Nothing Can Come Between Us ~ by Sade

This is another BEAUTIFUL SONG by Sade! The truth is all of her music is soothing and relaxing to listen to... I have selected these two songs to share with you to give you a taste! This message is in the same vain as the previous song I posted by Sade! Enjoy...

Nothing Can Come Between Us ~ by Sade

I always hope that you remember
We'll never really learn the meaning of it all
What we have is strong and tender
So HOLD ON

In the middle of the madness
When the time is running out and you're left alone
All I want is you to know that
It's strong still
Can't pull us apart
Nothing can come between us
Nothing can pull us apart
Can come between us

I always hope that you remember
What we have is strong and tender
In the middle of the madness
HOLD ON

So it truly is a good thing
And I always wanted you to know
There is always this
And this is everlasting
HOLD ON

It's about faith
It's about trust, yeah yeah
It's about faith
It's about trust

Nothing can come
Nothing can come
Nothing can come between us
Nothing can come
Nothing can come
Nothing can come between us

Can come
Can tear
Can pull
Us apart

Can come
Can tear
Can pull
Us apart

By Your Side ~ by Sade

This is such a BEAUTIFUL SONG! I needed to share with all of you.
You are NEVER ALONE! Ssshhh... listen... can you hear God's voice?

By Your Side ~ by Sade

You think I'd leave your side baby?
You know me better than that
You think I'd leave down when your down on your knee's?
I wouldn't do that

I'll do you right when your wrong
I-----I ohhh, ohhh

If only you could see into me

Oh, when your cold
I'll be there to hold you tight to me
When your on the outside baby and you can't get in
I will show you, your so much better than you know
When your lost, when your alone and you can't get back again
I will find you darling I'll bring you home

If you want to cry
I am here to dry your eyes
and in no time you'll be fine

You think I'd leave your side baby
You know me better than that
You think I'd leave you down when your down on your knee's?
I wouldn't do that

I'll do you right when your wrong
I-----I, ohhhh, ohhh

If only you could see into me

Oh when your cold
I'll be there
To hold you tight to me
Oh when your alone
I'l be there by your side baby

H1N1 Update: Calm Down America!

I've received several emails from concerned readers asking why I haven't posted anything on the H1N1 virus. Well the truth is that I did post important information about the virus back in April 2009. You can click HERE and HERE to read what I wrote. But I will break it down for you right now and provide new FACTS. There is something very sinister about this virus. Not only how it was created, but how it is being reported. You need to know the FACTS about the H1N1 virus.

About 3,917 people worldwide. Of all the deaths, 2,948 occurred in the Americas. AMERICAS include North America, Canada, Mexico, Central America, South America!!! CDC reports that 36,171 people die from the REGULAR FLU every year in the United States!!! Why did the WHO make this a GLOBAL PANDEMIC when only a small fraction of people have died from the H1N1 virus compared to the REGULAR FLU??? Did you know that the H1N1 virus is NOT a natural born contagion??? It is a MAN-MADE VIRUS! Now I want you to ask yourselves, WHY did our government IMMEDIATELY prepare for QUARANTINES when the H1N1 began infecting people and NOTHING catastrophic or even unusual has happened?!????

Our government and others with the help of the W.H.O. are playing on our fears and have been trying to manipulate our emotions. Don't let them. I haven't quite figured out the WHY yet! However, it is definitely being used as a distraction. From the global economic crisis perhaps? Knowledge is power! I've posted FACTS below.

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Fact #1: CDC Research: How many people die from flu each year in the United States?

In 2009, CDC published additional estimates of flu-related deaths comparing different methods, including the methods used in the 2003 JAMA study. The seasons studied included the 1993-94 through the 2002-03 flu seasons [9]. Results from this study showed that during this time period, 36,171 flu-related deaths occurred per year, on average.

Fact #2: GENEVA, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- About 3,917 people worldwide have been killed by the A/H1N1 influenza since the new flu virus was identified in April, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a latest update on Friday.

Of all the deaths, 2,948 occurred in the Americas, followed by the West Pacific region, with 362 deaths. The other four WHO regional offices, South-East Asia, Europe, East Mediterranean and Africa reported 340, 154, 72 and 41 deaths respectively.

Fact #3: PARIS Apr 28 (AFP) — The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said the pathogen was "not a classic human virus... but a virus which includes [in] its characteristics swine, avian and human virus components."

In an interview with AFP, OIE Director General Bernard Vallat described the virus as a "cocktail" of four different strains. "The background of these strains has been reconstituted," he said.

Vallat said that "no-one, so far" had been able to show how or where the novel strain of virus had brewed.

CDC said the following at a press conference, "We know so far that the viruses contain genetic pieces from 4 different virus sources. This is unusual. That particular genetic combination of swine influenza virus segments has not been recognized before in the US or elsewhere."

Fact #4: CBS News Political Hotsheet, April 28, 2009 - DHS Assistant Secretary Bridger McGaw circulated the swine flu memo, which was obtained by CBSNews.com, on Monday night. It says: "The Department of Justice has established legal federal authorities pertaining to the implementation of a quarantine and enforcement. Under approval from HHS, the Surgeon General has the authority to issue quarantines."

McGaw appears to have been referring to the section of federal law that allows the Surgeon General to detain and quarantine Americans "reasonably believed to be infected" with a communicable disease. A Centers for Disease Control official said on Tuesday that swine flu deaths in the U.S. are likely.

Federal quarantine authority is limited to diseases listed in presidential executive orders; President Bush added "novel" forms of influenza with the potential to create pandemics in Executive Order 13375. Anyone violating a quarantine order can be punished by a $250,000 fine and a one-year prison term.

8 Wonderfully Insightful LIFE Quotes!

8 Wonderfully Insightful LIFE Quotes!
by Various Amazing People

1. Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first. ~ Mark Twain
   
   
2. Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. ~ by Buddha
   
   
3. He who has a why to live can bear almost any how. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche
   
   
4. I have a simple philosophy: Fill what's empty. Empty what's full. Scratch where it itches. ~ Alice Roosevelt Longworth
   
   
5. Here is the test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished: if you're alive, it isn't. ~ Richard Bach
   
   
6. It is not length of life, but depth of life. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
   
   
7. In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on. ~ Robert Frost
   
   
8. My formula for living is quite simple. I get up in the morning and I go to bed at night. In between, I occupy myself as best I can. ~ Cary Grant
   
   

BONUS

Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself. ~ Harvey Fierstein

BONUS BONUS

People living deeply have no fear of death. ~ Anais Nin

Transmutation ~ I Want For You To Understand That Meditation Is Simply Another Word For Prayer! Done In Private And While Connected To Your Source

Transmutation
Atisha's Heart Meditation
[source: Osho International]

Pain is natural; it has to be understood, it has to be accepted. Because naturally we are afraid of pain, naturally we avoid it. Hence many people have avoided the heart and are hung up in the head, they live in the head.

The heart gives pain, true, but only because it can give pleasure -- that's why it gives pain. Pain is the way that pleasure arrives; agony, the door that ecstasy enters. If one is aware of it, one accepts the pain as a blessing. Then suddenly the quality of the pain immediately starts changing. You are no longer antagonistic to it, and because you are no longer antagonistic to it, it is no longer pain; it is a friend. It is a fire that is going to cleanse you. It is a transmutation, a process, in which the old will go and the new will arrive, in which the mind will disappear and the heart will function in its totality. Then life is a benediction.

Try this method from Atisha:

When you breathe in -- listen carefully, it is one of the greatest methods -- when you breathe in, think that you are breathing in all the miseries of all the people in the world. All the darkness, all the negativity, all the hell that exists anywhere, you are breathing it in. And let it be absorbed in your heart.

You may have read or heard about the so-called positive thinkers of the West. They say just the opposite--they don't know what they are saying. They say, "When you breathe out, throw out all your misery and negativity; and when you breathe in, breathe in joy, positivity, happiness, cheerfulness." Atisha's method is just the opposite: when you breathe in, breathe in all the misery and suffering of all the beings of the world -- past, present and future. And when you breathe out, breathe out all the joy that you have, all the blissfulness that you have, all the benediction that you have.

Breathe out, pour yourself into existence. This is the method of compassion: drink in all the suffering and pour out all the blessings. And you will be surprised if you do it. The moment you take all the sufferings of the world inside you, they are no longer sufferings. The heart immediately transforms the energy. The heart is a transforming force: drink in misery, and it is transformed into blissfulness... then pour it out. Once you have learned that your heart can do this magic, this miracle, you would like to do it again and again.

Try it. It is one of the most practical methods -- simple, and it brings immediate results. Do it today, and see. That is one of the approaches of Buddha and all his disciples. Atisha is one of his disciples, in the same tradition, in the same line.

Try this beautiful method of compassion: take in all the misery and pour out all the joy!

Mastery of Moods

Mastery of Moods

This Too Shall Pass
[source: Osho International]

To think that "I am the mind," is unawareness. To know that mind is only a mechanism just as the body is, to know that the mind is separate.... The night comes, the morning comes: you don't get identified with the night. You don't say, "I am night," you don't say, "I am morning." The night comes, the morning comes, the day comes, again the night comes; the wheel goes on moving, but you remain alert that you are not these things.

The same is the case with the mind. Anger comes, but you forget -- you become anger. Greed comes, you forget -- you become greed. Hate comes, you forget -- you become hate. This is unawareness.

Awareness is watching that the mind is full of greed, full of anger, full of hate or full of lust, but you are simply a watcher. Then you can see greed arising, becoming a great, dark cloud, then dispersing -- and you remain untouched. How long can it remain? Your anger is momentary, your greed is momentary, your lust is momentary. Just watch a little and you will be surprised: it comes and it goes. And you are remaining there unaffected, cool, calm.

The most basic thing to remember is that when you are feeling good, in a mood of ecstasy, don't start thinking that it is going to be your permanent state. Live the moment as joyfully, as cheerfully as possible, knowing perfectly well that it has come and it will go -- just like a breeze comes in your house, with all its fragrance and freshness, and goes out from the other door.

This is the most fundamental thing. If you start thinking in terms of making your ecstatic moments permanent, you have already started destroying them. When they come, be grateful; when they leave, be thankful to existence (God). Remain open. It will happen many times -- don't be judgmental, don't be a chooser. Remain choiceless. Yes, there will be moments when you will be miserable. So what? There are people who are miserable and who have not even known a single moment of ecstasy; you are fortunate. Even in your misery, remember that it is not going to be permanent; it will also pass away, so don't get too much disturbed by it. Remain at ease.

Just like day and night, there are moments of joy and there are moments of sadness; accept them as part of the duality of nature, as the very way things are. And you are simply a watcher: neither you become happiness nor you become misery. Happiness comes and goes, misery comes and goes. One thing remains always there -- always and always -- and that is the watcher, one who witnesses.

Slowly, slowly get more and more centered into the watcher. Days will come and nights will come... lives will come and deaths will come... success will come, failure will come. But if you are centered in the watcher -- because that is the only reality in you -- everything is a passing phenomenon.

Just for a moment, try to feel what I am saying: just be a watcher....

Do not cling to any moment because it is beautiful, and do not push any moment because it is miserable. Stop doing that. That you have been doing for lives. You have not been successful yet and you will never be successful ever. The only way to go beyond, to remain beyond, is to find a place from where you can watch all these changing phenomena without getting identified.

Everything passes, but you remain. You are the reality; everything else is just a dream. Beautiful dreams are there, nightmares are there... But it does not matter whether it is a beautiful dream or a nightmare; what matters is the one who is seeing the dream. That seer is the only reality.

Don't STOP Believing by Journey!

I heard this song on the radio this morning and it has NOT stop playing in my spirit. I LOVE Journey, most especially this song by Journey! I found this great video adapting this song to the Final Fantasy VIII video game. I hope this song puts a smile on your face and encourages you to keep on TRUSTING and BELIEVING in God's Promises to YOU. Don't you dare give up! The Light at the end of the tunnel is imminent... Enjoy this classic 1980's song by Journey

Don't Stop Believing ~ by Journey

Just a small town girl
Living in a lonely world
She took the midnight train going anywhere
Just a city boy
Born and raised in South Detroit
He took the midnight train going anywhere

A singer in a smoky room
A smell of wine and cheap perfume
For a smile they can share the night
It goes on and on and on and on

Strangers, waiting, up and down the boulevard
Their shadows searching in the night
Streetlight people, living just to find emotion
Hiding somewhere in the night

Working hard to get my fill
Everybody wants a thrill
Paying anything to roll the dice
Just one more time
Some will win, some will lose
Some were born to sing the blues
Oh the movie never ends
It goes on and on and on and on

Strangers, waiting, up and down the boulevard
Their shadows searching in the night
Streetlight people, living just to find emotion
Hiding somewhere in the night

Don't stop believing
Hold on to that feeling
Streetlight people

Don't stop believing
Hold on to that feeling
Streetlight people

Don't stop believing
Hold on to that feeling
Streetlight people

Prayer and Fasting: Your Heavenly Father Wants to Have a "Personal" Relationship With You. Talk to Him the Way You Would A Close Friend in Private.

Prayer
[Matthew 6:5-15 NIV]

Jesus said, "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

This, then, is how you should pray:

'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.'

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Fasting
[Matthew 6:16-18 NIV]

Jesus said, "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

It's Not Enough That You Know The Bible Cover To Cover And Have It Memorized. That Proves Nothing So Does Satan. It's What's In Your Heart That Counts

Salt and Light
[Matthew 5:13-16 NIV]

Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

A Tree and Its Fruit
[Matthew 7:15-23 NIV]

Jesus said, "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

Do Not Worry

Do Not Worry
[Matthew 6:25-34]

Jesus said, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Treasures in Heaven!

Treasures in Heaven
[Matthew 6:19-24 NLT]

Jesus said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your HEART will be also.

"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of LIGHT. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the LIGHT within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

Michigan J. Frog Starring In "One Froggy Evening"

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE

8 Innovation Quotes To Inspire You Today! Yes Open Your Mind And Allow Thoughts And Ideas To Flow... Be Creative!

8 Innovation Quotes To Inspire You Today!
made by some pretty amazing people

1. Just as energy is the basis of life itself, and ideas the source of innovation, so is innovation the vital spark of all human change, improvement and progress ~ by Ted Levitt
   
   
2. Never before in history has innovation offered promise of so much to so many in so short a time. ~ by Bill Gates
   
   
3. Innovation is the central issue in economic prosperity. ~ by Michael Porter
   
   
4. Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower. ~ Steve Jobs
   
   
5. Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity - not a threat. ~ Anonymous
   
   
6. Innovation is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship. The act that endows resources with a new capacity to create wealth. ~ by Peter F. Drucker
   
   
7. Productivity and the growth of productivity must be the first economic consideration at all times, not the last. That is the source of technological innovation, jobs, and wealth. ~ by William E. Simon
   
   
8. For America's economic future to remain prosperous, we must encourage pro-growth policies so that we continue to be the leader in innovation and entrepreneurship. ~ by John Ensign
   
   

BONUS

If you open up the mind, the opportunity to address both profits and social conditions are limitless. It's a process of innovation.
~ by Jerry Greenfield

BONUS BONUS

In order for America to remain a global leader in innovation and opportunity, we must give our children a solid foundation
in math and science.
~ by Kenny Marchant

I'm Easy Like Sunday Morning! by Lionel Richie

Ooooh wow! Here is another great song I want to share with you. I'm listening to classics right now. These are such great songs! Lionel Richie is one of my favorites. For those of you who are saying that you are too young or were not born when these classics were made let me just say this; Classic music, dance, fashion, movies, even t.v. programs and cartoons transcend ALL generations. The term classic simply means that it's timeless. I wasn't around when Big Band, Blues and Jazz were created. I obviously would not have a memory attached to their music when it was first released like someone else who lived during that time. Nevertheless, I still love and appreciate the music that came out of that era as if I lived during that time 80 years ago.

Easy ~ by Lionel Richie

Know it sounds funny
but, I just can't stand the pain
Girl, I'm leaving you tomorrow
Seems to me girl
You know I've done all I can
You see I begged, stole and I borrowed!

Ooh, that's why I am easy
I'm easy like Sunday morning
That's why I'm easy
I'm easy like Sunday morning

Why in the world would anybody put chains on me
I've paid my dues to make it
Everybody wants me to be
What they want me to be
I'm not happy when I try to fake it! No!

Ooh, that's why I'm easy
I'm easy like Sunday morning, yeah!
That's why I'm easy
I'm easy like Sunday morning!

I wanna be high, so high
I wanna be free to know
The things I do are right
I wanna be free
Just me!

That's why I'm easy
I'm easy like Sunday morning, yeah
That's why I'm easy
I'm easy like Sunday morning, whoa
'Cause I'm easy
Easy like Sunday morning, yeah
'Cause I'm easy
Easy like Sunday morning

Fantasy! by Earth, Wind and Fire

I love love love everything about this song, most especially the lyrics! The lyrics have so much depth and meaning. My Spirit just connects to this song so profoundly. Enjoy!

Fantasy ~ by Earth Wind and Fire

Every man has a place
In his heart there's a space
And the world can't erase his fantasies
Take a ride in the sky
On our ship fantasise
All your dreams will come true right away

And we will live together
Until the twelfth of never
Our voices will ring forever as one

Every thought is a dream
Rushing by in a stream
Bringing life to your kingdom of doing
Take a ride in the sky
On our ship fantasise
All your dreams will come true miles away

Our voices will ring together
Until the twelfth of never
We all will love together as one

Come to see victory
In a land called fantasy
Loving life a new degree
Bring your mind to everlasting liberty

As one

Come to see victory
In a land called fantasy
Loving life for you and me
To behold to your soul is ecstasy
You will find other kind
That has been in search of you
Many lives have brought you to
Recognise it's your life now in review

As you stay for the play
Fantasy has in store for you
A glowing light will see you through
It's your day shining day
All your dreams come true

As you glide in your stride
With the wind as you fly away
Give a smile from your lips and say
Are you free yes I'm free
And I'm on my way

We Will Not Be Silenced! We Must Stand Up For What Is Right PERIOD! We Must NOT Get Complacent And Turn The Other Way When Witnessing A Crime!

I never wrote about my voting experience at my local polling place this past November. I've been going to the same place for the past decade. The majority of the poll workers were the same people I get to see when it's time to cast my federal, state and local ballot. This time there were a lot of new faces. I took no issue with that knowing full well they were probably expecting a huge influx of people at the polls since this was a critical election for many people. However, what I took issue with and left me completely dumbfounded was this...

When I went to hand my ballot over to a new poll person, she was supposed to run it through a machine that verifies all of my bubbles were filled out completely. Instead, she said, "Thank you" and then dropped it in a cardboard box underneath the table. I said, "What are you doing, aren't you supposed to use the machine?" She said, "Oh no, the machine jammed when I arrived and we can't use it." I then proceeded to ask, "Why didn't you insert my ballot into the LOCKED ballot box?" She told me it was full. Can you BELIEVE THAT!?!? I'm 39 years old and have been voting since I turned 18 years old. This has NEVER happened to me. I was so DISTURBED by this voting experience! I knew something fishy was happening and NOBODY was doing anything about it. Basically, for those of you who still don't get it, MY VOTE DID NOT GET COUNTED. It was thrown in a cardboard box to very likely be taken to the trunk of someone's car and thrown away or shredded later. Another thing that disturbed me was the pollster not asking to verify my name with an I.D. card. I have always been asked for my I.D. This was the very first time nobody at the polling place asked for my I.D.

Ruh-Roh... The U.S. Post Office Has Just Been Granted A $4 BILLION Bailout By The Democrats In Congress Using A Sleight Of Hand Technique!!!

Wowee! What a fine example of what we would have to look forward to if President Obama's "Public Option" passes... Didn't President Obama compare the "Public Option" to the U.S. Post Office?! The Democrat's in Congress sneakily added the $4 BILLION to a capitol budget appropriations bill that covers government operations. But did you know that the U.S. Post Office is NOT an arm of the government, it is an INDEPENDENT ORGANIZATION. I have taken the following snipit from wikipedia.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States. It is one of the few government agencies explicitly authorized by the United States Constitution. Within the United States, it is commonly referred to as the "Post Office", "Postal Service", or "U.S. Mail".

Since its reorganization in to an independent organization, the USPS had become self-sufficient and had not received taxpayer-dollars since the early 1980s. The decline of mail volume due to increased usage of e-mail has forced the postal service to look to other sources of revenue while cutting costs to maintain this financial balance. On September 24th, 2009, Congress voted to allow the Post Office to defer for 8 years a $4 billion liability to its retirement health benefits plan. The $4 billion now becomes a debt held by the U.S. taxpayer.

Now please don't get me wrong, I still love to visit my local post office. Plus, I don't want to see my mail carrier, who I know by name, lose her job. All I'm asking is can we all just call a SPADE A SPADE?! The U.S. Post Office is seriously struggling to remain in business and has just been thrown a $4 BILLION LIFELINE by our government. This my dear readers is yet another BAILOUT using our TAXPAYER DOLLARS and our government just mums the word. They have such a carefree attitude don't they... why shouldn't they, it's NOT their money anyway! I can see them now on the House floor... "Just throw it in the budget, the "people" won't have a clue." NO BIG DEAL RIGHT?!

***************************************************************

Politico
A $4 billion bailout for the Postal Service?
written by David Rogers
Thursday September 24, 2009

The House voted Thursday to freeze Medicare Part B premiums for most elderly next year, even as Democrats moved to exempt the Postal Service from having to make $4 billion in payments due next week to cover retirement health benefits for its employees.

The back-to-back actions reflect a flurry of last minute multi-billion-dollar fixes, often without warning, as the government approaches the new fiscal year beginning next Thursday, Oct. 1.

Democrats hope the Medicare premium freeze, which sailed through on a 406-18 vote, will defuse what would otherwise be an October surprise for health care reform — threatened cuts in Social Security checks for millions of elderly. In the case of the Postal Service, the action closely tracks a House bill approved Sept. 15 but would allow proponents to get past the Senate now without the threat of amendments.

At a meeting of House and Senate Appropriations Committee negotiators Thursday morning, the Postal Service language was incorporated into a stop-gap continuing resolution, or CR, that Congress must enact in the next week to keep the full government operations. As adopted, the postal agency, which now faces a liability of $5.4 billion due Sept. 30, would have to pay only $1.4 billion and would be allowed to effectively defer the remaining $4 billion until after 2017.

“That’s good news” said a Postal Service spokesman, who argued the arrangement posed no risk for the taxpayer since the retirement fund holds $32 billion at this time. Nonetheless, critics argued the $4 billion will now be added as a potential cost on the government’s books given the fragile state of the Postal Service, and the whole handling of the issue is seen by many as a parliamentary sleight-of-hand.

Republicans made no effort to target the postal provision but complained it had been added without warning to the otherwise non-controversial 30 day resolution. Moreover, to doubly protect their work product, the Democratic leadership for the Appropriations Committees has wrapped it into an otherwise non-controversial $4.65 billion budget bill covering the operations of the Capitol and such agencies as the Library of Congress.

This legislative conference report can now be brought back to the House and Senate floor with special privileges that help avoid amendments.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) pointed to fact that Republicans had used a similar ploy with a CR three years ago when they were in power and insisted he had been upfront about the tactics in a public meeting.

Ranking Republican, Rep. Jerry Lewis of California, countered that the whole strategy was “one of the most cynical legislative maneuvers I’ve ever seen.” And Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) said Democrats made matters worse by wrapping the spending provision into the legislative appropriations bill –taking care of Congress’s “backyard” and doing little for the rest of the nation.

Many in the House believe President Barack Obama’s administration should seize this opportunity to make long-term infrastructure investments to further stimulate the economy. But the White House and Senate prefer to put off this debate until after the 2010 elections, when there will be an opportunity to address the issue of new revenues to support such expenditures.

Microchip in the Eye Seeks to Restore Vision!!! WOW This Is Really Cool News! The Future Has Arrived...

Wired
Microchip in the Eye Seeks to Restore Vision
written by Priya Ganapati
Wednesday September 23, 2009 8:00pm

A chip inside the eye that can help blind people see again is moving closer to reality as researchers at MIT work on a retinal implant that can bypass damaged cells and directly offer visual input to the brain.

Patients who receive the implant will wear a pair of glasses that has a tiny camera attached to it. The camera will send images to a microchip implanted in the eyeball that channels the input to the brain.

It won’t entirely restore normal vision, say the researchers, but it will offer just enough sight to help a blind person navigate a room.

“If they can recognize faces of people in a room, that brings them into the social environment as opposed to sitting there waiting for someone to talk to them,” says Shawn Kelly, a a researcher in MIT’s Research Laboratory for Electronics and a member of the project.

MIT’s latest quest should be of interest to people like Rob Spence, a Canadian filmmaker who is on a quest to put a tiny wireless video camera into his empty right eye socket. Spence is looking to capture the world around him and a retinal implant like that from MIT could actually help bring him closer to his quest.

Here’s how the implant works. The glasses that patients wear contains a coil that wirelessly transmits power to receiving coils surrounding the eyeball. The eyeball holds a microchip encased in a sealed titanium case to avoid damage from water seepage. The chip receives visual information and activates electrodes that in turn fire the nerve cells that carry visual input to the brain.

A research team, led by MIT professor of electrical engineering John Wyatt, plans to start testing the prototype in blind patients within the next three years.

With feedback, researchers can configure the algorithm implemented by the chip to produce useful vision. Ultimately, the goal is to produce a chip that can be implanted for at least 10 years.

It’s a risky and challenging procedure as researchers have to design an implant that won’t damage the eye. In the October issue of the IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering journal, researchers have said they hope to attach the implant to the outside of the eye, and put the electrodes behind the retina.

O-M-G! You Have Got To Be Kidding Me! Washington Allows Visit By Burmese Foreign Minister! Another Slap In The Face To Burmese Struggling For FREEDOM

The Age Australia
Washington allows visit by Burmese minister
written by JOHN POMFRET, WASHINGTON
Thursday September 24, 2009

FOR the first time in nine years, the US has allowed Burma's Foreign Minister to come to Washington, a sign of softening American policy towards the military junta.

Major-General Nyan Win quietly arrived in Washington last Friday night and left the next day after meetings with members of Burma's embassy, a US-Asian business council and senator James Webb, the Virginia Democrat who has advocated closer ties to the junta, said embassy spokesman Kyaw Win.

The Foreign Minister also took in some sightseeing, visiting the White House, the Lincoln Memorial and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

A State Department spokesman said the minister did not meet any US officials.

The main goal of the trip was to evaluate the embassy, which needs repairs, Kyaw Win said.

Nyan Win's 24-hour sojourn appeared to be part of a new policy by the Obama Administration towards Burma, said officials and sources familiar with the trip. The policy encourages US officials to engage the Burmese Government on a higher level.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was scheduled to attend a meeting of the Group of Friends of Burma, established by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, overnight.

In addition, Burma's Prime Minister, General Thein Sein, is attending the UN General Assembly, making him the most senior junta member to attend the annual gathering since the nation's second-in-command did so in 1995.

He is expected to meet there with Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, according to a source briefed by US officials.

US policy towards Burma has been under review for nine months. American officials met last Friday to iron out the final details, and the results are expected to be announced soon.

Several US officials said the Obama Administration had decided that economic sanctions first imposed on the junta in the 1990s would not be lifted, but neither would they be tightened. More humanitarian aid might be approved.

Administration officials would not comment on the possible changes.

Since the late 1990s, as part of sanctions against the junta, Burmese officials have been banned from travelling to the US and the European Union except to attend meetings of international organisations.

Under the 2003 Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act, the White House needs to approve a waiver to allow Burmese officials attending the UN General Assembly to travel more than 46 kilometres out of New York City.

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Bloomberg
U.S. Plans ‘New Approach’ to Myanmar, Will Engage With Junta
written by Janine Zacharia
Thursday September 24, 2009

The Burmese military junta holds more than 2,000 political prisoners, including Buddhist monks, journalists and artists and has doubled the number of such detainees in the past two years, Human Rights Watch said in a report last week.

Aung San Suu Kyi, the NLD leader, remains under house arrest. She has spent 14 years in detention since the NLD (she) won elections in 1990 (by a landslide), a result the military (immediately) rejected.

Myanmar’s junta triggered international condemnation last month when it extended her custody order for 18 months after convicting the opposition leader of violating the terms of her detention. Suu Kyi, 64, is appealing against her conviction.

Senator Jim Webb became the FIRST senior U.S. official to meet with junta leader Senior General Than Shwe when the Virginia Democrat visited Myanmar last month and secured the release of John Yettaw.

Yettaw was imprisoned for swimming to Suu Kyi’s lakeside home in the former capital, Yangon, a visit that prompted charges to be brought against the opposition leader (Aung San Suu Kyi).

From A Distance ~ BETTE MIDLER Performs Live

From A Distance ~ the Great Bette Midler

From a distance the world looks blue and green,
and the snow-capped mountains white.
From a distance the ocean meets the stream,
and the eagle takes to flight.

From a distance, there is harmony,
and it echoes through the land.
It's the voice of hope, it's the voice of peace,
it's the voice of every man.

From a distance we all have enough,
and no one is in need.
And there are no guns, no bombs, and no disease,
no hungry mouths to feed.

From a distance we are instruments
marching in a common band.
Playing songs of hope, playing songs of peace.
They're the songs of every man.
God is watching us. God is watching us.
God is watching us from a distance.

From a distance you look like my friend,
even though we are at war.
From a distance I just cannot comprehend
what all this fighting is for.

From a distance there is harmony,
and it echoes through the land.
And it's the hope of hopes, it's the love of loves,
it's the HEART of every man.

It's the hope of hopes, it's the love of loves.
This is the song of every man.
And God is watching us, God is watching us,
God is watching us from a distance.
Oh, God is watching us, God is watching.
God is watching us from a distance.

Children Are The Most VULNERABLE, The Most DEFENSELESS And The Most INNOCENT Of ALL Humanity! We Are ALL Held Responsible For We Should Know Better

JESUS BLESSES THE CHILDREN

13 One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.

14 But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” [Matthew 19:12-14 NIV]

JESUS GETS REBUKED BY THE CHIEF PRIESTS

15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant.

16 "Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him.

"Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read. From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise?" [Matthew 21:15-16 NIV]

PLEASE Speak Up And Get Help So Children Are Not Emotionally, Physically or Sexually Abused. And Help Prevent Children From Being Senselessly Murdered

Deseret News
Speak up and get help so children are not abused
written by Gregory Ramey Ph.D., is a child psychologist
Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009 12:30 p.m. MDT

DAYTON, Ohio — Twenty-three-month-old Ashonti and her 8-month-old brother Tommie were abandoned in a dirty trash bin, left there by the mother's boyfriend and Ashonti's father. Jaycee Dugard was kidnapped at age 11, and was freed after 18 years in captivity. These stories of neglect, kidnappings, sexual molestation and the burning and beatings of children have become almost commonplace.

It's hard to understand how people can inflict pain on kids. We all have our times as parents, when we say or do something in a moment of anger or frustration. However, these horrific incidents now seem routine, raising troubling questions as to why we seem to hurt our children so frequently.

For the past 18 years, the Health and Human Services Administration has been gathering data on child abuse in this country. Their latest report, based upon 2007 information, has both disturbing and reassuring news about how we treat our youngsters.

• The rate of child abuse has actually decreased 13 percent during the past four years. It's impossible to tell if this is a long-term trend or a temporary aberration, but it hopefully reflects the better care we are providing to our children.
• Child neglect remains the most common form of maltreatment, making up 59 percent of all reported cases. While some of these situations are affected by the economy, most of the causes of neglect remain parental mental illness or substance abuse. Parents who neglect their children were generally themselves raised in similar homes, creating a terrible cycle of abuse. We need to offer long-term treatment for these families now, or be ready to deal with yet another generation of neglected children taught to be neglectful parents.
• Parents are the most common perpetrators of child abuse, making up 73 percent of such cases. Moms mistreat their kids about twice as frequently as dads, which is not unusual since they typically have more child-care responsibilities.
• Children ages 4 to 7 are at the age of greatest vulnerability for neglect, physical abuse and psychological abuse. Medical neglect is most common with children younger than 1, while sexual abuse has the highest rate among 12- to 15-year-olds. We have a great deal of information about causes and risk factors of the various types of abuse. It's now time to act, and target prevention programs for these high-risk children and their parents.

Almost 800,000 children were victims of child maltreatment in 2007. Here's how we can decrease that number.

Speak up. If you have any concerns about child maltreatment, call the local child protection agency. You don't need proof of abuse or neglect, just a reasonable degree of suspicion. Your name will not be revealed when the situation is investigated.

Get help. Reach out to family, friends or clergy if you are having problems. Don't take it out on your child. Call the National Child Abuse Hotline at (800) 422-4453 if you'd like to talk with someone.

Cassandra and Michael Pasquale Were Each Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison For Beating, Burning And Starving His 7 Yr Old Son Who Was Only 31 lbs.

CBS5 WNEM
Man Sentenced To Prison For Abuse Of Son
Tuesday September 22, 2009

BAY CITY, Mich. -- A Bay City man who authorities said abused his 7-year-old son and allowed others to torture the boy has been sentenced to at least five years in prison.

Bay County Circuit Judge William Caprathe on Monday sentenced the Michael S. Harsha, 37, to five to 15 years in prison.

The man pleaded guilty Aug. 7 to first-degree child abuse.

Authorities said the abuse took place in 2007 at Harsha's Bay City home on Ninth Street, and a couple living at the home starved, tortured and burned the child.

Cassandra and Michael Pasquale were each sentenced to 15 years in prison back in July after pleading no contest to first-degree child abuse and assault with intent to do great bodily harm.

Watch: Bay City Pair Sentenced For Abusing Boy

The case was uncovered in September 2007, when a social worker from the Department of Human Services visited the home and noticed a burn on the child's arm.

The boy's mother died in 2003.

He has since been adopted by family members.

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PREVIOUS STORY REPORTED by CBS5 WNEM
July 20, 2009

BAY CITY, Mich. -- A 9-year-old Bay City child who was beaten and badly burned told the couple convicted of abusing him that he forgave them during their sentencing on Monday.

Cassandra and Michael Pasquale were each sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading no contest to first-degree child abuse and assault with intent to do great bodily harm.

As Cassandra Pasquale was being led away after the judge handed down her sentence, the boy yelled out, ‘Cassie, I forgive you.”

The woman responded while glancing at the boy with ‘Thank you.”

Police said the couple had been taken in by the boy’s father and the abuse occurred from March to September 2007.

A social worker who visited the home noticed a burn mark on the boy’s arm.

When the boy’s father took him to a hospital, authorities were alerted when it was discovered the boy only weighed 31 lbs at age 7.

The victim told police he was sporadically given food.

The boy’s mother died when he was 3.

The boy’s father has a court date coming up in August, but it is unclear what charges he is facing.

Chaddrick Banks Charged With Aggravated Child Abuse! 15 Month Old Stepchild In Hospital With A Fractured Skull Still In Critical Condition!

New4JAX
Man Charged With Aggravated Child Abuse
Tuesday September 22, 2009 8:45 pm EDT

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A Jacksonville man is facing child abuse charges one night after police said the man's 15-month-old stepchild was taken to the hospital with a fractured skull.

Police said Chaddrick Banks had been watching the child Monday night when he called 911 and told a dispatcher the baby had "just stopped breathing."

When the ambulance arrived at the hospital, police said doctors found the baby's skull was fractured and there was bleeding in the brain.

Police said Banks' description of the events was not consistent with the injuries.

He's been charged with aggravated child abuse.

The baby remains in critical condition.

BREAKING NEWS: Police Arrest Accused Child Killer, 18 Year Old Jocquise Coleman! 16 Month Old Lamaj Terry Was Pronounced BRAIN DEAD From Beatings!

FOX 5 News
BREAKING NEWS: Police Arrest Accused Child Killer
Wednesday September 23, 2009 9:09 pm PDT

LAS VEGAS -- Police have arrested a Las Vegas man they have been searching for in connection with the beating death of a toddler.

Jocquise Coleman, 18, was charged on Wednesday with child abuse with substantial bodily harm and murder by child abuse.

Coleman was babysitting his girlfriend's son while she was at work when the incident occurred, police said.

Coleman is scheduled to have a court appearance on Friday.

No details were released as to where or how Coleman was apprehended. Police had earlier said they thought Coleman might be hiding in Los Angeles.

Brittany Terry said she left her son, 16-month-old Lamaj Terry, with Coleman several times over the past month.

On Sept. 16, Terry called 911 after Coleman said the boy was throwing up oatmeal from his nose. When she rushed home, Coleman was gone, but other women in the house said the boy’s lips had turned blue and they saw bruises on his head.

The child was pronounced brain dead at Sunrise Hospital and taken off life support a short time later. In a police report, a doctor said the boy suffered from “definite physical abuse.”

“These are deaths that are preventable. It’s a caregiver and parent’s responsibility to understand when those stresses of life are unbearable,” said Metro police Lt. Ray Steiber.

Coleman called Terry after the child was taken to the hospital, and although he promised to meet her, he never showed. Police said a detective also called Coleman’s phone, but he did not answer.

16 Yr Old Jermaine Mayweathers Gets 30 Yr Sentence For 5 Yr Old Child’s Beating DEATH! He Struck The Child's Head And Body With A Round Metal Object

South Carolina News
Teen gets 30-year sentence for child’s beating death
written by Staff
Wednesday September 23, 2009

FLORENCE — A jury has convicted a 16-year-old boy accused of beating 5-year-old Florence boy to death after deliberating for about four hours Wednesday afternoon.

Jermaine Mayweathers, who was 15 when the incident happened, was sentenced to 30 years in prison after being tried as an adult in connection with the death of Shanquan Pickett.

Shanquan died July 26, 2008, a day after someone struck him about the head and body with a round metal object, according to Florence County Sheriff’s Office reports.

The results of an autopsy performed by a pathologist at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston indicated he died of blunt force trauma, which led authorities to treat his death as a homicide.

Twelfth Circuit Court Judge Ralph King Anderson Jr., who presided over the trial, said no one in the courtroom could speak on Shanquan’s behalf.

“Thankful is the word that I use from the heart, that this 5-year-old occupies a position of an angel in heaven,” he said. “And on behalf of this angel, I pass this sentence today: the defendant is committed to the state Department of Corrections for a term of 30 years.”

Family Court Judge Jerry D. Vinson previously ruled Jermaine would be tried as an adult after a two-day waiver hearing during which he heard testimony from several witnesses and examined an assessment completed by the state Department of Juvenile Justice, Clements said.

Investigators said the abuse that led to Shanquan’s death happened at a Gilbert Drive mobile home in Florence where the 5-year-old had been staying just prior to his death, Florence County Sheriff’s Capt. Brett Camp said shortly after the incident.

Investigators said Shanquan lived at the home with his mother, his brother, his mother’s boyfriend and his son.

Florence County EMS personnel were summoned to the the home at Smith and Smith Mobile Home Park after receiving a call that a child was having trouble breathing, Florence County Sheriff Kenney Boone said in a previous interview.

When help arrived, Shanquan was found at the home without an adult and could not breathe on his own at all, Boone said.

Shanquan later died after he was taken off a respirator at McLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence, Florence County Coroner M.G. “Bubba” Matthews said in an earlier report.

FINANCE COMMITTEE DEFEATS GOP MEASURE

Yes, this makes me soooooo angry! I honestly cannot believe the Democrats defeated a measure proposed by the Republicans that would give everybody at least 72 hours to read the Health Care Reform bill. What's worse nobody in Congress will get time to read the damn bill. Doesn't Congress OWE IT TO US to at least READ THE BILLS that they VOTE YES for??? Isn't that what we HIRED THEM FOR to represent us. We don't have the power to turn bills into LAWS, but Congress does when they VOTE YES!!! We've waited 15 years for this reform what's another 3 fricken days! What are the Democrats afraid of? What don't the Democrats want ALL OF US to have time to read? What is the RUSH for heaven's sake?! This Health Care Reform Bill affects us all.

Look I am NOT a Republican. However, I do vehemently agree that everyone involved should be allowed time to read ALL STIPULATIONS included (I mean thrown in at the last minute) in the Health Care Reform Bill. Do you know that this GARGANTUAN HEALTH CARE REFORM BILL will have the LARGEST IMPACT on our economy thus far? Don't you think it is ONLY REASONABLE FOR US to ask for TIME to READ and DISSECT every nook and cranny of this bill? Well apparently and obviously the Democrats in Congress don't want the PUBLIC to know what they have included or will include as amendments in the Health Care Reform Bill....

What's also amazing to me is the Democratic form of reasoning. Can you believe their BALKING at the DELAY this measure would have caused?! They said, "It would delay the passing of this bill by 2 to 3 weeks." Wow! What is the RUSH?! Would any of you RUSH to buy a home any home and RUSH to sign the loan documents without reading them first or fully understand the terms of the loan? Here is a reminder who you in Congress work for:

"That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." ~ by Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address

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MSNBC
Finance Committee Defeats GOP Measure
written by Mark Murray
Wednesday, September 23, 2009 12:12 PM

From NBC's Ken Strickland and Mark Murray

During the mark-up of the Senate Finance Committee's health-care bill this morning, Senate Democrats were successful in defeating a GOP-sponsored amendment that would have delayed the bill's passage.

The vote on the measure was 11-12. All the Democrats except Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas voted against the amendment. Republican Olympia Snowe of Maine voted for it.

There are about 500 amendments for the committee to get through. On this one amendment, they debated about two hours.

The amendment, sponsored by GOP Sen. Jim Bunning of Kentucky, would have required that the legislative language and the final cost analysis from the Congressional Budget Office be posted on the committee's Web site for 72 hours before the committee votes on the final bill.

While the amendment, on its face, may seem reasonable by providing transparency for Congress and the public to read the bill, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus said it would take at least two weeks for the staff to write the bill that way.

The practice at the Senate Finance Committee during the past 30 years -- under both the leadership of Democrats and Republicans -- is that the committee votes on bill using "conceptual language," or what some call "plain English." No other committee works under this practice.

While conceptual language may have been the standard in the past, Republicans say this bill is too big, too important, and impacts too many people to handle it as business as usual.

RED FLAG ALERT: Audit Integrity Announces Results of Corporate Bankruptcy Study; Identifies Companies Most Likely to Declare Bankruptcy!

Reuters
Audit Integrity Announces Results of Corporate Bankruptcy Study; Identifies Companies Most Likely to Declare Bankruptcy
written by Jeffrey Richardson, Starkman & Associates
Wednesday September 16, 2009 9:00am EDT

Media and Transportation Sectors Have the Highest Number of Companies at Risk

LOS ANGELES--(Business Wire) -- In response to amplified concern in the market for risk related to corporate insolvency, Audit Integrity, an independent financial research and risk modeling firm, today released the results of its bankruptcy model research and has identified 20 corporations, with $1 billion or more in market capitalization, that have the highest probability of declaring bankruptcy in the next twelve months.

According to the U.S. Bankruptcy Courts, the number of business bankruptcy filings during the first six months of the year rose 64 percent over the first half results in 2008. With the increased incidence of company failures, corporate stakeholders such as insurance companies, auditing professionals, procurement executives and regulators, find corporate survival to be a critical risk issue.

Current approaches to determining bankruptcy risk generally fail to react quickly to changes to the economic environment, and do not factor in the potential for corporate fraud. By incorporating these risk factors into the Audit Integrity Business Risk Model, this new approach has been found to greatly improve the identification of companies at risk of bankruptcy. Against the most widely used bankruptcy model, the Altman Z-Score, the Audit Integrity bankruptcy Risk Model results have been more than 20 percentage points higher in predicting bankruptcy.

The results from Audit Integrity`s bankruptcy research indicate that the media and transportation industries are especially vulnerable. Of the over 2,500 U.S. corporations receiving bankruptcy risk scores from Audit Integrity, TV and Publishing companies were found to be over four times as risky as other companies, while automobile and airline industries were just slightly less risky.

The findings suggest that fraudulent accounting and poor governance impact bankruptcy risk in addition to more generally accepted factors such as measures of liquidity, leverage and profitability.

"Evidence shows that bankruptcy filings tend to lag after an economic downturn so its extremely important that investors and those concerned with the risks around corporate failure mitigate their exposure to companies likely to collapse," said Jack Zwingli, CEO of Audit Integrity. "Market volatility and sudden downturns such as we have been experiencing must be factored into bankruptcy risk. Fraud also plays a part, especially when companies are faced with survival decisions. These are the toughest companies to identify because, on paper, they appear solvent. Our model uncovers the underlying fraud that can be behind seemingly healthy financial statements."

Audit Integrity has identified the following companies that have the highest probability of declaring bankruptcy among publicly traded firms with more than $1 billion market capitalizations:

• Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
• Amkor Technology, Inc.
• AMR Corporation
• Apartment Investment and Management Co.
• CBS Corporation
• Continental Airlines, Inc.
• Federal-Mogul Corporation
• Hertz Global Holdings, Inc.
• Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc.
• Las Vegas Sands Corp.
• Liberty Media Corporation (Capital)
• Macy's, Inc.
• Mylan Inc.
• Oshkosh Corporation
• Redwood Trust, Inc.
• Rite Aid Corporation
• Sirius XM Radio Inc.
• Sprint Nextel Corporation
• Textron Inc.
• The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

Ten Big Companies That Are Veering Toward Bankruptcy! This Is Just The Beginning Of The Inevitable!

Yahoo News
Ten Big Companies That Are Veering Toward Bankruptcy
written by Vincent Fernando and Joe Weisenthal
Friday September 18, 2009 12:21pm EDT

From The Business Insider, Sept. 18, 2009:

Despite a few green shoots in the economy and a rocketing stock market, many large companies are still struggling to avoid bankruptcy.

A new report by Audit Integrity identifies some high-profile names "that have the highest probability of declaring bankruptcy among publicly traded firms."

Which companies appear the worst off? We took the list and removed any company with a market cap under $3 billion. We then ranked the remaining names by a simple measure of the market's perceived bankruptcy risk - Market Cap (MC) divided by Enterprise Value (EV). The less MC vs. EV, the less residual shareholders' value (above what debt holders can claim) the market is pricing-in for the company. Thus a lower MC/EV means the market thinks the company is more likely to go bankrupt.

1. Hertz

When you have tons of debt financing your fleet of cars, falling rental demand really hurts.

While the company raised new capital in May for some breathing room, Fitch and Moody’s actually cut their ratings for the company in July.

Ignoring the downgrade, shares kept rallying and are now at over five times the March $2 low. Best of luck.

Market Cap (MC)/Enterprise Value (EV) = 32%

2. Textron

What a tough time to be selling business jets.

Textron wrote down $2.3 billion its backlog this year after it canceled a new jet design, and demand for its other aircraft-related offerings has plummeted.

Shareholders may be heartened by the company’s ability to push back some debt maturities lately, but deteriorating credit quality at the company’s leasing arm makes the outlook uncertain at best.

MC/EV=39%

3. Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel is bleeding customers, and could lose as many as 4.4 million net post-paid subscribers this year.

This is a huge problem when you have large amounts of maturing debt over the next few years.

A recent Deutsche Telekom acquisition rumor offered some hope, but that appears to have faded. Facing a difficult road ahead on its own, the company better keep its lawyers on speed-dial.

MC/EV=41%

4. Macy's

Does anyone even shop at department stores anymore?

Same store sales will likely keep falling at Macy’s right through 2009. With $2.4 billion of maturing debt over the next five years, the company is trying to cut costs, and has already reduced its dividend.

Hopefully the US consumer will bounce back soon, and actually want to shop at Macy's.

MC/EV=47%

5. Mylan

In a classic case of management empire building, Mylan overpaid big time when it bought Merck’s generic business back in 2007 and is now stuck with $5 billion of long-term debt as a result.

From 2007 – 2008, the company lost over $1.3 billion very much due to goodwill write-downs.

While the company could earn $300 million this year, they’ll have to earn far more than that in the future to make their debt manageable.

MC/EV=51%

6. Goodyear

Demand for Goodyear tires has sunk, and the company is saddled with massive debt and pension obligations.

It doesn’t help that The United Steelworkers union prevents the company from proper cost control by forcing factories to stay open.

Shareholders have to wonder how much value will be left of the company after bondholders and the union members have their way.

MC/EV=53%

7. CBS

Weak advertising and falling license fees have sent CBS's earnings off a cliff in 2009.

If they remain depressed for too long, the company could have trouble refinancing $3.2 billion of debt coming due over the next five years.

It will really come down to whether or not CBS’s earnings collapse is merely cyclical, or the result of structural trend whereby traditional TV is dying.

As a business blog, we can't help but feel partly guilty here.

MC/EV=55%

8. Advanced Micro Devices

When will AMD actually make money again? The question is becoming more important by the day since it carries over $5 billion in long-term debt.

After losing almost $3 billion from 2007 – 2008, analysts expect the company to lose more money in 2009 and 2010.

While the shares rallied from their February $2 low, they still appear stuck in a long-term down trend from $40 highs way back in 2006.

MC/EV=55%

9. Las Vegas Sands

Las Vegas Sands over-expanded and over-levered in the last few years and now has over $10 billion in debt to deal with.

Despite jumping 13 times from their March low, Las Vegas Sands shares still face an uphill battle.

Conditions in Las Vegas are horrible, Asian expansion isn’t enough, and if this lasts too long then LVS will end up in bankruptcy court looking like it bit off more than it can chew.

MC/EV=60%

10. Interpublic Group

As one of the largest advertising and marketing companies in the world, IPG was slammed by the global recession.

As the company’s CEO said during recent second quarter results, the downturn “is proving steeper and more lasting than expected”.
Revenues have fallen double digits and the company’s exposure to General Motors as its largest client hasn’t helped.

MC/EV=80%

Dust Storm Has Hit Brisbane, Australia Today!!!

I just received word from one of my Aussie readers that an unusual event has just hit Brisbane, Australia. I found this video taken by jptsanggaran while driving across the riverside expressway. On the right the buildings of the city are usually clearly visable and on the left you should be able to see across the river and into South bank and west end. WOW!

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Guardian UK
Australia engulfed by dust storms
written by Toni O'Loughlin in Sydney
Wednesday 23 September 2009 07.12 BST

Wild winds sweep millions of tonnes of red dust from continent's drought-ravaged interior and dump it on coast

Storms of red dust have produced a glowing orange sky over much of Australia's east coast as the country experiences freak weather conditions.

The Sydney Opera House turned orange, flights at Sydney and Brisbane airports were delayed, building sites shut down, workers choked and emergency departments were flooded with calls in the worst dust storm to hit Australia in 70 years.

On Sydney harbour, the thick red air cut visibility to less than 100 metres and shrouded the city's iconic bridge in a ghostly hue. One commuter, forced to catch the bus to the city because ferries were cancelled, took the opportunity to photograph the Armageddon-like scene.

"I woke up and there was this unbelievable golden hue," Alex Wagstaff told a Sydney newspaper.

"It is really interesting light, it's going to be quite a challenge."

For many commuters it was chaos. Ferries were suspended and the M5 tunnel, a major road into the city, was closed.

At Sydney airport, where visibility was cut to 400 metres, flights were cancelled while several international flights were diverted to Melbourne, where flights were also delayed, as they were at Brisbane airport in Queensland.

A weather official at the NSW meteorology bureau, Barry Hanstrum, said the storm was "one of the worst, if not the worst".

"An event like this is extremely rare," he said.

As dust blanketed the east coast last night, heavy rains lashed Adelaide in the nation's south, flooding streets.

At dawn, two tremors shook Melbourne. Later in the day hailstones as big as cricket balls pelted parts of New South Wales. Heavy rain is expected to follow and flash-flood warnings have been issued.

While residents in the south brace for rain, Queenslanders are preparing for fires to erupt with the unseasonally dry weather in the far north where firefighters battled several blazes yesterday.

The bureau of meteorology said it was the worst dust storm since the 1940s, with particle pollution up to 10 times worse than the previous record. Another dust storm is predicted in the next day or two.

Health officials were urging people to stay inside as Sydney's air was expected to remain choked with particles for up to three more days.

All Over The World The Cosa Nostra, Yakuza, Triads, Bratva And The Rest Make Much Of Their Fortune By Disposing Of Our Uncomfortable Truths TOXICWASTE

Guardian UK
From toxic waste to toxic assets, the same people always get dumped on
written by George Monbiot
Monday 21 September 2009 21.00 BST

It was revolting, monstrous, inhumane – and scarcely different from what happens in Africa almost every day. The oil trading company Trafigura has just agreed to pay compensation to 31,000 people in Ivory Coast, after the Guardian and the BBC's Newsnight obtained emails sent by its traders. They reveal that Trafigura knew that the oil slops it sent there in 2006 were contaminated with toxic waste. But the Ivorian contractor it employed to pump out the hold of its tanker dumped them around inhabited areas in the capital city and the countryside. Tens of thousands of people fell ill and 15 died. While the settlement says that the slops could at worst have caused a range of short-term low-level flu-like symptoms, and anxiety, it is one of the world's worst cases of chemical exposure since the gas leak at the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal. But in all other respects the Trafigura case is unremarkable. It's just another instance of the rich world's global fly-tipping.

On the day that the Guardian published the company's emails, it also carried a story about a shipwreck discovered in 480 metres of water off the Italian coast. Detectives found the ship after a tip-off from a mafioso. It appears to have been carrying drums of nuclear waste when the mafia used explosives to scuttle it. The informant, Francesco Fonti, said his clan had been paid £100,000 to get rid of it. What makes this story interesting is that the waste appears to be Norwegian. Norway is famous for its tough environmental laws, but a shipload of nuclear waste doesn't go missing without someone high-up looking the other way.

Italian prosecutors are investigating the scuttling of a further 41 ships. But most of them weren't sunk, like Fonti's vessel, off the coast of Italy; they were lost off the coast of Somalia. When the great tsunami of 2004 struck the Somali coast, it dumped and smashed open thousands of barrels on the beaches and in villages up to 10km inland. According to the United Nations, they contained clinical waste from western hospitals, heavy metals, other chemical junk and nuclear waste. People started suffering from unusual skin infections, bleeding at the mouth, acute respiratory infections and abdominal haemorrhages. The barrels had been dumped in the sea, a UN spokesman said, for one obvious reason: it cost European companies around $2.50 a tonne to dispose of the waste this way, while dealing with them properly would have cost "something like $1,000 a tonne." On the seabed off Somalia lies Europe's picture of Dorian Gray: the skeleton in the closet of the languid new world we have made.

The law couldn't be clearer: the Basel convention, supported by European directives, forbids European Union or OECD nations from dumping hazardous wastes in poorer countries. But without enforcement, the law is useless. So, for instance, while all our dead electronic equipment is supposed to be recycled by licensed companies at home, according to Consumers International around 6.6m tonnes of it leaves the European Union illegally every year.

If the mafia were to establish itself as an effective force in this country, it would do so by way of the waste disposal industry. All over the world the cosa nostra, yakuza, triads, bratva and the rest make much of their fortune by disposing of our uncomfortable truths. It suits all the rich nations – even, it seems, the government of Norway – not to ask too many questions, so long as the waste goes to far away countries of which we know nothing. Only when the mobs make the mistake of dumping it off their own coasts does the state start to get huffy.

Please click HERE to read the entire article... Absolute MUST READ!

There Is An Investigation Into The Alleged ILLEGAL shipment Of Waste To Brazil! Wow TRASH Is Being SHIPPED To Other Countries?!

Why are they investigating where it came from? The containers had to be checked in by somebody on the other side right? Trace the paperwork for heaven's sake! Question the crew and captain of the ship that carried the containers. I cannot believe they are actually EXAMINING every piece of trash packed into the containers. Who knows they may actually find a body or bodies in there too...

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The Huddersfield Examiner
Household rubbish sent to Brazil
written by staff
Wednesday September 23, 2009

Household rubbish including old underwear, nappies and meat were found in containers shipped to Brazil for recycling, the Environment Agency has revealed.

The agency is in the process of opening and examining more than 90 containers of waste which were sent back to the UK after Brazilian authorities said in July that they were full of waste including medical rubbish.

The examination of the shipping containers at Felixstowe port forms part of an investigation into the alleged illegal shipment of waste to Brazil.

In July three men were arrested in the Swindon area by Wiltshire Police in connection with the inquiry. When they left the UK, the containers were described as being filled with mixed plastics, one of a number of products which it is legal to send abroad for recycling.

But it is illegal to export waste for disposal, and the containers were shipped back to Britain after Brazilian authorities made their discovery. Environmental crime investigators from the Environment Agency are now sorting through bales of rubbish, where finds include toys, socks, pants, cat food pouches, plastic bags, wellington boots, rotten cardboard and even some ham.

The team have already opened 14 of the 81 containers returned to the UK last month, while a remaining 10 containers are on their way back having been opened and repacked in Brazil. The team are sorting through the bales, tagging, bagging up and photographing their finds as part of the investigation.

It will take at least another six to eight weeks for the team to examine a number of bales from each of the containers, Andrew Higham, head of the Environment Agency's National Environment Crime Unit, said.

The containers had to be fumigated for a week before they could be opened and the "substantial" operation of sorting through the contents had been under way for several weeks. He said the examination of the containers would help gather evidence for any potential prosecution and enable the agency to trace the rubbish back to where it came from.

"Staff have been actively engaged removing bales and looking for evidence. It's early stages into that process, but we're finding items clearly not fit to be recycled, such as household waste, nappies, contaminated products, food," he said.