kitchen table, and paper that was too close to the flame caught fire.
"She tried to put it out with water but it didn't work," Brown said.
The house sustained major damage throughout, due to both fire and smoke, and will be uninhabitable for "quite some time," Brown said. The woman who lived there is staying with neighbors.
"It's a good reminder to be careful with candles," Brown said. "Make sure they're on a noncombustible surface, in an area clear of papers and anything else combustible. And never leave them unattended."
Contact Eric Kurhi at 408-920-5852. Follow him at Twitter.com/erickurhi.


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SAN JOSE -- A 62-year-old woman died from an attack inside her North San Jose apartment Wednesday morning, shocking neighbors who struggled with the idea of someone wanting to harm her, according to residents and San Jose police.
The victim's name had not been formally released as of Wednesday afternoon, but several neighbors identified her as Kitty Newman and described her as a friendly member of their apartment community near Lundy Avenue and Berryessa Road.
"Kitty was a free-spirited person," said neighbor Diamond Williams. "She got along with just about everyone. I'm shocked that Kitty would have any enemies."
Police say an acquaintance went to the Newman's first-floor apartment in the 900 block of Lundy around 10:10 a.m. and summoned a property manager when there was no answer at the door. They went inside and found Newman in "medical distress."
The San Jose Fire Department responded and saw injuries that suggest she had been assaulted, and called police. Newman was taken to Regional Medical Center of San Jose, where she was pronounced dead at 11:09 a.m.
"We believe it was the direct result of some type of assault," police spokesman Sgt. Jason Dwyer said. "We don't know what transpired inside the apartment, but there are injuries on the victim consistent with some kind of physical assault or altercation."
Dwyer said it was too early to know whether a weapon was used in the fatal attack, which marked the San Jose's 30th homicide of the year. The city is on pace to surpass the 2012 total of 46, which was a two-decade high. At this same point last year, 23 homicides had been recorded.
"It's a lot to take in. I've known Kitty for three years now," Williams said. "It's sad that she's gone."
Neighbors said Newman lived on Social Security income in a subsidized unit. She lived by herself with a Papillon Chihuahua mix named Bambi. They added that she would have a lot of visitors to her apartment, including an unknown woman who had stayed with her the past few days.
"A lot of times they were people she didn't know," neighbor Roseanne Chidley said.
Chidley witnessed fire paramedics performing CPR on her visibly injured neighbor in the hallway they shared.
"I'm in a state of shock," she said.
Dwyer said detectives are performing the painstaking task of retracing her final days.
"They're going to do what they can to triage the last few days and the last few hours of our victim's life," Dwyer said, "and try to drill down to who a suspect might be from there."
Anyone with information about the case can contact San Jose homicide detectives at 408-277-5283 or leave a tip with Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408-947-STOP (7867) or with svcrimestoppers.org.
Contact Robert Salonga at 408-920-5002. Follow him at Twitter.com/robertsalonga.


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Simple Definition of sleazeball
: a dishonest or immoral person
Full Definition of sleazeball
: a sleazy person
See sleazeball defined for English-language learners
Examples of sleazeball in a sentence
He is a lying sleazeball.
<don't post your private info and revealing pics online—there are some real sleazeballs out there>
First Known Use of sleazeball
Rhymes with sleazeball
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My list of favorite jazz CDs from the past year starts with Louis Armstrong and ends with Christian Scott, two trumpeters from New Orleans born more than 80 years apart. Dip into it. Explore. Enjoy. I gave you my top 10 and slipped in a couple of extras.
1 Louis Armstrong: "Satchmo at the National Press Club: Red Beans and Rice-ly Yours" (Smithsonian Folkways). Recorded in performance just months before his death in 1971, this CD finds Armstrong having a great time, telling off-color jokes, cracking up his audience and spreading his special warmth. His trumpet is buttery and bright. His singing, especially, is alive with humor and soul. You can feel the love in the room. (Ditto for "Big Bands Live: Duke Ellington Orchestra," recorded March 6, 1967, in Stuttgart, Germany, before an adoring audience -- and newly rescued from the vaults by the SWR label. It's just a random night with Duke and the gang, outclassing the world with their earthy majesty.)
2"Black Radio," Robert Glasper Experiment (Blue Note): This is my album of the year, on which pianist Glasper merges jazz flow with tunes out of hip-hop and neo-soul. Among the guest artists: Erykah Badu, Yasin Bey (aka Mos Def), Bilal, Lalah Hathaway -- and the incredible Stokley Williams on "Why Do We Try," the album's best track.
3 Vijay Iyer: "Accelerando" (ACT). The pianist and his trio play with a levitating energy that swirls, entrances, entraps; the music sucks you in, lifts you up -- at all tempos, in all grooves. Like the trios of Herbie Nichols, Andrew Hill, Paul Bley and others, Iyer's band is slippery and mysteriously engaging. Holding down the drum chair here is Marcus Gilmore, Roy Haynes' grandson.
4 "Blue Moon," Ahmad Jamal (World Village). The 82-year-old pianist has created a CD that stands among his best, which is saying something. It merges obdurate persistence and deep beauty; listen to "I Remember Italy" as it gains traction across 13 minutes. The fantastic band includes bassist Reginald Veal, drummer Herlin Riley and percussionist Manolo Badrena.
5 "Twice Through the Wall," Curtis Macdonald (http://music.curtismacdonald.com). The young alto saxophonist's new EP is just 20 minutes long -- just enough to keep you hooked. It has a great flow to it, feels free, brings in trance-y melodies and vamps here, a touch of sneaky modern-jazz harmony or Coltrane roughness there. It's its own brand of free-bop, and you can feel the confidence of the excellent young band: drummer Adam Jackson, bassist Chris Tordini, pianist David Virelles and tenor saxophonist Jeremy Viner, whose solos are a bracing counterpart to Macdonald's exotic ice-cream flow. (More free-bop: "Sweet and Sour" by Daniel Humair, the Swiss master drummer, on the Laborie Jazz label. It's virtuoso madness, but on a tight leash, from his stealthy new quartet, with accordion, soprano saxophone and bass. )
6"Four MFs Playin' Tunes," Branford Marsalis (Marsalis Music). Burn, baby, burn. The saxophonist's long-standing quartet is juiced by Justin Faulkner, its young 46-limbed drummer.
7"The Jazz Workshop Concerts 1964-65," Charles Mingus (Mosaic). No one ever quite captured the midcentury sound and feel of the big city as well as the great bassist/composer. This new seven-disc set is a feast for Mingus lovers. Mosaic archaeologists discovered two hours of music that had vanished. This set is invaluable, showcasing Mingus' bands with Eric Dolphy, Jaki Byard, Dannie Richmond, Clifford Jordan, John Handy, Charles McPherson, Lonnie Hillyer and others.
8"Reunion: Live in New York," Sam Rivers Trio with Dave Holland and Barry Altschul (Pi Recordings): Saxophonist Rivers' trio was one of the key bands of the 1970s. If you were there for any of the many nights it played at Rivers' downtown Manhattan loft, Studio Rivbea, you know about its intensity, abandon and discipline -- its whip-snap way of going from ground-zero freedom to levitating swing. This stellar two-disc set, recorded in concert at New York's Miller Theatre in 2007, documents what was the first performance in more than 25 years by the saxophonist, bassist and drummer. It was also the trio's last performance; Rivers passed away last year at age 88.
9"Star of Jupiter," Kurt Rosenwinkel (Wommusic). The guitarist, a lodestar for the new jazz, has a new quartet with pianist Aaron Parks, bassist Eric Revis and drummer Justin Faulkner, who is becoming ubiquitous. One hopes this will become a working band, delving further into the strong and alluring new tunes composed by Rosenwinkel for this two-disc set. He is under Wayne Shorter's spell; many of the tunes move and feel like Shorter tunes from the '60s and early '70s, though Rosenwinkel throws a curve here and there, with twisty/ornate melodic lines reminiscent of Frank Zappa.
10. "Christian Atunde Adjuah," Christian Scott (Concord). The young trumpet player is taking big strides and probably doesn't care what anyone thinks. This sprawling two-disc set feels like rock, like hip-hop, like some kind of big, powerful, youthful yearning. It could have used some pruning, but you can feel the band working out its concepts. Scott is playing some of the most brazen trumpet I've heard in years.
Contact Richard Scheinin at 408-920-5069., read his stories and reviews at www.mercurynews.com/richard-scheinin.


text: Kingbright and TTI partner together to offer light emitting diodes (LEDs) and related products. Kingbright Company LLC has manufactured innovative Light Emitting Diodes for over 30 years. Kingbright offers the most comprehensive LED product portfolio in the industry, including SMD LEDs, through-hole LEDs, SMD/through-hole displays, circuit board indicators and high brightness LEDs. Kingbright also offers fully customized LED solutions to enhance customer designs with many options in LED packaging and colors. Should you need additional assistance, TTI's customer service team is ready to help at 1-877-645-4TTI. .


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It's Time to Take a Bow!
2010 has been a tough year for many. People are working harder than ever (if they are lucky enough to have a job) with less pay, fewer benefits and uncertainty about their job security. It has truly been a stressful grind for our minds, bodies and spirits.


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This month's theme is summer fun.
And...now for the rules~
-You cannot nominate your own story for featured.
-Only nominate one story.
-If an author has written something that has already been nominated for this coming month, please don't nominate one of their stories again.
-If a story has already been a featured story in the past, do not nominate it again.
-If you nominate, please make sure to include the author's name, and the category/link to the story itself will save us trouble later~
-Nominations will be open all month. At the end of the month, six submissions will be drawn out of a (metaphorical and probably virtual) hat and those will be the featured stories.
Questions/comments/complaints/nominations go here.


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Spring Festival at BPC Historic Village April 28
MOUNT VERNON—Ever wish you lived in a more innocent, peaceful era? Brewton-Parker College invites you to take a break from 21st century stress and travel back to 19th century rural Georgia on Saturday, April 28, for the Fourth Annual Spring Festival at its Historic Village.
The free festival promises plenty of fun and hands-on activities for young and old. Churn butter, beat biscuits, make cornhusk dolls, enjoy toe-tapping, old-time music, and say "how-do" to friendly goats and mules.
"We'll also have a horse and chickens to give a real farm flavor to the village," said Dr. Mary Waalkes, curator of the Historic Village.
The village will be open from 1-5 p.m. It is located behind Jones Lake on the Mount Vernon campus, off Highway 280.
Call Dr. Waalkes, 912-583-3110, or Anice McArthur, 912-583-2517, for more information.
Brewton-Parker College is the only accredited four-year Christian college in south Georgia.
The mission of Brewton-Parker College, a Georgia Baptist college, is to develop the whole student through the application of Biblically-centered truth to a liberal arts curriculum in a community of shared Christian values.


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What was your time on your very first 5k?
http://some-people-juggle-geese.blogspot.com/ (My Blog)
Upcoming Races :
11/03/12 Race the Bar 15K Winston-Salem, NC
Completed Races :
05/26/12 Run The Haw 10K Graham, NC 1:20:03
04/28/12 Owl's Roost 3.5M Greensboro, NC 46:26
03/24/12 Race the Bar 5K Winston-Salem, NC 42:52
09/15/12 Dublin Half Marathon Dublin, Ireland 3:20:24
10/20/12 Hit the Brixx 10K Greensboro, NC 1:22:05
Mine was 33:15 and that was a shock to me. I thought it would be closer to 35:00. Guess the race day adrenaline really helped me out!
10/10/09 Lake Joe Pool Pumpkin Run 5K - 33:15
11/26/09 Dallas Turkey Trot 5K - 30:35
02/14/10 Austin Half Marathon - 2:12:25
03/13/10 Dash Down Greenville 5K - 29:27
Urbana Wicked 5k- 25:19.44
Way Station Turkey Trot- 26:09
Hagerstown Duathlon- April 17,2010
Disney Wine and Dine 1/2 Marathon Relay: October 1,2010
For the very first time in the race it was 18.05
I am now training for a marathon.
Feel the joy of running
Holy Cow!! We have some speed demons here!! I''m curious to see more answers...
Mine was a little more than 35 minutes. I was shocked b/c it felt like I was running slower. Just know that you can do it. i am 41 years old and always thought I was too short, squat, flat-footed etc etc to run but always wanted to do a 5k. The more I got out there and realized that anyone can run, and we are only ones limiting ourselves, the more I thought: maybe I can do this. For me, I dont worry about time right now...I just focus on finishing!
Run, Noob! Run! - My Blog.
Follow me on Twitter: @RunNoobRun
C25K Week: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Well said!! Thanks!
But I've gotta admit I'm a bit curious. My normal running time eight years ago was pretty good for my age. I averaged somewhere around 8:30 mile. Now it is more like 9:35-9:43... Not good for alot of people. But hey, at least I'm trying, right?? I'm 43. I'd like to do 3 5k's and then maybe try for something bigger next. One thing at a time though. I've gotta get through nursing my calf...UGH!!!
I had one 5k before this but cannot find my time anywhere
(oh, now i get it -- I was a walker - not timed)
Sunset 5k Panama City, FL 04/07/07 -- 46:36
"One paw at a time... one in front of the other -- I will move forward."
33:23 and I didn't train for it....just did it on a whim; wasn't even sure I could run the whole thing, but I did and I've been hooked ever since!!! I'm still not setting any speed records, but I have fun and am looking forward to longer races!!
To make you all feel fast, my first 5K a few weeks ago was 50 min 30 sec or so. I am 250 and losing weight on WW and running. So I hope to run faster as I progress in weight loss and my running program. I did run the whole 5K though; no walking.
Awesome - congratulations!
My time was 30:34.5. I didn't even know I could run that fast
I haven't run a 5K race yet... my first race will actually be a 5 miler. But my best Nike+ 5K time is 37'22"...
ACTIVE is the leader in online event registrations from 5k running races and marathons to softball leagues and local events. ACTIVE also makes it easy to learn and prepare for all the things you love to do with expert resources, training plans and fitness calculators.


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A+E to Resume Shooting 'Duck Dynasty' With Phil Robertson
Amid controversy over "Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson's remarks about gays and blacks to GQ magazine, A+E Networks issued a new statement late Friday afternoon that said after consulting advocacy groups and the Robertson family, the network decided to resume filming the show this spring with the reality star.
Read A+E's statement:
As a global media content company, A+E Networks' core values are centered around creativity, inclusion and mutual respect. We believe it is a privilege for our brands to be invited into people's home and we operate with a strong sense of integrity and deep commitment to these principals.
That is why we reacted so quickly and strongly to a recent interview with Phil Robertson. While Phil's comments made in the interview reflect his personal views based on his own beliefs, and his own personal journey, he and his family have publicly stated they regret the "coarse language" he used and the mis-interpretation of his core beliefs based only on the article. He also made it clear he would "never incite or encourage hate." We at A+E Networks expressed our disappointment with his statements in the article, and reiterate that they are not views we hold.
But Duck Dynasty is not a show about one man's views. It resonates with a large audience because it is a show about family… a family that America has come to love. As you might have seen in many episodes, they come together to reflect and pray for unity, tolerance and forgiveness. These are three values that we at A+E Networks also feel strongly about.
So after discussions with the Robertson family, as well as consulting with numerous advocacy groups, A&E has decided to resume filming Duck Dynasty later this spring with the entire Robertson family.
We will also use this moment to launch a national public service campaign (PSA) promoting unity, tolerance and acceptance among all people, a message that supports our core values as a company, and the values found in Duck Dynasty. These PSAs will air across our entire portfolio.


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September 22-23, 2003Bethesda, Maryland
As part of its contribution to influenza pandemic preparedness and response, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases sponsored a workshop "Development of a Clinical Trial Plan for Pandemic Influenza Vaccines" on September 22-23, 2003 in Bethesda, Maryland. Participants attending this workshop included individuals from HHS, FDA, CDC, USDA, and WHO and representatives from Industry.
The goal of this meeting was to frame a research plan for the development and clinical evaluation of pandemic influenza vaccines. The primary objectives of this workshop were to
Meeting Agenda (PDF)
Meeting Participants (PDF)
Meeting Summary (PDF)
Last Updated October 13, 2008


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SANTA CLARA -- If the 49ers' best unit deserves a nickname this season, consider this: "The No-Fame Defense."
The national media largely ignored the 49ers on midseason all-pro lists, several of which came out Tuesday. Another slight come when President Barack Obama told a "Monday Night Football" audience that his beloved Chicago Bears have the "best defense in the league right now."
Never mind that the NFC West-leading 49ers (6-2) are allowing the fewest points per game (12.9). Idle last weekend, they have not yielded a touchdown in four of their past five contests. Next up are the St. Louis Rams (3-5) in a divisional game Sunday at Candlestick Park.
Linebacker Aldon Smith believes the 49ers are, for now, flying under the national radar, adding: "This season's long, and some of us will play our best coming back from the bye."
As the 49ers' second-year sack leader, Smith quickly is learning not to get caught up in outside opinions, especially in the wake of last week's apparently bogus report that he got assaulted in Columbia, Mo.
"The whole thing was so absurd. It didn't happen," Smith said. "It's the way the world, the media works now. Bad news circulates bigger than good news."
The 49ers defense could interpret its lack of midseason accolades as good news, if it wishes to get fueled by perceived disrespect.
Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman, last season's Associated Press First-Team All-Pro inside linebackers, were left off midseason honor rolls by Sports Illustrated, Yahoo! Sports and Pro Football Weekly. Willis and Bowman lead the 49ers with 87 tackles each.
One defensive accolade did fall to Justin Smith, who made Yahoo's midseason team as a defensive end, even though he's listed as a defensive tackle in Pro Bowl balloting.
Sports Illustrated's Peter King passed over all the 49ers defenders, but he did select running back Frank Gore, right tackle Anthony Davis and punter Andy Lee for his midseason team. Pro Football Weekly also shut out the 49ers defense while honoring Davis, Lee and left guard Mike Iupati.
Davis called his accolades "cool." Then he chose an expletive to depict the 49ers defense's lack of recognition.
The 49ers rank second in total yards allowed, second in passing yards allowed and fifth in rushing yards allowed. They've allowed the fewest first downs and, more impressive, they tout the second-best defense for third-down efficiency.
But the 49ers aren't creating turnovers. They've tallied six interceptions and six fumble recoveries, putting them well off last season's pace that yielded 38 takeaways.
"A lot of offenses know we're going after the ball, and I'm pretty sure they're putting an emphasis during the week to hold onto the ball," defensive tackle Ray McDonald said.
Smith leads the 49ers with 7½ sacks, giving him 21½ sacks in 1½ seasons since the 49ers drafted him in last year's first round.
For more on the 49ers, see Cam Inman's Hot Read blog at blogs.mercurynews.com/49ers.


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Straight from our inbox
Press Release
Aroma Naturals, Valentine's Day, Expo West, Soy Scented Candles, Essential Oils, Press Release
Valentines' Day is just around the corner and the pressure is on to make it a special day for the object of your affection. Think outside the box of chocolates this year and give something that is as unique and warm as your passion. Aroma Naturals® Romance line offers candles that are completely customizable, from the scents to the packaging because every detail is important.My Heart is For You—These heart shaped candles are made with Soy VegePure® and all natural oils, with scents that include Rose, Jasmine, and Lavender. Choose from a variety of color combinations or one that is already packaged, like P.S. I Love You and Hopeful.Naturally Blended Votive: This dark raspberry candle is a perfection combination of jasmine and ylang ylang; it will enhance any romantic atmosphere.Essential oils'scents register in the limbic system—the part of the brain where memories are stored, emotions are processed and moods are stimulated. The fragrances of certain essential oils can automatically encourage relaxation and energy for a calming and comforting effect. Best of all, essential oils have antiseptic, antiviral and antibacterial qualities that make them as good for our bodies as they are for our spirits."Valentine's Day is all about appreciation and showing your caring and feelings and our candles reflect that," says Eric Light, owner of Aroma Naturals®. "Each candle is hand-crafted in small runs by our master candle makers. We are so proud of the purity of our product that we invite anyone interested in learning more to come make a candle with me at our factory in Orange County, CA!"
Aroma Naturals® is thrilled to be a part of this year's Expo West, March 9-11, at Booth #3417. We'd LOVE to see you there! To learn more, please visit aromanaturals.com.Around the Aroma Naturals® headquarters in Irvine, California, you will often hear employees say that it's not always easy being green, but it's certainly worth the effort. Aroma Naturals® is completely committed to making sure each and every candle is good for both you and the environment. It is a commitment that takes quite a bit of time, thoughtfulness and research, but it is well worth it. As the company continually strives to make the finest all-natural candles on earth, they always look to their guiding principles to light the way.
This press release is presented without editing for your information. The Herb Companion does not recommend, approve or endorse the products and/or services offered. You should use your own judgment and evaluate products and services carefully before deciding to purchase.
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