8 Pigeons? I'll Check the Regs...

I love urban legends:  The one about the killer calling the babysitter from inside the house, or the acne that turned out to be a quivering pod of spider eggs.  You know, all those.

But my favorite is the one about how you can cause pigeons and seagulls to explode by giving them Alka-Seltzer.  I’m serious.  EXPLODE.

This myth is cool for the science-fair, medico-extravagance of it.  But I also harbor a fairly pathological grudge against seagulls.  Sure, their winsome cry carrying on the breeze hearlds the nearness of the endless sea.  Thousands of poems and stories and paintings concern themselves with these ocean-going fowl.  But I lost all romance toward the seagull when a GIANT group of them ate an entire bag – including the bag – of Chips A’hoy cookies while my buddy and I were surfing once.  I’m STILL looking forward to eating those cookies, and that was 8 years ago.

Why do they explode?  Apparently, birds have a one-way alimentary tract, which means they can’t burp.  Give them something effervescent, all that gas has nowhere to go aaaaand – POW! Alice, straight to the moon.

You can understand, then, why my favorite patient currently is a guy who actually tested this one-way-no-burp-POW! theory.  For all my grudges against the birds, I’m still too much of a softy to actually blow them up.

Not Jake, though.  He went for it.  And still doesn’t feel bad about it.

He went with pigeons – same class as seagulls, if I was the ornithologist in charge – and trying out the theory got him kicked out of the Army.  ’Course, he tried it on 8 birds at the same time.  After he stuffed them into his commanding officer’s new Chevy Tahoe.

“So, it really works, then?  They blow up?”

“Yeah, it works.”  He said, looking bored and chewing on a cuticle as I nearly wept with laughter.

“They ALL exploded in your commander’s car?”

 

Uugggh, did you eat a bunch of those little white crackers too?

Suddenly he perked up, eyes sharp and intelligent, “Nah, not all of ‘em.  Some just shit all over the place.”

Imagining his commander’s reaction the next morning after finding the most colossal mess of all time, just brightens my day every time I think about it.

 

By some miracle, this guy got away with his life after that episode.  More miraculously, after getting CHAPTERED out of the military (basically a court-martial without the court or jail), he got back into the Army just a few years later. “On a wavier for bi-polar disorder, in remission.”  He said with a wicked smirk.  ”Needed a paycheck.”

I can only imagine the ever-positive recruiter.  ”Oh, well, 8 pigeons?  Only 8?  I’ll check the regs…there’s probably nothing in there that expressly forbids entry into the military for blowing up birds.  No problem, man.  I’m sure we’re good.  Now, I can’t promise you a bonus, you understand..”

Now he’s on his way back out of the military, via my unit.  He’s wry, filled with black, intelligent wit and flat-out hates authority.  I’m not sure I’d call this a mental disorder… but in the Army, a guy like this is nothin’ but stark-raving nuts.

Of course, once he gets bored…he’ll be back.

 

POOF!

 

 

Form of Mercury in Older Dental Fillings Unlikely to be Toxic

Safety of Mercury-containing fillings Introduction

University of Saskatchewan research team found that surface forms of mercury in older “silver” fillings (also known as amalgams) may be less toxic than previously thought. But due to the significant mercury loss over time, human exposure to mercury lost from fillings is “still of concern” and that further research is needed to determine when, how and in what form mercury is lost from fillings.  Despite the fact that their finding is far from conclusive, we still should have our old fillings checked during our routine visits (at least once every 6  months) to our dentist.

Dental Amalgam ( Mercury) Fillings may be less toxic than previously thought.

by Graham George, B.Sc., D.Phil., et.al

Amid the on-going controversy over the safety of mercury-containing dental fillings, a University of Saskatchewan research team has shed new light on how the chemical forms of mercury at the surface of fillings change over time.

Their work, just published in the American Chemical Society journal Chemical Research in Toxicology, shows that the surface forms of mercury in older “silver” fillings (also known as amalgams) may be less toxic than previously thought.

“The dental amalgam on the surface of an old tooth filling may have lost as much as 95 per cent of its mercury but what’s left is in a form that is unlikely to be toxic in the body,” said U of S Canada Research Chair Graham George who led the study.

But the team cautions that due to the significant mercury loss over time, human exposure to mercury lost from fillings is “still of concern” and that further research is needed to determine when, how and in what form mercury is lost from fillings.

Mercury-based fillings have been used by dentists to repair teeth for well over a century. But in recent decades, their use has become controversial due to concerns about exposure to potentially toxic mercury.

“Mercury can potentially exist in several different chemical forms, each with a different toxicity,” said George. “Prior to our work, little was known about how the chemical forms of mercury in dental amalgam might change over time.”

The team used a special X-ray technique at the Stanford Sychrotron Radiation Lightsource to probe the amount and chemical nature of mercury at the surface of both freshly prepared metal fillings and aged fillings (about 20 years old) obtained from the U of S dental clinic’s tooth bank.

While the fresh fillings contained metallic mercury, which can be toxic, aged fillings contained a form of mercury called beta-mercuric sulfide or metacinnabar which is unlikely to be toxic in the body. For this reason, grinding or polishing during dental cleaning is unlikely to cause any toxic effects.

But of potential greater concern is the nature of the surface mercury lost from fillings. This may be due to evaporation (with subsequent inhalation and leaching of mercury into saliva), exposure to some kinds of dental hygiene products such as those containing peroxides, exposure to certain sulphur-containing foods (such as onion and garlic or coffee), or other factors.

“Possibly this missing mercury is in the less toxic form of mercury (metacinnabar) abraded from the surface of the filling. Or alternatively, it may be mercury lost prior to formation of the metacinnabar through various types of exposures,” said George.

In North America, the traditional view is that the advantages of mercury-containing amalgam outweigh any possible health risks, and for this reason, mercury-containing dental amalgams are still widely used.

Other members of the team include Satya Singh, Jay Hoover, and Canada Research Chair Ingrid Pickering. This project was supported by a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Conclusion

Because of its durability, dental amalgam (mercury based) are still widely used in North America and other developed countries. With new types of tooth colored fillings, most dentists are gradually phasing out its use. In the case of Dr Kamsiah, she has never used dental amalgam for fillings in her private practice (since 1997).  This is a matter of her personal choice to ensure that her patients are not exposed to unnecessary health risks.

No More Tonsilloliths

Many people have suffered from tonsil stones also known as tonsilloliths but are not aware of the cause of this annoying condition. A lot of the time the cause of tonsil stones is undigested food which has become lodged among the tonsils. This is the reason why experts advise to maintain a proper hygiene if you have tonsil stones. Particles of bacteria, mucous and white blood cells then surround the undigested food. The body then sees this particle of food as a foreign object and tries to remove it. This causes the small white stones that are found at the back of the mouth.

Problems which could be caused by these tonsil stones include ear aches, bad breath, irritation of the throat, bad taste in the mouth, coughing and white tongue. If you have been suffering from any of these complaints you may have tonsil stones. If you consult your doctor, he can tell you whether or not you have an infection or whether you are in fact suffering from tonsil stones. Now you are aware of the main problem which causes tonsil stones.

If you do have tonsil stones, your next issue is how to get rid of them. There are many methods that may temporarily get rid of the stones but which will not get rid of the problem. However, there is a natural way to completely get rid of the tonsil stones and the cause. This method has already been tested by a huge number of people. For more information visit the website above. I think this article will provide you with enough information on tonsil stones. I hope you will get rid of the problem soon.

Obesity responsible for 100,000 cancer cases annually-CNN

And fast/junk/convenience/comfort foods are the main reasons for obesity.
Avoidence of irregular eating habits, eating snacks whenver one feels like are other major causes of obesity.
Why can’t we avoid it?
Story:
CNN) — More than 100,000 cases of cancer each year are caused by excess body fat, according to a report released Thursday in Washington.

Researchers with the American Institute for Cancer Research looked at seven cancers with known links to obesity and calculated actual case counts that were likely to have been caused by obesity.

Specifically, the report says that 49 percent of endometrial cancers are caused by excess body fat. That number is followed by 35 percent of esophageal cancer cases; 28 percent of pancreatic cancer cases; 24 percent of kidney cancer cases; 21 percent of gallbladder cancer cases; 17 percent of breast cancer cases; and 9 percent of colorectal cancer cases.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/11/05/obesity.cancer.link/index.html

The English Sweate

“In this same yere a newe kynde of sicknes came sodenly through the whole region euen after the first entryng of the kyng into this Isle, which was so sore, so peynfull, & sharp that the lyke was neuer harde of, to any manes remembrance before that tyme”

—Hall’s Chronicle, Edward Hall, 1542

It feels like new diseases are a modern scourge, what with HIV successfully crossing over to humans from chimps in the early 20th century, Ebola from bats in the 1970s, and SARS from civets in the early 21st. If you want more of them then there’s also less well-known newcomers like Nipah virus and once-famous but now nearly forgotten ones like Legionnaires’ Disease. But while it might be true that new diseases are getting more common, they’re not a new phenomenon. The Roman Empire suffered the Antonine Plague, which was likely the first major appearance of smallpox, while a few hundred years later the Byzantine Empire barely withstood the Plague of Justinian: the first pandemic of bubonic plague, one that was only ever matched by the famous Black Death of the 14th century.

What made the difference in many of these cases was a decrease in travel times. AIDS, for example, only got going once there was quick and common travel between central Africa and the rest of the world. There were multiple cases of the disease back into the 1950s, but the necessary integration between the source and destination for a true outbreak didn’t really happen until the late 1970s—and fortunately so, as the genetic science and technology necessary to understand, fight, and eventually control a retroviral disease was only developed at that time. It doesn’t bear thinking what would have happened if AIDS had taken flight in 1959.

The older “new plagues” got themselves going for similar reasons. Modern outbreaks are depending more and more on fast, technological travel like airplanes, but easy travel in the past could sometimes come for political reasons. The Antonine Plague likely came from the far upstream regions of the Nile, and could do so because the Roman Empire had pacified Egypt and made it part of a lage peaceful state with good roads.  The Plague of Justinian may have happened when it did, in the sixth century, because the Yersinia pestis bacteria had a permanent hold in Hunan Province and the sixth century was not long after the chaotic Sixteen Kingdoms period ended. China was finally integrated into Asia as a whole, driven by new state support of India’s exported Buddhism and subsequent contacts between the two regions. The bubonic plague just came along for the ride.

It also helps if there’s some unrest in the context of the larger peace. To continue with the Plague of Justinian, China may have become part of the larger world, but it was also subdivided between the Northern and Southern Dynasties until 589 AD, and they warred more or less constantly. Poor harvests and population displacement make societies less able to withstand disease, which ultimately might help to explain one of the more mysterious outbreaks of new disease in in history.

In 1485, England was at the tail end of a vicious series of civil wars, the Wars of the Roses. There had been more than a decade of peace under Edward IV, but the notorious Richard III had come to power and Henry Tudor was on the verge of overthrowing him at the Battle of Bosworth. Henry had landed with his army with Milford Haven and at the same place and same time a new disease broke out and started following him. The new king had literally just arrived in London and established himself firmly when the English Sweate did the same. By the end of October, several thousand Londoners were dead, and the disease had spread to the countryside.

The Sweating Sickness became a source of particular dread, at least among the upper class, because unlike many other diseases it affected the well-fed and relatively clean nobility just as badly as the yeomanry. The fratricidal conflict of York and Lancaster had left the English nobility thin on the ground already, but the new plague took more still over the next few decades. Even worse, it came on and killed extremely quickly, to the point that its victims are often described as “merry about diner and dedde at supper”. When it struck, the patient would at first feel a sense of apprehension and chills which would quickly turn into a very high fever, heart palpitations, and the eponymous sweating. As the fever continued he would be struck with lethargy and a desire to sleep, and the consensus at the time was that if he gave in he wouldn’t wake up.

The first bout of the sickness disappeared that winter, and Henry Tudor settled in as Henry VII of England. But despite the traditional end of the Wars of the Roses, England continued to be quite tumultuous during and after Henry’s reign—there was the attempt to put Lambert Simnel on the throne in 1487, then Perkin Warbeck’s rebellion in 1491. Henry VIII’s time brought a Scottish invasion in 1513 and the Pilgrimage of Grace uprising in 1536.

During it all, the English Sweate kept burning through England (it hopped to the continent only once, in 1528), returning in 1507, 1517, 1528, and 1551, always in the summer. In between these recurrences there would be sporadic cases, and one of these may have carried off the disease’s most politically important victim: Arthur, the eldest son of Henry VII and so heir to the throne of England. In his absence Arthur’s younger brother became Henry VIII, who married Arthur’s widow Catherine of Aragon with all the consequences that would eventually have for English and European history.

Then after 1551 the Sweating Sickness vanished, with only a few isolated cases between then and 1578, and none at all after that. The final outbreak gave us our best description of the disease, as physician John Kay (AKA Dr. Caius, the inspiration for the character of the same name in The Merry Wives of Windsor) wrote down his own analysis of the plague in A Boke or Counseill Against the Disease Commonly Called the Sweate, or Sweatyng Sicknesse. Another contemporary description of note is, Edward Hall’s Chronicle is quoted in part at the top of this article. These and other similar descriptions are virtually the only clues we have as to what caused the sickness.

Even so, the identity of the English Sweate has been a topic of considerable speculation. Some start from a similar disease, usually called the Picardy Sweat, which showed up across the English Channel in the 18th and 19th centuries. The appearance of northern France in the equation is suggestive, as Henry VI had invaded from there and there’s a close connection between his army and the establishment of the disease in England. On the other hand the Picardy Sweat’s alternative name, the now-obsolete miliary fever, suggests otherwise: “miliary” is just a Latinate description of the tiny pimples which would break out on the skin of victims. Caius’ rather complete description of the English Sweate makes no mention of eruptions.

The current best guess is that the Sweating Sickness might have been caused by a hantavirus which lurked unnoticed in the rodent population of England, and which made an appearance in the 16th century because of the unsettled political and military situation, or unusual weather, or simple evolution of a new strain. If so, it’s extinct: as of 2009 there are no known hantaviruses in the UK. The theory that the English Sweate was caused by one stems instead from the similarity between John Caius’ description of it and another new “mystery disease”, the outbreak of Hantavirus Cardiopulmonary Syndrome in the Four Corners region of the United States in 1993.

<< Previous Entry: The Empire of the Calabash

HIN1, you have a chance.

Argh. I debated writing this post. It seems too personal to write but, thats what I do, I write. I’m the Joan of Arc of writers and I think to become a better writer, you need to exploit yourself.

So, I’m not going to explain it in detail, but I will let it out there.

Since last spring, I found a new doctor. She is wonderful. My first meeting with her, she signed me up for tons of blood tests. I went.

I get a phone call. My iron is low. Nothing major, just a quick prescription for iron pills, and I’m on my way. She asks for continued blood tests (weekly) so she can check it. I faithfully go.

She writes me a quick letter within two weeks- stop taking the iron pills, your back to normal.

I stop, I continue to go see her and other professionals who I’ve met along the way.  I go in for a physical and she reviews all my blood work. She says I have blood in my urine and to go get that checked out. While shes at it, it couldn’t hurt to re-check my iron, right? Sure. I go.

Then, I start feeling really sick and lethargic. I’m sleeping 24/7. Here is an example of how bad my sleeping became.

My sister calls me, I ignore the call. She calls my moms (where I’m staying), I ignore the call. She calls both lines again. I ignore. Finally, she leaves a voice message of her crying. I ignore it. She calls my cell again. I’m pissed and wide awake. I answer, snap at her that I’m trying to fucking sleep. She explains Ty. might have swine flu and the school called. I say I can’t go, I’m sleeping.

I know. Awful Auntie. I wasn’t even awake for the call. Had I been actually functioning, I would have been there instantly. Anyone who knows me knows how much that little boy means to me.

So- I finally go to the Dr. They do a throat swab and send me on my way, assuming its mono and judging from the fever I had mid-october, the worst has occurred and I just need to rest to get over it.

They call and confirm the mono. I continue sleeping ridiculous amounts. They warn me of side pains and to go straight to emergency if it occurs. This would be the mono-spleen thing.

I get sidepains. I google it- sidepains from spleen issues are on your left side. Mine are on my right. I go to the Dr yesterday.

As I’m waiting for my Dr.- the nurse wanders in, “Oh, the results are in, the Dr. will explain them during your visit to help you save time.” Doctor comes in. It never was mono. My levels of iron are drastically low. Normal is a 12- I’m at a two. Apparently, my body is shutting down to fight it. My body is basically starved for oxygen and my immune levels are out for the count.

He explains that this is so severe, if it becomes any worse, I’m hospitalized. The yellow skin? Anemia. Has my body been bleeding? Yes, I’ve had my share of bleeding. Apparently, someone my size, it’s a dangerous level to lose.

I’m back on the iron pills. They have me on an extremely high dosage. I’m on vitamin D + B12 (I was low on those too) as well as my asthma inhalers. I’m still on my “Audge is happy” pills. I’m so tired of pills. I’m so tired of being tired. I’m freezing cold all the time, I hate it.

F. Spanky laughed when he saw my iron pill container: WARNING: MAY CAUSE URINE AND FECE DISCOLORATION. My last text message to him was, “Thanks F. Spanky” His reply? > “No problem Audrey the colored feces girl.” (and yes, I did reply with, “MY SHIT IS GREEN LIKE A GOBLIN!”)

 My mom suggested birth control again?

Fuck that. I’d rather stay single and lonely, and have  no love!

 I feel like a fricken pez dispenser.

Gara LaMarche--Videos

Deepak Bhargava Introduces USAction Awardee Gara LaMarche

Gara LaMarche Accepts Progressive Leadership Award

Atlantic’s Commitment to Social Justice

Gara LaMarche (13 May 2009)

Gara LaMarche Speech

LaMarche Speech Part2

Gara LaMarche on The New Press

Gara LaMarche speaks about the Alliance for Justice

ServiceNation: The Wisdom of Experience

http://fora.tv/2008/09/12/ServiceNation_The_Wisdom_of_Experience

 

 

Background Articles and Videos Visitor logs: Knock, knock, knockin’ on Barry’s door By Michelle Malkin 

“…*PHILIP GARA LAMARCHE. Another far Leftist philanthropist with repeat access to the White House, he’s listed nine times (two under “Gara LaMarche” and seven under “Philip G LaMarche.” LaMarche is President and CEO of The Atlantic Philanthropies. As I reported in June, LaMarche is a George Soros acolyte whose charity pitched in $10 million to help fund the astroturf Health Care Action Now group. LaMarche met with Valerie Jarrett for hours-long meetings on two disclosed occasions. Last year, LaMarche’s group donated $18 million to a Chicago charity headed by Jarrett. …”

http://michellemalkin.com/2009/11/02/visitor-logs-knock-knock-knockin-on-barrys-door/

Biography of Philop Gara LaMarche

“…Gara LaMarche is President and CEO of The Atlantic Philanthropies. He joined Atlantic in April 2007 to lead the organization through its final chapter as the foundation disburses its remaining $4 billion endowment and completes active grantmaking by 2016. Before joining Atlantic, LaMarche served as Vice President and Director of U.S. Programs for the Open Society Institute (OSI), a foundation established by philanthropist George Soros. LaMarche joined OSI in 1996 to launch its U.S. Programs, which focuses on challenges to social justice and democracy. LaMarche previously served as Associate Director of Human Rights Watch and Director of its Free Expression Project from 1990 to 1996. He was Director of the Freedom-to-Write Program of the PENAmericanCenter from 1988 to 1990, when PEN played a leading role in campaigns to lift Iran’s fatwa against Salman Rushdie and challenged restrictions on arts funding in the United States. He served in a variety of positions with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), with which he first became associated at age 18 as a member of its national Academic Freedom Committee. He was the Associate Director of the ACLU’s New York branch from 1979 to 1984 and the Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas from 1984 to 1988. At the Texas ACLU, he led campaigns to provide adequate representation for death row inmates and oppose discriminatory treatment of persons with AIDS in the early days of the epidemic. LaMarche is the author of numerous articles on human rights and social justice issues. He teaches a course in philanthropy and public policy at New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service, and was an adjunct professor at New School University and The John Jay College of Criminal Justice. LaMarche serves on the boards of PEN AmericanCenter and The White House Project, as a member of the selection committee for the Sundance Documentary Fund, and on the Leadership Council of Hispanics in Philanthropy. A Westerly, R.I. native, LaMarche graduated from Columbia College in New York. …”

http://fora.tv/speaker/5922/Gara-LaMarche

Affordable Health Care for All Is Within Grasp Now – If We All Rise to the Moment

“…But with the spotlight on the public option, which is a key element of reform but far from the only one, many have lost sight of the need to make sure insurance for those who don’t have it is truly affordable, and that the benefits offered are adequate. If all Americans will now be required to have health insurance, as most states require car insurance, the price must be well within reach, with strong subsidies for the less well-off, whose household income is at least four times the federal poverty level. In addition, these families must begin to see benefits soon, as economic hard times are causing pain now, not in the distant future.

In the weeks ahead, all of us who support quality, affordable health care for everyone need to make our voices heard in the political process – not by the kind of shouting or disruption which captured attention last month, but by passion channeled into arguments that strengthen reform as much as possible and give political leaders the strength they need to stand up to powerful interests. Go to HCAN’s website, where you’ll find up-to-the-minute information about where the process stands, who needs to hear from you, and what critical decisions about affordability, access and competition require more advocacy.

The next time I write about health care, I hope it is accompanied by a photograph of the President signing a bill that will take its place with other landmark social welfare advances like Social Security and Medicare. Working together and staying the course in the coming weeks, we can make that wish come true.”

http://atlanticphilanthropies.org/about/atlantic_currents

Gara LaMarche The Crisis of Democracy in America Gara LaMarche

“…Progressive institutions and alternative policies and messages need to be built and nurtured. That must and will be done, with our involvement. But we must also build and nurture institutions that are not progressive or conservative, but independent—capable of resisting extremism and counteracting the polarization that is deepening in American society.

In many ways, the Open Society Institute and its grantees, and many of our donor colleagues, are dealing with the range of open society threats I discuss above. In some areas we need to step up this work; in others we need to find or help create new initiatives and institutions; in all we need to recognise the integrated nature of the threats and integrate our own responses accordingly.

Here are seven steps we need to take:

• We need to protect the independence of the judiciary as urgently as ever. The key U.S. advocacy groups are in the vanguard of resistance, but at least at the federal level, the situation has become steadily worse. Preserving the filibuster as an option to block the worst judicial nominees is only a first step. We need a longer campaign to monitor judicial appointments, particularly with the balance of the Supreme Court at stake. Such a campaign must involve the civil liberties and pro-choice groups already in the foreground, and also build the broader civil-rights and environmental communities. It must include groups whose social and economic justice agenda is threatened by judges determined to reverse hard-won civil rights and the very underpinnings of social welfare and regulation in the public interest.
• We need a much more intensive campaign—of documentation, media public education and litigation—to challenge the legitimization of torture, which is both a moral abomination on its own terms and deeply corrosive to the culture of law.
• We need to strengthen institutions that monitor the fairness of the media and call them to account for violations of journalistic ethics and standards. We need to strengthen the emerging grassroots movement for media reform: protecting the independence of public broadcasting, monitoring the FCC on ownership rules and other regulatory issues, and supporting legal challenges.
• We need to call attention to the politicization of science, and assist scientists to organize and speak out against the corruption and manipulation of scientific findings.
• We need to recognize that academic freedom and university independence are under increasing attack, and respond by strengthening them.
• We need to organize with colleagues in the field of philanthropy who want to use the special status of our institutions to protect the interests we represent, and to advance broader social-justice issues.
• We need to do more to encourage dialogue and new ideas about the best ways to foster open society. I hope that the Open Society Institute will play a key role in this thinking and development.

This is only the beginning. There is a long way to go. The debate starts here.”

http://www.soros.org/resources/articles_publications/articles/crisis_20050701

“…At The Atlantic Philanthropies we believe that all people should be treated with dignity, respect and fairness. This belief is at the heart of our vision for social justice in the world and especially in the countries in which we are active. We pay particular attention to people and groups who are systematically disadvantaged by social and economic barriers that result in injustice and inequity. We believe that these barriers can be removed by empowering people to engage in advocacy to create a more equitable and just world.

No significant social change has ever taken place without the energy and perseverance of movements and advocates. That is why we support efforts that are led by the people who need change the most. The organisations we support do this hard work day in and day out, and we are privileged to join forces with them in advancing change and promoting social justice.

In keeping with the “Giving While Living” philosophy of our founder, Charles “Chuck” Feeney, we are fully committed to spending our entire endowment and closing the doors of our foundation by 2020. He believes that major problems can be solved sooner and more easily and be prevented from worsening if invested in now. Like our founder, we believe that we must address the urgent social inequities and injustices of our time without delay. …”

Gara LaMarche
President and CEO
The Atlantic Philanthropies

http://atlanticphilanthropies.org/about/ceo_message

The Atlantic Philanthropies

“…At The Atlantic Philanthropies, we are dedicated to bringing about lasting changes in the lives of people who are disadvantaged by their economic situation, race, nationality, gender, age, disabilities, immigration status, sexual orientation, political affiliation or religion.

We make grants through our Ageing, Children & Youth, Population Health and Reconciliation & Human Rights programmes. We are active in Australia, Bermuda, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United States and Viet Nam.

We support lasting change by:

• Addressing the root causes of social injustice
• Focusing on advocacy for change rather than filling gaps in services
• Funding efforts to challenge policies and institutions that systematically exclude or disadvantage people
• Building on the strengths of individuals, organisations, communities and movements to advocate on their own behalf and on behalf of others
• Supporting institutions and investing in leaders who can work for progressive change over decades
• Working in partnership with government, whenever it can advance our goals and those of the organisations we support. …”

http://atlanticphilanthropies.org/about

Gara LaMarche

http://www.muckety.com/Gara-LaMarche/22485.muckety

Keeping Obama’s Campaign “Army” Mobilized as a Force for Change in Peacetime

“…Obama and all those who want to seize the moment for progressive change need these talented and passionate organizers who helped deliver the presidency to stay in the field and work with state and local organizations to deliver the change that Obama promised and they labored for. They would offer a huge boost to local coalitions and organizations, many of which are far less powerful and sophisticated than the Obama campaign.

These organizers are essential to sustaining the passion and engagement of millions of donors and online activists, who can take action in support of the agenda they share with Obama.

Progressives understand that this army needs to be a force for keeping the new administration true to its promises – supporting Obama when it agrees with him, pushing him when he needs to be bolder, and opposing him when they disagree. They did that this summer when thousands of Obama supporters used the campaign Web site to convey their dismay with his support for a Congressional compromise on government surveillance of U.S. citizens under the Foreign Intelligence Services Act. In the tough challenges ahead, this peacetime army can press Obama to stay true to his promises and his supporters.”

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gara-lamarche/keeping-obamas-campaign-a_b_142027.html?show_comment_id=17822212

Organizations Funded Directly by George Soros and his Open Society InstituteBy Discover The Networks
Last Updated February 2009

Organizations that, in recent years, have received direct funding and assistance from George Soros and his Open Society Institute (OSI) include the following. (Comprehensive profiles of each are available in the “Groups” section of DiscoverTheNetworks.org): …”

http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=7476

 About The New Press

“…Established in 1990 as a major alternative to the large, commercial publishers, The New Press is a not-for-profit publishing house operated editorially in the public interest. It is committed to publishing in innovative ways works of educational, cultural, and community value that, despite their intellectual merits, may be deemed insufficiently profitable by commercial publishers. Like the Public Broadcasting System and National Public Radio as they were originally conceived, The New Press aims to provide ideas and viewpoints under-represented in the mass media.

Since publishing its first book in 1992, The New Press has been widely hailed as a leading trade publisher. Booksellers, educators, critics and readers have extensively praised the New Press’s books, and they have been the recipients of numerous awards. The Press itself has been featured in publications from the New York Times, The Nation, Education Week and the Christian Science Monitor to The Guardian (UK), Toronto Globe and Mail (Canada), Le Monde (France), and many other international media.

Underlying The Press’s editorial program are three aims: to broaden the audience for serious intellectual work, especially by reaching out to audiences intellectually red-lined by commercial publishers; to bring out the work of traditionally underrepresented voices; and to address the problems of a society in transition, highlighting attempts at reform and innovation in a wide range of fields. …”

http://www.thenewpress.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1&Itemid=6

“…Alliance For Justice

• Systematically opposes Republican judicial nominees
• Anti-Patriot Act

Founded in 1979 by Nan Aron, Alliance For Justice (AFJ) describes itself as “a national association of environmental, civil rights, mental health, women’s, children’s and consumer advocacy organizations.” Among AFJ’s 74 member groups are the Children’s Defense Fund; the Center for Reproductive Rights; the Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund; the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund; the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund; the National Abortion Federation; the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL); the National Immigration Forum; the National Council for Research on Women; the National Lawyers Guild; the National Immigration Law Center; the National Organization for Women Legal Defense and Education Fund; the Natural Resources Defense Council; the National Women’s Law Center; Physicians for Human Rights; the Planned Parenthood Federation of America; the Sierra Club Foundation; the Tides Center; and the Wilderness Society.

AFJ’s major programs include:

Judicial Selection Project: “monitors and investigates judicial nominations at all levels of the federal branch, and encourages public participation in the confirmation process”

Independent Judiciary Program: “raise[s] public awareness about the significant impact the federal judiciary has on the country.”

Nonprofit Advocacy Project: “assists nonprofit organizations … through technical assistance, workshops, and a wealth of tools and information”

Foundation Advocacy Initiative: This project strives ”to increase foundation support to organizations that seek to influence policy and public opinion.”

Student Action Campaign: When the new Supreme Court session opens each October, this program “unites student activists on college, university, and law school campuses nationwide to fight for social justice.”

Access to Justice Program: Founded on the premise that the American criminal-justice system is steeped in racism, this program “supports a progressive agenda to protect and improve” that system. 

Operating on a yearly budget of $4.5 million, AFJ has built its reputation most notably on its activism vis a vis the appointment of federal judges. The organization consistently paints Republican nominees as “extremists” whose views range far outside the boundaries of mainstream public opinion. …”

“…AFJ receives financial support from George Soros’s Open Society Institute, the Tides Foundation, the Streisand Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Beldon Fund, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Nathan Cummings Foundation, the JEHT Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Public Welfare Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Scherman Foundation, the Schumann Center for Media and Democracy, the Surdna Foundation, and the Turner Foundation. …”

http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6447

Shot Fired Into Home of Lou Dobbs of CNN!

Immigration Gumballs

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