‘Celebs gone good’: Taylor Swift named most charitable celebrity of 2012 after $4M donation
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 22:57 EST, 25 December 2012 | UPDATED: 23:32 EST, 25 December 2012
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FUN: Taylor Swift is #1 in something that really counts
Thursday, December 27, 2012
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FUN | Tagged: charity, Taylor Swift | 
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Posted by reinkefj
GUNS: No one realizes that this is a problem is one we cause ourselves due to gooferment
Thursday, December 27, 2012http://channel-surfing.blogspot.com/2012/12/armed-and-educated.html
Friday, December 21, 2012
Armed and educated
*** begin quote ***
It took the NRA a week to come up with this? The National Rifle Association, after a week of silence, today suggested that posting armed guards at schools was the best approach the nation could use to protect stuents. And, surprise, it pointed its finger at the same alleged causes it always blames: “video games, the news media and lax law enforcement.” As The New York Times reported, “It offered no new proposals to restrict firearms.”
*** end quote ***
Sorry, but the world is and has always been a dangerous place. Wishing will not make it otherwise. So we create “schools” and “protect” them with “laws”.
Argh!
Why not learn from the Israelis? Allow school personel or anyone to be armed in and around a school. Allow trained grandparents and family to “volunteer” at the schools.
Why can’t we have better mental health care for these sad individuals. Yes, they have “rights”. But when they are a danger to themselves and others? Isn’t that like “fire” in a crowded theater?
Why can’t we have a real inquiry into the impact of psychotropic drugs on these sad individuals?
Why can’t we have studies with actionable conclusions about violent video games and movies?
It’s not a prevalent as we think it is, but that doesn’t mean we should NOT insist on meaningful actions. “Banning scarey weapons” accomplishes NOTHING.
# – # – # – # – #
Friday, December 21, 2012
Armed and educated
It took the NRA a week to come up with this? The National Rifle Association, after a week of silence, today suggested that posting armed guards at schools was the best approach the nation could use to protect stuents. And, surprise, it pointed its finger at the same alleged causes it always blames: “video games, the news media and lax law enforcement.” As The New York Times reported, “It offered no new proposals to restrict firearms.”
Leave a Comment » | GUNS | Tagged: National Rifle Association, NRA | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
FUN: “What you’ve never seen a hypocrite before?”
Wednesday, December 26, 2012“What you’ve never seen a hypocrite before?”
— ‘The Big Bang Theory’ Character Leonard
played by Johnny Galecki in
‘The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis’ 12/15/2008
# – # – # – # – #
Leave a Comment » | FUN | Tagged: 'The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis', 12/15/2008, Big Bang Theory, Galecki, Leonard | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
CLOUD: “Stealing” your photos!
Wednesday, December 26, 2012*** begin quote ***
Dear CNET members,
Imagine this: you’re at a beach in Hawaii, snapping photos of your family having the time of their lives. Later, you upload them to your favorite photo-sharing site to show your family and friends on your social network, not giving it a second thought. Two years from now, you go to a travel site to book another trip to Hawaii, and lo and behold, you see a familiar-looking photo in an advertisement for the Hawaii resort you are looking into. You look a bit closer and you realize that in the advertisement is a picture of your kids at the beach that you took two years ago! You wrack your brains trying to figure out how it happened, who did it, and why.
If you think this scenario is a bit frightening or just can’t be, you better take note of this report by CNET writer Declan McCullagh: “Instagram says it now has the right to sell your photos.” Declan reports that with the first major policy shift since Facebook bought the photo-sharing site, Instagram claims the right to sell users’ photos without payment or notification. And if you don’t opt out of this by deleting your Instagram account by January 16, you can’t opt out of it afterward.
So what do you think of this new policy? Do you care that your photos could potentially be used or sold for commercial purposes without being notified? Or do you believe that this is just part of business, and because it’s a free site and the photos that you post on Instagram are made public, this shouldn’t be a shock to anyone? If you are a user of Instagram, are you going to opt out before the deadline? If you aren’t a user of Instagram, does this change how you would use photo-sharing sites in general, and how so? Read Declan’s article and share how you feel!
Lee Koo
Community manager
*** end quote ***
I’ve advise “correspondents” to drop this in favor of the many equivalents.
Not that anyone listens to me.
I wonder how legally defensible the ownership claim could be.
Considering standing and notice.
(I’m not a lawyer; nor do I play one on TV.)
Like shrinkwrap licenses, I think Judge Judy will side with me.
(At least, I hope so. I’d hate to look like a bozo on TV.)
Surprised the politicians haven’t extracted campaign contributions to “permit” this?
FWIW
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GOLD: Gold bug died unnoticed; at least the state didn’t get it!
Tuesday, December 25, 2012Calif. Teacher Inherits Recluse Cousin’s $7 Million in Gold
By Christina Ng | ABC News Blogs – Wed, Dec 19, 2012 2:20 PM EST
*** begin quote ***
Samasko, 69, died in May due to heart problems and was not discovered until June when neighbors complained of an odor coming from his house.
When authorities went to clean out his Carson City home, they found boxes of gold coins in his home and garage.
*** end quote ***
The story leaves out that the Government tried to claim the windfall.
On Christmas Day, remember all the old gold bugs with no one.
p.s., it is DUMB to hoarde in your own place. The gooferment or the bureacrats will steal it all. That’s why pirates buried their treasures.
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FUN: Ebenezer is my “hero”!
Monday, December 24, 2012http://lewrockwell.com/shaffer/shaffer93.html
The Case for Ebenezer
by Butler Shaffer
*** begin quote ***
Taking my client as the miserable fellow Dickens has presented him, let me be the first to admit that if Ebenezer’s obsession with materialistic pursuits rendered him an unhappy person, and were it the purposes of his detractors to help extricate him from his self-imposed miseries and to restore him to that state of happiness and innocence so common to most of us in our childhood years, no one would be happier than I. But it is not my client’s happiness that the prosecution endeavors to obtain, but his money. The case against Ebenezer Scrooge is nothing more than a well-orchestrated, vicious conspiracy to extort from my client as much of his money as can be acquired through terror, threats of his death, and other appeals to fear. The only happiness that ensued to my client from this campaign arose from the ultimate cessation of terror inflicted upon him. Like the victim of any crime, the termination of wrongdoing offers a momentary relief that can be mistaken for pleasure, but it is an illusion. Such is the only happiness that Mr. Dickens has in mind for my client.
Make no mistake about it: my client has been the victim of a cruel criminal conspiracy to extort his money, as well as of such torts as intentional infliction of emotional distress, libel and slander, trespass, assault, malicious prosecution, battery, nuisance, and false imprisonment. To that end, my client may elect to bring his own suit, but for now let us focus upon his defense to this action. As we do so, pay particular attention to the uttercontradiction underlying Dickens’ case: my client is charged with being a greedy, money-hungry scoundrel, and yet it is the conspirators against him who want nothing more thanhis money! Scrooge – unlike his antagonists – earned his money in the marketplace by satisfying the demands of customers and clients who continue to do business with him, and did not, as far as we are told, resort to terror or threats of death to get it. Perhaps Dickens does no more, here, than engage in psychological projection. In doing so, he reminds us of the definition of a “selfish” person as “one who puts his greedy interests ahead of mine!”
*** end quote ***
And, a “bahhh humbug” to all!
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GUNS: On Christmas Eve, trust but verify
Monday, December 24, 2012http://ericpetersautos.com/2012/12/15/get-ready/
Get Ready…
by eric
December 15, 2012
*** begin quote ***
A child could – should be able to – see through the infantile idiocy of banning handguns. (How’s that ban on arbitrarily illegal drugs – or murder, for that matter – working for you, Herr Schumer, Moore, et al?) People who feed on such pap are already over the event horizon and cannot be salvaged. It is the adults in the room – the people who can grasp the principle at stake – that must be the focus of our attentions. Who may still be reached before they, too, slip across the threshold and into the abyss. Taking the rest of us along with them, alas – if we fail to reach them before it’s too late.
*** end quote ***
I personally object to calling man’s diktats from this king or any other “authority” a “LAW”.
Now the “Law of Gravity”, that’s a REAL LAW. Defy it at your peril.
The Gooferment, at any level, can’t keep drugs, cell phones, weapons, or other “contraband” out of their prisons. How can they hope to enforce any ban?
JPFO actively reminds us of what happens to a disarmed citizenry.
Remember Waco?
“Dial 911 and die”.
AND, remember that the Supreme COurt say that the State has no obligation to protect you.
SOOooo, it is up to you to protect yourself.
Arm the teachers. Arm anyone who wants to take up arms in defense of the body politic.
Let’s be at peace, by always being prepared for war.
No one loves peace more than old soldiers. So too, no one wants to be left alone than a gun owner.
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CLOUD: GOOGLEHEALTH rip
Sunday, December 23, 2012*** begin quote ***
This is an important Google Health service announcement. You are receiving this email because you have an active Google Health account.
As we announced in June, 2011, the Google Health service will be discontinued as of January 1, 2013. After that date, any remaining data in your Google Health account will be permanently deleted, and you will no longer be able to access or download any data from Google Health.
If you want to keep using the data you have stored in Google Health, you will need to take action before December 31st, 2012 to download it or transfer it to another online health service. We’ve made this easy for you. All you have to do is:
– go to the Google Health site at https://health.google.com
– log in with your Google account
– follow the on-screen instructions to download your information and close your Google Health account.
For more information, see our help center article at http://www.google.com/support/health/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1347989
Note that, if you log in to Google Health, and are not given an option to download your data, it means that you do not have any data stored in Google Health and you do not need to do anything more.
If you have not retrieved your Google Health data by January 1, 2013, it will be removed from Google’s systems and permanently and irrevocably deleted. Google will be unable to recover any Google Health data for any user after this date.
For more details on the discontinuation of Google Health, see our blog post at http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/update-on-google-health-and-google.html, and see answers to frequently-asked questions at http://www.google.com/intl/en/health/faq.html.
Note: you will continue to receive periodic service announcements as long as you have an active Google Health account. If you do not wish to receive further announcements, simply go to https://health.google.com and follow the process to download your data (if desired) and delete your Health account.
Thank you for your support and use of Google Health.
The Google Health Team
*** end quote ***
ANYTIME, you have something for “free”, you’re at risk of having “your” data repurposed. Or like Bloomberg did to Merrill Lynch, sold back to you.
“Free” can disappear anytime.
So, the inet is NOT the be all and end all of stuff.
It’s more like a casino or con game.
If you’re not paying for it, it’s not “yours”. And, don’t EVER forget it.
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Posted by reinkefj
POLITICAL: U.S. Intelligence Community
Saturday, December 22, 2012http://lewrockwell.com/engelhardt/engelhardt453.html
The Visible Government
How the U.S. Intelligence Community Came Out of the Shadows
by Tom Engelhardt
TomDispatch
*** begin ***
Their book with that startling title, The Invisible Government, was published in 1964 and it was groundbreaking, shadow-removing, illuminating. It caused a fuss from its very first paragraph, which was then a shockeroo: “There are two governments in the United States today. One is visible. The other is invisible.”
I mean, what did Americans know at the time about an invisible government even the president didn’t control that was lodged deep inside the government they had elected?
Wise and Ross continued: “The first is the government that citizens read about in their newspapers and children study about in their civics books. The second is the interlocking, hidden machinery that carries out the policies of the United States in the Cold War. This second, invisible government gathers intelligence, conducts espionage, and plans and executes secret operations all over the globe.”
The Invisible Government came out just as what became known as “the Sixties” really began, a moment when lights were suddenly being shone into many previously shadowy American corners. I was then 20 years old and sometime in those years I read their book with a suitable sense of dread, just as I had read those civics books in high school in which Martians landed on Main Street in some “typical” American town to be lectured on our way of life and amazed by our Constitution, not to speak of those fabulous governmental checks and balances instituted by the Founding Fathers, and other glories of democracy.
I wasn’t alone reading The Invisible Government either. It was a bestseller and CIA Director John McCone reportedly read the manuscript, which he had secretly obtained from publisher Random House. He demanded deletions. When the publisher refused, he considered buying up the full first printing. In the end, he evidently tried to arrange for some bad reviews instead.
*** end quote ***
The essence of the Tin Foil Hats is that there are conspiracies that we just never “know about”.
Here’s the “shadow government” one again.
Never really been able to understand it.
Still don’t.
But it’s scary fascinating stuff.
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JONFINDING: Manager of Business Services, global Pharmaceutical company in Princeton , NJ
Friday, December 21, 2012Dear FJohn,
My name is Robert Rizza, I am the Managing Director with SNI Companies. My client is a global Pharmaceutical company in Princeton , NJ.
I am looking for an experienced Manager of Business Services. They offer amazing benefits, and tremendous growth. my client has experienced 40% growth over the past 3 years.
Would you happen to know anyone that is interested in this opening?
Robert Rizza
Managing Director
108 Stanhope Street Princeton, NJ 08540 Phone 609-452-0287
Brizza@snicompanies.com
Proud winner of the 2011 Best of Staffing TM Client competition
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POLITICAL: Menendez jumps on the tragedy to do a gun grab!
Friday, December 21, 2012Dear Friend,
The senseless, horrific tragedy that took place in Newtown, Connecticut last Friday has shaken us all to our cores. We ask ourselves, why? Today, I spoke on the Senate floor to join with every American in expressing our deep and abiding grief as a nation and our deepest — most heartfelt — condolences to the families of the victims.
As the father of two, this strikes painfully close to my heart, painfully close to the heart of every parent. There is no greater sorrow — no deeper pain — than the enormous grief that these families are suffering: 20 innocent children, 6 teachers and school employees and their families. No parent should ever have to bear the unspeakable pain of losing a child, especially to this type of tragedy.
Enough is enough.
We must ensure the Newtown tragedy marks a turning point when we are all willing to come together and do what’s right. As we pray for the victims, I believe we must commit ourselves — as a nation — to a long-overdue debate about gun violence and how we help those who suffer mental illnesses in our society.
We must finally pass common sense gun laws. No more politics. No more excuses.
Sincerely,
Robert Menendez
United States Senator
***************
My response: “Repeal the gun free zones around schools. Allow the school folks to pack heat. Worked for the Israelis!
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Posted by reinkefj
GUNS: GOA needs support
Thursday, December 20, 2012Dear Usual:
The tragedy in MA is a direct result of what I call “wishful thinking” aka “the Tooth Fairy will make it all better”. The world is a dangerous place. But what passes for political leadership in the USA engages in it regularly. They passed the “gun free schools” legislation and the problem is solved. That works so well for drug prohibition.
Thirty years ago, the Israelis solved their “school security” problem by REQUIRING teachers and school staff to be armed. Further they had their IDF train civilian grandparents in proper weapons and started a program of “school volunteers”. Problem solved. THe terrorists moved on to “softer targets”.
In MA, instead of the principal attempting a “bull rush” on the active shooter, wouldn’t you have trusted her with a weapon to return fire. I’m confident that she would have made the right choices. But the federal law denied even that possibility.
I’m not a fan of the NRA because they give in. This is NOT about hunting; this is about rights. Ask the German Jews, the Armenians, the Cambodians about the results of being disarmed. Oh yeah, you can’t they are most all DEAD. The literature is ripe with stories about a single weapon stopping or minimzing a massacre. We never hear where things are stopped without a shot being fired. Why is that? Because it doesn’t fit the Big Media’s planned left wing agenda.
Sorry to interrupt your holiday with some tough talk. But, Joe Biden, the author of the failed “Assault Weapons Ban” (i.e., ban guns that look scary despite the fact that they weren’t the ones used in any of the incidents), is coming back with his recommendations. Guess what those will be? I’ll bet a paycheck it is NOT repeal the “Guns Free School Zone” law.
Please like GOA on Facebook. It’s free. Consider joing GOA. If you’re of a mind to it, visit a range and squeeze off a box. (They rent guns by the hour and sell the bullets. They’ll even give you a lesson if needed.)
So, keep your finger off the trigger and on the keyboards to let the politicians know you care. (Even if you don’t. Make them worry.)
fjohn
———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Gun Owners of America <Gun_Owners_of_America@capwiz.mailmanager.net>
Date: Wed, Dec 19, 2012 at 10:17 PM
Subject: GOA Defending Your Rights on the Firing Line
To: Ferdinand Reinke
Gun Owners of America
GOA Defending Your Rights
on the Firing Line
CNN’s Piers Morgan slams
Larry Pratt and all gun owners
In case you missed it, Piers Morgan called GOA Executive Director Larry Pratt and his Second Amendment friends “idiots” on Tuesday night.
Yes, Piers thinks you’re an idiot.
But Pratt ruffled Piers’ feathers by shooting back, telling him that “Brits like him” just don’t like listening to facts.
Gun Owners of America has been out front defending your gun rights and has appeared on scores of media outlets all across the country — and even across the world.
Some of the notable highlights include:
GOA’s Larry Pratt on Piers Morgan on Tuesday night
Director of Communications Erich Pratt in US News & World Report
And Larry Pratt again with the opposing view piece for USA Today on Monday.
Make no mistake about it! We are in the fight of our lives.
Barack Obama has made it his central priority to destroy us. And he and his anti-gun allies have billions of dollars of support from the TV, print, and cable media.
Obama will start out trying to ban semi-automatics, magazines and gun shows. But make no mistake about it. Obama’s initial efforts to crush us will just be the first step to making the entire country a replica of Chicago -– complete with across-the-board gun bans and defenseless citizens.
Julian Epstein, an MSNBC commentator, candidly revealed that the point of Obama’s campaign was not any particular piece of legislation, but rather to “break the back” of the gun lobby.
You can be sure of this: The battle against Obama and his anti-gun stooges will be the biggest fight of our lives.
Already, Gun Owners of America has been the most prominent spokesman for the Second Amendment in the wake of the horrific Newtown tragedy.
Roll Call, the newspaper of record on Capitol Hill, remarked that, in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, “the reaction from one gun rights group [GOA] stood out.”
The liberal Huffington Post trumpeted: “Gun Owners of America steals Newtown gun debate while NRA hides.” It went on to say that “[w]hat is surprising is that [GOA Executive Director] Pratt is the only gun lobby representative willing to discuss his beliefs in public in the days after the Connecticut massacre.”
GOA has virtually been a solitary voice giving interviews all over the country –- and the world -– on behalf of gun rights and the Second Amendment.
Stand with us so that we can continue fighting against the anti-gun onslaught.
As much as anyone, we deplore the efforts of anti-gun zealots to exploit this tragedy for political gain. But if we hide in fear, we will have lost the debate and the legislative battle before even coming onto the battlefield.
We cannot let that happen.
This has not been without cost. We have received death threats against us and our children, and hundreds of profanity-laced emails. One writer said he wished our own children had died at Sandy Hook. Another said he wished that all our GOA members would “just put a gun to their heads and pull the trigger.”
But, when you stand up to sick-minded opportunistic people –- as we have –- you can expect their true colors to show through.
We hope our members are proud of us. As our legislative counsel told one liberal reporter: “I think a lot of people who see and hear us fighting, at a time when [gun control advocates] are ready for battle, they’ll remember it.”
So we need your help to keep fighting.
And we need you to fight alongside us.
ACTION:
(1) Go to our Facebook page at Gun Owners of America and “like” us, if you have not already. There are daily articles there that will keep you up to date with what is going on in regard to our gun rights.
(2) Please do everything you can to help us, as we work overtime during this holiday season to defend our rights.
(3) Help us recruit even more gun owners on our free email alert list. Once the new Congress is sworn-in this January, we will be fighting the biggest battle of century.
Please forward this e-mail to friends and family
Gun Owners of America
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102
Springfield, VA 22151 703-321-8585
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RANT: Required pre-Christmas gift giving
Thursday, December 20, 2012http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/unfortunate-truths-about-child-pornography-and-the-internet-feature/
WOW! Certainly should be required reading for anyone BEFORE they allow their children to have ANY access to a computer or cell phone.
Argh!
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Posted by reinkefj
MEMORIES: 42 years ago
Wednesday, December 19, 2012a beautiful young lady said “i do”
changed me forever
she was called away two years ago
changed me forever
just waiting
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RANT: Taylor is not the marketing maven I thought she was
Tuesday, December 18, 2012Personally, I was astonished!
She is supposedly a “marketing maven”.
BUT!
She missed the boat — or someone did — with the Walgreen’s deal.
FIRST, She should have has a “display clause”. “Her” display was messy! Needed to be “straightened”.
SECOND, she should have INSISTED on a higher quality notebook.
(a) the paper used in her notebook was of flimsy quality; (not that I think it has to be great, but it was like tissue paper)
(b) it has no red margin line line normal loose leaf filler; (how much did that add to the bottom line!) AND
(c) I was expecting some “personalization”. (Since her audience is tweens, preteens, and at least one fat old white injineer I would suggest that the “notebooks” should have taken the opportunity to communicate something inspirational to all the young girls who hang on her every word and one fat old white guy injineer who wishes he was 50 years younger.)
If I was a “pop star”, then I hope I would try to “communicate” with my young girl fans?
Do I tell them to: (a) study hard? (b) close your knees and bring about world peace; or (c) figure out what you want to be when you grow up like I did and don’t let anyone distract you from your goal.
****
A marketing whore?
That’s a little “hard”.
Is that like a man is assertive and a woman is bitchy?
You have to admire that her net worth reportedly jump about 165M$ in the last year. And, that’s what they know about. Her merchandise sales and tie ins fly under the radar.
She’s really the successor to Reba who succeeded Dolly.
The only question is can she sustain it.
The stuff that I read says that there are 2 year transitions early in the “star career” early between 14 and 21. Then they begin to lengthen until they finally become decades. Cites of successful transitions are Betty White, Liz Taylor, Jodi Foster, and Madona. Cites of unsuccessful are Jenna Elfman, Lindsey, Pink, Barbara Striesand, Jane Fonda, and on and on.
It’s a tough business and the public is fickle.
I’d cite Lady Kazan, who technically had a better voice than her contemporary Babs, but lost out. Judy Collins succeeded over Jody Mitchell but couldn’t make the transition form Folk music to the Beetles.
I feel bad for people with a gift who’s gift for whatever reason can not make the leap. “Starving artist” is a cliche.
At the very least, someone like these people must “make hay while the sunshines” because at any minute the music can stop and they are left without a chair.
I think the thing that I admire most about a Taylor Swift is that she “knew” what she wanted to do so early in life and had the huevos to go for it. She sounded “sad” when she said she wanted to go to college but made a decision to forego it to pursue her career. Her “stones” came out when she passed on the record deal from RCA. (Wonder who, if anyone, got fired for that?) And, she had the chutzpah to sign with a start up record label as their Number One artist.
Amazing.
Shows me the nerve of a cat burglar. The savvy of a NYC three card mote dealer. And the Noblise Oblige of some one who’s living their dream.
Argh!
Sometime beauty makes to weep for what you are not.
Leave a Comment » | Ranting | Tagged: differnetiation, Marketing, Taylor Swift | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
ADMINISTRIVIA: Asserting ownership
Monday, December 17, 2012
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INTERESTING: Is this the “gay gene” that everyone was seeking?uote
Monday, December 17, 2012
Scientists May Have Finally Unlocked Puzzle of Why People Are Gay
Lesbians get it from fathers, gay men from mothers?
By JASON KOEBLER
December 11, 2012
*** begin quote ***
Long thought to have some sort of hereditary link, a group of scientists suggested Tuesday that homosexuality is linked to epi-marks — extra layers of information that control how certain genes are expressed. These epi-marks are usually, but not always, “erased” between generations. In homosexuals, these epi-marks aren’t erased — they’re passed from father-to-daughter or mother-to-son, explains William Rice, an evolutionary biologist at the University of California Santa Barbara and lead author of the study.
“There is compelling evidence that epi-marks contribute to both the similarity and dissimilarity of family members, and can therefore feasibly contribute to the observed familial inheritance of homosexuality and its low concordance between [identical] twins,” Rice notes.
Rice and his team created a mathematical model that explains why homosexuality is passed through epi-marks, not genetics. Evolutionarily speaking, if homosexuality was solely a genetic trait, scientists would expect the trait to eventually disappear because homosexuals wouldn’t be expected to reproduce. But because these epi-marks provide an evolutionary advantage for the parents of homosexuals: They protect fathers of homosexuals from underexposure to testosterone and mothers of homosexuals from overexposure to testosterone while they are in gestation.
*** end quote ***
Is this the big breakthrough that allows the human race to move forward?
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INTERESTING: What’s the “jedi religion”?
Sunday, December 16, 2012
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9737886/Jedi-religion-most-popular-alternative-faith.html
‘Jedi’ religion most popular alternative faith
Today’s Census figures show that 176,632 people in England and Wales identify themselves as Jedi Knights, making it the most popular faith in the “Other Religions” category on the Census and the seventh most popular faith overall.
***
You have to be kidding me!
I could understand a lot of the possible answers, but … this one stuns me!
–30–
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Posted by reinkefj
MONEY: Save all nickels
Saturday, December 15, 2012http://lewrockwell.com/schiff/schiff190.html
Ditching Before the Fiscal Cliff
by Peter Schiff
*** begin quote ***
Turn on the TV and this is what you’ll hear: The US budget is heading for a fiscal cliff. If a deal isn’t reaching in Congress by the end of this year, a combination of automatic tax hikes and budget cuts will sink America into economic depression. There is no escape.
*** and ***
Those buying into physical gold and silver see this inevitability and are getting prepared. We believe there is no sense playing Russian roulette with our savings. Every time Washington raises that debt ceiling or announces another stimulus, it’s like one more click of the trigger.
*** end quote ***
OK, I get it. Everyone thinks I have a tin foil hat.
Talk to anyone who lived through the German pre-WW2 hyperinflation or the Great Depression. Or even the Carter inflation of the 70’s.
I get it. Buying Gold and / or Silver bullion is way out there on the lunatic fringe.
OK, how about accumulating “poor man’s gold”. Nickels?
If you won’t ask for a roll every time you go to your bank, then just don’t spend them when you receive them in change.
I have a couple of boxes on both my nightstands. If during the day, I get nickels in change I put them in my back pocket. When I get home, they go into the box and the “junk” goes into the “recycling bag”. (I take my change often anytime I go to the bank.)
Argh!
So here’s the gist of this money rant: (1) save all nickels; (2) consider buying bullion; but (3) don’t buy what you see advertised on TV. (Someone has to pay for the ads. Guess who? U!)
See you on the other side.
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Leave a Comment » | MONEY | Tagged: Carter inflation, German pre-WW2 hyperinflation, Great Depression, physical gold | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
GUNS: Guns are NOT the problem; the lack of them is!
Friday, December 14, 2012As a pro-life little Libertarian, I can NOT imagine what these people are going through. And, it’s at times like this that there is an over-reaction to “fix” the problem by restricting law-abiding people’s rights.
Tragic. But that is what happens when you create a “gun free zone”. In the military, it’s called a target rich environment. Every adult in that school was disarmed and unable to defend themselves or the children.
The Israelis had the same problem with Kibbutz schools being attacked until they started letting armed grandparents volunteer as school security. The killings stopped immediately. Turns out cranky old grandparent are perfect “school security officers”.
Someday we will wise up.
*** begin quote ***
Dear Members of our Sandy Hook Family,
Our district will be implementing a security system in all elementary schools as part of our ongoing efforts to ensure student safety. As usual, exterior doors will be locked during the day. Every visitor will be required to ring the doorbell at the front entrance and the office staff will use a visual monitoring system to allow entry. Visitors will still be required to report directly to the office and sign in. If our office staff does not recognize you, you will be required to show identification with a picture id. Please understand that with nearly 700 students and over 1000 parents representing 500 SHS families, most parents will be asked to show identification.
Doors will be locked at approximately 9:30 a.m. Any student arriving after that time must be walked into the building and signed in at the office. Before that time our regular drop-off procedures will be in place. I encourage all parents to have their children come to school and return home on the bus and to remain in school for the entire school day. The beginning and ending of our school day are also important instructional times and therefore we want all our students to reap the benefits of full participation in our program.
We need your help and cooperation for our system to work effectively. Our office staff is handling multiple tasks. Though they will work diligently to help you into the building as quickly as possible, there may be a short delay until someone can view you on the handset and allow you to come in electronically. There are times during the day when office personnel are on the telephone, addressing student concerns, or in the copy room; there are other times when only one person is in the front office. Please help our staff by identifying yourself and provide your child’s name.
Keep in mind we will be following our district guidelines which may need revision once we test the system.
Please know your involvement continues to be critical to our school’s effectiveness and your child’s success. We continue to encourage and value your presence in our classrooms and are counting on your cooperation with the implementation of this safety initiative.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Hochsprung
*** end quote ***
Guess the “new security regime” didn’t work so well. But, I am sure it did give the parents a false sense of security.
Argh!
Gooferment is rarely the answer and is often the source of the problem.
In most of these shootings, the teachers and staff are unarmed. The maintenance people are unarmed. The cafeteria people are unarmed.
(Never mind that the children are unarmed. In Israeli, mature children are packing heat. I’d trust youngsters to protect themselves. Too bad there wasn’t a drug gang in this school; they could have protected the children. Argh!)
The bad guy, or guys, always seems to have a equipment malfunction, stop to reload, or turn in a different direction. We all saw that video in Florida of the old coot when the robber turned away, pulled out a pop gun (small caliber pocket pistol) and started blazing away. Did convince the thug to head for the hills.
We allow the school maintenance person to walk around the school with knives, saws, and power tools. What’s wrong with one more tool? “Hey, Mike or Michelle, bring your Colt 45 to work and if you see any two legged varmints shoot at kids, take them out. We’ll reimburse you for the bullets.” Argh!!!
We saw the one teacher pulling a kid into her class room. I’d trust her with a tool. She could put all the children in a corner and she covers the door. Anything coming through that looks like a threat; empty. Reload and repeat. Mother Bears defend their cubs better than we as a species do!
Why do we have Gofferment Skrules again?
These training grounds just teach everyone to be sheep. SOOOooo let’s sprinkle a few sheepdogs in the herd. Make it exciting to be a criminal. Wonder how they’ll react to some return fire. Bet they’ll move on to easier targets. Like police stations. We all know that cops are terrible shots.
OH, and by the way, we have to indemnify all these volunteers against lawsuits by criminals. Stupid system, criminal breaks the law and can sue the victim for resisting. Where’s Judge Judy applying the “clean hands” doctrine?
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2 Comments | GUNS | Tagged: RKBA, VICTIM, VICTIM DISARMAMENT | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
POLITICAL: The Lincoln Movie
Friday, December 14, 2012http://lewrockwell.com/thornton/thornton53.1.html
The Lincoln Movie
by Mark Thornton
*** begin quote ***
Steven Spielberg’s epic movie Lincoln is truly a masterpiece. As an historical drama it portrays Lincoln in the final months of his life and the final months of the Civil War. More than anything, it shows Lincoln attempting – against all odds – to pass the 13th Amendment to the Constitution abolishing slavery.
*** and ***
With Lincoln, of course Abraham Lincoln was president during the American Civil War, Mary Todd Lincoln was the first lady, they had sons, etc. All the supporting cast did exist including all the politicians, cabinet members, generals, etc. The 13th amendment to the Constitution banning slavery did pass, Lincoln was assassinated, and the Union did defeat the Confederacy.
It is also true that Lincoln did work to promote the passage of the 13th amendment. However, as Thomas DiLorenzo has shown, Lincoln worked for the passage of the 13th amendment in 1861 That 13th amendment would have banned the federal government from interfering with states that permitted slavery if it has been ratified. Furthermore, he shows that there is no hard evidence that Lincoln worked for the passage of the 13th amendment in 1865 which prohibited slavery in all states.
As you can see, the real version of events would not have made for a good movie. In fact, the real Lincoln would not make for any kind of pleasant movie. He was a loser politician married to a crazy woman, who unexpectedly found success because the nation splintered into four political parties, handing him the election.
Lincoln was famous for telling people what they wanted to hear. He would often claim to support one position on an issue to one group of people and claim to support the opposite position to another group of people. He was the classic flip-flopper often supporting numerous positions on an issue over his political career. No good material for a movie here.
*** end quote ***
Wow, who would have thought a politician is a flip flopper telling people what they want to hear?
Lincoln is far and away on the top of my worst President list. No one in the second tier is even close.
He was the ultimate crony capitalist as a “railroad lawyer”.
I find it bemusing that the Black Community reveres him.
Not that I’m a proponent of slavery, Jim Crow, or racism, but he was the opposite of their image.
Toss in on top that the rest of the world was able to eliminate slavery without a war. Slavery was uneconomic and, ten more so, when the mechanization of America. Human labor is too valuable to waste in slavery. (Ever try and get a human to do something that they don’t want to do? As children, we learn at an early age that no one can make us do ANYTHING ever. Even poop!)
Argh!
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Leave a Comment » | Political | Tagged: 13th Amendment, Lincoln, slavery | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
RANT: Celebrities are not, and shouldn’t be, targets
Thursday, December 13, 2012http://blog.sfgate.com/dailydish/2012/12/11/taylor-swift-stalker-problem-is-worse-than-ever/
Taylor Swift: ‘Stalker problem is worse than ever’
*** begin quote ***
She adds, “There are a lot of them (stalkers). I just try to be safe and be conscious of people around me… It’s something you just have to deal with. It’s the price you pay for getting to do what you love. You can let it take over your life and make you fearful all the time, or you can live your life in spite of it.”
*** end quote ***
Not because she’s “my girl”. (LOL, like she wants a fat old white guy injineer.)
But one of the few LEGITIMATE functions of GOOFERMENT is to protect its citizens.
It would seem, given that Hollywood loves politicians, that there should be some protection.
As a little L libertarian, like my battered spouse suggestion, I’d say if there’s a restraining order and the star’s, or the detail, can see you, they can shoot you. Open season on stalkers.
No debate. No arrests.
But they are responsible for their collateral damage.
Think of it as a line of work for out of work military snipers.
LOL! Only partially!
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Leave a Comment » | Ranting | Tagged: SWIFT celebrity stalking stalker | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
MONEY: It’s “too big to fail” is “to big to exist”?
Wednesday, December 12, 2012The Coming Derivatives Panic That Will Destroy Global Financial Markets
December 4th, 2012
*** begin quote ***
It would have been really nice if we had not allowed these banks to get so large and if we had not allowed them to make trillions of dollars of reckless bets. But we stood aside and let it happen. Now these banks are so important to our economic system that their destruction would also destroy the U.S. economy. It is kind of like when cancer becomes so advanced that killing the cancer would also kill the patient. That is essentially the situation that we are facing with these banks.
It would be hard to overstate the recklessness of these banks. The numbers that you are about to see are absolutely jaw-dropping. According to the Comptroller of the Currency, four of the largest U.S. banks are walking a tightrope of risk,
*** end quote ***
The bottom line is that Big Gooferment likes Big Anything.
More contributions.
More crony faux capitalism. Get money by playing the game; NOT satisfying customers.
Simple solution. Artificially constrain the size by limiting balance sheets. Require excess to be spun back to the owners.
Ever hear of “anti-trust” or “restraint of trade”?
Not going to happen, because they are all in bed with one another.
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Leave a Comment » | MONEY | Tagged: crony capitalism, fascism, faux capitalism | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
RANT: Have we been euphemized?
Tuesday, December 11, 2012http://lewrockwell.com/peters-e/peters-e271.html
Their Proper Name
by Eric Peters
EricPetersAutos.com
*** begin quote ***
To undo it, there must be a rebirth of what they called in cowboy flicks, straight-talking. Calls things by their proper name – and challenge those who don’t or won’t. Make them say what they mean – openly. If you fail to do so, you’ve accepted their terms.
*** and ***
Most people are innocent victims of verbal (and written) rights-rape. For example, public schools. Well, no – they’re not. Yes, they are “open” to the public – in the sense that the public is forced at gunpoint to send its children to them. Which gives us a clue as to the proper name that ought to be used in every instance of discussion: Government schools. It is what they are, in plain, direct – and thus, honest – language. Nothing less. Which of course is why honest language is not generally used to describe them. Because that might get people thinking along certain lines. “Public” sounds so much… friendlier. Free, almost – a vicious irony if ever there was. You’re not free to decline to pay for them (even if you don’t use them). And most kids are certainly not free to not attend them. Very much what you’d expect of a government school. Because the essential attribute of government is coercion – force. The thing that must never be openly stated – but always euphemized.
*** end quote ***
So don’t let it happen to you.
Insist on clear definitions and meaningful labels.
A rose doesn’t smell as sweet if you call it a “thorny bush”!
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Leave a Comment » | Ranting | Tagged: Gooferment Skrules, prison, PUBLIC EDUCATION | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
SERVICE: Has Google’s GMAIL broken
Monday, December 10, 2012For the first time in a long time, I see GMAIL choking. Timeouts. The IPAD client barfing. Unable to sync and all sorts of strange errors.
Has Google jumped the shark?
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Leave a Comment » | EMAIL | Tagged: GMIl, GOGGLE | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
RANT: Gas is going up and staying up?
Monday, December 10, 2012http://www.theblaze.com/stories/this-chart-implies-something-very-troubling-about-the-price-of-gas/
THIS CHART IMPLIES SOMETHING VERY TROUBLING ABOUT THE PRICE OF GAS
Posted on December 4, 2012 at 12:50pm by Becket Adams
*** begin quote ***
See that? Although the price of crude has fallen in recent months, as the above chart clearly indicates, the price of gasoline remains at a record high.
“Anecdotally, it feels like when oil prices rise, gas prices at the pump rise; but when turmoil pauses in global geo-politics – or some entity decides that high oil prices just will not do for the world’s economy – gas prices at the pump seem not to drop so quickly,” writers are Zero Hedge note.
“Yes there are pipeline, inventory (and even tax) issues but the following chart suggests ‘gouging’ on a national level,” they add.
It’s also worth noting that what we’re seeing today with the price of gasoline and crude is eerily similar to what we saw right before the economic collapse of 2008.
*** end quote ***
I think there maybe a big overhang on the markets due to increased costs (i.e., Obamacare) and increased taxes (i.e., the fiscal cliff).
Given the “gouging rules” passed after Sandy. Or used during Sandy. I wouldn’t lower my price un my competition forces me to.
Hmmm?
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Leave a Comment » | Ranting | Tagged: Economics, future costs, opportunity costs, Tax Rates | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
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