Thursday, August 26, 2010
Pelosi calls for Ground Zero Mosque "Opposition Funding" Investigation
"But there is no question that there is a concerted effort to make this a political issue by some, and I join those who have called for looking into how is this opposition to the mosque being funded."- Nancy Pelosi
While 70% of the country wants to know who is funding the 9/11 Ground Zero Victory Mosque, Nancy Pelosi calls for an investigation into who is funding opposition to it.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Rare Buddha's Halo Appears Over Mountain in China
It may be the rarest of all rainbows, only appearing when sunlight, cloud or fog, and the observers are all in a line.
So to capture the appearance of this Buddha's Halo on film is indeed a near-miracle.
The phenomenon appeared over the Huang Mountain in Huangshan, Anhui province of China after rain today. Buddha is often depicted with a halo around his head.
The rainbow is a natural phenomenon of atmospheric optics. It is formed by the diffuse reflection and diffraction of sunlight irradiating the surface of the cloud. That is, it is an extra-bright rainbow after rain.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1304709/Holy-rainbow-Rare-Buddhas-Halo-appears-mountain-China.html#ixzz0xFidq16Q
Friday, August 20, 2010
It's Going To Get Worse, A Whole Lot Worse
While this is serious, have a laugh and read this article, thanks.
Warning, bear market 2010: 11 'sells.' Only 6 'buys'
New Normal: Bankrupt nation. Deflation. Zeros. Junk. No jobs. Depression
'Yes, it's going to get worse, a whole lot worse ... Bill Gross warns this is the "New Normal. Forget 10% returns. Think 5%". ... Economist Larry Kotlikoff, author of The Coming Generational Storm, warns: "Let's get real. The U.S. is bankrupt. Neither spending nor taxing will help the country pay its bills" ... Economist Peter Morici warns: "Unemployment is stuck near 10%. Deflation coming. Stock market threatens collapse.
The Federal Reserve and Barack Obama are out of bullets. Near zero federal funds rates, central bank purchases, a $1.6 trillion deficit have failed to revive the economy." ... Simon Johnson, co-author of 13 Bankers, warns: "We came close to another Great Depression, next time we may not be so lucky." Why? Because Wall Street's already well into the next bubble/bust cycle -- the "doom cycle".'
Go to read more:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/its-going-to-get-worse-a-whole-lot-worse-2010-08-17
Warning, bear market 2010: 11 'sells.' Only 6 'buys'
New Normal: Bankrupt nation. Deflation. Zeros. Junk. No jobs. Depression
'Yes, it's going to get worse, a whole lot worse ... Bill Gross warns this is the "New Normal. Forget 10% returns. Think 5%". ... Economist Larry Kotlikoff, author of The Coming Generational Storm, warns: "Let's get real. The U.S. is bankrupt. Neither spending nor taxing will help the country pay its bills" ... Economist Peter Morici warns: "Unemployment is stuck near 10%. Deflation coming. Stock market threatens collapse.
The Federal Reserve and Barack Obama are out of bullets. Near zero federal funds rates, central bank purchases, a $1.6 trillion deficit have failed to revive the economy." ... Simon Johnson, co-author of 13 Bankers, warns: "We came close to another Great Depression, next time we may not be so lucky." Why? Because Wall Street's already well into the next bubble/bust cycle -- the "doom cycle".'
Go to read more:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/its-going-to-get-worse-a-whole-lot-worse-2010-08-17
Ten Reasons to Become Self-Sufficient and Ten Ways to Get There
Friday, August 20, 2010 Ten Reasons to Become Self-Sufficient and Ten Ways to Get There - Michael Edwards and Jeffrey Green_Activist Post
We are now three to five generations removed from the rural backbone that strengthened America. The world at large has undergone a similar transformation as the promise of easier work has created a migration to big cities. These mega-cities could be seen as an experiment gone awry, as general well-being has declined, with suicide rates increasing across the world. Crowded conditions and economic strife have led to rampant crime, pollution, corporate malfeasance, and a dog-eat-dog type of competition that can be described as a temporary insanity.
The economic crisis we are living through has been the final straw for many people, as promises of a better, easier, and more creative life seem to have been sold to us by carnival-style tricksters who are laughing all the way to (their) bank.
Here are the top reasons for becoming self-sufficient; these are based on fundamental, systemic concerns for why undertaking this life change will not be a fly-by-night fad, but rather a long-lasting means for personal independence.
10 Reasons to Become Self-Sufficient
1.Freedom from market manipulation - The traditional market-driven investment vehicles are more and more obviously controlled by traders and banking institutions. The debacle of the private Federal Reserve Bank is just the icing on the cake to a previous decade full of Ponzi-type schemes. Now, the institutionalized looting of retirement money is being planned.
2.Hedging against inflation - Have you noticed the price of goods lately? Even Wal-Mart is silently raising its prices. People might have a choice whether or not to buy stocks or gold, but people have to eat -- the current increases in basic goods portend hyperinflation, and will not ease anytime soon. Food shortages could make the problem exponentially worse.
3. Increasing health and wellness - It has now been revealed that some "organic" items have been falsely labeled. In addition, a host of "GMO-free" brands have been exposed as deceptive. GMO food lacks the nutritional value of what can be grown in the average backyard. GMO mega-corporation, Monsanto, has a sordid history and has continuously trampled on our trust. It is time that we do the work ourselves.
4.Building community strength - We constantly hear people say, "I don't even see my neighbors, let alone know anything about them." Of course not: 80-hour workweeks and grabbing meals-to-go doesn't exactly promote community interaction. With such little time to interact with our immediate community, it is no wonder why many people report feeling disconnected. In these trying times, it is a local community that can offer the best support.
5.Working for yourself - Working hours are increasing, pay is often decreasing, and corporate executives are taking bigger bonuses than ever. This is leading to a prevailing disgust, as people are being forced to admit that they are living lives of near-indentured servitude. Even for those not working in corporations, working for someone else is rarely as satisfying as creating and working for something where every minute you spend is yours alone.
6.Having more free time - We have been taught to believe that life on a farm is arduous sun-up to sun-down drudgery where you collapse at the end of the day. This is not so much the case anymore. Sure, the setup of any farm or self-sufficient endeavor is often time-consuming and laborious, but new technologies and new skills of manufacturing food via permaculture and aquaponics are offering low-cost start up and minimal maintenance, as these techniques serve to create symbiotic systems that are remarkably self-governing.
7. Generating food and energy security - The planet is running out of food and traditional energy. Climate volatility, market forces, GM foods, and rising costs of harvesting and transporting food are all conspiring to create food shortages even in the First World. This trend will not reverse. And our oil-soaked way of life is being threatened by mounting evidence that the oil lifeline could be disconnecting rather soon. We should be looking to the air, sun, geothermal, and wave power to wean us from the energy grid.
8.Acquiring an appreciation for life - As one gets closer to life-giving forces, there is a natural appreciation for how things come into being. When you have created your garden, toiled there, selected the best for harvest, and have prepared that food for your family and community, the significance of what you have taken part in can be transformative.
9.Restoring balance - Nearly everything in our society is at a peak, or is drastically out of balance. The systems and governments to which we have looked for balance restoration are missing in action. We must take it upon ourselves to restore our own financial and environmental balance sheet. The best way to do that is to reduce our overconsumption.
10.Becoming a producer, not a consumer - This is the best way to reduce your cost of living and increase your self-sufficiency. In the U.S. over 70% of the economy is based on people buying things. This is a clear sign of imbalance and, by extension, it is not sustainable. Furthermore, we also have seen corporations race to the bottom to find low-cost production on the backs of desperate people. The exploitation of the Third World to clothe, feed, and entertain the First World is something that most people do not want to think about, but it is abominable. Again, new technologies are making it easier than ever to produce your own food, and even your own clothes.
As the cliche goes: Freedom is never free. But it sure beats the alternative.
10 Ways to Get to Self-Sufficiency
The global economic collapse has become an eye-opening experience for many people. The ongoing crisis continues to create more joblessness at a time when the cost of essential items like food and energy continue to rise.
Inflation is only expected to continue due to excessive printing of money to compensate for the bursting economic bubbles, which were arguably created by printing too much money with artificially low interest rates in the first place.
The 2008 price shocks in oil followed by the financial collapse have led many people to begin taking measures to become more self-sufficient. And recently the ominous signs of food shortages, the weakening dollar, and the rising price of oil all point to a similar atmosphere as 2008. Some have taken steps to conserve electricity, reduce spending and consumption, while others are planting kitchen gardens and installing solar panels on their homes. Even living off the grid is becoming a mainstream concept for those seeking independence.
Indeed, becoming more self-sufficient is proving to make common sense whether one anticipates more hardship to come or not. Sure, many of us would love to live completely off the grid without giving up everyday comforts, but this is not practical for most of us. However, there are many steps that can be taken to move towards self-sufficiency which can be relatively painless and quite rewarding.
The following are 10 suggestions that can lead to independent living:
1.Reduce your debt: Especially get your credit card debt under control, since it is entirely corrupt. Call your credit card companies and ask for a work out plan similar to what they received from the taxpayer bailout. If they don't cooperate to your satisfaction, there are some reasons not to pay at all.
2.Reduce your consumption: Evaluate your current budget and determine absolute necessity. Push your comfort level to find areas where you can scale back, and then identify comforts that you’re willing to sacrifice.
3.Reduce energy use: Change light bulbs, have entertainment systems plugged into a splitter that can be shut off completely to reduce phantom charges, etc. Carefully plan shopping trips and other transportation needs.
4.Store energy: Always have back-up propane storage and a large wood pile for a rainy day. Investing in a generator of some kind (even a solar generator) will be money well spent.
5.Invest in food storage: With a falling dollar and rising food prices, why not create a food savings account? Get some good books, dehydrators and vacuum sealers for storage methods. Best storable food items are grains (rice, beans, flour), canned goods, seeds, and some prepackaged items.
6.Produce your own food: Replace your lawn with a garden, fruit trees, and keep chickens. Go on hunting and gathering adventures for nuts, fish, and wild game. Store extra garden seeds!
7.Learn new skills: Surf the Internet, read books, and take courses in practical skills like gardening, cooking with whole foods, composting, carpentry, alternative energy, natural health and wellness etc.
8.Start a side business: Turn your passion or hobby into a small side business to make some supplemental income. Who knows, it may become your path to full financial independence.
9.Install alternative energy: Start with small installations like a solar hot water system, a solar freezer, a solar attic fan, or a wood stove etc. If you have limited funds, tip-toe your way to independence.
10.Suggest solutions for your community: Start or join a local cooperative for food, products, and services. Engage your local community in discussions to take steps for self-sufficiency. Share your story and build support.
These steps will save money as we move closer to the ultimate prize of independence. Each action we take to live more simply frees us from the control systems put in place to make our lives more complicated, more toxic, and less independent.
We are now three to five generations removed from the rural backbone that strengthened America. The world at large has undergone a similar transformation as the promise of easier work has created a migration to big cities. These mega-cities could be seen as an experiment gone awry, as general well-being has declined, with suicide rates increasing across the world. Crowded conditions and economic strife have led to rampant crime, pollution, corporate malfeasance, and a dog-eat-dog type of competition that can be described as a temporary insanity.
The economic crisis we are living through has been the final straw for many people, as promises of a better, easier, and more creative life seem to have been sold to us by carnival-style tricksters who are laughing all the way to (their) bank.
Here are the top reasons for becoming self-sufficient; these are based on fundamental, systemic concerns for why undertaking this life change will not be a fly-by-night fad, but rather a long-lasting means for personal independence.
10 Reasons to Become Self-Sufficient
1.Freedom from market manipulation - The traditional market-driven investment vehicles are more and more obviously controlled by traders and banking institutions. The debacle of the private Federal Reserve Bank is just the icing on the cake to a previous decade full of Ponzi-type schemes. Now, the institutionalized looting of retirement money is being planned.
2.Hedging against inflation - Have you noticed the price of goods lately? Even Wal-Mart is silently raising its prices. People might have a choice whether or not to buy stocks or gold, but people have to eat -- the current increases in basic goods portend hyperinflation, and will not ease anytime soon. Food shortages could make the problem exponentially worse.
3. Increasing health and wellness - It has now been revealed that some "organic" items have been falsely labeled. In addition, a host of "GMO-free" brands have been exposed as deceptive. GMO food lacks the nutritional value of what can be grown in the average backyard. GMO mega-corporation, Monsanto, has a sordid history and has continuously trampled on our trust. It is time that we do the work ourselves.
4.Building community strength - We constantly hear people say, "I don't even see my neighbors, let alone know anything about them." Of course not: 80-hour workweeks and grabbing meals-to-go doesn't exactly promote community interaction. With such little time to interact with our immediate community, it is no wonder why many people report feeling disconnected. In these trying times, it is a local community that can offer the best support.
5.Working for yourself - Working hours are increasing, pay is often decreasing, and corporate executives are taking bigger bonuses than ever. This is leading to a prevailing disgust, as people are being forced to admit that they are living lives of near-indentured servitude. Even for those not working in corporations, working for someone else is rarely as satisfying as creating and working for something where every minute you spend is yours alone.
6.Having more free time - We have been taught to believe that life on a farm is arduous sun-up to sun-down drudgery where you collapse at the end of the day. This is not so much the case anymore. Sure, the setup of any farm or self-sufficient endeavor is often time-consuming and laborious, but new technologies and new skills of manufacturing food via permaculture and aquaponics are offering low-cost start up and minimal maintenance, as these techniques serve to create symbiotic systems that are remarkably self-governing.
7. Generating food and energy security - The planet is running out of food and traditional energy. Climate volatility, market forces, GM foods, and rising costs of harvesting and transporting food are all conspiring to create food shortages even in the First World. This trend will not reverse. And our oil-soaked way of life is being threatened by mounting evidence that the oil lifeline could be disconnecting rather soon. We should be looking to the air, sun, geothermal, and wave power to wean us from the energy grid.
8.Acquiring an appreciation for life - As one gets closer to life-giving forces, there is a natural appreciation for how things come into being. When you have created your garden, toiled there, selected the best for harvest, and have prepared that food for your family and community, the significance of what you have taken part in can be transformative.
9.Restoring balance - Nearly everything in our society is at a peak, or is drastically out of balance. The systems and governments to which we have looked for balance restoration are missing in action. We must take it upon ourselves to restore our own financial and environmental balance sheet. The best way to do that is to reduce our overconsumption.
10.Becoming a producer, not a consumer - This is the best way to reduce your cost of living and increase your self-sufficiency. In the U.S. over 70% of the economy is based on people buying things. This is a clear sign of imbalance and, by extension, it is not sustainable. Furthermore, we also have seen corporations race to the bottom to find low-cost production on the backs of desperate people. The exploitation of the Third World to clothe, feed, and entertain the First World is something that most people do not want to think about, but it is abominable. Again, new technologies are making it easier than ever to produce your own food, and even your own clothes.
As the cliche goes: Freedom is never free. But it sure beats the alternative.
10 Ways to Get to Self-Sufficiency
The global economic collapse has become an eye-opening experience for many people. The ongoing crisis continues to create more joblessness at a time when the cost of essential items like food and energy continue to rise.
Inflation is only expected to continue due to excessive printing of money to compensate for the bursting economic bubbles, which were arguably created by printing too much money with artificially low interest rates in the first place.
The 2008 price shocks in oil followed by the financial collapse have led many people to begin taking measures to become more self-sufficient. And recently the ominous signs of food shortages, the weakening dollar, and the rising price of oil all point to a similar atmosphere as 2008. Some have taken steps to conserve electricity, reduce spending and consumption, while others are planting kitchen gardens and installing solar panels on their homes. Even living off the grid is becoming a mainstream concept for those seeking independence.
Indeed, becoming more self-sufficient is proving to make common sense whether one anticipates more hardship to come or not. Sure, many of us would love to live completely off the grid without giving up everyday comforts, but this is not practical for most of us. However, there are many steps that can be taken to move towards self-sufficiency which can be relatively painless and quite rewarding.
The following are 10 suggestions that can lead to independent living:
1.Reduce your debt: Especially get your credit card debt under control, since it is entirely corrupt. Call your credit card companies and ask for a work out plan similar to what they received from the taxpayer bailout. If they don't cooperate to your satisfaction, there are some reasons not to pay at all.
2.Reduce your consumption: Evaluate your current budget and determine absolute necessity. Push your comfort level to find areas where you can scale back, and then identify comforts that you’re willing to sacrifice.
3.Reduce energy use: Change light bulbs, have entertainment systems plugged into a splitter that can be shut off completely to reduce phantom charges, etc. Carefully plan shopping trips and other transportation needs.
4.Store energy: Always have back-up propane storage and a large wood pile for a rainy day. Investing in a generator of some kind (even a solar generator) will be money well spent.
5.Invest in food storage: With a falling dollar and rising food prices, why not create a food savings account? Get some good books, dehydrators and vacuum sealers for storage methods. Best storable food items are grains (rice, beans, flour), canned goods, seeds, and some prepackaged items.
6.Produce your own food: Replace your lawn with a garden, fruit trees, and keep chickens. Go on hunting and gathering adventures for nuts, fish, and wild game. Store extra garden seeds!
7.Learn new skills: Surf the Internet, read books, and take courses in practical skills like gardening, cooking with whole foods, composting, carpentry, alternative energy, natural health and wellness etc.
8.Start a side business: Turn your passion or hobby into a small side business to make some supplemental income. Who knows, it may become your path to full financial independence.
9.Install alternative energy: Start with small installations like a solar hot water system, a solar freezer, a solar attic fan, or a wood stove etc. If you have limited funds, tip-toe your way to independence.
10.Suggest solutions for your community: Start or join a local cooperative for food, products, and services. Engage your local community in discussions to take steps for self-sufficiency. Share your story and build support.
These steps will save money as we move closer to the ultimate prize of independence. Each action we take to live more simply frees us from the control systems put in place to make our lives more complicated, more toxic, and less independent.
Monday, August 16, 2010
What the Double-Dip Recession Will Look Like
This is an article that needs to be read in detail. This is coming and there isn't anything you can do to stop it. What you can do is prepare yourself for it. My thoughts are, if you can see it coming, then read up on the Wiemar Republic of the 1920's Germany. This is what's coming our way folks. And the " Tools " on the hill will not, cannot stop it, the dominoes are in play.
"Nearly two-thirds of Americans believe the economy has yet to hit bottom, a sharply higher percentage than the 53% who felt that way in January," according to a recent Wall Street Journal poll.
A growing and vocal minority of economists believes that there will be a double-dip recession primarily because of the intransigence of high unemployment and the rapidly faltering housing market. The notion of a "jobless recovery" has been around since the recessions of the 1950s and 1960s. It is a concept built on a relatively simple idea: employment lags during a recession but it is always part of a recovery cycle. Production rises as businesses see the end of a downturn and anticipate improving sales. They are reluctant to hire new workers until the recovery is confirmed, but once it has been, hiring picks up.
"Nearly two-thirds of Americans believe the economy has yet to hit bottom, a sharply higher percentage than the 53% who felt that way in January," according to a recent Wall Street Journal poll.
A growing and vocal minority of economists believes that there will be a double-dip recession primarily because of the intransigence of high unemployment and the rapidly faltering housing market. The notion of a "jobless recovery" has been around since the recessions of the 1950s and 1960s. It is a concept built on a relatively simple idea: employment lags during a recession but it is always part of a recovery cycle. Production rises as businesses see the end of a downturn and anticipate improving sales. They are reluctant to hire new workers until the recovery is confirmed, but once it has been, hiring picks up.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Warning! 1099 Reporting Requirements buried in the Health Bill
Word is out about the 1099 reporting requirements that were buried in Obama's health care legislation. If they go into effect, starting in 2012 precious metals dealers will have to report to the IRS on 1099s all purchases of $600 or more from clients in a single year.
These regulations will create a paperwork nightmare for precious metals dealers, greatly increasing our costs of doing business. As is the case in all businesses, higher costs are ultimately reflected in the prices of the products that businesses sell.
But more ominous than higher prices, sellers will have to provide identification to dealers, such as driver's licenses and social security numbers. If that information is not adequately secured by the purchasing dealers, sellers could become victims of identity theft, which is a major crime today.
Further, the new 1099 reporting could endanger the personal safety of precious metals investors. Again, if the records are not properly secured and fall into the wrong hands, that information could cause criminals to conclude that the sellers have other precious metals in their homes.
Clearly, these regulations were not well thought out, and already there are bills in the House and the Senate to repeal these onerous and invasive regulations. To stop these regulations from going into effect, there will have to be a huge outcry - not just from precious metals dealers but from all business owners who will have to comply.
Already, trade and business associations are objecting and calling for support of the repeal bills. However, precious metals investors should not hope that someone else gets the regulations repealed. If the regulations go into effect, precious metals investors will be impacted much more than average Americans will be impacted.
The Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act
In the House of Representatives, Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA) has introduced H.R. 5141, which would repeal the new 1099 requirement. Senator Mike Johanns (R-NE) has introduced a companion bill in the Senate, S. 3578. Appropriately, both bills are titled the Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act.
To date, 160 members of the House have signed on as cosponsors; in the Senate, nineteen Senators are cosponsoring the Senate bill.
Although the large number of early sponsors suggests the new 1099 regulations may stand a good chance of being overturned, the fight will not be easy. The Obama administration is taking the position that increased 1099 reporting will result in increased tax compliance and, therefore, increased tax revenues. Consequently, Americans who will be negatively impacted by the new regulations need to contact their members of Congress and ask them to sign on to the legislation.
The best way to make your opinion heard is to write or call. Emails, although, monitored by congressional staffers are not as effective because they are perceived (and rightfully so) as being easy to send. Letters, on the other hand, require more effort and that is known by the members of Congress and their staffers. Because this issue does not have an impending deadline, letters are recommended. Phone calls are good also, but letters do have greater impact.
The easy way to get the contact information for your representative and your senators is go to their official websites. An easy way to find those websites is to google them. For example, google US Senator Nebraska and up pops links to the websites for Nebraska Senators Ben Nelson and Mike Johanns.
Senator Johanns, as noted above, introduced the Senate bill to repeal the new 1099 regulations. Therefore, Nebraskans need not send Senator Johanns a letter asking him to cosponsor the bill, but a letter congratulating him for having the foresight to see the onerous burden that the requirements would put on businesses. It would also indicate to the Senator and his staff that you are politically savvy, something that tends to impress in Washington. Senator Ben Nelson, on the other hand, is not a cosponsor, and he needs to be contacted by Nebraskans.
Further, if your senators and member of the House have signed on, you do not want to send letters asking them to sign on. To those members of Congress who have already signed on, you want to send to them letters thanking them. Again, this shows your political savvy. However, it also gives them reasons to stand firm when the Obama administration comes around offering political favors if they will switch their votes.
Finding your member of the House of Representatives is easier than finding your Senators. Go to official House website and use the map, which comes up. A little further clicking may be necessary to determine which Representative's district you are in.
To learn if your House member and has signed on, go to govtrack.usHR5141. To see if your Senators have signed on, go to govtrack.us S.3578.
Most people reading this blog are doing so because their interests in gold and silver. So, I emphasize again: the new 1099 regulations will have a major impact not only on the precious metals dealers but also their clients. Still, the reasons for seeking repeal are not limited to precious metals dealers and their clients.
The number of 1099s that will have to be filed will be disproportionate to the precious metals industry because gold and silver dealers not only sell to their clients, but because gold and silver dealers also buy from their clients. But, the number of 1099s generated under the new rules by gold and silver dealers will be small compared to the total generated because these rules will apply to all businesses.
These regulations will create a paperwork nightmare for precious metals dealers, greatly increasing our costs of doing business. As is the case in all businesses, higher costs are ultimately reflected in the prices of the products that businesses sell.
But more ominous than higher prices, sellers will have to provide identification to dealers, such as driver's licenses and social security numbers. If that information is not adequately secured by the purchasing dealers, sellers could become victims of identity theft, which is a major crime today.
Further, the new 1099 reporting could endanger the personal safety of precious metals investors. Again, if the records are not properly secured and fall into the wrong hands, that information could cause criminals to conclude that the sellers have other precious metals in their homes.
Clearly, these regulations were not well thought out, and already there are bills in the House and the Senate to repeal these onerous and invasive regulations. To stop these regulations from going into effect, there will have to be a huge outcry - not just from precious metals dealers but from all business owners who will have to comply.
Already, trade and business associations are objecting and calling for support of the repeal bills. However, precious metals investors should not hope that someone else gets the regulations repealed. If the regulations go into effect, precious metals investors will be impacted much more than average Americans will be impacted.
The Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act
In the House of Representatives, Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA) has introduced H.R. 5141, which would repeal the new 1099 requirement. Senator Mike Johanns (R-NE) has introduced a companion bill in the Senate, S. 3578. Appropriately, both bills are titled the Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act.
To date, 160 members of the House have signed on as cosponsors; in the Senate, nineteen Senators are cosponsoring the Senate bill.
Although the large number of early sponsors suggests the new 1099 regulations may stand a good chance of being overturned, the fight will not be easy. The Obama administration is taking the position that increased 1099 reporting will result in increased tax compliance and, therefore, increased tax revenues. Consequently, Americans who will be negatively impacted by the new regulations need to contact their members of Congress and ask them to sign on to the legislation.
The best way to make your opinion heard is to write or call. Emails, although, monitored by congressional staffers are not as effective because they are perceived (and rightfully so) as being easy to send. Letters, on the other hand, require more effort and that is known by the members of Congress and their staffers. Because this issue does not have an impending deadline, letters are recommended. Phone calls are good also, but letters do have greater impact.
The easy way to get the contact information for your representative and your senators is go to their official websites. An easy way to find those websites is to google them. For example, google US Senator Nebraska and up pops links to the websites for Nebraska Senators Ben Nelson and Mike Johanns.
Senator Johanns, as noted above, introduced the Senate bill to repeal the new 1099 regulations. Therefore, Nebraskans need not send Senator Johanns a letter asking him to cosponsor the bill, but a letter congratulating him for having the foresight to see the onerous burden that the requirements would put on businesses. It would also indicate to the Senator and his staff that you are politically savvy, something that tends to impress in Washington. Senator Ben Nelson, on the other hand, is not a cosponsor, and he needs to be contacted by Nebraskans.
Further, if your senators and member of the House have signed on, you do not want to send letters asking them to sign on. To those members of Congress who have already signed on, you want to send to them letters thanking them. Again, this shows your political savvy. However, it also gives them reasons to stand firm when the Obama administration comes around offering political favors if they will switch their votes.
Finding your member of the House of Representatives is easier than finding your Senators. Go to official House website and use the map, which comes up. A little further clicking may be necessary to determine which Representative's district you are in.
To learn if your House member and has signed on, go to govtrack.usHR5141. To see if your Senators have signed on, go to govtrack.us S.3578.
Most people reading this blog are doing so because their interests in gold and silver. So, I emphasize again: the new 1099 regulations will have a major impact not only on the precious metals dealers but also their clients. Still, the reasons for seeking repeal are not limited to precious metals dealers and their clients.
The number of 1099s that will have to be filed will be disproportionate to the precious metals industry because gold and silver dealers not only sell to their clients, but because gold and silver dealers also buy from their clients. But, the number of 1099s generated under the new rules by gold and silver dealers will be small compared to the total generated because these rules will apply to all businesses.
THE WORLD WILL NOT END IN 2012 by Carlos Barrios
Carlos Barrios was born into a Spanish family on El Altiplano, the highlands of . His home was in Huehue tenango, also the dwelling place of the Maya Mam tribe. With other Maya and other indigenous tradition keepers, the Mam carry part of the old ways on Turtle Island ( North America ).
They are keepers of time, authorities on remarkable calendars that are ancient, elegant and relevant. Mr. Barrios is a historian, an anthropologist and investigator. After studying with traditional elders for 25 years since the age of 19, he has also became a Mayan Ajq'ij, a ceremonial priest and spiritual guide, Eagle Clan.
Years ago, along with his brother, Gerardo, Carlos initiated an investigation into the different Mayan calendars. He studied with many teachers. He says his brother Gerardo interviewed nearly 600 traditional Mayan elders to widen their scope of knowledge.
"Anthropologists visit the temple sites," Mr. Barrios says, "and read the inscriptions and make up stories about the Maya, but they do not read the signs correctly. It's just their imagination... Other people write about prophecy in the name of the Maya. They say that the world will end in December 2012. The Mayan elders are angry with this. The world will not end. It will be transformed. The indigenous have the calendars, and know how to accurately interpret it, not others.
The Mayan Calendars comprehension of time, seasons, and cycles has proven itself to be vast and sophisticated. The Maya understand 17 different calendars, some of them charting time accurately over a span of more than ten million years. The calendar that has steadily drawn global attention since 1987 is called the Tzolk'in or Cholq'ij.
Devised ages ago and based on the cycle of the Pleiades, it is still held as sacred. With the indigenous calendars, native people have kept track of important turning points in history.
For example, the day keepers who study the calendars identified an important day in the year One Reed, Ce Acatal, as it was called by the Mayans. That was the day when an important ancestor was prophesied to return, "coming like a butterfly." In the western calendar, the One Reed date correlates to Easter Sunday, April 21, 1519 the day that Hernando Cortez and his fleet of 11 Spanish galleons arrived from the East at what is today called Vera Cruz, .
When the Spanish ships came toward shore, native people were waiting and watching to see how it would go. The billowing sails of the ships did indeed remind the scouts of butterflies skimming the ocean surface. In this manner was a new era initiated, an era they had anticipated through their calendars. The Maya termed the new era the Nine Bolomtikus, or nine Hells of 52 years each. As the nine cycles unfolded, land and freedom were taken from the native people. Disease and disrespect dominated.
What began with the arrival of Cortez, lasted until August 16, 1987 - a date many people recall as Harmonic Convergence. Millions of people took advantage of that date to make ceremony in sacred sites, praying for a smooth transition to a new era, the World of the Fifth Sun."
From that 1987 date until now, Mr. Barrios says, "We have been in a time when the right arm of the materialistic world is disappearing, slowly but inexorably. We are at the cusp of the era when peace begins, and people live in harmony with Mother Earth. We are no longer in the World of the Fourth Sun, but we are not yet in the World of the Fifth Sun. This is the time in-between, the time of transition. As we pass through transition there is a colossal, global convergence of environmental destruction, social chaos, war, and ongoing Earth changes."
All this, Mr .Barrios says, was foreseen via the simple, spiral mathematics of the Mayan calendars. "It will change," Mr. Barrios observes. "Everything will change." He said Mayan day keepers view the Dec. 21, 2012 date as a rebirth, the start of the World of the Fifth Sun. "It will be the start of a new era resulting from and signified by the solar meridian crossing the galactic equator, and the earth aligning itself with the center of the galaxy.
At sunrise on December 21, 2012 for the first time in 26,000 years, the Sun rises to conjunct the intersection of the Milky Way and the plane of the ecliptic. This cosmic cross is considered to be an embodiment of the Sacred Tree, The Tree of Life, a tree remembered in all the world's spiritual traditions."
Some observers say this alignment with the heart of the galaxy in 2012 will open a channel for cosmic energy to flow through the earth, cleansing it and all that dwells upon it, raising all to a higher level of vibration.
This process has already begun, Mr. Barrios suggested. "Change is accelerating now, and it will continue to accelerate." If the people of the earth can get to this 2012 date in good shape, without having destroyed too much of the Earth, Mr. Barrios said, "We will rise to a new, higher level. But to get there we must transform enormously powerful forces that seek to block the way."
A Picture of the Road Ahead:
From his understanding of the Mayan tradition and the calendars, Mr. Barrios offered a picture of where we are at and what may lie on the road ahead. The date specified in the calendar Winter Solstice in the year 2012 does not mark the end of the world. Many outside people writing about the Mayan calendar sensationalize this date, but they do not know. The ones who know are the indigenous elders who are entrusted with keeping the tradition.
"Humanity will continue," he contends, "but in a different way. Material structures will change. From this we will have the opportunity to be more human. We are living in the most important era of the Mayan calendars and prophecies. All the prophecies of the world, all the traditions, are converging now. There is no time for games. The spiritual ideal of this era is action. Many powerful souls have reincarnated in this era, with a lot of power. This is true on both sides, the light and the dark.
....
A Call for Fusion:
As he met with audiences in Santa Fe, Mr. Barrios told a story about the most recent Mayan New Year ceremonies in . He said that one respected elder, who lives all year in a solitary mountain cave, journeyed to Chichicastenango to speak with the people at the ceremony. The elder delivered a simple, direct message. He called for human beings to come together in support of life and light. Right now each person and group is going his or her own way. The elder of the mountains said there is hope if the people of the light can come together and unite in some way.
Reflecting on this, Mr. Barrios explained: "We live in a world of polarity: day and night, man and woman, positive and negative. Light and darkness need each other. They are a balance. Just now the dark side is very strong, and very clear about what they want. They have their vision and their priorities clearly held, and also their hierarchy. They are working in many ways so that we will be unable to connect with the spiral Fifth World in 2012.
On the light side everyone thinks they are the most important, that their own understandings, or their group's understandings, are the key. There's a diversity of cultures and opinions, so there is competition, diffusion, and no single focus."
As Mr. Barrios sees it, "The dark side works to block fusion through denial and materialism. It also works to destroy those who are working with the light to get the Earth to a higher level. They like the energy of the old, declining Fourth World , the materialism. They do not want it to change. They do not want fusion. They want to stay at this level, and are afraid of the next level. The dark power of the declining Fourth World cannot be destroyed or overpowered. It's too strong and clear for that, and that is the wrong strategy. The dark can only be transformed when confronted with simplicity and open-heartedness. This is what leads to fusion, a key concept for the World of the Fifth Sun."
Mr. Barrios said the emerging era of the Fifth Sun will call attention to a much-overlooked element. Whereas the four traditional elements of earth, air, fire and water have dominated various epochs in the past, there will be a fifth element to reckon with in the time of the Fifth Sun: ether. The dictionary defines ether as the rarefied element of the Heavens. Ether is a medium. It permeates all space and transmits waves of energy in a wide range of frequencies, from cell phones to human auras.
What is "ethereal" is related to the regions beyond earth: the Heavens. Ether, the element of the Fifth Sun, is celestial and lacking in material substance, but is no less real than wood, stone or flesh. "Within the context of ether there can be a fusion of the polarities," Mr .Barrios said. "No more darkness or light in the people, but an uplifted fusion.
But right now the realm of darkness is not interested in this. They are organized to block it. They seek to unbalance the Earth and its environment so we will be unready for the alignment in 2012. We need to work together for peace, and balance with the other side. We need to take care of the Earth that feeds and shelters us. We need to put our entire mind and heart into pursuing unity and fusion now, to confront the other side and preserve life, to be ready for this Moment in History."
Mr. Barrios told his audiences in Santa Fe that we are at a critical moment of world history. "We are disturbed," he said. "We can't play anymore. Our planet can be renewed or ravaged. Now is the time to awaken and take action. Everyone is needed. You are not here for no reason. Everyone who is here now has an important purpose. This is a hard, but special time. We have the opportunity for growth, but we must be ready for this moment in history."
Mr. Barrios offered a number of suggestions to help people walk in balance through the years ahead. "The prophesied changes are going to happen," he said "but our attitude and actions determine how harsh or mild they are. We need to act, to make changes, and to elect people to represent us who understand and who will take political action to respect the earth. Meditation and spiritual practice are good, but also action. It's very important to be clear about who you are, and also about your relation to the Earth.
Develop yourself according to your own tradition and the call of your heart. But remember to respect differences, and strive for unity. Eat wisely. A lot of food is corrupt in either subtle or gross ways. Pay attention to what you are taking into your body. Learn to preserve food, and to conserve energy. Learn some good breathing techniques, so you have the mastery of your breath. Be clear. Follow a tradition with great roots. It is not important what tradition, your heart will tell you, but it must have great roots. We live in a world of energy. An important task at this time is to learn to sense or see the energy of everyone and everything: people, plants, animals.
This becomes increasingly important as we draw close to the World of the Fifth Sun, for it is associated with the element ether - the realm where energy lives and weaves. Go to the sacred places of the earth to pray for peace, and have respect for the Earth which gives us our food, clothing, and shelter. We need to reactivate the energy of these sacred places. That is our work.
One simple but effective prayer technique is to light a white or baby-blue colored candle. Think a moment in peace. Speak your intention to the flame and send the light of it on to the leaders who have the power to make war or peace. We Have Work To Do."
According to Mr. Barrios this is a crucially important moment for humanity, and for earth. Each person is important. If you have incarnated into this era, you have spiritual work to do balancing the planet. He said the elders have opened the doors so that other races can come to the Mayan world to receive the tradition. The Maya have long appreciated and respected that there are other colors, other races, and other spiritual systems.
"They know," he said, "that the destiny of the Mayan world is related to the destiny of the whole world. The greatest wisdom is in simplicity," ... . "Love, respect, tolerance, sharing, gratitude, forgiveness. It's not complex or elaborate. The real knowledge is free. It's encoded in your DNA. All you need is within you. Great teachers have said that from the beginning. Find your heart, and you will find your way."
Carlos Barrios is author of The Book of Destiny: Unlocking the Secrets of the Ancient Mayans and the Prophecy of 2012
They are keepers of time, authorities on remarkable calendars that are ancient, elegant and relevant. Mr. Barrios is a historian, an anthropologist and investigator. After studying with traditional elders for 25 years since the age of 19, he has also became a Mayan Ajq'ij, a ceremonial priest and spiritual guide, Eagle Clan.
Years ago, along with his brother, Gerardo, Carlos initiated an investigation into the different Mayan calendars. He studied with many teachers. He says his brother Gerardo interviewed nearly 600 traditional Mayan elders to widen their scope of knowledge.
"Anthropologists visit the temple sites," Mr. Barrios says, "and read the inscriptions and make up stories about the Maya, but they do not read the signs correctly. It's just their imagination... Other people write about prophecy in the name of the Maya. They say that the world will end in December 2012. The Mayan elders are angry with this. The world will not end. It will be transformed. The indigenous have the calendars, and know how to accurately interpret it, not others.
The Mayan Calendars comprehension of time, seasons, and cycles has proven itself to be vast and sophisticated. The Maya understand 17 different calendars, some of them charting time accurately over a span of more than ten million years. The calendar that has steadily drawn global attention since 1987 is called the Tzolk'in or Cholq'ij.
Devised ages ago and based on the cycle of the Pleiades, it is still held as sacred. With the indigenous calendars, native people have kept track of important turning points in history.
For example, the day keepers who study the calendars identified an important day in the year One Reed, Ce Acatal, as it was called by the Mayans. That was the day when an important ancestor was prophesied to return, "coming like a butterfly." In the western calendar, the One Reed date correlates to Easter Sunday, April 21, 1519 the day that Hernando Cortez and his fleet of 11 Spanish galleons arrived from the East at what is today called Vera Cruz, .
When the Spanish ships came toward shore, native people were waiting and watching to see how it would go. The billowing sails of the ships did indeed remind the scouts of butterflies skimming the ocean surface. In this manner was a new era initiated, an era they had anticipated through their calendars. The Maya termed the new era the Nine Bolomtikus, or nine Hells of 52 years each. As the nine cycles unfolded, land and freedom were taken from the native people. Disease and disrespect dominated.
What began with the arrival of Cortez, lasted until August 16, 1987 - a date many people recall as Harmonic Convergence. Millions of people took advantage of that date to make ceremony in sacred sites, praying for a smooth transition to a new era, the World of the Fifth Sun."
From that 1987 date until now, Mr. Barrios says, "We have been in a time when the right arm of the materialistic world is disappearing, slowly but inexorably. We are at the cusp of the era when peace begins, and people live in harmony with Mother Earth. We are no longer in the World of the Fourth Sun, but we are not yet in the World of the Fifth Sun. This is the time in-between, the time of transition. As we pass through transition there is a colossal, global convergence of environmental destruction, social chaos, war, and ongoing Earth changes."
All this, Mr .Barrios says, was foreseen via the simple, spiral mathematics of the Mayan calendars. "It will change," Mr. Barrios observes. "Everything will change." He said Mayan day keepers view the Dec. 21, 2012 date as a rebirth, the start of the World of the Fifth Sun. "It will be the start of a new era resulting from and signified by the solar meridian crossing the galactic equator, and the earth aligning itself with the center of the galaxy.
At sunrise on December 21, 2012 for the first time in 26,000 years, the Sun rises to conjunct the intersection of the Milky Way and the plane of the ecliptic. This cosmic cross is considered to be an embodiment of the Sacred Tree, The Tree of Life, a tree remembered in all the world's spiritual traditions."
Some observers say this alignment with the heart of the galaxy in 2012 will open a channel for cosmic energy to flow through the earth, cleansing it and all that dwells upon it, raising all to a higher level of vibration.
This process has already begun, Mr. Barrios suggested. "Change is accelerating now, and it will continue to accelerate." If the people of the earth can get to this 2012 date in good shape, without having destroyed too much of the Earth, Mr. Barrios said, "We will rise to a new, higher level. But to get there we must transform enormously powerful forces that seek to block the way."
A Picture of the Road Ahead:
From his understanding of the Mayan tradition and the calendars, Mr. Barrios offered a picture of where we are at and what may lie on the road ahead. The date specified in the calendar Winter Solstice in the year 2012 does not mark the end of the world. Many outside people writing about the Mayan calendar sensationalize this date, but they do not know. The ones who know are the indigenous elders who are entrusted with keeping the tradition.
"Humanity will continue," he contends, "but in a different way. Material structures will change. From this we will have the opportunity to be more human. We are living in the most important era of the Mayan calendars and prophecies. All the prophecies of the world, all the traditions, are converging now. There is no time for games. The spiritual ideal of this era is action. Many powerful souls have reincarnated in this era, with a lot of power. This is true on both sides, the light and the dark.
....
A Call for Fusion:
As he met with audiences in Santa Fe, Mr. Barrios told a story about the most recent Mayan New Year ceremonies in . He said that one respected elder, who lives all year in a solitary mountain cave, journeyed to Chichicastenango to speak with the people at the ceremony. The elder delivered a simple, direct message. He called for human beings to come together in support of life and light. Right now each person and group is going his or her own way. The elder of the mountains said there is hope if the people of the light can come together and unite in some way.
Reflecting on this, Mr. Barrios explained: "We live in a world of polarity: day and night, man and woman, positive and negative. Light and darkness need each other. They are a balance. Just now the dark side is very strong, and very clear about what they want. They have their vision and their priorities clearly held, and also their hierarchy. They are working in many ways so that we will be unable to connect with the spiral Fifth World in 2012.
On the light side everyone thinks they are the most important, that their own understandings, or their group's understandings, are the key. There's a diversity of cultures and opinions, so there is competition, diffusion, and no single focus."
As Mr. Barrios sees it, "The dark side works to block fusion through denial and materialism. It also works to destroy those who are working with the light to get the Earth to a higher level. They like the energy of the old, declining Fourth World , the materialism. They do not want it to change. They do not want fusion. They want to stay at this level, and are afraid of the next level. The dark power of the declining Fourth World cannot be destroyed or overpowered. It's too strong and clear for that, and that is the wrong strategy. The dark can only be transformed when confronted with simplicity and open-heartedness. This is what leads to fusion, a key concept for the World of the Fifth Sun."
Mr. Barrios said the emerging era of the Fifth Sun will call attention to a much-overlooked element. Whereas the four traditional elements of earth, air, fire and water have dominated various epochs in the past, there will be a fifth element to reckon with in the time of the Fifth Sun: ether. The dictionary defines ether as the rarefied element of the Heavens. Ether is a medium. It permeates all space and transmits waves of energy in a wide range of frequencies, from cell phones to human auras.
What is "ethereal" is related to the regions beyond earth: the Heavens. Ether, the element of the Fifth Sun, is celestial and lacking in material substance, but is no less real than wood, stone or flesh. "Within the context of ether there can be a fusion of the polarities," Mr .Barrios said. "No more darkness or light in the people, but an uplifted fusion.
But right now the realm of darkness is not interested in this. They are organized to block it. They seek to unbalance the Earth and its environment so we will be unready for the alignment in 2012. We need to work together for peace, and balance with the other side. We need to take care of the Earth that feeds and shelters us. We need to put our entire mind and heart into pursuing unity and fusion now, to confront the other side and preserve life, to be ready for this Moment in History."
Mr. Barrios told his audiences in Santa Fe that we are at a critical moment of world history. "We are disturbed," he said. "We can't play anymore. Our planet can be renewed or ravaged. Now is the time to awaken and take action. Everyone is needed. You are not here for no reason. Everyone who is here now has an important purpose. This is a hard, but special time. We have the opportunity for growth, but we must be ready for this moment in history."
Mr. Barrios offered a number of suggestions to help people walk in balance through the years ahead. "The prophesied changes are going to happen," he said "but our attitude and actions determine how harsh or mild they are. We need to act, to make changes, and to elect people to represent us who understand and who will take political action to respect the earth. Meditation and spiritual practice are good, but also action. It's very important to be clear about who you are, and also about your relation to the Earth.
Develop yourself according to your own tradition and the call of your heart. But remember to respect differences, and strive for unity. Eat wisely. A lot of food is corrupt in either subtle or gross ways. Pay attention to what you are taking into your body. Learn to preserve food, and to conserve energy. Learn some good breathing techniques, so you have the mastery of your breath. Be clear. Follow a tradition with great roots. It is not important what tradition, your heart will tell you, but it must have great roots. We live in a world of energy. An important task at this time is to learn to sense or see the energy of everyone and everything: people, plants, animals.
This becomes increasingly important as we draw close to the World of the Fifth Sun, for it is associated with the element ether - the realm where energy lives and weaves. Go to the sacred places of the earth to pray for peace, and have respect for the Earth which gives us our food, clothing, and shelter. We need to reactivate the energy of these sacred places. That is our work.
One simple but effective prayer technique is to light a white or baby-blue colored candle. Think a moment in peace. Speak your intention to the flame and send the light of it on to the leaders who have the power to make war or peace. We Have Work To Do."
According to Mr. Barrios this is a crucially important moment for humanity, and for earth. Each person is important. If you have incarnated into this era, you have spiritual work to do balancing the planet. He said the elders have opened the doors so that other races can come to the Mayan world to receive the tradition. The Maya have long appreciated and respected that there are other colors, other races, and other spiritual systems.
"They know," he said, "that the destiny of the Mayan world is related to the destiny of the whole world. The greatest wisdom is in simplicity," ... . "Love, respect, tolerance, sharing, gratitude, forgiveness. It's not complex or elaborate. The real knowledge is free. It's encoded in your DNA. All you need is within you. Great teachers have said that from the beginning. Find your heart, and you will find your way."
Carlos Barrios is author of The Book of Destiny: Unlocking the Secrets of the Ancient Mayans and the Prophecy of 2012
Thursday, August 12, 2010
You Cannot Multiply Wealth by Divding It!
You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.
When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any nation.
You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.
"We have tried spending money. We are spending more than we have ever spent before and it does not work. And I have just one interest, and now if I am wrong somebody else can have my job. I want to see this country prosper. I want to see people get a job. I want to see people get enough to eat. We have never made good on our promises. I say after eight years of this administration, we have just as much unemployment as when we started. And enormous debt to boot."
Henry Morgenthau, May 1938, FDR's Treasury Secretary
"When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic."
Benjamin Franklin
When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any nation.
You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.
"We have tried spending money. We are spending more than we have ever spent before and it does not work. And I have just one interest, and now if I am wrong somebody else can have my job. I want to see this country prosper. I want to see people get a job. I want to see people get enough to eat. We have never made good on our promises. I say after eight years of this administration, we have just as much unemployment as when we started. And enormous debt to boot."
Henry Morgenthau, May 1938, FDR's Treasury Secretary
"When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic."
Benjamin Franklin
Drowning in soda: America's health problems made far worse by massive soda consumption
(NaturalNews) The booming popularity of sugary soft drinks has led to 6,000 more deaths, 14,000 more cases of heart disease and 130,000 new cases of diabetes in the past 10 years, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of California-San Francisco and presented at the annual Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention conference of the American Heart Association.
"We can demonstrate an association between daily consumption of sugared beverages and diabetes risk," researcher Litsa Lambrakos said. "We can then translate this information into estimates of the current diabetes and cardiovascular disease that can be attributed to the rise in consumption of these drinks."
A single serving of soda or other sweetened soft drink contains between 120 and 200 calories of sugar, equivalent to a man's recommended intake for a full day and exceeding the recommended daily intake for a woman.
"We can demonstrate an association between daily consumption of sugared beverages and diabetes risk," researcher Litsa Lambrakos said. "We can then translate this information into estimates of the current diabetes and cardiovascular disease that can be attributed to the rise in consumption of these drinks."
A single serving of soda or other sweetened soft drink contains between 120 and 200 calories of sugar, equivalent to a man's recommended intake for a full day and exceeding the recommended daily intake for a woman.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Why a VAT Tax is Coming
FORTUNE -- Last Saturday, I got a crackling cell phone call from Republican Congressman Paul Ryan, who was hanging drywall at his Victorian home in Janesville, Wisconsin. I'd found that Ryan had knack for foreseeing unpredictable twists in economic legislation and wanted to chat with him about what he's seeing now.
Last winter, when most experts reckoned that Scott Brown's election in Massachusetts spelled the demise of the Obama healthcare bill, Ryan -- who's intimately familiar with arcane congressional rules as the ranking Republican on the House Budget Committee -- told me that those rules left the Democrats plenty of room to pass the bill. He was contrarian, and he was right.
Right now, the VAT appears so radical that it's gained little support in Congress and isn't even endorsed by the Obama administration. But Ryan told me that a VAT is far more likely than most Americans imagine. The reason isn't the one that many experts are forecasting -- that the Fiscal Commission appointed by President Obama will recommend the controversial levy. "I don't believe the Commission will advocate a VAT," Ryan told me, adding that he doesn't speak for his fellow members.
On the contrary, Ryan fears another path to the VAT. "It cannot pass without a fiscal crisis," he warns. "Our leaders are now courting one with big spending and by adding new entitlements. They know in the back of their minds that if a fiscal crisis comes, they can throw a VAT on top of that."
Ryan concluded by saying that the economy now faces two layers of uncertainty -- the threat of a debt debacle that's already well known, and the added danger that the solution will be the heretofore unimaginable and largely unforeseen: a VAT.
It's important to understand that a VAT looms so large because it's the only tax that can remotely raise enough revenue to close the immense gap between federal spending and receipts -- in the absence of epic and unpopular reductions in expenditures. The VAT resembles a national sales tax -- the main difference is that producers make the actual payments to the government as they add components to computers or autos along the line of production. But it's consumers who effectively reimburse those producers by absorbing the full tax when they purchase the PC or minivan.
Last winter, when most experts reckoned that Scott Brown's election in Massachusetts spelled the demise of the Obama healthcare bill, Ryan -- who's intimately familiar with arcane congressional rules as the ranking Republican on the House Budget Committee -- told me that those rules left the Democrats plenty of room to pass the bill. He was contrarian, and he was right.
Right now, the VAT appears so radical that it's gained little support in Congress and isn't even endorsed by the Obama administration. But Ryan told me that a VAT is far more likely than most Americans imagine. The reason isn't the one that many experts are forecasting -- that the Fiscal Commission appointed by President Obama will recommend the controversial levy. "I don't believe the Commission will advocate a VAT," Ryan told me, adding that he doesn't speak for his fellow members.
On the contrary, Ryan fears another path to the VAT. "It cannot pass without a fiscal crisis," he warns. "Our leaders are now courting one with big spending and by adding new entitlements. They know in the back of their minds that if a fiscal crisis comes, they can throw a VAT on top of that."
Ryan concluded by saying that the economy now faces two layers of uncertainty -- the threat of a debt debacle that's already well known, and the added danger that the solution will be the heretofore unimaginable and largely unforeseen: a VAT.
It's important to understand that a VAT looms so large because it's the only tax that can remotely raise enough revenue to close the immense gap between federal spending and receipts -- in the absence of epic and unpopular reductions in expenditures. The VAT resembles a national sales tax -- the main difference is that producers make the actual payments to the government as they add components to computers or autos along the line of production. But it's consumers who effectively reimburse those producers by absorbing the full tax when they purchase the PC or minivan.
My personal FIGHT for the joy of being defenseless, by Chris Cade
We've all heard of stories of Mahatma Ghandi and non-violence, and Jesus advising us to turn the other cheek when struck, but how does that relate to us every day?
I've struggled with that very question, especially having been an advocate for "eye for an eye" for many years. It made sense to me that if somebody set a home ablaze, that their home would in turn be torched, and I didn't understand what was meant by "an eye for an eye makes the world blind."
That just seemed like "spiritual nonsense" to me.
So often in my life I've thought about the "fight." Not so much in a literal sense with my fists, but rather, on a mental level. The experiences of my youth led me to want to right the wrongs, particularly those wrongs against me, and as mentioned before I saw "eye for an eye" as a means for equal and fair justice.
I would "fight" when I'd flip off, stare angrily at, or honk at another driver who cut me off...
I would "fight" when a friend or family member "wronged" me and I felt the need to set them straight or just to be "right" about something...
And I definitely "fought" (politely, mind you) when somebody cut in front of me in line...
And while an eye for an eye may deter in some cases, it's the stark opposite of what historically non-violent leaders like Jesus and Gandhi had in mind; this challenged me even more.
As time has passed, I've felt less resonance with "eye for an eye" but for a while still didn't understand how to experientially learn a differing perspective. Something that really helped bring it together for me is the following quote from Vernon Howard's book, "Esoteric Mind Power"
"Have no fear in not knowing what to do about a problem. Fear activates its negative relatives of impulsiveness, ego-protection, and an anxious craving for security.
Instead, let the mind be still. Never think of fighting, for an answer won by fighting will soon require another answer and another fight.
The problem exists because of an agitated mind, so when the mind rests from its own agitation, there is no problem at all."
After reading the above passage, it finally clicked for me!
I particularly resonated with the phrase that I bolded, yet I never thought of it that way. Another way to look at this is how some people say "the best defense is a good offense." However, as I became more in tune with feeling my presence, I began to see that if I feel the need to defend then I will attract into my life people who want to offend me and others. Therefore, if I become "defenseless," then the reverse is true... over time I will continue to attract people, like me, who do not feel the need to "defend" themselves.
Now, I feel more and more compassion than ever before, and I have noticed that there are less situations in my life that I have felt inclined to "defend" or "fight" against. Before I had began my journey of spiritual development, I used to smash spiders when I found them in my home. Now I get a piece of paper and a cup to trap them, then release them outside. (and it is ADORABLE when my 3 1/2 year old son does the same thing). Now I eat a strictly vegetarian diet... only because I know I wouldn't kill an animal to eat it, and I don't feel comfortable having other people kill the animals on my behalf. It's not a moral thing, I just don't feel right inside when I kill anything.
Now if you had asked me a few years ago if I ever thought I might feel this depth of compassion for other beings, I'd have thought your wheels were spinning but the hamster was dead. :)
I now understand what it mean to turn the other cheek when struck, and why an act of compassion has the potential to be much more influential and transforming than an act of violence in like kind. Even then, I cannot say I am certain that I am yet at that place of presence where I would simply turn another cheek and take a beating like Ghandi and his followers. What I do now understand is how to have compassion for all people, including those who have hurt me and those who will hurt myself and others. To put it as concisely as possible, I've learned this:
Fighting does not bring us closer to our goals, but rather separates us from them.
This awareness has brought a greater amount of joy to my life than I could have ever imagined. Progressively I'm realizing, and truly and deeply understanding, that it really is my choice how I respond to situations, and that no amount of "fighting" or negative response will change the truth of the situation… the truth that there is only one common element in all experiences in my life - me.
I am the only person I can change, so when I fight against others, whether I realize and feel it or not, I'm actually fighting against myself.
Your Partner In Transformation,
Chris Cade
Inscribe Your Life®
I've struggled with that very question, especially having been an advocate for "eye for an eye" for many years. It made sense to me that if somebody set a home ablaze, that their home would in turn be torched, and I didn't understand what was meant by "an eye for an eye makes the world blind."
That just seemed like "spiritual nonsense" to me.
So often in my life I've thought about the "fight." Not so much in a literal sense with my fists, but rather, on a mental level. The experiences of my youth led me to want to right the wrongs, particularly those wrongs against me, and as mentioned before I saw "eye for an eye" as a means for equal and fair justice.
I would "fight" when I'd flip off, stare angrily at, or honk at another driver who cut me off...
I would "fight" when a friend or family member "wronged" me and I felt the need to set them straight or just to be "right" about something...
And I definitely "fought" (politely, mind you) when somebody cut in front of me in line...
And while an eye for an eye may deter in some cases, it's the stark opposite of what historically non-violent leaders like Jesus and Gandhi had in mind; this challenged me even more.
As time has passed, I've felt less resonance with "eye for an eye" but for a while still didn't understand how to experientially learn a differing perspective. Something that really helped bring it together for me is the following quote from Vernon Howard's book, "Esoteric Mind Power"
"Have no fear in not knowing what to do about a problem. Fear activates its negative relatives of impulsiveness, ego-protection, and an anxious craving for security.
Instead, let the mind be still. Never think of fighting, for an answer won by fighting will soon require another answer and another fight.
The problem exists because of an agitated mind, so when the mind rests from its own agitation, there is no problem at all."
After reading the above passage, it finally clicked for me!
I particularly resonated with the phrase that I bolded, yet I never thought of it that way. Another way to look at this is how some people say "the best defense is a good offense." However, as I became more in tune with feeling my presence, I began to see that if I feel the need to defend then I will attract into my life people who want to offend me and others. Therefore, if I become "defenseless," then the reverse is true... over time I will continue to attract people, like me, who do not feel the need to "defend" themselves.
Now, I feel more and more compassion than ever before, and I have noticed that there are less situations in my life that I have felt inclined to "defend" or "fight" against. Before I had began my journey of spiritual development, I used to smash spiders when I found them in my home. Now I get a piece of paper and a cup to trap them, then release them outside. (and it is ADORABLE when my 3 1/2 year old son does the same thing). Now I eat a strictly vegetarian diet... only because I know I wouldn't kill an animal to eat it, and I don't feel comfortable having other people kill the animals on my behalf. It's not a moral thing, I just don't feel right inside when I kill anything.
Now if you had asked me a few years ago if I ever thought I might feel this depth of compassion for other beings, I'd have thought your wheels were spinning but the hamster was dead. :)
I now understand what it mean to turn the other cheek when struck, and why an act of compassion has the potential to be much more influential and transforming than an act of violence in like kind. Even then, I cannot say I am certain that I am yet at that place of presence where I would simply turn another cheek and take a beating like Ghandi and his followers. What I do now understand is how to have compassion for all people, including those who have hurt me and those who will hurt myself and others. To put it as concisely as possible, I've learned this:
Fighting does not bring us closer to our goals, but rather separates us from them.
This awareness has brought a greater amount of joy to my life than I could have ever imagined. Progressively I'm realizing, and truly and deeply understanding, that it really is my choice how I respond to situations, and that no amount of "fighting" or negative response will change the truth of the situation… the truth that there is only one common element in all experiences in my life - me.
I am the only person I can change, so when I fight against others, whether I realize and feel it or not, I'm actually fighting against myself.
Your Partner In Transformation,
Chris Cade
Inscribe Your Life®
Monday, August 9, 2010
Spiritual Initiations by Bo Forbes
Of the many crisis calls I've received, one in particular stands out. A good friend had awakened one morning to a note on her pillow: Her husband was leaving her for another woman. Though the marriage had been rocky at best, she was devastated. "Why did this happen to me?" she sobbed. "I just want to be married again!"
When things fall apart, as they did for my friend, it's tempting to try to piece them together as quickly as possible and get your old life back. Yet when you do that, you miss what a crisis can offer: an awakening to what's not working in your life, an opening to the potential for change.
It's human nature to avoid the emotional roadblocks that pepper the path to spiritual maturity, to seek instead the slow and steady pace of the ordinary traveler. Yet reaching higher spiritual ground requires an extraordinary traveler. It demands the kind of sea change that arrives at key junctures and can transport you to a higher level of spiritual functioning.
A spiritual initiation—an exceptionally difficult life passage that shakes your foundations and makes you question your purpose—is just this sort of sea change. It's an opportunity disguised as loss; a chance to strengthen the thread of awareness that connects the outer part of your being to the inner, to descend deeper into the soul.
Spiritual initiations are transitional; they leave you between worlds. Like a snake undergoing a brief period of blindness after shedding its skin, you're temporarily sightless: You're neither your old self nor a new one. This amorphous, transitional feeling can be challenging—and.. it can manifest itself in all areas of your life.
The feeling that your life is coming undone is the call to awakening that begins an initiation. The call can take many forms: illness or accident, betrayal by a spouse, the death of a loved one, an urge to enter psychotherapy or to begin a period of self-..examination, the recognition of an unhealthy situation or relationship. This is an opportunity to transcend the lament "Why is this happening to me?" and to seek a greater purpose behind the crisis. During this acute phase you'll most likely experience a klesha called asmita, which is a disruption of the ego, or sense of "I am," and a tendency to cling to old definitions of Self: the Provider, the Responsible One, the Caretaker, the Black Sheep, the Boss, the Martyr, and so on. When you answer the call to awakening, you leave behind, at least for a while, this familiar territory and may feel unmoored. [...]
The contraction and suffering experienced with the death of the ego can close your heart and make you feel dry, barren, and exiled. This may seem like a spiritual wasteland, but it's one of the richest and most verdant paths of your awakening. Although you might not yet see it, the seeds of your new self are sprouting beneath the soil of your awareness. This is often when the klesha avidya (ignorance or delusion) is stimulated: You can't see what you'll grow into. You may also have trouble recognizing the last stage of your transition for what it is—a passage through the birth canal. [...]
Finally, after all this waiting, you move through the birth canal and are reborn. This is when the klesha called raga (attachment to pleasure) gets stirred up. Now that you've moved away from suffering and death, you're loath to re-experience it. You may rush to form an attachment to your new identity. Yet if you're interested in spiritual development, you don't want to get too comfortable. If spiritual maturity is truly your priority, you must be ready to leave the comfort zone and begin again and again, as many times as it takes. Don't get distracted by the siren song of raga.
A spiritual initiation is like a carving knife—it cuts and pierces, but also refines and reshapes you. Initiations allow you to reinvent yourself completely, to give yourself over to something greater. They are windows through which you can glimpse who you really are and what's possible for you. They're not just an emotional necessity; they're a spiritual imperative....
Sunday, August 8, 2010
" R U an Indigo? " The Book by D Michael Waller
" Sometimes in Life, your greatest gifts often come disguised as your worst nightmares "
Have you ever felt that you are not living the life you are meant to have? Is Life becoming more difficult and challenging lately? Are your emotions running on high and the intensity of life increasing? Do you have bouts of loneliness even when you are with family? Have you ever felt at times that you don't know the people closest to you anymore, maybe even your significant other? Do you experience times where you feel lost and have a burning desire to find your way back home, but don't know where that home is? Have you ever felt that there is more waiting for you, that there is an incredible life out there? Have you felt that longing that there is one true love, your soul mate out there, waiting for you?
There are many symptoms that you may be having like these. You could be an Indigo and not even know it. If you are, You Need to Know! Once you discover what you are, you are on the path of self discovery to one of the Greatest Gifts that one could have. That is the Gift of being an Indigo. Discover if you an Indigo and begin to tap into your inner power and strength. Start living the Life that is meant to be. The Life that is your Destiny!
Get a your copy today of " R U An Indigo? Take the Quiz Today! " Over 100 pages of information including, Is your Child an Indigo? So what is an Indigo? The Traits of an Indigo, The Anatomy of an Indigo, Indigos and Realationships, The Quiz, Now What? The Seven Steps to the Summit, The Power Within. Send your request and payment of $19.98 through the PAYPAL Link on this page along with your address and you will receive an Autograph copy of this must have book to determine once and for all if you are an Indigo. Find out what you need to know and how to deal with it! This is a blessing, welcome it and embrace it. Get the answers you are looking for! Get your copy today for only $19.98!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
The Soul of the Butterfly
The Soul of the Butterfly
Written and translated by Jouni Sakari, 5th May, 2009.
Once upon a time, a butterfly was born as a human being. Oh ! Did he miss his wings, his ability to fly.
He always admired the beauty of the flowers and was surprised for the fact, that it seemed that not all of people could see their beauty.
He thought that he was a peculiar exception. But then, one day, he heard music and he remembered who he was. It just happened in a moment.
Wings grew in his back. And they had eyes on them. Oh ! How beautiful they were in their colors of shine beyond expression. And so powerful was the strength of their vibration. He was so happy, full of bliss, thinking “Oh!, I wish to give my ability to see beauty for those, who miss it.”
Since he had lived as a human being, he knew how hard the life could be without beauty, without the ability to see it. So he decided to find the way to those, who were blind. For them to see the beauty in freedom as he was able to see in his self.
The most beautiful colors of his wings he let shed in a bowl, in order to make a nectar, that gives the eyes of beauty to human beings.
Since he could pity for those, who could not see the beauty, he cried, and the tears of his eyes he poured in the bowl. Being human was his way to do it as he could.
The nectar glimmered and shined. The beauty of the butterfly had stayed without losing anything of its original beauty. Its wings had changed stronger and even more gorgeous.
He closed his eyes and took the shimmering bowl in his hands.
Lift it on his lips and swallow a mouthful of the cool nectar he said: “May the sorrow, that I have felt, turn to wisdom for every human soul and open their eyes to see the beauty of their own soul, and the beauty of all creation mirrored!”.
He gulped another time and said: “May the colors of my wings, the essence of my beauty turn eternal symbol of soul beauty, and be seen as a permanent ability to see it in oneself, may my wings open in every soul to see freedom in beauty and beauty in freedom. May it be so, that it is granted for every soul.”
Third time he swallowed the nectar. Staying some time in silence he finally said: “May my sincere wish become true for every souls to find in joyful peace, in love and harmony in every time, every dimension, and every situation”.
And since there is great tendency for the wishes to become true, every soul has had a permanent beauty in oneself ever after.
Sometimes it needs tears to open the vision to see that. Many butterflies have eyes on their wings, to remind and to make remember in this dimension to look the beauty of freedom.
This is also why this story was told, because butterfly never forgets his life as human. Also because, human never forgets his life as butterfly, what it is like to be a beautiful soul.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Goodbye to a River, by Don Henley
The rains have come early, they say
We're all gonna wash away
Well, that's all right with me
If heaven's torrent can wash clean
The arrogance that lies unseen
In the damage done since we have gone
Where we ought not to be
Goodbye to a river
Goodbye to a river
So long
Lakes and levees, dams and locks
They put that river in a box
It was running wild
And men must have control
We live our lives in starts and fits
We lose our wonder bit by bit
We condescend and in the end
We lose our very souls
Goodbye to a river
Goodbye to a river
So long
The dirty water washes down
Poisoning the common ground
Taking sins of farm and town
And bearing them away
The captains of industry
And their tools on the hill
They're killing everything divine
What will I tell this child of mine
I make a church out of words
As the years dull my senses
And I try to hold on to the world that I knew
I struggle to cross generational fences
And the beauty that still remains—
I can touch it through you
Goodbye to a river
Goodbye to a river
So long
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Port Chester NY Gives Latinos Six Votes Per Person
This is an absolutely must-watch to see how extreme the destruction of basic rights and freedoms is becoming. When I saw this I checked the date and no, to my shock, it was not April 1st.
A Federal judge ordered that people should have the right to cast six votes for the same candidate with the stated aim of ensuring the election to office of a person from a specific racial group.
If this had been done to ensure a white candidate was elected the policy would have been blocked, condemned and those involved vilified as racists - and racists they would be. But why is not the same criteria applied to everyone?
Extraordinary.
It is one of the most extreme examples of blatant racism you can imagine and some are saying it is a 'template' for other parts of the United States.
The world is so crazy, that wouldn't surprise me at all.
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