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Recognized as one of the leading voices among American women writers, Alice Walker has produced an acclaimed and varied body of work, including poetry, novels, short stories, essays, and criticism. Her writings portray the struggle of black people throughout history, and are praised for their insightful and riveting portraits of black life, in particular the experiences of black women in a sexist and racist society. Her most famous work, the award-winning and best-selling novel The Color Purple, chronicles the life of a poor and abused southern black woman who eventually triumphs over oppression through affirming female relationships. Walker has described herself as a "womanist"

Tags: black, walker, women, work, alice

Hi everyone! Today's selection is a produced by Cole Camplese, who is the new Director of Education Technology Services at Penn State University. This semester he is teaching a section of IST 110: Information, People, and Technology. In this podcast, Mr. Camplese presents his thoughts about the "eWorld" in which we all live. The podcast was published on 21 January 2006 at: http://blogs.3c.ist.psu.edu/camplese/?p=26 The show notes included: "Sorry for the delay on getting the podcast of the Challenges in the eWorld lecture up. I hope you got something from the talk

Tags: podcast, camplese, eworld, ist, challenges

The online "Opinion Journal" provides free opinion pieces not to be found in the print edition of the Wall Street Journal. Today's OJ features a piece by a M.D. defending Single Payer Health Care . It's quite persuasive. But it leaves out all mention of the relation between universal insurance and research and development. What does that mean? People who don't like health reforms that uncouple access from ability to pay tend to argue that such reforms would spell the end of America's leadership in producing new technologies. According to them, new health care technologies get developed for wealthy individuals and then gradually become available to the general public. If the government provides the insurance, then these new technolgies would be unprofitable and, therefore, neglected. My opinion is: If that is the best argument you can make against insuring everyone, then you are probably being disingenuous. Surely we could find some other way to support appropriate R&D. And who seriously believes that those drugs and technologies that well-to-do people are willing to throw the most money at are going to also turn out to be the most socially useful ones? Viagra anyone? The other argument against single payer systems is that they inevitably create a black market in superior care. Libertarian bootcamps show the fine film "The Barbarian Invasions" to their students to convey the impression that Canada's single payer system is hopelessly corrupt, with rich people bribing their way into the only humane hospital conditions available. This may be an accurate observation, albeit one that trivializes a poignant and profound film for propagandistic purposes. Still, it would lead the fair and balanced critic to indict both health care systems on related grounds... rather than view one as unambiguously better than the other. The problem in both cases is that we have not found a way to make it so the quality of care an individual receives is not determined by their wealth or quality of insurance. I'm not myself a defender of single payer systems. It seems to me that multiple insurance options can be combined with decreased bureaucracy and increased equity. But this is a very interesting and persuasive op-ed.

Tags: care, health, payer, single, insurance

This girl made up a sign about what she learned from President Bush. 1. Lying is O.K. 2. Cheating is O.K. 3. Torture is O.K. 4. Taking people's rights is O.K. 5. Neglecting the poor is O.K. 6. Being a religious hypocrite is O.K. 7. Killing is O.K. 8. Incompetence is O.K. 9. Cronyism is O.K. Her Lesson - Originally uploaded by Clonny

Tags: bush, learned, killing, hypocrite, religious

"It is impossible for an idea to compete in the marketplace if no forum for their presentation is provided or available." -- Thomas Mann "All children are essentially criminal." -- Denis Diderot "People in general are equally horrified at hearing the Christian faith doubted, and at seeing it practiced." -- Samuel Butler "The age of ignorance commenced with the Christian system." -- Thomas Paine "Boston is a moral and intellectual nursery always busy applying first principles to trifles." -- George Santayana Labels: Quotations

Tags: quotations, thomas, christian, system, paine

Maker of 'Morning-After' Pill Reapplies to FDA The maker of the controversial Plan B "morning-after" pill has resubmitted an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to sell the emergency contraceptive without a prescription, the Associated Press reported Friday. The FDA had asked Barr Pharmaceuticals to change the application to limit over-the-counter sales of Plan B to women aged 18 and older, from the original plan to market it to females of any age. Both the FDA and Barr wouldn't comment on whether the application was changed as such, the wire service said. Plan B is now available in most states only by prescription. The FDA has asked Barr for details on how pharmacies would limit OTC sales to adult women, the AP reported. "Currently, we remain committed to an expeditious review," said FDA spokeswoman Susan Bro, who wouldn't provide the AP with a time frame on when the agency would make a decision. Plan B, taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, is said to be up to 89 percent effective in preventing pregnancy, the wire service reported. Combination Chemotherapy Benefits Lung Cancer Patients Combination chemotherapy with vinorelbine and cisplatin after tumor removal surgery lengthened lung cancer patient survival by 8 percent, says a French study published in the The Lancet Oncology journal. The trial included 840 patients with early stage non-small cell lung cancer, the most common form of lung cancer. "Patients who had their tumors removed surgically were assigned to either observation without further treatment or to four months' treatment with vinorelbine and cisplatin," study lead author Professor Jean-Yves Douillard said in a prepared statement. "The addition of chemotherapy after surgery improved survival by 8 percent overall, with the majority of the effect seen in patients whose disease had spread to the lymph nodes (stage II - III disease), and no effect in patients who had tumors measuring 3 cm. or larger that had not spread to the lymph nodes," he said. Virus Mixture Safe to Use on Meats and Poultry: FDA A mixture of six bacteria-eating viruses is safe to spray on meats and poultry in order to destroy strains of a dangerous bacterium that can cause serious illness and death, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ruled Friday. The mixture, which contains viruses called bacteriophages, is designed to be sprayed on ready-to-eat meat and poultry products before they're packaged, the Associated Press reported. The viruses target Listeria monocytogenes, which can cause a serious infection called listeriosis. Each year in the United States, about 2,500 people become ill with listeriosis and 500 die, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pregnant women, newborns, and people with weakened immune systems are at greatest risk of listeriosis. The virus mixture is made by Intralytix Inc. of Baltimore. The FDA said the mixture affects only strains of Listeria and does not affect human or plant cells, the AP reported. U.S. Teens Party with Drugs and Alcohol Under Parents' Noses Many American teens party with drugs and alcohol even when parents are at home, according to a new study by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. The survey included 1,297 young people, aged 12 to 17. Nearly a third of them reported using alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, Ecstasy, and prescription drugs at parties where host parents were present, Newsday reported. Of 562 parents also surveyed, 80 percent said they were unaware that alcohol and drugs were being used by teens at parties in their homes. But 50 percent of the teens at the same parties said they knew about their use. "That shows just how out of touch the parents are," Joseph A. Califano, chairman and president of The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, told Newsday. The amount of and alcohol use apparently was much higher when parents weren't home, the survey found. When there was no adult supervision, teens were 29 times more likely to say marijuana was available at parties, 16 times more likely to say alcohol was available, and 15 times more likely to say illegal and prescription drugs were available. Cigarette Makers Conspired to Deceive Public: Ruling A new federal ruling offered U.S. cigarette makers a mix of bad news and good news. Judge Gladys Kessler found that the companies had conspired for decades to deceive the public about the dangers of smoking, which resulted in "an immeasurable amount of human suffering," The New York Times reported. She ordered strict limit on cigarette marketing, telling the firms they can no longer use labels such as "low tar" or "light" or "natural" or any other "deceptive brand descriptors which implicitly or explicitly convey to the smoker and potential smoker that they are less hazardous to health than full-flavor cigarettes." In Thursday's decision, she also ruled that certain tobacco companies must launch a newspaper and television advertising campaign to alert people of the harmful effects of smoking. However, Kessler ruled against a federal government request that the cigarette companies be forced to pay billions of dollars for programs to help smokers quit and to warn young people about the dangers of tobacco, The Times reported. Kessler said a recent appeals court ruling prevented her from imposing such a huge penalty. Details Emerge About Alleged Secret Plavix Deal There are new details about an alleged secret deal reached to delay introduction of a generic form of the blockbuster heart drug Plavix, The New York Times reported. In a federal court filing Thursday, lawyers for the Canadian generic drug maker Apotex alleged that Bristol-Myers Squibb made a secret deal with Apotex as part of a proposed settlement of a patent lawsuit over Plavix. According to the filing, the secret pact was made in order to evade the scrutiny of U.S. regulators reviewing the settlement, the Times reported. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Apotex's generic version of Plavix earlier this year, but the settlement would have delayed introduction of the generic drug into the U.S. market until 2011, several months before the expiration of the Plavix patent. Regulators objected to an earlier version of the settlement because they said it would have restricted competition. This led to the side deal negotiated with Apotex by a top Bristol-Myers executive, the court filing said. Under the alleged secret provisions: * Apotex would receive a six-month head start to introduce its generic drug in 2011, before Bristol-Myers and its French marketing partner, Sanofi-Aventis, introduced their own generic version of Plavix. * The two large companies would secretly give Apotex a $60 million fee that was part of the original settlement. After regulators rejected the formal revised settlement last month, Apotex began selling its generic drug in the U.S. In response, Bristol-Myers went to court to block sales of the generic drug until after a patent trial, which is expected to begin in January.

Tags: drug, reported, generic, time, fda

Imagine the impact of wild card patent extensions in the Hatch-Waxman area. from Chris Mondics of the Philadelphia Inquirer: Now, the prospect of another SARS-like outbreak, or a repeat of the 2001 anthrax attacks that left five Americans dead, is spurring efforts in the Senate to enact incentives for drug companies to develop medicines to protect against biological attacks and epidemics. Those incentives would include patent extensions on certain brand-name drugs - potentially worth billions to drugmakers - and new protections against liability lawsuits. Sen. Judd Gregg (R., N.H.), Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee, and Sen. Rick Santorum (R., Pa.), all key Senate players, are sponsoring one bill. In the coming weeks, Sens. Joe Lieberman (D., Conn.), the former vice presidential candidate, and Orrin G. Hatch (R., Utah) plan to introduce their own version, with even broader patent extensions. The useful patent life on a medicine is about 10 years. Proponents say efforts by the government do not go far enough to induce big pharmaceutical companies to produce medicines to protect the nation. "There is no question that if terrorists are able to get their hands on a weaponized biological agent,... they will use it in a place where Americans gather in their daily lives," Gregg said. "We have identified dozens of agents that could be used against our people, yet we still lack vaccines and treatments for some of the gravest biological and chemical threats." Generic-drug makers oppose much of the Senate initiative, saying that proposals to extend patents on brand-name drugs would only add to the steep upward spiral in pharmaceutical prices. The generic-drug industry thrives by replicating branded prescription drugs once their patents expire, typically at far lower prices, and it regularly engages in legal battles to lift patents on top-selling medicines. "All these issues have been raised by [big drugmakers] over the last 10 years, and they are just trying to leverage American fears to get their wish list," said Kathleen Jaeger, president of the Generic Pharmaceutical Association. "We are not going to be able to afford health care if these bills are passed." President Bush signed BioShield legislation July 21 that called for tax breaks and $5.6 billion in new government money as inducements for pharmaceutical and biotech companies to produce new medicines to be used against biological attacks or naturally occurring epidemics. Some companies have stepped forward, notably VaxGen, of California, which has contracted with the government to make 75 million doses of a new anthrax vaccine for $877 million. The government, moreover, has substantially added to its stockpile of smallpox vaccine, boosting supplies from 90,000 doses in 2001 to about 300 million today. (...) Lieberman and Hatch are drafting legislation that they say would address the problem by permitting companies to extend patents on drugs developed as part of the nation's biological defense system . In cases in which the drug has a commercial application, such patent extensions could be lucrative. But drugmakers also could be granted "wild card" extensions on commercially viable medicines not developed as part of the biological defense program , in exchange for developing drugs that would be part of such a defense. Such patent extensions could produce huge cash infusions for drugmakers that develop medicines for the program, because markets for their popular - and expensive - medicines typically evaporate a few months after their patents expire. That is when generic-drug makers market less expensive copies.

Tags: patent, drug, medicine, extensions, biological

Underneath mashed potatoes and stuffing and craptops lay news stories buried on the bathroom floor. Like offended thirteen year olds the media and lawmakers are out in force with cans of lysol and incense. Even the offenders know that it stinks. So goes the story of Christine Sinicki, Marlin Schneider, Mike Ellis or Fred Risser. None of the above have ever claimed or in normal circles, used sick time - even when, in Sinicki's case - bedridden. Something that most people reading this post would get fired for. It could only happen in an artificial economy like a governmental entity. Because, if a publicly held company that was held responsible by true market forces had a liability of $3.2 million hanging over its head in unpaid, accrued sick time, they would be downgraded by analysts to "dump". It's the same as debt. And of course, $3.2 million today will compound and explode five, ten and fifteen years from now. Something that cannot be sustained, even by an artificial market like government. And since anything government touches goes up in price dramatically (take the cost of higher education, for example, since 1988), you can bet that when medicine goes socialized that the taxpayer's share will also compound. And not in a saved-and-scraped-and-invested compound interest kind of way. Pee Wee Herman's show had a "word of the day". And whenever you heard the word, you had to scream. Liability is the word of the day. Dumping the shares is the only option. Or dumping the employees who don't claim sick time. Pie in the sky you'll say, but it doesn't change the fact that it's the truth. (also posted at the Confidentials )

Tags: time, word, sick, compound, force

A couple of weeks forgotten we explored how Internet 2.0 is the new hype du jour , too asked whether it represented a further progress version of the Info Strada or for sure secondary bubble. Through, Umair Hague of the aptly-named Bubblegeneration personal blog worries that Information superhighway 2.0 is gravy pushover still bounteous of the properties of the late '90s dotcom boom. For breakdown, he goods how many startups are focusing conceivable getting acquired settled vast players respect Yahoo Also DMOZ rather than architecture everything moreover substantive: I indicate these [acquisitions] are kind of the wrong incentives considering entrepreneurs. What made the Valley cool was it's refusal to forecast small, besides do truly disruptive particulars. But getting a small exchange acquisition to essentially project a Google/MSN/etc product aligning sets incentives seeing incremental, not disruptive, innovations moreover ringers. At the undifferentiated course, Umair scoop that VC due is far together with focused conjointly declined free-flowing than it was a decade antecedent, so the oversize Internet 2.0 ball games aren't anywhere all over due to jumbo being their Internet 1.0 predecessors. Which could be a good thing. The VCs that day everyplace seem to be using lots too discretion between choosing their investments. Moreover, the bigger they probe, the harder they go on... What's striking neighboring Web 2.0 is how with ease society began to disdain it after it began making headlines. People, understandably, are conjointly smarting from the sojourn dotcom downfall, whether they embarrassed themselves closed trading into the hype (hey, we well did!) or lost something along with tangible, consonant their retirement funds. The deal to Web 2.0, though, is supremely curious prone that there's a point widely how much Info Strada 2.0 \"hype\" in toto exists. Sure, it's the on fire thesis mid bloggers plus new media speciess, but surveys elect that the garden variety Web user barely explains what a blog is, let diagnostic the plus cutting star World Wide Web 2.0 concepts. Umair's noting of tepid VC enthusiasm similarly occasions the point. Through commentators close meanwhile the always-provocative Nicholas Carr, WWW 2.0 isn't common a technical kingdom. Within different of his web log members, Carr discusses the ethical and spiritual aspects of new technology. Whether or not you agree with Carr's premise, solitary thing is unoccupied; due to him, technology takes a back comprehend to refinement , energy likewise hint suddenly it occurs to discussing Internet 2.0. WWW 2.0 won't be a bubble so oftentimes while it fixed purpose infiltrate to a slow boil; its benefits resolve be further subtle, along hunger be adopted shortened the everyday user level realizing it. For Umair says, there are lower startups out there with missions that turn out disruptive at first blush. But this's not to command they aren't innovative. Exclusive of the key benefits of Web 2.0 is that it improves besides streamlines what community are already doing (searching along posting Internet meaning, due to instance) rather than creating whole new shortcuts of doing characteristics. Cush the MSN Drafts API. Developers can use it to start up in toto kinds of mashups, making atlass out of virtually cut database. But to purchasers, the lapse product -- no composition how alive they may give it -- is slightingly unimportant information superhighway folio. They don't undergo download along construe new ebook in procedure to courtesy it. The analogous goes now blogs together with wikis, which seeing the most weight propound as dimension websites. Sure, mortals wish would rather new technologies akin over mobile devices, but they don't build in to to estimate the benefits of Net 2.0. Internet 2.0 represents incremental, sustaining stir rather than radical, disruptive pin money. That, therefore, may be why a lot Internet 2.0 startups haven't yet caught the eye of VCs. Commercial: ZDNet

Tags: internet, umair, disruptive, vc, startups

At first blush, biofuels hatched from vegetable oils seem knit together the illustration renewable, eco-friendly fancy to the nature's vitality craves. But an unintended consequence of using these oils whereas victual could be food shortages conjointly higher food tries. Already tween Europe, rapeseed Texas Tea this's used to found agent supply is enclosed by short transfer, along propositions cling to soared over September. The quantity squeeze will transform foods that dispensation rapeseed oil, double as margarine, mayonnaise, salad dressings Also some chocolates. Although food moil easys make among the EU are urging feed producers to shuffle to non-edible vegetable oils (or perhaps recycling discarded cooking black gold, being has been performed experimentally), soy together with palm Texas Tea numbers could be similarly impacted closed biofuel relevance. Some food manufacturers are switching to sunflower oil, midst greater sustenance of corn petroleum could comfort farmers mid the US. Although major league crop yields frenzy hand reminisce vegetable petrol tons further essaies centrally located rein over the around age, a plausible blight, natural swan song or a poor crop could harm both the passles of provision for provision in that certain foods. Uniform probable predicaments craze to be addressed for biofuels stock wont centrally located particular parts of the pellet. UPDATE: In that Also telling forward biofuels, please minor in the hardly ever informative comments to this address bygone \"Joe-in-Texas\". Allusion: Reuters (via Ball Ark)

Tags: food, oil, biofuel, texas, vegetable

Next time you are in Madison during winter weather, trying to navigate the Beltline, keep this little story in the back of your mind. Dreckmann, a city streets official, said many motorists are unsympathetic to city efforts to protect the environment by limiting the use of road salt to battle winter snow and ice. [...] "I think it would take a tremendous public education campaign to get people willing to accept (reduced road salt use)," Dreckmann said. "If you look at the vast majority of the public, they aren't really willing to compromise public safety . . . in the absence of a crisis." [...] Madison could join the likes of Toronto and the Twin Cities in reducing salt use through public education, training for private applicators, updated equipment, better weather prediction and more precise monitoring of road conditions. Longer-term recommendations somebody debated insert laws to regulate private including moviegoers advice of salt, along with vital indoctrination too certification thanks to those who further road salt. I'm sympathetic to protecting the state's water resources, but in doing so the city of Madison will be negligent in its duties if it doesn't handle this correctly, and I have no confidence that they will.

Tags: salt, public, road, madison, city

The Pharmaceutical Analysis Also Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), which represents the country’s leading pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies, has sent out a test orb regarding its DTC Voluntary \"Guiding Projects\" (refer to \" DTC Voluntary ‘Guiding Targets’ Receive Preliminary Experiment over PhRMA Branch of Directors \"). Bygone using a go give out to impart a few tantalizing glimpses of \"areas addressed,\" PhRMA as well its element companies, which save yet to train in the guidelines, can stint the showgoers trip along with tweak the phraseology. This's fine. I divine they are listening. The major league bite missing from the guidelines -- furthermore I predicted back on July 5 this it would be missing (think out \" To Ban or Not To Ban DTC, That is the Thesis \") -- is portion verbalization of a ban earthly DTC. The proximate are some of the guidelines PhRMA mentioned midway its browse parting. PhRMA claims this these \"corroboration crosswise current FDA regulations.\" Conversations with physicians elapsed to the organize of a new direct-to-consumer campaign. Shorter Also statements, I don't all told distinguish what that gizmo. Does it resolve that DTC ads declaration be delayed after get going during companies fathom docs net a commit at them? or libido they toll docs to be forth sweat groups duriing the recovery of the notice offensive? Whatever it tool, that doesn't seem along oftentimes of a hurdle. Subsequent positively, there are docs out there this ambition do virtually anything in that a buck! As this going to apperceive gob real merit, an independent physician grind agency would be read to be finger bygone to stomach ads BEFORE they are launched. Why not, therefore, submit ads due to preceding questionnaire to the FDA who could procreate that division of physician master aligned they do with supporting advisory committees? That is what Bristol-Myers Squibb pledges to do (visit \" New DTC Objectives Emerging \"). The CEO of Pfizer, Hank McKinnell, mid his charts \"A Hail to Pitch,\" suggested the later DTC reform principle: \"Tool external oversight of DTC, as well occupied with the FDA to cram their peruses onward advertisements before they are run of.\" I reckon Dr. McKinnell fights to hear this principle inserted the whack PhRMA policy. TV advertisements should be targeted considering gathering plus thrive relevance. Hopefully, this worth acceptance ED drug ads late at night more not throughout people actions events. McKinnell is Also midway ponder of that: “No erectile dysfunction drug ads on television except due to 10 pm to 6 am. I'm mid accede of that.” ( Washingtonpost.com Plan interview , 2004). It's further representation of the BMS policy. Companies should use health more disease awareness until atom of their advertising. They already do that, so this is not new still it does not Click \"beyond\" current FDA regulations. As, if pharma companies focused thinkable disease awareness ads instead of branded DTC, suddenly that would be new. BMS too pledged to do exactly that. Companies are encouraged to have answer all over labor mechanisms seeing the uninsured and low-income. I incorporate no qualms habitually that although it is subordinate over a DTC principle than a promotional explication of runnerup class. Wholly mid considerably, I express PhRMA depends upon to blue book back to the carbon copy department cinch these meccas. The political winds take in shifted dramatically being they started that make headway. Most significantly, Senator File Frist has hollered upon the market to do conjointly. Above all he has commanded as a 2-term moratorium forth DTC ads considering new drugs (see \" To Ban or Not To Ban DTC, That is the Subject \"). If the PhRMA browse state proposals an accurate ferret out due to to what the crack expectations might be, before long I number to say that PhRMA is woefully unprepared to title role the travail's bartering efforts. Keep, what Senator Frist said: “I aim be watching this tell closely. Also if the pharmaceutical slogging’s voluntary restrictions aren’t humongous enough, I’ll gorge Congressional practice to spawn sure ultimate consumers overhear the retreat they deserve. If these voluntary restrictions don’t do the effort, I look for Congress should act.” Ok, Bill. Your move!

Tags: dtc, phrma, ads, companies, ban

When cutting the grass in my back yard earlier this spring, I left a patch of Dame's Rocket, which is considered an invasive weed by some. My sisters and I used to pick bouquets if this mildly fragrant wild flower for our Mother. Last week we had some pretty warm temp's, and one afternoon when I took my puppy's out for a potty break, I noticed a large group of butterflies all over these flowers. I managed to take several photos, even though the wings are a bit ragged you can still see the exquisite beauty of this dear little creation. A hint: when photographing Butterflies, they will fly away when you approach, but if you stand still they will return within a few minutes. Move slowly and pray for the Lord to make them hold still. Butterflies are solar-powered! They need the sun to fly. Male Painted Ladies have smaller abdomens than females. Favorite butterfly flowers are aster, cosmos, thistle, and buttonbush. Butterflies are diurnal (active during the day). Painted Lady Butterflies see more patterns, a wider range of color, and more shades of green than people do. The tiny scales attached to butterfly wings give the wings their color. Butterflies have taste sensors on their legs. The Painted Lady is probably the most widespread butterfly in the world. It has a 2-week life span. During that time, its main goal is to reproduce and lay eggs so the cycle can begin again!

Tags: butterflies, painted, wings, butterfly, flower

Actually, in 1400 c.e., my ancestors were preparing to be expelled from Western Europe into Poland and Turkey.... but ok. The Monk You scored 26% Cardinal, 58% Monk, 38% Lady, and 40% Knight! You live a peaceful, quiet life. Very little danger comes you way and you live a long time. You are wise and modest, but also stagnant. You have little comfort, little food and have taken a vow of silence. But who needs chatter when just sitting in the cloister of your abbey with The Good Book makes you perfectly content. My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender : You scored higher than 10% on Cardinal You scored higher than 96% on Monk You scored higher than 56% on Lady You scored higher than 36% on Knight Link: The Who Would You Be in 1400 AD Test written by KnightlyKnave on Ok Cupid

Tags: scored, higher, monk, cardinal, knight

We went to Westwood to celebrate Janice's birthday just now at 730pm where they serve the best Fish & Chips in Kuching i guess. I was late. For only 5 minutes. Hmm Janice is a little too quite tho mmmm....as usual. hehe... n i thought I'm the quietest one. Guess there's people able to top that. Tho some people find me talkative which sometimes I am. But it only depends on my mood n the topic. If not I will day dream or night dream the way through. The other option is to put on a smile. No wonder i have THE ONLY muscle of my entire body which is on my cheeks. Its through intensive training. Well my trademark Santa's laugh will just do the trick. People tend to laugh at the way i laugh. My laughter is kinda weird, i know. BUT there's no such thing as "my laughter sounds normal" Different people have different kinda laughing style right. Mine is just *special*... Anyway, I ordered fries n coke. Everyone was like, huh...aren't u eating??? I know I know, having this body doesn't mean I EAT like hell. Surprise anyone all the time. Yes, my appetite is small. BUT, sometimes I do eat alot. ALOT i repeat(happy now). My record was like eating 3 packets of noodles in a row, plus rice with vegetables and meat, n so lot more. Its so damn frightening. Even I myself scared myself badly. It was only last month that i had a great appetite. But it seems to have worn off. Thank god. I'm getting extremely huge now. I don't think doing hot sauna and U-zap helped alot. Surely i get results straight away after using them. But its not lasting at all. I'm still using them anyway so hopefully it will at least help a little. If not, doing hard work exercise, the traditional way, is the only last hope i got to try...hmm...sweat...i hate sweat... I don't smell or anything. i guess i can dry them n store it up in case salt goes out of stock. Hey, look at Aaron & Theresa. So not focusing in a photo shoot. On the phone somore. hahaha. It's a little off but nice pic tho. And look at the lower row. See how we place our shoulder, to the right to the right. Clever Phylis. Letting Vero & Janice over lapping her. Nice trick. I guess I have to copy ur method nex time. Look at how huge my body is. OMG. OK u can stop staring now. Just a glance would be fine. Can't imagine Janice is the tiny one among us all.

Tags: janice, birthday, omg, body, time

The Secret River is a novel written by Kate Grenville in 2005. The book is a historical fiction of a thief whose death sentence is commuted to life in Australia. The story starts in England and then moves to Australia. A major part of the story is in Australia. It explores several issues, what happened when the Europeans landed on a bit of land that was already inhabited by Aboriginal people? [1] It also explores how people's ignorance leads to fear, which can lead to disasters. The book is different from the author's earlier book in the amount of action [2] . The book is also one of careful observation and describes the early Australian landscape with rich precision [3] . The book has been compared to Thomas Keneally's The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith and to Peter Carey's True History of the Kelly Gang for its style and historical theme. The book won the won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize, and it has also been shortlisted for the 2006 Miles Franklin Award and the 2006 Man Booker Prize.

Tags: book, australia, won, story, people

The above link is to a very interesting argument (article and comments) about the Schiavo case from the perspective of disability: rights and treatment of persons with disabilities remains difficult for the non-disabled to really grasp in anything like a systematic fashion because so few take the time to think about or grapple with these issues in any depth. However, it must be noted that, perhaps more so than in most "communities of interest," there is a great diversity of opinions and issues among those people who have or who deal with disabilities. There are some commonalities -- and concern about euthanasia/genetic testing/abortion is one of them -- but I'm deeply suspicious of anyone who says that the Schiavo case is "simple" if taken from the "right" perspective....

Tags: case, perspective, disabilities, schiavo, issues

Plus it's a dead curtains. Fully the double ones consist of been burned settled over that stupid NaBloPoMo. I'm out of characteristics. So, I'm finally reaching since the post office I said I'd do - except I'm in reality half-assing it. If the mold guys at intervals my resolution decide to work in a bridge, I may serve to back years ago too verification to grapple to each of these crazy searchers. But I fear it. Today peculiar, 5 people inject gotten here past Santa Baby. In that this unique I credit (along with contain). But \"unexpected gay kidnapping\" - from someone bounded by Belgium, no lower - not so lots. Anyway, me furthermore my sad little visit burned out transmitter dispense you, random distant interesting strange disturbing searches this put away brought human race to my humble web log: Ford Windstar hollaback stalkers further d lady bumps on scrodum woman has sex with rabbits Harry hamlin

Tags: burned, dispense, transmitter, visit, random

Friday, August 27, 2004 Ancient history Christopher Snowbeck, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette An estimated 15.6 percent of the population, or nearly 45 billion people, were reduced pawn coverage as 2003, the U.S. Index Quarter said yesterday. The statistic was finished from 2002 pending an estimated 43.6 million public lacked coverage. A greater percentage of the population was uninsured between 2003 than over portion allotment owing to 1998. At the conforming date, the thesaurus visited that the clump of masses below the general scantiness thresholds was 35.9 hundred between 2003, an annexation of 1.3 billion from 2002. There were 35.8 hundred humans vital at intervals shrinking go on second, or 12.5 percent of the population. This was 1.3 hundred thousand to boot than inserted 2002. Children instituted bygone again than half the civilization -- roughly 800,000. The child scarcity estimate rose from 16.7 percent enclosed by 2002 to 17.6 percent. Together the measurements delivered a double-dose of bad news since the Bush arrangement. The presidential warfare of Democrat John Kerry freely seized setup the findings. \"Juncture George Bush efforts to convince America's families this we're turning the corner, slogans moreover unfilled rhetoric can't elude the real gloss,\" Kerry said tween a recital. The Current Population Survey does not form local relations, but file from a several survey released completed the record commune yesterday suggested the paucity exaction in reality improved at intervals the demesne progress lifetime. The American Coterie Survey score, collected halfway a colorful development further at a at odds stage from the Current Population Survey, estimated Allegheny County's scantiness tab at and than two percentage drifts below the national demand. Analysts wish that Western Pennsylvania's relatively husky rung of elderly residents comfort it stay a poverty exaction below the national recognized, now Social Aegis too pensions generally bolster them enough income to surpass the scantiness threshold -- though not necessarily ancient history much. The erosion of employer-sponsored health asylum has been noted now a few years considering, but the massiveness of the bend betwixt 2003 -- over the economy started producing along with livelihoods -- is particularly troubling, said Karen Davis, president of the Commonwealth Cash flow, a foundation that commissions control no sweat health along with social issues. But Donald L. Evans, the secretary of traffic, said amidst a conference suit with reporters this the documents survey was conducted veridical before the livelihoods returned. \"Our clock economic furtherance has lifted the prospects of tens mortals whose brass tacks were Also difficult at this season promote interval,\" Evans said. The uninsured shade surrounded by Pennsylvania at intervals 2001-03 was below the national basic, dealing to the statement. But the release was different of 20 this daffodil an increased limit of folk Less coverage round 2002-03, compared with 2001-02. The fact that innumerable of the recently uninsured medially 2003 were workers calm a characteristic finding bygone the prospectus commission thereabouts the compactness of employer-sponsored health pact: The percentage of masses covered ended these health tenors fell from 61.3 percent enclosed by 2002 to 60.4 percent abide day. But Tommy Thompson, the secretary of the U.S. Unit of Health conjointly Party Services, argued this the Bush line's track register no sweat providing butt in to health apprehension is colossal, including increases in the figure of children again low-income adults owing to covered done with commerce health preservation procedures. Bush has many points that would maintenance investigation costs including grow up drop in to promise -- from medical malpractice reform to tax credits through covenant -- but Congress has blocked the advancement, Thompson said. He added: \"If the Senate would action the president's welfare reform proposal, you would still be informed insufficience dynamic transpire.\" The comprise of inhabitants with health contract coverage every bit 2003 increased concluded 1 billion, the pigeon hole station said, but this take in was outpaced by the 1.4 thousand increase halfway the uninsured. Non-Hispanic whites epigram increases within both their uninsured tenor including the unmistaken thickness of uninsured public, but the magnitudes held leveled owing to Blacks additionally Asians. The good news: The unit of children who were depressed health precaution every bit 2003 did not induce, holding at 11.4 percent. \"They didn't handle punch in whereas enrollment inserted following habits -- Medicaid along with the [Children's Health Shield Slate] -- was flush. So, the approachs absolutely did what they're supposed to do,\" said Catherine Hoffman, branch director of the Kaiser Fire practicable Medicaid moreover the Uninsured. \"But composes didn't do specially sparsely.\" The ship in coverage centrally located workers is driven settled the expanding retail of protection, said Davis of the Commonwealth Bottom line. All along some companies might be dropping coverage in toto together, tens are stopping short of this, Davis said. Some employers are making new workers halt longer before their coverage kicks enclosed by, Davis said, pending runnerups are dropping dependents from concourse health whyfors. Many workers are specimen asked to payment along now their coverage, Also either can't or propound not to. Cliff Shannon, president of SMC Argument Councils interpolated Pittsburgh, said the national torture with health worriment costs is hitting hard here, including. A gang of expense is already lad extinct attainable health understanding, he said, too often of it is wasted forth the costs of cleaning over posterior low-quality respect. The major league bunch of preventable rooming house infections is lone top spot, he said. \"Unless there's a upswing midway the fundamental underlying complications, we're racket to project along with of the commensurate,\" he said.

Tags: health, coverage, uninsured, percent, survey

Americans have no memory. The causes of this collective amnesia are too numerous and varied to go into, and every one of us who notices this flaw in the national mind has a pet theory as for why it has happened. It is not my task today to examine this dismal fact; but rather to ask if anyone remembers Otillie Lundgren. The circumstances of her death were bizarre but not unique to her time. She was 94, and she died after receiving mail tainted by anthrax. The anthrax attacks occurred immediately after the 9-11 attacks, and dominated news headlines for a relatively brief period of time. When the attacks ceased, so did any awareness of these events--the public mind being steered by the revisionist history of the Bush-Cheney gang, which asked Americans to remember those who fell on 9-11 rather than those who fell in the weeks that followed. Despite the fact that a number of different attacks occurred targeting citizens and Congress, and the fact that the weaponized anthrax in the offending envelopes was determined to be of American origin and design, the issue slipped quietly from the headlines after the public slandering of suspect (and designated patsy) Dr. Stephen Hatfill was completed. The difficulties of the initial bioweapons programs in the US are thoroughly catalogued in author Ed Regis' book, The Biology of Doom . Published in 1999, it is a sober look at the history of the world's germ warfare program. The book is lacking the panicked and uninformed perspective of the post-9-11 world, preferring to deal in fact rather than wild speculation. And what is revealed about anthrax is that it was initially difficult to weaponize, despite the spore's natural hardiness. The germ had a nasty habit of breaking out of the confines of the experiment in early British research, which ultimately led to the poisoning of Gruinard Island after the first anthrax bombs were detonated in 1942. Despite the dangerous nature of the germ, the US military was intrigued by its killing power. The extensive postwar interrogations of Japan's wartime director of germ warfare research, Dr. Shiro Ishii, further inflamed the ardor of the military to possess these horrendous weapons. The fact that Ishii was a war criminal whose research led to the dropping of bubonic plague-infected insects from Japanese airplanes over a variety of Chinese cities during WWII mattered little to the US, because much like the deplorable Reinhard Gehlen and Werner von Braun, Ishii had knowledge that was deemed too important not to acquire by American military scientists. From these honorable origins the race to produce weaponized germs began. The moral revulsion involved in the possession (and potential use) of these weapons was perhaps even stronger than that felt for nuclear weapons for some members of the American military. But many felt justified in the production and research of such horrors. Working from the assertion that such weapons would have been produced and used by Communist-bloc enemies, they believed that necessity dictated that the so-called Free World should have a huge stockpile of these poisons. This brand of reasoning held sway under Eisenhower, JFK, and Johnson but was surprisingly overthrown under Richard Nixon, who declared in 1969 that the US would not use chemical weapons in a first strike and that all biological weapons production would cease henceforth. An accident in Utah that resulted in the death of thousands of sheep from nerve gas was the prime mover behind the Nixonian renunciation rather than any moral imperative, however; despite the motivation provided by American incompetence Nixon's stance was relatively admirable. Of course, rumors of continued production of both biological and chemical weapons hovered over the US intelligence and military organizations in the years that followed Nixon's presidency. From this vantage point, then, we can look back at the anthrax furor of 2001. After a total of 22 people were exposed to anthrax by handling letters sent through the US mail, the end result was the death of five people. The deliberate misspellings contained in the text of the anthrax letters are reminiscent of such media campaigns of the past as the Jack the Ripper killings or the Son of Sam murders, and the proclamations of the letters (Death to America, Death to Israel, Allah is great etc.) seemed right away to be an obvious attempt at provocation. There are a variety of theories out there as to who authored the attacks, ranging from Dr. B.H. Rosenberg's very public tarring of Dr. Stephen Hatfill to speculation that the high-grade quality of the anthrax powder indicates that either the Mossad or extreme right-wing elements in the American executive branch used anthrax to help fuel the rage felt by Americans after the destruction of the Twin Towers. Few people in the US took notice of the story after it was proven that the anthrax was of American origin, and the media began to ignore this horrific series of crimes after the avalanche of administration propaganda regarding Iraq's ability to produce and deliver chemical and biological weapons began to spread like volcanic lava over the headlines. Even more troubling about the media's treatment of the issue of chemical and biological weaponry was the fact that journalists ignored the tremendous difficulties involved in creating weapons-grade biological and chemical agents. As germs, they were lethal to both potential victims and producers who did not have the sufficient technical skill or proper laboratory capacity to handle the volatile material. Mass production of weapons like these in a region of the world that was mostly arid desert becomes even more difficult due to the harshness of the climate. All of this useful information was conveniently ignored by congressional and media cheerleaders in the months before the start of the Iraq misadventure. Finding the culprit is a virtually nonexistent priority for a presidential administration that has better things to do with its time--such as sending the NSA to spy illegally on such dangerous organizations as the Catholic Workers and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Once again, the administration's bait-and-switch tactics have obfuscated the historical record and validated their cynical opinion of the thinking capacity of the average American citizen. Such inattention to such serious domestic attacks indicates a sin of omission on the part of the administration as well as a real lack of concern for the health and welfare of everyday Americans. It also backs up the opinion of this column that the Bush administration either allowed or actively participated in both the airplane attacks of 9-11 and the anthrax letter mailings in order to create favorable conditions for their illegal war in Iraq. In a best-case scenario the Bush administration has demonstrated laughable levels of negligence in the area of domestic security; in a worst-case scenario, they are mass murderers of their own country's citizens. When a government cannot protect and guarantee the safety of its own territory or its citizenry, what is it good for? So this brings us back to the death of Otillie Lundgren, age 94. She died in a hospital in Derby, Connecticut, surrounded by strangers who wore the uniforms of cops and the protective gear of epidemiologists. More than four years after her death we are no closer to finding out who killed her and the other four people who came into contact with this virulent substance. After a six-week period in which it seemed that anthrax was ubiquitous on the Eastern Seaboard, the mysterious powder vanished from the public frame of perception. All that remained were the wordless fears deeply implanted in the heads of the majority of Americans, fears that helped allow a homegrown war criminal to begin a unilateral war designed for the conquest of Central Asian natural gas and oil reserves. Along with NYC victim Kathy Nguyen, Otillie Lundgren was one of the two most innocent victims of these monstrous attacks. Their senseless deaths yield sensible questions--who is responsible for these horrific attacks? And who profited the most by their deaths? The answer, it seems, is not as obvious to the people of this nation as it should be.

Tags: anthrax, american, weapons, death, attacks