Gingrich goes too far to say Obama has
put more on the rolls than other presidents. We asked the U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition service for
month-by-month figures going back to January 2001. And they show that
under President George W. Bush the number of recipients rose by nearly
14.7 million. Nothing before comes close to that. And under Obama, the increase so far has
been 14.2 million. To be exact, the program has so far grown by 444,574 fewer
recipients during Obama’s time in office than during Bush’s.
(from Reuters)
Unlike Americans who rely on a paycheck,
Romney earns most of his income from investment profits, dividends and
interest. The returns for 2010 and estimates for 2011 showed that he
will pay a total of $6.2 million in taxes on income of $42.5 million. Romney and his wife Ann paid an effective
tax rate of 13.9 percent in 2010 and expect to pay a 15.4 percent
effective tax rate when they file their returns for 2011. Those rates are far below the top income tax
rate on wages, which is 35 percent, because the U.S. tax code in recent
years has favored investment income over wage income.
Let's stop folks from FREELOADING on government programs.
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. . . cell phone provider who wants to stick me with any nickel and dime bill they can now that I have terminated my account. . . .
Though I terminated my account on 11/13/2011, I received invoices for "Monthly Service Charges" for the period 11/11/2011 - 12/10/2011 and 12/11/2011 - 1/10/2012 during which I was provided service for only the period 11/11/2011 through 11/13/2011 on four of the five phones under this family plan. (The fifth phone had been dormant since July 2011 since my son had to contract an alternative provider as required by his new employer.)
I spoke to several of your customer service reps on 12/22/2011 culminating in my request to have the supervisor (Ram) call me, as he was unavailable and I had an appointment. Ram did not return my call that day or afterward.
In addition, no customer service rep reminded or informed me on 12/22/2011 that the fifth phone in the plan (mentioned above) must be cancelled, a courtesy, and I would hope responsibility of customer service under such circumstances.
I spoke again to customer service on 2/6/2012 at which time I was finally advised to cancel the fifth phone, which I did.
I am writing to assure you that I will pay you for service provided to me. I always paid invoices in a timely manner and did, in fact, receive very good service (as well as customer service when sought) from your firm during my contract. I am very disheartened though, at the uncooperative attitude I have received from your customer service department now that my account has been terminated.
In an effort to exhibit my good faith and hope that we can arrive at an agreement, I am enclosing a check for $14.79 which I presume will cover the period for which you did provide service (a portion of the the invoice for 11/11/2011 - 12/10/2011) up to the date That I terminated the account- 11/13/2011. [$147.90 for 30 days, pro-rated to cover 3 days]
I believe this is more than fair and correct and I do hope to receive confirmation from you of your agreement soon.
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. . . and ballads. Charles Lloyd has done, and continues to do it all. Check it out.
Lloyd was born in Memphis, Tennessee. From an early age, he was immersed in
that city's rich musical life and was exposed to jazz. He began playing
the saxophone at the age of 9 and took lessons from pianist Phineas Newborn. One of his closest
friends was trumpeter Booker
Little. Lloyd became a sideman in the blues bands
of B. B. King, Howlin'
Wolf, Bobby "Blue" Bland and others.
In 1956 Lloyd moved to Los Angeles and earned a music degree from the
University of Southern
California. During this period Lloyd played in the big band of Gerald
Wilson. From 1960 to 1963 Lloyd played in the band of drummer Chico Hamilton and became its musical director. Though the
band was known for playing "chamber
jazz" at the beginning of Lloyd's tenure, his influence as a
composer and a player quickly pushed it in a more progressive post-bop
direction. Lloyd's key musical partner in the band was the guitarist Gábor Szabó. In 1964 Lloyd left Hamilton's group to play with
alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley. During this period
he recorded two albums as a leader for Columbia Records; his sidemen were other young musicians
including Herbie Hancock, Ron
Carter and Tony Williams. Through 1966-1968
Lloyd led a quartet with pianist Keith
Jarrett, bassist Cecil McBee (afterwards, Ron
McClure), and drummer Jack DeJohnette, that producer George Avakian signed to a contract with Atlantic Records. The quartet's music was an interesting
fusion of straight-ahead post-bop, free
jazz, and soul jazz. The group's music quickly caught on
with both jazz fans and critics. Somewhat surprisingly, they also
achieved a fair amount of crossover success with young rock fans and
became the first jazz group to play in The
Fillmore. The album Forest
Flower became a big commercial hit, largely on the strength of
the title track. Other noteworthy albums include Dream Weaver and Love-In.
In 1968, after the quartet's demise, Lloyd entered a state of
semi-retirement. Despite recording several albums during the 1970s and
occasionally appearing as a sideman, he practically disappeared from the
jazz scene. During the 1970s Lloyd played extensively with The Beach Boys both on their studio recordings and as a member
of their touring band. In the late 1970s Lloyd was a member of
Celebration, a band composed of members of the Beach Boys' touring band
as well as fellow Transcendental Meditation
followers Mike Love and Al
Jardine. Celebration released two albums.
Upon being approached by pianist Michel Petrucciani in the early 1980s, he resumed
playing actively. From 1989, Lloyd toured actively and recorded for the ECM label. Although his playing
had not changed much stylistically since his groundbreaking work in the
1960s, these recordings showcased his sensitivity as a ballad
player. Noteworthy albums include Canto, Voice in the Night, The Water Is Wide (featuring Brad
Mehldau, John
Abercrombie, Larry Grenadier and Billy
Higgins), Lift Every Voice
(featuring Geri Allen), and the live Rabo
de Nube with Jason Moran). Lloyd has shown great consistency
and creativity in his period with ECM, much of his music containing a
strong spiritual element, some it heavily in a "world music" vein, and
some of it unusual and experimental as in the duets on Which Way
is East? with his longtime friend and musical soulmate, Billy
Higgins. (from Wikipedia.com)
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In recent weeks, much has been written about Tim Tebow, the quarterback of the Denver Broncos. Until this past season, Tebow had been a back-up quarterback and did not draw much public notice. When he was in college he had led the University of Florida to two national championships and won the Heisman Trophy in 2007. He was drafted by the Broncos in the late first round of the 2010 draft. Most NFL teams had passed over Tebow because there was doubt that his talents were of NFL standards. This past season, Tebow got his chance, when the Broncos started the season with a 1-4 record. Tebow started the next eight games, winning seven out of eight, and the Broncos rose to first place in their division.
Tim Tebow started receiving a lot of attention. He received a higher that usual level of attention partly because of the way he brought his religion into the spotlight of the playing field. Tim identifies himself as a born-again Evangelical Christian, and in the best of Evangelical tradition, he wants the whole world to know that Jesus Christ is his Lord and Savior. After key events in a ballgame, Tebow bends down on his left knee, bows his head, and raises his right hand to his forehead. It is Tebow’s chosen way to witness to all those watching that Jesus Christ is the Lord of life.
Because of his forthright display of his religion, he has become the idol of millions of born-again Evangelical Christians. His practice of bending knee and bowing head has become the rage in some circles and is now referred to as “Tebowing.” Many Evangelical Christians adore him, but many others have responses that range from mild discomfort to outrage.
I can identify with Tim Tebow, because I too am a born-again Evangelical Christian. I too was an athlete. Since I was a young boy, it has been important for me to identify myself as a Christian. I too confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. After being a very successful high school football player, I enrolled at Illinois State University and became a two-way Freshman starter on a Conference Championship football team. While I was never involved in anything like Tebowing, I found ways to use my status as an athlete at a State University to let people know that Jesus is Lord. After a year at Illinois State and an Army enlistment, I returned to college at Wheaton College, a leading center of Evangelical Christianity. I played football for Wheaton for three years. The college motto “For Christ and His Kingdom” was the team motto. The team members were the finest group of teammates I ever had. The Wheaton teams on which I played were championship teams, and excellence was a part of our Christian witness. There was never a prayer to win, but we all knew that the way we played the game was a part of our witness for Christ the Lord.
Vigorously sharing with the world that Jesus Christ is Lord is at the very heart of Evangelical Christianity. When a highly committed Evangelical Christian walks onto the football field, he does not leave his Jesus behind. From everything that I have read, Tim Tebow is a very fine young man. He lives an exemplary life. No one works harder at refining his football skills than does Tebow. He is first on the practice field and the last to leave.
Tebow’s religious display on the playing field ought to be respected because it is a part of who he is. We do not call into question the practice of Albert Pujols making the sign of the cross as he walks to the plate. Neither should we call into question the religious display of Tim Tebow on the football field. It is as closely tied to his identity as the yarmulke worn by an Orthodox Jew. We need to be reminded that Sandy Koufax, possibly the greatest left-handed pitcher in history, refused to pitch the opening game of the 1965 World Series because it fell on Yom Kippur.
There is a problem that Tim Tebow has given himself. He is making his confession of faith very public. How will he now live his life. For the rest of his life the world will demand a life that lives up to his confession.
Some years back, a leading American politician became the darling of Evangelical Christians. He confessed that he had been born-again. He was pro-life and opposed gay rights. He joined one of the right churches. He was a man of wealth. In the context of an important campaign, he was pressured to release information about his personal finances. He did so. According to his federal income tax return, he had not given a single penny to the church of his membership. He lived in opulence, but his record of being charitable was almost non-existent.
Jesus is quoted as saying “Where your treasure is, your heart will be also.”
From the day of the revelation of his finances, I knew that the politician was a fraud, and even worse. He had used Evangelical Christianity for political purposes.
When Tim Tebow says “Jesus is Lord,” that means that all the millions he is making as a football player belong to Jesus. What will he do with the millions of Jesus money that is being placed under his stewardship? I want Tim Tebow to be the real thing. We need devoutly religious people in the public square. Tim Tebow is needed just now on the football field. I truly hope he will always be what he says he is.
THE END
The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister, who lives in Palmer, Alaska. His email address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.
(Make no mistake about Howard Bess. READ Howard Bess.)
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. . . When your political party's candidates are described as disconnected from reality by old Marxists, possibly you should reconsider? Fidel Castro said recently, the “selection of a Republican candidate for the presidency of this globalized and expansive empire is — and I mean this seriously — the greatest competition of idiocy and ignorance that has ever been.” It also seems that congressmen, senators and presidents look at the world differently than business and industry leaders, and this includes members of all political parties. So says Thomas L. Friedman (author of THE WORLD IS FLAT) in the New York Times.
President Obama asked Steve Jobs last year why almost all of the 70 million iPhones, 30 million iPads and 59 million other products Apple sold the previous year were made overseas. Jobs replied simply, "Those jobs aren't coming back."
Politicians view, ". . . the world as blocs of voters living in specific geographies — and they see their job as maximizing the economic benefits for the voters in their geography. . . " BUT, today's CEO's, ". . . see the world as a place where their products can be made anywhere through global supply chains (often assembled with nonunion-protected labor) and sold everywhere. These C.E.O.’s rarely talk about “outsourcing” these days. Their world is now so integrated that there is no “out” and no “in” anymore. In their businesses, every product and many services now are imagined, designed, marketed and built through global supply chains that seek to access the best quality talent at the lowest cost, wherever it exists. . . "
So when you cast your next vote, remember, here's just another opportunity for a politician, who is driven by that one overpowering desire - to get elected (or re-elected), to make another promise that he cannot keep.
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Call it a 'sixth sense', some kind of other-worldly wisdom, or just plain spooky, I have, numerous times in my life, had an ability to recognize exactly what I wanted. And the only reason I think this is worth mentioning, is that every time I identified such a thing, pursued it and eventually obtained it, I was always content with my decision. I don't mean chocolate candies, expensive toys, expansive mansions or excessive riches. In fact, the 'normal' material things that many of us so often crave, while some select things do appeal to me and certainly on multiple occasions I fleetingly or superficially did (and do) take a fancy to some unobtainable things, do not as a rule, consume or drive me to any great length.
This pragmatism may have been instilled in me during my formative years, being one of three children of minimally educated, blue-collar, progeny of Polish-Catholic immigrants who practiced frugality without depriving their family of necessities and not infrequently providing a number of reasonable luxuries whenever possible. It almost seems to be a combination of the all-too-common rationalization of successive generations to 'satisfice', accepting that their lot in life will be more of the same of that pursued and experienced by their parents and a drive to become upwardly mobile. I wanted to make what I perceived to be an enjoyable life for myself yet I wanted more than a high-school diploma and a labor or retail-centric job for the rest of my life. I did not envision wealth, power, large material objects, boardrooms, fancy cars and world travel for myself. I was a happy kid. I only wanted to become a happy adult and I didn't think a protraction or a continuation of life as I knew it would provide that for me.
And I have not regretted any of the major decisions I have make in my life in matters such as education, marriage, residence and piano. Yes, I said piano.
