Obama won

With a calm smile on his face, Obama deflected one attack after another.  His countenance was of a man who would not be baited.  Obama won this final debate.

McCain needed to bring his A game.  He needed policies that countered Obama's logical ways of dealing with the up coming economic crisis.  McCain failed.  He did not have anything new.  All he had were snarky remarks and attacks that had been refuted by many in the media.  

The results of this debate for me are Obama won.  I hope others in America saw this too.

Sarah Palin bad for Alaska

Palin has been a bad example of an Alaskan.  Her family does not reflect every Alaskan. Wasilla is not all of Alaska.

I have been reading a lot of ignorant stuff about Alaska lately.  There are so many assumptions that Palin has given people about Alaska, it makes me sick. 

I was raised there.  Spent 20 years of my life, living learning and playing in that state.  When I moved to the lower 48, I had my own assumptions of what it would be like.

I was wrong about thinking that all of the lower 48 were gang cities and murders on every corner.  I was wrong thinking everybody would be on drugs, in the lower 48.  I was wrong that everybody in the lower 48 would be rude and ugly to each other.   I was wrong that there were only natural disasters in the lower 48.  As I saw nightly on the local news.

 If I could be wrong about the Lower 48, then it is safe to say what people are getting from Palin and her family is not all of Alaska.  

Alaska is not full of uneducated red necks.  Alaska is not all unwed mother's.  Alaska is not all oil.  Alaska is not all religious nuts. All Alaskans don't own guns and shoot innocent animals.

I worked for Greenpeace a few days, I canvassed a couple of neighborhoods for donations.  Yes, some Alaskans turned me down, but a few were environmentalists.  I went to University of Alaska Anchorage.  I graduated from a high school, but knew many Home School individuals who got diplomas from correspondence school and UAA.  

I absolutely hate what I have been reading.  I think Palin should find another state.  She is bad for Alaska.  She is not Alaska.  She is an individual who is after power.  Sarah Palin will be bad for the United State of America.

Presidential Debate 2

This is a hard article to write.  I, in school, was apart of a debate class, and I researched for the team.  I feel I have a good understanding of how to debate.  

This debate was different.  It was interesting to watch.  Not as informative as I would have liked, but what do you expect.  Each candidate was trying to get information out and attack the other. One attacked more than the other, McCain was all attack, while Obama was all explanation.

McCain did not offer anything new.  He, when asked a question, would just attack Obama and not give an answer on his policies.  Obama gave answers but not as detailed as I would have liked.

I think the winner of this debate is neither of the candidates.  This was a draw.  

Since neither stood out, both were not strong in this town hall format.  It was told by many pundits that McCain would have the upper hand, in the town hall format.  He did not. He looked arrogant and once again like an angry old man.  Obama looked less presidential and more like a professor.  I like professors, so that is not so bad.  I am not fond of angry old men, but I don't know many people who are.

Once again this debate tonight was a draw.  I am looking forward to the third debate.

I just read this.  I have not comment but good job reporter.  

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-aviator6-2008oct06,0,7633315.story

Debt

When is the bill going to be called in?  

I put the National Debt Clock on my blog; to remind me that making bills; means you have to pay them sometime.  

Palin and Global warming.

I have had a hard time watching the debate tonight.  The Vice-presidental debate is a way to see how the person, that could become president, thinks.

It disturbs me watching Palin.  I used to live in the state where she is Governor.  I went to University of Alaska Anchorage, and got a great education.  But that is my history, so I should get to the point.

How can this woman say global warming is not caused by man.  A study by the University of Alaska Fairbanks has proven that the permafrost, a layer of ice under the tundra, has been melting; with this melting bacteria have been released creating more CO2 increasing the global warming problem.  

The permafrost could not be melting without the initial burning of CO2 producing fossil fuels.  She lives in the state currently doing these studies.  

How can she not know or read about what is happening?  How could she be so dismissive?

The only answer I can think of is that since she benefits from having fossil fuels burned.  She has ignored the obvious.  It is not lucrative to think global warming is caused by man. 

I stopped watching, Biden was doing a great job.  I will write more tomorrow.

 

Senate passed the spending bill

I was wrong.  I guess congress found someone to buy the Treasury bonds to pay for 850 billion bill that past the Senate last night.  I don't mind being wrong.  What I do mind is that my children will be paying back the money with interest later.  MY grandchildren will be paying off this debt.

The 850 Billion is not the only debt this country has, Social Security is not doing well.  That program keeps many elderly in a living situation below their standard of living.  But those individuals don't work and some did not save for retirement.  

I hope the Congress does not pass that spending bill.  I know they will.  Especially with the tax cuts that were added.  I guess borrowing money and cutting taxes is just the American way now.

Senate Vote

The verdict is not in... will the American public be forced to pay to get more credit?  

I do not know.  The bill now is longer with more "stuff".  The American Public is waiting to see what happens. I am too.

I see that during this crisis there is abundant non-panic.  The apathy of the situation is staggering. I went out to eat last night and the restaurant was full.

Where is empty business's?  Where is the hoarding of wealth?  When will it start with the markets in such fluctuation?

This is supposed to be the biggest drop in the market.  The market holds the money of so many pension funds.  But people are just living their live not caring.  

I know I will post tomorrow.  If the vote happens or fails. To be continued....

A "Bailout Failure" Hypothesis

Here is a thought, the "bailout failed" due to a lack of credit for the Federal Government.  That the Republican held congress until two years ago, borrowed, borrowed, borrowed to be able to cut taxes for their buddies.

The congress stalled for a week to pass the legislation because they were looking for a place to borrow more money.  When it came up empty, nobody wants to risk money even on the US Government, they put on a show.

A comment on Terror

It took the terrorists, from 1993 to 2001, eight years to have something that really terrified this country.

They took that time to organize and plan.  It is arrogant to think that any person or party could keep our country safe by taking away civil liberties of citizens and invading two countries, one that might have had something to do with the terror and another as a vendetta.

Since we did not get "the big bad guy", we have given him time to organize and plan.  I, as a tax paying voter, will not put the party in power that has used the terror to its political advantage, especially since that party gave "the big bad guy"time....

Why are the Oil companies not Drilling now?

With the windfall profits and the support of the Republican Party, why are the oil companies not aggressively drilling right now?

The answer is simple, the oil companies don't want to pay for the exploratory drilling.  McCain's promise of "Drill here, Drill now" is a signal to the oil companies that if he got into office the tax payer would pay the bill.  This is a way to get more money from the oil companies to support his campaign.  

There is no real profit for the oil companies until the well is dug.  Exploration off-shore is expensive.  That would cut into profits.  

It is cheaper to support the "drill candidate", than it is to drill one exploratory well after another to find the crude.  In a way, this becomes a win-win for the oil companies. If the feds pay for the exploratory drilling, it costs the companies nothing and then they get the profits from the good wells. 

The question for the tax payer voter is:  Do you want to pay for this?   

Let's examine what I want to write

Some might have noticed I took down two of my articles.  The reasoning is I was not happy when I wrote those.  

That might not surprise some.  I did write, "I'm pissed" at the top of one.  But those articles did not reflect what this election is really about: issues.  I prefer to write about issues and international news.  

Character is not an issue.

Character is how a person acts.  The candidates are running to become public officials that will have to make decisions on things that will affect my life and everybody else's.  Yes, character will affect those decisions partially.  Most of those decisions will really be made on the persons perspective and other people's opinions.

Let's over the next few weeks examine the issues facing the American Public.  Let's talk about the failed policies of the Bush administration.  

I hope to restrain myself when I see someone character affecting what I find important.  How that person acts is not my business, how that person decides on the issues that affects me, that is my business.

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Abortion-Let's talk

Pro-life and Pro-choice are interesting concepts.  I am pro-choice, as long as I have the right to choose not to have an abortion.

There are many individuals that make the choice.  Some make the choice because they were raped.  Some make the choice for selfish reasons.  Others make the choice based on their economics, can they afford that child?

Yes, there is Child Support Enforcement to make a father pay.  The law states a man is only required to give a child 20% of his income.  If the man married the woman, he gives 100%.  A person can't really raise a child on 120% income in this nation with wages being unequal to men.

I find pro-life supporters to be condescending. They tout adoption but how many have gone out to try to adopt? How many would adopt a baby not of their race?  Or how many have adopted a child that is not an infant? 

Pro-life would criminalize a medical procedure and doctors.  They would put women in jail, for what took two people to do.  Like with prostitution, the female would take the punishment and rarely would the man.

I have to lean toward Barack Obama's plan to help make less abortions.  He is right that in all the time the Pro-life movement has been belly aching, the abortions in this nation have not gone down.  

Wouldn't it be nice to see that number drop?

If you are pro-life wouldn't that be your goal in the first place, to see abortions decline?  To actually save lives not make criminals and strain government more in our over loaded prisons?

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Sarah Palin- A former Alaskan's point of View

Alaska Politics are not like the politics of the entire nation.  The politicians are from an old boys club.  Sarah Palin is touted as a "reformer" in that old boys republican club in Alaska.  Is she really?

In Alaska, not many Democrats win anything, because they want government regulation in the lives of citizens.  They are LUCKY if they get the Governorship or on a Council.  The Republican Party is a different party in Alaska.  It touts a platform of "get government out of your life, bedroom, and out of your business".  Social Republicans are really not heard of often in Alaska Politics.  

I know that seems really silly.  WE  have had a Social Conservative Republican in the White House for eight years now, so how can a state party be so different from the national party.  It was called frontier politics.  Most come to Alaska for three reasons work, to get away from something or adventure.  Most of those folks don't want government in their lives.  So the appeal that Republicans had was huge, "of having government small and out of their lives".  I was a republican in Alaska, not now, I am an independent, because what I thought the party stood for is gone.

Sarah Palin is of a Republican Social Conservative ideals.  This is "new" in Alaska.  A person that wants government to regulate social issues?  Of course this would look like a reform.  But is it?  It is just lower 48 politics creeping into Alaska Frontier politics.  This woman is Bush in female form. 

This would appeal to the base in the lower 48, since the Republican Social Conservatives seem to be running the party.  

I think Mrs. Palin is just the same thing wrapped in a different package.  There is no change in policy if a person votes for a McCain/Palin ticket.  Plus, if she becomes president, which is likely, expect the "reforms" of Roe V. Wade being reversed and more regulation on bedroom activities. 

Book/DVD Drive

My husband is serving this country overseas.  I am very proud of him.  He has brought to my attention that the men could use some reading material or DVD's.  He gave me an address to send these donated materials that would be distributed to the troops.  

I would like to gather some materials for the men.  If you would like to donate, you can e-mail me- amaycatbaker@gmail.com.  I can direct you to where those materials need to be sent.

Thank you for supporting the troops.

!$% oops 145 dollars a barrel!!!!!!!!!!!!

If the goal of the Bush administration was to make oil companies richer.  I know they succeeded.  

I used to live in a state that gave money to its population, when the budget was infused with oil money.  I took that, well, my parents took that money and for a short time as an adult I did too.  I have benefited by oil, so you don't have to read my opinions if you don't want to, on this subject.

I know that Alaska is paying one of the highest gas prices currently in this nation.  Why?  Because the barrels of oil have to be boated to a refinery, that is not in state, then shipped back up.    

Why do I mention this? Because there has been a call for more drilling and refineries to be built.  

This is a double edge sword.  Increase and prolong the oil dependancy of this country by drilling and building more refineries seems stupid.  But some people are making huge amounts of money from profits.  Why fix something that is not broken? Some might ask.

Encouraging new technology and getting rid of the alarm of higher oil prices is smart.

That is not the way the oil barons think.  They want higher prices.  They want profit.  They will sell a product without care of the future because of "GREED".  

This country can not compete in the world economy if energy costs keep going up.  The oil barons don't care about that because they are creating new markets overseas.  Maybe the USA is going to be a third world country.  

I sure don't want that to happen, but the Republican party that has power certainly does...

H.R.H. John McCain speaks up again

Okay, H.R.H. John McCain has told the American Public that, we are a nation of whiners.  Oh correction 6:15pm, a country club buddy said that a member of his campaign.

What an elitists out of touch statement!

This man has been in the Senate for too long.  He has also been married to a multi-millionairess for too long.  

I think his "country club buddies" that listen to, whiny conservative talk radio hosts, snicker at the dumb Americans for buying their line of B.S. that the conservatives could lower the tax burden for the middle class and balance a budget. 

Conservatives have succeeded in lowering the taxes for the rich, and placing a huge debt on others backs, so they can get richer now at the expense of the environment and our children's future.  

Senator McCain is out of touch with working Americans.  He is out of touch with the military, and has voted against veteran's issues.   H.R. H. John McCain is just an elitists, who panders to get the highest office in the land, to continue policies that undermine freedom as we know it.

 

H.R.H. John McCain

His Royal Highness John McCain has ordered Barack Obama to condemn any criticism on his service record.   

Wow, does Mr. McCain know that when he served this country, he was defending the Constitution of the United States of America?  That he, Mr. McCain, was defending the First Amendment which means he defended the freedom of speech.

 Maybe he just can't take the truth?

I love the way General Wesley Clark had the guts to call out McCain's service record on a public forum.  

McCain's service record is public and a campaign issue because McCain totes it around as the holy grail.  

Nobody should criticize the War Hero?  

What Heroic effort is it to stay and be tortured?  

What heroic effort is it to run from a fire and not fight the fire that killed some good sailors?  I am mentioning something that happened on his carrier, the USS Forrestal, before he was shot down in the time of the Vietnam War.  All sailors including OFFICERS know how to fight fires. 

What heroic effort was it for him to abandon his first wife, after she stayed waiting for him for years? He left after she had her accident. 

McCain is no hero he is just an ambitious opportunist who will do anything and say anything to become president.

Guess what McCain, your record is being criticized because of YOU.  McCain's ambition to become president and his need to say "I am more experienced because of being shot down and tortured" has made this the issue.  McCain seems to not understand that he is the cause, for some of the people who are speaking up. 

Barack Obama can do what ever he chooses.  That is the way it is here in the United States of America.  

We are not a kingdom and you, McCain, are not heir to the Bush White House.  This is politics, if you can't take it don't run. 

George Carlin and John McCain

George Carlin probably will not find this funny.  

I just wanted to point out that the great word smith George Carlin, is the same age as the Republican Candidate for president John McCain.  

It was awful to loose a great word manipulator like Carlin.  He had his wonderful way of playing with words to produce a reality most don't want to see.  

John McCain might not die this year, but what happens if he does?  Who is he going to pick?  Hopefully Nancy Pelosi. 

McCain's Security

I have to ask, Where is this record on Security that every news agency has been pointing out?

I know what you are going to say, he was a POW and he has given his life to serving the country.  

But that is not security.  I must say,  McCain has about as much Security experience as Obama.  Here is why I say this-

There is more to securing a country than sitting in a Prisoner of War camp.  There is more to security than serving in the military.  There is more to Security, than being in the Senate debating defense budgets.

You can not have security in a climate of FEAR.  You cannot have security with a sense of Paranoid Delusions. You cannot have security if you play to what the terrorists want: FEAR.

Security has many different levels.

A President needs more to be able to ensure security to this country.  A President needs to know when communication, even with people he might not like, is due.  A President needs diplomacy as a tool in his abilities to govern. A President knows he needs to be careful before starting war with another country.  A President knows to hold off on force until the last possible moment.  

McCain singing "Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Iran" shows a lack of education on what this country might need to make sure we only use force at the last possible moment.  From what I have read and watched, McCain has NO experience on an international basis to claim that he is the one with a better security background.  Age does not give you experience, actually working toward a better country does.  Nothing McCain has done shows a man who wants a Secure Safe America.  His politics show the exact opposite.  He acts like he is looking for the next big stress.  

McCain does not have a Security background to be president.  Simple.

Kerry's Service vs McCain's Service

Kerry served honorably during the Vietnam War.  Kerry did not talk about his service much because of a medical issue he had, this got him in hot water because the Republican's decided to lie about his service.  That medical problem causes nightmares and undo stress on a person, it is called PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

Obviously a POW (Prisoner of War) should have PTSD.  McCain was a POW.  He seems to have no trouble bringing this fact up: feel sorry for me, the poor POW, who stayed for his men.  If he has no problems with his service or does not have a medical problem that prevents him from speaking out, then it is time for people to stand up and say, "Who Cares? We know. How does that make you a better choice for President?" 

Do we need a veteran that was tortured as president?  McCain who was against torture, by the way,  is now in favor of it's use during interrogations.  Maybe he liked being in Captivity? Maybe he gets off on people getting hurt? This man wants more war.  That sounds sick.  Nobody should want war or to continue a war that has no purpose to the American Public.  

It is okay to be a veteran if you are Republican? Right.  If you are a Democrat it is okay to have your service lied about, according to the Republicans.  Well, you know what, it was not okay and there should be an apology to Kerry.

McCain and public money

The candidate for President McCain is mad about a promise unkept.  Well, I would be mad about a promise lost too, but...

This promise was to take public campaign funds.  McCain knows like Mrs. Clinton, he will have a hard time in the general election to raise the kind of money O'bama has been able to raise.  For McCain, it is an equalizer: the public campaign funds.

Obama is in this race to win, and he made a great chess move yesterday.  Yes, the media will be swaying in the wind about broken promises, but a promise that limits the ability of the public to give to the candidate they want to support was simply Un-American.

Angry People

I walked through a Wal-Mart today.  This is something I do once in a while to see if I can find a good deal on socks. Today was different.  There were more people there than ever before. What I saw and heard was a lot of  individuals that were angry.  

I don't know why they were complaining and trying to run each other over, but I can hazard a guess.  It is the state of the economy that has people agitated.  I know Wal-Mart is an odd place to see the effects of the Bush economic policies at work.  The simplicity of it boggles the mind.  

Maybe those individuals, that were there, were only looking for one or two common cheap items to buy.  Again that is only a guess, but as I approached the check-out stands and saw people with carts full of stuff. People were standing in long lines waiting to rush out of the store with their gathered goods.  Hoarding, gathering, complaining and rushing were my observations. 

If what I saw today was a snapshot of what is coming with gas price projected on going higher, which makes shipping cheap goods a not so cheap thing, there maybe more angry people in the future of the USA.  

Global Cool Science Got Wrong

Mistakes were made during the 1940's, that means the temperature drop recorded during the 1940's did not happen.  

Wow, scientists are human.  That is news to me.  That science can make a mistake is huge.  This is a gigantic not kidding kinda thing. Maybe the people who a proponents that global warming does not happen will take a look at this BBC article Ship Rewrite Temperature Record  AND read it.

Oh,  I know, then those people will claim maybe the scientists have made a mistake about global warming.  Well, that could be, but the glacial melt that I witnessed first hand in Alaska would not be happening then.

I think it is time for some people to start changing attitudes and convictions, so we don't get warmer.

Amanda has been Distracted

Okay, personal stuff has been set aside.  I can pay more attention to world happenings.  

My hubby is in the military and sometimes I have to take breaks, so I can pay more attention to him.  That is exactly what I have done over the past couple of months.  He is in my heart right now but not at home.  He knows I write this blog but sometimes he does not agree with my politics. 

That makes a marriage interesting being able to have intelligent conversation on topics and disagree.  Not fight just debate.  

One more thing, the earth quake in China has been on my mind lately.  I hope the people in China change the infrastructure to better protect themselves from that kind of earth quake damage.  They could learn something from other countries who have done studies on how to build buildings in earth quake zones.

Domestic News

Hillary Clinton won West Virginia, six more primaries left before the convention.  I know that if she gets the nomination I will be a happy woman.  This is a step forward for the rights of women.  

But is it?  Does the first woman president want to get there because of being a past first lady?  Do we want the first female president to forge the way for female rights to be beholden to a husband because he was president first?

I don't know once again but as a voter I ask these questions.  It is sad that the first female presidential candidate was first lady.  It is as if she tasted power and is drunk on it.  

I am a Hillary supporter until the end of the primary season.  I will support Hillary if she has the nomination for president, but I wonder...

Credit Agricole-Fench bank Problems

I have never read in my life about bank asking share holders for money.  Well, I guess I did today on BBC.  France's largest bank is in trouble.  Credit Agricole has asked for 5.9bn euros from its shareholder to get it out of a financial crisis.

Will this happen here in the USA?

I am not sure about that, but... with everything going on today with mortgages that were not well written, share holders might have to shell out money or not receive huge dividends.  

I am not against share holder making money, so cutting back on dividends is a bad idea.  It is also bad business to ask share holders for money.  A share holder has already loaned a company money for the right to own a share.  But to ask for more you might as well be selling bonds not share.  

I could be wrong but I don't think so this time.  This French bank is in huge trouble; is this a sign of more trouble to come.

Mother's Day.

I did a lot yesterday, but not a lot of reading.  I did see a head line about 28,000 people that drowned trying to get supplies to Myanmar.  

That is an on going terrible event.  I hope the military government starts giving out the emergency supplies that they have confiscated.  

I had a good mother's day, I hope my readers did too. 

Hezbollah causes Unrest

What I just read is appalling, Hezbollah has taken West Beirut.  This thing that has engulfed the area is wrong.  And nothing will be done.  

This region has had hostilities for a long time.  It is mostly religious and tribal warfare, fighting over small tracks of land. Hezbollah is just a group wanting land.  

Land on this planet is not worth much and the idea that a man can own that land is ludicrous.  But that is what we do claim ownership, like lions fighting over tracks of hunting grounds.  We are supposed to be above animals like lions right?

A lot of fighting is over resources and land.   This planet is on a breaking point for population growth and I am afraid this fighting is only the beginning.

Hezbollah is wrong.  The fighting will happen.  I just wish people would be smarter and find a way to help one another, not kill each other over stupid pieces of dirt.

McCain the next American Tyrant

The political race once again gained my attention.  It is fun watching people nit pick the minutest detail.  But I digress.  

What did catch my attention was the fact that John McCain only made 400,000 dollars last year and his wife is worth 100,000,000 million.  Let's say that once again, John McCain only made 400,000 dollars, while his wife is worth over 100,000,000 million.  

Why does this read familiar?  Oh, I remember John Kerry had a similar situation.  But he was pounced on or being "elitist and out of touch" because he lived with an extremely wealthy woman.  Maybe John McCain has done the same thing?  Did McCain marry for money not love?  

And what happened to McCain's first wife.  The one who waited all those years for him to get out of the POW camp?  Well, we probably will not hear from her, since he dumped her.  The wife he married in 1965 and divorced in the mid 70's, yes, he takes responsibility for that divorce but he did not stay with a woman who had an accident of her own in 1969.  He could not deal with her and his own issues from being a POW.  

He seems to have recovered from being a POW since the divorce. He just uses being a POW for his own political advantage, to shut up his opponents.  He does not propose to improve veteran's  health care, nor propose an increase in mental health care for returning veteran's of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and these veteran's are committing suicide in the hundreds.  Again I digress.

His ambition set the former model, his first wife, aside.  IF the man is a "straight talker"  then he has to go over these poor character choices again and again to make the American public understand his ambition.  Maybe this is "old news".  But even I get sick to my stomach when I read his biography.  This hero treats people like they are to be road over by a street bike then plowed into by a monster.  

If you think Bush is a tyrant, imagine what McCain would be?

A Probe

Benazir Bhutto was murdered a couple of months ago.  Now some in the Pakistan government have asked the United Nations  to have a probe into her death! 

Well, it is about time!  I have been waiting to read what was going on with finding out who did the murder.  We know the why, she was too popular and talking against the current Pakistani Government.

The courage this woman had shown has not been rewarded.  She did not to be murdered.  It is about time the international community looks into what is really going on in Pakistan. 

 I don't think the international community will like what it finds out.

Iraq

Scribbling.  The act of placing random lines on a piece of paper.  Well, today I am feeling a bit random. 

The War in Iraq has been on my radar lately.  It is domestic policy.  I know.  And the "Fatigue" is only felt by the media not the American Public.  

But what about the celebrity "Fatigue" that is actually going on, in my opinion.  I am fatigued about the news of weddings, break ups, and other antics by individuals that I will never really want in my life.  

These stories are treated as if they are important.  The celebrity stories push the real news off of the front page.  Maybe it does sell papers, but I have not bought a paper in years and I scroll past them to get to the real news.

Today I am just interested in what is happening in Iraq.  The troops are not being sent home and they are sitting on a powder keg of hate.  Then those troops have to deal with the "contractors" who are profiting from the war continuing.  I want this war to end, but others who are making a good living from being a "contractor" are making it difficult for the troops to come home.  The Iraqi people only hate Americans because of the 160,000 contractors.  

But what do I know, I'm not over there, but I do know that if I was making money from the war;  I  would not want to see it end. 

DP a company that owns the World

The port container company DP, which was stopped by congress from buying a few US ports has post a profit on other ports it owns.  This company handles freight containers.  It is a company that is from the Middle East.  

This company owns 42 ports in 22 countries. The profit will make it's share holders happy.

Now why did this article catch my attention.  Is profit better than security?  If 22 other countries don't have a problem, than why did the US?  Oh I forgot, the 9/11 fear politics.  Not that 9/11 was not a bad thing that happened to the US, but the fear that the "terrorists" wanted to produce in the American public worked.

Terrorist means one who produces fear.  Well, our country has been run on fear for too long.  The idea that you can stop someone before they commit a crime is stupid.  If the person has not committed a crime but might talk about it or maybe plan it, still has not committed it.  

Yes, in some cases, the person has the malicious intention to follow through but until then it is simply hot air or wishful thinking.  But there is the problem finding the intent and proving the intention to harm or commit a crime.  You will never know until the crime has happened.

Okay, that's it for this scribble.  I know my point of the article is to stop the fear that has run this country.  I know that is impossible since fear works on people.  That's the scribble for today.

Chaos has subsided

Once again I have found myself struggling.  It has showing in the lack of posts on this blog.  I think the tide of chaos has subsided.

Today the Candidates for the Presidential office are going to get answers from General Petraeus.  Has the war in Iraq been concluded to the point where the US does not have to be there any more?  Or do we, the American Public, need to set up a puppet government in Iraq using US contractors, to turn Iraq into the next US territory?  These questions will never be truly asked.  

I will be back to reading international headlines.  And giving pert opinions.  Amanda's Scribble will be a voice on the Internet for international opinions.  

Adventures in Homeschooling

Well, I had to take another couple of days off.  My son is now in a home school.  He was in public school but a bully situation made me decide to pull him.  The details are unimportant, but my comment is that bullies run the public schools and let bullies reign.  

Back to normal blogging.  The world has many interesting stories that I am happy read about and post my comments here.

A health Care system rebuilt

Kyrgyzatan is a poor state.  It was once apart of the Soviet union.  The Soviets had a health care system that once could have helicopters fly to villages for vaccinations.  Once the Soviet Union collapsed that ended. 

There is good news, years after the collapse the health care system has been rebuilt in Kyrgyzatan.  It has been slow but this has been a good learning experience for this tiny country.

Liberty has costs.  But those costs are worth it. The Soviet Union could not work.  It was spending more on defence and keeping the people "comfortable" than it could make enough money to keep up with the spending.  That is why the Soviet Union collapsed.  It spent more than it made.

This sounds familiar, the US.  There is another country right now doing the same thing spending more than it makes: the US.  Will the individual states have to rebuild like Kyrgyzatan? I don't think so, we don't have universal health care, oh I forgot, we do for the elderly, medicare. And we have a social program that keeps the elderly comfortable in a meager way, Social Security, but that program has been spent on other things.  Also, the US is overspending on two wars for the sake of defending Liberty.  

Spending more than y0u  make is a bad thing.  I thought the US would learn from its communist counterpart.    

Presidential Blah...

If you would not vote for an African American you will not be supporting Barrack Obama, if you would never support a woman then you will not support Hillary Clinton.  That is so simple it is mind boggling that the candidates think they will change those minds.  And the media is pushing them toward that end.  

John McCain is a weak war candidate.  With the recent escalation of violence in Iraq, and the "Cease Fire" (the real reason for the stopping the violence not the "surge") falling apart, McCain has nothing to stop this war, or "win" as he claims.  The "Surge", that he was for, has not worked.  

The candidates need to figure out where their bases are and shore up that support.  Then the candidates need to figure out a way to "unite" the dissension in the populous.  There is not clear winner in the presidential race. I think because of this the American public is going to feel more pain with whom ever becomes president.

Whoever wins will have a large portion of the populous hating them.  This country is in serious trouble.

Poison Cheese

In Italy there is a huge recall of Mozzarella cheese.  There is high quantities of dioxins in the cheese.

Man, does this read familiar, something about tainted dog food from China.  The problem with the Italian Cheese is that it is home grown cheese.  Not imported.   This is proving that the planet is suffering and  our food system has the chemicals we have placed in our biosphere. 

I hope the cheese is not imported into America.  There would be a lot of pizza lovers getting the toxin.  Especially me.  I love my melted Mozzarella on beds of marina sauce.  Yum!

Children are under the weather, I have to focus on them sorry for no scribble for two days.  

N Korea Needs Food

Okay the dictator of this country is starving his people for military development.  The people are suffering.  

Someone needs to look into this.  I know that won't happen since the issue of intervening is complicated.  Technically, there is a war still on going between the US and Korea.  But that will not stop or move one way or another.  

The US is still distracted with the problems of Afghanistan and Iraq, heck the death toll in Iraq just reached 4000 US troops and over 100,000 Iraq's civilians.  

If someone does something to help N Korea, then China might get involved and waking that sleeping giant is not what people want to do right at this moment.

So, how do we get food to the people who need it?  It is sad to read about people starving to death.  Maybe something can be done in a humanitarian aspect or maybe the war between the US and Korea can end.  Who knows?  I sure don't.

Happy Easter!

Today is the celebration of a man who was tortured to death who rises from the dead.  I celebrate this day due to my faith! I believe that one person would sacrifice himself for all of us.  As I stated in a previous blog, not many would do that today! So Happy Easter!

Embryo Law in United Kingdom

Well, this is a difficult issue.  On one hand it pushes technology further and could lengthen human life.  On the other hand, would a person be willing to take anothers life so they could live?  Or would you use animal genes to further your offsprings capability to adapt?

I wrote a book that I self published, it is called Irene's Baby that attacks these complicated issues.  My book is about the exploitation of stem cell research.  It has a mother who wants to save a loved one, who has to make a difficult choice.

The law that is under fire in the United Kingdom is making hybrid humans.  Merging human and animal.  This is a kind of Island of Dr. Moreau situation, is it right, I don't know but the book brought up issues that need to be addressed.

Is it right?  I don't know but you could buy my book, Irene's Baby, by clicking the link that says, Here is where you find stuff I published. You will read about how a teen looses her right to choose, Would you take Irene's Baby?

One oil Baron talks to Another

Please, Vice president Dick Cheney has insulted a lot of peoples intelligence.  He is in Saudi Arabia to get the Saudi's to increase oil production.  Who is he trying to fool?

Dick Cheney has his blind trust and he is making money with these high oil prices.  My god! I think this man has huge goals that don't include helping anybody but himself.  He has run this country into the ground!  I know he is not the president.  But it seems to me that he never had the American Public in mind. 

My husband has a notion that I want to relay.  Maybe the powers that have power wanted the US to be humbled.  That they before gaining power hated this country.  I know that might seem a bit out there but look at where we were and where the US is right now.  

Dick Cheney has, in the past, admitted that he preferred running a company.  That he was the final word when making important decisions.  Those ideas don't ring like a man who likes Democracy.  So, he is there to help the public get cheaper oil?  Well, we will wait and see what really happens. 

Ebay Art Scam

Okay, this one is personal since I sell art on e-bay that I create.  (My store is blackmaycat.  Currently none for sale right now.)  I create original pieces that I think are unique.  The individuals that were charged were producing counterfeite prints of master artists.

They should rot in jail.  Yes, you can make money off of other people's genius and that is theft, if you decide to make money that way then you get what you deserve, a long jail term and fines.  Seven people are charged with the crime.  And to those souls who bought these fakes, well you get what you pay for, how about supporting modern starving artists.  

My auction of my original pastel art and pencil drawings start at 99 cents with reasonable shipping snail mail of $2.00.  They are Amanda Baker originals.  More work will be posted Saturday with the auctions that failed to sell so far. I only sell originals.  

A Man on Trial

In China a trial started today of a man who published human rights problems. Hu Jia, a man of his time,  is accused of crimes of telling the press the truth on how China deals with issues, such as the environment, Aids and human rights.

This man is facing five years in prison for speaking his opinion against the government.   In the country of China, the government controls what is told about it.  Hu Jia was a teen when the Chinese government killed protesters in Tiananmen Square.  He is now one of those protesters.  If China had learned and gave more freedoms, then this man would not be on trail.  "His arrest is political" said Sophie Richardson, I agree with that statement, I  read it on the BBC.

A country can not silence people who want to speak out.  Their opinions are valid.  Even if the governing body thinks the opinion is wrong.  I admire Hu Jia, for his courage. 

On a side note, Kosovo has been recognized by its neighbors as a country.

On my Mind, the Cross

In this holiday season, we celebrate a man getting tortured to death.  He rises again to forgive the world of their sins.  

I have an issue and I know it will alienate some of my readers.  In this season, we celebrate the torture of a fellow man. Sure he is a demi-god since he is the son of god.  So I guess we celebrate the torture of a demi-god not man.  

The cross hangs proudly in our Church's as a symbol of the Resurrection.  A symbol of the sacrifice one man, who was a Jew, did for all of us. Does that make Christian's  love torture, since the cross is a torture device? We worship a torture device.  

Yes, some hang fish on their cars because the original Christian's had fish as a symbol.  But Jesus said he was a Shepherd not a fisherman.  So shouldn't we worship a Shepherd's hook?

I think we need to retire the symbol of the cross as being a part of what Christian's are.  If you wear a cross or hang it in your home, then you are a proponent for torture.  I, for one am not as proponent of torture, but it took a few years for me to realize that is what the cross is, a torture device used by the Romans to inflict fear on the populous.

I don't worship the fear, I worship the hope that one man would give his life for all of us, that a jew would do that for all of us.  There are not many people today who would do the same.  

That Jew taught tolerance and hope, not hate and division.  If Jesus were alive today, we would torture him to death again, because we don't follow what he taught.  And some still hate Jews.

Well, that is the scribble today.  I know it is not what you wanted to read, but I felt the need to write it.

Kosovo UN pulls out

Since declaring independence, Kosovo has been under fire.  NATO Troops and UN police have been having trouble keeping the peace.  The Serbs have taken a court and the UN tried to take it back.

I have been following this since it began.  It is sad that the Serbian Government will not let the people of Kosovo go.  This trouble is not good for Europe.  Especially in this uncertain economic time.  The US can't help since the troops are spread out over two war fronts: Iraq and Afghanistan.  

Kosovo has wanted independence for a long time.  This started in the 1990's and has carried into today.  The policies of the Serbian Government have not been fair to its states.

That is my opinion.  Freedom is always a rough road to travel, but it must be protected.

Iran's Election?

Yesterday Iran voted in a general election.  The vote was riddled with problems since some parties were barred from participating due to not being Muslim enough.  This is wrong.  In a vote everybody should be allowed to participate regardless of religion. 

This sounds familiar,  oh I know, this is happening here in the US.  Barack Obama is "not Christian enough".  The conservatives are trying to bar him from running or scare voters into not electing him because of his religious believes.  We could also go into how he is "not black enough"  how he is "not patriotic enough"... I could go on and on.

This might seem like a pro-Obama blog but it isn't, this blog is a pro-freedom blog.  The people of Iran got to vote, that is a step in the right direction, but people should be able to vote and  to run regardless of who they are.  Heck, a Christian should have the right to run in Iran, if that person believes in freedom, and should not run into problems created by the people who don't want that person to run.  If a person is creating problems then the country does not really have a free election system.

Just like here in the US, we should let anybody on the ballot.  There is no such thing as "not enough".  It is about who can run the government and protect the freedoms we all believe in, if we look for the "not enough"  then we are giving up the freedoms we all profess to live by.  (The first Muslim sworn into congress, used Thomas Jefferson's Koran,  that I think Thomas Jefferson would be proud of.)

Toxic Waste Kenya

This is another of the world's problems that needs some attention.  Improperly disposed of waste.  

According to the article I just read, many individuals are very ill from containers improperly dumped in Kenya.  A trucker who saw the containers leaking just dumped them near a river and port.  This is a huge problem.

I don't know who needs to look into this.  We are killing our world.  The people who are affected by this did not tell the company, hey company, we would love for you to have leaky containers near our water, yes please kill our children so you can feed  your greed.

This is a world issue.  Please help and pray for the people who are affected by this in Kenya.

Domestic news- Drinking water Problems

I drink tons of tap water.  I love drinking water because I am limited on sugar drinks I can have.  I make my children's bottles with tap water because it is cheap and tasty in my opinion.  I don't know what to do.

The EPA can not be trusted to make sure the water supply is safe and the pharmaceutical companies are to blame for this because of intense advertising.  My female body does not need extra estrogen nor do I need trace amounts of mood drugs because I am not depressed.  Nor do my children.  But many US citizens are on these drugs to make them "feel" better.  

As an average American there is not much I can do.  I was proud of the fact that I have never taken illegal drugs and that I limit the amount of pharmaceuticals that enter my home.  Heck, my son has been tested over and over again at the insistence of teachers for ADHD, he tested negative every time, but the teachers knew, that even if he had it, I would not medicate him for a behavior. He would have been placed in counseling and taught how to behave.  

I have insulin resistance, so water is a huge portion of my diet. I can't supplement with sugar drinks, but again those sugar drinks are manufactured with tap water.  

This is a huge problem.  I don't know what else to write. But I blame the Republican administration for not cleaning up the environment and letting companies run rampant with advertising of drugs that might not be necessary.  Terrorism doesn't scare me, this does.

German Union Talks

I know a few weeks ago I wrote about the South African Union talks with miners not going well.  In another part of the world unions are having problems.  

The Verdi, the union for public workers in Germany, wants an 8% raise for two million government employees.  The union has made noises of a possible strike. The European Central Bank is warning governments about paying these inflation causing pay raises.  

What the heck?  Pay raises cause the rise of inflation, that is a new one for me.  

From my understanding, inflation has several factors, and the rise in wages is not one of those factors.  The highest cause of inflation is the cost of raw materials, manufacturing of those materials, plus shipping those materials .  If a worker can not consume those goods, quite frankly, then the worker needs a raise.  

But I am only a blogger.  What do I know of business? 

Side note- The train operators got an 11% raise in Germany this past January.

British School Problems

I just read another appalling article about children not being able to attend school.  The article was that British schools, after expelling children for bad behavior, want those children to not attend school.  These children need "mental" health screening.  This is to protect other students.

I know my opinion is of little importance... but I think all children deserve an education.  If the child is having problem and is threatening other children, then the school has to provide an alternative, so the child does not loose his/her education.  

I am considering home school for my teen son.  I live in the US, so this is an option.  I want him to have a consistent education during his teen years, and he attends public school, but I am moving his freshman year.  My boy is really bright, but I have had to fight with the teachers to get him motivated.  He is bored because he knows what they are teaching and he wants to spring ahead while other students need the extra attention.  He has not made the grades to get ahead because he is bored.  

I think this is an education problem.  The people of Great Britain need to educate their children, as we do in the US.

Gary Gygax, World Largest Book, And a personal note

Since the creator of D&D died, I want to say to the family you are in my prayers.  Gary Gygax was a great man for creating a game that exercised the imagination.  His game, that has been worked over again coming out in May for the 4th edition, has been translated in many languages and sold millions of books.  

Now for lighter news, the World's Largest book is on tour in Scotland.  The book measures 5 feet 7 inches tall.  This is a photographic record of the Himalayas. The book will be at the National Library of Scotland.  

Wow!  I would love to be there on World Book Day to see the book.

Oh and lastly, on a personal note, my mother died in 1999 and I wanted to write here Happy Birthday!  She would be 54 years old today.  Mom, I hope you get an Angel Food Cake with Strawberries in heaven.  I will light a candle for you today!

The world has past me by today

I paid attention to the primaries instead of looking for international news.  Hillary won three states.  It is getting more interesting here in the US.  But I need to focus on international headlines due to the fact that the news here in the US is focused on domestic issues.

No More Oil Pumping

At a meeting yesterday,OPEC has decided to not pump more oil.  With a low supply and high demand, why would they decide other wise? These oil barons are making a huge profit.  If they pumped more oil they would make less money.  That makes a huge amount of sense to me.

Making money on the backs of hard working people is what these people do.  OPEC has the world's balls in their hands and I don't think any plans of letting go will happen.

This is greed.  But the rich stay rich by doing stuff like this.  There are other organizations that help fuel this like the refineries. It trickles down to the pump price.  And then to top it off you pay a tax on how much gas you consume, so the government is cutting into the profits too.

This does not look good.  But it happens what choice does the poor have against organizations like OPEC.

Tax haven for Rich German's

EU has had some problems with some rich Germans using the Liechtenstein Bank to avoid taxes. A spokes woman denied any involvement that Berlin had or wanted talks on Tuesday.

I thought tax havens were a good thing for the wealthy?

If you have money you don't want that money filtered down to the people without money right?  So, the bank was doing the rich Germans a favor.

This is not a good thing to read about first thing in the morning.  The US deficit is huge and our tax burden is low, but what does that have to do with Europe?  It has this to do with it, if the wealthy are refusing to pay high taxes in Europe, they might find their way to the US.

That won't happen.  But the wealthy are tired of paying the poor from what I read today, especially if they are wiling to use Tax havens.

Egypt Marriages held by a Woman

This is a first for the muslim religion.  A woman, named Amal Soliman, has been chosen as the assistant who can hold marriages, called Maazun.

What a leap!  This is exciting.  A progressive step forward.  Now it's time for the Catholic's to have a female priest!  This woman can also preside over divorce contracts.

I find reading about this progressive move in Egypt refreshing.  It is news for women to have freedom like men.  I just wanted my readers to know this!

Sweden's fight on Terror

Good Job Sweden! You have arrested terrorists that were plotting and funding terror groups.  When these things happen the US media needs to report on it.

This was news.  The media seems fixated on the up coming elections.  They are not focusing a great world news like this.  Real terrorists are being caught.  Sweden should be commended for making this world safer.

Three individuals were arrested early Thursday.  These individuals were a threat to the world.  

Thank you Stockholm police, you did a good job!

Red China has Red River

A Chinese river has turned red with pollutants.  The industrialization of China has lead to high pollution.  Some of the pollution has turned the Han River red. 

With the problems with the trade deficit that the US has with China and the demand for cheap goods, we as a people of the world have caused this problem.  

This started with the Made in Taiwan stickers in the early eighties.  China did not like us trading with the former imperial government, so they decided to tempt the US companies into using their work force.  A deal was made in back rooms.  This caused the rush of cheap goods that has been Made in China.  

This has lead to poison dog food, high lead in toys and now a red river in China due to pollution.  I am not saying stop buying from China but maybe that is exactly what needs to be done. 

The government of China is not a republic, it is a communist nation.  It wants Taiwan back.  Maybe what has happened, due to the US greed, is that China waged a war using trade against America.  But that is just a blogger's opinion, right?

  

South Africa's Miners threaten strike

There is an electric shortage in South Africa.  The miners are threatening a strike if layoffs are threatened. 

The Gold Fields of south Africa have shortened it's work due to over mining.  South Africa is one of the largest gold suppliers to the world- according to the report I read on the BBC.  

This is awful.  That the mines are cutting back good jobs.  That this country has a shortage of electricity.  That South Africa, once a jewel to the British crown, is suffered infrastructure problems.  This seems to be a problem suffered by every country I have read about lately.

If the strike happens production will halt.  That means trouble for the South African economy.  This will affect the global gold economy.  This story is worth following I think.

Nuclear Power Agreement in South America

In the United States there are concerns about Nuclear Power, how some people lived near 3 Mile Island and have higher cancer rates.  Well, I just read some news that Argentina and Brazil are planning to build a joint nuclear reactor.

With the clear cutting of the Amazon to get the corn for Ethanol and now nuclear power, this region of the world is killing itself. Plus, should the United States be concerned about these two nations enriching uranium?  I know this is not on the political radar in the States.  But it does pull questions in my mind.

I am not saying we should stop progress, and that there are claims that nuclear power is safer than wind power (<---I am being sarcastic.) I lived in Alaska during the Chernobyl accident and the concerns of nuclear clouds of fallout floating to Alaska, I know those were ridiculous concerns but they were going around in that state at the time.   

This is happening and it can not be stopped but the Press in the United States are not broadcasting these stories I am finding, so I am dedicating Amanda's Scribble to be a full time International editorial Blog. 

 

A new Possibility for Writers

Mill and Boon, a publishing company, is now offering novels to India.  This is fantastic! Especially for writers wanting to branch out.  

As a writer I am always looking for good story lines.  And an Indian market can open up more novels with Hindu story lines.  

Hopefully, in India they will like the romantic side of the publishing industry.  Mills and Boon are famous for good romance novels.  

I am happy to watch how India reacts to the authors from Mills and Boon.

McCain's Alleged Affair

Common, this is bogus and silly.  This report came out on the day of the Democratic Debates, between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.  

The New York Times endorsed McCain.  Wouldn't it be safe to assume the newspaper is keeping McCain's name in the news?  McCain has to compete with the debate right?  He can't, so he needs to have these reports surface to keep his name in the news and to distract people from the debates.

I think this was dirty and I will not say anymore. More international news tomorrow.

A bridge, A plate, An Earth Quake

Dubai is building a bridge.  I just saw it o n Yahoo and it is big.  This bridge is also very nice looking.  Dubai is a fast growing city in the middle east.  It has a hotel that has a sail for a wall.  Very neat.  

In Saudi Arabia a man paid too much money for the licence plate, on the plate was the number one.  This is kinda silly from my perspective.  

There also was an earth quake today outside of Sumatra today.  The 7.5 quake hit at 3 o'clock in the morning.  So far the reports are that three have died.  There are watches out for tsunami's.  I hope the people are okay.

That is Amanda's thoughts for today.

Greeks get heavy Snow

Many villages in Greece are cut off by heavy snowfall.  Flights have been disrupted.  There has been many power outages.

This is happening in the Peloponnes Peninsula.  Over 150 villages are affected.  

Global warming is causing these drastic climate changes.  This region of the world has not seen this kind of heavy snow in years.  

Athens is buried in snow.  This has happened only on rare days and this happened yesterday.  Wow! Isn't it neat to live during these strange weather changes.

Kosovo Independence!

Yesterday, Kosovo voted to take a step into becoming an independent state.  Welcome!

Since this is Presidents Day, it is great to see that other countries strive for freedom the way this country did!  I wonder if the conditions that abound today would make the founding fathers do what they did?  I don't know.  

Happy Birthday President Lincoln and President Washington!  Thank you for the Day off!

Happy Heart Day!

This is a great Catholic holiday!  And I am pleased that the world agrees and celebrates this day where a priest defies the law to marry individuals.  St. Valentine was a good man.

To my wonderful Husband!  I love you! Thank you for giving me the ABILITY to stay home and write.   I love taking care of our children.  Happy Valentine's Day, hubby!

I HOPE EVERYBODY READING THIS BLOG HAS A GREAT DAY!

Treaty in Space

Russia and China have proposed not to use weapons in space.  This is a good break through.  Weapons do not need to be in space. 

This happened at a conference in Geneva.  It is a shame that the country, I live in, does not want to be held by such an agreement.  

This agreement can be broken by the parties but it is symbolic to how we as a world should be.  This needs to be a weapon free world.  And with large world powers agreeing not to have weapons in space, it is a step forward to a peaceful world.

Both countries have in the recent past tested weapon capabilities in space.  Both countries are powers that can shape this world. 

Great Job!  Keep peace in mind!

Bill paying for the Ukraine

A bill, or other wise called debt, has been called for payment-in- full on the Ukraine.  Russia wants its money for gas given. Today President Victor Yushchenko will be talking to President Vladimir Putin to get something that will not let the gas be turned off.

This meeting foreshadows  a deep world problem.  Debt t spending has ruled the world and some super powers for decades.  Now the people that are owed the money want it.  Soon there will be a world problem.  

This will not affect the supply of gas to the rest of Europe.  Kiev disputes the bill.  The worry is the supply will be interrupted to the rest of Europe as it did two years ago.

This meeting is important.  It will be followed only by bloggers and maybe some world leaders.  We will see what will happen.

South Korea Fire

A fire has partially destroyed "The Great South Gate" or otherwise known as "Sungnyemum"  in Namedaemum.  The authorities suspect arson.  

This land mark was built in 1397 and then rebuilt 1447.  It was built to protect the city of Seoul Korea from invaders, it has been the entrance of the city for 600 years.  

Another one of man's buildings has been defaced by people who do not understand history.  Yes, it was just a gate to some.  But for people who love history it was a national land mark.  This symbol is gone and can not really be rebuilt.  If it is rebuilt it will not be the same.

History is important to learn.  This is such a shame.

Paper Air Planes

On a light side, Japanese Scientists are planning to send paper airplanes into space.  After testing the theory in wind tunnels and seeing that in fact the paper planes will survive high temperatures and fast wind, the scientists want to take the planes to the International Space Station.

The science behind this is fascinating.  Especially to a person interested in Sci-fi.  From what I have read, the paper is lighter and might have less friction than the current Space shuttle. This would make re-entry easier on equipment and people. 

I know there were more serious international stories to read about, like the burning oil tanker off of Croatia or the swearing in of the new Prime Minister in Thailand.  But this one got my attention.  

Science is amazing and it is a great time to be living. I like knowing that man can have minds that are willing to try interesting new things.  Good job Japan.

Kosovo- Possible independance

Yesterday, tuesday the fifth, Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica of Serbia had problems with coalition partners signing a pack that would bring it closer to the European Union.  He does not want this pack because it would give the okay for Kosovo to break away from Serbia.

If you remember during the 90's this region of the world was in the middle of a bitter civil war, with "ethnic cleansing".  This was the former Yugoslavia.  The civil war was mainly over Kosovo.

This is a problem.  There needs to be calm in this region of the world.  The fact that the Prime Minister is having problems with joining the European Union only because of Kosovo has problems.  The European Union would give this country help with economic development.  

Let Kosovo go and develop it self into it's own state.

  If the Prime Minister let go and focused on issues that will develop Serbia, it's economy would be better off.   

Why I have not posted.

After four days of fevers and cold sweats, I can now think.  Back to blogging.

China's Deadly Snow Storm

The worst blizzard in 50 years is crippling China, according to BBC World News.  Buildings are collapsing under the weight of snow.  Travelers are stranded.  Crops are frozen.  And this is before the Chinese New Year next week and the Olympics.

Where is the humanitarian aid?  Where are the coporations that depend on the Chinese workers?  Why is there nobody concerned in the American news media?

All I have seen watching the standard news is the political commentary on the up coming primary's.  I had to go to the BBC to find out about this human tragedy, that is happening.  

This is going to affect the price of commercial goods that America consumes.  Prices will be affected.  Which will make the current recession worse.

That is not what concerns me.  This storm is affecting millions of people.  American's are known to be the most generous people on the planet, at least that is what we tell ourselves, how can we help if we don't know?

My son is better.

My blog has suffered because I have been taking care of my boy.  He is better and I am back.  Sorry for missing friday's scribble.

This month's scribble will be focused on world news.

I have a sick kid.

Hi readers, 

My son is sick today.  He is not feeling well and running a fever.  My mind is taken up with taking care of him.

I will write more tomorrow.

Amanda

Politics

Hillary won Florida!  

Okay, the excitement ends.  Now for some hard work, "super Tuesday".  What will matter on that day will be voter turn out.  Will the youth of this country come out to vote?  I hope they do, because that would make watching the returns more interesting.

What disturbs me is that the war monger, McCain, is now the Republican front runner.  Our country can not afford another war.  If the recession that we are now in is not clear about the state of the economy, sending the troops to another area for political reasons would break this country.

McCain, the "Maverick" in 2000, is now just a Bush copycat.  What needs to be done is on election day, broadcast McCain sing "Bomb bomb bomb Iran." Out side every polling station if he becomes the Republican candidate for president.

Edward "Ted" Kennedy and Obama

Kennedy is the senior senator for the state of Massachusetts.  He spoke yesterday endorsing Barrack Obama as a candidate for president.  

What does that mean to me, a voter?

Not much,  I remember the scandal Kennedy was in vaguely.  I was five or six when a woman died in Kennedy's car.  But that does not matter either, it's just history.  

I was not born when president Kennedy was alive.  I did not live through the Camelot years.  I was not alive when the president was shot. I learned about all of this in school as history.

 So, this historic speech does not mean much to me.

There are a lot of voters that are inspired by Obama, the youth vote.  But this makes Obama look a bit out of touch with the youth.  Maybe that is a calculated move because a lot of the youth don't vote and older individuals do.  

It is healthy to vote and participate in government, and maybe the older voters need Kennedy to endorse Obama but those who are inspired by him might think this move is a bit out of touch.

I have voted in my primary.  It's time for others to vote too; and not look for endorsements from people who just don't matter.

Rick R. Reed a stunning story teller

After a hard weekend, as you know I pay attention to politics, I tried hard to finish reading a book.  The book was hard  put down, but I had to several times because my girls were a distraction.  I finally finished the book this morning.  Deadly Vision by Rick R. Reed is a well written thriller. 

The main character, Cass D'Angelo, has a bad accident, she starts having visions.  These visions are disturbing to the character and to myself the reader.  Rick R. Reed leads you into the mind of a woman who innocently sees brutal murders.  He brings you into how she feels and how she attempts to explain these visions to the authorities.

I enjoyed this book immensely and I don't want to give away too much of this twisty story.  Rick R. Reed is an author that will scare and intrigue you.

Weekend Recovery

The South Carolina Primary came and went with a fast Obama wave.  My candidate Hillary Clinton has taken a lot of flack for how she campaigns.  And the state of the world keeps moving forward.

This weekend was rough.  Waiting for Superbowl Sunday seems like the next bit of excitement for me, before "Super Tuesday",  which could decide who the Republican Candidate is; with Florida being a winner take all state.  Well, then Go Giants for the Superbowl win.

This election is starting to get a little redundant.  The candidates are starting to sound alike and nobody is looking like a leader, even the candidate I support. Then you have the talking heads repeating what they have uttered six months ago, isn't there any real news to report.

Well,  hopefully the stimulus tax package is passed, I'm going to go on vacation with that money. Even if it won't stop the recession we are in at least my kids get to go to Disney World again!

Wetting Down

This is an old Navy tradition and I don't think it is too health.  In today's military, the officers are preaching drinking in moderation.  But they have a tradition that when an officer gains rank, the officer is required to use that first raise to buy every officer drinks.  This goes up to the amount of the raise.

This tradition contradicts what the officers are preaching to the men.  A leader should always lead by example.  If the officers go out and get sloshed, what does that say about the men.  

What if the officer has a moral thing against the tradition, and does not drink?  That officer is still expected to participate in the tradition.

Yes, traditions are good to keep moral up in the military, but if you are trying to stop the "drunken sailor" but you drink yourself, isn't that hypocritical? 

War and health care

Okay, what does war have to do with health?  Simple, the men that are coming home will need health care and deserve that care. It is assumed that if you serve the country, the country does owe you for the injury that you occur, be it physical or mental.

I have worked in the VA, Veterans Administration, in the very office that determines if a man gets disability and medical care.  What the government does to men, who did nothing but put their lives on the line for it, is disturbing.  In every bureaucracy there is copious amounts of paperwork to fill out.

Some of our service men get frustrated with the paperwork, and they abandon the idea of getting help.  If the man gets through the paperwork, then they have to hope the government has kept  all of the records needed for the evaluation. After the evaluation, if the veteran qualifies, the VA will pay for a percentage of disability and cover the medical, but not before the acceptance.  The process can take years and families suffer because the veteran is suffering.

In the office I worked in, I shredded copies of paperwork and cut up dental records.  I was told these were not needed anymore.  At the time I was working for the government I was only a work study.  I was trying to use my father's benefits to get an education, so I never questioned what I was told to do.

 The Veteran's Administration is simply underfunded currently.  This administration determines eligibility and manages health care for our war veterans.  This government office needs  more funding.  

Where is the money going to come from, to help our veterans get the help they need?  

The war in Iraq is producing this future and current problem.  This is not the veteran's fault, they deserve our respect and what was promised to them when they return.

Murphy's Law

This has been a Murphy's Law week for me.  First, the furnace dies on the coldest day of the year.  It is fixed now.  Second, the husband gets sick.

Everybody has these weeks where as Murphy's Law states, "if it can go wrong, it will go wrong."  Well, I missed seeing a family member who came to visit, because of having to wait for the repair man.  

My way of dealing with a Murphy's Law week is with patience and leave my frustrations in my writing.  I hope everybody has had a better week than me.  It is healthy to put stress in a more useful thing, than taking it out on others.

Sunflower seeds and Pumpkin Seeds

Okay, now that my husband got to work safely, I will tackle a topic.  

Today's topic, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.  I know, I know what can you write about these seeds?  Well, these are full of zinc.  Zinc is a powerful nutrient that helps boost the immune system and sex drive. 

Yes, a sex drive boost without taking artificial pills.  There are a lot of natural ways to boost something that simple.  Zinc also improves the quality of sperm.  A health sperm makes healthy babies. 

There are studies going on currently in the UK proving these theories.  As I stated in a previous blog, the public is suffering from bad nutrition.  

Sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds can help make a person feel better because of the easily digested nutrients.  I know I feel better since starting to eat a handful of these daily.

On another topic, the South Carolina Primaries are looming.  I will write about that tomorrow.

Ice on the roads

There was a bad ice storm here in Virginia Beach and areas beyond.  I am worried because my husband  is on the roads, so I will post an article later today.  My mind is not into writing, right now.  Sorry.

What should I write about?

Okay what to write about today, well it is a holiday. But I don't want to write about that.  Should I write about writing?

Yes, I think I should.  I write, I am a blogger and a columnist.  I have fun ever day searching for interesting topics to think on and put my two cents in.  But today I don't really know what to write about.

This months theme has been politics and health.  

Maybe using themes for the blog is a silly idea.  I have many opinions on many different topics.  

I read everything I can, I watch tons of TV, and I work out.  Maybe I should write about working out.  Okay, well at nine o'clock today I will be watching FitTV.  I will be working out with the All Star Work Out Trainer.    I have had a hard time getting my butt to the gym, so finding FitTV was a god send.  

Well, that is it for now.  Nothing important in Politics today.  And since it is a holiday, enjoy your day!  

Oh and I forgot!  The Giants football team rocks!

Hillary Won Nevada!

The candidate that I support has won Nevada!  

I have to write an article for Useless-knowledge.com about my theory that Hillary was a decoy candidate, and state my theory was wrong, and I will do that gladly.

She scared me when she was not doing well  in the polls and her loss in Iowa that was shocking.

So tonight is a night to celebrate the first female potential President.  Good Job Hillary!

TGIF

Thank God It's Friday!  This has been a long week.  The hard work that everybody has done this week will be appreciated by someone.

This weekend try something you have not done before.  That is something healthy to do.  Life gets stagnant when doing the same thing all the time.  And that makes boredom and causes, sometimes, depression.  

Mix it up, go bike riding (if the weather allows), take in a new movie, go to a restaurant you have never tried, talk to a stranger about the weather, and enjoy your free time.

If you don't have free time this weekend, do this on your day off.  You might find something new that you might like to do.  

I know I will take my advice, because I try something new every weekend.  Even small new stuff is exciting!

Thank you for reading this week.  More on Monday! 

Mindless fighting

Okay, I know, what the hell does Mindless Fighting mean?  It means fighting without a clue to what the other person is doing or means to not communicate/to misunderstand.  

Without communication, a person doesn't have the ability to read minds.  Sometimes people pretend to, sometimes people really think they can, but most of the time, nobody can.  

I guess this happens when a misunderstanding leads people to not communicate properly.  This could happen over petty jealousy, or someone not knowing that the other person wanted a toilet seat down.  In an ideal world, we would all be able to say, "Hey! I need space."  Or "Put the seat down please."  

Now why does this have anything to do with the state of health in the world today? Well, I would think the answer is simple.  If humans could communicate properly then misunderstandings that cause stress would be eliminated.  And then there would be less STRESS in the world, making it a healthier place to live.

Life Goes On

There is a three way race for president. Which republican will be the front runner is anybodies guess.

I don't really know. I have been watching the political race for a long time about a year.

I went through the ups and downs, and I don't think Rudy Giuliani has a chance of winning anything. Fred Thompson was the savior of the Republican Party and maybe he would still be popular if he stayed out of the race.

Mike Huckabee needs to drop out. If he wins, I will dedicate my blog to stopping him. I just do not like his politics. His decisions as a Governor translated to the Presidential office would mean four more years of Bush. And that is not what I would like: more savings and loan scandals; more jobs sent over seas and replaced with low paying jobs; more decisions based on faith than hard research.

Mitt Romney will keep you guessing. And maybe that is what the congress needs, a President that will make them guess.

But life goes on and I still support Hillary Clinton. None of the presidential candidates tempt this former Republican back into the party.

Shot = Shots Redux

I wrote an article about soda = shots on useless-knowledge.com a couple of years ago. I, to this day, still believe this.

And the best part, my son believes.

The original article was about how soda causes someone to get Type 2 Diabetes, and how they will have to prick their finger (or get a shot) to check blood sugar, and sometimes a Type 2 Diabetic, like one of my relatives, will have to get insulin shots if their diabetes gets bad.

I was not clear in that premise and people with children with Type 1 Diabetes wrote nasty letters to me, which in turn I wrote more articles.

Well, now that the history of this slogan has been explained, the results are that my son does not drink soda. Plus, I have added more shots that someone can get if they drink soda. Like the painful shot of Novocaine that the doctor uses when a person gets cavities from drinking too much soda.

The possible vitamin shots a person might get when older because their stomach was ruined by the extra acid that they got when drinking soda.

The point being that soda = bad health, but my child understood that soda = shots. He had no comprehension about bad health. Shots he understood and hates. Maybe other parents can use my soda = shots idea. It worked!

Vaccinating Children

Hooray! The Giants are one game from the superbowl!

Okay now that my team is doing well, it's time for Amanda to Scribble.

Health care today is dependant on shots. There are people right now not vaccinating their children. That is scary to me.

Vaccines help prevent disease. There were some terrible diseases. Some deadly. Researchers worked hard to find a way to prevent disease. And to not vaccinate a child, that is scary.

If you are afraid that your infant will get a disease from the vaccination, then just wait until the child is older to get the shots. That is the logical solution to infant vaccinations.

What is going to happen when the person you are raising becomes an adult? That person will have to go out and get the shots, if they want to leave the country. You are placing the responsibility for their vaccination on their shoulders.

I think this debate will continue. Getting vaccinated is necessary to prevent disease. I know my children are getting vaccinated.

Tomorrow, revisiting my idea that soda = shots!

Britney Spears and PTSD

Britney Spears is a media figure. This is a woman who is dealing with having the responsibility of becoming an adult and bread winner for her family at a very young age. She has had a very bad break up with a man who was not her equal financially. Plus she has to deal with the added stress of the media and bloggers, like myself, speculating on her mental state.

What Dr. Phil did was interesting to watch but I don't think he was beneficial with helping out Britney. He caused more stress on her during a time of high stress.

I am not a psychologist or therapist but I do have my two cents to put in, I think Britney is not bi-polar but I do think she might be suffering a condition called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

At a young age she had adult stress on her shoulders. She had and wanted to take on adult responsibility while her young mind was developing. This has caused the back lash and substance abuse problems she seems to be exhibiting. Britney does not need rehab or in-patient treatment for this disorder, but she does need support of a trained therapist.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder has only been studied for high stress crimes and war situations. It has not been studied in children of child abuse or for children in the entertainment industry. Nor has it been looked at for children who are forced to take responsibility before they are emotionally ready. (And I don't mean the child who is 21 or older but the child who is 9 or 10)

Stress affects each person differently. Some live for it, others don't. I think this should be a field looked into by experts. And Britney Spears could gain perspective if someone looks into this. I hope she has a better life.

The NEWS

I am an avid new junkie. I love watching, reading, writing and talking about the news. Most of what I know of the world comes from hard working journalists.

My problem is that an issue comes up, Like Hillary reorganizing her campaign or Bill Richardson is leaving the race. Last night on MSNBC a reporter reported that the AP article was being denied by the Richardson campaign. Or seeing Dan Abrams point out a reporter on FOX news had made up campaign changes in the Hillary campaign proving the reporter was making up the story by the end of the segment.

News is for reporting. Columnists, editorial pages and bloggers can put opinion in the news. When a journalist places editorial comments in the reports it cheapens the information.

I want to trust what I see and read. They are professionals and they have more resources than the public on getting, researching and reporting. So why make up news?

It seems unhealthy that the news industry is acting in interests that are not just reporting the facts.

Richardson Will Be Missed

This might not be true-AP: Richardson to end presidential bid-NEDRA PICKLER a.p. wrote the article I was responding too.

This was my response to what I read-

Bill Richardson- A democratic presidential candidate is leaving the presidential race, according to a report I just read on the Yahoo main page.

This man will be missed. He had solid ideas on getting out of Iraq that I hope the front runners listen too. I admired this man.

I hope he is a contender for vice-president.

I am waiting for what happens.

Hillary won New Hampshire

My candidate won the Iowa Caucus, I am very happy!  She did a great Job!  Her health care plan is the best for veteran's.  I read it on her web-site www.hillaryclinton.com and that is why I started supporting her all those months ago.

Hillary Clinton will be a great first female president!

That is about it for this morning.  Back on topic tomorrow!

Nutrition prevents medical Visits

Health care and Nutrition.  In the American health care tradition, the doctor's only treat when someone has a complaint. Most of the complaints that patients have could be solved by having good nutrition.

Doctor's know this.  But they still don't really talk to patience about proper eating.  The Doctor's do tell patients to loose weight, by eating less and exercising more but they don't tell you what kinds of foods to place in the body.

Why?

Without socialized medicine the consumer buys their health care.  Having sick and malnourished patients creates the medical industry.  What I am saying is that, it creates jobs.

That is why there is huge lobby in Washington trying to prevent Universal Health Care for the American Public.  The medical system we have is a revolving door of money.  And y0u are paying for it.

Most Americans today are overweight and malnourished.  The American Diet even with the fortification of nutrients is still lacking in certain vitamins.  But to find this out, if an American wants to know, we get sent to a specialist from our general practitioner.  We have pay more to find out how to get healthy and use preventative measures to stay healthy.

This country needs Universal Health Care.  Then it becomes every body's responsibility for every body's health care.  Then we are paying for us.  Then the Doctor's, which still will be paid handsomely, would switch methods of care from prescription every time there is a complaint, to working with patients.  Maybe we can fight the epidemic of malnutrition in our country because Doctors care.

After watching American BBC, I have learned socialized medicine is not scary for the public, it is only scary to the Medical Industry.

But for now, good Nutrition prevents medical visits.