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Peninsula readers' letters:November 24
From Daily News Group readers Posted: 11/23/2011 05:34:05 PM PSTUpdated: 11/23/2011 10:14:27 PM PST
Black Friday's origins
Dear Editor: Black Friday is one of the busiest shopping days in the United States. There are two popular theories as to why the day after Thanksgiving Day is called Black Friday. One theory is that the wheels of vehicles in heavy traffic on the day after Thanksgiving Day left many black markings on the road surface.The other theory is that the term comes from an old way of recording business accounts. Losses were recorded in red ink and profits in black ink. Many businesses, particularly small businesses, started making profits prior to Christmas. Many hoped to start showing a profit, marked in black ink, on the day after Thanksgiving. Just like so many of our other holidays, the true purpose behind having a holiday called Thanksgiving is being totally obliterated by a tsunami of greed. Meanwhile, more Americans than ever are living in poverty this year and very few people even seem to notice. Perhaps we should all take time this week to remember the tens of millions of Americans who are going to be deeply suffering this winter. They keep telling us that the recession is over, yet poverty continues to spread like an out-of-control plague. But for most Americans, life is still relatively "normal" and so the horrible suffering going on out there doesn't really affect them.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Black Friday?
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/11/23/18700876.php
Black Friday?by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com )
Wednesday Nov 23rd, 2011
Black Friday is one of the busiest shopping days in the USA. There are two popular theories as to why the day after Thanksgiving Day is called Black Friday. One theory is that the wheels of vehicles in heavy traffic on the day after Thanksgiving Day left many black markings on the road surface, leading to the term Black Friday. The other theory is that the term Black Friday comes from an old way of recording business accounts. Losses were recorded in red ink and profits in black ink. Many businesses, particularly small businesses, started making profits prior to Christmas. Many hoped to start showing a profit, marked in black ink, on the day after Thanksgiving Day. Just like so many of our other holidays, the true purpose behind having a holiday called "Thanksgiving" is being totally obliterated by a tsunami of greed. Meanwhile, more Americans than ever are living in poverty this year and very few people even seem to notice. However, perhaps we should all take time this week to remember the tens of millions of Americans that are going to be deeply suffering this winter. They keep telling us that "the recession is over" and yet poverty continues to spread like an out of control plague. But for most Americans life is still relatively "normal", and so the horrible suffering going on out there doesn't really affect them.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Black Friday?by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com )
Wednesday Nov 23rd, 2011
Black Friday is one of the busiest shopping days in the USA. There are two popular theories as to why the day after Thanksgiving Day is called Black Friday. One theory is that the wheels of vehicles in heavy traffic on the day after Thanksgiving Day left many black markings on the road surface, leading to the term Black Friday. The other theory is that the term Black Friday comes from an old way of recording business accounts. Losses were recorded in red ink and profits in black ink. Many businesses, particularly small businesses, started making profits prior to Christmas. Many hoped to start showing a profit, marked in black ink, on the day after Thanksgiving Day. Just like so many of our other holidays, the true purpose behind having a holiday called "Thanksgiving" is being totally obliterated by a tsunami of greed. Meanwhile, more Americans than ever are living in poverty this year and very few people even seem to notice. However, perhaps we should all take time this week to remember the tens of millions of Americans that are going to be deeply suffering this winter. They keep telling us that "the recession is over" and yet poverty continues to spread like an out of control plague. But for most Americans life is still relatively "normal", and so the horrible suffering going on out there doesn't really affect them.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Spartan Daily
Spartan Daily
November 22, 2011
Black Friday apocalypse
News Sports Opinion A&E
Black Friday apocalypse
by Ryan Fernandez Nov 21, 2011 6:39 pm
Ryan Fernandez
They’re just outside the doors.
They’re just standing there, some silently, some making inhuman noises tinged with impatience. Others appear to be engrossed with whatever shiny, flashy thing they have in front of their faces.
They’ve stood there for hours, seemingly impervious to the cold and the dark, waiting for an opening, a structural weakness that would allow the gathered horde access to the only things that would sate their hunger.
For the unlucky people holed up within the store, fear is the most palpable emotion, with undercurrents of resentment and rage.
The people within have taken up defensible positions in automotive, menswear and linens, but they know the brunt of the assault will fall on electronics and toys, with lesser sorties against winter clothing and housewares.
They’re hiding behind makeshift barricades of tables and pallets stacked high with consumer goods — scanner guns and handcarts are their primary armaments, with an occasional grabber arm to augment their reach.
No, a zombie apocalypse is not upon us.
It’s Black Friday.
Why do I liken one of the busiest shopping days of the year to an event that heralds the end of the world as we know it?
It’s simple: What term, other than “zombie,” would you use to describe people who gather in large groups to mob a building, are utterly single-minded in their pursuit of whatever gratifies them at the moment, and will press toward their goal without pausing to heed bodily injury (either their own or others)?
Combine those traits with the ferocity and aggressive athleticism present in modern-day undead, and you have a living nightmare.
Also, I just rewatched the original “Dawn of the Dead” and I now understand the whole anti-consumerism theme that George Romero is supposed to have injected into it.
I make no claim to the moral high ground because I, too, have participated in the wanton post-Turkey Day carnage.
I have braved the cold and the darkness of the wee hours just for the chance to get something on sale.
I have stood in line at Walmart, Best Buy, Target, Toys R Us, J.C. Penney, Sears (but never Macy’s — I can never find anything that fits there) and so many other stores.
I have felt the thrill that comes with claiming the last DVD player on sale for 60 percent off.
I’m even considering going to Costco because the warehouse giant is offering a free cookbook to early-bird shoppers — and maybe I’ll pick up a gallon of Pepto-Bismol and a pound of Alka-Seltzers while I’m at it.
You can’t imagine how mortified and intrigued I was to learn that there would be stores open on Thanksgiving Day, just for people who finish eating ahead of time and can come up with an excuse to leave the celebration a little early.
I know, the sheer greed of the companies and the relentless consumerism of the public is disgusting, but feelings of revulsion can’t compare with a serious discount on LCD TVs.
Let’s face it, people confronted with their hearts’ desires (rather, their hearts’ desires as defined by slick marketing campaigns) are not the most rational beings, least of all when they’re in large groups, have endured hours of cold, and are afraid they won’t get what they want and all their suffering will have come to naught.
I’ve seen the videos and read the news stories of crowds trampling people just on the threshold of a store’s entryway, and those horror stories have made me more afraid than any gory zombie flick.
The deals to be made in person are tempting, but I think I’ll forego the horde this year and shop online.
When push comes to shove, I’d advise the shoppers to let go of the Blu-ray player. Do you really need a fifth player, even if it is 60 percent off?
To the retail workers out there, be safe, and remember, they’ll go after the ones bringing out new merchandise first.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
The other theory is that the term Black Friday comes from an old way of recording business accounts. Losses were recorded in red ink and profits in black ink. Many businesses, particularly small businesses, started making profits prior to Christmas. Many hoped to start showing a profit, marked in black ink, on the day after Thanksgiving Day. Just like so many of our other holidays, the true purpose behind having a holiday called "Thanksgiving" is being totally obliterated by a tsunami of greed. Meanwhile, more Americans than ever are living in poverty this year and very few people even seem to notice. However, perhaps we should all take time this week to remember the tens of millions of Americans that are going to be deeply suffering this winter. They keep telling us that "the recession is over" and yet poverty continues to spread like an out of control plague. But for most Americans life is still relatively "normal", and so the horrible suffering going on out there doesn't really affect them.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Class of 1996
November 22, 2011
Black Friday apocalypse
News Sports Opinion A&E
Black Friday apocalypse
by Ryan Fernandez Nov 21, 2011 6:39 pm
Ryan Fernandez
They’re just outside the doors.
They’re just standing there, some silently, some making inhuman noises tinged with impatience. Others appear to be engrossed with whatever shiny, flashy thing they have in front of their faces.
They’ve stood there for hours, seemingly impervious to the cold and the dark, waiting for an opening, a structural weakness that would allow the gathered horde access to the only things that would sate their hunger.
For the unlucky people holed up within the store, fear is the most palpable emotion, with undercurrents of resentment and rage.
The people within have taken up defensible positions in automotive, menswear and linens, but they know the brunt of the assault will fall on electronics and toys, with lesser sorties against winter clothing and housewares.
They’re hiding behind makeshift barricades of tables and pallets stacked high with consumer goods — scanner guns and handcarts are their primary armaments, with an occasional grabber arm to augment their reach.
No, a zombie apocalypse is not upon us.
It’s Black Friday.
Why do I liken one of the busiest shopping days of the year to an event that heralds the end of the world as we know it?
It’s simple: What term, other than “zombie,” would you use to describe people who gather in large groups to mob a building, are utterly single-minded in their pursuit of whatever gratifies them at the moment, and will press toward their goal without pausing to heed bodily injury (either their own or others)?
Combine those traits with the ferocity and aggressive athleticism present in modern-day undead, and you have a living nightmare.
Also, I just rewatched the original “Dawn of the Dead” and I now understand the whole anti-consumerism theme that George Romero is supposed to have injected into it.
I make no claim to the moral high ground because I, too, have participated in the wanton post-Turkey Day carnage.
I have braved the cold and the darkness of the wee hours just for the chance to get something on sale.
I have stood in line at Walmart, Best Buy, Target, Toys R Us, J.C. Penney, Sears (but never Macy’s — I can never find anything that fits there) and so many other stores.
I have felt the thrill that comes with claiming the last DVD player on sale for 60 percent off.
I’m even considering going to Costco because the warehouse giant is offering a free cookbook to early-bird shoppers — and maybe I’ll pick up a gallon of Pepto-Bismol and a pound of Alka-Seltzers while I’m at it.
You can’t imagine how mortified and intrigued I was to learn that there would be stores open on Thanksgiving Day, just for people who finish eating ahead of time and can come up with an excuse to leave the celebration a little early.
I know, the sheer greed of the companies and the relentless consumerism of the public is disgusting, but feelings of revulsion can’t compare with a serious discount on LCD TVs.
Let’s face it, people confronted with their hearts’ desires (rather, their hearts’ desires as defined by slick marketing campaigns) are not the most rational beings, least of all when they’re in large groups, have endured hours of cold, and are afraid they won’t get what they want and all their suffering will have come to naught.
I’ve seen the videos and read the news stories of crowds trampling people just on the threshold of a store’s entryway, and those horror stories have made me more afraid than any gory zombie flick.
The deals to be made in person are tempting, but I think I’ll forego the horde this year and shop online.
When push comes to shove, I’d advise the shoppers to let go of the Blu-ray player. Do you really need a fifth player, even if it is 60 percent off?
To the retail workers out there, be safe, and remember, they’ll go after the ones bringing out new merchandise first.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
The other theory is that the term Black Friday comes from an old way of recording business accounts. Losses were recorded in red ink and profits in black ink. Many businesses, particularly small businesses, started making profits prior to Christmas. Many hoped to start showing a profit, marked in black ink, on the day after Thanksgiving Day. Just like so many of our other holidays, the true purpose behind having a holiday called "Thanksgiving" is being totally obliterated by a tsunami of greed. Meanwhile, more Americans than ever are living in poverty this year and very few people even seem to notice. However, perhaps we should all take time this week to remember the tens of millions of Americans that are going to be deeply suffering this winter. They keep telling us that "the recession is over" and yet poverty continues to spread like an out of control plague. But for most Americans life is still relatively "normal", and so the horrible suffering going on out there doesn't really affect them.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Class of 1996
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Zombie higher education
San Mateo Daily Journal
Tuesday
November 22 2011
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Letter: Zombie higher education?
November 22, 2011, 03:24 AM Letter
Editor,
The student loan market is back in the news as it makes its relentless march to the $1 trillion mark. This crippling figure comes in the face of a decade of lost wages for middle class Americans, just as the housing-bubble people were supplementing a disappearing middle class with more debt. The allure of housing lay in the fact that we had never seen, in our history, national home prices fall, until they did in dramatic fashion.
The same cultural nostalgia for education in every respect has created a zombie higher education system that is now expanding like the mortgage market at the height of the housing bubble. This is a subject of increasing concern to the Obama administration, which remade the federal student loan program and is now proposing changes that may make it harder for the for-profit colleges to qualify.
In the five years since Congress deregulated online education, enrollments at for-profit colleges have nearly doubled. Six major corporations owning such institutions have enjoyed initial public offerings on Wall Street. Graduates of another for-profit school — a college nursing program in California — said that they received their diplomas without ever setting foot in a hospital. We have heard countless stories of people going to for-profits, only to land minimum wage jobs once they graduate. Just like the subprime debacle, many of these people will remain silent, and the market will pretend nothing is wrong.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto
Tuesday
November 22 2011
Home Local News State / National / World Sports Opinion / Letters Business Arts / Entertainment VISIT US ON FACEBOOK! Click here
Follow us on Twitter!
Letter: Zombie higher education?
November 22, 2011, 03:24 AM Letter
Editor,
The student loan market is back in the news as it makes its relentless march to the $1 trillion mark. This crippling figure comes in the face of a decade of lost wages for middle class Americans, just as the housing-bubble people were supplementing a disappearing middle class with more debt. The allure of housing lay in the fact that we had never seen, in our history, national home prices fall, until they did in dramatic fashion.
The same cultural nostalgia for education in every respect has created a zombie higher education system that is now expanding like the mortgage market at the height of the housing bubble. This is a subject of increasing concern to the Obama administration, which remade the federal student loan program and is now proposing changes that may make it harder for the for-profit colleges to qualify.
In the five years since Congress deregulated online education, enrollments at for-profit colleges have nearly doubled. Six major corporations owning such institutions have enjoyed initial public offerings on Wall Street. Graduates of another for-profit school — a college nursing program in California — said that they received their diplomas without ever setting foot in a hospital. We have heard countless stories of people going to for-profits, only to land minimum wage jobs once they graduate. Just like the subprime debacle, many of these people will remain silent, and the market will pretend nothing is wrong.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto
Monday, November 21, 2011
Blogs
BLOGs Sports Politics
Hong KongJoe FrazierDon KingLarry HolmesMore Topics »Original Text:Show alternative translations
Matt Young - Top Blog Posts
Overview News Blogs Top Stories Spartan Daily" href="http://flair.wittysparks.com/blogs/Matt+Young/page/target=_blank%3E">blogspot - Author: Ted Rudow III,MA - 2011/9/28 ...Speaker touches on ‘humanity’ in concerns with Israel-Palestine conflict by matt.young Sep 22, 2011 12:17 am Dorian Silva, Spartan DailyEnglish professor Persis M. Karim ...
Hong KongJoe FrazierDon KingLarry HolmesMore Topics »Original Text:Show alternative translations
Matt Young - Top Blog Posts
Overview News Blogs Top Stories Spartan Daily" href="http://flair.wittysparks.com/blogs/Matt+Young/page/target=_blank%3E">blogspot - Author: Ted Rudow III,MA - 2011/9/28 ...Speaker touches on ‘humanity’ in concerns with Israel-Palestine conflict by matt.young Sep 22, 2011 12:17 am Dorian Silva, Spartan DailyEnglish professor Persis M. Karim ...
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Inequality
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Peninsula readers' letters:November 19
From Daily News Group readers Posted: 11/18/2011 05:01:01 PM PSTUpdated: 11/18/2011 11:30:31 PM PST
Inequality greater than ever
Dear Editor: Experts now say the U.S. has entered a second Gilded Age, but one in which hedge fund managers have replaced oil barons and are killing the American dream. Inequality in America is greater than it has been in almost a century. Those fortunate enough to belong to the 1 percent made up of the super rich stand on one side of the divide; the remaining 99 percent on the other.
Even for a country that has always accepted opposite extremes as part of its identity, the chasm has simply grown too vast. The more you get, the more you want -- more money, more power, more prestige, more honor in the sight of others, more fame, more everything. Yet the more you get, the emptier you feel. That is because these things will never satisfy you.
That's the religion of the world. That's what most people worship -- themselves and their own personal desires and greed.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto
eEdition / Subscriber ServicesMobile Mobile Alerts RSS
News breaking newsobituariescrime and courtsbay area newsdata centerscienceearthquakespolitics / governmentcalifornianation / worldOpinion columnseditorialsletters
Site Web Search by YAHOO! Peninsula POWERED BY
Peninsula readers' letters:November 19
From Daily News Group readers Posted: 11/18/2011 05:01:01 PM PSTUpdated: 11/18/2011 11:30:31 PM PST
Inequality greater than ever
Dear Editor: Experts now say the U.S. has entered a second Gilded Age, but one in which hedge fund managers have replaced oil barons and are killing the American dream. Inequality in America is greater than it has been in almost a century. Those fortunate enough to belong to the 1 percent made up of the super rich stand on one side of the divide; the remaining 99 percent on the other.
Even for a country that has always accepted opposite extremes as part of its identity, the chasm has simply grown too vast. The more you get, the more you want -- more money, more power, more prestige, more honor in the sight of others, more fame, more everything. Yet the more you get, the emptier you feel. That is because these things will never satisfy you.
That's the religion of the world. That's what most people worship -- themselves and their own personal desires and greed.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto
Friday, November 18, 2011
Follow the money
Friday, November 18, 2011
SF Examiner
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Read more at the San Francisco Examiner: http://www.sfexaminer.com/opinion/letters-editor/2011/11/kill-central-subway-save-sfmta-budget#ixzz1e5QXyRPf
Follow the money
Last Sunday, “60 Minutes” aired a report highlighting instances in which congressional officials reportedly bought stocks around the same time Congress was discussing legislation affecting those companies or industries. The show looked at the lucrative investments of lawmakers including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker John Boehner and Republican Rep. Spencer Bachus of Alabama.
Members of Congress reap huge profits using insider information in ways that could put any of the rest of us behind bars. But the politicians allow themselves exemption from insider-trading laws.
A new bill filed by Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., would make it illegal for elected congressional officials, their staffs and executive branch employees to make investment decisions from pending information that’s not available to the general public. It would also forbid them from spreading such information public for personal gain.
Ted Rudow III,MA Palo Alto
SF Examiner
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Read more at the San Francisco Examiner: http://www.sfexaminer.com/opinion/letters-editor/2011/11/kill-central-subway-save-sfmta-budget#ixzz1e5QXyRPf
Follow the money
Last Sunday, “60 Minutes” aired a report highlighting instances in which congressional officials reportedly bought stocks around the same time Congress was discussing legislation affecting those companies or industries. The show looked at the lucrative investments of lawmakers including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker John Boehner and Republican Rep. Spencer Bachus of Alabama.
Members of Congress reap huge profits using insider information in ways that could put any of the rest of us behind bars. But the politicians allow themselves exemption from insider-trading laws.
A new bill filed by Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., would make it illegal for elected congressional officials, their staffs and executive branch employees to make investment decisions from pending information that’s not available to the general public. It would also forbid them from spreading such information public for personal gain.
Ted Rudow III,MA Palo Alto
Raisethefist.com
RTF RADIOlive 24/7 var so = new SWFObject('http://www.raisethefist.com/streamplayer
Share FEATURE THIS
On Sunday, "60 Minutes" aired a report highlighting instances in which congressional officials reportedly bought stocks around the same time Congress was discussing legislation affecting those companies or industriesThe show looked at the investments of various lawmakers -- including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker John Boehner and Republican Rep. Spencer Bachus of Alabama. The retired U.S. representative from Washington's 3rd Congressional District was grieved about members of Congress reaping huge investment dividends using insider information in ways that could put any of the rest of us behind bars. Baird said: One line in a bill in Congress can be worth millions and millions of dollars to a member of Congress who picks up clues during testimony and deliberations for bills. Yet the politicians allow themselves to bypass insider-trading laws. Baird never received more than six co-sponsors for a bill that would make it illegal for lawmakers to trade stocks on nonpublic information. The bill filed Tuesday by Massachusetts Republican Sen. Scott Brown would make it illegal for elected congressional officials, their staffs and executive branch employees to use information about pending bills that's not available to the general public in making investment decisions. It would also forbid them from making such information public for personal gain. Are not many world leaders driven by the same corruption, the same lust, the same greed? It's just plain greed and selfishness!
Ted Rudow III, MA
Share FEATURE THIS
On Sunday, "60 Minutes" aired a report highlighting instances in which congressional officials reportedly bought stocks around the same time Congress was discussing legislation affecting those companies or industriesThe show looked at the investments of various lawmakers -- including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker John Boehner and Republican Rep. Spencer Bachus of Alabama. The retired U.S. representative from Washington's 3rd Congressional District was grieved about members of Congress reaping huge investment dividends using insider information in ways that could put any of the rest of us behind bars. Baird said: One line in a bill in Congress can be worth millions and millions of dollars to a member of Congress who picks up clues during testimony and deliberations for bills. Yet the politicians allow themselves to bypass insider-trading laws. Baird never received more than six co-sponsors for a bill that would make it illegal for lawmakers to trade stocks on nonpublic information. The bill filed Tuesday by Massachusetts Republican Sen. Scott Brown would make it illegal for elected congressional officials, their staffs and executive branch employees to use information about pending bills that's not available to the general public in making investment decisions. It would also forbid them from making such information public for personal gain. Are not many world leaders driven by the same corruption, the same lust, the same greed? It's just plain greed and selfishness!
Ted Rudow III, MA
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
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Peninsula readers' letters:November 16
From Daily News Group readers
Posted: 11/15/2011 07:12:51 PM PST
Updated: 11/15/2011 11:11:51 PM PST
Reaping profits
Dear Editor: On Sunday, "60 Minutes" aired a report highlighting instances in which congressional officials reportedly bought stocks around the same time Congress was discussing legislation affecting those companies or industries. The show looked at the investments of various lawmakers, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker John Boehner and Republican Rep. Spencer Bachus of Alabama.
Former U.S. Rep. Brian Baird was grieved about members of Congress reaping huge investment dividends using insider information in ways that could put any of the rest of us behind bars. Baird said "one line in a bill in Congress can be worth millions and millions of dollars" to a member of Congress who picks up clues during testimony and deliberations for bills. Yet the politicians allow themselves to bypass insider-trading laws. Baird never received more than six co-sponsors for a bill that would make it illegal for lawmakers to trade stocks on nonpublic information.
The bill filed Tuesday by Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts would make it illegal for elected congressional officials, their staffs and executive-branch employees to use information about pending bills that's not available to the general public in making investment decisions. It would also forbid them from making such information public for personal gain. Are not many world leaders driven by the same corruption, the same lust, the same greed? It's just plain greed and selfishness.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto
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document.write('\n');
Peninsula readers' letters:November 16
From Daily News Group readers
Posted: 11/15/2011 07:12:51 PM PST
Updated: 11/15/2011 11:11:51 PM PST
Reaping profits
Dear Editor: On Sunday, "60 Minutes" aired a report highlighting instances in which congressional officials reportedly bought stocks around the same time Congress was discussing legislation affecting those companies or industries. The show looked at the investments of various lawmakers, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker John Boehner and Republican Rep. Spencer Bachus of Alabama.
Former U.S. Rep. Brian Baird was grieved about members of Congress reaping huge investment dividends using insider information in ways that could put any of the rest of us behind bars. Baird said "one line in a bill in Congress can be worth millions and millions of dollars" to a member of Congress who picks up clues during testimony and deliberations for bills. Yet the politicians allow themselves to bypass insider-trading laws. Baird never received more than six co-sponsors for a bill that would make it illegal for lawmakers to trade stocks on nonpublic information.
The bill filed Tuesday by Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts would make it illegal for elected congressional officials, their staffs and executive-branch employees to use information about pending bills that's not available to the general public in making investment decisions. It would also forbid them from making such information public for personal gain. Are not many world leaders driven by the same corruption, the same lust, the same greed? It's just plain greed and selfishness.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Reaping?
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/11/15/18699591.php
Reaping?
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com ) Tuesday Nov 15th, 2011
On Sunday, "60 Minutes" aired a report highlighting instances in which congressional officials reportedly bought stocks around the same time Congress was discussing legislation affecting those companies or industries
-->
The show looked at the investments of various lawmakers -- including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker John Boehner and Republican Rep. Spencer Bachus of Alabama. The retired U.S. representative from Washington’s 3rd Congressional District was grieved about members of Congress reaping huge investment dividends using insider information in ways that could put any of the rest of us behind bars. Baird said: “One line in a bill in Congress can be worth millions and millions of dollars” to a member of Congress who picks up clues during testimony and deliberations for bills. Yet the politicians allow themselves to bypass insider-trading laws. Baird never received more than six co-sponsors for a bill that would make it illegal for lawmakers to trade stocks on nonpublic information. The bill filed Tuesday by Massachusetts Republican Sen. Scott Brown would make it illegal for elected congressional officials, their staffs and executive branch employees to use information about pending bills that's not available to the general public in making investment decisions. It would also forbid them from making such information public for personal gain. Are not many world leaders driven by the same corruption, the same lust, the same greed? It's just plain greed and selfishness!
Ted Rudow III, MA
Reaping?
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com ) Tuesday Nov 15th, 2011
On Sunday, "60 Minutes" aired a report highlighting instances in which congressional officials reportedly bought stocks around the same time Congress was discussing legislation affecting those companies or industries
-->
The show looked at the investments of various lawmakers -- including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker John Boehner and Republican Rep. Spencer Bachus of Alabama. The retired U.S. representative from Washington’s 3rd Congressional District was grieved about members of Congress reaping huge investment dividends using insider information in ways that could put any of the rest of us behind bars. Baird said: “One line in a bill in Congress can be worth millions and millions of dollars” to a member of Congress who picks up clues during testimony and deliberations for bills. Yet the politicians allow themselves to bypass insider-trading laws. Baird never received more than six co-sponsors for a bill that would make it illegal for lawmakers to trade stocks on nonpublic information. The bill filed Tuesday by Massachusetts Republican Sen. Scott Brown would make it illegal for elected congressional officials, their staffs and executive branch employees to use information about pending bills that's not available to the general public in making investment decisions. It would also forbid them from making such information public for personal gain. Are not many world leaders driven by the same corruption, the same lust, the same greed? It's just plain greed and selfishness!
Ted Rudow III, MA
Reaping?
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/11/15/18699591.php
Reaping?
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com ) Tuesday Nov 15th, 2011
On Sunday, "60 Minutes" aired a report highlighting instances in which congressional officials reportedly bought stocks around the same time Congress was discussing legislation affecting those companies or industries
-->
The show looked at the investments of various lawmakers -- including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker John Boehner and Republican Rep. Spencer Bachus of Alabama. The retired U.S. representative from Washington’s 3rd Congressional District was grieved about members of Congress reaping huge investment dividends using insider information in ways that could put any of the rest of us behind bars. Baird said: “One line in a bill in Congress can be worth millions and millions of dollars” to a member of Congress who picks up clues during testimony and deliberations for bills. Yet the politicians allow themselves to bypass insider-trading laws. Baird never received more than six co-sponsors for a bill that would make it illegal for lawmakers to trade stocks on nonpublic information. The bill filed Tuesday by Massachusetts Republican Sen. Scott Brown would make it illegal for elected congressional officials, their staffs and executive branch employees to use information about pending bills that's not available to the general public in making investment decisions. It would also forbid them from making such information public for personal gain. Are not many world leaders driven by the same corruption, the same lust, the same greed? It's just plain greed and selfishness!
Ted Rudow III, MA
Reaping?
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com ) Tuesday Nov 15th, 2011
On Sunday, "60 Minutes" aired a report highlighting instances in which congressional officials reportedly bought stocks around the same time Congress was discussing legislation affecting those companies or industries
-->
The show looked at the investments of various lawmakers -- including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker John Boehner and Republican Rep. Spencer Bachus of Alabama. The retired U.S. representative from Washington’s 3rd Congressional District was grieved about members of Congress reaping huge investment dividends using insider information in ways that could put any of the rest of us behind bars. Baird said: “One line in a bill in Congress can be worth millions and millions of dollars” to a member of Congress who picks up clues during testimony and deliberations for bills. Yet the politicians allow themselves to bypass insider-trading laws. Baird never received more than six co-sponsors for a bill that would make it illegal for lawmakers to trade stocks on nonpublic information. The bill filed Tuesday by Massachusetts Republican Sen. Scott Brown would make it illegal for elected congressional officials, their staffs and executive branch employees to use information about pending bills that's not available to the general public in making investment decisions. It would also forbid them from making such information public for personal gain. Are not many world leaders driven by the same corruption, the same lust, the same greed? It's just plain greed and selfishness!
Ted Rudow III, MA
Vets day
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From Mercury News readersPosted: 11/09/2011 08:00:00 PM PST
Visit veterans hospital, learn about sacrifice
Armistice Day (also known as Remembrance Day) is Nov. 11, and it commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at 11 o'clock in the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918. In November 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Nov. 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. Congress amended this June 1, 1954, replacing "Armistice" with "Veterans," and it has been known as Veterans Day since. If you want a glimpse of what war is all about, go down and volunteer at one of our hundreds of veterans' hospitals. Talk to the vets and see what war has done to change their lives. See what the price is in limbs, eyes, and minds.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto
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Nov. 10 Readers' letters
From Mercury News readersPosted: 11/09/2011 08:00:00 PM PST
Visit veterans hospital, learn about sacrifice
Armistice Day (also known as Remembrance Day) is Nov. 11, and it commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at 11 o'clock in the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918. In November 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Nov. 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. Congress amended this June 1, 1954, replacing "Armistice" with "Veterans," and it has been known as Veterans Day since. If you want a glimpse of what war is all about, go down and volunteer at one of our hundreds of veterans' hospitals. Talk to the vets and see what war has done to change their lives. See what the price is in limbs, eyes, and minds.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto
Friday, November 11, 2011
Veterans Day
Palo Alto Weekly
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Veterans Day
Editor,
Armistice Day (also known as Remembrance Day) is on Nov. 11 and commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918.
World War I — known at the time as "The Great War" — officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France.
However, fighting ceased seven months earlier. For that reason, Nov. 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of "the war to end all wars." In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed Nov. 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day.
In 1953, an Emporia, Kansas, man named Stephan Riod, the owner of a shoe-repair shop, had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans, not just those who died in World War I. Congress amended this act on June 1, 1954, replacing "Armistice" with "Veterans," and it has been known as Veterans Day since.
If you want a glimpse of what war is all about, go down and volunteer at one of our hundreds of veteran's hospitals. Talk to the vets and see what war has done to change their lives. See what the price is in limbs, eyes, and minds.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto
Sign up for ExpressNew from Palo Alto Online, Express is a daily e-edition, distributed by e-mail every weekday.Sign up to receive Express! PaloAltoOnline.com Town Square Login RegisterSign up for eBulletinsJoin UsFollow Us
HomeNews Palo Alto Weekly The Almanac Mountain View VoiceFogster ClassifiedsTown Square ForumsSportsShopping Shop Palo Alto Pizazz Coupons 'Best of' ResultsCommunity CalendarMoviesObituariesRestaurantsThings to doReal Estate Letters
Veterans Day
Editor,
Armistice Day (also known as Remembrance Day) is on Nov. 11 and commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918.
World War I — known at the time as "The Great War" — officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France.
However, fighting ceased seven months earlier. For that reason, Nov. 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of "the war to end all wars." In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed Nov. 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day.
In 1953, an Emporia, Kansas, man named Stephan Riod, the owner of a shoe-repair shop, had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans, not just those who died in World War I. Congress amended this act on June 1, 1954, replacing "Armistice" with "Veterans," and it has been known as Veterans Day since.
If you want a glimpse of what war is all about, go down and volunteer at one of our hundreds of veteran's hospitals. Talk to the vets and see what war has done to change their lives. See what the price is in limbs, eyes, and minds.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto
If you want a glimpse of what war is all about
RSN
If You Want a Glimpse of What War is All About
by Ted Rudow III Thursday, 10 November 2011
Armistice Day (also known as Remembrance Day) is on 11 November and commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918.
World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.” In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. He said, "America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations".
In 1953, an Emporia, Kansas, man named Stephan Riod the owner of a shoe repair shop, had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans, not just those who died in World War I. Congress amended this act on June 1, 1954, replacing "Armistice" with "Veterans," and it has been known as Veterans Day since. If you want a glimpse of what war is all about, go down and volunteer at one of our hundreds of veteran's hospitals. Talk to the vets and see what war has done to change their lives. See what the price is in limbs, eyes, and minds.
Ted Rudow III, MA
If You Want a Glimpse of What War is All About
by Ted Rudow III Thursday, 10 November 2011
Armistice Day (also known as Remembrance Day) is on 11 November and commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918.
World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.” In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. He said, "America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations".
In 1953, an Emporia, Kansas, man named Stephan Riod the owner of a shoe repair shop, had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans, not just those who died in World War I. Congress amended this act on June 1, 1954, replacing "Armistice" with "Veterans," and it has been known as Veterans Day since. If you want a glimpse of what war is all about, go down and volunteer at one of our hundreds of veteran's hospitals. Talk to the vets and see what war has done to change their lives. See what the price is in limbs, eyes, and minds.
Ted Rudow III, MA
History of Veterans Day
San Mateo Daily Journal
Friday
November 11 2011
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Letter: History of Veterans Day
November 11, 2011,
Letter
Editor,
Armistice Day (also known as Remembrance Day) is on Nov. 11 and commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at eleven o’clock in the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” of 1918. World War I — known at the time as “The Great War” — officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France.
However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice. For that reason, Nov. 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.” In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed Nov. 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. He said, “America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations”.
In 1953, an Emporia, Kansas man named Stephan Riod the owner of a shoe repair shop, had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans, not just those who died in World War I. Congress amended this act on June 1, 1954, replacing “Armistice” with “Veterans,” and it has been known as Veterans Day since. If you want a glimpse of what war is all about, go down and volunteer at one of our hundreds of veterans’ hospitals. Talk to the vets and see what war has done to change their lives. See what the price is in limbs, eyes and minds.
Ted Rudow III,MA
Palo Alto
Friday
November 11 2011
Home Local News State / National / World Sports Opinion / Letters Business VISIT US ON FACEBOOK! Click here
Follow us on Twitter!
Letter: History of Veterans Day
November 11, 2011,
Letter
Editor,
Armistice Day (also known as Remembrance Day) is on Nov. 11 and commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at eleven o’clock in the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” of 1918. World War I — known at the time as “The Great War” — officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France.
However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice. For that reason, Nov. 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.” In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed Nov. 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. He said, “America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations”.
In 1953, an Emporia, Kansas man named Stephan Riod the owner of a shoe repair shop, had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans, not just those who died in World War I. Congress amended this act on June 1, 1954, replacing “Armistice” with “Veterans,” and it has been known as Veterans Day since. If you want a glimpse of what war is all about, go down and volunteer at one of our hundreds of veterans’ hospitals. Talk to the vets and see what war has done to change their lives. See what the price is in limbs, eyes and minds.
Ted Rudow III,MA
Palo Alto
Thursday, November 10, 2011
What war is all about
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/11/10/18698637.php
If you want a glimpse of what war is all about
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com ) Thursday Nov 10th, 2011 11:03 AM
Armistice Day (also known as Remembrance Day) is on 11 November and commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918.
-->
World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.” In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. He said, "America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations". In 1953, an Emporia, Kansas man named Stephan Riod the owner of a shoe repair shop, had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans, not just those who died in World War I. Congress amended this act on June 1, 1954, replacing "Armistice" with "Veterans," and it has been known as Veterans Day since. If you want a glimpse of what war is all about, go down and volunteer at one of our hundreds of veteran's hospitals. Talk to the vets and see what war has done to change their lives. See what the price is in limbs, eyes, and minds.
Ted Rudow III, MA
If you want a glimpse of what war is all about
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com ) Thursday Nov 10th, 2011 11:03 AM
Armistice Day (also known as Remembrance Day) is on 11 November and commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918.
-->
World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.” In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. He said, "America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations". In 1953, an Emporia, Kansas man named Stephan Riod the owner of a shoe repair shop, had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans, not just those who died in World War I. Congress amended this act on June 1, 1954, replacing "Armistice" with "Veterans," and it has been known as Veterans Day since. If you want a glimpse of what war is all about, go down and volunteer at one of our hundreds of veteran's hospitals. Talk to the vets and see what war has done to change their lives. See what the price is in limbs, eyes, and minds.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Spartan Daily
Spartan Daily
last update 2:05 amNovember 10, 2011
What happened to Thanksgiving?
by Brittany Patterson Nov 8, 2011
Brittany Patterson
Last weekend I was on the hunt for Thanksgiving-themed merchandise. My ultimate goal: two-dozen cupcake liners with cute cartoon turkeys pasted on the side, and maybe a pilgrim or two.
Instead, I was assaulted with candy canes, mistletoe and cinnamon-scented pine cones.
Don’t get me wrong, I love cinnamon-scented pine cones — in fact, they are probably one of my favorite parts of the whole Christmas establishment — it’s the time element that disturbs me.
People, it’s the beginning of November. Half of the country is still eating their Halloween candy.
If I’m not mistaken, here in America (and apparently in Canada, too), we have this weird holiday that comes near the end of November in which we celebrate when the Wampanoag Native Americans helped the Pilgrims at the colonial settlement in Plymouth in 1621, by providing them with seeds and teaching them how to fish. Apparently we sat down and shared a harvest meal together.
Maybe you’ve heard of it — we call it Thanksgiving.
To honor their generosity, Americans deep-fry turkeys, gorge themselves on stuffing and green bean casserole and fight with their families.
We also have this curious case of amnesia when it comes to the fact that later on, Americans systematically wiped out most of the Native Americans in this country.
We compensate with pumpkin pie — lots of it, topped with Cool Whip.
But all snarkiness aside, Thanksgiving is this a nationwide excuse to eat gluttonous amounts of comfort food with family. As college students, come October we’re practically willing time to travel faster to get to Thanksgiving break. And it’s not just the break from classes — many of my friends are genuinely excited to go home and see their parents, friends and pets.
According to the History Channel’s website devoted to Thanksgiving, in 1863 President Lincoln declared the final Thursday in November as a national day of thanksgiving. Congress finally made Thanksgiving Day an official national holiday in 1941.
This holiday has been celebrated for hundreds of years, and yet when I went to Michaels craft store yesterday, I was bombarded with ornaments, Frosty the Snowman gift tags and gingerbread houses.
Christmas wreaths and glitter-covered fake poinsettias snagged me as I wandered in disbelief down the aisles.
Where were all the poorly drawn pictures of turkeys dressed as pilgrims? Why were there no fake gourds, pumpkins or Indian corn to be found?
Target was no better.
Fake trees and shimmering garlands galore.
We’re a country that loves our holidays. I mean, we fabricated Valentine’s Day so we could give one another little pieces of paper marked with clichés and eat lots of heart-shaped candy.
So why do the retail giants seem to have forgotten about Thanksgiving?
Maybe recently the collective American psyche has grown a conscience and we feel guilty about our past.
But our solution, to stretch out the Christmas season an extra month, is worrisome on its own.
I worry that if the current rate of pushing up the Christmas season continues unchecked, by the time I’m 30, the familiar melody of “Jingle Bell Rock” will be heard immediately following “The Star-Spangled Banner” and fireworks on the Fourth of July.
Americans will watch in awe as brightly colored lights explode above us, while we manically shove hot dogs down our throats, followed by a mass migration to the nearest Walmart. Proceed to Christmas. Do not have other holidays. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.
We’re going to jump straight to Christmas and completely ignore the millions of turkeys that are currently sitting naked and frozen in grocery stores across the nation.
According to the American Psychological Association’s 2008 holiday stress poll, they found that more than eight out of 10 Americans anticipate stress during the holiday season.
The holidays stress me out — the pressure of buying the perfect gifts, the subsequent economic strain caused by purchasing said gifts, traveling all over to meet with family all while fighting the urge to eat my body weight in chocolate and ham.
I take the whole year to recover from the previous year’s Christmas season. The last thing I think this already stressed-out country needs is a shorter recovery period for one of the most stressful times of the year.
Regardless of Thanksgiving’s checkered past, it’s current role is to bring families together. Whether you’re watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, football or just stuffing your face, Thanksgiving is important. It is by all counts a national holiday and more importantly so, it’s unadulterated family time. There’s no hiding behind gifts — just your massive food baby — and sometimes I think we need to have a day where our biggest concern is how many pieces of pie we should eat.
Relax, the turkeys are already dead. We might as well enjoy them.
...................................................................................................................
There are those who wear a smile, yet ache inside; those who are engulfed in a sea of emptiness; those who suffer from pain, guilt, bitterness, and condemnation; those who feel remorse over the past or fear the future.-So many lost and desperate folks in the world today! It reminds me of the words to that old Beatles song, “All the lonely people, where do they all come from?” Well, I’ll tell you where they come from-all the lonely people come from selfish living. All the lonely people, the lost and the forlorn, come from a society where people look to their own needs and not to the needs of others. That’s where all the lonely people come from-from a dog-eat-dog society, from a lot of wrongful living.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Class of 1996
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then go right ahead. I'll put my faith in government of, by and for the people. to be learned from Argentina's default on its debt in 2001 is the exact opposite of Ted Rudow's... In this article: IMF , Poverty , World Bank ,...Read more...
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then go right ahead. I'll put my faith in government of, by and for the people. to be learned from Argentina's default on its debt in 2001 is the exact opposite of Ted Rudow's... In this article: IMF , Poverty , World Bank ,...Read more...
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
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Share comment FEATURE THIS
Rage in the streets, workers thrown from their jobs, creditors demanding their moneys Greece, but nearly a decade ago, that scenario played out in this region of South America. In a story that may provide a lesson for Europe. Argentina, spiraled into a chaotic default and remains a pariah in world financial markets. With uncertainty still hanging over a European bailout package, it remains possible that Greece could default on its debts entirely, making it an outcast like Argentina.
But the tales of other countries in crisis have shown that it's possible to push through tough measures and emerge with growth on the other side. It is a scenario that is beginning to resemble what happened in Argentina, whose $100 billion default in December 2001 was the biggest in history.
In the Argentine case, five presidents stepped down in two weeks, deadly riots shook Buenos Aires and Argentines lost their life savings. Much later, Argentina issued a take-it-or-leave-it offer to bondholders, offering to pay about 35 cents on the dollar. Today, the government still owes about $15 billion to hard-core creditors and has lost judgments in U.S. courts to pay up. With the country still blocked from tapping international capital markets, it is mostly because of booming demand for its agricultural products that Argentina has been lifted from economic calamity. Ted Rudow III, MA
Share comment FEATURE THIS
Rage in the streets, workers thrown from their jobs, creditors demanding their moneys Greece, but nearly a decade ago, that scenario played out in this region of South America. In a story that may provide a lesson for Europe. Argentina, spiraled into a chaotic default and remains a pariah in world financial markets. With uncertainty still hanging over a European bailout package, it remains possible that Greece could default on its debts entirely, making it an outcast like Argentina.
But the tales of other countries in crisis have shown that it's possible to push through tough measures and emerge with growth on the other side. It is a scenario that is beginning to resemble what happened in Argentina, whose $100 billion default in December 2001 was the biggest in history.
In the Argentine case, five presidents stepped down in two weeks, deadly riots shook Buenos Aires and Argentines lost their life savings. Much later, Argentina issued a take-it-or-leave-it offer to bondholders, offering to pay about 35 cents on the dollar. Today, the government still owes about $15 billion to hard-core creditors and has lost judgments in U.S. courts to pay up. With the country still blocked from tapping international capital markets, it is mostly because of booming demand for its agricultural products that Argentina has been lifted from economic calamity. Ted Rudow III, MA
Debt
Jamaicaobserver.com
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Greece could be like Argentina
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
Dear Editor,
Rage in the streets, workers thrown from their jobs, creditors demanding their money - that's Greece; but nearly a decade ago that scenario played out in South America. In a story that may provide a lesson for Europe, Argentina, spiralled into a chaotic default and remains a pariah in world financial markets. With uncertainty still hanging over a European bailout package, it remains possible that Greece could default on its debts entirely, making it an outcast like Argentina.
But the tales of other countries in crisis have shown that it's possible to push through tough measures and emerge with growth on the other side. It is a scenario that is beginning to resemble what happened in Argentina, whose $100-billion default in December 2001 was the biggest in history.
In the Argentine case, five presidents stepped down in two weeks, deadly riots shook Buenos Aires and Argentines lost their life savings. Much later, Argentina issued a take-it-or-leave-it offer to bondholders, offering to pay about 35 cents on the dollar. Today, the government still owes about $15 billion to hard-core creditors and has lost judgements in US courts to pay up. With the country still blocked from tapping international capital markets, it is mostly because of booming demand for its agricultural products that Argentina has been lifted from economic calamity.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto, California
USA
Tedr77@aol.com
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/letters/Greece-could-be-like-Argentina_10118499#ixzz1d8Z6ke
Subscribe to our RSS FeedsFollow us on Twitter!
home news Business sportEditorial Columns Career Food
Letters to the Editor
Greece could be like Argentina
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
Dear Editor,
Rage in the streets, workers thrown from their jobs, creditors demanding their money - that's Greece; but nearly a decade ago that scenario played out in South America. In a story that may provide a lesson for Europe, Argentina, spiralled into a chaotic default and remains a pariah in world financial markets. With uncertainty still hanging over a European bailout package, it remains possible that Greece could default on its debts entirely, making it an outcast like Argentina.
But the tales of other countries in crisis have shown that it's possible to push through tough measures and emerge with growth on the other side. It is a scenario that is beginning to resemble what happened in Argentina, whose $100-billion default in December 2001 was the biggest in history.
In the Argentine case, five presidents stepped down in two weeks, deadly riots shook Buenos Aires and Argentines lost their life savings. Much later, Argentina issued a take-it-or-leave-it offer to bondholders, offering to pay about 35 cents on the dollar. Today, the government still owes about $15 billion to hard-core creditors and has lost judgements in US courts to pay up. With the country still blocked from tapping international capital markets, it is mostly because of booming demand for its agricultural products that Argentina has been lifted from economic calamity.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto, California
USA
Tedr77@aol.com
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/letters/Greece-could-be-like-Argentina_10118499#ixzz1d8Z6ke
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Peninsula readers' letters: October
From Daily News Group readers Posted: 11/07/2011 04:15:17 PM PSTUpdated: 11/07/2011 10:52:00 PM PST
The lesson of Argentina
Dear Editor: Rage in the streets, workers thrown from their jobs, creditors demanding their money -- that's Greece. But nearly a decade ago, that scenario played out in South America. In a story that may provide a lesson for Europe, Argentina spiraled into a chaotic default and remains a pariah in world financial markets. With uncertainty still hanging over a European bailout package, it remains possible that Greece could default on its debts entirely, making it an outcast like Argentina.
But the tales of other countries in crisis have shown that it's possible to push through tough measures and emerge with growth on the other side. It is a scenario that is beginning to resemble what happened in Argentina, whose $100 billion default in December 2001 was the biggest in history.
In the Argentine case, five presidents stepped down in two weeks, deadly riots shook Buenos Aires and Argentines lost their life savings. Much later, Argentina issued a take-it-or-leave-it offer to bondholders, offering to pay about 35 cents on the dollar. Today, the government still owes about $15 billion to hard-core creditors and has lost judgments in U.S. courts to pay up. With the country still blocked from tapping international capital markets, it is mostly because of booming demand for its agricultural products that Argentina has been lifted from economic calamity.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto
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Peninsula readers' letters: October
From Daily News Group readers Posted: 11/07/2011 04:15:17 PM PSTUpdated: 11/07/2011 10:52:00 PM PST
The lesson of Argentina
Dear Editor: Rage in the streets, workers thrown from their jobs, creditors demanding their money -- that's Greece. But nearly a decade ago, that scenario played out in South America. In a story that may provide a lesson for Europe, Argentina spiraled into a chaotic default and remains a pariah in world financial markets. With uncertainty still hanging over a European bailout package, it remains possible that Greece could default on its debts entirely, making it an outcast like Argentina.
But the tales of other countries in crisis have shown that it's possible to push through tough measures and emerge with growth on the other side. It is a scenario that is beginning to resemble what happened in Argentina, whose $100 billion default in December 2001 was the biggest in history.
In the Argentine case, five presidents stepped down in two weeks, deadly riots shook Buenos Aires and Argentines lost their life savings. Much later, Argentina issued a take-it-or-leave-it offer to bondholders, offering to pay about 35 cents on the dollar. Today, the government still owes about $15 billion to hard-core creditors and has lost judgments in U.S. courts to pay up. With the country still blocked from tapping international capital markets, it is mostly because of booming demand for its agricultural products that Argentina has been lifted from economic calamity.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto
Monday, November 07, 2011
Outcast?
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/11/07/18698086.php
Outcast?
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com ) Monday Nov 7th, 2011
Rage in the streets, workers thrown from their jobs, creditors demanding their money—that’s Greece, but nearly a decade ago, that scenario played out in this region of South America. In a story that may provide a lesson for Europe. Argentina, spiraled into a chaotic default and remains a pariah in world financial markets. With uncertainty still hanging over a European bailout package, it remains possible that Greece could default on its debts entirely, making it an outcast like Argentina.
But the tales of other countries in crisis have shown that it’s possible to push through tough measures and emerge with growth on the other side. It is a scenario that is beginning to resemble what happened in Argentina, whose $100 billion default in December 2001 was the biggest in history.
In the Argentine case, five presidents stepped down in two weeks, deadly riots shook Buenos Aires and Argentines lost their life savings. Much later, Argentina issued a take-it-or-leave-it offer to bondholders, offering to pay about 35 cents on the dollar. Today, the government still owes about $15 billion to hard-core creditors and has lost judgments in U.S. courts to pay up. With the country still blocked from tapping international capital markets, it is mostly because of booming demand for its agricultural products that Argentina has been lifted from economic calamity.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Outcast?
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com ) Monday Nov 7th, 2011
Rage in the streets, workers thrown from their jobs, creditors demanding their money—that’s Greece, but nearly a decade ago, that scenario played out in this region of South America. In a story that may provide a lesson for Europe. Argentina, spiraled into a chaotic default and remains a pariah in world financial markets. With uncertainty still hanging over a European bailout package, it remains possible that Greece could default on its debts entirely, making it an outcast like Argentina.
But the tales of other countries in crisis have shown that it’s possible to push through tough measures and emerge with growth on the other side. It is a scenario that is beginning to resemble what happened in Argentina, whose $100 billion default in December 2001 was the biggest in history.
In the Argentine case, five presidents stepped down in two weeks, deadly riots shook Buenos Aires and Argentines lost their life savings. Much later, Argentina issued a take-it-or-leave-it offer to bondholders, offering to pay about 35 cents on the dollar. Today, the government still owes about $15 billion to hard-core creditors and has lost judgments in U.S. courts to pay up. With the country still blocked from tapping international capital markets, it is mostly because of booming demand for its agricultural products that Argentina has been lifted from economic calamity.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Friday, November 04, 2011
Spartan Daily
Spartan Daily
last update 2:50 amNovember 4, 2011
News Sports Opinion A&E Multimedia
There Will Be Snacks: What happened to rule of law in the US?
by Matthew Gerring
Oct 31, 2011 10:11 pm
Matthew Gerring
So, we kill U.S. citizens, without trial, with robots now. It’s officially a thing. We’ve done it a few times and so far, no harm no foul, so we can all expect to see more of it in the future.
Not just adults, either — we now also assassinate 16-year-olds without trial, with robots.
By the way, the three men — Anwar al-Awlaki, Samir Khan, and al-Awlaki’s son Abdul Rahman al-Awlaki — were killed in Yemen, where there is no declared war whatsoever. But that’s old hat now. That’s so 2005. Undeclared war all over the Middle East is a given.
The U.S. citizens thing, though, that’s new.
This definitely isn’t the first time we’ve killed U.S. citizens without a trial, but probably the first time it was premeditated and done openly, and probably also the first time that people heard about it and just sort of yawned and went back to whatever they were doing.
Their names are going to fade into history, and most people will continue to live their lives not knowing who they were or why they should care.
Yes, the information is out there, and nerds like me, who care about such stupid, annoying stuff as constitutional rights and due process or whatever, will absolutely remember their names, but most people won’t.
Their alleged crime was producing propaganda for al-Qaida.There is precedent for this. Benjamin Gitlow was an outspoken Communist in the 1920s, and wrote a manifesto calling for the overthrow of the U.S. government. His case went all the way to the Supreme Court, and the justices decided that calling for overthrowing the government went beyond what’s allowed by free speech, so he went to prison.
Prison. Nobody shot the guy.
You could argue that all three men killed by drone attacks were traitors, and you might also argue that they committed crimes, and possibly deserved to die, and I don’t really have a problem with any of that.
The problem is they were U.S. citizens, and as such were entitled to a trial by a jury.
Democratic countries with independent judiciaries don’t just murder their citizens. We’re supposed to be better than that. We’re supposed to extend the same rights to all our citizens, and apply the same measure of justice when they violate our laws.
But assassinating our citizens is just a thing we do now. It’s no longer an isolated incident. And nobody cares except for a handful of liberal nerds, because none of those assassinations happened here.
Normally I wouldn’t write the next line here, because I really hate being dramatic and heavy-handed. It makes me cringe, much like listening to a retired former hippie with a MoveOn button on his jacket, reading annoying rhyming poems with lame slogans about George Bush in 2011.
But it has to be said, because there’s just no limit anymore. Everything is on the table. First it was spying on innocent Americans, then it was torture, then it was random incursions into countries where the congress has not approved a war, and now it’s assassinating our own citizens on the opaque orders of the military.
And as I was saying, nobody cares, because none of the assassinations happened here.
Yet.
........................................................................................................................
The United States has confirmed the killing of the radical Yemeni-American cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki, in northern Yemen. "If you are somebody that believes the President of the United States has the power to order your fellow citizens murdered, assassinated, killed without a shred of due process ... then you are really declaring yourself to be as pure of an authoritarian as it gets." (Constitutional scholar Glenn Greenwald)
I thought what we did with the Germans after World War II was the right thing. They were put on trial and given their day in court, and a historical record was created and the message was sent that this is what will happen to you if you commit mass murder, we believe even the most heinous person should have their day in court because we're going to try to be civilized even though they're uncivilized, even though they're barbaric. We're not going to be that way.That used to be a standard we tried to aspire to, or at least say that we aspired to it.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Class of 1996
last update 2:50 amNovember 4, 2011
News Sports Opinion A&E Multimedia
There Will Be Snacks: What happened to rule of law in the US?
by Matthew Gerring
Oct 31, 2011 10:11 pm
Matthew Gerring
So, we kill U.S. citizens, without trial, with robots now. It’s officially a thing. We’ve done it a few times and so far, no harm no foul, so we can all expect to see more of it in the future.
Not just adults, either — we now also assassinate 16-year-olds without trial, with robots.
By the way, the three men — Anwar al-Awlaki, Samir Khan, and al-Awlaki’s son Abdul Rahman al-Awlaki — were killed in Yemen, where there is no declared war whatsoever. But that’s old hat now. That’s so 2005. Undeclared war all over the Middle East is a given.
The U.S. citizens thing, though, that’s new.
This definitely isn’t the first time we’ve killed U.S. citizens without a trial, but probably the first time it was premeditated and done openly, and probably also the first time that people heard about it and just sort of yawned and went back to whatever they were doing.
Their names are going to fade into history, and most people will continue to live their lives not knowing who they were or why they should care.
Yes, the information is out there, and nerds like me, who care about such stupid, annoying stuff as constitutional rights and due process or whatever, will absolutely remember their names, but most people won’t.
Their alleged crime was producing propaganda for al-Qaida.There is precedent for this. Benjamin Gitlow was an outspoken Communist in the 1920s, and wrote a manifesto calling for the overthrow of the U.S. government. His case went all the way to the Supreme Court, and the justices decided that calling for overthrowing the government went beyond what’s allowed by free speech, so he went to prison.
Prison. Nobody shot the guy.
You could argue that all three men killed by drone attacks were traitors, and you might also argue that they committed crimes, and possibly deserved to die, and I don’t really have a problem with any of that.
The problem is they were U.S. citizens, and as such were entitled to a trial by a jury.
Democratic countries with independent judiciaries don’t just murder their citizens. We’re supposed to be better than that. We’re supposed to extend the same rights to all our citizens, and apply the same measure of justice when they violate our laws.
But assassinating our citizens is just a thing we do now. It’s no longer an isolated incident. And nobody cares except for a handful of liberal nerds, because none of those assassinations happened here.
Normally I wouldn’t write the next line here, because I really hate being dramatic and heavy-handed. It makes me cringe, much like listening to a retired former hippie with a MoveOn button on his jacket, reading annoying rhyming poems with lame slogans about George Bush in 2011.
But it has to be said, because there’s just no limit anymore. Everything is on the table. First it was spying on innocent Americans, then it was torture, then it was random incursions into countries where the congress has not approved a war, and now it’s assassinating our own citizens on the opaque orders of the military.
And as I was saying, nobody cares, because none of the assassinations happened here.
Yet.
........................................................................................................................
The United States has confirmed the killing of the radical Yemeni-American cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki, in northern Yemen. "If you are somebody that believes the President of the United States has the power to order your fellow citizens murdered, assassinated, killed without a shred of due process ... then you are really declaring yourself to be as pure of an authoritarian as it gets." (Constitutional scholar Glenn Greenwald)
I thought what we did with the Germans after World War II was the right thing. They were put on trial and given their day in court, and a historical record was created and the message was sent that this is what will happen to you if you commit mass murder, we believe even the most heinous person should have their day in court because we're going to try to be civilized even though they're uncivilized, even though they're barbaric. We're not going to be that way.That used to be a standard we tried to aspire to, or at least say that we aspired to it.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Class of 1996
Thursday, November 03, 2011
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/11/03/18697019.php
Zombie higher education
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com ) Thursday Nov 3rd, 2011
The student loan market is back in the news as it makes its unrelenting march to the $1 trillion mark. This crippling figure comes in the face of a decade of lost wages for middle class Americans. Just like the housing bubble people were supplementing a disappearing middle class with more debt.
The allure of housing was that never in our history have we seen national home prices fall, until they did in dramatic fashion. The same cultural nostalgia for education in every respect has created a zombie higher education system that is now expanding like the mortgage markets at the height of the housing bubble. This is a subject of increasing concern to the Obama administration, which, remade the federal student loan program, and is now proposing changes that may make it harder for the for-profit colleges to qualify. In the five years since Congress deregulated online education, enrollments at for-profit colleges have nearly doubled. Six major corporations owning for-profit institutions have enjoyed initial public offerings on Wall Street. Graduates of another for-profit school -- a college nursing program in California that they received their diplomas without ever setting foot in a hospital. We have heard countless stories of people going to for-profits only to land minimum wage jobs once they graduate. Just like the subprime debacle, many of these people will remain silent and the market will pretend nothing is wrong.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Zombie higher education
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com ) Thursday Nov 3rd, 2011
The student loan market is back in the news as it makes its unrelenting march to the $1 trillion mark. This crippling figure comes in the face of a decade of lost wages for middle class Americans. Just like the housing bubble people were supplementing a disappearing middle class with more debt.
The allure of housing was that never in our history have we seen national home prices fall, until they did in dramatic fashion. The same cultural nostalgia for education in every respect has created a zombie higher education system that is now expanding like the mortgage markets at the height of the housing bubble. This is a subject of increasing concern to the Obama administration, which, remade the federal student loan program, and is now proposing changes that may make it harder for the for-profit colleges to qualify. In the five years since Congress deregulated online education, enrollments at for-profit colleges have nearly doubled. Six major corporations owning for-profit institutions have enjoyed initial public offerings on Wall Street. Graduates of another for-profit school -- a college nursing program in California that they received their diplomas without ever setting foot in a hospital. We have heard countless stories of people going to for-profits only to land minimum wage jobs once they graduate. Just like the subprime debacle, many of these people will remain silent and the market will pretend nothing is wrong.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
PP&J
Peninsula Peace and Justice Center
www.PeaceandJustice.org OCCUPYTHEFUTURE
TonightOtherVoices TV: An Activists' Round Table Discussion and A Live TV Speak-Out Featuring You!Tuesday, November 1, 7:00 PMCommunity Media Center, 900 San Antonio Road, Palo Alto
Panelists:
Hilton Obenzinger - Author of "Busy Dying", an account of the 1968 occupation of Columbia University / Stanford writing teacher
Joshua Schott and Donni Wang - Stanford students, Occupy Stanford Activists
Event URL: http://www.peaceandjustice.org/programs/Other_Voices_TV/Occupy the Future 2011-11-01 19:00:00 - 2011-11-01 20:00:00 Community Media Center An Activists' Round Table Discussion and A Live TV Speak Out Featuring You the 99%! Bring your thoughts, hopes, and desires ... And bring signs! Your messages will be sent to The White House and Congress. Occupy Wall Street actions are spreading around the world. The rich and powerful are responding with increasing violence, only to be met with renewed and increased determination. What is it all about? Where is it all going? How do we turn our anger over flagrant economic inequality into meaningful changes in the system that has brought us to this point? We will gather a panel of activists and analysts to discuss the many aspects of Occupy Wall Street (people to be annoucned). But YOU will be the vital part of this installment of Other Voices TV -- we intend for this to be a live, on-air SPEAK OUT about what is happening in our country. I spoke out as I call and said that I was thankful for the students of Stanford who were going actived. I quoted from Toynbee, who said that "The only thing we learn from history is that we never learn from history!" Bring your thoughts, hopes, and desires ... And bring signs! PPJC will send DVD copies of this program to The White House and our Congressional Representatives. Join us and add your voice! FREE and open to all. Wheelchair accessible. Other Voices TV can be seen live at 7:00 PM on the first Tuesday of each month on mid-Peninsula cable channel 27. The program is also streamed live on the internet (select channel 27). On demand video streaming is available on our website beginning two days after the initial broadcast. The current program is rebroadcast throughout the month on cable channel 27 (an internet webcast can also be seen at these times): Tuesdays 7:00 PM Wednesdays 2:00 AM & 10:00 AM Thursdays 11:00 PM Fridays 6:00 AM & 2:00 PM Saturdays 4:00 PM
www.PeaceandJustice.org OCCUPYTHEFUTURE
TonightOtherVoices TV: An Activists' Round Table Discussion and A Live TV Speak-Out Featuring You!Tuesday, November 1, 7:00 PMCommunity Media Center, 900 San Antonio Road, Palo Alto
Panelists:
Hilton Obenzinger - Author of "Busy Dying", an account of the 1968 occupation of Columbia University / Stanford writing teacher
Joshua Schott and Donni Wang - Stanford students, Occupy Stanford Activists
Event URL: http://www.peaceandjustice.org/programs/Other_Voices_TV/Occupy the Future 2011-11-01 19:00:00 - 2011-11-01 20:00:00 Community Media Center An Activists' Round Table Discussion and A Live TV Speak Out Featuring You the 99%! Bring your thoughts, hopes, and desires ... And bring signs! Your messages will be sent to The White House and Congress. Occupy Wall Street actions are spreading around the world. The rich and powerful are responding with increasing violence, only to be met with renewed and increased determination. What is it all about? Where is it all going? How do we turn our anger over flagrant economic inequality into meaningful changes in the system that has brought us to this point? We will gather a panel of activists and analysts to discuss the many aspects of Occupy Wall Street (people to be annoucned). But YOU will be the vital part of this installment of Other Voices TV -- we intend for this to be a live, on-air SPEAK OUT about what is happening in our country. I spoke out as I call and said that I was thankful for the students of Stanford who were going actived. I quoted from Toynbee, who said that "The only thing we learn from history is that we never learn from history!" Bring your thoughts, hopes, and desires ... And bring signs! PPJC will send DVD copies of this program to The White House and our Congressional Representatives. Join us and add your voice! FREE and open to all. Wheelchair accessible. Other Voices TV can be seen live at 7:00 PM on the first Tuesday of each month on mid-Peninsula cable channel 27. The program is also streamed live on the internet (select channel 27). On demand video streaming is available on our website beginning two days after the initial broadcast. The current program is rebroadcast throughout the month on cable channel 27 (an internet webcast can also be seen at these times): Tuesdays 7:00 PM Wednesdays 2:00 AM & 10:00 AM Thursdays 11:00 PM Fridays 6:00 AM & 2:00 PM Saturdays 4:00 PM
Tuesday, November 01, 2011
Raisethefist.com
RTF RADIO live 24/7
http://www.raisethefist.com/ Share comment FEATURE THIS
The true name of Halloween is Samhain, This was the Celtic Lord of the Dead. For 3 days from Oct 29-31, the Celtic people, along with their priestly class called Druids, would hold an ancient rite which would mark the beginning and the end of the year. A druid was a member of the priestly class in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, and possibly other parts of Celtic western Europe, during the Iron Age. Very little is currently known about the ancient druids because they left no written accounts about themselves.The druids then also appear in some of the medieval tales from Christianised Ireland like the Táin Bó Cúailnge, where they are largely portrayed as sorcerers who opposed the coming of Christianity. Usually a week before the rites of Samhain began, the Druid had ordered the people of the Celtic tribe to disperse throughout the countryside and gather thousands of wicker reed.This is a very strong and durable stick. Wicker furniture has been made from it and most of us are familiar with it. They would then construct a giant human effigy that would stand from 30 to 50 feet, as the Wicker Man. A wicker man was a large wicker statue of a human used by the ancient Druids (priests of Celtic paganism) for human sacrifice by burning it in effigy, according to Julius Caesar in his Commentarii de Bello Gallico In modern times the figure has been adopted for festivals as part of some neopagan-themed ceremonies, notably without the human sacrifice element. Many cages had been built within it. Each prisoner would be tied to one of the cages.Then the Druids began their idea of fun and games. Yet, I have seen many Christian churches throughout this nation hold Halloween Parties within the church building. Every single one of these things is directly from the celebration of Samhain. You are simply trying to turn something evil into something good!
Ted Rudow III,MA
http://www.raisethefist.com/ Share comment FEATURE THIS
The true name of Halloween is Samhain, This was the Celtic Lord of the Dead. For 3 days from Oct 29-31, the Celtic people, along with their priestly class called Druids, would hold an ancient rite which would mark the beginning and the end of the year. A druid was a member of the priestly class in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, and possibly other parts of Celtic western Europe, during the Iron Age. Very little is currently known about the ancient druids because they left no written accounts about themselves.The druids then also appear in some of the medieval tales from Christianised Ireland like the Táin Bó Cúailnge, where they are largely portrayed as sorcerers who opposed the coming of Christianity. Usually a week before the rites of Samhain began, the Druid had ordered the people of the Celtic tribe to disperse throughout the countryside and gather thousands of wicker reed.This is a very strong and durable stick. Wicker furniture has been made from it and most of us are familiar with it. They would then construct a giant human effigy that would stand from 30 to 50 feet, as the Wicker Man. A wicker man was a large wicker statue of a human used by the ancient Druids (priests of Celtic paganism) for human sacrifice by burning it in effigy, according to Julius Caesar in his Commentarii de Bello Gallico In modern times the figure has been adopted for festivals as part of some neopagan-themed ceremonies, notably without the human sacrifice element. Many cages had been built within it. Each prisoner would be tied to one of the cages.Then the Druids began their idea of fun and games. Yet, I have seen many Christian churches throughout this nation hold Halloween Parties within the church building. Every single one of these things is directly from the celebration of Samhain. You are simply trying to turn something evil into something good!
Ted Rudow III,MA
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Playing with fire
MercuryNews.com
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Peninsula readers' letters: October 27
From Daily News Group readers Posted: 10/26/2011 06:39:02 PM PDTUpdated: 10/27/2011 12:36:08 AM PDT
Playing with fire
Dear Editor: President Barack Obama may be widely regarded at home as the least pro-Israeli president in decades, but he has secretly approved giving the Jewish state a bunch of special bunker-busting bombs ideal for destroying Tehran's ruling mullahs' nuclear ambitions and so powerful that George W. Bush blocked handing them over.
Capable of penetrating deep beneath the surface, the bunker-busters would be crucial for any air strikes at Iran's nuclear sites. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has wanted the bunker-busters for years and, as first reported by Newsweek, Obama agreed to hand over 55 of the sophisticated and powerful weapons.
Given Israel's track record of preemptive bombing strikes to destroy nuclear sites in neighboring nations, and Iran's ambitious and suspicious nuclear program, the American bunker-busters may increase the chance of another Middle East war. Iran's unpredictable and bellicose president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has vowed to wipe Israel off the map. Iran continues to defy international sanctions with a clandestine nuclear program. Meanwhile, Netanyahu now has the means to carry out his threat that "Iran will not acquire nuclear arms, and this implies everything necessary to carry this out."
Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto
eEdition / Subscriber ServicesMobile Mobile Alerts RSS
Home
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Peninsula readers' letters: October 27
From Daily News Group readers Posted: 10/26/2011 06:39:02 PM PDTUpdated: 10/27/2011 12:36:08 AM PDT
Playing with fire
Dear Editor: President Barack Obama may be widely regarded at home as the least pro-Israeli president in decades, but he has secretly approved giving the Jewish state a bunch of special bunker-busting bombs ideal for destroying Tehran's ruling mullahs' nuclear ambitions and so powerful that George W. Bush blocked handing them over.
Capable of penetrating deep beneath the surface, the bunker-busters would be crucial for any air strikes at Iran's nuclear sites. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has wanted the bunker-busters for years and, as first reported by Newsweek, Obama agreed to hand over 55 of the sophisticated and powerful weapons.
Given Israel's track record of preemptive bombing strikes to destroy nuclear sites in neighboring nations, and Iran's ambitious and suspicious nuclear program, the American bunker-busters may increase the chance of another Middle East war. Iran's unpredictable and bellicose president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has vowed to wipe Israel off the map. Iran continues to defy international sanctions with a clandestine nuclear program. Meanwhile, Netanyahu now has the means to carry out his threat that "Iran will not acquire nuclear arms, and this implies everything necessary to carry this out."
Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Spartan Daily
Spartan Daily
last update 11:18 pmOctober 25, 2011
Political stances should outweigh religious views
News Sports Opinion A&E
Political stances should outweigh religious views
by Jaimie Collins
The wise Thomas Jefferson is often attributed with writing the historical phrase “separation of church and state.” To this day, that ideal is still considered to hold importance in the election of our country’s leaders.
Unfortunately, United States voters and presidential candidates may not feel the same way.
During a convention on Oct. 7 in Washington, D.C. Pastor Robert Jeffress, the Southern Baptist Convention leader from Texas, introduced Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry, and altogether stole the show.-------
One thought on “Political stances should outweigh religious views”
Ted Rudow III, MA on October 26, 2011
During a GOP debate last week, Texas Governor Rick Perry was asked about his support of the death penalty. (Texas has the highest rate of execution in the country.) Rick Perry was steadfast, saying, to cheers of support from the audience, that he had “never struggled” with the potential that Texas could have execution of an innocent person. At a June 2011 anti-abortion event, Perry told supporters that he believes “human life [is] a sacred gift from God.”Can you be pro-life and pro-death penalty? How does one reconcile these positions? A good saying is, “The speak peace, but war is in their heart” It is as if they find refuge in the belief that the life of a fetus is more important than the life of a fully-conscious human being.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Class of 1996
last update 11:18 pmOctober 25, 2011
Political stances should outweigh religious views
News Sports Opinion A&E
Political stances should outweigh religious views
by Jaimie Collins
The wise Thomas Jefferson is often attributed with writing the historical phrase “separation of church and state.” To this day, that ideal is still considered to hold importance in the election of our country’s leaders.
Unfortunately, United States voters and presidential candidates may not feel the same way.
During a convention on Oct. 7 in Washington, D.C. Pastor Robert Jeffress, the Southern Baptist Convention leader from Texas, introduced Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry, and altogether stole the show.-------
One thought on “Political stances should outweigh religious views”
Ted Rudow III, MA on October 26, 2011
During a GOP debate last week, Texas Governor Rick Perry was asked about his support of the death penalty. (Texas has the highest rate of execution in the country.) Rick Perry was steadfast, saying, to cheers of support from the audience, that he had “never struggled” with the potential that Texas could have execution of an innocent person. At a June 2011 anti-abortion event, Perry told supporters that he believes “human life [is] a sacred gift from God.”Can you be pro-life and pro-death penalty? How does one reconcile these positions? A good saying is, “The speak peace, but war is in their heart” It is as if they find refuge in the belief that the life of a fetus is more important than the life of a fully-conscious human being.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Class of 1996
History of Halloween
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/10/26/18695229.php
History of Halloween
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com ) Wednesday Oct 26th, 2011
The true name of Halloween is “Samhain.” This was the Celtic Lord of the Dead. For 3 days from Oct 29-31, the Celtic people, along with their priestly class called Druids, would hold an ancient rite which would mark the beginning and the end of the year. A druid was a member of the priestly class in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, and possibly other parts of Celtic western Europe, during the Iron Age. Very little is currently known about the ancient druids because they left no written accounts about themselves. The druids then also appear in some of the medieval tales from Christianised Ireland like the Táin Bó Cúailnge, where they are largely portrayed as sorcerers who opposed the coming of Christianity. Usually a week before the rites of Samhain began, the Druid had ordered the people of the Celtic tribe to disperse throughout the countryside and gather thousands of wicker reed.This is a very strong and durable stick. Wicker furniture has been made from it and most of us are familiar with it. They would then construct a giant human effigy that would stand from 30 to 50 feet, as the Wicker Man. A wicker man was a large wicker statue of a human used by the ancient Druids (priests of Celtic paganism) for human sacrifice by burning it in effigy, according to Julius Caesar in his Commentarii de Bello Gallico In modern times the figure has been adopted for festivals as part of some neopagan-themed ceremonies, notably without the human sacrifice element. Many cages had been built within it. Each prisoner would be tied to one of the cages.Then the Druids began their idea of fun and games. Yet, I have seen many Christian churches throughout this nation hold Halloween Parties within the church building. Every single one of these things is directly from the celebration of Samhain. You are simply trying to turn something evil into something good!
Ted Rudow III,MA
History of Halloween
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com ) Wednesday Oct 26th, 2011
The true name of Halloween is “Samhain.” This was the Celtic Lord of the Dead. For 3 days from Oct 29-31, the Celtic people, along with their priestly class called Druids, would hold an ancient rite which would mark the beginning and the end of the year. A druid was a member of the priestly class in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, and possibly other parts of Celtic western Europe, during the Iron Age. Very little is currently known about the ancient druids because they left no written accounts about themselves. The druids then also appear in some of the medieval tales from Christianised Ireland like the Táin Bó Cúailnge, where they are largely portrayed as sorcerers who opposed the coming of Christianity. Usually a week before the rites of Samhain began, the Druid had ordered the people of the Celtic tribe to disperse throughout the countryside and gather thousands of wicker reed.This is a very strong and durable stick. Wicker furniture has been made from it and most of us are familiar with it. They would then construct a giant human effigy that would stand from 30 to 50 feet, as the Wicker Man. A wicker man was a large wicker statue of a human used by the ancient Druids (priests of Celtic paganism) for human sacrifice by burning it in effigy, according to Julius Caesar in his Commentarii de Bello Gallico In modern times the figure has been adopted for festivals as part of some neopagan-themed ceremonies, notably without the human sacrifice element. Many cages had been built within it. Each prisoner would be tied to one of the cages.Then the Druids began their idea of fun and games. Yet, I have seen many Christian churches throughout this nation hold Halloween Parties within the church building. Every single one of these things is directly from the celebration of Samhain. You are simply trying to turn something evil into something good!
Ted Rudow III,MA
Raise the fist
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Barack Obama may be widely regarded at home as the least pro-Israeli president in decades, but he has secretly okayed giving the Jewish state a bunch of special bunker-busting bombs ideal for destroying Tehran's ruling mullahs nuclear ambitions and so powerful that George W. Bush blocked handing them over.
Capable of penetrating deep beneath the surface, the bunker-busterswould be crucial for any air strikes at Iran nuclear sites. Mr. Netanyahu has wanted the bunker-busters for years and, as first reported by Newsweek, Mr. Obama agreed to hand over 55 of the sophisticated and powerful weapons.
Given Israel's track record of pre-emptive bombing strikes to destroy nuclear sites in neighbouring nations and Iran's ambitious and suspicious nuclear program, the American bunker-busters may increase the chance of another Middle East war. Iran's unpredictable and bellicose President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has vowed to wipe Israel off the map. Iran continues to defy international sanctions with a clandestine nuclear program. Meanwhile, Mr. Netanyahu now has the means to carry out his threat that Iran will not acquire nuclear arms, and this implies everything necessary to carry this out.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Share comment FEATURE THIS
Barack Obama may be widely regarded at home as the least pro-Israeli president in decades, but he has secretly okayed giving the Jewish state a bunch of special bunker-busting bombs ideal for destroying Tehran's ruling mullahs nuclear ambitions and so powerful that George W. Bush blocked handing them over.
Capable of penetrating deep beneath the surface, the bunker-busterswould be crucial for any air strikes at Iran nuclear sites. Mr. Netanyahu has wanted the bunker-busters for years and, as first reported by Newsweek, Mr. Obama agreed to hand over 55 of the sophisticated and powerful weapons.
Given Israel's track record of pre-emptive bombing strikes to destroy nuclear sites in neighbouring nations and Iran's ambitious and suspicious nuclear program, the American bunker-busters may increase the chance of another Middle East war. Iran's unpredictable and bellicose President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has vowed to wipe Israel off the map. Iran continues to defy international sanctions with a clandestine nuclear program. Meanwhile, Mr. Netanyahu now has the means to carry out his threat that Iran will not acquire nuclear arms, and this implies everything necessary to carry this out.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Life in Iran?
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/10/25/18695026.php
Life in Iran?
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com ) Tuesday Oct 25th, 2011
Barack Obama may be widely regarded at home as the least pro-Israeli president in decades, but he has secretly okayed giving the Jewish state a bunch of special bunker-busting bombs – ideal for destroying Tehran’s ruling mullahs’ nuclear ambitions and so powerful that George W. Bush blocked handing them over.
Capable of penetrating deep beneath the surface, the bunker-busterswould be crucial for any air strikes at Iran nuclear sites. Mr. Netanyahu has wanted the bunker-busters for years and, as first reported byNewsweek, Mr. Obama agreed to hand over 55 of the sophisticated and powerful weapons.
Given Israel’s track record of pre-emptive bombing strikes to destroy nuclear sites in neighbouring nations and Iran’s ambitious and suspicious nuclear program, the American bunker-busters may increase the chance of anotherMiddle East war. Iran’s unpredictable and bellicose President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has vowed to wipe Israel off the map. Iran continues to defy international sanctions with a clandestine nuclear program. Meanwhile, Mr. Netanyahu now has the means to carry out his threat that “Iran will not acquire nuclear arms, and this implies everything necessary to carry this out.”
Ted Rudow III, MA
Life in Iran?
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com ) Tuesday Oct 25th, 2011
Barack Obama may be widely regarded at home as the least pro-Israeli president in decades, but he has secretly okayed giving the Jewish state a bunch of special bunker-busting bombs – ideal for destroying Tehran’s ruling mullahs’ nuclear ambitions and so powerful that George W. Bush blocked handing them over.
Capable of penetrating deep beneath the surface, the bunker-busterswould be crucial for any air strikes at Iran nuclear sites. Mr. Netanyahu has wanted the bunker-busters for years and, as first reported byNewsweek, Mr. Obama agreed to hand over 55 of the sophisticated and powerful weapons.
Given Israel’s track record of pre-emptive bombing strikes to destroy nuclear sites in neighbouring nations and Iran’s ambitious and suspicious nuclear program, the American bunker-busters may increase the chance of anotherMiddle East war. Iran’s unpredictable and bellicose President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has vowed to wipe Israel off the map. Iran continues to defy international sanctions with a clandestine nuclear program. Meanwhile, Mr. Netanyahu now has the means to carry out his threat that “Iran will not acquire nuclear arms, and this implies everything necessary to carry this out.”
Ted Rudow III, MA
Spartan Daily
Spartan Daily
October 24, 2011
News
Sports
Opinion
Wes Side Stories: Reflecting on the War in Iraq
by Wesley Dugle Oct 23, 2011
Wesley Dugle
Last Friday, President Obama officially stated that all U.S. troops would be out of Iraq by the end of the year.
It was a monumental declaration that appears to have put an end to a struggle that has been going on now for nearly nine years.
It was mind boggling to me to see that the war was officially coming to an end because in all honesty I hadn’t truly thought about it in a long time.
In fact, most of this country has barely talked about it for the last three or four years with the economy tanking and tea partyers and Wall Street occupiers protesting but when you look at the numbers its amazing no one has even taken note of it lately.
More than $800 billion have been spent over in Iraq in this past decade and it’s hard not to think the war’s cost had something to do with our downgraded economy.
Just over 4,400 American soldiers have paid the ultimate price for Operation Iraqi Freedom and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have perished as well and yet it’s barely a blip on the media’s radar.
There’s no anniversary for the war every year like we do 9/11 and yet arguably both are just as important to how America’s foreign policy has been shaped today.
I know the war definitely affected me.
Up until the war broke out I would say I was largely ignorant of the world around me.
Sure, I was in middle school and I didn’t know any better, but the events that happened in the world while I was there in many ways shaped my political and social outlook on the world today.
The events of 9/11 were the first to really change me.
I was too young to really understand just how shocking the event was but it still rattled me nonetheless when I understood for the first time that there were people out there that wanted to destroy America.
It was at that moment my shell of ignorance began to crack and I started to see the world outside of my hometown a little differently.
But just two years later, on March 20, 2003, is when things officially changed for me.
I remember coming home from school that day and seeing my parents watching the television as President George W. Bush declared war in Iraq.
Bush was stating that Saddam Hussein and his regime were connected with Osama Bin Laden and 9/11 and that they were in control of weapons of mass destruction.
This was infuriating to me.
I remember asking myself “Wait, when and how is Osama Bin Laden in cahoots with Saddam? Why are we declaring a war when we should be diverting all our sources to catching the monster who actually attacked us? And why are we issuing a preemptive strike on a country that we think has WMDs while another that actually has them (North Korea) is the one we are negotiating with?”
It was at that point my shell of ignorance shattered and I realized just how screwed up our government was.
It was infuriating to me that we would attack a country prematurely without any hard evidence and waste valuable resources while our economy was hurting and the real monster was still at large.
After that day I learned never to trust my government again, to ask questions, and to not simply just follow the commander in chief and whatever he says (this goes for Obama as well).
It changed me in a way that helped me take more notice of the world around me and dare myself to question what our government tells us is right.
The war has barely been in the minds of many Americans over the last few years however, but either way you look at it this conflict has had a profound effect on this country today.
With all this said though, despite the fact that we should have never been there in the first place, I wish Iraq and it’s people nothing but the best for they have probably suffered more than we have over this conflict.
I really do hope that Iraq can evolve into a stable peaceful democracy and even if we did not go in there for the right reasons I hope that some measure of success and peace is yielded from this war.
The war was one of the biggest events of the last decade and even if most Americans don’t think about it much today, I will never forget the impact it had on me and this country.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize in a stunning decision that honored the first-year U.S. president more for promise than achievement, and drew both praise and skepticism around the world. But critics called the Nobel committee's decision premature, given that Obama has achieved few tangible gains, as he still grapples with challenges ranging from the war in Afghanistan and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to nuclear standoffs with Iran and North Korea, and now the war on Libya. The raid has further strained ties between the United States and Pakistan. Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers are calling for a review of billions in aid to Pakistan in light of the revelation that bin Laden was living inside a heavily fortified compound in a wealthy Pakistani suburb. Former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf criticized the United States for attacking the compound without Pakistan's knowledge, calling it a violation of Pakistani sovereignty. "It's very important to use this defining moment, I think, to rally the American people and to remind the American people that we are spending trillions of dollars, billions every week, on this open-ended longest war in American history and that we have economic priorities, economic recovery, job creation priorities here in our own country that this money can be used for," U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee said. We've got to remove our young men and women from harm's way, and we've got to really make sure that our presence in countries throughout the world does not create more danger and more anger toward the United States, which, you know, diminishes our national security.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Class of 1996
October 24, 2011
News
Sports
Opinion
Wes Side Stories: Reflecting on the War in Iraq
by Wesley Dugle Oct 23, 2011
Wesley Dugle
Last Friday, President Obama officially stated that all U.S. troops would be out of Iraq by the end of the year.
It was a monumental declaration that appears to have put an end to a struggle that has been going on now for nearly nine years.
It was mind boggling to me to see that the war was officially coming to an end because in all honesty I hadn’t truly thought about it in a long time.
In fact, most of this country has barely talked about it for the last three or four years with the economy tanking and tea partyers and Wall Street occupiers protesting but when you look at the numbers its amazing no one has even taken note of it lately.
More than $800 billion have been spent over in Iraq in this past decade and it’s hard not to think the war’s cost had something to do with our downgraded economy.
Just over 4,400 American soldiers have paid the ultimate price for Operation Iraqi Freedom and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have perished as well and yet it’s barely a blip on the media’s radar.
There’s no anniversary for the war every year like we do 9/11 and yet arguably both are just as important to how America’s foreign policy has been shaped today.
I know the war definitely affected me.
Up until the war broke out I would say I was largely ignorant of the world around me.
Sure, I was in middle school and I didn’t know any better, but the events that happened in the world while I was there in many ways shaped my political and social outlook on the world today.
The events of 9/11 were the first to really change me.
I was too young to really understand just how shocking the event was but it still rattled me nonetheless when I understood for the first time that there were people out there that wanted to destroy America.
It was at that moment my shell of ignorance began to crack and I started to see the world outside of my hometown a little differently.
But just two years later, on March 20, 2003, is when things officially changed for me.
I remember coming home from school that day and seeing my parents watching the television as President George W. Bush declared war in Iraq.
Bush was stating that Saddam Hussein and his regime were connected with Osama Bin Laden and 9/11 and that they were in control of weapons of mass destruction.
This was infuriating to me.
I remember asking myself “Wait, when and how is Osama Bin Laden in cahoots with Saddam? Why are we declaring a war when we should be diverting all our sources to catching the monster who actually attacked us? And why are we issuing a preemptive strike on a country that we think has WMDs while another that actually has them (North Korea) is the one we are negotiating with?”
It was at that point my shell of ignorance shattered and I realized just how screwed up our government was.
It was infuriating to me that we would attack a country prematurely without any hard evidence and waste valuable resources while our economy was hurting and the real monster was still at large.
After that day I learned never to trust my government again, to ask questions, and to not simply just follow the commander in chief and whatever he says (this goes for Obama as well).
It changed me in a way that helped me take more notice of the world around me and dare myself to question what our government tells us is right.
The war has barely been in the minds of many Americans over the last few years however, but either way you look at it this conflict has had a profound effect on this country today.
With all this said though, despite the fact that we should have never been there in the first place, I wish Iraq and it’s people nothing but the best for they have probably suffered more than we have over this conflict.
I really do hope that Iraq can evolve into a stable peaceful democracy and even if we did not go in there for the right reasons I hope that some measure of success and peace is yielded from this war.
The war was one of the biggest events of the last decade and even if most Americans don’t think about it much today, I will never forget the impact it had on me and this country.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize in a stunning decision that honored the first-year U.S. president more for promise than achievement, and drew both praise and skepticism around the world. But critics called the Nobel committee's decision premature, given that Obama has achieved few tangible gains, as he still grapples with challenges ranging from the war in Afghanistan and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to nuclear standoffs with Iran and North Korea, and now the war on Libya. The raid has further strained ties between the United States and Pakistan. Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers are calling for a review of billions in aid to Pakistan in light of the revelation that bin Laden was living inside a heavily fortified compound in a wealthy Pakistani suburb. Former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf criticized the United States for attacking the compound without Pakistan's knowledge, calling it a violation of Pakistani sovereignty. "It's very important to use this defining moment, I think, to rally the American people and to remind the American people that we are spending trillions of dollars, billions every week, on this open-ended longest war in American history and that we have economic priorities, economic recovery, job creation priorities here in our own country that this money can be used for," U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee said. We've got to remove our young men and women from harm's way, and we've got to really make sure that our presence in countries throughout the world does not create more danger and more anger toward the United States, which, you know, diminishes our national security.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Class of 1996
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Spartan Daily
Spartan Daily
last update 4:09 pm
October 19, 2011
News Sports Opinion A&E Multimedia Tech Class Reports National World
Virtual Money: A commentary on Google Wallet
by francisco.rendon Oct 3, 2011 1:11 am
WHAT IS THE PRICE WE PAY FOR CONVENIENCE?
Leo Postovoit, Spartan Daily
The end is near, friends.
Google released the first version of the Google Wallet application last month, foreshadowing the death of paper money and the birth of the “wallet-phone.”
This app, available now to all Nexus 4G users on the Sprint mobile network, will eventually, according to Google’s website, contain “all the cards you keep in your wallet today.”
You can scan your phone at Mastercard PayPass stations to make transactions with a quickness usually reserved for viral videos, Facebook messaging and, when it’s convenient, telephone calls.
Beyond this, Google is also using its status as a corporate behemoth to get special offers and rewards, like free cupcakes at a local bakery and discounts at local stores, for people who make purchases with the Wallet app.
No doubt, within a short amount of time, having your wallet in your cellphone will be more convenient than having to fumble with bills and coins or having to reach for the right piece of plastic and signing a printed receipt.
Not even Abraham Lincoln and George Washington can compete with free cupcakes.
I will leave the “Big Brother” implication alone, with the observation that a phone this smart would advance it to become the central instrument of most people’s financial, social and business activity.
Beyond the “1984” paranoia however, this phone represents a larger trend in our society — the movement toward convenience.
We love making things easy in the global culture of consumerism in which we live.
In large cities, the places where consumerism thrives most, companies are all suing each other and fighting tooth and nail to be the one to offer the next convenience that makes all the city dwellers’ lives that much easier.
But do our conveniences make our lives better?
If you brought a cellphone to the middle of the desert or a village in the mountains and expected them to scan your Google Wallet to make a digital transaction, you would be out of luck.
Beyond this, your cellphone holds little practical use when you are in a place without the infrastructure to support it.
Gold, one of the oldest forms of currency humans have used, was valuable because of its malleability, its ability to be reshaped into any form themaker required, such as jewelry or ornaments.
So why, exactly, are our numbers on a screen valuable?
Ultimately, currency — and indeed what we actually own — is becoming less and less real.
While we once had a representative piece of the gold in Fort Knox assigned to our money, our greenbacks’ only monetary value lies in what the government assigns it.
This theoretical value, shifting through decisions of government officials and foreign economists, may soon only be numbers on the screen of a conveniently sized phone.
Most people have no idea how this neat little screen on a phone actually works, how to make one or how to fix it if anything goes wrong. If our screen screws up, it ruins our day and we have to pay someone to fix it or replace it.
Yet if you even suggest the idea of taking away a high schooler’s cellphone, I suggest you anchor yourself against the oncoming tide of obscenities.
I am 23 years old, and yet many people my own age lack not only the ability to state outright problems within their social environment, but once in difficult situations they find themselves even without the ability to express what it is they want.
Our generation’s increasingly apparent lack of communication skills demonstrates that technological advances, far from making us better people and teaching us practical applications of knowledge, are actually proving fundamentally disempowering, particularly to the youth of our culture.
In my spare time, I have done community-building service with youth ages 12 to 14, and I have found that rather than exploring their communities and affecting each others lives, more and more young people choose to remain inside their homes, on computers, texting their friends and watching television.
Increasingly, despite all the bright lights and loud sounds we can buy in a store, we are more and more finding ourselves slaves to the conveniences that corporations market so aggressively.
If these things are taken away from them, they often do not know what to do. I worry about what will become of future generations as their relationship with money goes in the same direction as that of the traditional telephone.
Yet because the option is available to us, and it is, undeniably, more convenient, Google wallet will no doubt become more prevalent.
So here’s to the free cupcakes.
0 Vote up Vote down Ted Rudow III, MA
Standard Poor’s decision to downgrade the United States has led to a lot of criticism of Standard Poor’s. The White House called their performance, which included a miscalculation of about $2.1 trillion, “amateur hour.”The move by S&P, one of three leading credit rating agencies, came just days after Congress approved a $2.1 trillion deficit-reduction plan.S&P didn’t just miss the bubble. They helped cause it. They were paid by the banks to award their AAA-stamp of approval to all manner of financial products that were anything but riskless -- which, ironically, makes them an accessory to the resulting explosion of U.S. debt. Lowering the nation’s rating to one notch below AAA, the credit rating company said "political brinkmanship" in the debate over the debt had made the U.S. government’s ability to manage its finances. There’s not much mention anymore of the recession or economic hard times, because the people at the top are doing great. And that is an upward redistribution of wealth by cutting taxes for the wealthiest, and in subtle ways, raising them for the poorest and for the middle class. The big business game is to see how fast you can rob the other guy.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Class of 1996
last update 4:09 pm
October 19, 2011
News Sports Opinion A&E Multimedia Tech Class Reports National World
Virtual Money: A commentary on Google Wallet
by francisco.rendon Oct 3, 2011 1:11 am
WHAT IS THE PRICE WE PAY FOR CONVENIENCE?
Leo Postovoit, Spartan Daily
The end is near, friends.
Google released the first version of the Google Wallet application last month, foreshadowing the death of paper money and the birth of the “wallet-phone.”
This app, available now to all Nexus 4G users on the Sprint mobile network, will eventually, according to Google’s website, contain “all the cards you keep in your wallet today.”
You can scan your phone at Mastercard PayPass stations to make transactions with a quickness usually reserved for viral videos, Facebook messaging and, when it’s convenient, telephone calls.
Beyond this, Google is also using its status as a corporate behemoth to get special offers and rewards, like free cupcakes at a local bakery and discounts at local stores, for people who make purchases with the Wallet app.
No doubt, within a short amount of time, having your wallet in your cellphone will be more convenient than having to fumble with bills and coins or having to reach for the right piece of plastic and signing a printed receipt.
Not even Abraham Lincoln and George Washington can compete with free cupcakes.
I will leave the “Big Brother” implication alone, with the observation that a phone this smart would advance it to become the central instrument of most people’s financial, social and business activity.
Beyond the “1984” paranoia however, this phone represents a larger trend in our society — the movement toward convenience.
We love making things easy in the global culture of consumerism in which we live.
In large cities, the places where consumerism thrives most, companies are all suing each other and fighting tooth and nail to be the one to offer the next convenience that makes all the city dwellers’ lives that much easier.
But do our conveniences make our lives better?
If you brought a cellphone to the middle of the desert or a village in the mountains and expected them to scan your Google Wallet to make a digital transaction, you would be out of luck.
Beyond this, your cellphone holds little practical use when you are in a place without the infrastructure to support it.
Gold, one of the oldest forms of currency humans have used, was valuable because of its malleability, its ability to be reshaped into any form themaker required, such as jewelry or ornaments.
So why, exactly, are our numbers on a screen valuable?
Ultimately, currency — and indeed what we actually own — is becoming less and less real.
While we once had a representative piece of the gold in Fort Knox assigned to our money, our greenbacks’ only monetary value lies in what the government assigns it.
This theoretical value, shifting through decisions of government officials and foreign economists, may soon only be numbers on the screen of a conveniently sized phone.
Most people have no idea how this neat little screen on a phone actually works, how to make one or how to fix it if anything goes wrong. If our screen screws up, it ruins our day and we have to pay someone to fix it or replace it.
Yet if you even suggest the idea of taking away a high schooler’s cellphone, I suggest you anchor yourself against the oncoming tide of obscenities.
I am 23 years old, and yet many people my own age lack not only the ability to state outright problems within their social environment, but once in difficult situations they find themselves even without the ability to express what it is they want.
Our generation’s increasingly apparent lack of communication skills demonstrates that technological advances, far from making us better people and teaching us practical applications of knowledge, are actually proving fundamentally disempowering, particularly to the youth of our culture.
In my spare time, I have done community-building service with youth ages 12 to 14, and I have found that rather than exploring their communities and affecting each others lives, more and more young people choose to remain inside their homes, on computers, texting their friends and watching television.
Increasingly, despite all the bright lights and loud sounds we can buy in a store, we are more and more finding ourselves slaves to the conveniences that corporations market so aggressively.
If these things are taken away from them, they often do not know what to do. I worry about what will become of future generations as their relationship with money goes in the same direction as that of the traditional telephone.
Yet because the option is available to us, and it is, undeniably, more convenient, Google wallet will no doubt become more prevalent.
So here’s to the free cupcakes.
0 Vote up Vote down Ted Rudow III, MA
Standard Poor’s decision to downgrade the United States has led to a lot of criticism of Standard Poor’s. The White House called their performance, which included a miscalculation of about $2.1 trillion, “amateur hour.”The move by S&P, one of three leading credit rating agencies, came just days after Congress approved a $2.1 trillion deficit-reduction plan.S&P didn’t just miss the bubble. They helped cause it. They were paid by the banks to award their AAA-stamp of approval to all manner of financial products that were anything but riskless -- which, ironically, makes them an accessory to the resulting explosion of U.S. debt. Lowering the nation’s rating to one notch below AAA, the credit rating company said "political brinkmanship" in the debate over the debt had made the U.S. government’s ability to manage its finances. There’s not much mention anymore of the recession or economic hard times, because the people at the top are doing great. And that is an upward redistribution of wealth by cutting taxes for the wealthiest, and in subtle ways, raising them for the poorest and for the middle class. The big business game is to see how fast you can rob the other guy.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Class of 1996
Indian summer
Ever wonder about ‘Indian summer?' - Half Moon Bay Review : Letters To Editor
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Ever wonder about ‘Indian summer?'
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Posted: Thursday, October 20, 2011 2:39 pm
Ever wonder about ‘Indian summer?' 0 comments
The origins of the term Indian summer are uncertain, but several writers suggest it may have been based on the warm, hazy conditions in autumn when native American Indians chose to hunt. The earliest record of the use of the term is in America at the end of the 18th century. Although William R. Deedler also refers to a reference by a French man, John de Crevecoeur, in 1778:
"Sometimes the rain is followed by an interval of calm and warmth which is called the Indian Summer; its characteristics are a tranquil atmosphere and general smokiness. Up to this epoch the approaches of winter are doubtful; it arrives about the middle of November, although snows and brief freezes often occur long before that date."
The term was first used in the British Isles at the beginning of the 19th century, but there is no statistical evidence to show that such a warm spell tends to recur each year.
Ted Rudow III
Palo Alto
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Ever wonder about ‘Indian summer?'
Story
Comments
Posted: Thursday, October 20, 2011 2:39 pm
Ever wonder about ‘Indian summer?' 0 comments
The origins of the term Indian summer are uncertain, but several writers suggest it may have been based on the warm, hazy conditions in autumn when native American Indians chose to hunt. The earliest record of the use of the term is in America at the end of the 18th century. Although William R. Deedler also refers to a reference by a French man, John de Crevecoeur, in 1778:
"Sometimes the rain is followed by an interval of calm and warmth which is called the Indian Summer; its characteristics are a tranquil atmosphere and general smokiness. Up to this epoch the approaches of winter are doubtful; it arrives about the middle of November, although snows and brief freezes often occur long before that date."
The term was first used in the British Isles at the beginning of the 19th century, but there is no statistical evidence to show that such a warm spell tends to recur each year.
Ted Rudow III
Palo Alto
Stage is set
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Peninsula readers' letters: October 22
From Daily News Group readers Posted: 10/21/2011 06:16:06 PM PDTUpdated: 10/21/2011 11:04:06 PM PDT
Stage is set for Iran confrontation
Dear Editor: To understand American policy toward Iran, one must understand who the authors are of such policy and what their motivations are. The Brookings Institution itself was created by and for the corporate-financier elite. It is a policy think tank that represents the collective interests of the big oil corporations, banks and military contractors that fund it. Quite obviously then, policy toward Iran, or any nation for that matter, from within the halls of the Brookings Institution will revolve around expanding the global financial, social, political and military hegemony of its corporate sponsors.
America and Israel conspire to silence this troublesome voice, to quell and to put out these fires which burn and trouble the world for them. They conspire together, and so a leader has risen of their own making, of their own choice, a zealot for the cause of the Jews -- Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister. The stage is set. You can be sure of a confrontation and an escalation of confrontation between these two houses that battle at war.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto
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Peninsula readers' letters: October 22
From Daily News Group readers Posted: 10/21/2011 06:16:06 PM PDTUpdated: 10/21/2011 11:04:06 PM PDT
Stage is set for Iran confrontation
Dear Editor: To understand American policy toward Iran, one must understand who the authors are of such policy and what their motivations are. The Brookings Institution itself was created by and for the corporate-financier elite. It is a policy think tank that represents the collective interests of the big oil corporations, banks and military contractors that fund it. Quite obviously then, policy toward Iran, or any nation for that matter, from within the halls of the Brookings Institution will revolve around expanding the global financial, social, political and military hegemony of its corporate sponsors.
America and Israel conspire to silence this troublesome voice, to quell and to put out these fires which burn and trouble the world for them. They conspire together, and so a leader has risen of their own making, of their own choice, a zealot for the cause of the Jews -- Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister. The stage is set. You can be sure of a confrontation and an escalation of confrontation between these two houses that battle at war.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto
Friday, October 21, 2011
From Anne Eshoo
October 19, 2011
Dear Mr. Rudow,
Because I share your deep concern and frustration about the foreclosure crisis which is devastating families and communities across our country, I want to update you on some of my recent work.
On October 12, 2011, I joined my colleagues in the California Democratic Delegation to introduce a plan for effectively addressing the foreclosure crisis. We detailed the plan in a letter to President Obama, a copy of which is attached for your review.
Like millions of Americans, I'm extremely frustrated that more progress has not been made to address this crisis. Much of the problem was not caused by irresponsible borrowing, but by the risky financial speculation that inflated prices and disguised bad debt as safe. Now, as millions of people find their homes underwater and their monthly payments increasingly unaffordable, the Administration has done very little to come to their aid.
In a recent meeting with the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, I asked the Director if he had ever met with a family facing foreclosure. He answered that he hadn't. This sends a deeply troubling message, and I hope the Administration will act promptly on our proposals, which include:
o Directing the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the conservator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, to establish a plan to refinance all mortgages they own or guarantee;
o Establishing a principal reduction plan that would allow a restructuring in Chapter 13 bankruptcy for underwater mortgages; and
o Instituting a "Homeowner's Bill Of Rights" to stem some of the most flagrant servicer abuses once and for all.
These actions can each be accomplished swiftly through administrative action and without new legislation which would be difficult to pass in a divided political environment. Our plan would have a meaningful impact on millions of borrowers and their communities, in contrast to previous Treasury initiatives that have helped a comparatively small number of homeowners. The only thing missing is the political will to act, and I intend to continue pressing for it.
A number of useful pieces of legislation have been introduced that also would help to relieve this crisis, but while Democrats and Republicans may agree on the scale of the problem, we so far have not been able to agree on solutions. The impact of the crisis is being felt not just by individual borrowers, but by families devastated at the loss of a home, communities impacted by declining tax revenue, and an industry devastated by loss of stability. I will continue to fight for homeowners to bring this crisis to an end as quickly as possible.
If you have any other questions or comments, let me hear from you. I value what my constituents say to me, and always need your thoughts and benefit from your ideas.
I've created an ongoing e-newsletter to keep constituents informed on a variety of congressional issues and legislation. Many constituents tell me how much they value reading it, and if you would like to as well, you can go to my website at http://eshoo.house.gov and click on Sign Up for ENews. Your email address will never be used by anyone except my office to communicate with you, and your tax dollars will be conserved by using electronic communications rather than traditional mailings.
Sincerely, Anna G. Eshoo
Member of Congress
Dear Mr. Rudow,
Because I share your deep concern and frustration about the foreclosure crisis which is devastating families and communities across our country, I want to update you on some of my recent work.
On October 12, 2011, I joined my colleagues in the California Democratic Delegation to introduce a plan for effectively addressing the foreclosure crisis. We detailed the plan in a letter to President Obama, a copy of which is attached for your review.
Like millions of Americans, I'm extremely frustrated that more progress has not been made to address this crisis. Much of the problem was not caused by irresponsible borrowing, but by the risky financial speculation that inflated prices and disguised bad debt as safe. Now, as millions of people find their homes underwater and their monthly payments increasingly unaffordable, the Administration has done very little to come to their aid.
In a recent meeting with the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, I asked the Director if he had ever met with a family facing foreclosure. He answered that he hadn't. This sends a deeply troubling message, and I hope the Administration will act promptly on our proposals, which include:
o Directing the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the conservator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, to establish a plan to refinance all mortgages they own or guarantee;
o Establishing a principal reduction plan that would allow a restructuring in Chapter 13 bankruptcy for underwater mortgages; and
o Instituting a "Homeowner's Bill Of Rights" to stem some of the most flagrant servicer abuses once and for all.
These actions can each be accomplished swiftly through administrative action and without new legislation which would be difficult to pass in a divided political environment. Our plan would have a meaningful impact on millions of borrowers and their communities, in contrast to previous Treasury initiatives that have helped a comparatively small number of homeowners. The only thing missing is the political will to act, and I intend to continue pressing for it.
A number of useful pieces of legislation have been introduced that also would help to relieve this crisis, but while Democrats and Republicans may agree on the scale of the problem, we so far have not been able to agree on solutions. The impact of the crisis is being felt not just by individual borrowers, but by families devastated at the loss of a home, communities impacted by declining tax revenue, and an industry devastated by loss of stability. I will continue to fight for homeowners to bring this crisis to an end as quickly as possible.
If you have any other questions or comments, let me hear from you. I value what my constituents say to me, and always need your thoughts and benefit from your ideas.
I've created an ongoing e-newsletter to keep constituents informed on a variety of congressional issues and legislation. Many constituents tell me how much they value reading it, and if you would like to as well, you can go to my website at http://eshoo.house.gov and click on Sign Up for ENews. Your email address will never be used by anyone except my office to communicate with you, and your tax dollars will be conserved by using electronic communications rather than traditional mailings.
Sincerely, Anna G. Eshoo
Member of Congress
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
The stage is set
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FEATURE THIS
To understand American policy toward Iran, one must understand who the authors
are of such policy and what their motivations are. The Brookings Institution itself was created by and for the corporate-financier elite.
It is a policy think-tank that represents the collective interests of the big oil corporations, banks, and military contractors that fund it. Quite obviously then, policy toward Iran, or any nation for that matter, from within the halls of the Brookings Institution will revolve around expanding the global financial, social, political, and military hegemony of its corporate sponsors.
America and Israel conspire to silence this troublesome voice, to quell and to put out these fires which burn and trouble the world for them. They conspire together, and so leader has risen of their own making, of their own choice, a zealot for the cause of the Jews [Netanyahu, Israeli prime minister]. The stage is set. You can be sure of a confrontation and an escalation of confrontation between these two houses that battle at war.
Ted Rudow III, MA
live 24/7
raisethefist.com
so.addParam('allowscriptaccess','always');so.addParam('allowfullscreen','true');so.addVariable('type', 'mp3');so.addVariable('autostart', 'true');so.addVariable('title', 'true');// so.addVariable('file', 'http://raisethefist2.dlinkddns.com:8030/listen.pls');// Icecast stream - Proton Radioso.addVariable('file', 'http://raisethefist2.dlinkddns.com:8030/;stream.nsv');so.write('player');
Share comment
FEATURE THIS
To understand American policy toward Iran, one must understand who the authors
are of such policy and what their motivations are. The Brookings Institution itself was created by and for the corporate-financier elite.
It is a policy think-tank that represents the collective interests of the big oil corporations, banks, and military contractors that fund it. Quite obviously then, policy toward Iran, or any nation for that matter, from within the halls of the Brookings Institution will revolve around expanding the global financial, social, political, and military hegemony of its corporate sponsors.
America and Israel conspire to silence this troublesome voice, to quell and to put out these fires which burn and trouble the world for them. They conspire together, and so leader has risen of their own making, of their own choice, a zealot for the cause of the Jews [Netanyahu, Israeli prime minister]. The stage is set. You can be sure of a confrontation and an escalation of confrontation between these two houses that battle at war.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Monday, October 17, 2011
The CLASS gone
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/10/17/18693989.php
The CLASS gone
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com ) Monday Oct 17th, 2011
The Obama administration has announced it is pulling the plug on a long-term home care program included in the 2010 healthcare reform law. The Community Living Assistance Services and Supports, or CLASS program, was designed to give the disabled and elderly cash to receive care at home instead of usually more expensive institutional care.
-->
The administration estimated that although monthly premiums typically would have ranged from $235 to $391, they could have reached as high as $3,000 under some scenarios. The program was co-authored by the late Sen. Edward Kennedy and Democratic Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey. Pallone criticized the Obama administration’s decision, saying, "While we are fighting so hard against Republican attempts to cut Medicaid ... abandoning the CLASS Act is the wrong decision. Soon enough, those in need will have nowhere to go for long-term care."
The end of the CLASS program eliminates an estimated $86 billion in savings that the health reform law was projected to generate. The overhaul is now expected to reduce the deficit by $124 billion between 2012 and 2021 (Aizenman, Washington Post, 10/14). Since there's not much love in families any longer and the relatives don't want to take care of you, they vote in laws so that the government will take care of you. And now that too has ended!
Ted Rudow III, MA
The CLASS gone
by Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com ) Monday Oct 17th, 2011
The Obama administration has announced it is pulling the plug on a long-term home care program included in the 2010 healthcare reform law. The Community Living Assistance Services and Supports, or CLASS program, was designed to give the disabled and elderly cash to receive care at home instead of usually more expensive institutional care.
-->
The administration estimated that although monthly premiums typically would have ranged from $235 to $391, they could have reached as high as $3,000 under some scenarios. The program was co-authored by the late Sen. Edward Kennedy and Democratic Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey. Pallone criticized the Obama administration’s decision, saying, "While we are fighting so hard against Republican attempts to cut Medicaid ... abandoning the CLASS Act is the wrong decision. Soon enough, those in need will have nowhere to go for long-term care."
The end of the CLASS program eliminates an estimated $86 billion in savings that the health reform law was projected to generate. The overhaul is now expected to reduce the deficit by $124 billion between 2012 and 2021 (Aizenman, Washington Post, 10/14). Since there's not much love in families any longer and the relatives don't want to take care of you, they vote in laws so that the government will take care of you. And now that too has ended!
Ted Rudow III, MA
The stage is set
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/10/17/18693964.php
The stage is setby Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com ) Monday Oct 17th, 2011
To understand American policy toward Iran, one must understand who the authors are of such policy and what their motivations are. The Brookings Institution itself was created by and for the corporate-financier elite.It is a policy think-tank that represents the collective interests of the big oil corporations, banks, and military contractors that fund it. Quite obviously then, policy toward Iran, or any nation for that matter, from within the halls of the Brookings Institution will revolve around expanding the global financial, social, political, and military hegemony of its corporate sponsors. America and Israel conspire to silence this troublesome voice, to quell and to put out these fires which burn and trouble the world for them. They conspire together, and so leader has risen of their own making, of their own choice, a zealot for the cause of the Jews [Netanyahu, Israeli prime minister]. The stage is set. You can be sure of a confrontation and an escalation of confrontation between these two houses that battle at war.
Ted Rudow III, MA
The stage is setby Ted Rudow III, MA ( Tedr77 [at] aol.com ) Monday Oct 17th, 2011
To understand American policy toward Iran, one must understand who the authors are of such policy and what their motivations are. The Brookings Institution itself was created by and for the corporate-financier elite.It is a policy think-tank that represents the collective interests of the big oil corporations, banks, and military contractors that fund it. Quite obviously then, policy toward Iran, or any nation for that matter, from within the halls of the Brookings Institution will revolve around expanding the global financial, social, political, and military hegemony of its corporate sponsors. America and Israel conspire to silence this troublesome voice, to quell and to put out these fires which burn and trouble the world for them. They conspire together, and so leader has risen of their own making, of their own choice, a zealot for the cause of the Jews [Netanyahu, Israeli prime minister]. The stage is set. You can be sure of a confrontation and an escalation of confrontation between these two houses that battle at war.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Indian summer
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Peninsula readers' letters: October 15
From Daily News Group readers Posted: 10/14/2011 05:50:05 PM PDTUpdated: 10/14/2011 11:43:42 PM PDT
Origin of 'Indian summer'
Dear Editor: The origins of the term Indian summer are uncertain, but several writers suggest it may have been based on the warm, hazy conditions in autumn when native American Indians chose to hunt. The earliest record of the use of the term is in America at the end of the 18th century.
William R. Deedler also references the term to a French man, John de Crevecoeur, in 1778: "Sometimes the rain is followed by an interval of calm and warmth which is called the Indian Summer; its characteristics are a tranquil atmosphere and general smokiness. Up to this epoch the approaches of winter are doubtful; it arrives about the middle of November, although snows and brief freezes often occur long before that date."
The term was first used in the British Isles at the beginning of the 19th century, but there is no statistical evidence to show that such a warm spell tends to recur each year.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto
eEdition / Subscriber ServicesMobile Mobile Alerts RSS
Home
News breaking newsobituariescrime and courtsbay area newsdata centerscienceearthquakespolitics / governmentcalifornianation / worldOpinion columnseditorialsletters Site Web Search by YAHOO! Peninsula POWERED BY
Peninsula readers' letters: October 15
From Daily News Group readers Posted: 10/14/2011 05:50:05 PM PDTUpdated: 10/14/2011 11:43:42 PM PDT
Origin of 'Indian summer'
Dear Editor: The origins of the term Indian summer are uncertain, but several writers suggest it may have been based on the warm, hazy conditions in autumn when native American Indians chose to hunt. The earliest record of the use of the term is in America at the end of the 18th century.
William R. Deedler also references the term to a French man, John de Crevecoeur, in 1778: "Sometimes the rain is followed by an interval of calm and warmth which is called the Indian Summer; its characteristics are a tranquil atmosphere and general smokiness. Up to this epoch the approaches of winter are doubtful; it arrives about the middle of November, although snows and brief freezes often occur long before that date."
The term was first used in the British Isles at the beginning of the 19th century, but there is no statistical evidence to show that such a warm spell tends to recur each year.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Palo Alto
Friday, October 14, 2011
Raisethefist.com
RTF RADIOlive 24/7 var so = new SWFObject('http://www.raisethefist.com/streamplayer/player.swf', 'streambaby', '150', '20', '9');// so.addParam('allowscriptaccess','always');so.addParam('allowfullscreen','true');so.addVariable('type', 'mp3');so.addVariable('autostart', 'true');so.addVariable('title', 'true');// so.addVariable('file', 'http://raisethefist2.dlinkddns.com:8030/listen.pls');// Icecast stream - Proton Radioso.addVariable('file', 'http://raisethefist2.dlinkddns.com:8030/;stream.nsv');so.write('player'); Populist movement : Indybaindybay.org Mon Oct 10 11:45:34 PDT 2011
Click here to watch video
The Populist movement started the end of the first Gilded Age in the 1890s. The movement developed from farmers' alliances formed in the 1880s in reaction to falling crop prices and poor credit facilities. The leaders organized the Populist, or People's, Party (1892), which advocated a variety of measures to help farmers. It form to be a mass disruptions and mass protests by unemployed workers, especially in the 1930s during the Great Depression. It took roughly four years for the organize to happen. We first started seeing the first uprisings around 1933, and continued in 1934, 35, 36. 37 is the Flint sit-down strike. Marches of unemployed, people going into the street, in some cases actually occupying factories, as we saw later on with the Flint sit-down strike. So there was massive unrest and disruption across the country, from both farmers as well as unemployed people. And what's interesting about that is it was farmers who were in debt both in the 1890s and the 1930s. Today it's students in debt, to a great extent, to large banks. That energy was channeled into what we now know as the New Deal. Since the 30s, and especially starting in the 50s, 60s and 70s, the right actually claimed the label and mantra of populism, and they have successfully changed the entire discourse and politics of this country under populist rhetoric. New research shows household income has declined more in the two years after the recession officially ended than it did during the recession itself. Money needs to flow from the top down, not from the bottom up. Ted Rudow III, MA
RTF RADIOlive 24/7 var so = new SWFObject('http://www.raisethefist.com/streamplayer/player.swf', 'streambaby', '150', '20', '9');// so.addParam('allowscriptaccess','always');so.addParam('allowfullscreen','true');so.addVariable('type', 'mp3');so.addVariable('autostart', 'true');so.addVariable('title', 'true');// so.addVariable('file', 'http://raisethefist2.dlinkddns.com:8030/listen.pls');// Icecast stream - Proton Radioso.addVariable('file', 'http://raisethefist2.dlinkddns.com:8030/;stream.nsv');so.write('player'); Populist movement : Indybaindybay.org Mon Oct 10 11:45:34 PDT 2011
Click here to watch video
The Populist movement started the end of the first Gilded Age in the 1890s. The movement developed from farmers' alliances formed in the 1880s in reaction to falling crop prices and poor credit facilities. The leaders organized the Populist, or People's, Party (1892), which advocated a variety of measures to help farmers. It form to be a mass disruptions and mass protests by unemployed workers, especially in the 1930s during the Great Depression. It took roughly four years for the organize to happen. We first started seeing the first uprisings around 1933, and continued in 1934, 35, 36. 37 is the Flint sit-down strike. Marches of unemployed, people going into the street, in some cases actually occupying factories, as we saw later on with the Flint sit-down strike. So there was massive unrest and disruption across the country, from both farmers as well as unemployed people. And what's interesting about that is it was farmers who were in debt both in the 1890s and the 1930s. Today it's students in debt, to a great extent, to large banks. That energy was channeled into what we now know as the New Deal. Since the 30s, and especially starting in the 50s, 60s and 70s, the right actually claimed the label and mantra of populism, and they have successfully changed the entire discourse and politics of this country under populist rhetoric. New research shows household income has declined more in the two years after the recession officially ended than it did during the recession itself. Money needs to flow from the top down, not from the bottom up. Ted Rudow III, MA
Thursday, October 13, 2011
The Populist Movement
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The Populist movement
Ted Rudow III, MA, Encina Ave, Palo Alto, CA
The Populist movement started at the end of the first Gilded Age in the 1890s. The movement developed from farmers' alliances, formed in the 1880s, in reaction to falling crop prices and poor credit facilities. The leaders formed the People's Party (1892), also known as the Populist Party, which advocated a variety of measures to help farmers. Mass protests were staged by the unemployed workers, especially in the 1930s during the Great Depression. It took roughly four years to organise this. The first uprising started around 1933, and continued in 1934, '35, and '36.
The marches of unemployed people went into the street, in some cases actually occupied the factories, as we saw later with the Flint sit-down strike. So, there was massive unrest and disruption across the country, from both farmers and unemployed people. And what's interesting is, it was farmers who were in debt both in the 1890s and the 1930s. Today it is the students who are in debt, to a great extent, to large banks.
That energy was channeled into what we now know as the New Deal. Since the '30s, and especially starting in the '50s, '60s and '70s, the right actually claimed the label and mantra of populism, and they have successfully changed the entire discourse and politics of this country under populist rhetoric. New research shows that household income has declined more in the two years after the recession officially ended than it did during the recession itself. Money needs to flow from the top down, not from the bottom up.
T: 29C H: 70%
The Daily Star
Your Right To Know
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Home
Business
Sports
Arts & Entertainment
National
International
Op-Ed
Letters
Friday, October 14, 2011Letters
The Populist movement
Ted Rudow III, MA, Encina Ave, Palo Alto, CA
The Populist movement started at the end of the first Gilded Age in the 1890s. The movement developed from farmers' alliances, formed in the 1880s, in reaction to falling crop prices and poor credit facilities. The leaders formed the People's Party (1892), also known as the Populist Party, which advocated a variety of measures to help farmers. Mass protests were staged by the unemployed workers, especially in the 1930s during the Great Depression. It took roughly four years to organise this. The first uprising started around 1933, and continued in 1934, '35, and '36.
The marches of unemployed people went into the street, in some cases actually occupied the factories, as we saw later with the Flint sit-down strike. So, there was massive unrest and disruption across the country, from both farmers and unemployed people. And what's interesting is, it was farmers who were in debt both in the 1890s and the 1930s. Today it is the students who are in debt, to a great extent, to large banks.
That energy was channeled into what we now know as the New Deal. Since the '30s, and especially starting in the '50s, '60s and '70s, the right actually claimed the label and mantra of populism, and they have successfully changed the entire discourse and politics of this country under populist rhetoric. New research shows that household income has declined more in the two years after the recession officially ended than it did during the recession itself. Money needs to flow from the top down, not from the bottom up.
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