The DMCA Stranglehold
With the urgent need of music and comedy lovers' action concerning the Internet Radio Equality Bill (HR 2060), right now, it may seem like another mountain to climb to even bring up the need for change in the rules of Internet broadcasting. Before you read further, please visit SaveNetRadio.org to see the current situation, and for help and suggestions when calling your Congressional Representative. By Dianne Lockhart MONTE VISTA, CO-Many people do not know that Internet Radio has been in a chokehold, programming-wise, for years. Here's why. The designers of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act put constraints on Internet radio that regular over-the-air AM and FM stations were excused from. Many people now believe that the motivation behind this is from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), representing the big major labels, to keep Independent artists from overtaking the music industry and their control of the industry. Internet broadcasters are slapped with ludicrous arbitrary rules, such as:
From an Internet broadcaster (username dismuke): I actually have a problem with the very notion of a compulsory license - though I agree completely with what you describe as its benefits and that HR 2060 and NOT the DMCA should be our object of focus right now. |
Is Yellow Journalism Back? With the recent revelation that Reuters used possibly hundreds of doctored photos, with cadavers from morgues as "victims" aimed at making Israel look bad, CNN's one-sided story on the aftermath of that war, CBS's Bob Schieffer giving a platform for the rantings of terrorist-nation leaders, we're left to wonder, are there any large news organizations that tell the "whole truth" anymore? Years ago, the competitive nature of news media outlets led to a phenomenon called yellow journalism- creating sensational headlines and stories that were one-sided and calculated to garner readers. One-sided stories are really editorials, not news. Do large news organizations today have a more sinister motive? Instead of simply gaining new readers, listeners, or viewers, are they trying to sway public opinion? Change the political views of a nation? The world? A news organization that covers only one side of a major news story, and calls it "news", cannot be trusted to give us the truth. Consider this article regarding CNN's coverage of the aftermath of the Middle East War between Israel and Hezbollah: CNN Int'l snubs Israeli civilians Highly unbalanced report mostly ignores plight of Israeli civilians, portrays Israelis as soldiers and politicians in suits, while coverage from Lebanon features in-depth interviews with Lebanese civilians and images of children and ruins; no mention of large number of Israelis displaced from their homes in northern Israel. READ MORE... (Editor's Note: From now on, we recommend you do an internet search, to find other sides of any story, especially if that story can have far-reaching effects on national or world politics. You deserve to know the whole truth.) Lives In The Balance: Should The FDA Be Disbanded? (Editor's Note: An honest FDA researcher was deeply troubled with his findings on the dangers of Vioxx. He gave the report to his bosses at the FDA. According to news reports, the FDA gave the research findings to the drug company, instead of the public- people who were dying or being damaged by the drug. Should the FDA be disbanded or reformed to prohibit drug companies' control and FDA corruption? Vioxx is only the tip of the iceberg. Has this kind of corruption been going on for years?) Senator Calls For Probe Of FDA Conduct (From a CBS News Report) Now, as CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports, documents turned over in some of those cases are providing new glimpses into the relationship between the FDA and Merck – a relationship that critics say was far too cozy. Well before Vioxx was pulled from the market, an FDA senior scientist, Dr. David Graham had flagged its heart issues. Dr. Graham butted heads with his FDA managers in trying to get the word out about Vioxx's risks. "The FDA officials didn't want to allow me to present my work at a scientific conference, but at the same time they wanted to be sure that Merck had a copy of my scientific presentation," Dr. Graham said. "So it's good enough for Merck, but it's not good enough for the American people?" Sen. Chuck Grassley said the FDA and Merck went so far as to conspire together to undercut Dr. Graham's findings. Grassley says handwritten notes from a phone call between an FDA official and a Merck manager indicate that the FDA apparently proposed "an official rebuttal on Graham" and said they were looking for an "opportunity to get the message out on Graham" and "suggests we provide journalists a copy of our critique on Graham." More on this story from CBS News... http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/30/eveningnews/main1847571.shtml Smear Campaign On Doctor Who Exposed Vioxx Dangers (Excerpt from Mother Jones Magazine) In August 2004, Graham told his supervisors that, in light of his research, high-dose prescriptions of the painkiller Vioxx, which appeared to triple heart attack rates, should be banned. They told him to be quiet. Their reasoning was circular: That's not the FDA's position; you work here; it can't be yours. Dr. John Jenkins, the FDA director of new drugs, argued that because Graham's findings didn't replicate the drug's warning label, Graham shouldn't be raising the warning. Another supervisor, Anne Trontrell, called Graham's position "particularly problematic since FDA funded this study." Days after Graham's pronouncement, the agency approved Vioxx for use in children. But Graham was right. The following month, Merck pulled Vioxx from the market after its own research found that the drug, even when taken at low dosages, doubled the risk of heart attack. The announcement provided Graham no vindication. With a scandal on the horizon, the FDA brass now saw him as a danger. They couldn't silence the message, so they tried to take out the messenger. Dr. Steven K. Galson, the acting director of the drug-evaluation division at the FDA, told reporters that Graham's work "constitutes junk science." Then he sent an email to an editor at the prestigious British medical journal The Lancet, questioning the "integrity" of Graham's data—a suspicion that proved baseless. The FDA's acting commissioner, Dr. Lester Crawford, criticized Graham for evading the agency's "long-established peer review and clearance process." Another official made calls to at least one Senate staffer, disparaging Graham personally and professionally. Eventually, he was heard. In November he went before the Senate Finance Committee hearing on Vioxx. Gaunt (he'd lost 12 pounds over three months) but very lucid, Graham took his place before a bank of cameras, wearing his only sport coat, a 20-year-old blue blazer with brass buttons. He explained his conclusion that patients taking high doses of Vioxx were suffering heart attacks. "The estimates range from 88,000 to 139,000 Americans," he said. "Of these, 30 to 40 percent probably died. For the survivors, their lives were changed forever." According to the top end of those projections, the toll Vioxx had already taken was comparable to the number of Americans killed in Vietnam. "The FDA, as currently configured," Graham told the committee, "is incapable of protecting America against another Vioxx. We are virtually defenseless." Read the rest of this story, click this link- http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2005/05/david_graham.html Drug Company Loses Its First Case, Victim's Wife Awarded $253 million (Excerpt from ConsumerAffairs.com) Merck & Co. lost its first Vioxx personal injury case. A Texas jury found the company negligent in the death of Robert Ernst, a 59-year-old triathlete who used Vioxx, awarding the man's widow $24 million in actual damages, plus $229 million in punitive damages, for a total of about $253 million. Read the rest of this story, click this link- http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/vioxx_texas_verdict.html |
To contact Senator Grassley regarding your opinion of this investigation, click this link- http://grassley.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home
Dr. David Graham's testimony regarding the FDA, click this link- http://www.senate.gov/~finance/hearings/testimony/2004test/111804dgtest.pdf
Weapons Of Mass Disfunction Mankind's manner of handling disputes on national levels is nothing short of astonishing. Our ingenuity in warfare is amazing: we now use robot drone planes to fly over hostile territory to scout out enemy positions. We have created state-of-the-art tanks, jets, helicopters, and an endless assortment of small arms capable of breeding all kinds of hate and discontent, bunker-buster and dumb-dumb bombs (the former capable of striking a target with pin-point accuracy, the latter able exert a level of destructive force equal to that of a nuclear explosion), all other manner of guided missiles, not to mention that old standby, the nuclear warhead. The list goes on ad infinitum. When it comes to developing the ways and means of terminating life on a grand scale, humans have got it going on. We are very clever that way...but are we really clever? Basically, every new weapon we conjure up is nothing more than a more efficient spear, slingshot, catapult, and sword. I mean, if we can go to such lengths to resolve our differences with death, why can't our ever-imaginative brains come up with suitable alternatives? Can we think outside of the proverbial box for a moment? Out-of-the-box idea #1: We are also pretty ingenious in the development of mind-altering substances...heck, even slobs with no high school education are capable of brewing up exotic chemicals that can create a whole new reality. I'm thinking that all of the bloodthirsty religious fanatics in the world could really use a large dose of an alternate reality. What would happen if, say, instead of sending missiles to the O.o.t.b. idea #2: Any parent with a music-blasting teenager can tell you about the potential destructive force of sound. Why don't we use that to our advantage? No, I'm not suggesting that we send the kids over there (although that alone might demoralize the enemy into submission), but we can use our teen's methods of causing us anxiety, fear, despair, and suicidal tendencies against the terrorists! Why fight them when we can get them to fight each other? - Hell, kids do that to mom and dad every day! Here's another idea: ever get annoyed when an air horn has been blasted at a concert or sporting event? Well, imagine an air horn that is 20,000 times as large and loud-now that's what I'm talking about! Logic dictates that while one is plugging his ears, he can't use his fingers to squeeze a trigger. O.o.t.b. idea #3: Instead of toxic gas, why don't we simply develop a gas that smells so ghastly that it renders the enemy helpless with projectile vomiting? All we'd have to do then is walk up, pick up the weapons they dropped, and capture them without spilling a drop of blood. While we are on the line of thought of ghastly smells, how difficult would it be to sabotage suicide bombers' bombs with devices that, when they press the button or light the match, only make rude, flatulent noises? What's the worst thing that can come of that?--that people would abstain from flatulence in public places for fear of being labeled a terrorist? That's a good thing! Yep, I think it's a case of not seeing the forest for the trees. We've had the means of ending terrorism at our fingertips the whole time. Using these tactics, American men and women would want to go off to war, just for the hilarity of it. You've guessed it, this column was meant to be silly. That being said, I hope that somewhere out there a seed has begun to germinate, an idea that will usher mankind into a higher state of being. I know that, if we apply enough energy, science, creativity, and plain dumb luck in the right direction, we are capable of creating the most efficient persuasive force of all time- one that doesn't take a single life. © 2006 B. Carter Pittman |
The Anti-smoking campaign created to gain tax money, not health
By Dianne James
If all the passion of the antismoking contingency would be concentrated on eradicating death due to the lethal weapon called the automobile, instead of the mistruths and out and out lies disseminated by hidden agendas to gain a tax base (from the tobacco industry and smokers, easy pickings, who's going to support cigarette smoking publicly, really??) that they perpetuate out of ignorance of facts surrounding the issue. When a lie is told often enough, it strangely becomes known as the truth.
Aggressive driving, tailgating, and speeding, kill more people around the world than smoking EVER did. Get some common sense, and some priorities.
Read about the lies (local anti-tobacco coalitions are really innocent victims, too, as they have been lied to, also, by gross misrepresentations of the facts). When you see a huge push for something, just follow the buck. The buck, in this case, is tax money that can be snatched from, AGAIN, the working people (more blue collar types smoke than the white collars). Yes, smoking is an insidious habit, and it stinks. But aggressive drivers are more insidious, killing thousands every year, and that stinks. Here's how we've all been lied to, by their twisting of just enough truth to make it sound like truth. So, anti-smokers, quit spreading your bald-faced lying "statistics", trying to make them sound like the truth. I'll bet someday they discover that tobacco is actually good for you (they've already discovered that it stops the progression of Alzheimer's, but the anti-smokers tried to discredit that study so that they could continue to propogate their agenda, at the expense of hundreds of thousands who would benefit from further studies in that field.) Besides, we don't need a group of people to save us from ourselves. Admit it. It's not tobacco you don't like. It's independent thinkers you don't like.
Oh, and don't get me wrong, I wish everyone who smokes would quit the habit, just so their life would be better. So, no, I'm not a proponent of smoking, but a defender of constitutional rights. I find it very interesting that the same people who foam at the mouth about smokers would, without a qualm, walk into an abortion clinic and kill a baby if the situation called for it. We've lost our sense of common sense in the U.S. In both cases, the smoker who is denied the freedom to smoke, and the baby that's killed in an abortion, a right to "freedom and the pursuit of happiness" is denied. What we need are wise judges who know how to interpret the constitution as it was originally set forth- not judges who make laws. That's not their job. That's our job, as citizens, in the local and national electoral process.
Please read this and other information from this site, especially if you have a restaurant or hospitality business:
The Facts About Second Hand Smoke
(Independent thinking skills required)
The American anti-smoking crusade has been very successful. There are now more ex-smokers in America as there are smokers. But even after thirty years of constant urging to kick the habit, about a quarter of the population still chooses to smoke.
America was built on a live and let live attitude. We usually let people do what they like, even if they're hurting themselves, as long as they're not hurting anyone else. We only step in if an unwilling bystander is being harmed. This leaves the door open for the Second Hand Smoke (SHS) attack on smokers.
If SHS really is as dangerous as the government, political organizations and charities claim, efforts to prevent it and contain it are justified. But is it? We're bombarded by endless proclamations telling us of its horrors. These claims are usually accompanied by impressive sounding numbers. Are smokers really hurting every stranger in the vicinity? The answer to that question is obvious once you know the facts. Read the facts here...
Care to go for a drive, anyone???
(Editor's Note: I have a solution to the problems of wreckless driving, and road rage... next week you'll see how the requirement for every driver to carry auto insurance is unconstitutional, and how each of us can change the law to get these bad, aggressive drivers off the road. A solution that will work. Check back here next week.)
In 2001, in America, fourteen times more people were killed in automobile accidents than were killed in the September 11th terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.
That’s 42,000 deaths in the USA (1,756 in Australia), and countless injuries, supposedly in the name of the freedom of efficient mobility. And that’s in addition to the property losses, which also far exceeded the cost of September’s terrorist attacks many fold. More...
Speed tied to more deaths: AIADA summary
Speed is killing more people on the nation’s roads than at any time in more than a decade.
One in three fatal wrecks across the country - and more than 13,700 lost lives in 2002 - were a result of a driver either speeding or driving too fast for road conditions, according to a recent report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
That’s the most lost lives because of excessive speed since 1991, even though the percentage of speeding-related fatal accidents has remained fairly constant over the past 14 years.
Speed is killing more people on the nation’s roads than at any time in more than a decade.
One in three fatal wrecks across the country - and more than 13,700 lost lives in 2002 - were a result of a driver either speeding or driving too fast for road conditions, according to a recent report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
That’s the most lost lives because of excessive speed since 1991, even though the percentage of speeding-related fatal accidents has remained fairly constant over the past 14 years.
Some groups say the reason is that there are more cars rolling up more miles on more congested highways.
Others say enforcement of speed limits has been lax.
Local accident records from 2003 and 2004 show:
Speed played a role in 39 percent - or 129 of 327 fatal crashes - in the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky seven-county region during the past two years.
Only Boone and Campbell counties in Northern Kentucky were below the national average at 14 percent (seven of 47) of fatal crashes involving excessive speed.
Speed was a factor in nearly half the fatal accidents in Warren, Hamilton and Clermont counties - 92 of 200, or 46 percent.
Kentucky State Police Sgt. Scott Miller said one reason that only four of Boone County’s 27 fatal wrecks in the past two years involved speeding could be because officers are assigned to highway patrol. The county sheriff has a five-person traffic unit dedicated to the roads, along with the usual city, county and state officers on patrol. That, Miller said, means Boone has a more consistent police presence on the highways than any other county in the region.
"They have a very big police presence there, and I honestly think that plays a factor," he said. "When people see a cop, they slow down."
Officials with the Governors Highway Safety Association would agree. That organization recently released a report saying there isn’t strict enough enforcement of highway speed limits. The group found that 42 states - including Ohio and Kentucky - allow drivers to regularly exceed the limit by granting a "cushion" of 5-10 mph over the limit before writing tickets.
"We are (with speed) where we were 25 years ago with drunk driving," said Jim Champagne, chairman of the group. "There is a serious problem, but we don’t have an effective remedy."
It’s a $40 billion problem - the annual cost of medical care, lost productivity and property damage resulting from all those crashes, according to the NHTSA report.
Speeding is often a byproduct of other factors, like being drunk, young or just being male - all of which increase the likelihood that those drivers will speed, the report says.
Shawna Noble knows all about the consequences of speeding. And she also knows you don’t need to be driving fast on an interstate to have a tragic crash.
Today, Noble, 30, is a Hamilton minister who lectures high school students about the dangers of reckless driving.
In 1991, she was an accident statistic. Returning home with friends after a day of Christmas shopping, Noble went over a set of train tracks in Fairfield Township that kids liked to "jump," meaning they drive fast to try and get their cars airborne. She hit the tracks at about 45 mph - at least that’s where the speedometer stuck after the crash - when the recommended crossing speed was 15 mph.
Noble lost control of the car and crashed into a chain-link fence. A fence pole impaled her, severing her spinal cord before exiting through her back. The same pole went through her friend’s chest in the back seat, killing him.
"Car wrecks are not accidents," she said. "Most are preventable, and kids need to think about the consequences of speeding and driving recklessly."
The number of fatalities in U.S. auto crashes has hovered around 42,000 since the early 1980s, despite the production of safer cars and increased seat-belt use.
Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher created a highway safety task force last year after the number of fatal highway wrecks in the Bluegrass State hit a 30-year high at 964. That number is up from 817 in the year 2000.
One thing the task for is looking at is speed and aggressive driving. It could recommend the state create aggressive driving laws that would feature higher penalties for people who speed in combination with other aggressive driving tactics like changing lanes quickly or tailgating.
"Our speeding-related fatalities are up a little bit (23 percent statewide compared with 19 percent in 2001), but there hasn’t been a huge jump over the past five years," said Boyd Sigler, highway safety director for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. "There are more cars on the roads today, so that probably has something to do with it."
Sgt. Charlie Scales, who works at the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Batavia Township post, said speeding is riskier today because people are allowed to drive faster on interstates since the National Maximum Speed Limit of 55 mph was repealed by Congress in 1995.
That may account for the consistent number of fatalities after many states increased their speed limits.
Both Ohio and Kentucky have 65 mph speed limits on most interstates.
"People who drive 3, 4 or 5 miles per hour over the speed limit are getting their doors blown off," Scales said. "As the speed increases, it’s harder to stay in control of the vehicle during an emergency, injuries increase and there is more of a chance of death."
Ned Sheehy, president of the Kentucky Motor Transport Association, a trucking trade group, said the only speed-related issue his organization has lobbied against is having different speed limits for cars and trucks. Sheehy said trucks being forced to drive more slowly than cars is inherently dangerous because drivers often don’t recognize the speed difference and tend to come up on trucks very quickly.
Noble has faced a long road back to regain feeling and movement in her legs, to stand and to get over the mental anguish of being responsible for the death of a friend, she said.
"I’m a living miracle," she said. "But there has been so much trauma that could have been avoided - in my life, my family’s life, and the lives of my friend’s family."
What Happens When We Tailgate?
When drivers tailgate they significantly reduce their stopping distance-or the distance needed to come to a complete and safe stop. What many drivers don’t realize is that stopping distance is directly proportional to the size and weight of the vehicle. For example, the stopping distance is much longer for a heavy truck than it is for a passenger vehicle, such as a car. In fact, it takes about twice the distance to stop a heavy truck than it does a car.
Other critical driving elements drivers sacrifice when tailgating are perception and reaction times. Perception and reaction times are two separate intervals of time. Perception is the time needed to see and process a roadway hazard, while reaction time is the time needed for a driver’s body to physically react to their brain’s perception. When a driver tailgates they significantly reduce both. According to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation
Officials, it takes alert drivers approximately two seconds to see a roadway hazard and react to it. The more space a driver allows between their vehicle and the vehicle in front of them, the more time they have to see a hazard and react safely.
Add Another Second
A driver’s best defense against becoming involved in a rear-end collision is to create a "safety cushion" by keeping at least two seconds between them and the vehicle in front of them. This allows time for the driver to perceive and react to a roadway hazard, ultimately, avoiding an accident.
For added protection when driving in poor conditions, such as driving at night, in bad weather, in heavy traffic and through roadway construction, drivers should upgrade to four seconds.
Remember to practice safety; don’t learn it by accident. This fact sheet was produced with information from the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety and the Texas Workers’ Compensation Commission.
The Texas Workers’ Compensation Commission has the following safe driving publications available for download from their website at www.twcc.state.tx.us:
<http://www.transport.sa.gov.au/rss/audio_files/Track_tailgating1.mp3>
<http://www.transport.sa.gov.au/rss/audio_files/Track_tailgating2.mp3>
<http://www.transport.sa.gov.au/rss/audio_files/Track_tailgating3.mp3>
The right side-view mirror of an eastbound Isuzu flatbed truck, which stuck out 18 inches, struck Casciani in the back of the head, Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano has said. The driver, Matt Miller, 44, of Lamy, told police a car was tailgating him... <http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/1071.html>
For instance, tailgating and not using safety belts are misjudgments teens make more than older drivers...
<http://www.drivehomesafe.com/teen_driving_fatality_information_start_page.htm>
Driven to madness
From L.A. to Greece to Australia, roadway aggression just keeps growing. And with no relief in sight, calm and caution are the best defense.
THOUGH Los Angeles has had more than two dozen freeway shootings and four deaths tied to either road rage or gang violence in recent months, roadway violence is not confined to congested California freeways. It is shattering lives across the country and around the world.
In a recent survey of U.S. drivers, 47% of those polled said they had experienced aggressive and/or threatening driving behavior by another motorist in the last 12 months. The incidents included verbal abuse and/or rude gestures from other drivers, according to the survey by Global Motoresearch Practice of Synovate.
That dovetails with a 2004 survey by Farmers Insurance Group, which found that more than 10% of drivers admit they have cut off or have wanted to force other motorists off the road. Of the 1,001 drivers surveyed, 37 respondents said they had carried a weapon in case they had a confrontation with a driver. Twenty-four of those surveyed admitted they had gotten into a fistfight with another driver.
Overseas, foreign drivers reported even higher incidents of aggressive or threatening behaviors on the road, according to Synovate Chief Executive Scott Miller. In Greece and South Africa, 53% and 67% of respondents, respectively, said they had encountered problems with aggressive drivers and threatening behavior.
Recent incidents are both unsettling and widespread. In Brockton, Mass., earlier this month, an angry driver shot a man in the head several times, leaving the victim's 10-month-old girl covered in blood. The suspect, a former security guard, told police he'd exchanged words with the victim over a traffic dispute.
On Aug. 3, a mother and son in Boston were gunned down in their vehicle when the alleged assailant began chasing them after a roadway encounter. The woman, 55, was shot in the shoulder, and her 17-year-old son was punched in the face and shot in the back. Both survived the attack. More...
(Editor's note: Ditto. Just ditto.)
Who warns you about post-parting depression? It's the final scene of the second act when your last child walks out the door leaving behind a room full of clothes they'll never wear again and albums they'll look at in another decade or so. More...
"A mightier power and stronger Man from his throne has hurled, For the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world." -W.R.Wallace, 1865 Editorial Commentary From the cradle to jihad- how does life get to this point? By Dianne James By all accounts, the student from Colorado Springs Joel Henry Hinrichs III had everything to live for, a well-to-do family (his father Joel Henry Hinrichs, Jr, a brilliant engineer himself), a college education at his fingertips, and he was from the beautiful mountains of Colorado, where God is so apparent in the landscape you'd have to be blind not to see Him. So how does a sweet little baby grow up to even remotely consider the teachings of terrorists? Is it unresolved anger issues? Lack of love? Being 'given' too much as a child? Not enough attention? No personal faith in God? The onion continues to be peeled by the major news media, but one thing's becoming more clear to me as time goes on-people should have to take classes on how to be a good parent before they become a parent. All of us could benefit from that. Being a good provider alone, without the emotional fortification (one-on-one attention and time spent with the child) a child needs, is like running your car with plenty of gas, but no oil. Hinrichs parents may have been model mom-and-dad-of-the year types, but, news reports said they were involved in a divorce- it is another symptom of the demise of the family unit. Being a parent supercedes all other jobs on this planet; it is the most important job on earth. Our society sees the "stay-at-home-mom" as something intellectually inferior to career-driven parents. In my opinion, the "stay-at-home-mom" and the husband that nurtures her, are the true heroes of our society. They've learned that you can live with less and be happy. As the family crumbles, so does our nation. Oklahoma bomber had jihad material An Oklahoma University student who killed himself by detonating a bomb strapped to his body outside a packed stadium over the weekend was a "suicide bomber" in possession of "Islamic jihad" materials, according to a new report. More... Oklahoma U bomber had huge explosive stash Local and federal agents were carting away what was described as a huge cache of explosives from the apartment of the 21-year-old student who blew himself up outside the stadium where 84,000 watched a Sooners football game. More... Student from Springs dies in OK stadium bombing Authorities have identified a University of Oklahoma student, from Colorado Springs, as the person who was killed in an explosion near a packed football stadium. More from the CHIEFTAIN Related story KRDO OU bomber tried to buy ammonium nitrate The student who blew himself up outside a packed Oklahoma University football stadium Saturday night tried to buy large quantities of ammonium nitrate - a key ingredient in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing - the week before, according to a new report. More... How they train children to hate: What caused Walid Shoebat a former suicide bomber, to change his life for love? Click here and scroll down page to Walid Shoebat interview- Watch an interview with him and be prepared to be shocked by plans of Islamic terrorists... http://www.sidroth.org/tvbroadcasts.htm |
is is university research, folks...
By Dianne James
I've actually never heard anyone talk about this, so it's up to me to break the news to the world about this phenomenon. It can be a monumental problem, if you don't know about it, understand it, and adhere to its rule. "It" is, and I believe I've aptly named it, Sentencia Interruptus, or commonly known (or soon will be) as the Texas Pause. Problems can arise in communications between husbands and wives, employers and their employees, teachers and students, and others, if one of the parties is unaware of this regional dialectic/linguistic idiosyncracy.
You've heard of never being able to get a word in edge-wise? This is similar, except untold paragraphs and unexpressed thoughts are now floating out in the universe, never to be heard from again- all because of the Texas Pause. How does this happen? Typically native Texans possess a speech pattern in which they will express a thought, pause for 3 or 4 seconds (sometimes longer) mentally preparing their concluding thought (we like to plan our conclusions for maximum effect.) Unfortunately, the other person in the conversation will jump in and start talking before the first person is finished. I know you'd never be guilty of thinking ahead about what you're going to say, instead of listening, but that's not the only problematic thing about this.
There are thousands of frustrated Texans who had profound things with which to conclude, who never had the chance, because someone else barged in, unaware of the Texas Pause. Can you imagine what brilliant ideas we, as a society, have probably lost as a result of this travesty of dialect? How many spouses have resorted to saying, "You never listen to me"? How many employers miss the "...and their new branch wants to order 100,000 more widgets than last month"? How many teachers pivot and point to another student while the first student to answer still had words stuck between the mind and tongue, choking on the fact that the incongruency of an incomplete thought has made them look really stupid? How many Texans have skipped dessert in a restaurant because the waiter or waitress shifted their gaze to the next patron for their order? I ask you, is this fair?
Because of the world's ignorance of the Texas Pause, we are losing valuable thoughts, educational opportunities, industrial productivity, and cherry cobblers by the millions. Please put a stop to this madness. Tell everyone you know about the Texas Pause........................................ and let's make this world a sweeter and more complete place in which to live. Pause and say "No!" to Sentencia Interruptus. Countless thoughts could be saved if you will only listen.
New Supreme Court nominee Miers, on national television, admits to having Texas Pause
In an interview with Fox News on Thursday, October 5, Supreme Court Harriet Miers said, "I pause, before I speak." Sentencia Interruptus rears it's head, once again, as she appeared to correct the interviewer. Telling someone you pause before you speak is a learned assertiveness among those with the Texas Pause. Many others may, now, come forward to admit they have this, which will foster understanding throughout the world, where there has been none, yet.
Amid all the threats humans face, all the risks we bear, surely the most defeating are those we impose on ourselves. There is a high price to pay for allowing ourselves to live in terror. More...
There was one man who lived and breathed the U.S. Constitution. R. Carter Pittman was a stickler for detail, and left no stone unturned in his quest to understand every aspect of it. He even wanted to know about its conception, and how its life went, given how the U.S. government (and people, in general) changed as years wore on. It's an amazing document that's withstood the test of time, as it was being pushed, pulled, bouyed, and bullied- and remains, for the most part, intact. Wisdom is required to interpret it correctly to the original intentions of its authors. R. Carter Pittman was an expert on the Constitution. Click here to learn more... |
Launching a Radio Station 
Thank you, San Luis Valley
As of today [October 11], the generosity of the residents of the San Luis Valley have given almost $35,000.00. Here is the break-down. This doesn't include organizations and schools who have not yet dropped off their pledges. The schools, specifically, the elementary schools and programs in Monte Vista Schools were amazing. Please tell a youngster what a great job they did.
Individual Donations: Total $21,331.00
Schools: Polson Elementary-$568.00, Boyd Elementary- $4,223.00, Evans Elementary- $3,193.75, Sangre de Cristo Elementary- $2,287.00, Monte Vista Schools-$856.00, Manassa Elementary-$1,600.00, La Jara Elementary-$589.91
School Total $13,317.66
Total from the Valley $34,648.66
Lisa Cloud
American Red Cross
San Luis Valley Chapter, P.O. Box 62, 45 Dunham St., Monte Vista, CO 81144
719-852-5706, 719-852-0657(fax)
Honeymoon and bombs not a good mix, but you need not fear
To the Editor:
My new bride and I decided to take our honeymoon in Great Britain, the land of my ancestors and my specific field of study and expertise. I had looked forward to this trip all of my life, and we were both excited to spend our honeymoon fulfilling a lifelong dream of mine. Little did we know we were flying into London on the day the terrorists decided to bomb the transit system. We knew nothing about the bombing until our taxi driver informed us of what had happened about four hours prior to our arrival. Flashbacks of 9/11 came back full-force, causing shock and sorrow in my wife and, for my part, cold, bitter anger. I was impressed with how the British took the tragedy in stride, continuing with their daily affairs in the wake of such devastation.
Friends and family were, of course, worried for us, but we immediately informed them that we were safe. My wife and I were determined not to let the terrorists have the satisfaction of disrupting our honeymoon, so we went about our holiday as if nothing was wrong. Some might call us foolhardy, but we used the trains, buses and subways of London without fear. We put our lives in the hands of God, knowing we would be safe. In our small way, we thwarted the terrorist's goal, which was to shatter faith and instill fear.
A few days later, Tony Blair had called for a period of silence at noon to acknowledge the innocent lives lost in the blast, which my wife and I respected and participated. During these few minutes of silence, I considered all of the ramifications that will inevitably occur with the continuing acts of terrorism, While it is true that the Islamic terrorists are drawing blood, they are at the same time assuring the inevitable destruction of their culture, religion, and people. People around the world will have enough and, mark my words, will begin using the same tactics against them. The day will come when they will be afraid to go to their holy places to worship. Groups and individuals "unaffiliated" with governments, just like the Islamic murderers now, will commit these acts of vengeance. Hate begets hate, and there is plenty to go around. There are those who will scoff at this, but they are probably the same people who believed that something like 9/11 could never happen. It did, this will. It is an absolute certainty, because the terrorists are showing no sign of stopping. Logic dictates that retaliation is unavoidable because it is human nature to resist total annihilation, and people will use whatever means necessary to prevent it. Those of the Islamic faith will experience a backlash never before seen in history.
Governments will be forced to take a much more aggressive stand against the Islamic nations who, if not actively supporting terrorism, give their tacit approval by not taking steps to wipe out the murderers within their borders. Not all nations will cave into the murderers as Spain did. After only one attack, Spain pulled her forces from the alliance in Iraq, abandoned their friends and allies on the battlefield, and replaced her leadership with an anti-American, socialist government. For all intents and purposes, they were defeated by a mere handful of terrorists. Even so, they were much more valiant than France, Germany, and Russia who, in spite of the U.N. mandate requiring that they participate in a military effort to force Saddam to comply with U.N. inspections, never raised a hand. Had they stood with us, Saddam would have backed down and allowed the inspectors to do their jobs. As it was, they bolstered his courage and he remained defiant. The war we are now fighting would probably have never happened had they not betrayed-yes, betrayed-us. The reason these three countries did not participate in enforcing the U.N. mandate was because they all had billions of dollars worth of under-the-table deals with Saddam, not for moral or humanitarian reasons. The "blame America first" crowd, whether domestic or foreign, should take this into consideration next time they blame this government for the war in Iraq.
For those who are worried that our way of life, our beliefs, and national sovereignty are endangered, I say not to worry-there are still more of us than there are of them, and eventually the lines will be drawn. Unfortunately, probably millions of people in the Middle East will have to die before they realize that terrorism can never succeed.
Ironically, about an hour after my wife and I were driven to the airport to return home, the terrorists struck again, delaying our flight by a couple of hours. As the English countryside receded below us, I couldn't help but think that the world hasn't seen the worst of terrorism by a long shot. The real storm is on the horizon.
C.P., Central Coast, CA
(Editor's note: The original correspondence from this contributor was corrupted by email, causing loss of some of the information. He resubmitted his letter, above. C.P., we regret the inconvenience, and appreciate your noticing it, and sending it to us again. If any of you notice that some content of your Letter-to-the-Editor is missing, please call or email me for an alternate email address to which you may send it, and I will correct it as soon as possible. As advanced as the technical world is, it's still not perfect.)
Guitar Festival
I wanted to take a moment and thank you for citing our guitar festival, The St. Joseph International Guitar Festival in Meander. Very much appreciate the help in spreading the word! Please let me know if I might send you future releases and to what address.
Sincerely,
Anthony Glise
Up to 700,000 kids affected
I wanted to thank you for the great article about the Texas Music Project and the work that needs to be done to support music education in our schools. I appreciate the attention you have given this neglected "crisis" and commend everything you are trying to accomplish with Meander Magazine. Grants awarded last year by TMP are estimated to make a difference in the ives of 6-700,000 students in Texas schools! But we are only scratching the surface.
Bruce Orr
Co-founder & President
Texas Music Project
(Editor's note: Thank you for writing, Mr. Orr. I feel that music is an important coping skill for kids. It's an esteem builder and provides an outlet for the creativity that is a big part of our nature. Music is something that is attainable by anyone, and the rewards it returns are contingent upon the amount of effert put into it. Nobody can say they're a good musician or singer because of their wealth, status, race, religion, or anything else. With music, the proof is "in the pudding." You get what you give. Thanks for all the work Texas is doing to promote this valuable skill for children.)
Pass it on
Congratulations on "Meander". It is done in a very professional way. I found each part very informative. How often will you publish? It is OK to send the site to others in my address book? Take care and thanks.
BJ, Grants, New Mexico
(Editor's Note: Yes, it's certainly OK to send the link to anyone you'd like)
Credit where credit is due
I can see you have been a very busy bee. I just love this you have done such a great job. Dianne the age group you are target marketing? And the font size you will use for publication? I am already using reading glasses or a magnifiyer which ever is available I just can't seem to read small print any more..Will your font be a bit larger to accomodate us older folk? I was just wondering. Everything is great! Great content love the emphasis on GOD it is about time someone gave credit where credit is due! I will subscribe that is for sure! Good Luck and God Bless!
N.M, Monte Vista, Colorado
Commentary
Bumper-riding a deadly habit
By Dianne James
The rule of the road (also the law in many places): Put one car length for every 10 miles per hour between you and the car ahead of you. For example, if you're going 60 miles per hour, there should be six car lengths in front of you, between you and the car ahead. This figure is based on the time it takes to stop a vehicle, should it be necessary. It's based on common sense and mathematics.
The impatient driver will get angry with the person ahead of him, who is driving slower, and ride their bumper in an attempt to either make them speed up or (they think) give them more of a position to pass when the opportunity arrives. Both reasons are foolhardy, as all it takes is for the person ahead to hit their brakes, and they've both had it. I've noticed this practice of following too closely, especially, between Colorado Springs and Denver. Consider this scenario, this week, on I-25 near Castle Rock, Colorado when two people were killed, one the driver behind the car in which a teenage passenger was riding:
From KUSA (9News)TV:
A five-car chain-reaction crash killed two people Friday night, including a 15-year-old girl. Several others were injured.
Ashley Simpson, 15, and Robert Cunningham, 25, both died as a result of the crash. Cunningham died at the scene, and Simpson was pronounced dead at Swedish Medical Center.
Police say the crash happened when Cunningham, driving a 1986 Toyota pickup, ran into the rear end of a 2005 Lexus, in which Simpson was a passenger. The chain-reaction crash claimed three more vehicles and sent several people to area hospitals.
It isn't just Colorado's problem, we're seeing it all over the country- aggressive drivers. This was a press release from the Governor of Connecticut, warning drivers that they're cracking down on the practice:
Governor Rell Announces Results of Ongoing
"Following Too Closely" Public Safety Campaign
Nearly 1600 Tickets Issued to Aggressive Drivers
Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that state law enforcement officers have issued 1587 tickets and 195 warnings in the three-month old "Following Too Closely" public safety campaign aimed at cracking down on aggressive drivers.
"Our Department of Public Safety and Department of Motor Vehicles officers are sending a consistent message to aggressive drivers: Obey the rules of Connecticut’s roads," Governor Rell said. "But this campaign is not just aimed at ‘sending a message.’ It is making our roads safer from border to border. It is likely saving lives as well.
"I think we all have had the experience of being followed to closely by an aggressive driver or someone who simply is not showing courtesy and staying a safe distance behind. We’ve all experienced the anxiety that causes. What if I have to stop short? Will I get in an accident? Is this person going to try and illegally pass me? I commend our state troopers and our DMV officers for their ongoing efforts to limit that anxiety as much as possible for Connecticut drivers."
Governor Rell announced the start of the "Following Too Closely" campaign in May, reminding the public that in 2003, there were 900 crashes on Connecticut roads involving large trucks.
"What we are saying – and what we continue to say - is ‘enough is enough,’" Governor Rell said. "We’ve had it with reckless drivers. We’ve had it with tailgaters who make the roads unsafe.
"Our message to those who drive defensively and obey the rules is this: We are on your side. To those who drive recklessly in Connecticut, we continue to advise you to think again before opting to tailgate that vehicle in front of you.
"The state is on a mission to improve safety out on our roads, so if you happen to be following too closely, don’t be surprised to see a state police car’s neon lights in your rear view mirror. Our troopers’ ticket writing pens are warmed up."
"My advice is for people to use common sense out there. Allow plenty of room between you and the vehicle you are following. Use the two second rule: When you see the vehicle in front of you pass a fixed object, count ‘one thousand and one, one thousand and two.’ If you pass the object before you reach two, guess what? You are following too closely." Fines for following too closely are $93 for passenger vehicles and $150 for commercial vehicles.
If you want to help the hurricane victims, click on the pictures, left, to visit the Red Cross website.
These rules were initiated under the auspices (false information) that Internet radio poses a risk for illegal recording because of the quality of the sound. They later admitted that the quality of Internet broadcasts were not equal to "master" recordings, but it was too late- they had already passed the law. There are a lot of fed-up broadcasters who are sick and tired of the RIAA's control of the music industry, and, specifically, the career choices of Independent Artists, and Internet radio. We thought we'd share with you, by his permission, the opinion of the effects of the DMCA on Internet Radio, and possible solutions, below, by a fellow broadcaster at Live365.com. Even more ludicrous than the small sampling of the DMCA rules, above, is the system for collecting royalties- the government gave permission to SoundExchange (and no other competing company) to collect royalties on artists' works without their permission, and without their knowledge. Additionally, many of the artists they have collected money on for airplay will never see a dime of it, because they don't air enough to be included in the count or sampling. And what if the artists doesn't know money has been collected for him or her? SoundExchange, with the government's blessing, gets to keep it for themselves, after a certain amount of time. In the meanwhile, they are trying to raise royalty rates (through the Copyright Royalty Board, CRB) so high that Internet broadcasters will go bankrupt or just cease to exist (thereby choking off a major source of airplay for independent artists who can't get airplay on AM and FM stations.) The RIAA/Major labels benefit, by destroying the competition.
marketplace takes care of that. It ought to do the same thing with regard to what price, if any, broadcasters pay for royalties. 
