Get me outta here!

The Chicago Way.

I just don’t understand how this is legal? How can someone pay into a system for years and years and then be told they are not getting what they had been promised? Someone please enlighten me.

Fred Klonsky's avatarFred Klonsky

caponepreckwinkle

With a gun or a pen.

Chicago is still Chicago.

County Board President Toni Preckwinkle went down to Springfield yesterday seeking support for her pension theft.

And to nobody’s surprise, she got it from the mobsters in the General Assemby and from their capo di tutti capo, Mike Madigan.

Preckwinkle said the legislators were “remarkably receptive” to her plan for cutting Cook County employee pensions.

But why would that be remarkable?

These guys and gals in Springfield love pension theft and are only to happy to go along.

Their promises only apply to things like cutting services and funding schools rather than keeping the five percent income tax.

But upholding their oath of office to abide by the Illinois Constitution and its pension protection clause?

Fugettaboutit.

Preckwinkle’s plan has the support of sell-out SEIU Local 73 President Christine Boardman. But AFSCME is not on board. And since the plan will…

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Machine vision: Google’s going to give your smartphones and tablets new eyes

Only the young would think this was a “neat idea”. The wise elders would see this as technology run amok. Negotiating a grocery store? Are you kidding me? Oh…they must mean the Big Box monstrosities…
Well, for the time being, I don’t patronize Big Box stores unless necessary. And I won’t be getting one of the smartphones anytime too soon, even if I could afford it.
But now we see why the NSA and Google are in bed together–so many ways to invade someone’s privacy without them knowing it or without any restrictions even if they do know it and wish to stop it.

Agassi Charter Firm Plans to Raise $1 Billion for New Charters

Charter proponents like to play the victim–“we’re sooo disadvantaged” –while envisioning the $$ they’ll make off of building charters….as this story illustrates. These aren’t people concerned with education. These are people concerned with profit.

dianeravitch's avatarDiane Ravitch's blog

The firm created by Andre Agassi with investors plans to an additional $1 billion to build new charters in urban districts.

Investors say the offer is appealing because of the returns.

Agassi formed a new investment partnership with capital investor Bobby Turner called Turner-Agassi.

It has already built 39 charters.

“Among the Turner-Agassi fund’s investors is the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which is focused on education and entrepreneurship and has about $2 billion under management. The Kansas City, Missouri-based foundation’s main reason for backing the fund was its “potential for future investment returns,” Chief Investment Officer Mary McLean said in an e-mail.”

Read the story and see if you can find a single reference to education in any context other than a chance to make money.

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The pharmacy in your yard… **edited

(I want to preface this with:  I am not a health professional.  Please consult with your health care provider before breathing, er I mean, before trying anything outside of Big Pharma, er I mean, before trying anything I suggest here.  You are responsible for your own health decisions. Which is why you should run, not walk, away from American medicine.)

I wanted to explore the link between dandelions and cancer, and found this. 

It supports my own intuition that this plant that we categorized as a bothersome weed could be our lifeline.

It’s just amazing that we’re pouring toxic chemicals–those same chemicals linked to cancer –on a plant that could very well cure that cancer.  (I’m not pointing fingers, mind you, because I am guilty of doing this in my past life, before becoming informed and aware.)

Breast cancer is especially of interest to me because my grandmother died from breast cancer…at least we think it was breast cancer–by the time it was discovered, it had metastasized all over her body, but the concentration was in her breasts.

I still have my two breast lumps, discovered nearly two years ago, but they shrunk after upping my iodine.  And in the last couple of years–drinking dandelion tea every day. Part of the reason for the lumps is the messed up hormones from mercury poisoning…so I am hopeful that they will disappear once I get this horrible poison gone from my system.

I also drink rose hip tea every day–loaded with natural Vitamin C….after reading that synthesized vitamins, such as “C”, are not really that good for us.  The body doesn’t recognize the synthetic version as it does the natural version–which makes sense to me.

Dr. Horner’s list begins with what I’ve been saying all along–eating organic food is the best medicine for your body to do its miracle work of healing itself. Unfortunately, she also recommends grains–which I now see as poison, as well.

A minor quibble with the good fats suggestion–butter from cows allowed to eat naturally–grass, without hormones and antibiotics–is good for us, too.

**edited to add:  she recommends flaxseeds every day — you should be aware that those of us of Irish heritage lack the necessary enzyme to digest flaxseeds.  I was taking flaxseed oil every day thinking it was a good thing, but I started having such nausea with it that I stopped.  It was only later that I found out about the lacking enzymes.

Teas are okay, but Dr. Campbell-McBride (GAPS), allows only loose leaf tea–not processed.   Tea  is high in salicylates, which can cause some severe issues, such as bladder pain and urgency, even blood in the urine. I guess it’s what you call too much of a good thing.

I’ve tried turmeric, too, but didn’t have results with it.  I guess that is one of the individual aspects of “food medicine.”  One size does not fit all.  Listen to your body, and learn to recognize when it is telling you to “stop”.

I wouldn’t recommend stevia, either, as I’ve read of issues with it.  Honey or maple syrup are preferred sweeteners–naturally offering benefits. I might note that royal jelly–from bees–has been touted as energizing–but if you’re allergic, it can have the opposite effect.  I began taking it before I knew I was mercury toxic, and I felt pretty good the first couple of weeks I took it.  Then, I began to feel more tired and developed a sore throat.  When I discontinued the royal jelly, I felt better.  In the interest of science, I took the royal jelly again, and again felt worse with a sore throat after just a few days.  I don’t know if this is a result of the mercury, because it does cause one to be allergic to everything, or whether it was just too high a concentration for my body.

I also disagree with soy–it is a known to impact the thyroid negatively.

So, yeah, nature has provided for us…we just need to value it.

 

 

 

Iranians arrested for being “happy”

Well, this is sad news.  I hope folks think of this the next time someone spouts off that we need to nuke Iran…there are people of peace all around the world who just want to live their lives…and be happy…

In relation to my other post on our loss of civil rights…this is one of the things that happen when “intelligence” is used to track down someone expressing Free Speech.

Exit through the gift shop- the 9/11 Museum

Abby Zimet has a post up on the vulgarity of the 9/11 museum commercialization.  It’s more like an enterprise than a solemn memorial to those who experience the horror of that day.

And, as is brought up–the end of our civil rights, specifically, the First Amendment and Fourth Amendment is hardly reason to “celibrate”…or perhaps one should say, bank upon…

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

~~~~~~~

Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

~~~~~~~

Violation of our right to peacefully assemble:

And, of course, the violation of our right to privacy against government intrusion unless there is a court warrant with justifiable cause.

Perhaps it should be called the Museum of Lost Civil Rights…

And like a couple of commenters, I take exception to the dismissive tone of Abby on the Architects and Engineers –who are not claiming to know if 9/11 was an inside job, but rather, they are stating that Building 7 was not hit, but nevertheless collapse as one does in a controlled demolition.  THAT is what they’re saying.

The comments:

“arguing it was all an insider job by the U.S. and Israel; their premise is kinda bonkers” I disagree, Abby Z., and I dislike your dismissive tone.

From what I know of Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth, they do not argue that “it was all an insider job by the U.S. and Israel.” They do however argue that the observed events cannot be adequately explained by the “official story” and that a new, impartial investigation should be conducted.

As a financial supporter of the 9/11 truth movement that is supported by over 2,000 Architects and Engineers of impeccable credentials, your post is spot on. They do not say they know what really happened or who was behind 9/11 but what they do say is: anyone with an open mind that makes a comprehensive study cannot help but see the official story is so bogus as to be a fairy tale for children.

The website for the architects and engineers questioning why Building 7 collapsed is here.  Their video on how and why they question the building collapse is here.

  • As you see, these are not Tea Partiers, but people with degrees in engineering and architecture who explain simply how this building could not have collapsed from heat alone.

    They don’t speculate on who did this or why–they are just following the path of scientific explanation.  Since this was a financial center, I can’t help but wonder at the connection to banksters.  Why the World Trade Center?
     

The 60s Scoop in Canada

What is amazing about this is that this stuff was happening up to the 80s (and up to the 70s in the States)…and had pretty much been happening since the European invasion.  Terrible, terrible thing to do to these families.  We now know that this wasn’t about the child’s welfare as much as it was about a self-righteous idea of imposing one’s religion upon others–about forcing others to conform to what your narrow view of how a society should operate.

Ice Cream

The local radio station airs a program where locals call in to sell or trade stuff they don’t want anymore.  The hostess was remarking about buying a bread machine and how it came from a moment of inspiration (cold winter day)…but, yeah, didn’t progress past the thought…and she remarked how much stuff we buy that we don’t need.  Don’t get me started…I’ve been through so much that material stuff no longer has its hold on me like before.  It’s hard to get past that, because of the way our society values things instead of people, but once you do get past it, you become so much more free.

Anyway, the host talked about ice cream makers and how you cranked it a couple of times, and said “enough of this, I’m going to ___ (he names a popular ice cream place).”

Well, I started thinking about how much I loved home-made hand-cranked ice cream….

I was introduced to it at my summer camp.  If you have never had hand-cranked ice cream, I highly, highly recommend it.  Delicious.

The thing about it is that it was a group effort–all of us in our camp cabin took turns cranking.  We actually argued over who would get to crank!

I think there is a lesson in there–what may seem too hard as an individual–can be achieved if we all took turns carrying the “load”.

 

Cisco asks Obama/NSA to stop interference

Cisco CEO John Chambers has written a letter to President Obama insisting the NSA cease its interference with Cisco products.

From the piece:

The letter follows the circulation of pictures on the Internet showing NSA staff opening boxes of Cisco gear, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. “There have been allegations that the NSA has intercepted IT equipment in transit from manufacturers to customers to help monitor and gain information on surveillance targets,” the paper wrote.

~~~~~~~~~~

So…Edward Snowden’s revelations haven’t had the impact…nor damage that is alleged…because apparently, they’re still doing it.  I don’t see how Snowden can be charged with damaging information when the parties involved are still up to the same violation of the Fourth Amendment.

2006

…is it me, in my circumstances, or did everything seem to stop in 2006?

I went to get the transmission fluid and oil changed today.  The shop is the old time independent shop–the kind that those of us of a certain age remember.  It was the “filling station” type gas station.  They had a couple of pumps–maybe four if they were really progressive–and a full time mechanic working.  The mechanic was usually the owner.  You knew him by name and if he was any good, you were a regular customer.

I walk in the place, and it smells of oil and gas of years of working on cars.  It used to be an Amoco station, with red, white, and blue stripes still on what used to be display booths.  There were long fluorescent bulbs, now missing, to highlight the products.  An old wall safe is still in its place.  Countertops have been removed, except for one.  One could tell it was a busy place at one time..situated at a busy corner in town. There is a calendar on the countertop with the year “2006” on it.  Names and times are scribbled on it…customers of days past.  It just made me take a breath by the year –the year I lost my house –and I wonder to myself if everything stopped that year…

Now it has one mechanic that knows his stuff.  He changes the transmission fluid.  When I tell him it’s been seven years since I’ve had it done, he remarks that he’s seen much darker fluid.  Mine still had some “red” to it–meaning the usually red transmission fluid wasn’t completely black.  He said the car was in pretty good shape for the amount of miles on it (225,ooo).  I know, though, it’s days are numbered…I was told by a mechanic that it would probably not make it past 220,000…so I’m already 5k over the engine life.

Anyway, it was good to hear the transmission wasn’t as bad as I thought.  I just hope that solves the car rolling on me when I park it…otherwise, we got issues.

(I’m feeling my migraine coming on…probably won’t be here tomorrow.)