This has been a rough week for running. Started Friday when my knee started hurting in the middle of my run. Then this weekend I went camping with the scouts and by the time I got home Sunday I couldn’t move. My third running day, Tuesday, was filled with moving furniture and getting the house ready for the holidays. I did manage to get a walk in this morning which is a small victory I guess. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving which will be hectic but fun. I will definitely make time for a walk but I don’t see a run in my future. That being said I will be picking back up my #c25k on Friday. I’ll be doing week 3 over again.
Ever wonder how you can help the American economy? A good place to start is by buying American made products. “But I don’t know where to look” or “pfft…there aren’t any American made products anymore”. You may be surprised by just what is available out there. And more surprising than that is the fact that much of it is at comparable prices to it’s foreign counterparts. ABC News did a story about a builder in Bozeman, Montana who uses only American products and surprisingly his homes cost less than one percent more than homes built with foreign materials.
Below is a link to ABC News website where you can find the list. Happy shopping =D
Where You Can Buy Made in America Building Products – ABC News.
Supporters and Opponents of H.R. 3261 – The Stop Online Piracy Act
Posted: December 29, 2011 in UncategorizedHere’s a full list of companies that support SOPA and those who oppose it. Share please!
H.R.3261 – Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)
To promote prosperity, creativity, entrepreneurship, and innovation by combating the theft of U.S. property, and for other purposes. as introduced.
Enforcing and Protecting American Rights Against Sites Intent on Theft and Exploitation Act as introduced.
Here is a link to the bill text: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.R.3261:
Interests that support this bill:
Tobacco & Tobacco products (close)
Animal feed & health products
Communications & Electronics
Printing and publishing (printed & online)
Greeting card publishing
Book, newspaper & periodical publishing
TV production & distribution
Motion Picture production & distribution
Entertainment Industry/Broadcast & Motion Pictures
Movie Theaters
Recorded Music & music production
Cable & satellite TV production & distribution
Commercial TV & radio stations
Electronics manufacturing & services
Computer software
Optical services (glasses & contact lenses)
Pharmaceutical manufacturing
Health care products
Health, Education & Human Resources
Truck/Automotive parts & accessories (close)
Auto repair
Auto manufacturers
Chambers of commerce
General business associations
Small business associations
Confectionery processors & manufacturers
Wine & distilled spirits manufacturing
Department, variety & convenience stores
Retail trade
Management consultants & services
Professional sports, arenas & related equip & svcs
Recreation/Entertainment
Chemicals
Plastics & Rubber processing & products
Industrial/commercial equipment & materials
Manufacturing
Office machines
Toiletries & cosmetics
Sporting goods sales & manufacturing
Clothing & accessories
Shoes & leather products
Jewelry
Building trades unions
IBEW (Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers)
Teamsters union
Police & firefighters unions & associations
Entertainment unions
Republican/Conservative
Christian Conservative
Fiscal & tax policy
Consumer groups
Courts & Justice System
Top recipients for ALL supporting interest groups
Name Amount Received Vote On Passage
Rep. Eric Cantor [R, VA-7] $462,292
Rep. Howard Berman [D, CA-28] $436,000
Rep. Steny Hoyer [D, MD-5] $387,000
Rep. James Clyburn [D, SC-6] $323,500
Rep. John Boehner [R, OH-8] $289,350
Rep. Addison Wilson [R, SC-2] $251,281
Rep. Nancy Pelosi [D, CA-8] $250,050
Rep. Michele Bachmann [R, MN-6] $235,367
Rep. Michael Thompson [D, CA-1] $227,282
Rep. William Owens [D, NY-23] $225,817
Sen. Harry Reid [D, NV] $1,383,541
Sen. Patrick Toomey [R, PA] $1,116,789
Sen. Charles Schumer [D, NY] $1,049,215
Sen. Scott Brown [R, MA] $1,024,012
Sen. Robert Portman [R, OH] $720,433
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand [D, NY] $656,875
Sen. Barbara Boxer [D, CA] $588,074
Sen. Roy Blunt [R, MO] $543,651
Sen. Marco Rubio [R, FL] $540,879
Sen. Richard Burr [R, NC] $523,500
Specific Organizations Supporting H.R.3261
AFL-CIO
Motion Picture Association of America
Independent Film & Television Alliance
National Association of Theatre Owners
Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc.,
National Music Publishers’ Association
American Federation of Musicians
Directors Guild of America
International Brotherhood of Teamsters
Screen Actors Guild
National Cable & Telecommunications Association
Recording Industry Association of America
Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies
Comcast
NBC Universal
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
National Association of Manufacturers
Concerned Women for America
Viacom
National Criminal Justice Association
National District Attorneys Association
Council of State Governments
International Trademark Association
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
International Association of Fire Fighters
U. S. Chamber of Commerce
Americans for Tax Reform
Let Freedom Ring
National Football League
Pfizer
Johnson & Johnson
Outdoor Industry Association
National Electrical Manufacturers Association
Association of American Publishers
Ford Motor Company
Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association
Underwriters Laboratories Inc.
News Corporation
Walt Disney Company
Society of Plastics Industry
Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council
Software & Information Industry Association
Entertainment Software Association
American Association of Independent Music
Eli Lilly and Company
Merck
Specialty Equipment Market Association
Xerox Corporation
Universal Music Group Inc.
Walmart
Dow Chemical
Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council
Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers
Warner Music Group
Major League Baseball
National Confectioners Association
Estee Lauder Companies
Sony Pictures Entertainment
CBS Corporation
National Basketball Association
The Walt Disney Company
Greeting Card Association
Advanced Medical Technology Association
Beam Global Spirits &Wine
Sony Music Entertainment
Adidas America
Acushnet Company
ABRO Industries, Inc.
1-800-PetMeds
1-800 Contacts, Inc.
Blue Sky Studios, Inc.
Bose Corporation
Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI)
Burberry
Electronic Components Industry Association
HarperCollins Publishers
Kekepana International Services
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton
Nike, Inc.
Nintendo
Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
Timberland Company
Tiffany & Co.
Time Warner
Sporting Goods Manufacturer’s Association
3M Company
National Retail Federation
Retail Industry Leaders Association
Viacom
Philip Morris International
National Association of Broadcasters
Interests that oppose this bill:
Online computer services
Computer manufacture & services
Data processing & computer services
Venture capital
Democratic/Liberal
Human Rights
Non-profit foundations
Non-Profits
Education
Top recipients for ALL opposing interest groups
Name Amount Received
Rep. William Owens [D, NY-23] $300,459
Rep. Chellie Pingree [D, ME-1] $203,700
Rep. Gary Peters [D, MI-9] $166,220
Rep. Niki Tsongas [D, MA-5] $146,400
Rep. Kurt Schrader [D, OR-5] $105,550
Rep. Anna Eshoo [D, CA-14] $100,759
Rep. James Moran [D, VA-8] $94,600
Rep. James Himes [D, CT-4] $88,964
Rep. Gerald Connolly [D, VA-11] $88,730
Rep. Allyson Schwartz [D, PA-13] $84,800
Sen. Michael Bennet [D, CO] $1,320,304
Sen. Barbara Boxer [D, CA] $362,994
Sen. Patty Murray [D, WA] $273,397
Sen. Harry Reid [D, NV] $254,460
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand [D, NY] $251,244
Sen. Charles Schumer [D, NY] $224,784
Sen. Chris Coons [D, DE] $209,150
Sen. Richard Blumenthal [D, CT] $156,849
Sen. Patrick Leahy [D, VT] $156,470
Sen. Ron Wyden [D, OR] $135,950
Specific Organizations Opposing H.R.3261
Creators’ Freedom Project
Engine Advocacy
4chan
Boing Boing
Creative Commons
Daily Kos
Disqus
Grooveshark
Hype Machine
Kickstarter
MetaFilter
O’Reilly Radar
Techdirt
Torrentfreak
NetCoalition
Consumer Electronics Association
Computer and Communications Industry Association
Public Knowledge
Electronic Frontier Foundation
EDUCAUSE
Open Internet Coalition
Bloomberg
Yahoo
Center for Democracy & Technology
Business Software Alliance
Zynga
AOL
Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Netscape and Andreessen Horowitz
Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google
Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter and Square
Caterina Fake, co-founder of Flickr and Hunch
David Filo, co-founder of Yahoo!
Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn
Arianna Huffington, co-founder of The Huffington Post
Chad Hurley, co-founder of YouTube
Brewster Kahle, founder of the Internet Archive and co-founder of Alexa Internet
Elon Musk, co-founder of PayPal
Craig Newmark, founder of craigslist
Pierre Omidyar, founder of eBay
Biz Stone, co-founder of Obvious and Twitter
Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation
Evan Williams, co-founder of Blogger and Twitter
Jerry Yang, co-founder of Yahoo!
Progressive Change Campaign Committee
Tumblr
Mozilla
Union Square Ventures
MoveOn
Wikimedia Foundation
eBay
American Civil Liberties Union
Consumers Union
American Library Association
Computer & Communications Industry Association
Human Rights First
Consumer Federation of America
Human Rights Watch
Microsoft
United States Student Association
Irregular Times
TechNet
Information Technology Industry Council
Association of Research Libraries
Entertainment Consumers Assocation
Writers Guild of America, West
Reporters Without Borders
Freedom House
Association of College and Research Libraries
Competitive Enterprise Institute
TechAmerica
TechFreedom
Demand Progress
U.S. Public Interest Group
Internews
New America Foundation’s Open Technology Initiative
Center for Media Justice
Center for Rural Strategies
Brookings Institute
American Society of News Editors
Benetech
Happy Christmahanakwamadan from the Legal Department
The Patriot coined “Christmahanakwamadan” a few years back, in response, albeit ludicrous, to the fashionable PC crowd’s demands for “inclusive” greetings. They insist the word “Christmas” is too ethnocentric for corporate use, and that it would violate the phony “Wall of Separation” should a government employee accidentally utter it.
Needless to say, in The Patriot’s humble shop, it’s still “Merry Christmas,” and it’ll stay that way so long as we’re able to draw breath. However, for you politically challenged, we offer this alternative greeting.
Season’s Greetings from the legal department (For the Politically Challenged)
Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, our best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all…
…and a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2008, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great, (not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country or is the only “AMERICA” in the western hemisphere), and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith, choice of computer platform, or sexual preference of the wishee.
(By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.)
Taken from: Randy’s Ramblings – December 08th, 2011
The Top One Percent
Here’s a short blurb about how well we have things in the U.S. of A.
“If you make over two hundred thousand dollars per year you are part of the richest 5 percent in America.”
I guess that doesn’t apply to any of us, but read on.
“However if your household makes eighty thousand dollars per year you are part of the richest 1 percent in the world.”
Ok, still a little bit more than most of us make, but it hits closer to home. I couldn’t find the figures for 50K or 60K for world wide status. While many of us may never see the 200K figure, I think most of us will reach or pass the 80K in our life time.
Consider that you are now (or will be before too long) be in the top one percent of the world’s wealthiest people and then consider how you have managed and spent that money. We will have that three-dip ice cream at Brewster’s, while someone else will not have dinner. It’s your money, you earned it, and it’s your right to have that ice cream. I am not trying to criticize your decision. I’m just throwing it out there for thought.
Much like land, money and riches are just things that we are stewards of. (Time falls into this category as well.) This means that wealth and riches are not bad; nor must they be good for that matter.
It’s not the wealth; it’s what you do with it.
Jesus or jail? Alabama town offers options for serving time – This Just In – CNN.com Blogs
Posted: September 27, 2011 in Civil Rights, Constitution, Politics, ReligionJesus or jail? Alabama town offers options for serving time
September 26th, 2011
03:47 PM ET
If you’re charged with a nonviolent crime in one Alabama town, you might just have the chance to pray it all away.
Starting this week, under a new program called Operation ROC (Restore Our Community), local judges in Bay Minette, Alabama, will give those found guilty of misdemeanors the choice of serving out their time in jail, paying a fine or attending church each Sunday for a year.
The goal of the program is to help steer those who are not yet hardened criminals the chance to turn their lives around. Those who choose to go to church (there are no mosques or synagogues in the area) will have to check in with a pastor and the police department each week, CNN affiliate WKRG reported. Once you attend church every week for a year the case would be dismissed.
Police Chief Mike Rowland said the measure is one that would help save money and help direct people down the right path. Rowland told WKRG it costs $75 a day to house each inmate.
“Longevity is the key,” he told WKRG.
He said he believes 30-day drug programs don’t have the long-term capabilities to heal someone in the ways the ROC program might.
Police in the town said they think it is a simple choice, but others think it’s a choice that shouldn’t even be offered.
The ACLU in Alabama said the idea is “blatantly unconstitutional,” according to the Alabama Press-Register.
“It violates one basic tenet of the Constitution, namely that government can’t force participation in religious activity,” Olivia Turner, executive director for the ACLU of Alabama told the paper.
Rowland acknowledged there were concerns about separation of church and state complaints but said he didn’t see it as too big of a problem because offenders weren’t being forced to attend church, they are just being given the option.
The offenders who voluntarily choose church over jail get to pick the churches they attend. If they complete a year’s attendance, Rowland said, their criminal case would be dismissed.
Post by: CNN news blog editor Mallory Simon
Filed under: Crime • Religion
via Jesus or jail? Alabama town offers options for serving time – This Just In – CNN.com Blogs.
I received this in an email today and thought it to be rather telling of a mindset that is growing in America today. Whether you choose to agree or not one thing is certain, our country is on shaky footing.
________________________________
An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had recently failed an entire class. That class had insisted that Obama’s socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.
The professor then said, “OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama’s plan”..
All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A….
After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.
The second test average was a D! No one was happy.
When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.
As the tests proceeded, the scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.
All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.
Could not be any simpler than that.
Remember, there is a test coming up. The 2012 elections.
Last night at 11:08 pm EDT the state of Georgia put to death Troy Davis at the state correctional facility in Jackson. He was administered a lethal injection to stop his heart and his death was seemingly quick. Members of the media, representatives of the corrections facility, and family members for both Mr Davis and his victim were in attendance for the procedure.
There were 46 people put to death in 2010 for heinous crimes that were committed against their fellow man, and rightfully so. The government has a duty to keep the general population safe from harm. If an individual kills someone in cold blood then they too should pay the price for their crimes. But in this case did we do the right thing?
In 1989 Mr Davis was involved in an altercation at a Burger King restaurant in Savannah Georgia. during this event an off duty police officer named Mark McPhail was shot and killed while providing security for the establishment. Two years later eye witnesses testified that they saw Mr Davis shoot the officer and with little deliberation Troy Davis was convicted and sentenced to die for his crimes.
Over the years Mr Davis has petitioned for numerous appeals, always maintaining his innocence. His claim is that he was there and was involved in the altercation but possessed no weapon and therefore could not have fired the fatal shot at officer McPhail. Time after time his appeals fell on deaf ears and his pleas for his case to be reopened were denied.
What makes this case so difficult for me is that over the last several years seven of nine so called “eye witnesses” have either changed or completely recanted their testimony. In our system of “innocent until PROVEN guilty” if witnesses change their testimony after the fact have we then PROVEN anything? While their may not have been enough doubt to acquit him of the allegations I do think that there was enough doubt to keep him alive.
While I am not originally from Georgia nor was I here when the original crime took place I was here when a second crime took place. That crime was the MURDER of Troy Anthony Davis. I still believe that there are crimes which are serious enough to warrant the use of the death penalty. But in this man’s humble opinion we got this one DREADFULLY wrong.
To the family of Mr Davis I would like to offer my deepest condolences. I hope and pray that one day Troy can be exonerated and that justice can truly be served.
If you want to learn more about Troy and his case please visit troyanthonydavis.org
Fact-check: New marriage amendment not “exactly the same” as current law :: WRAL.com
Posted: September 12, 2011 in Civil Rights, Politics, ViewpointsIn the word of the immortal President Ronald Reagan “vote with your feet”. In this case however if you’re homosexual don’t let your feet carry you to North Carolina! Fact-check: New marriage amendment not “exactly the same” as current law :: WRAL.com.
In my humble opinion the GOP really is wrong when it come to gay marriage. Love is love, no matter what to government says.
rightwingrb 