dixiegrrrrl
dixiegrrrrl's Journaldetailed account of what went wrong with Healthcare web site.
I gotta admit I am rather stunned at some of the obvious errors in communication, testing of the site.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/01/us/politics/inside-the-race-to-rescue-a-health-site-and-obama.html?src=me&ref=general
.
[font style=color:#FF0000;]there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn't there?[/font]
WalMart protestors get arrested, WalMart Black Friday rioters do not. (Updated)
You can apparently rampage in a WalMart ( see any number of YouTube vids already up about today)
but you cannot protest about your working conditions outside of a WalMart.
At least 15 arrested at Walmart protest in Bellevue, Wash. -
( from Breaking News feed)
10 protesters arrested at a demonstration by about 75 people outside a Walmart in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood, allegedly for blocking traffic
[font style=color:#FF0000;]There is something very wrong about this country.[/font]
REady for another mortgage bomb to go off?
The loans are a problem now because an increasing number are hitting their 10-year anniversary,
at which point borrowers usually must start paying down the principal on the loans as well as the interest they had been paying all along.
More than $221 billion of these loans at the largest banks will hit this mark over the next four years, about 40 percent of the home equity lines of credit now outstanding.
For a typical consumer, that shift can translate to their monthly payment more than tripling, a particular burden for the subprime borrowers that often took out these loans.
And payments will rise further when the Federal Reserve starts to hike rates, because the loans usually carry floating interest rates.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/26/usa-mortgages-homeequity-idUSL2N0J724D20131126
On top of that, these are "second mortgages" which means any mortgage defaults, any attempt to foreclose on a house, results in the FIRST mortgage getting paid off before the 2nd. And a lot of these homes are underwater.
Excellent article about Blackwater's history of involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Prince is pushing his new book,and complaining about the US Gov. treatment of him:
"the government can drop you on a dime and leave you hanging.”
This is a fascinating look at Blackwater's history, with some revealing details:
Why Blackwater got so many Gov. contracts
The role of the CIA with Blackwater
that Blackwater rescued—Joe Biden, Chuck Hagel, and John Kerry—who were stranded in Afghanistan.
and yes, just as Matt Taibbi said, why Prince wanted to build his own private Army,Air Force and Navy.
Highly recommend.
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-21/what-blackwater-founder-erik-prince-learned-about-the-business-of-war#r=rss
Good news and bad news about Fukishima.........
First the bad news..
Report: Fukushima dust harms California babies
The report raises question about safety in Japan itself.
Ecologist reported Tuesday that new studies show a “significant increase in hypothyroidism among babies in California, 5,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean.”
Scientists earlier said the low doses that reached California could do no harm.
Research on this problem is facilitated by a law that requires that all babies born in California be tested at birth for Thyroid Stimulating Hormone levels.
Previous studies have found unborn babies sensitive to internal fission products.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/362456
Good news:
http://www.cannabisculture.com/content/2013/10/16/Can-Hemp-Marijuana-and-Mushrooms-Fix-Fukushima-Part-1-What-Happened
I just bought our Christmas present...Organic grass fed beef.
or rather, half a beef.
Which will cost 4.25 a pound.
Plus the 115.00 for the butcher shop to cut and wrap and freeze it.
That sounds good, right?
Until one realizes that is the price of "hanging weight" after the beef is killed, skinned and gutted.
BEFORE it is cut up, and all the "discards" thrown away.
Comes to about 800 # hanging weight. Or hopefully smaller.
Bones will be included in the order.
I WANT the bones.
Back in the day, our Grandparents USED those bones, to make stews and things that actually jelled, because of the marrow in the bones.
The cooked bone dishes are what our bodies used to keep OUR bones strong, but in "today's" cooking, we don't use them.
There are a couple of good recipe books about how to cook bones, like the French do.
One is titled, appropriately, "Bones".
Plus the dog gets the cooked bones when I am done with them.
I also get the liver, heart, tongue, and the tail bones, for oxtail stew, which is extremely rich and flavorful.
Half a beef will last the 2 of us over 2 years, probably more, since we do not eat beef more than 2x week.
So, figuring the cost of beef I would buy in a store, which averages about 4.99#, in a year's time..
the rather huge outlay for half a beef now, upfront, is not that bad.
I consider it an investment, and saved up the money for it for the past2 years since we had our last beef purchase.
Esp. considering how incredibly flavorful the meat is, and how it does NOT contain anti-biotics and other yucky stuff.
The first thing I did after we moved into this house, was to buy a chest freezer, which sits in the carport, tucked away, and locked.
The joys of country living.
Excellent list of anti spying computing/internet choices.
Opt out of global data surveillance programs like PRISM, XKeyscore and Tempora.
Here are alternatives and/or fixes for your OS, your browsers, clouds, emails, etc.
https://prism-break.org/
Pls. rec if you find this helpful.
The Walled World-if you thought the Berlin Wall was a bad idea-check out these 10 countries'walls.
Remember how pissed everyone was about "The Communists" building the Berlin Wall, how it was derided as an affront to freedom and democracy?
Very readable interactive article and maps of 10 countires' walls.
Just scroll down and each country is revealed in map and information.
Why are we building new walls to divide us?
Using satellite imagery, users' pictures, video and first-hand testimony, Guardian reporters across the world chart the new walls being built to divide people from their neighbours
http://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2013/nov/walls#intro
annnd teh beat goes on: Jury Finds Pipe Maker Defrauded Governments
First: the facts
The jury’s decision entitles the states and municipalities to be compensated for their losses by the manufacturer, JM Eagle, a private company based in Los Angeles that has 20 plants in the United States and Mexico.
Snip...
turns out, it was the pipe company's former engineer who was fired for whisltblowing on the rip off.
He filed under the False Claims Act, a law that allows private citizens to sue on behalf of government agencies that they believe have been defrauded. Such cases are typically brought on behalf of a federal agency, like the Pentagon or the Medicare program.
Hmmmmmmmmm....there's an idea.
And the owner of the company?
Today he is the sole owner of JM Eagle.
the guy is kinda screwed because :
AND
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/11/15/jury-finds-pipe-maker-defrauded-governments/?src=dlbksb&_r=0
Profile Information
Gender: FemaleHometown: Washington state, for half my life
Home country: USA
Current location: SW Alabama. for the rest of my life
Member since: Wed Feb 27, 2008, 02:09 PM
Number of posts: 60,010
