looks like the republicans just handed over the presidency

Sarah Palin as McCain’s VP? Could they find anyone less qualified to be the 2nd in line for leader of the free world? This is no small matter, because let’s be honest, if McCain is elected, his VP will need to take the reigns at some point, whether it be for a weekend while he’s undergoing surgery for skin cancer, kidney failure, heart bypass, etc. or for extended periods of time as McCain’s mental faculties continue to deteriorate.

So let’s take a look at Sarah Palin’s credentials to see why she’s not qualified to be Vice President of the United States:
1. Governor of Alaska for 18 months. Running a state is impressive, but said state only has 683,000 people and is frozen 9 months out of the year. Plus, she’s only been in office for 18 months.

2. Mayor of Wasilla, AK. Again, running a city is no small matter, unless the city is a small matter. Wasilla has a population of 6,715 people. Much worse, the mayor of Wasilla is primarily a ceremonial head and can only vote on Council matters in the case of a tie. — Correction: The mayor of Wasilla is not primarily a ceremonial head. Wasilla has a strong mayor form of government in which the mayor serves as the chief executive. —

3. Bachelor’s of Communication/Journalism from the University of Idaho. Great, she has a college degree, but how is a communication and journalism degree relevant to running one of the world’s superpowers? I would give her a pass on this if she had years (at least 10) of experience in Congress or governing a real city, but come on. Would Microsoft consider a recent university graduate with a degree in history for a software engineer position because he or she ran a blog?

4. Youth hockey coach. Coaching children vs. negotiating with foreign leaders and politicking with members of Congress. Not seeing the connection.

Does this sound like VP material to you?
 
The Worst Vice-Presidential Nominee in U.S. History
Robert J. Elisberg
August 29, 2008

There was a TV ad for deodorant that said, “Never let them see you sweat.” The John McCain campaign has just showed the world that it is drenched.

Selecting Sarah Palin as its choice for a vice presidential candidate is perhaps the worst such choice in American History. To be fair, maybe there are worse choices, but I don’t know how bad William O. Butler was when he ran with Lewis Cass against Zachary Taylor.

But it’s far worse than Dan Quayle, who was a sitting senator. Worse even than Geraldine Ferraro, who at least served in Congress for three-terms. And far worse than William Miller, a choice so obscure when selected by Barry Goldwater that he (honestly) later did an American Express commercial asking, “Do you know me?” And that ad was after the election. But even Miller had been a Congressman for 12 years. And been a prosecutor during the Nuremberg War trials against Nazis. Sarah Palin lists her credits as a hockey mom.

There was a point during the Republican primaries when I was trying to figure out who I hoped got the presidential nomination. Someone so weak he’d be easy for the Democrats to beat, or someone more challenging who at least wouldn’t be a disaster for America. I decided on the latter because America has to resolve its serious problems and can’t afford risking some glitch where another George Bush got elected. And so I felt that John McCain, for all his weaknesses, was the lesser of all evils and was glad he got the nomination. Throw that out the window. McCain-Palin is an unthinkable disaster.

I completely understand the reasoning behind the decision for John McCain to select Sarah Palin. Absolutely. It’s the thinking that settled on Sarah Palin that’s missing.

No doubt John McCain will get some women to vote for him who wouldn’t have otherwise, and even some independents. But he will also probably lose as many Republicans uncomfortable with a woman on the ticket – let alone a woman with so little experience as Sarah Palin. Not to mention that the choice will cause many undecided Democratic women to be aghast and push them back to following their Democratic beliefs. And further, it will lose all the independents who look at the GOP ticket and say “This is who I’m supposed to give my vote for the next four years to lead and protect America??” It may even appeal to right-wing evangelicals for her strong pro-life stance and get some to vote – but that position and others related to it are specifically what loses even more women voters. And men. Ultimately, the nomination will lose far, far more votes than it gains.

But this is not the reason the decision is so terrible.

It’s always said that the most important decision a presidential candidate makes is their pick for vice president. It shows their thinking and judgment. John McCain, in his first decision, has just told the world that he believes Sarah Palin is the most qualified person to be a heartbeat from the presidency. Forgetting all the available men for a moment, if John McCain felt it critical to select a woman in an effort to somehow grab the Hillary Clinton supporters, look at his choice of women he had available: Christine Todd Whitman, Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Elizabeth Dole, Susan Collins, even – for goodness sake – Condoleezza Rice. Or Carly Fiorina. Each of these have marks against them, and perhaps some might not have wanted to run, but it’s near-impossible to look at the list and suggest to the American public that Sarah Palin is the best choice of Republican women to be vice president. And again, this is ignoring the men he who could have been chosen.

It’s not that Sarah Palin is inexperienced. It’s that this is gross political misconduct.

Sarah Palin has been governor of Alaska for just a bit over 18 months. Alaska has a population of 683,000. (Though that doesn’t include moose.) This would only make it the 17th most populous city in the United States. Just ahead of Fort Worth.

Before that, she was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska. Population 9,000. I know Republicans like to promote “small town values,” but this is taking things to ridiculous extremes, don’t you think? I’m from Glencoe, Illinois, population 8,762. It’s so small it doesn’t even have a mayor, it has an appointed village manager. I’m sure that Paul Harlow is doing wonderfully at his job in the village – but I don’t expect that he sees himself as even wanting to be a heartbeat from the U.S. President in 18 months. You know what the top news story is on the Glencoe website? “Fire Hydrant Painting Underway.” (To be fair, it’s the #2 story. The top news is a clarification about displaying political signage.)

Do you know what the first two “powers and duties” are for the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska? Check their municipal code:

1. Preside at council meetings. The mayor may take part in the discussion of matters before the council, but may not vote, except that the mayor may vote in the case of a tie;

2. Act as ceremonial head of the city;

Swell.

If you live in small town America (and I mean really, really small), look around you and be honest – do you see your mayor (or village manager) as a heartbeat from the presidency in 18 months?

But that’s not the reason either that the decision to make Sarah Palin the VP nominee is so terrible.

It’s one thing to discuss how unqualified Sarah Palin is. That’s a national matter and huge. But on a grassroots political level, her nomination takes away the Republicans’ ONLY weapon in the campaign – calling Barack Obama inexperienced. They haven’t even been trying to run on the issues, or on the eight-year record of George Bush, which John McCain has supported almost 95% of the time. They’ve only been running on the faux-issue of Barack Obama’s experience of 14 years in federal and state government. Yes, Sarah Palin is merely running for VP, not president, but with a 72 year-old candidate with a history of serious medical issues, this is who they’re saying is able to step in as president in a heart-beat. She has so little experience that she makes Sen. Obama look like FDR, Winston Churchill and Julius Caesar combined. So, the Republicans pulled the rug out from under themselves. They have no issues. The economy? Housing? The national debt? Education? The Environment? Iraq? Afghanistan? Nothing. All they have is “Dear Democratic women: please pretend our VP candidate is Hillary Clinton. Just forget that she’s pro-life. And against most things Democrats stand for.”

But that’s not the reason the decision is so terrible.

Because if the hope for John McCain is to get women to vote for him who otherwise supported Hillary Clinton – if anything could get Hillary Clinton campaigning in full force and fury…this is it. She likely would have campaigned hard, but it’s in Hillary Clinton’s best interest to be the leading voice for women, and the leading woman candidate for president in the future, so having another woman as the potential Vice President (and potential President) is a significant challenge to that. The Republicans just opened Pandora’s Box and brought Hillary Clinton roaring to Barack Obama’s side on the Democratic train. And Bill Clinton, too.

Yet even that’s not the reason the decision is so terrible.

What this does in the most profound and grandiose way possible is give lie to John McCain’s pompous posturing that he Always Puts America First. And that undercuts the most prominent campaign issue of his entire career, that everything he does is for reasons of honor. There is nothing honorable about making Sarah Palin your vice presidential nominee. Nothing. Unless you define honor as “blatantly pandering.”

But that’s not the reason either that this decision is so terrible.

But before we get to that, let’s look at the actual announcement to make Gov. Sarah Palin (AK – pop. 683,000) the Republican nominee for president, and put the horrible decision in perspective.

First, John McCain stood at the podium, looking up-and-down reading his speech. It’s impossible not to compare that to Barack Obama giving his majestic speech the night before that even conservative analysts were admiring in awe.

Second, the cameras were polite enough to avoid it, but there were empty seats in the gym. It’s impossible not to compare that to a stadium of 75,000 people that Barack Obama spoke to the night before.

Third, when people around the nation were waiting to hear about Sarah Palin’s qualifications and gravitas to be Vice President of the United States, the first five minutes of her speech were spent talking about her husband being a champion snowmobiler.

Fourth, when she finally got around to her qualifications, pretty much all we discovered was that she fought to cut property taxes. And then, she basically stopped there.

She did, however, mention becoming energy self-sufficient – by talking about how she supported drilling in Alaska!!! Perhaps to Republicans this is being an environmentalist, but to most of America, not so much. Then again, she’s also against putting polar bears on the endangered species list (which the government did), so maybe her environmental qualifications are more lax than she thinks.

And then, finally, she spent the rest of her time praising John McCain. Fine, that’s very supportive of her…except that the one question on everyone’s mind was not — “can you say John McCain is a swell guy and tell us that he was a POW”, the question on everyone’s mind was – “Who in God’s name are you, and please tell us why you should be a heart-beat from the presidency?”

In the end, the only case she herself made for being on the ticket was praising Hillary Clinton! That’s it, period. Now, it might be enough to attract some women — but it doesn’t make a case for the ticket. Why? Hint: some women did vote for Hillary Clinton solely because she was a woman. But most women voted for Hillary Clinton because she was a Democrat, as well as a woman, who stood for important Democratic values they seriously believed in. If Sarah Palin wants to praise Hillary Clinton, go for it. But at least understand what you’re praising. Because it will likely come back and bite you.

It was a thin, nothing, empty speech. It was a speech to be head of the Chamber of Commerce. Compare that to the speech by Joe Biden when Barack Obama introduced him. Eloquent, soaring and explaining in blunt detail why John McCain should not be president. Joe Biden must have been watching Sarah Palin’s speech, in order to take notes in preparation for his debate with her and thought, “This isn’t fair.”

And all that’s not even the reason the decision is so terrible.

The reason is because the election is not about Sarah Palin. Or about Joe Biden. As much as TV analysts want to be excited by the balloons and hoopla, tomorrow the air will be let out, and there are still over two months to go for the campaign.

The campaign is about Barack Obama and John McCain.

Sarah Palin’s nomination doesn’t change that. In fact, it reinforces it. Nothing about putting Sarah Palin on the GOP ticket changes a word that Barack Obama said in his vibrant acceptance speech – about himself, about his issues, and about John McCain’s repeatedly faulty judgment on the critical issues facing America.

What Sarah Palin’s nomination does do is focus attention on John McCain’s age. Indeed, the nomination was made on his birthday, when he turned 72, the oldest man ever to run for president. As the crowd sang “Happy Birthday to You,” you almost sensed that through John McCain’s clenched smile, saying, “Thanks for reminding me,” that what he was thinking underneath was “Please, oh, please, don’t sing the ‘How old are you now?’ part.” And how good a message was it that he’s saying he supposedly forgot it was his birthday?

Vice presidents are usually selected as people who are adept at blasting the other side’s presidential candidate, because it’s only the presidential candidate that matters. Joe Biden has already done that – twice – at length, spoken as someone who knows John McCain well and likes him. Sarah Palin had her first chance…and whiffed. Didn’t even try. And it’s hard to imagine what she has in her arsenal that will remotely allow her to do so in the future.

The election is about the presidential candidates. And the selection of Sarah Palin now allows Barack Obama to campaign untouched by the Republican ticket. John McCain’s only other option is for himself to personally become negative for two months – which is disaster in presidential politics.

Now add on all the problems expressed above. Sarah Palin’s inexplicably laughable lack of substance, most-especially on the foreign policy stage. Her taking away the one issue, experience, Republicans were even attempting. Her pushing away voters who might otherwise be willing to vote for a senator with 26 years in the Senate. Her bringing Hillary Clinton aggressively back into the campaign. Her inability to offer anything to off-set Joe Biden. Her standing as supposedly the most-qualified Republican woman as John McCain’s first decision.

And, in the end, it all focuses back on Barack Obama, with his indictment of eight years of the Bush Administration and of John McCain’s flawed judgment – and John McCain’s defense of all that.

Republicans might be dancing earlier today, because there was a lot of fun music playing. But the music has stopped. The actual campaign has now started. For Republicans, it might have ended.

Link.

rip: stephanie tubbs jones

Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones passed away today. A huge loss not only for her friends and family but for the country as well. Congresswoman Tubbs Jones was an outspoken critic of the Iraq War and the Bush administration and strong supporter of universal healthcare and tax reform (not the Norquist version). She will be missed.
 
US Rep. Tubbs Jones of Ohio dies after hemorrhage
By M.R. KROPKO, Associated Press Writer
08/20/08

Democratic U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the first black woman to represent Ohio in Congress and a strong critic of the Iraq war, died Wednesday after a brain hemorrhage, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Tubbs Jones, 58, died Wednesday evening of a brain hemorrhage caused by an aneurysm that burst and left her with limited brain function, said Eileen Sheil, a spokeswoman for the Cleveland Clinic, which owns the Huron Hospital in East Cleveland where Tubbs Jones died.

“Throughout the course of the day and into this evening, Congresswoman Tubbs Jones’ medical condition declined,” Sheil said in a statement from the clinic and Tubbs Jones’ family.

The liberal Democrat, first elected in 1998, suffered the hemorrhage while driving her car in Cleveland Heights Tuesday night, said Dr. Gus Kious, president of Huron Hospital. The car went out of control and crossed lanes of traffic before coming to a stop, police said. An officer found the ailing lawmaker.

A brain aneurysm is a bulge in an artery in the brain. It can leak or rupture, causing bleeding in the brain.

Several news organizations, including The Associated Press, had reported earlier in the day that Tubbs Jones had died. That report, citing a Democratic official, was corrected a few minutes later when a hospital official held a news conference to say she was in critical condition.

Tubbs Jones represented the heavily Democratic 11th District and chaired the ethics committee in the House. She was the first black woman to serve on the powerful Ways and Means Committee, where she opposed President Bush’s tax cuts and his efforts to create personal accounts within Social Security.

Tubbs Jones was a firm supporter of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton during the primaries until throwing her support behind Sen. Barack Obama in June. She was to have been a superdelegate at next week’s Democratic National Convention in Denver.

The Clinton family released a statement saying they shared a friendship with Tubbs Jones that “deepened through every trial and challenge.”

“Over the course of many years, with many ups and many downs, Stephanie was right by our side — unwavering, indefatigable,” the statement said. “It was that fighting spirit … that allowed Stephanie to rise from modest beginnings, to succeed in public service, to become a one-woman force for progress in our country.”

Obama called Tubbs Jones “an extraordinary American and an outstanding public servant.”

“It wasn’t enough for her just to break barriers in her own life. She was also determined to bring opportunity to all those who had been overlooked and left behind — and in Stephanie, they had a fearless friend and unyielding advocate,” Obama said in a statement.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who also represents Cleveland, was visibly upset Wednesday night when he left Huron Hospital. He held the hand of his wife, Elizabeth, as he recalled Tubbs Jones’ energy and spirit.

“She poured her heart and soul into her job,” Kucinich said. “She worked so hard and gave everything she could. I’m devastated. Wherever we’d go, we’d speak of each other as brother and sister. It’s an incalculable loss.”

Tubbs Jones was a passionate opponent of the Iraq war, voting in 2002 against authorizing the use of military force.

Just as the war was starting in March 2003, she was one of only 11 House members to oppose a resolution supporting U.S. troops in Iraq. She said she did so because the resolution connected Iraq to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and said Iraq poses a continued threat to the United States.

Neither of those claims had been proved, she said, adding that was why the United States couldn’t persuade the United Nations to support an attack.

In 2005, Tubbs Jones opposed certifying President Bush’s re-election because of questionable electoral results in her home state.

Tubbs Jones was known as an outspoken, gregarious lawmaker who wore bright colors and displayed her congressional pin on a gold necklace.

She was a fiery speaker who could inspire crowds at political rallies, as she did while introducing former President Clinton when he campaigned for his wife in January in suburban Cleveland.

Tubbs Jones had served as a Cuyahoga County Common Pleas judge and prosecutor before running for political office.

Addressing the Democratic National Convention in 2004, Tubbs Jones recalled her parents, who “punched a clock day in and day out — one as a skycap, the other as a factory worker,” until the day they saw their daughter representing their hometown as a congresswoman.

___

Associated Press writer Andrew Taylor in Washington contributed to this report.

Link.

let’s impeach pelosi

With her steadfast reluctance to hold impeachment hearings, Congresswoman Pelosi continues to run into frustrated citizens. The latest was at her book discussion/signing in West Los Angeles. Pelosi became infuriated when a protester called on her to read up on Bush’s constitutional violations (see pelosi hasn’t read articles of impeachment where Pelosi admits she hasn’t read Kucinich’s Articles of Impeachment):

“I take an oath of office to uphold the constitution of the United States and don’t tell me that I don’t do that,” Pelosi said, using hand gestures to emphasize her disdain over the impeachment demands. “Why don’t you go picket the Republicans in Congress that will not allow us to have a vote on the war. This is not very effective. Not very effective.”

Pelosi Clashes With Protesters Over Impeachment
by Alan Breslauer of HotPotatoMash and Jason Leopold of The Public Record…
8/12/2008

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s appearance Monday at a West Los Angeles college to discuss her recently published book was marred by dozens of protesters and several angry outbursts by audience members who demanded Pelosi immediately authorize a House committee to hold impeachment hearings against George W. Bush.

The Speaker made it clear she would not support any effort to hold impeachment hearings against George W. Bush Bush saying that he “will be gone in a hundred days.”

Halfway through her discussion at The American University of Judaism, where more than 300 people paid $30 each to hear Pelosi speak about her upbringing and her family’s impact on her political career as detailed in her book Know Your Power: A Message to America’s Daughters, the topic shifted to Congress’s historically low approval rating and how it reflected on Pelosi’s tenure as Speaker.

An outbreak of protest ensued leading to one protester being escorted out of the event by the Secret Service. Later, blogger Alan Breslauer was also yanked away from the Speaker by Secret Service agents, after attempting to ask a question of her during her book signing session. Some of those protests can be seen in the video at right.

American University of Judaism’s Rabbi Robert Wexler, who led the 75-minute interview, asked Pelosi to analyze a recent Rasmussen poll that found nine percent of individuals polled believed Congress was doing a good job, far lower than Bush’s overall approval rating.

Pelosi responded by defending her performance and the performance of her Democratic colleagues in Congress.

“I preside over the greatest collection of integrity and idealism,” Pelosi said. Prior to her appearance in West Los Angeles Monday evening, CNN’s Larry King interviewed Pelosi. She told King she was willing to drop her staunch opposition to offshore drilling and would likely allow the House to vote on the issue.

She said, in her opinion, the reason behind Congress’s low approval rating was largely due to the fact that Democrats could not muster up the votes to end the Iraq war, which the Democratic Speaker from San Francisco said she could not do much about because of the Democrats’ razor-thin majority in both Houses.

Wexler, however, continued to press Pelosi to elaborate on her response given that the Rasmussen poll suggested that a wide-range of issues beyond the Iraq war was responsible for Congress’s single-digit approval. Pelosi, visibly flustered, said she was well aware that “much more work needs to be done.”…

In November 2006, Pelosi explained the significance behind the record voter turnout that helped shift the balance of power in Washington for the first time in 12 years.

“People voted for change and they voted for Democrats who will take our country in a new direction,” Pelosi said during a victory speech in San Francisco on Nov. 8, 2006.

But Pelosi, who became House Speaker, never managed to exact the change she promised. She explained that she and her colleagues tried vigorously to pass legislation to end the war in Iraq.

“The public doesn’t want to know about process and 60 votes, they want outcomes, they want results,” Pelosi said, explaining why Democrats could not end the war as promised prior to the midterm 2006 elections.

But Pelosi’s comments appeared disingenuous to many, since she was largely responsible for crafting an appropriations bill in backroom discussions with House Democratic leaders, passed in June, and then worked secretly with the White House budget director offering up concessions on Iraq war benchmarks if Bush would agree to the domestic spending attached to the final bill with little debate preceding a vote on the measure.

In fact, since the electoral victories in November 2006, the Democratic-controlled Congress has approved more than $300 billion in emergency spending bills for Iraq and Afghanistan without the benchmarks or withdrawal timetables that Pelosi and other leaders said they would demand.

When Pelosi launched into the reasons an administration led by presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain would be dangerous for the country, identifying the candidate’s support for an endless war in Iraq and his intention to uphold many of the questionable constitutional interpretations relating to torture and civil liberties during the Bush administration, Pelosi said the only way to “dig our way out” is by electing Sen. Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee.

“Whether it’s the deficit or the challenges to the constitution we have to dig our way out,” Pelosi said, adding “this election is like death for life on this planet as we know it today.”

Her response led Peter Thottam, founder of the LA Impeachment Center, to demand Pelosi do her job and pursue impeachment hearings against Bush for launching a war on false pretenses.

“Who gave you the right to take the constitution and shove it down the toilet? Who gave you the right to take impeachment off the table? Nobody told them to do this,” Thottam shouted at Pelosi moments before Secret Service agents removed him from the packed auditorium and turned him over to officers with the Los Angeles Police Department. “One million Iraqis are dead. Five thousand Americans are dead. You have destroyed the First, Second, Fourth, Fifth and Eighth Amendments.”

Pelosi seemed stunned by the outburst, but the way she addressed Thottam’s charges further fanned the flames and led to additional verbal protests over her decision not to hold the administration accountable for what many individuals in the audience believe are High Crimes and Misdemeanors by Bush.

When a member of the activist group Code Pink stood up and insisted Pelosi brush up on her reading regarding evidence of the Bush administration’s long list of alleged constitutional violations, Pelosi reacted angrily.

“I take an oath of office to uphold the constitution of the United States and don’t tell me that I don’t do that,” Pelosi said, using hand gestures to emphasize her disdain over the impeachment demands. “Why don’t you go picket the Republicans in Congress that will not allow us to have a vote on the war. This is not very effective. Not very effective.”

“As Speaker of the house, the third highest office, first is the president, then vice president, and then Speaker, I take my responsibilities deadly seriously,” Pelosi said. “I try to promote bipartisanship but that’s not what the other side wants.”

Before Election 2006, Pelosi declared impeachment “off the table,” in part, to avoid alarming centrist voters. Now, with Democrats hoping to gain additional seats in Election 2008, a similar political calculation applies, fearing a backlash against a last-minute drive to impeach Bush and Cheney. Bush knows that Pelosi long ago rejected impeachment proceedings, the one instrument included in the Constitution for Congress to wield against a President who has abused his powers.

At the conclusion of Monday evening’s presentation, Pelosi signed books but refused to answer questions about her policy decisions. The Public Record asked Pelosi whether she would authorize the full House to vote on contempt charges against former White House political adviser Karl Rove, who has refused to comply with a congressional subpoena to testify about his role in the alleged political prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, a Democrat.

Immediately following his query to Pelosi, The Public Record’s Alan Breslauer was grabbed by Secret Service and dragged away from the table where Pelosi was signing copies of her book. The Speaker did respond to Breslauer’s question, however, saying a vote on contempt charges against Rove is “up to [House Judiciary Committee Chairman] Conyers.”

Link.

harsh critics of vegetarianism in russia

Some wild claims about vegetarianism from these Pravda articles. The first article makes it sound like vegetarianism is a cult, brainwashing people about the “supposed” benefits of a vegetarian diet. The most laughable statement from this bunk article has to be:

After two months of no-meat diet, the quantity of protein in the cardiac muscle decreases four times, which triggers the development of heart failure. The work of all other organs worsens soon after. A vegetarian man or woman may find themselves on the brink of dystrophy.

The second article is a little more balanced but ends with an odd warning from vegetarians to others not to pursue veganism because it is harmful.
 
 
Vegetarianism proves to be perversion of nature
30.01.2008 Source: Pravda.Ru

Vegetarians can be referred to as true fanatics. On the other hand, they are seriously misled in their beliefs. Practically nobody argues with them, since it is really difficult to convince a vegetarian of his or her self-deception. May be that is the reason why the vegetarian movement develops so actively around the globe and continues to recruit many new members.

To produce a cell is not an easy process for the human body. Being a parent to all cells, a human being is supposed to be responsible for all of them. The human body is unable to generate all substances necessary for the production of cells. It has only 12 or 20 protein amino acids required for the process. The remaining chemicals are supposed to be delivered with food. Each and every human cell is supposed to be supplied with first class animal protein.

Some may say that there is enough protein in vegetables (beans, for example) True, but recent studies show that vegetable protein can be digested only with the help of its animal analogue.

The human body has its own preferences, by the way. Experts proved that our body requires and assimilates the following substances as construction materials:

Egg white – 100%
Soured milk – 90%
Fresh milk – 83%
Beef – 76%
Cottage cheese – 75%

Compare this data with that concerning vegetable protein:

Wheat bread – 52%

This is the main reason why dietitians recommend to consume 60 percent of animal protein and 40 percent of vegetable analogue from the daily ration.

No vitamins and mineral substances are of any use if our organism does not receive animal protein. Like vegetable protein, they can not be digested without animal protein.

Vegetarians, especially those of advanced age, usually face numerous health problems that are mainly caused with the shortage of animal protein. After two months of no-meat diet, the quantity of protein in the cardiac muscle decreases four times, which triggers the development of heart failure. The work of all other organs worsens soon after. A vegetarian man or woman may find themselves on the brink of dystrophy.

First signs of dystrophy are not that evident and burdensome, but the resulting effect may lead to lamentable consequences. Have you ever seen starving African children on TV? Then you must remember those thin legs and swelled bellies, which dystrophy causes.

If you are going to have children, do not be in a hurry to join vegetarians. Many people think that such lifestyle produces rejuvenating effect which showing a positive effect on the reproduction function. However, reproduction depends on animal protein to a large extend. If a man does not receive irreplaceable amino acids with food, he can become infertile in perspective.

Furthermore, cosmetologists say that a typical vegetarian has dry and fragile hair, dull eyes and unhealthy complexion. They can hardly stand criticism and have a low boiling point. They raise their voice, swing their arms and splutter when arguing. They are weak even in their logic. They exemplify their righteousness with the cow, a herbivorous animal, and say that nature originally made a human being as a vegetarian creature.

Experts have recently put forward a hypothesis that can justify vegetarians. Scientists assert that there are people with irregular metabolism. They do not need animal protein at all. However, such people can be described as a mistake of nature. There are many of them, but most vegetarians are mistaken in their devotion according to this theory.

Of course, meat is heavy food, but nobody says that you should eat plenty of it. A person can eat at least 100g of meat (which is the size of a matchbox) a day to feel healthy.

Link.
 
 
Herbivorous and carnivorous humans will never understand each other’s eating habits
31.07.2008 Source: Pravda.Ru

Vegetarianism has become extremely popular nowadays. This diet obviously has its advantages, although disadvantages are quite numerous too.

Scientists proved that vegetarians hardly ever suffer from obesity and increased cholesterol. In addition to that, vegans can boast of better state of health and longer lifespan.

However, it still unknown whether vegetarians live longer strictly because of their dietary regime. It is not ruled out that the number of smokers is smaller among those who prefer to stay away from meat dishes, which may explain a longer lifespan.

Adversaries of vegetarianism say that those, who do not eat meat, suffer from the shortage of zinc, iron, B12 vitamin, protein, iodine and calcium. The Food Research Institute of Slovakia found out that the children of vegan parents do experience a shortage of protein. Such children also have a lower level of iron in their blood.

Some believe that the human digestive system is not adjusted to the digestion of meat. Allen Carr, who is known for his Easyway To Stop Smoking Method, says that meat is a surrogate which does not have the required nutritive value. The human intestines are too long, whereas meat decomposes rather quickly. That is why, the specialist believes, meat becomes poison for a human body.

Adversaries of vegetarianism assert that human beings have been predatory for thousands of years. Scientists of the Catalonian Rovira i Virgili University discovered remnants of an ancient European male. The find was over one million years old. Primitive weapons and animal bones found near the body of the ancient human-like creature testified to the fact that our ancestors ate animal meat.

It is generally believed that only educated and socially responsible individuals can become vegetarians. Specialists of Britain’s University of Southampton concluded as a result of many years of research that children with higher IQ may become vegetarians more often as they grow than children with lower IQ.

It is an open secret that vegetarians replace meat with soy products. Specialists of the University of Oxford determined that this product, which serves as the source of amino acids for vegetarians, may produce a negative effect on memory. The specialists concluded that those eating a lot of pickled tofu have a lower brain activity.

Vegans believe that it is immoral and cruel to eat other creatures’ meat, especially when there is no vital necessity in it. Indeed, some people become herbivorous just because of this very assumption. Many say no to animal meat after they see what happens in slaughter houses.

Some believe that vegetarianism is a luxury lifestyle that can be affordable only in warmer countries. Needless to say that northern countries do not have the sufficient variety of fruit and vegetables for food, that is why it is merely impossible for people living in northern countries to become vegetarians.

Vegetarians say that one should not simply strike meat out of daily rations to become a vegan. The veggie diet can be only harmful in this case. A healthy and reasonable approach to one’s state of health and financial possibilities is extremely important for the right kind of diet. First and foremost, it is rather expensive to be a vegetarian in a country where winter is three times longer than summer. Secondly, a sudden and significant change in the diet can be very harmful healthwise.

Link.

environmentalists wasting their time

Congresswoman Bachmann graces oy vey with more words of wisdom (see previous post, the american dream-working two jobs?). She thinks environmentalists are wasting their time and energy trying to save the planet from environmental disaster because JC already did that 2,000 years ago. Huh?
 
 
GOP Rep. To Environmentalists: Jesus Already Saved The Planet
By Eric Kleefeld – August 12, 2008, 2:00PM
 

 
We like to keep track of the, er, intriguing sayings of Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, the Christian Right champion from Minnesota. But this latest is really out there — Bachmann says we don’t need pesky environmentalists like Nancy Pelosi around, because Jesus already saved the planet!

“[Pelosi] is committed to her global warming fanaticism to the point where she has said that she’s just trying to save the planet,” Bachmann told the right-wing news site OneNewsNow. “We all know that someone did that over 2,000 years ago, they saved the planet — we didn’t need Nancy Pelosi to do that.”

Wow.

Other recent Bachmannisms include the claim that there isn’t actually any wildlife in the areas of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge where she wants more drilling, and the allegation that Democrats want high gas prices so as to force people to move into “inner cities” and “the urban core.”

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world war 3?

I would appreciate feedback on the legitimacy of this story. As one person commented, “I’m an American and we haven’t heard a SINGLE bit of this on U.S. news, or even British news. What’s going on?” One would think that the United States is already overextended and wouldn’t dare take on another front, but this administration has done the unthinkable before.
 
 
SPECIAL REPORT: Kuwait Readying for War in Gulf?
CLAUDE SALHANI
Published: August 11, 2008

Leading the U.S. and British naval battle groups, and a French hunter-killer submarine, headed for the Gulf is the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (shown here) with its 80-plus combat planes.
The small oil-rich emirate of Kuwait – situated between Iraq, Iran and an un-enviable geographic hard place on the northern end of the Persian Gulf – has reportedly activated its “Emergency War Plan” as a massive U.S. and European armada is reported heading for the region.

Coming on the heels of Operation Brimstone just a week ago that saw U.S., British and French naval forces participate in war games in the Atlantic Ocean, the object of which was to practice enforcing an eventual blockade on Iran, the joint task force is now headed for the Gulf and what could easily turn into a major confrontation with Iran.

The naval force comprises a U.S. Navy super carrier battle group and is accompanied by an expeditionary carrier battle group, a British Royal Navy carrier battle group and a French nuclear hunter-killer submarine.

Leading the pack is the nuclear-powered carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt and its Carrier Strike Group Two; besides its 80-plus combat planes the Roosevelt normally transports, it is carrying an additional load of French Naval Rafale fighter jets from the French carrier Charles de Gaulle, currently in dry dock.

Also reported heading toward Iran is another nuclear-powered carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan and its Carrier Strike Group Seven; the USS Iwo Jima, the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal and a number of French warships, including the nuclear hunter-killer submarine Amethyste.

Once the naval force arrives in the Gulf region it will be joining two other U.S. naval battle groups already on site: the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Peleliu; the Lincoln with its carrier strike group and the latter with an expeditionary strike group.

Telephone calls to the Pentagon were not returned by publication time.

This deployment is the largest naval task force from the United States and allied countries to assemble in the strategic waters of the Persian Gulf since the two Gulf wars.

The object of the naval deployment would be to enforce an eventual blockade on Iran, if as expected by many observers, current negotiations with the Islamic republic over its insistence to pursue enrichment of uranium, allowing it, eventually, to produce nuclear weapons yields no results.

Adding to the volatility is the presence of a major Russian navy deployment affected earlier this year to the eastern Mediterranean comprising the jewel of the Russian fleet, the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov with approximately 50 Su-33 warplanes that have the capacity for mid-air refueling. This means the Russian warplanes could reach the Gulf from the Mediterranean, a distance of some 850 miles and would be forced to fly over Syria (not a problem) but Iraq as well, where the skies are controlled by the U.S. military, and the guided missile heavy cruiser Moskva. The Russian task force is believed to be composed of no less than a dozen warships as well as several submarines.

However, Russia is unlikely to get involved in a military showdown in the Persian Gulf, particularly at this time when it is engaged in a major confrontation with the Republic of Georgia in South Ossetia.

For Iran however, a naval blockade preventing it from importing refined oil would have devastating effects on its economy, virtually crippling the Islamic republic’s infrastructure. Although Iran is a major oil producer and exporter, the country lacks refining facilities having to re-import its own oil once refined.

Iran’s oil – both the exported crude as well as the returning refined product – passes through the strategic Straits of Hormuz, controlled by Iran on one side and the Sultanate of Oman – a U.S. ally – on the other. The strait is about 30 miles wide at its narrowest point, making it easy to control, but at the same time placing Western naval vessels within easy reach of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards fast moving light crafts that could be used by Iranian suicide bombers.

Although Kuwait is on the opposite end of the entrance to the Gulf and the Straits of Hormuz, Kuwait City is less than 60 miles from Iran – and with good reason to worry.

“Kuwait was caught by surprise last time, when Iraqi troops invaded the small emirate and routed the Kuwaiti army in just a few hours,” a former U.S. diplomat to Kuwait told the Middle East Times.

Link.

pelosi hasn’t read articles of impeachment

On August 7, 2008, Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives, was caught on “tape” (see video below) saying that she had not read the Articles of Impeachment introduced by Dennis Kucinich on June 10, 2008. That’s nearly two months. What the hell has she been doing? Also included on this video is her appearance on The View, in which she said she would support impeachment if there was proof of a crime committed by Bush or Cheney. Has she been in a coma for the last 7 years? Time to give her the boot. Vote Cindy Sheehan.
 

desk rage becoming more common

Not surprisingly, desk rage (a euphemism for adult temper tantrums) is nothing new. However, it appears to be increasing with the failing economy, ever-lengthening commutes, increased workloads, and the lack of disciplinary measures against it. See the video below for possibly the most extreme case of desk rage ever (of course, there’s debate whether or not it was staged).
 
 
Desk rage spoils workplace for many Americans
By Ellen Wulfhorst Thu Jul 10, 12:35 PM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Get out of the way, road rage. Here comes desk rage.

Anger in the workplace — employees and employers who are grumpy, insulting, short-tempered or worse — is shockingly common and likely growing as Americans cope with woes of rising costs, job uncertainty or overwhelming debt, experts say.

“It runs the gamut from just rudeness up to pretty extreme abusive behaviors,” said Paul Spector, professor of industrial and organizational psychology at the University of South Florida. “The severe cases of fatal violence get a lot of press but in some ways this is more insidious because it affects millions of people.”

Nearly half of U.S. workers in America report yelling and verbal abuse on the job, with roughly a quarter saying it has driven them to tears, research has shown.

Other research showed one-sixth of workers reported anger at work has led to property damage, while a tenth reported physical violence and fear their workplace might not be safe.

“It’s a total disaster,” said Anna Maravelas, author of “How to Reduce Workplace Conflict and Stress.” “Rudeness, impatience, people being angry — we used to do that kind of stuff at home but at work, we were professional. Now it’s almost becoming trendy to do it at work.

“It was something we did behind closed doors,” she said. “Now people are losing their sense of embarrassment over it.”

Contemporary pressures such as rising fuel costs fan the flames, said John Challenger, head of Chicago’s Challenger, Gray & Christmas workplace consultants.

“People are coming to work after a long commute, sitting in traffic watching their discretionary income burn up. They’re ready for a fight or just really upset,” he said.

Added to that, he said, are financially strapped workers having to cut back on paying for personal pastimes that might serve as an antidote to work pressures.

LET OFF STEAM

“That means people come into work after a weekend and they haven’t been able to let off any steam,” he said.

Spector said his research has found 2 percent to 3 percent of people admit to pushing, slapping or hitting someone at work. With roughly 100 million people in the U.S. work force, he said, that’s as many as 3 million people.

Maravelas said she conducted a seminar this week in rural Iowa, where she asked participants if they thought anger was increasing at their workplace.

Everyone raised their hands, she said, which is typically the response she gets. She cited research showing 88 percent of U.S. employees think incivility is rising at work.

“Many of us sense we’re losing ground economically and socially. The safety net is unraveling. Hence, anxiety and unease are skyrocketing,” she said.

People reassure themselves by blaming others and “find comfort in believing their suffering is caused by a callous, incompetent or selfish organization, leader, supplier, union or regulatory body,” she said.

The worst offenders are overachievers, said Rachelle Canter, a workplace expert and social psychologist. “The usual profile is Type A, really, really smart, with impossibly high standards they set for themselves as well as for other people.

“They are so invested, I would say maybe over-invested, in success and in everyone being every bit as driven as they are that they just lose their sense of perspective, and they can lash out at other people,” said Canter, author of “Make the Right Career Move.”

But desk rage extends across industry and class lines, from top white-collar jobs to gritty blue-collar work, and companies pay dearly in terms of lost productivity, sagging morale and higher absenteeism, Spector said.

The worst cases end in violence, he said.

“Somebody didn’t just come to work one day and shoot somebody,” Spector said. “There’s probably been a pattern of less extreme behaviors leading up to it.”

Link.

lightning in slo-mo

Click on the link below to see an unbelievable video of a lightning strike caught on a slo-mo camera. Sorry I couldn’t insert the video here. Just a teaser photo.
 

Link.

creepy critters

A pig with a monkey’s face in China and a pig/rat with a gargoyle’s face on Long Island.
 
 
Piglet ‘with face of a monkey’ born in China
July 29, 2008

 

 

 
A piglet with the face of a monkey has been born in a remote Chinese village, astonishing local residents.

The animal has a simian jaw, bulging forehead, small snout and eyes that are so close together that they appear almost attached.

Its front legs are much shorter than its back legs, causing it top hop rather than walk on all fours like a normal piglet.

The animal was one of five piglets recently born to a sow owned by a family in Fengzhang village, Xiping township.

“It’s hideous. No one will be willing to buy it, and it scares the family to even look at it,” owner Feng Changlin told the Oriental Today newspaper.

But the monkey-piglet has become something of a local tourist attraction, with people coming from across the area to photograph its remarkable features.

And not everyone in the family is disgusted by its appearance.

“Our son likes to play with it, and he stopped us from getting rid of it. He even feeds it milk,” said Mr Feng’s wife.

The piglet’s rare condition is thought to be caused by a form of holoprosencephaly, a brain development disorder that can cause cyclopia, the failure of eyes to properly separate.

Link.
 
 
Dead Monster Washes Ashore in Montauk

No, Lizzie Grubman’s still alive. This is an actual monster, some sort of rodent-like creature with a dinosaur beak. A tipster says that there is “a government animal testing facility very close by in Long Island,” but unless the government is trying to design horrible Montauk monsters that will eat IEDs and fart fire at bad Iraqis, we’re not sure why they would create such an unthinkable beast. Our guess is that it’s viral marketing for something. Ali Lohan’s new album perhaps. Click thru for larger dino-damage.
 
Link.