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marmar
marmar's Journal
marmar's Journal
November 6, 2013
Ahead of Tuesday’s hearings on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), held by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) urged supporters to phone their senators and voice opposition to the CRPD.
"CRPD threatens U.S. sovereignty and parental rights, and if ratified, it would effectively put us under international law when it comes to parenting our special needs children,” Santorum wrote in an email to Patriot Voices, the conservative outside group he founded “to protect faith, freedom.”
The unsuccessful presidential hopeful continued, "If you haven't called your Senators to express your opposition to this treaty that threatens our national sovereignty and could interfere with the kind of care we give to our special needs kids, now is the time to do it.”
With nearly one billion people worldwide living with a disability, the purpose of the CRPD, or Disabilities Treaty, is to promote and protect the fundamental human rights and freedoms of persons with disabilities on a global scale -- just like its model, the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was signed into law by Republican President George H.W. Bush. ...................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/05/rick-santorum-disabilities-treaty_n_4220751.html?ncid=txtlnkushpmg00000037
Spreading Santorum: Slick Rick calls for defeat of the UN disabilities treaty
Ahead of Tuesday’s hearings on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), held by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) urged supporters to phone their senators and voice opposition to the CRPD.
"CRPD threatens U.S. sovereignty and parental rights, and if ratified, it would effectively put us under international law when it comes to parenting our special needs children,” Santorum wrote in an email to Patriot Voices, the conservative outside group he founded “to protect faith, freedom.”
The unsuccessful presidential hopeful continued, "If you haven't called your Senators to express your opposition to this treaty that threatens our national sovereignty and could interfere with the kind of care we give to our special needs kids, now is the time to do it.”
With nearly one billion people worldwide living with a disability, the purpose of the CRPD, or Disabilities Treaty, is to promote and protect the fundamental human rights and freedoms of persons with disabilities on a global scale -- just like its model, the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was signed into law by Republican President George H.W. Bush. ...................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/05/rick-santorum-disabilities-treaty_n_4220751.html?ncid=txtlnkushpmg00000037
November 5, 2013
Food Safety Modernization Act Threatens Fresh, Healthy and Sustainably Grown Food
Tuesday, 05 November 2013 09:39
By Michael Tabor and Nick Maravell, Lancaster Farming | Op-Ed
Each week at my farm stands in the Maryland area, we try to explain a peculiar situation to our customers. On the one hand, they want to buy our fresh fruit and vegetables. However, I tell them, that in a few years, these will all be illegal to sell!
Why?
Because they have some degree of dirt and bacteria on them. The strawberries for instance, have some trace amount of straw and soil on them. As do the tomatoes, beans, and cucumbers. We do rinse them before leaving the farm – but we won’t put them through a disinfectant bath nor pack them in antiseptic plastic containers and put “PLU” labels on them. That’s not what consumers want at a farm market---nor is it something we’ll ever be able to do.
Regulations for a new food law – FSMA – the Food Safety Modernization Act – administered by the FDA are currently in the process of being finalized. Although the Act originally had protections for family farmers like myself, we see those being ignored or phased out over time. ................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/19816-food-safety-modernization-act-threatens-fresh-healthy-and-sustainably-grown-food
Food Safety Modernization Act Threatens Fresh, Healthy and Sustainably Grown Food
Food Safety Modernization Act Threatens Fresh, Healthy and Sustainably Grown Food
Tuesday, 05 November 2013 09:39
By Michael Tabor and Nick Maravell, Lancaster Farming | Op-Ed
Each week at my farm stands in the Maryland area, we try to explain a peculiar situation to our customers. On the one hand, they want to buy our fresh fruit and vegetables. However, I tell them, that in a few years, these will all be illegal to sell!
Why?
Because they have some degree of dirt and bacteria on them. The strawberries for instance, have some trace amount of straw and soil on them. As do the tomatoes, beans, and cucumbers. We do rinse them before leaving the farm – but we won’t put them through a disinfectant bath nor pack them in antiseptic plastic containers and put “PLU” labels on them. That’s not what consumers want at a farm market---nor is it something we’ll ever be able to do.
Regulations for a new food law – FSMA – the Food Safety Modernization Act – administered by the FDA are currently in the process of being finalized. Although the Act originally had protections for family farmers like myself, we see those being ignored or phased out over time. ................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/19816-food-safety-modernization-act-threatens-fresh-healthy-and-sustainably-grown-food
November 5, 2013
Noam Chomsky | De-Americanizing the World
Tuesday, 05 November 2013 09:54
By Noam Chomsky, Truthout | Op-Ed
During the latest episode of the Washington farce that has astonished a bemused world, a Chinese commentator wrote that if the United States cannot be a responsible member of the world system, perhaps the world should become "de-Americanized" — and separate itself from the rogue state that is the reigning military power but is losing credibility in other domains.
The Washington debacle's immediate source was the sharp shift to the right among the political class. In the past, the U.S. has sometimes been described sardonically — but not inaccurately — as a one-party state: the business party, with two factions called Democrats and Republicans.
That is no longer true. The U.S. is still a one-party state, the business party. But it only has one faction: moderate Republicans, now called New Democrats (as the U.S. Congressional coalition styles itself).
There is still a Republican organization, but it long ago abandoned any pretense of being a normal parliamentary party. Conservative commentator Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute describes today's Republicans as "a radical insurgency — ideologically extreme, scornful of facts and compromise, dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition": a serious danger to the society. ...................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/19825-noam-chomsky-de-americanizing-the-world
Noam Chomsky | De-Americanizing the World
Noam Chomsky | De-Americanizing the World
Tuesday, 05 November 2013 09:54
By Noam Chomsky, Truthout | Op-Ed
During the latest episode of the Washington farce that has astonished a bemused world, a Chinese commentator wrote that if the United States cannot be a responsible member of the world system, perhaps the world should become "de-Americanized" — and separate itself from the rogue state that is the reigning military power but is losing credibility in other domains.
The Washington debacle's immediate source was the sharp shift to the right among the political class. In the past, the U.S. has sometimes been described sardonically — but not inaccurately — as a one-party state: the business party, with two factions called Democrats and Republicans.
That is no longer true. The U.S. is still a one-party state, the business party. But it only has one faction: moderate Republicans, now called New Democrats (as the U.S. Congressional coalition styles itself).
There is still a Republican organization, but it long ago abandoned any pretense of being a normal parliamentary party. Conservative commentator Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute describes today's Republicans as "a radical insurgency — ideologically extreme, scornful of facts and compromise, dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition": a serious danger to the society. ...................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/19825-noam-chomsky-de-americanizing-the-world
November 5, 2013
from Consortium News:
Taxing the Movement of Money
November 5, 2013
By William John Cox
The political coma of the U.S. government induced by Congress and its failure to represent those who elect it can ultimately be traced to the unfair and complex system of income taxation. Better for the country and more equitable for its taxpayers would be a toll tax on the movement of all money along the nation’s economic highway.
Not a national sales tax, not a value-added tax, not a flat income tax, and not a speculation tax, but rather a slight levy should be imposed on every single financial transaction. Not just every time you fill up your gas tank or buy groceries; we also should hear a tiny “ka-ching” every time stocks, bonds and futures are bought and sold, every time currencies and derivatives are traded, and whenever an oil company buys a new drilling rig or a bank rolls the dice in the financial casino.irs-logo
The federal government could easily operate on revenues produced by a “toll tax” of less than one percent on the movement of all money. Significantly, the payment of taxes would shift to those who most profit from government ? from individuals to corporations and from the laboring poor to the wealthy elite, who would pay taxes on their money games and spending for luxuries, instead of their “income.”
A toll tax would result in a slight increase in the overall cost of goods and services; however, the toll would apply to all monetary transactions, including financial manipulations by the wealthy, who engage in every imaginable scheme to avoid having any “taxable income.” ...................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://consortiumnews.com/2013/11/05/taxing-the-movement-of-money/
Taxing the Movement of Money
from Consortium News:
Taxing the Movement of Money
November 5, 2013
If U.S. budget gridlock had not ground rational thought to a standstill, creative options for revising the tax code might be possible, such as a tax on stock transactions to raise money and discourage micro-second trades. Another option would be a toll tax on money movement, as ex-prosecutor William John Cox suggests.
By William John Cox
The political coma of the U.S. government induced by Congress and its failure to represent those who elect it can ultimately be traced to the unfair and complex system of income taxation. Better for the country and more equitable for its taxpayers would be a toll tax on the movement of all money along the nation’s economic highway.
Not a national sales tax, not a value-added tax, not a flat income tax, and not a speculation tax, but rather a slight levy should be imposed on every single financial transaction. Not just every time you fill up your gas tank or buy groceries; we also should hear a tiny “ka-ching” every time stocks, bonds and futures are bought and sold, every time currencies and derivatives are traded, and whenever an oil company buys a new drilling rig or a bank rolls the dice in the financial casino.irs-logo
The federal government could easily operate on revenues produced by a “toll tax” of less than one percent on the movement of all money. Significantly, the payment of taxes would shift to those who most profit from government ? from individuals to corporations and from the laboring poor to the wealthy elite, who would pay taxes on their money games and spending for luxuries, instead of their “income.”
A toll tax would result in a slight increase in the overall cost of goods and services; however, the toll would apply to all monetary transactions, including financial manipulations by the wealthy, who engage in every imaginable scheme to avoid having any “taxable income.” ...................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://consortiumnews.com/2013/11/05/taxing-the-movement-of-money/
November 5, 2013
A Greenspace Transit Network To Connect A City's Parks To The Countryside
Hamburg is building such an ambitious infrastructure that in a decade or two, residents may never have to get in their cars again.
Many cities have grand plans for adding walking and biking infrastructure. What makes Hamburg's Grünes Netz (Green Network) different is the extent. Germany's second biggest city wants green links connecting all major parks, playgrounds, community gardens, and cemeteries, covering about 40% of the city's area. In 20 years, it hopes people will get around without ever needing motorized transport.
Hamburg already has large contiguous green spaces: "landscape axes" finger out from its center to its outskirts and there are two big green loops in the north and south. The Grünes Netz will fill in what's missing, connecting up more places and creating a comprehensive system. Angelika Fritsch, a city spokesperson told the Guardian:
The paper also describes how Hamburg plans to use the design to get more people visiting nature on the edge of the city:
The complete piece is at: http://www.fastcoexist.com/3020990/heres-an-idea/a-greenspace-transit-network-to-connect-a-citys-parks-the-countryside?partner=rss
Hamburg is planning to make cars superfluous in the next 15-20 years
X-posted in Public Transportation and Smart Growth: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1130A Greenspace Transit Network To Connect A City's Parks To The Countryside
Hamburg is building such an ambitious infrastructure that in a decade or two, residents may never have to get in their cars again.
Many cities have grand plans for adding walking and biking infrastructure. What makes Hamburg's Grünes Netz (Green Network) different is the extent. Germany's second biggest city wants green links connecting all major parks, playgrounds, community gardens, and cemeteries, covering about 40% of the city's area. In 20 years, it hopes people will get around without ever needing motorized transport.
Hamburg already has large contiguous green spaces: "landscape axes" finger out from its center to its outskirts and there are two big green loops in the north and south. The Grünes Netz will fill in what's missing, connecting up more places and creating a comprehensive system. Angelika Fritsch, a city spokesperson told the Guardian:
Other cities, including London, have green rings, but the green network will be unique in covering an area from the outskirts to the city centre. In 15 to 20 years you'll be able to explore the city exclusively on bike and foot.
The paper also describes how Hamburg plans to use the design to get more people visiting nature on the edge of the city:
Fritsch's team envisions a network that doesn't just help residents get from point A to point B in a sustainable fashion. "It will offer people opportunities to hike, swim, do water sports, enjoy picnics and restaurants, experience calm and watch nature and wildlife right in the city", she explains. "That reduces the need to take the car for weekend outings outside the city..".................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.fastcoexist.com/3020990/heres-an-idea/a-greenspace-transit-network-to-connect-a-citys-parks-the-countryside?partner=rss
November 5, 2013
from the Toronto Star:
By: Daniel Dale City Hall, Published on Tue Nov 05 2013
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has admitted that he used crack cocaine while in office.
“Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine,” Ford told reporters outside his office. “But no, do I, am I an addict? No. Have I tried it? Probably in one of my drunken stupors, probably approximately about a year ago. I answered your question. You ask the question properly, I’ll answer it. Yes, I’ve made mistakes. All I can do now is apologize and move on.”
Ford, who will be making a further “announcement”this afternoon, said he did not know the exact circumstances of his crack use.
“I don’t even remember,” he said. “Some of the stuff that you guys have seen me, the state I’ve been in? It’s a problem.”
Ford’s bombshell concession may end his political career. He said in May that he does not smoke crack — using the present tense — but steadfastly refused to answer when asked repeatedly if he had ever smoked crack or done so while in office. ..............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2013/11/05/rob_ford_yes_i_have_smoked_crack_cocaine.html
Rob Ford was against crack cocaine before he was for it........
from the Toronto Star:
By: Daniel Dale City Hall, Published on Tue Nov 05 2013
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has admitted that he used crack cocaine while in office.
“Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine,” Ford told reporters outside his office. “But no, do I, am I an addict? No. Have I tried it? Probably in one of my drunken stupors, probably approximately about a year ago. I answered your question. You ask the question properly, I’ll answer it. Yes, I’ve made mistakes. All I can do now is apologize and move on.”
Ford, who will be making a further “announcement”this afternoon, said he did not know the exact circumstances of his crack use.
“I don’t even remember,” he said. “Some of the stuff that you guys have seen me, the state I’ve been in? It’s a problem.”
Ford’s bombshell concession may end his political career. He said in May that he does not smoke crack — using the present tense — but steadfastly refused to answer when asked repeatedly if he had ever smoked crack or done so while in office. ..............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2013/11/05/rob_ford_yes_i_have_smoked_crack_cocaine.html
November 5, 2013
via the Detroit Free Press:
Voters in three Michigan cities have a chance to give some legal protection to users of small amounts of marijuana.
Ferndale, Jackson and Lansing would ignore possession of an ounce or less of marijuana on private property. People must be at least 21 years old. The question is on the ballot today in the three communities.
But even if voters approve, it still wouldn't offer complete protection. State law still bars marijuana use and possession unless it's medical marijuana. ...................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.freep.com/article/20131105/NEWS06/311050066/3-Michigan-cities-consider-easing-marijuana-laws
3 Michigan cities consider easing marijuana laws
via the Detroit Free Press:
Voters in three Michigan cities have a chance to give some legal protection to users of small amounts of marijuana.
Ferndale, Jackson and Lansing would ignore possession of an ounce or less of marijuana on private property. People must be at least 21 years old. The question is on the ballot today in the three communities.
But even if voters approve, it still wouldn't offer complete protection. State law still bars marijuana use and possession unless it's medical marijuana. ...................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.freep.com/article/20131105/NEWS06/311050066/3-Michigan-cities-consider-easing-marijuana-laws
November 5, 2013
Published on Tuesday, November 5, 2013 by Common Dreams
Obama White House Sees 'No Alternative' to NSA's 'Collect It All' Approach
Bulk collection of 'metadata' to continue if NSA "needle in a haystack" argument continues to receive support from Obama administration
- Jon Queally, staff writer
Unfortunately for those concerned about the bulk collection of private communications by the government, the Obama administration just doesn't see another way conducting its spy business.
When it came to the question of neoliberal capitalism it was former British PM Margaret Thatcher who famously declared, "There is no alternative."
Now—in the face of growing concern and criticism over the global dragnet surveillance programs run by the NSA and other U.S. intelligence agencies determined to "collect it all"—it is the Obama White House saying, in effect, the same thing.
As the New York Times reports Tuesday, after six months of one revelation after another regarding the far-reaching nature of the nation's spy apparatus, "President Obama and his top advisers have concluded that there is no workable alternative to the bulk collection of huge quantities of 'metadata,' including records of all telephone calls made inside the United States." .....................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/11/05-0
White House Sees 'No Alternative' to NSA's 'Collect It All' Approach
Published on Tuesday, November 5, 2013 by Common Dreams
Obama White House Sees 'No Alternative' to NSA's 'Collect It All' Approach
Bulk collection of 'metadata' to continue if NSA "needle in a haystack" argument continues to receive support from Obama administration
- Jon Queally, staff writer
Unfortunately for those concerned about the bulk collection of private communications by the government, the Obama administration just doesn't see another way conducting its spy business.
When it came to the question of neoliberal capitalism it was former British PM Margaret Thatcher who famously declared, "There is no alternative."
Now—in the face of growing concern and criticism over the global dragnet surveillance programs run by the NSA and other U.S. intelligence agencies determined to "collect it all"—it is the Obama White House saying, in effect, the same thing.
As the New York Times reports Tuesday, after six months of one revelation after another regarding the far-reaching nature of the nation's spy apparatus, "President Obama and his top advisers have concluded that there is no workable alternative to the bulk collection of huge quantities of 'metadata,' including records of all telephone calls made inside the United States." .....................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/11/05-0
November 5, 2013
...... I experimented with it for a week, and it was almost never right.
Off with Google Instant Prediction......
...... I experimented with it for a week, and it was almost never right.
November 5, 2013
If sitting in a prison cell was a job, it would be one of the most common jobs in the United States. In 2012, there were some 1,570,000 inmates in state and federal prisons in the U.S., according to data from the Justice Department.
By contrast, there were about 1,530,000 engineers in America last year, 815,000 construction workers, and 1 million high school teachers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
There were also 750,000 car technicians.
That's what Anthony Papa was in the early '80s, before he agreed to deliver 4.5 ounces of cocaine for someone who turned out to be an undercover cop. ...................................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/05/us-prison-population_n_4214626.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009
America has more prisoners than high school teachers
If sitting in a prison cell was a job, it would be one of the most common jobs in the United States. In 2012, there were some 1,570,000 inmates in state and federal prisons in the U.S., according to data from the Justice Department.
By contrast, there were about 1,530,000 engineers in America last year, 815,000 construction workers, and 1 million high school teachers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
There were also 750,000 car technicians.
That's what Anthony Papa was in the early '80s, before he agreed to deliver 4.5 ounces of cocaine for someone who turned out to be an undercover cop. ...................................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/05/us-prison-population_n_4214626.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009
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Gender: MaleHometown: Detroit, MI
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