Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Bank of America, Corporate Tax Dodger Flash Mob
I just keep finding videos I have to share. Time to embarrass Bank of America for making billions in profits and paying zero in taxes at a time when our nation is thinking of cutting benefits to children, the old and the sick to make ends meet.
shame shame shame
shame shame shame
Saturday, April 16, 2011
The Wonderful World of Potential GOP Candidates
Snap your fingers, tap your toes and sing along with the music. Then have a laugh as you try to imagine any of these folks acutally running for President in 2012.( especially The Donald)
Sometimes the world is so nutty that all you can do is laugh. This is definitely one of those times. And this is the perfect video for a rainy Sunday afternoon.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
April 12th Is A Date To Remember For A Lot of Reasons
Not many days have packed in so many exciting firsts over the years. April 12, 1861 was the day the first shots of the American Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. The shelling of Ft. Sumter marked the start of a bloody four year conflict which pitted brother against brother and put an end to " the south's peculiar institution" (i.e. slavery).
Record keeping during the war was not good, but between 620,000-700,000 soldiers died-- a larger number percentage-wise than in all other wars ever fought by The United States. Ken Burns estimates that 2% of the American population died in the Civil War. I have heard it said that close to a quarter of the young men of the nation died on both sides, but could not document that figure.
That Civil War, remembered by Americans and forgotten by most of the rest of the world, changed the nature and character of America in profound ways. It is a conflict whose echos can still be discerned today in the discussions in Congress about " states rights" and " government interference" where both sides argue passionately. The themes of the war replay in the rhetoric of the birthers, those benighted souls who choose to call our African American President a foreigner because these days they can't get away with calling him that word that begins with "N". It is a silent undercurrent, spoken in code that Americans recognize but foreigners just do not get. A century and a half after the war began, it still casts a long shadow-- one that continues to hurt us as a people and may yet destroy us as a nation..
April 12th 1945, Death of President Roosevelt
On April 12th, 1945, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States, suffered a cerebral hemorage and died. He had led America for more than a decade, through economic hard times and a World War. Roosevelt was a towering figure on the world stage who left an impressive legacy which included regulations for banks and Wall Street designed to prevent another depression and a social safety net for working men and women. His banking regulations were largely dismantled starting in the Reagan years and his "New Deal" is in shreds, but working people then and now adored him. By the time of his death he was beloved by the world and may arguably have been the greatest American President of the 20th century
April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin Becomes the First Man in Space
And to end on a happy note we have April 12, 1961, when Russian Cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. Today, 50 years later the whole world is joining in the celebrations to honor him and his space flight that changed everything.
I remember Yuri Gagarin's space flight ( though I hasten to add I was very young at the time) In America, 1961 was the height of the Cold War and the government was not happy at the prospect of " losing the space race" to the Russians.
We kids were told to put our noses to the grindstone and learn science and math and become engineers and put an American in space ASAP. Oops make that, boys were encouraged to become engineers. Girls were encouraged to marry engineers.
We were all very busy " ducking and covering" under our school desks because our teachers said the Russians might drop an Atomic bomb on us any minute. I'm told that half a world away, in Russia, children were cowering under their desks in fear of American Atomic bombs.
I think it is wonderful that all around the world on this April 12th, we can all rejoice at Yuri Gagarin's achievement. On the International Space Station at this very moment, Russians and Americans are celebrating together. Maybe that means that there is hope for the future after all.
Record keeping during the war was not good, but between 620,000-700,000 soldiers died-- a larger number percentage-wise than in all other wars ever fought by The United States. Ken Burns estimates that 2% of the American population died in the Civil War. I have heard it said that close to a quarter of the young men of the nation died on both sides, but could not document that figure.
That Civil War, remembered by Americans and forgotten by most of the rest of the world, changed the nature and character of America in profound ways. It is a conflict whose echos can still be discerned today in the discussions in Congress about " states rights" and " government interference" where both sides argue passionately. The themes of the war replay in the rhetoric of the birthers, those benighted souls who choose to call our African American President a foreigner because these days they can't get away with calling him that word that begins with "N". It is a silent undercurrent, spoken in code that Americans recognize but foreigners just do not get. A century and a half after the war began, it still casts a long shadow-- one that continues to hurt us as a people and may yet destroy us as a nation..
April 12th 1945, Death of President Roosevelt
On April 12th, 1945, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States, suffered a cerebral hemorage and died. He had led America for more than a decade, through economic hard times and a World War. Roosevelt was a towering figure on the world stage who left an impressive legacy which included regulations for banks and Wall Street designed to prevent another depression and a social safety net for working men and women. His banking regulations were largely dismantled starting in the Reagan years and his "New Deal" is in shreds, but working people then and now adored him. By the time of his death he was beloved by the world and may arguably have been the greatest American President of the 20th century
April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin Becomes the First Man in Space
And to end on a happy note we have April 12, 1961, when Russian Cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. Today, 50 years later the whole world is joining in the celebrations to honor him and his space flight that changed everything.
I remember Yuri Gagarin's space flight ( though I hasten to add I was very young at the time) In America, 1961 was the height of the Cold War and the government was not happy at the prospect of " losing the space race" to the Russians.
We kids were told to put our noses to the grindstone and learn science and math and become engineers and put an American in space ASAP. Oops make that, boys were encouraged to become engineers. Girls were encouraged to marry engineers.
We were all very busy " ducking and covering" under our school desks because our teachers said the Russians might drop an Atomic bomb on us any minute. I'm told that half a world away, in Russia, children were cowering under their desks in fear of American Atomic bombs.
I think it is wonderful that all around the world on this April 12th, we can all rejoice at Yuri Gagarin's achievement. On the International Space Station at this very moment, Russians and Americans are celebrating together. Maybe that means that there is hope for the future after all.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Sumday Funnies or Romancing the Plastic Bag
Up to a trillion ( with a T) plastic bags are used around the world every year. Less than one percent of these are recycled. The rest live in our landfills, oceans and litter thousands of eco systems. They will continue to do that for thousands of years.
Think about that the next time they ask you " paper or plastic" at the supermarket. Time to BYOB ( bring your own bag)
Think about that the next time they ask you " paper or plastic" at the supermarket. Time to BYOB ( bring your own bag)
Friday, April 8, 2011
Donald Trump is A Space Alien
Donald Trump isn't the only one who can make crazy statements assertively. If he can spout all his birther crap based on nothing at all, then I can certainly start an internet rumor about him. Here we go.
Donald Trump is a space alien. Yes he is. Think about how he appeared out of nowhere on the NYC power real estate scene 30 years ago. Does anybody remember his childhood-- NO. He wasn't born, he was hatched and was brought from another galaxy and deposited on earth to be reared as an earthling in Queens-- the most suburban of New York City's outer boroughs.. You can't get more alien than that, can you? Obviously, he's not a REAL American. His birth certificate is a flawless forgery I bet.
That somebody this crazy could be seriously running for President scares the hell out of me. That he could be number two in the polls, right behind Mitt Romney as a potential Republican candidate is scarier still. On top of that, the right wing nut jobs in Washington, fresh from lowering taxes for the very rich are slashing education and benefits for the old, sick and poor and if they don't get what they want, they are going to shut down the government in just a few hours. This is totally crazy.
Yup, Donald Trump is a space alien who will fit right in there in Washington . The inmates are totally running the asylum. Now, where did I put my tin foil hat? I'll need it on Alpha Centauri.
Yup, Donald Trump is a space alien who will fit right in there in Washington . The inmates are totally running the asylum. Now, where did I put my tin foil hat? I'll need it on Alpha Centauri.
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