Feb 02 2011
“A revolution is coming – a revolution which will be peaceful if we are wise enough; compassionate if we care enough; successful if we are fortunate enough – but a revolution which is coming whether we will it or not. We can affect its character; we cannot alter its inevitability.” — Robert F. Kennedy
We are Anonymous – We are legion – We do not forgive – We do not forget – Expect us
–A n o n y m o u s
Feb 02 2011
Our regular featured content-
And these articles-
Feb 02 2011
Putting political pressure on President Obama from the Left may not produce any miracles, but actions such as this is, in of itself, a show of solidarity from the Democratic Base carrying the yet to ever be considered message that we are a force to be reckoned with.
And that must be our goal if the policies of our Country are ever going to change.
I was pleased to see this article from www.rawstory.com announcing a petition opposing support for President Obama until he stops his Global Warfare mass violence, his bankrupt Foreign Occupations, and his criminal record on Human Rights (no different than Bush-Cheney). Excerpts below:
Hundreds of liberal organizers and anti-war activists have signed a petition pledging to oppose President Barack Obama’s renomination in 2012 unless he reverses course in Afghanistan and pushes for significant cuts to military spending.
“We vow not to support President Barack Obama for renomination for another term in office, and to actively seek to impede his war policies unless and until he reverses them,” the pledge reads.
From former high-ticket lawmakers to ex-intelligence officials to veterans advocates, the petition (available here) has garnered the support of a multitude noted figures, including Pentagon whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, retired FBI agent Coleen Rowley, and 2006 US Senate candidate Jean Hay Bright.
“We wanted to express our willingness to take a stand,” said seasoned anti-war activist David Swanson, the creator of the pledge, in an interview with Raw Story. The signatories, he added, declared their “absolute unwillingness to support Obama” unless he “takes on the war machine.”
“Half of what we wanted to do was simply to inform people of what’s been happening for the past two years,” Swanson said, referring to the growing military budget, the increasingly unpopular war in Afghanistan and misconceptions about the end of the Iraq war. “People, to a huge extent, don’t even now what’s going on.”
“So our goal is to pressure him or to replace him, but certainly also to educate people.”
Feb 02 2011
Regular Daily Features:
Essays Featured Sunday, January 30th:
Essays Featured Monday, January 31st:
Essays Featured Tuesday February 1st:
Essays Featured Wednesday February 2nd:
Feb 02 2011
Nothing unusual about Taco Bell’s meat, experts say
Ingredients what you’d expect from fast-food restaurants; no advertising rules broken
By Gregory Karp and Ellen Gabler, Tribune reporters
February 2, 2011
Soy lecithin (is) a byproduct of soy bean processing that is used as an emulsifier. That means it helps blend and bind substances that would otherwise separate like oil and water.
…
(A)utolyzed yeast extract. Made by breaking down yeast cells with salt, it’s a flavor-enhancing additive similar to monosodium glutamate (MSG), without the known side effects of MSG some people experience. It gives foods a full, savory, beeflike taste, Brewer said.Maltodextrin is derived from starches, usually corn in the United States. It can be used as a sweetener and a thickener.
Isolated oat product is a binder, kind of like how an egg is used in homemade hamburgers or meatballs so they don’t fall apart in the pan. And soybean oil is used as a so-called anti-dusting agent, meaning it prevents finely ground, powdery ingredients from literally billowing into the air, as would happen if you clapped flour-coated hands.
Caramel color is caramelized sugar used to give the mixture a consistent brown appearance, Brewer said. Heating some of the ingredients, such as cocoa powder and chili pepper, causes them to change colors and potentially combine to turn the mixture a hue the customer wouldn’t like, she said. It doubles as a flavor component. Flavor experts identify caramel as a component flavor of beef that can be lost in processing, said Betsy Booren, director of scientific affairs for the American Meat Institute.
“Natural smoke flavor” can be added by burning wood chips, capturing the smoke and piping it into the oven where meat is cooking, similar to how you burn wood chips to give smoky flavor to meats on a backyard grill, Booren said. The same aroma can also be captured in a viscous liquid that can later be sprayed onto meat to give it a smoky flavor, the method probably used for ground beef, she said.
Feb 02 2011
Spring is around the corner, so sayeth that Phil rodent, anyway.
I believe my own eyes better. My dogs are already shedding, so yeah, it is. And since I was born on this very day, way back in the way back of 1963? I can speak with authority.
Funny how I can in one breath be looking to Spring with such anticipation, yet be disappointed that the snow-pocalypse was a veritable dud. Just a regular grade snow, made a bit more treacherous by blowing winds. I wanted more. (I always want more…. oh bejuzuz, that reminds me of a girlie weekend up North last summer: Flash to Oliver Twist impersonations, “Please sir may I have some more?” – HAH! You had to be there.) Yeah, yeah, just like a (weather) man, always promising more inches than they can deliver. More is still coming, though. I guess 3 inches twice does add up to getting 6 inches sometimes. Heh.
I love real world-stopping snowstorms. The hissssshhhh of snow falling and the soft indescribable sound of wind in the pines, that is so much more subtle and yet richer than wind through the deciduous ones that drown them out in summer. I love how pristine and clean it looks, before the first tracks are made in it, how there is no people-sounds in a world slowed to standing and witnessing. No car sounds, no lawn mowers, nothing but the world and whatever utterances the natural beings make in it.
I wonder if I will miss it, should I reach my nirvana safe-haven in the Tropics, my Costa Rica or Caribbean Islands? I did spend 3 hours searching images for decorating the blog last night. Only me, I know… spend the night looking at palm-lined beaches, and wishing for 2 feet of snow. You learn to love what you have. Its a much better state of mind than always pining for what you cannot have. Besides, Spring is coming, and I have my own Palms to bring out into it, and plenty of Lakes and Beaches.
The world has not stopped today, but it has slowed. Which is a good enough Birthday Present for me.
And I can put myself in that picture anytime I want to, in the Costa Rica of my mind, so rich, vivid and satisfying in my dreams…. surrounded by love, and safe from the insanity in the world.
Happy Groundhog’s Day, everyone – and godspeed to Spring!
(poll below)
Feb 02 2011
What the detractors, whether they believe the obvious or not and the flock just follows what they’re told, are effectively locking the brakes on what we once were and envied around this planet.
Innovators in moving forward with the new idea’s, interstate roadways, infrastructure, flying, etc. etc. etc. and with the same innovative workforce that made the advancements a reality with everyone following in trying to catch up.
Now those everyone’s are leading and we aren’t even following much, like as to energy innovations and a cleaner planet, even so called third world countries are moving ahead of us on the obvious human advancements!
Feb 02 2011
This is a Live Blog and will be updated as the news is available. You can follow the latest reports from AL Jazeera English and though Mishima’s live blog, our news editor.
The Guardian has a Live Blog that refreshes automatically every minute.
Al Jazeera has a Live Blog for Feb 2
As you can see we now have the live feed from Al Jazeera English and I am posting this at very early so everyone can watch the events in Egypt as they happen.
This is day eight of the protest in Egypt demanding that President Hosni Mubarak step down. Late last night on Egyptian state television, Mubarak said that he would not run for reelection on September but would not step down. His tone and words at times were aggressive and confrontational condemning the demonstrators, echoing the speech given by former Tunisian President Zine el Abidine ben Ali the day before he fled by private jet to Saudi Arabia.
President Obama said he spoke to Hosni Mubarak after the Egyptian president’s announcement to serve out his remaining term, and told Mubarak an orderly transition of power in Egypt ‘must begin now’.While the meaning of the last phrase was deliberately vague, it appeared to be a signal that Mr. Mubarak might not be able to delay the shift to a new leadership.
Mubarak’s speech did little to quell the demands for his immediate departure. The opposition leaders have vowed to keep up the protests and said they would get bigger until Mubarak is gone. Angry Chants of “Erhal! Erhal!”, or “Leave! Leave!” could be heard and scenes of protesters waving their shoes and using them to beat pictures of Mubarak were common.
There was some confrontations in the port city of Alexandria between ant-government protesters and pro-Mubarak supporters and shots were fired into the air.
Other news stories from the region:
Yemen’s Leader Pledges Not to Seek Re-election
PARIS – In the latest shock wave emanating from protests across the Arab world, President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen announced on Wednesday that he would not stand for re-election when his term expires in 2013 or try to hand on power to his son, news reports said.
Antiquities Chief Says Sites Are Largely Secure
New Service Lets Voices From Egypt Be Heard
Tony Blair: Mubarak is ‘immensely courageous and a force for good’
Former PM praises Egyptian president over role in peace negotiations and warns against a rush to elections that could bring Muslim Brotherhood to power
Fear mongering from a war criminal
Egypt’s ‘co-ordinated’ transition
Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst says those hoping for a quick Mubarak resignation have been disappointed.
Politics pervade Cairo’s streets
Egyptians air different views on their hopes for the future but all of them agree it is time for Mubarak to go.
Feb 02 2011
RoHS That European effort to reduce hazardous substances in products of the electronics industry. No lead solder is one of the targeted substances. A good solid enviornmentally sound idea, right?
Ok, now try to follow the obscure connections I suggest on Iran and this Stuxnet “virus”. Europe is closer to Iran. When I was in Europe it did appear that computing equipment took longer to become standard. This may of course have changed but also consider the US “rollout” of DRM(digital rights management). See where I am going?
Ok, how does one dispose of a whole bunch of Pentium motherboards which don’t have the secret NSA back door connection built into the processor support chip set. Well, you can’t use those because they have lead solder.
Next question. Does lead in electronic solder leach into the enviornment? How many deaths are attributed to this particular problem. I think it was England that first reported on fish being sterile from birth control in the wastewater stream. Was it worth the effort to single out lead despite the electronic industry requirement to use the most toxic things we have ever created in the complex multi-step process from sand to I-Pad. Let’s take Gallium arsenide for example.
http://www.nd.edu/~exafs/msds/…
Last thought. RoHS in the industry is still a big deal. You have to “certify” compliance to devices which might be going to the EU by cutting down a tree to make the multi colored RoHS compliant sticker on the plastic bag which goes to the stockroom down the hall. That baggie will get thrown away in the States and it’s only one of thousands of steps. Because it’
s the lawone must comply. See next two links.
http://www.deliberatedumbingdo…
http://www.amazon.com/Rise-Fou…
Feb 02 2011
 Muse in the Morning |
Time for a break from poetry…in order to create some art.
| Any fool can make a rule, and every fool will mind it.
–Henry David Thoreau |
 Snow Blind |
Feb 02 2011
Welcome to the Health and Fitness weekly diary which is cross-posted from The Stars Hollow Gazette. It is open for discussion about health related issues including diet, exercise, health and health care issues, as well as, tips on what you can do when there is a medical emergency. Also an opportunity to share and exchange your favorite healthy recipes.
Questions are encouraged and I will answer to the best of my ability. If I can’t, I will try to steer you in the right direction. Naturally, I cannot give individual medical advice for personal health issues. I can give you information about medical conditions and the current treatments available.
You can now find past Health and Fitness News diaries here and on the right hand side of the Front Page.
By sweet potatoes, I mean the orange-fleshed tubers with brownish skin that growers and supermarkets often mislabel as “yams.” The two varieties at my local farmers’ market are jewel yams and the darker-skinned garnet yams, both sweet and moist.
In fact, actual yams have starchier, light yellow flesh and a rough, brown skin; they are native to Africa and Asia, and an important staple in the Caribbean and in parts of Africa. But they don’t have the impressive nutritional profile of real sweet potatoes.
Feb 02 2011
CLASHES HAVE BROKEN OUT BETWEEN PRO AND ANTI GOVERNMENT FORCES IN TAHRIR SAQUARE
This is a Live Blog and will be updated as the news is available. You can follow the latest reports from AL Jazeera English and though Mishima’s live blog, our news editor.
The Guardian has a Live Blog that refreshes automatically every minute.
Al Jazeera has a Live Blog for Feb 2
As you can see we now have the live feed from Al Jazeera English and I am posting this at very early so everyone can watch the events in Egypt as they happen.
This is day eight of the protest in Egypt demanding that President Hosni Mubarak step down. Late last night on Egyptian state television, Mubarak said that he would not run for reelection on September but would not step down. His tone and words at times were aggressive and confrontational condemning the demonstrators, echoing the speech given by former Tunisian President Zine el Abidine ben Ali the day before he fled by private jet to Saudi Arabia.
President Obama said he spoke to Hosni Mubarak after the Egyptian president’s announcement to serve out his remaining term, and told Mubarak an orderly transition of power in Egypt ‘must begin now’.While the meaning of the last phrase was deliberately vague, it appeared to be a signal that Mr. Mubarak might not be able to delay the shift to a new leadership.
Mubarak’s speech did little to quell the demands for his immediate departure. The opposition leaders have vowed to keep up the protests and said they would get bigger until Mubarak is gone. Angry Chants of “Erhal! Erhal!”, or “Leave! Leave!” could be heard and scenes of protesters waving their shoes and using them to beat pictures of Mubarak were common.
From the NYT’s The Lede Live feed
In the past few minutes, Ramy Raoof, an Egyptian blogger and human rights activist, has started using his mobile phone to broadcast live video of the opposition protesters in central Cairo to the mobile broadcasting Web site Bambuser.
5:34 P.M. Protesters Reportedly Push Back Regime Supporters
A few minutes ago, Anderson Cooper of CNN reported from Cairo that a phalanx of opposition protesters, using sheets of metal as improvised shields and advancing in a line had successfully pushed a dwindling number of regime supporters back and taken control of a street outside the Egyptian Museum.
Mr. Cooper, watching from above the national museum, estimated that only a few hundred regime supporters remained at that entrance to the Tahrir Square area filled with thousands of opposition protesters.
Anthony Shadid, David Kirkpatrick and Kareem Fahim reported from Cairo earlier that the regime supporters might not be as motivated by political convictions as the opposition protesters.
The violence came after the Egyptian government “struck back at its opponents on Wednesday, unleashing waves of pro-government provocateurs armed with clubs, stones, rocks and knives in and around Tahrir Square in a concerted effort to rout the protesters who have called for an end to President Hosni Mubarak’s near-30-year rule.”
Mr. Alhossary also posted a photograph of what he said was the police I.D. card of one of the regime supporters who had been captured after attacking opposition protesters.
From Al-Masry Al-Youm:
Ban Ki Moon says violence against peaceful demonstrators unacceptable
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon expressed his deep concern regarding the escalating clashes between protesters in Tahrir Square, calling the violence used against protesters unacceptable and urging restraint on all sides.
“This is very much an unacceptable situation. Any attack on peaceful demonstrators is unacceptable and I strongly condemn it,” said Moon.
Opposition calls on Mubarak to cede power to new vice-president
A group of independent writers and businessmen called on President Hosni Mubarak to delegate all authority to his deputy and serve as a “ceremonial” leader until his term ends in September, according to a statement issued Wednesday.
Rights groups blame Egyptian officials for Tahrir violence
Human rights advocacy group Amnesty International on Wednesday called on Egyptian authorities to protect the right to peaceful protests and blamed Wednesday’s outbreak of violence at Tahrir square on the Egyptian authorities.
After Tahrir violence, protesters rule out negotiations with regime
Following violent attacks on protesters in Tahrir Square on Wednesday, activists who were already reluctant to accept the regime’s invitation to negotiate say that such a move is now completely out of the question.
“We might have negotiated a diplomatic solution with the regime, but after today’s developments, the fight will continue; what happened will not weaken it,” said Nasser Abdel Hamid, member of the National Association for Change. “Even if people are forced to leave the square, they will return another day.”