Posts Tagged ‘América’
Transforming Church in Rural America
Product Description
They sit, silent and empty, dotting the countryside of America. Few resources, aging attendees, and scarce technology create a challenging worship mission. This is the rural church – dying in one of the most churched regions of the world.
So how does one church in a town of only 446, routinely host over 2000 each weekend for worship services? It took a brand new way of looking at the rural church in America!
A pioneering force and source of support for… More >>
Transforming Church in Rural America
Lettuce recall doesn’t hide progress on food safety, experts say
The recall of romaine lettuce sold under the Freshway and Imperial Sysco names across the US points to the need for better food safety regulations and new legislation, but it is also focusing attention on America’s strong record.
Read more on The Christian Science Monitor via Yahoo! News
presidents and prime ministers sing in harmony. Love and happiness abounds. Get the mp3: amiestreet.com Donations: www.thegregorybrothers.com Lyrics HC: Tun tun tun tun tun tun tun tun Seamos un tilín mejores Y un poco menos egoístas Tun tun tun tun tun tun tun tun Huele a esperanza FR: In this common endeavor Huele a esperanza GB: All of us work together HC: Tun tun tun tun tun tun tun tun BO: We must embrace a new era of engagement Because the time has come UN Choir: To smell the hope! GB: For growth to be sustained It has to be shared UN Choir: ohhh, We can smell the hope! BO: The time has come UN Choir: To smell a better world!! FR: A better world to live in for future generations everywhere. AG: Don’t get sick That’s right, don’t get sick If you have insurance, don’t get sick If you don’t have insurance, don’t get sick If you’re sick, don’t get sick Just don’t get sick That’s the Republicans’ health care plan CC: He has a chart AG: An angry chart CC: A chart that helps us learn! AG: ooh ooh ah ah If you get sick in America, die quickly That’s right–the Republicans want you to die quickly if you get sick AG: I agree! CC: He agrees! AG: Angrily! CC: Cuz he’s angry! KO: Afford to live? Are we at that point? Are we so heartless? How can we not be united against death? Us: My BFF Gilgamesh knows eternal life’s an impossible quest The resources exist for your father and mine to get the same treatment Us: Yeah, we’re in agreement But first we gotta lay down some All: High …
I recorded this from the Thom Hartmann show on Air America 3/26/2009. It was the first time I heard this mentioned in the media at all. I was thrilled. Especially after that PR stunt that the White House did with Michelle Obama planting an organic garden. What a load of crap….yet the Obots love it. This segment of the show ran 1 hour with phone calls and 1 other interview. I have it all and will post it if wanted. This portion is the most informative of what HR875 really is. Get the word out. Time to wake up guys. Hey Congress….we are watching and you will be gone.
MARCH 26, 2010
This Week in Health Care Reform
Health care reform legislation passed the House this week on a party-line vote. Late Sunday night, House Democrats approved the Senate health care reform package, sending the legislation to President Obama for his signature. On Tuesday, President Obama signed the underlying bill into law, yet the House has yet to finalize the package of “fixes” that will alter the final implications of the legislation.
Health Care Reform Negotiations
House Democrats Pass Health Care Reform Package: The House of Representatives approved the Senate health care reform bill Sunday night by a vote of 219 to 212. The vote marks the climactic finale to a year-long debate over health care reform. In the final vote, 34 Democrats joined all House Republicans in voting against the measure. Shortly thereafter, the House also passed a package of “fixes,” by a vote of 220-211, that was sent directly to the Senate for its approval through reconciliation. On Tuesday, President Obama signed into law the Senate health care reform bill, called the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.”
Republicans Force Senate to Send the Reconciliation Bill Back to the House: Shortly after the President signed the Senate bill into law, Senators began deliberations on the reconciliation bill. Reconciliation protocol restricts Senators to 20 hours of debate on the measure, but it does not limit the number of amendments that can be filed. In an expression of opposition to the bill, Republicans filed 29 amendments to the reconciliation package.
After 10 hours of continuous debate, Republicans were successful in eliminating two provisions related to college financial aid in the non-health care portion of the bill. The Senate parliamentarian ruled early Thursday morning that those two provisions violated the chamber’s rules, sending the legislation back to the House for a new vote. As a result, on Thursday afternoon, the Senate voted on the reconciliation bill without those two provisions and sent the bill back to the House for a vote on final passage. The House vote will likely come Thursday evening.
What Does This Health Care Reform Legislation Mean: While the health care reform bill extends insurance coverage to 32 million more Americans by 2019, the legislation has other far-reaching implications that will be phased in sooner, during a multi-year implementation period.
Several features of the new health care overhaul bill that would take effect in 2010 under the measure passed Sunday include:
* New product requirements beginning 6 months after enactment, including:
o Coverage for dependents up to age 26
o No lifetime maximum benefit limits
o And no cost sharing on preventive care for certain policyholders
* Temporary federal high risk pools;
* Tax credits for small employers; and
* Prohibition on pre-existing condition exclusions for children (beginning 6 months after enactment).
Most Americans will have until 2014 to purchase insurance or pay a penalty. Other elements of the bill that will not take effect until at least 2014 include insurance marketplaces called “exchanges”; rules requiring insurers to accept all applicants regardless of pre-existing conditions, and an expansion of state Medicaid programs.
A number of experts question whether health care reform will really drive down insurance premiums. America’s Health Insurance Plans ( AHIP), the trade group representing health insurers, outlines a series of concerns related to the legislation including a lack of provisions that address underlying health care costs, improve quality of care or ensure a stable risk pool. In addition, AHIP expressed concerns regarding new taxes on health coverage, which will likely increase premiums.
Additional Activities
Obama’s Executive Order on Abortion Funding: On Sunday afternoon, prior to the final House vote on health care reform, President Obama agreed to issue an Executive Order that would uphold the ban on federal funding for abortion . In so doing, he secured about a half-dozen votes from anti-abortion Democrats, led by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI), who previously opposed the legislation. On Wednesday, President Obama signed the Executive Order banning the government from spending federal money to pay for abortions through plans offered on the insurance exchanges created under the measure.
States Filing Lawsuit to Fight Provision of Health Care Reform Bill: In response to the new health care reform legislation, states across the country have filed lawsuits asking the courts to declare the law unconstitutional and to bar its enforcement. On Monday,Attorneys General in 13 states, led by Florida, filed a joint lawsuit claiming that the new health care reforms violate state government rights in the U.S. Constitution and will force massive new spending on hard-pressed state governments. Joining Florida in the suit are Alabama, Colorado, Idaho, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Washington.
At the same time, the Attorney General in Virginia filed a separate suit contending that Congress has exceeded its power in mandating that people buy health insurance. Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli argues that the new law’s requirement clashes with Virginia law that exempts citizens from federal fines imposed for not having health insurance.
Senate Voting to Extend COBRA Until May 5: Senate Democrats plan another short-term extension of unemployment aid this week, setting up a face-off with Republicans, who are vowing to fight the extension if the $10 billion cost isn’t offset with spending cuts. The bill, currently set to expire on April 5, would extend a series of emergency programs – including funding for unemployment insurance benefits and COBRA health coverage for the jobless – and would hold off a deep cut in reimbursement rates for doctors who serve Medicare patients. The long-term extension has already passed in both the House and Senate, but the two measures are not expected to be reconciled and sent to the President’s desk until after the Easter recess.
President Obama Heads to Iowa to Speak on Health Care: President Obama headed to Iowa on Thursday to increase support for his health care legislation. This was President Obama’sfirst trip out ofWashington since signing health care reform legislation earlier this week. He spoke at the University of Iowa, in the city where he first announced his health care proposal during the Presidential campaign.
Public Opinion
Most Americans Want Republicans to Fight Health Care Reform Bill: In a recent CBS News poll, 62 percent of Americans said they want congressional Republicans to continue challenging the bill, while 33 percent said they should not. Disapproval of the bill has remained steady, with 46 percent saying they disapprove, including 32 percent who “strongly” disapprove. A majority of Americans continue to say that they find the bill to be confusing and do not understand what it means for them or their family.
American’s Split on Health Care Reform Passage: In a recent USA Today/Gallup poll, 42 percent of Americans said they were angry or disappointed with the recent passage of health care reform legislation. When asked to reveal party affiliation, 79 percent identified themselves as Republicans.
Polling Shows Support for State Lawsuits Against Government: National polling reveals significant opposition to the individual mandate. In a newly released Rasmussen report , 53 percent of those polled oppose the new mandate requiring every American to buy or obtain health insurance. Further, 49 percent of voters are in favor of their state suing the federal government to fight the mandate. Fifty-one percent say individual states should have the right to opt out of the health care plan entirely.
Looking Ahead
After this week’s final health care reform vote, President Obama plans to travel the country in the next few months to discuss the new law. Republicans have begun their own discussions of the law, with an eye towards the November elections.
Author Resource. Easy To Insure ME http://www.easytoinsureme.com
Rural Communities: Legacy and Change
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Communities in rural America are a complex mixture of peoples and cultures struggling for survival by implementing innovative approaches to their problems. This core text presents a practical framework for students to understand the internal and external forces shaping rural communities today. Rural Communities focuses on various capitals in rural areas–natural, cultural, human, social, political, financial, and built. Issues covered include racial and cultural div… More >>
Rural Communities: Legacy and Change
Do you grow, transport, store, or sell farm produce? Do you prepare any manner of produce in a restaurant? If so, you need to read this article!
If the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 (HR 875) is passed, organic farming as we know it, will be forever changed. Once law, this bill will mandate that anyone who produces fruit or vegetables for public consumption will register and comply with new standards. The government will give birth to yet another agency which will be empowered to detain, seize, condemn and take “other appropriate enforcement action” against any person exhibiting non-compliance. Under the guise of food safety, organic farmers will be told what chemical to use, how much to use and when its use is required, and violators will be prosecuted. Furthermore, growers of organic produce will be told what kind of seeds can be “safely” used and where they must be purchased.
Once law, the parameters covered by this bill could easily be expanded to cover all food grown on private property for personal use. And your input and preferences won’t matter.
Does this all sound far-fetched? There are people working hard right this minute to make it a reality! I’m not talking about a group of patients in a facility for the criminally insane – I’m talking about a member of the United States Congress who has introduced a bill which is already being studied in committee.
Let’s look at the motivation behind such an idiotic piece of legislation.
First, the bill was presented by Democrat Rosa DeLauro, the wife of Stanley Greenburg, who is an executive at Monsanto. Monsanto, as you probably know, is the world’s largest manufacturer of chemical herbicides (grass and weed killers) and genetically engineered seeds.
Can anyone say “conflict of interest!”?
Second, let’s peruse Section 3, Article 14 of this bill. Please note that the official definition of ‘food production facility’ means any farm, ranch, orchard, vineyard, aquaculture facility, or confined animal-feeding operation. That means any farm, regardless of size– even a small family farm.
A few more high points:
3. Growers will be required to register and comply with all new regulations; non-compliance will be countered by an agency empowered to detain, seize, condemn, and take “other appropriate enforcement action.”
4. Growers will be told what chemical to use, how much to use, and when to use it.
5. Organic growers will be told where to buy their seed.
If this doesn’t sound bad enough, it’s a good bet that the paperwork and compliance regulations are going to be as easy to understand as the current tax laws.
So what happens after you register as an organic grower? What are these new rules that must be adhered to? How much is it going to cost to register? What kind of fees will be imposed? The answer to all these questions is: no one knows yet, because the head of this new agency will decide and this bill specifically states that all regulations will be retroactive.
What is particularly disturbing is that this possible new agency will be headed up by a presidential appointee. (Here’s a few rhetorical questions worthy of consideration: how often, in recent memory, has a presidential appointee actually possessed the qualifications necessary for the job, as opposed to being given a plum position as a reward for some political favor? Can we expect the appointee to be anyone with experience or background in agriculture or food safety? Will the new “Food Safety Czar,” like other agency directors we’ve seen, thumb his/her nose at future congressional inquiries?)
Back to the bill: Ah, but, you’re not an organic farmer or grower, so this won’t affect you, right? Wrong! Further investigation of this bill reveals an expanded scope of authority – to the extent that persons who handle anything defined as “food,” or who are involved in the production, storage, transportation, or preparation of food must register and comply with all the regulations of this new agency.
Doesn’t this sound like something written about Russia back in the cold-war era? Can this really happen in America?
If you think not, consider that the word “terrorist” has been eliminated from the guidelines and official speech of the Department of Homeland Security. Consider that soldiers who have served faithfully with honor in Iraq and Afghanistan have been put on the Department of Homeland Security’s official watch list? The same sort of mentality that came up with those winners is now going to define “food” for us and tell us how to grow it.
If we do not raise our voices collectively and in the streets to confront this kind of silliness, we will soon wake up and find that we have lost our ability to say anything at all. Call your State’s representatives today and tell them to kill this bill in committee! We know that it’s a fact that those who fail to learn from history, will see it repeated. Let’s Roll!
Few effects convey to attention an American Fall term quite like Sunflowers…Well, maybe pumpkins, but we\’re game with Sunflowers on this one. A native concealed to America, the Sunflower (Helianthus annus) is an annually flowering factory and can grow to be over 3 meters tall. The Sunflower is well known for exhibiting heliotropism, or next the conduit of the sun throughout the day from east to west. While there are sure several conduct to go about receiving Sunflowers to enhance with this Fall spell, here are some thoughts on what to keep in mind in project you\’ve absolute that you want to grow your own.
If you want to grow your own Sunflowers than you had better prepare upfront and diagram to hide in early Spring. Getting the seeds into the ground by between March and August, with mid-May am an essence time, is the best way to go to guarantee that you get utmost return on the seeds that you idea. Also, make constant you examine the soil where you\’ll be planting well upfront to make very that there\’s not too much Nitrogen in the soil, but that there is a good total of Potassium and Phosphorus.
Growing Sunflowers can take up some interim, so make steady that you have enough universe committed to the quantity of plants that you will be budding. You\’ll want to conceal each seed forcibly 1 to 2 inches great into soggy soil, spacing the seeds 12 inches apart in rows that are spaced between 2 and 2 1/2 feet apart. If you\’re expecting budding a bigger varietal of Sunflower than you may want to give yourself even more window to permit for the added volume.
Your Sunflowers lodge should mature in about 60 to 90 existence at which direct they will essential to be cut daily. The best time to cut your Sunflower plants is in moreover the early morning or overdue afternoon. Once you\’ve cut your Sunflowers you\’ll want to duck them in launder buckets packed with water and a result of Quick Dip to open their pores. Refrigerating them within a few hours of acerbic ensures that they will last long once they are put on exhibit.
Depending on when you bury your Sunflowers they can be ready to be cut anywhere from September and into October. You can ceremony your Sunflowers in any number of conducts, to having them be the axis of a large pose to use them as a way to add incline and vibrancy to an untaken flower arrangement. If well managed and arranged before being put into an arrangement, your Sunflowers can keep their unsullied plants appearance for upwards of two weeks.
Ok, so you can see that it\’s not really that hard to grow your own gorgeous Sunflowers for your Fall flowery arrangements, but what if you don\’t have the time, or the green thumb, to grow your own Sunflowers. Well there was number of seats that will recommend unsullied plants this time of year, chief between them being Sunflowers. While there is indeed a certain satisfaction in growing your own plants, if you don\’t have the time or window to do so, there\’s certainly nothing harm with deciding to buy flowers from your local florist and having them compose some fresh Sunflowers for you.
The sunflower has been worn since archaic point as a food mine – carbon dating shows Native American use from as early as 2300BC! With its long and assorted story – and scientifically proven worth in trust people healthy, there are now many uses of these accepted seeds.
Growing sunflower seed at home is a rewarding experience and the mass of uses for the seeds will only enhance your kitchen. The sunflower is remarkably unfussy as to where it will grow so long as it has much sun. Sunflowers are found in such diverse places ranging from the swamps of the Amazon to the Mojave Desert – showing how elastic and adaptable the sunflower is.
The sunflower should be planted after the last hoarfrost of the year, with the seeds being planted around a creep terrible and about 6 inches distant. Once the sunflower seedlings pop out from the ground, you should place them around 1,5 feet apart from one another – dwarf varieties can be earlier (around a bottom). You should water frequently after planting awaiting they father to spring – after that period, watering once a week should be enough.
However, if you do not have the time/opening to grow your own sunflowers, the seeds are unfilled in most supermarkets. You can buy them roasted or warm – however cultural preferences will dictate whether they are available shelled or not. In the Mediterranean and Eastern Europe – they are frequently sold in the skeleton, whereas in Western Europe and America they are unusual out of covering.
Sunflower seeds are one of natures most nutritious foods, with protein, vitamin E and Iron all very tightly packed into that little crust. Gram for gram, sunflower seeds equate favorably in comparison to beef, while it has one of the major concentrations of Vitamin E in the workshop kingdom. Vitamin E is related to abridge empathy disease due to it being a defiant-oxidant that cleanses the gratis radicals that affect affection disease.
Toasting sunflower seeds are faintly junior in nutrients than raw, also having more calories and fat subject. However, the raw sunflower seeds are high in phosphorous – which could manage to a failure of calcium if taken too copiously. The chief nutritional matter comes from emergent sunflower seeds. It\’s not hard to envisage why, due to the statement that the tiny sprout has enough food in it to grow into a 6-12 bottom workshop. An apparent augment in all vitamins and in protein is noticed in the sprouts.
Sunflower seeds themselves can be used in a make of recipes – from sauces to spreads – to add flavor and nuts goodness, but are most commonly found in breads and muesli. You will regularly find sunflower seeds on buns, in full wheat loaves of bread and even in pastas. Despite the important accent on baked produce, there are a large collection of sunflower seed recipes around, and make good use of the sunflower seed\’s single and special savor.
Adding the sunflower seed to your diet will make you recovered, and give a special taste your dishes – could you truly provide not to have it on your record?
Wars in the Woods: The Rise of Ecological Forestry in America
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Wars in the Woods examines the conflicts that have developed over the preservation of forests in America, and how government agencies and advocacy groups have influenced the management of forests and their resources for more than a century. Samuel Hays provides an astute analysis of manipulations of conservation law that have touched off a battle between what he terms “ecological forestry” and “commodity forestry.” Hays also reveals the pervading influence of the wo… More >>
Wars in the Woods: The Rise of Ecological Forestry in America
