v2 1.1
verbatimposted on 5 February 2010
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links 02.03.10
links of the weekposted on 3 February 2010
Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR) Report, A Strategic Framework for a Secure Homeland “The purpose of the first-ever Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR) is to outline the strategic framework to guide the activities of participants in homeland security toward a common end…The Nation’s first QHSR takes as its aim a vision for our homeland as safe, secure, and resilient against terrorism and other hazards where American interests, aspirations, and way of life can thrive.”
ABA Disaster Relief Web Portal Offers Information on How Lawyers Can Help in Aftermath of Haitian Earthquake “The ABA has assembled a collection of legal resources relevant to the Haiti earthquake at for use by bar associations, lawyers and programs assisting those in need. The web portal provides links and information on temporary protected status for Haitian nationals who have resided in the United States since Jan. 12, 2010. It also offers information pertaining to children identified as needing care and children identified as orphans.”
BLS: Mass Layoffs, December 2009, Annual Totals — 2009 “Employers took 1,726 mass layoff actions in December that resulted in the separation of 153,127 workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single employer. During the 25 months from December 2007 through December 2009, the total number of mass layoff events (seasonally adjusted) was 51,978, and the associated number of initial claims was 5,242,840. (December 2007 was the start of a recession as designated by the National Bureau of Economic Research.)”
CRS: Honey Bee Colony Collapse Disorder, updated January 7, 2010 “Starting in late 2006, commercial migratory beekeepers along the East Coast of the United States began reporting sharp declines in their honey bee colonies. Because of the severity and unusual circumstances of these colony declines, scientists named this phenomenon colony collapse disorder (CCD). Reports indicate that beekeepers in most states have been affected. Overall, the number of managed honey bee colonies dropped an estimated 35.8% and 31.8% in the winters of 2007/2008 and 2006/2007, respectively. Preliminary loss estimates for the 2008/2009 winter are reported at 28.6%. To date, the precise reasons for colony losses are not yet known.”
The Economic Toll on the American Worker in the Past Decade, Washington Post article: “The past decade was the worst for the U.S. economy in modern times, a sharp reversal from a long period of prosperity that is leading economists and policymakers to fundamentally rethink the underpinnings of the nation’s growth. It was, according to a wide range of data, a lost decade for American workers. A decade that began in a moment of triumphalism and the idea among some economists that recessions were a thing of the past has included two of them — bookends to a debt-driven expansion that was neither robust nor sustainable. There has been zero net job creation since December 1999. No previous decade going back to the 1940s had job growth of less than 20 percent. Economic output rose at its slowest rate of any decade since the 1930s as well.”
UN Permanent Forum Origin and Development Report: State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, January 2010 “There are over 370 million indigenous people in some 90 countries, living in all regions of the world. Poverty rates are significantly higher among indigenous peoples compared to other groups. While they constitute 5 per cent of the world’s population, they are 15 per cent of the world’s poor. Indigenous peoples face systemic discrimination and exclusion from political and economic power; they continue to be over-represented among the poorest, the illiterate, the destitute; they are displaced by wars and environmental disasters; indigenous peoples are dispossessed of their ancestral lands and deprived of their resources for survival, both physical and cultural; they are even robbed of their very right to life…indigenous peoples see their traditional knowledge and cultural expressions marketed and patented without their consent or participation.”
verbatim 36.2
verbatimposted on 16 December 2009
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links 12.15.09
links of the weekposted on 15 December 2009
FDIC National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households : An estimated 7.7 percent of U.S. households, approximately 9 million, are unbanked.3 At least 17 million adults reside in these unbanked households. The proportion of U.S. households that are unbanked varies considerably among different racial and ethnic groups, with certain racial and ethnic minorities more likely to be unbanked than the population as a whole. Minorities more likely to be unbanked include blacks (an estimated 21.7 percent of black households are unbanked), Hispanics (19.3 percent), and American Indian/Alaskans (15.6 percent). Racial groups less likely to be unbanked are Asians (3.5 percent) and whites (3.3 percent). In addition to the unbanked households, an estimated 17.9 percent of U.S. households, roughly 21 million, are underbanked.
Federal Reserve Beige Book, 2009, Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions : Most Districts indicated that non-auto retailers were holding lean inventories going into the holiday season…Residential real estate conditions were somewhat improved from very low levels, on balance, led by the lower end of the market. Most Districts reported some pickup in home sales, though prices were generally said to be flat or declining modestly; residential construction was characterized as weak…Commercial real estate markets and construction activity were depicted as very weak and, in many cases, deteriorating.
America’s Place in the World 2009, U.S. Seen as Less Important, China as More Powerful, Pew Research Center for the People and the Press : The general public and members of the Council on Foreign Relations are apprehensive and uncertain about America’s place in the world. Growing numbers in both groups see the United States playing a less important role globally, while acknowledging the increasing stature of China.
The Smithsonian Institution Collections Search Center : Provides simplified comprehensive searching of more than 2 million of the museum’s, archives, library and research holdings and collections. Current collections include, The Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection, The National Museum of American Indians Collections and The National Portrait Gallery Collection.
US Census Bureau, State Government Finances : This Bureau report provides a comprehensive summary of annual survey findings for state governments presented in extensive table form. The Bureau compiles information regarding revenue, exppenditure, indebtedness and asset for each state.
war is peace, hot prez version
spread of the redposted on 10 December 2009
Who on earth believes that what our commander in chief said when accepting (as opposed to refusing ~ something that he could have chosen to do) the peace prize today is nothing more than and nothing less than what we have long heard from scores of saber-rattling, war mongering, ashamed liberals trying to look like a tough guy, empire buttressing, civilian bombing militarists, a load of what Orwell identified famously as “new speak”…war is peace – -
Many who march in formation with the world’s murderous militaries make the claims, as Mr. Obama has today, that because “negotiations cannot convince” the enemy du jour to capitulate to our demands, peace loving empire builders must always “reserve the right” to blast babies to pieces and maim old ladies.
My president said today “peace requires sacrifice.” That reminded me of what ML King, Jr. said…
“It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it.”
I think that these two recipients of the peace prize have opposing visions of what sacrifice means in the context of warfare and efforts to encourage peace.
Mr. Obama’s self-justifying and ever so pragmatic call for more children to be butchered seems to have convinced many; how dulcet the tones, how rehearsed and teleprompted – and he didn’t even make a syntax or grammatical error! This must equate with correctness of logic. This must reflect high-minded deep thinking. Alas, we have heard this all before- from other killers.
Here are a few examples of divergent thoughts that suggest the eloquent Mr. Obama is lacking when it comes to morality, compassion, humanity, humility and in appreciation of what his religion and history teach in abject clarity:
Lao Tzu:
Tao Te Ching – Lao Tzu – 46
When the Tao is present in the universe,
The horses haul manure.
When the Tao is absent from the universe,
War horses are bred outside the city.
There is no greater sin than desire,
No greater curse than discontent,
No greater misfortune than wanting something for oneself.
Therefore he who knows that enough is enough will always have enough
Gandhi-
“However much I may sympathize with and admire worthy motives, I am an uncompromising opponent of violent methods even to serve the noblest of causes.”
And,
“What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty and democracy?”
Jesus:
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God.”
War is over, Mr. President (if you want it)
a surge you can believe in
spread of the redposted on 1 December 2009
protesters in the loop – Chicago showdown
newsposted on 11 November 2009
Images from the action in Chicago at the American Banking Association’s annual gala.
Community and union activists organized three days of protest. Workers were bused to the event from surrounding states to denounce the nation’s banks for their mismanagement and greed and the government’s big-bank favoring response to the economic crisis.
Over the course of the three day bankers conference protesters staged marches, rallies and prayer vigils and hung banners from bridges and viaducts in downtown Chicago. The protesters also crashed an ironically themed “roaring ’20s” gala ball held the first night of the ABA conference.
Protesters detailed the astounding facts that characterize the continuing economic crisis; every 13 seconds another family’s home goes into foreclosure and more than 6 millions jobs have been lost over the past few years. Banks have received cash and guarantees from the government of more than $13 trillion, but credit has dried up for consumers and small businesses.
These photographs were taken on the final day of the event where a crowd of 5000 heard speeches and words of encouragement from AFL-CIO President, Richard Trumpka, UE Local President, Armando Robles, Rev. Jessie Jackson and community activists, workers and homeowners.
Director of the group Action Now said the banker bailout is the “largest transfer of wealth the African American community has ever seen,” as she read a “roll call” of the numbers of foreclosures in Chicago’s neighborhoods. There have been over 44,000 foreclosures in Chicago since the crisis began.
