Oilwellian
Oilwellian's JournalA Perfect Demonstration of Human Empathy
When Isaac Theil let a sleepy stranger take a little catnap on his shoulder, it was because "I simply remembered the times my own head would bop on someone’s shoulder because I was so tired after a long day," he recounted to Tova Ross of Tablet Magazine.
Another subway rider was so struck by Theil's nonchalant empathy that he snapped a picture and put it on Reddit, from which it was then posted to Facebook by Charidy.
Redditor Braffination wrote, "Heading home on the Q train yesterday when this young black guy nods off on the shoulder of a Jewish man. The man doesn't move a muscle, just lets him stay there. After a minute, I asked the man if he wanted me to wake the kid up, but he shook his head and responded, 'He must have had a long day, let him sleep. We've all been there, right?'"
(snip)
Rabbi Bradley Hirschfield, president of The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, was moved by Theil's recollection of his own fatigue as an explanation for his kindness, and told The Huffington Post that it was a perfect demonstration of human empathy. Hirschfield said, "To be able to draw on past hardship to soften our hearts towards others is one of the most repeated commandments to the Jewish people, and is the core of many spiritual traditions."
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The Eye Opening Study Every American Needs To See
You know how it sometimes feels like the government only cares about what the wealthy want? Turns out there's evidence that confirms just that.
http://www.upworthy.com/the-eye-opening-study-every-american-needs-to-see
‘Oligarchic tendencies’: Study finds only the wealthy get represented in the Senate
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/08/19/oligarchic-tendencies-study-finds-only-the-wealthy-get-represented-in-the-senate/
Democratic Underground Banned From Reddit/Politics Forum
There's a big write-up about it on Daily Kos, which was also banned.
With over three million members, the Reddit Politics forum has significant audience share. To block an entire domain and publisher from submission access will have major economic repercussions for any publication on that list. It will also diminish public recognition of any news published at those sites, now denied access. And thus, the free flow of information is diminished.
The big-daddy of link and content aggregation sites on the 'net, Reddit has tens of millions of users worldwide. The site bills itself as, "...a source for what's new and popular on the web. Users like you provide all of the content and decide, through voting, what's good and what's junk."
So it might interest many of these users to learn which sources the moderation team in Reddit's politics subreddit have sidelined by blacklist. And in so doing, to disenfranchise those users from their supposed vote. It might also surprise the community that what these moderators have blacklisted are some of the most well recognized publishers of political journalism on the web.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/10/28/1251324/-Reddit-Politics-Forum-Announces-Publisher-Blacklist
Blacklist here.
White House Rebel Yeller Identified
and he's everything we thought he would be.
https://www.facebook.com/michael.ashmore.31/photos
Kerry is meeting with Kissinger today for advice on Syria
Kerry is scheduled to meet one-on-one with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger Wednesday afternoon, and address a meeting of the 25-member Foreign Affairs Policy Board Wednesday morning. On Wednesday evening, Kerry will host a dinner for FAPB members at the State Department, according to an official schedule.
Widely considered a godfather of U.S.-Russia relations, Kissinger served as Secretary of State under President Richard Nixon and President Gerald Ford. As the nation's top diplomat, he pioneered the idea of developing a détente, or cooperation based on shared interests, between the leaders of the world's two nuclear superpowers.
As the Obama administration seeks to work with Russia to craft a plan to rid Syria of chemical weapons, Kissinger could prove invaluable as both an adviser and a public ally.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/11/kerry-syria_n_3903888.html
Why are Democrats seeking advice from the war criminal largely responsible for Pinochet's brutal dictatorship?
In 2006, Biden said: "Count me out of trusting a president who spies on Americans."
Do you suppose he still feels the same way?
CBS - Finally, a decent news report on "person of interest" in Boston bombing
This is an excellent report on the behind the scenes investigation and suspect.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57579984/investigators-focus-on-possible-suspect-in-marathon-images/
Shot In the Face Or Stabbed In the Back?
Who says we don't have a choice in America?
At this point I choose shot in the face. To quote Han Solo, "Bring it on! I prefer a straight fight to all this sneakin' around."
I saw those comments in a Daily Kos Social Security diary. They made this tingle go up my leg and I felt compelled to share the sentiments.
And so it begins...Collins (R-NY) Blasts ‘Chained CPI’ Proposal
Democrats are going to be clobbered for proposing Chained CPI. We tried to warn you. 
“If you change the calculation of the consumer price index and how you calculate inflation, that’s going to continue to pinch our seniors who, come the end of the month, the stories I hear, are having trouble putting food on the table,” Collins said.
According to the AARP, changing the way the consumer price index is calculated would cost seniors and veteran pension recipients in Erie County $476 Million in future benefits. An AARP representative told YNN’s Ryan Whalen Tuesday, the “Chained CPI” expected in the President’s budget would hit Erie County harder than originally expected.
“It does not take into account the fixed costs that the seniors or all of us have, such as utilities, your healthcare costs, prescription drugs, gasoline. You can’t make a substitution for those. So that will make it even more difficult, particularly for those who are struggling to begin with,” AARP advocate Dave Hollen said.
http://capitaltonightny.ynn.com/2013/04/collins-blasts-chained-cpi-proposal/#.UWXAnJrtggM.reddit
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