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Friday, July 31, 2009

Politics: FINALLY! House Votes to Restrict Wall Street Bonuses




WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 9:  Former Freddie Mac C...CEO Looking a Little Nervous...? WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 9: Former Freddie Mac CEO Richard Syron (L) adjusts his tie while testifying with former Fannie Mae CEO Daniel Mudd (R), and fromer Fannie Mae CEO Harold Raines (C) before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee during a hearing on "The Role of Fannie and Freddie Mac in the Financial Crisis" on Capitol Hill December 9, 2008 in Washington, DC. The hearing focused on the financial collapse of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, their takeover by the federal government, and their role in the ongoing financial crisis.Image by Getty Images via Daylife
From Denny: This just in from the Friday afternoon news cycle... Congress knows the public is seriously ticked off about the greed on Wall Street. They took advantage of us from the TARP money that was supposed to keep them afloat and the economy from tanking as the conventional wisdom went. When I first heard of it when Bush was on his way out of office I knew it was the Republican's last parting shot of "screw over the public" yet one more time "because we can." So, they did.

All they did with the TARP money was bonus themselves and continue greedy unwise short-term vision business as usual. Big business is now feeing their customers into the poor house as a result of feeling free enough to play with taxpayer money. The big banks, even Royal Bank of Scotland who got money from two countries - United States AND United Kingdom - decided to use their bail-out money to enhance their profit bottom line for the quarter. They even publicly said they saw no reason to start lending out the money to the public they were given for that express purpose.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Hurricane Katrina Super Volunteers 4 Years Later and How Bush Policies Have Jacked Up the Cost of Living There

From Denny:

Quality People Who Are REAL Christians

Hey! It's my birthday and I get to put up a story dear to my heart, all the class act volunteers who came into Louisiana and helped - and are still helping - rebuild people's lives. These folks are super heroes! They have given so much hope to thousands of people in emergency need who were so stressed out because they had meager or no resources to rebuild.

Most of all, these people like the ones profiled here, are REAL Christians. They are out there "in the highways and the byways" doing for others.

Pretend PHONY Christians

They aren't screaming about abortion and how a woman has no right to make her own moral decision. They aren't out there promoting character assassination because they can't get their own way and bully people into doing what they want. They aren't out there judging others because they don't go to the same church or believe in Jesus or whatever other hateful venom.

Latest Toxic Politics Courtesy of the Republicans

The latest so-called Christian vitriol is claiming President Obama is not a real American because they think his birth state of Hawaii is not really an American state. It just keeps getting meaner and meaner with the right wing's version of Christian politics. They also do not address him properly as The President. They have their little snide code words for him. Sure sounds like disrespect for the office, folks! You can't have it both ways: one minute demanding respect for a Republican President but you don't have to respect a Democratic President.

Call Goodness For What It Is and Quit Twisting the Truth

So, when I see quality people heralded as what they truly are, people of good character, then I like to promote them. Goodness no longer needs to be promoted as evil and evil as if it were good, something the Bible teaches by the way. That is some twisted thinking of our Republican politics in America for years now.

Republican Government Created Long-Term Harmful Effects After Hurricanes Katrina and Gustav

What a lot of the nation doesn't know, because it hasn't been the interest of the national media, is just how hard that storm hit the average person's wallet since the storm. Most Americans are frustrated and worried for the past year to eighteen months because of new expenses like fuel and food costs, watching their income ebb and flow because of it. Particular to Louisiana since 29 August 2005 is that the big business insurance companies have had a field day with us on jacking up our expenses beyond the ability to pay.

The argument is that you shouldn't live in such low-lying areas. True. Of course, you can kiss your oil to make the fuel for your car goodbye as the entire population moves away from the coasts. Kiss goodbye your natural gas to heat your homes, hot water and cook your food. Kiss goodbye your seafood too. Kiss goodbye your ports to move your goods across the country and overseas. That's the reality.

How It Developed into Such a Mess Because of Republican Policies

What's happened, because of Republican policies, is that the insurance companies were allowed carte blanche to do what they will. The result of Bush tax rebates has been that the state had to raise taxes, so did the local parishes (counties) and then the cities followed suit. Because of the Republicans yelling and screaming about how the Democrats would tax you, they ended up throwing the taxes to the local levels. Of course, not without a parting shot to the middle class across America. Under Bush, a Republican, I paid $7,000 more a year in federal taxes because of how he manipulated the tax code to force the middle class to give more again to replace what the wealthy were told they no longer had to give as their portion as being an American.

There went my savings account allocated for emergencies and retirement. What people who don't know that don't live in a hurricane zone (just like I don't know what it's like to live in an earthquake zone) is that it costs easily $500 to $2,000 dollars every time you evacuate for a hurricane or have to hunker down for 10 days by "sheltering in place" at home. Two or three hurricanes a year and you can see how families are devastated.

Insurance Companies Taken Off the Leash to Run Wild

Then the insurance companies went up on homeowners' and car insurances to the tune of the highest in the nation. Homeowners' insurance and new property taxes take up almost 40% of what was once my modest house note before Hurricane Katrina. Don't even get me started on the cumulative effects of Hurricane Gustav afterward... :)

Shed Your Expenses

Of course, when your expenses go up you start shedding anything you consider a luxury like a second car, vacations, dining out, hair and nail salons (do it yourself; it's easy), the car wash, lawn service, the dry cleaners and anything else you can do less of or do without entirely. Not really hard for us because I know how to do the same services. The ride was nice while it lasted not having to do everything all the time as eventually you get an inflamed shoulder nerve like I did from too much work.

Bush Rezones Flood Map for Democratic Voting Areas of Louisiana

Bush's parting shot at the Louisiana middle class was to pander to the insurance companies and redraw the flood map to now include people whose homes have NEVER flooded or come near to it in my area. What did that mean? Well, try to the tune of an additional $5,000 a year for mandated flood insurance from the mortgage company. Sure, we found cheaper.

We also should be carrying just a $1,000 deductible for homeowners' insurance. Because of the insurance lobbyists demanding everyone in state be mandated to carry homeowners' insurance whether you want it or not, we now get a really pretty choice: extremely high deductibles or normal deductibles with outrageous prices.

So, that translates as now a $17,000 deductible for homeowners' insurance instead of a $1,000. I'm lucky; most people I know in the same modest sized house are paying a $23,000 to $28,000 deductible. What this basically translates into is that you are self-insuring. Most hurricane damage does not cost this much so you will be out of pocket for it. All the while you are forced by the Republican policies to pay for insurance that will never cover a thing. Talk about a scam.

So, enough of the educational rant about how national politics really can impact our daily lives... it was meant as an illustration so the concrete thinkers out there can see how their bad decisions play out when they don't care about anything more than screaming their rhetoric. This is real life, folks!

Enjoy the Video About People Helping People Who Fall Through the Cracks

You will really enjoy this video. What I liked is hearing it from their own lips about what it is to trust God and go out and do what you know God is calling you to do. They put their money, their lives, their welfare, their everything on the line to start up a Disaster Recovery Service. They are entirely dependent upon donations. These are some incredibly cool people!

If you are able to contribute to this endeavor and give a donation to them that would be great. You never know when these people may come to your neighborhood and help you and yours in the future. They are such a class act!

Video: Hurricane Katrina Super Volunteers


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Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Video: Economic Worst Is Over?

English: Wall Street, Manhattan, New York, USA...
English: Wall Street, Manhattan, New York, USA Español: Wall Street, Manhattan, Nueva York, Estados Unidos (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
From Denny: The public wallet has yet to rally as fast as these big businesses. Unemployment is almost double digits, the economy is on life support propped up by bail outs which translates as coming from the wallets of the middle class who lost their jobs those same big businesses chose to send overseas. It isn't really very smart when a business takes jobs away from the very people who turn around and purchase their products, now is it? That's basically what has happened.

There is a significant need to get serious about regulating Wall Street and other robber baron big businesses in America. Until then, the average middle class investor will not trust them with their money. Until regulation is done, overseas investors won't have a healthy long-term confidence either.

Realistically, expect a correction in these rosy statistics.

"The stock market recently rallied to its best level all year, which is making investors hope that this could be a signal that the worst of the economic downturn is over. Karen Brown reports."


Watch CBS Videos Online - CBS is really dropping the ball here by no longer keeping video clip embed codes operating.


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United States, economy, news

Video: Hillary Taking Charge

Official portrait of Secretary of State Hillar...
Official portrait of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
From Denny: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton may not have been elected President but she sure got the next best thing: America's Chief Diplomat. The reality is that her personality is actually best suited to the job. She isn't flashy yet is a tenacious bulldog who can hang in there for the long term until a project is concluded.

She also isn't shy about standing up for what is right. On Meet The Press this past weekend she definitely laid down the law with Iran in no uncertain terms; I loved it!

"Secretary Of State, Hillary Clinton is laying down the law, not just with Iran and North Korea, but here in the U.S. As for foreign policy, Clinton is leading the charge. Kimberly Dozier reports."


Watch CBS Videos Online - embed code no longer available - and this is why I changed over to NBC news video clips... geesh!


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Hillary Clinton, United States State Department, Iran

Monday, July 27, 2009

Video: Uninsured America

English: Bone marrow examination of cells with...
English: Bone marrow examination of cells with Wright's stain showing neutrophil precursors: Promyelocyte in the middle, two metamyelocytes next to it, two band cells and segmented neutrophils at the top left. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
From Denny: We all have been watching a lot of news like this from time to time, how the health care industry is decimating the average person's wallet. Now with job loss across the board from well-off to working class, well, it's everyone's problem: how to pay the bills when you have had a catastrophic illness in the family.

Here's one fact I found out recently: Did you know that a bone marrow test now costs $300,000? That's just for the test, folks! How much more for the transplant and the anti-rejection drugs and critical care?

With the baby boomer generation getting older, so does the cancer risk go up. Basic health care reform is more necessary than ever in order to not empty people's savings accounts and so parents can leave some kind of inheritance for their children beyond a mountain of health care debt.

"Millions of Americans are uninsured and another 25 million are underinsured. They may think they're covered, but don't realize their policy limitations. Michelle Miller reports."


Watch CBS Videos Online - embed code no longer available - which is why I changed over to NBC News as they were far more reliable for bloggers, thanks, guys!

health care costs, bone marrow test, video

This Weeks Roundup of Sunday Funnies - Cambridge Cop Arrests Obama July 2009



From Denny: Aww, C'mon, we all knew the late night show folks couldn't leave well enough alone! They just had to take jabs at the President and racism and fuel the controversy.




The Tonight Show

Conan O'Brien:
Obama says the conversation went well [between he and Cambridge police officer Sgt. Jim Crowley], but there was an awkward moment when the cop arrested Obama.




Late Show

David Letterman:
If we had wanted a president who looked good in pants, we'd have elected Hillary. You know what I mean?




The Daily Show

Jon Stewart:
I wasn't at the press conference last night. I also don't have all the facts, but I think it's fair to say Obama handled that question -- oh, what's the word I'm looking for? Stupidly.



Late Show

David Letterman:
Sunday will be a big day for Sarah Palin. That's the day she plans to go on her porch and wave goodbye to Russia. Goodbye, Russia.




Jimmy Kimmel Live

Jimmy Kimmel:
It's being held up in the Senate by a group of conservative-leaning democrats called Blue Dogs. I never heard of this - they're called blue because they're from blue states and dogs because they roll over for the health care lobby.




Real Time With Bill Maher

Bill Maher:
Obama spoke with officer Crowley on the phone. He said he was a good man, a good policeman, and they could find some common ground. Although he did find it strange that at the end of their conversation Crowley demanded to see his birth certificate.

Clown Photo by Tansan @ flickr




* * *  Please support Warriors Pearl Foundation - contributing to fund efforts to help homeless female military veterans come home.  Visit Denny Lyon Gifts  @ CafePress.com  -  see what's new!  And a special thanks to those of you supporting this effort!  You rock!




* Check out Dennys News Politics Comedy Science Arts & Food - a place where all my 24 blogs link so you can choose from among the latest posts all in one place. A free to read online newspaper from independent journalist blogger Denny Lyon. * 

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Video: Obamas Prime Time News Conference Health Care Appeal

English: President Barack Obama discusses his ...
English: President Barack Obama discusses his plan for health care reform in a speech delivered to a joint session of the 111th United States Congress on September 9, 2009. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
From Denny: President Obama makes his case for national health care reform of some kind, preferably by August, though it looks like that deadline is going to be pushed back to Labor Day in September or longer.

Americans continue to groan under the weight of a weak economy, now 20 million people have experienced home foreclosure, banks are still failing, health care costs are still high, and continued, though somewhat slowed, job loss. The problem is that it will take a good decade to develop new jobs to a sustainable level. Meanwhile, families are going broke trying to pay for health care that often is denied when it comes time for the insurance companies to pay out.

Did I say our economy is in a real mess because it went unattended for eight years by the previous Bush administration? :) Considering the freefall going on it's pretty amazing anyone with a rational mind would oppose health care of some kind.

The reality is that it is needed and we had better start with something basic for everyone so we can stop breaking the backs of the hospitals with the uninsured flooding the emergency rooms for standard sore throat, colds and flu care. Preventive care and education of how to handle basics at home is also required so we don't end up with a nation of hypochondriacs running to the doctor for every sniffle.

Amazing too that Congress thinks it's OK to waltz off on a holiday while the majority of America is groaning under the weight of rising costs from every angle: food, gas, local and state taxes as well as health care.


Monday, July 20, 2009

This Week: Roundup of Sunday Funnies - Biden Licks the Plates July 2009

Photo by Tansan @ flickr




From Denny: Here's the latest on the late night show funnies, enjoy!




The Late Show With David Letterman

David Letterman:
[Former Vice President Dick Cheney's] speech went over pretty well. I mean, Cheney was interrupted five times by applause and 50 times by people screaming, "Stop! I'll tell you everything! What do you want to know?"



Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

Jimmy Fallon:
Michelle Obama's on the cover of Time magazine this week. She says she has dinner with a Barack and the kids every night, and then -- oh, it's so cute -- Joe Biden jumps up and tries to lick the plates.



The Colbert Report

David Letterman:
The C.I.A. fired back, saying, "It is not our policy or practice to mislead Congress." It's true. Sometimes they just get lucky.




Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Jon Stewart:
[President Obama] opened with some familiar rhetoric.

President Obama: Keeping American people safe, it's the first thing I think about when I wake up.

Former President Bush: I wake up every day thinking about how I can best protect America.

Obama: You can't count on a surrender ceremony.

Bush: There will be no surrender ceremony.

Obama: To disrupt, dismantle, defeat al Qaeda.

Bush: To disrupt and destroy terrorists.

Stewart: I love it when he does all the Bush covers.





* * *  Please support Warriors Pearl Foundation - contributing to fund efforts to help homeless female military veterans come home.  Visit Denny Lyon Gifts  @ CafePress.com  -  see what's new!  And a special thanks to those of you supporting this effort!  You rock!



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Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Video: Why Did 168 People Die in Iran Plane Crash?

Iran Twitter Flag
Iran Twitter Flag (Photo credit: People's Open Graphics)
From Denny: If you haven't already heard of this sad news... a Soviet made plane has crashed in Iran and all 168 people are dead. Complete confirmation may take days.

It does cause us to take pause and ask a few questions: Was someone targeted on that plane and innocent travelers died because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Or was it a case of metal fatigue as the old Soviet air fleet is not exactly known for its standard of excellence in the area of maintenance. Metal fatigue comes about when the plane is constantly pressurized and then de-pressurized, causing the metal skin to expand and contract thousands of times. Sooner or later it loses its ability to do so without consequences.

Since the plane crashed in a part of the world that does not allow true investigation and professionals into their country to help them solve the problem we may never know the truth of why this plane crashed.




* * *  Please support Warriors Pearl Foundation - helping homeless female military veterans come home.  Visit Denny Lyon Gifts  @ CafePress.com  -  see what's new!  And a special thanks to those of you supporting this effort!  You rock!



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Breaking News, CNN, international politics, investigations, Iran, metal fatigue

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Video: Transforming Inner City Blight

From Denny: I really like these kind of stories where people go into inner cities and turn city blight back into thriving communities by building new AND affordable homes. Listen to their story of those who did well for themselves and then came back to give back to the community! From NBC News' Making a Difference segment.



* * *  Please support Warriors Pearl Foundation - helping homeless female military veterans come home.  Visit Denny Lyon Gifts  @ CafePress.com  -  see what's new!  And a special thanks to those of you supporting this effort!  You rock!



 Subscribe in a reader to A Truth Journal

* Check out Dennys News Politics Comedy Science Arts & Food - a place where all my other 20 blogs link so you can choose from among the latest posts all in one place. A free to read online newspaper from independent journalist blogger Denny Lyon. * 

*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!


Breaking News, community, housing, Msnbc.com, NBC News, poverty, Programs, Society and Culture, Television, Urban, World News

Monday, July 13, 2009

This Week: Roundup of Sunday Funnies - Sarah Palin Will Be Back July 2009



Photo by ano-cha @ flickr (Cocoa the dachsund)

From Denny: Here's our weekly roundup of the late night shows' comedy from ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos



The Tonight Show

Conan O'Brien:
A lot of us are still mourning the loss of one of America's most entertaining figures who left us all too soon. But don't worry, folks, Sarah Palin will be back.



Late Show

David Letterman:
We had a big computer attack, they don't know what happened. They shut down the U.S. Treasury Department Web site. Man! That's scary. I was stunned. I said, U.S. still has a Treasury Department?

The Tonight Show

Conan O'Brien:
President Obama had a historic meeting with Pope Benedict XVI. Isn't that great? They came together, yeah. Or, as Fox News is reporting it, Obama caught up with old man in dress.

Late Show

David Letterman:
Anybody go to the harbor today to see the Statue of Liberty? It's taken the town by storm, the waders, take a look there (an image shown of Statue of Liberty wearing Sarah Palin's waders).



The Tonight Show

Conan O'Brien:
The newly appointed CEO of General Motors said that the company will now build cars that Americans want. After hearing it, GM employees said, "You can tell this guy's new around here."



* * *  Please support Warriors Pearl Foundation - contributing to fund efforts to help homeless female military veterans come home.  Visit Denny Lyon Gifts  @ CafePress.com  -  see what's new!  And a special thanks to those of you supporting this effort!  You rock!



 Subscribe in a reader to A Truth Journal

* Check out Dennys News Politics Comedy Science Arts & Food - a place where all my 24 blogs link so you can choose from among the latest posts all in one place. A free to read online newspaper from independent journalist blogger Denny Lyon. * 




Friday, July 10, 2009

Round and Round the Obvious: Republican Liars, CIA, the Speaker

Breakdown of political party representation in...
Breakdown of political party representation in the United States Senate during the 112th Congress. Blue: Democrat Red: Republican Light Blue: Independent (caucused with Democrats) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
From Denny: OK, this is rich and I just have to comment since I grew up in the CIA. What the Republicans are doing is unacceptable. What are they doing? Lying, lying and lying some more in the way of misdirection away from the guilty Party: them.

What I find almost as annoying are the media folks who can't seem to remember what they reported for eight years under the Bush administration. It's like they have a collective Who Me? amnesia.

Is the Speaker telling the truth? Yes. How do I know? I watched the news like everyone else during the Bush years and it was clear she and all other Democrats were pushed out of the small loop of information. Bush, Cheney, Rove, Rice and Gingrich were the main players, the true holders of power and dominance, policy and decision makers. When the CIA reported what they didn't want to hear, like the bald-faced truth, they demanded they rewrite their reports.

Remember the Valerie Plaume incident? They outted her (which is treason by the way even when they do it) because she came back with nuke info they didn't want to hear and she and her husband constantly contradicted Cheney and Bush's public lies with the evidence. By outting her they lost years of experience and destroyed a tough intelligence network to build.

Only fools would destroy an information-gathering network about the status of rogue nukes in the world and still believe they are patriots protecting the country. Protect us from people voting in these destructive fools who would not know a good decision if it jumped up in their faces and begged them to take it home and sleep with it for free.

How else do I know? I know the culture and the historical beginnings of the CIA. The CIA was originally created as "The President's Men" much like the Jesuits were created as "The Pope's Men." The CIA have always been the loyalists to whichever President is sitting in office, any party. They do what other agencies and public words cannot - whatever needs to be done, legal or illegal.

They basically can enable someone who is corrupted by absolute power and that's exactly what happened in the case of the Bush-Cheney years. After all, Bush and Cheney kept firing all the knowledgeable, competent and people of good character in the CIA, the Pentagon, and everywhere they had reach until they finally found enough weak and greedy people to carry out their bidding.

The short version is that Bush ordered them to lie and present false information. He ordered the CIA to withhold information from the Democratic members of Congress AND any moderate Republicans who just might share that info with Democrat friends across the aisle.

This fiasco belongs to the Republican Party and their minions (lobbyists) and enablers (voters). The press needs to grow a pair and quit forcing us to listen to the whiners who couldn't tell the truth if they tried. Maybe it's time to go to a one-party system as the Republicans have proven themselves useless to this country in our time of great need. They are too busy planning their next grab for power. The CIA has never truly been the issue today or in the past. They were just the reaction to the action set by Presidents.

Without the political party to direct and task them the CIA has no mission other than to gather information worldwide. What IS the issue are two events: the ruling political party who sets the policies and toxic politics into motion and the voters who enable that direction.


* * *  Please support Warriors Pearl Foundation - contributing to fund efforts to help homeless female military veterans come home.  Visit Denny Lyon Gifts  @ CafePress.com  -  see what's new!  And a special thanks to those of you supporting this effort!  You rock!



 Subscribe in a reader to A Truth Journal

* Check out Dennys News Politics Comedy Science Arts & Food - a place where all my 24 blogs link so you can choose from among the latest posts all in one place. A free to read online newspaper from independent journalist blogger Denny Lyon. * 

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CIA Republicans Democrats Speaker Pelosi Gingrich politics Congress lobbyists voters Rove Bush Cheney information-gathering United States

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Video: Iranian Protestors March on 10th anniversary

DAVOS/SWITZERLAND, 21JAN04 - H.E. Hojatoleslam...
DAVOS/SWITZERLAND, 21JAN04 - H.E. Hojatoleslam Seyed Mohammad Khatami, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, delivers a speech during the Welcome to the Annual Meeting 2004 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2004. Copyright World Economic Forum (www.weforum.org) swiss-image.ch/Photo by Jean-Bernard Sieber (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
From Denny: The now underground Iranian protestor movement surfaced today for a street demonstration and rally to mark the 10th anniversary of their 1999 student uprising, a huge threat then as now to the Islamic regime. The protestors used this anniversary as an excuse to resume their protests.

This was not a huge gathering - about 3,000 people compared to the 25,000 for the election protest - but large enough to cause some consternation from the irritated government promising harsh and ruthless retaliation. Of course the psychopathic Basij militia was out in full force like Hitler's brutal SS during WWII, savagely beating those who dared to protest at "an illegal rally." The government still doesn't understand just how determined this movement truly is; now they've been driven underground, well, all bets are off. We can expect anything from here on out.

What was the 1999 student uprising about? It was 200 students and they demonstrated against the closing of a reform newspaper, Salaam, which supported President Mohammed Khatami, a moderate. Anniversaries are big in this part of the world because embedded in them is strongly attached emotion and, therefore, reverance. That reverance brings to the table a dominating psychological factor against the enemy.



Basij Iran Protestors Society and Culture Islam Demonstration Mohammed Khatami CNN video




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* Check out Dennys News Politics Comedy Science Arts & Food - a place where all my other 20 blogs link so you can choose from among the latest posts all in one place. A free to read online newspaper from independent journalist blogger Denny Lyon. * 

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Video: Interview with Comedian Sarah Silverman

Sarah Silverman at the Tribeca Film Festival
Sarah Silverman at the Tribeca Film Festival (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
From Denny: This is an interview with comedian Sarah Silverman. What it gives you is an inside look of the person and how comedians can develop. Her comedy is often labeled as "demented." Granted, it is a bit; offensive to some as she adores skewering convention, political correctness (which ever side happens to be in power) and rebels against wanting to make nice and be sensitive to others. In other words, she goes for the shock value. Fortunately, her kind of shock value is more than crass or crude but forces people to think, well, about how they think toward the world - just how did they come to think like this? - that's basically her question to her audience. It's a good interview interspersed with her comedy clips.






* * *  Please support Warriors Pearl Foundation - contributing to fund efforts to help homeless female military veterans come home.  Visit Denny Lyon Gifts  @ CafePress.com  -  see what's new!  And a special thanks to those of you supporting this effort!  You rock!



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Sarah Silverman comedy video political correctness critical thinking interview Katy Couric CBS News Arts Performing Arts Comedy Central comedian

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Cheeky Quote Day! Jokes and Funny Quotes 8 July 2009





From Denny: I had a good time combing through various databases finding these funny quotes, enjoy! "The things people will say!" :)

"I can see clearly now, the brain has gone." - Anonymous

"What's another word for thesaurus?" - Steven Wright

"Behind every successful man stands a surprised mother-in-law." - Hubert Humphrey

"Girls are like pianos. When they're not upright, they're grand." - Benny Hill

"I spent 90% of my money on women and drink. The rest I wasted." - George Best


Monday, July 6, 2009

Video: Mideast Conflict of Israel and Palestine

Map showing the West Bank and Gaza Strip in re...
Map showing the West Bank and Gaza Strip in relation to central Israel (situation of 2007) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
From Denny: While this may be a simplistic overview with an interesting twist - it really is a good video to familiarize you with the focus of what people are thinking and feeling in the Middle East. As someone who grew up in the American intelligence community it did give me an ironic smile to see they used the demographics from the CIA's World Factbook. Well, the CIA has been the clearinghouse for world statistics for decades now and practically invented the discipline of demographics.

Demographics is a good way to track trends and that is what these reporters are talking about: How the population trend among the Palestinians can possibly push the Israelis to a new stance on the two-state solution. Of course, what no one mentioned as to the reason for the Palestinian uptick in population is that they tend to die young - and violently - therefore creating greater fertility.

Any time a population, human or animal, faces a harsh march to achieving adulthood or a long life, they tend to have a lot of offspring - in the hopes some of those offspring achieve full flower. Let's hope and pray both sides get their heads screwed on straight, their hearts emptied of hate and revenge and get truly serious about a lasting peace effort.


Watch CBS Videos Online

CIA demographics Israel Palestine CBS Two-state solution Middle East statistics America population trend World Factbook


* * *  Please support Warriors Pearl Foundation - helping homeless female military veterans come home.  Visit Denny Lyon Gifts  @ CafePress.com  -  see what's new!  And a special thanks to those of you supporting this effort!  You rock!



 Subscribe in a reader to A Truth Journal

* Check out Dennys News Politics Comedy Science Arts & Food - a place where all my other 20 blogs link so you can choose from among the latest posts all in one place. A free to read online newspaper from independent journalist blogger Denny Lyon. * 

*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!