Remembering South African Divestment

Back in the late 1970s and into the 1980s, various corporations and many universities started to dump any monetary holdings originating from South Africa. Demonstrations occurred on various US campuses, urging an end to apartheid. California campuses were particularly involved. Students boycotted classes and participated in rallies. This was the era when I attended college, twice (1971-75, 1976-80).

Improvised campus shanty-town at UC-Berkeley.

I don't recall demonstrations at Douglass College, Rutgers College of Nursing, or Rutgers-Newark, but then my attention was grabbed by within-university issues, such as student safety. However, when I looked at the article by Al-Jazeera America, I noticed that Jesse Jackson spoke on the Rutgers campus, calling for this State University to divest its holdings.

Now, I do remember my family members having opinions about South African divestment. You see, a number of uncles and cousins had attended and graduated from Rutgers and contributed to its alumni funds. So, when you make contributions, you pretty much consider that the university should listen to what you had to say. My father was opposed to divestment; his thinking was that the university shouldn't respond to student pressure and he also thought that the South African government represented good, conservative values (except that a majority of the people were deprived of significant rights, based on the color of their skin). See where that disagreement was going?

It wasn't really useful to argue with my father about the issue, but in the long run, Rutgers decided to divest, leading my father to boycott his contributions to the alumni fund to show his disagreement, but he still had to pay part of his children's tuition, and Rutgers administration never changed its mind, so that's how that remained until the apartheid regime fell. My father did, however, resume his contributions to the alumni fund during the 1990s.

Demonstration in the streets at Harvard.

Of course, when I do look at some of the college movements back in the day, I realize that even though I attended twice and now hold two bachelor's degrees, I missed the majority of the protest movement. But I did participate in one sit-in at the Associate Dean's office, due to the fact that students were being assaulted on their way from university housing to the campus. I would hope that I would have joined the protests urging divestment, but I am not sure what I would have done, given family political views. I didn't have the courage to prevail against family views that I do now.

Click here to view more details

Click Here: POWERLINK GENERATOR

Was Police Brutality The Cause Of This Boy's Injuries?

Photo of  Joseph Williams after being in custody

14-year-old Joseph Williams from Tullytown, PA, went out to Walmart with his 19-year-old cousin. Subsequently, he was detained by store security and then arrested by Tullytown police after being accused of shoplifting $31.93 worth of products.

After being handcuffed, the youngster escaped and ran toward the highway. The police claim that they fired a taser at the youth and that the injuries to his face resulted from the boy falling forward and landing on his face while still being handcuffed.

But, frequently, mothers do know best and Marissa Sargeant, Joseph's mother, states that he must have been punched several times in order to have the injuries he displayed. Mother's complaints involved the fact that her child was taken to the hospital without her consent, where they determined that the boy had a broken nose and both eyes were blackened and swollen. In addition, the police questioned this minor youth without an adult guardian being present.

Buck's County District Attorney David Heckler released a statement in which he alleges that all the injuries displayed by this boy resulted from his falling on his face without being able to use his arms to break his fall. But Marissa Sargeant still believes that her boy has more injuries than could be explained by falling on his face. He has cuts and bruises beyond what would be demonstrated from a fall - and she wonders how both of his eyes could be blackened and bruised.

Ms. Sargeant may have a number of points here. Young Joseph was detained and held for three days after his injuries, at a juvenile detention facility, during which time the mother was not allowed to visit. And then the first thing she sees are his facial injuries. Exactly what was going on here? Was the police department and corrections trying to hide the severity of his injuries? At least that was what I would have been thinking. No matter what anyone may think of the alleged actions of this boy, how is it that law enforcement questions a minor child without the presence of an adult guardian? Children's minds operate differently and when police officer yell at them or continuously tell them that they have committed a crime, they may eventually agree because they're hungry, tired, promised they can go home. For kids, police officers represent authority and they may be motivated to please that adult, especially when you put a black child in the custody of a white police officer. So, a child needs to be accompanied by an adult advocate to provide more objectivity and prevent exploitation and false admissions of wrongdoing.

Tullytown police

Then there is the issue of the injuries themselves. As a mental health nurse, I have treated my share of teens who have fallen face down on the hard floor or pavement without being able to brace for the fall. I have never seen this severity of injury, however. In my opinion, something else must have happened to cause that amount of damage. I do hope that some more objective people can find the truth of the matter, since I believe that no matter what this boy did, he didn't deserve to be hurt this way.

Click here to view more details

Click Here: MIND MAPS TO SUCCESS

Click Here: JOURNEY, LIFE DESTINY HOME STUDY COURSE

The Scoop On ACA

After the government was reopened in the middle of last month, the noise level about the ACA increased substantially. Depending on point of view, the opinions skewed in various directions. That means that it became quite difficult to figure out what was true and what wasn't true.

I'll make an attempt to explain this section of the law, in which the plans will go into effect as early as Jan 1. Everyone has until Mar 31 to enroll, otherwise the monetary penalty will take effect. Those who want the insurance to start on Jan 1 must enroll by Dec 15. The problems with enrolling have occurred primarily with those who are trying to register online. I will go into those issues later. But there are 3 other ways to register: call the 800 number on your State's exchange; download, print, and mail the application and a code will be sent back to you to finish the enrollment process online; or you can meet one-to-one with a navigator (a real person) at a designated site (look up the closest one on the online site) to choose a plan and find out the amount of discount you can receive.

Now, the problems on the web sites come from the fact that you have to register for a password in order to access the plans and prices on the exchange. Registering to look at plans does not mean that you must choose a plan. However, in order to see what discount applies to you, there is more information to complete, such as what you entered on your last income tax forms from 2012. So, first, you have to realize that without completing this additional information, you see plan prices that are higher than when you fill out the application (different from your registration information). By the way, the only health information requested is whether or not you smoke, since pre-existing conditions do not add to the price of a plan. Plan prices, deductibles, and copays are classified into bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. The least expensive plans are bronze, but they have higher deductibles and copays. Platinum plans cost the most, but may not have any deductibles or copays and also the lowest out-of-pocket maximums. Now, given all of this information, the ACA plans provide, by law, that PCP visits, recommended bloodwork, and recommended procedures are done at no-charge. The emphasis is on encouraging beneficiaries to get recommended primary care, in order to prevent the development of more expensive illnesses.

Most recently, the biggest controversy was that some plans announced that they were ending on Dec 31, so people who had purchased them are finding they have to look to the government health exchanges. Why did these plans announce a termination date after the President had assured the public that they could keep their current health plans and practitioners if they happened to be satisfied? Well, that was something the President couldn't control. Some insurance companies realized that their plans didn't comply with ACA, so they decided to stop offering those plans. Now, there were also dishonest companies which emphasized their end date, but then offered higher priced plans and their customers had to make a decision to pay the higher price or wait to see the health exchange prices. Some States recognized this as a scam and proceeded to fine the companies involved - KY did this in the case of Humana. A separate issue that might also cause confusion is that consumers can also access and buy insurance from commercial marketplaces, which look quite similar to the exchanges, but the prices can be higher and there is no subsidy. Make sure you are on the government site for your State, not these other marketplaces that look the same.

I spent most of Oct trying to enroll and was finally able to do so before the end of the month. Ease of use and functionality actually depend on the State in which you live. If you were so lucky to live in a State that designed its own exchange, like KY, the process was seamless, self-explanatory, and worked from the start. My State of MD designed its own, but has run into problems in the interface with the federal web site, the part which identified the individual and matched the person to income tax return. Actually, part of that fault arose because the State asked for this year's income, rather than last year's, so then there was trouble matching the person and the return, and then when that was corrected, somehow the connection with the plans got broken. But those States which developed their own exchanges also expanded those who qualified for Medicaid, so that those who earned a percentage higher than the poverty level now have a very economical way to access that more robust insurance. However, in WI, for example, Gov Walker was one of those who objected to ACA and he refused to develop the State exchange or expand Medicaid, all to the detriment of WI citizens. So, that left constructing the exchanges to the federal government. In addition, Gov Walker somehow allowed insurance companies which operate within the State to charge much more than they can in other States. The difference in price can cause insurance rates to be double the rates of most other States, so essentially those who live in WI have the highest prices in the US.

Why did the glitches online happen? Well, nothing is perfect in the digital world. Remember the many times that the Blackberry interface with the internet shut down? Remember how Windows Vista operating system disappointed users with its buggy interface? Even, MSN, which charges users to have full functionality has been known to crash. Then there are those denial of service situations, in which so many people try to get onto a website that all that usage causes the servers to stop working properly, as happened to the NY Times in Aug. It happens - and it can take quite some time to fix it. In fact, one site to which I subscribe and pay a fee to use, had changed to a different server company, only to find out that paying subscribers couldn't use it because they couldn't log on. It took that company 6 weeks to repair the problem. So, the fact that there was no quick fix was not surprising. In fact, what has been attempted with ACA was far larger than anything else that was ever done online. The biggest connecting piece was the fact that every exchange, all 51 (including DC), had to connect accurately with the IRS, which had to have the capability of identifying each person who enrolled. Not only that, but each exchange is different, because each State has different laws which apply to health insurance. This was quite an undertaking! But it is getting better, the numbers of enrollees continue to increase, and this isn't the end of the enrollment period. Remember, the enrollment period ends on Mar 31, when those who didn't enroll become subject to the tax penalty.

If you happen to be one of those people who believe you are invulnerable and really don't need health insurance, think again. It doesn't take much for you to find yourself waking up in the shock trauma unit with massive injuries and no way to pay. Not only did you gamble with your finances and your well-being, but you now face being charged the maximum the hospital can charge for your health care. You see, by having insurance, you can only be charged what that company negotiated with the health care facility, even if you have a catastrophic deductible. Now, not only do you have a disability from the injuries, you face bankruptcy, and every dollar that you can manage to earn, if you can continue to work will be garnished at a certain percentage to pay off the bills for your care. So, health care insurance looks more like a good investment for you. Don't gamble by not signing up for a plan!

Click here to view more details

Click Here: FOREVER GONE - THE PERMANENT TENNIS ELBOW SOLUTION

Click Here: ARTICLE UNDERGROUND

Alabama Blogger Beaten And Arrested

Roger Schuler's Mug Shot

It's not easy being a journalist in Alabama, especially when you write about controversial issues. Such was the case with Roger Schuler, the voice of LEGAL SCHNAUZER. You see, he was reporting in detail about the alleged affair between Liberty Duke, a State lobbyist, and attorney Rob Riley, son of a previous Republican governor. Mr. Schuler's interest was piqued by the divorce proceedings between William and Liberty Duke, who had been married for fourteen years. It was Mr. Schuler's belief that the alleged affair and the divorce proceedings occurred within a specific time period, so the know fact of the divorce supported the conjecture of an affair. In fact, he concludes that the divorce settlement, which was quite favorable to William Duke, proves the affair, despite the fact that Liberty Duke denied that affair under oath.

So, the alleged injured parties, Rob Riley and Liberty Duke, brought the case into the legal system and the judge ordered Mr. Schuler to stop writing about this issue and erase all posts that involve both parties. However, as of Oct 24, Mr. Schuler continued to write in his blog about the issue (the date of the last post). On Oct. 23, sheriff''s deputies from Shelby County encountered Mr. Schuler in his garage, beat him, maced him, and arrested him, according to reports. A mug shot shows Mr. Schuler's face with unmistakable areas of swelling and bruising.

Roger Schuler before his encounter with sheriff's deputies

So far, Mr. Schuler remains incarcerated, under order from the judge, with no bond set. There is an arrest warrant signed by Judge Jay Murrill and dated Oct 7. As of this moment, Mr. Schuler's wife is barricaded in their home, afraid to answer the door, for fear that the local authorities will be at the door, ready to pull the plug on her husband's website.

Logo of Shelby County Sheriff's Office

Many of us may wonder why Mr. Schuler continued to keep the disputed information posted, despite the judge's order. There is always the referral to the first amendment freedom of speech rights. But there are also protections for people who are not in the public eye, such as slander and libel laws. That begs the question of whether Liberty Duke and Rob Riley are sufficiently in the public view to allow a certain amount of conjecture about behaviors to be freely discussed in public forums. And just how public is Mr. Schuler's blog, anyway? You'd have to find out how many visitors the blog received and how many of those were local and even knew the key players. And now, with the addition of cyber-bullying laws (if Alabama, indeed has those), how would you judge what Mr. Schuler was writing? The answers are not entirely clear. But even with the complexity of the issues, though, the question remains, no matter what your personal feelings about Mr. Schuler: Does anyone in law enforcement have the right to leave Mr. Schuler looking like he does in his mug shot?
>

Click here to view more details

Click Here: TURBO PAYPAL BOOSTER

Port Of Oakland Truckers Protest

Capitol Beltway truckers protest

Do you remember the truckers who were supposed to clog up the Capitol Beltway to the point of a traffic standstill and then keep traffic clogged until President Obama resigned? Do you remember the quite small numbers of truckers who actually showed up to participate in this action? This is now considered something of a footnote because it really didn't amount to much.

But this protest is something different. Truckers were out there protesting "unsafe working conditions and unfair labor practices". This wasn't actually a union protest, since these truckers who serve the Port of Oakland are not allowed to organize one, but there they were, protesting anyway.

A line of truckers from the Oakland protest

Among their issues is the fact that the Port hasn't raised cargo payments for 10 years, while the cost of diesel fuel skyrockets. Then, truckers generally have to sit in line for hours, waiting for a shipment to load, and of course time is money - but there isn't any pay for this idle time; they'd like that to change. Then, of course, there is the issue of humane working conditions - truckers have to drive for up to 14 hours with no bathroom breaks - uh, unless you're carrying urinals and are male, that presents some physical dilemmas.

Oakland Police gathered to face off with the truckers

So, the city of Oakland pre-staffed the port area with a significant police force with night sticks drawn and aggressive readiness postures. The Oakland mayor managed to prevail upon judicial intervention, so a judge ordered that the truckers not block pedestrian passage nor the Port entrance. Doesn't that mitigate the effect of the action?

ILWU members joined the protest

But there is a union at the Port - the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) - and all the members walked off the job, in solidarity with the truckers, and effectively stopped the business of the largest terminal. So far, no one knows how long this protest will continue, but the ILWU has offered its assistance in helping the truckers with negotiation. And the Port really should start to do some serious negotiating, because every minute means a loss of revenue and could result in the pile-up of rotting vegetation.

Click here to view more details

Click Here: 105 INFOGRAPHIC TEMPLATES

Click Here: PELMANISM SECRETS

What Is This Controversy over the Washington R??????s Name?

Washington Redskins Mascot Poster

According to WIKIPEDIA, the term "Redskin" was used by English-speaking people to refer to Native Americans during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Originally when applied to the Algonquins, it didn't refer to skin color, but to the color of face and body paint they used. Between 1875 and 1930, books published around that time show an increasingly pejorative use of the term to imply such characteristics as dirty and lying, while the combination of "noble Redskin" became used in a patronizing way. Today, many consider the term "Redskin" to be a racial insult. As with all racial insults, it really shouldn't be a name of a professional sports team.

Okay, so take a look at the Washington R??????s poster. Okay, if that depicted people with your ethnic background, what would you think? Would this be okay with you? Then, look at the R??????s helmet, with the logo. Does that look like a cartoon, or caricature? Why would you want people from your ethnicity to be depicted that way?

Sportscaster Bob Costas

So, why this controversy and why now? Well, last weekend Bob Costas brought up the issue during halftime at the Washington R??????s vs Dallas Cowboys game on "Sunday Night Football". Specifically Mr. Costas stated, " But think for a moment about the term “Redskins,” and how it truly differs from all the others. Ask yourself what the equivalent would be, if directed toward African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, or members of any other ethnic group. When considered that way, “Redskins” can't possibly honor a heritage, or noble character trait, nor can it possibly be considered a neutral term. It’s an insult, a slur, no matter how benign the present-day intent." So, if this is the case, why have that as the name of your football team?

The Washington Redskins logo

But, it's one thing for a sportscaster to give his opinion, but what do Native Americans feel? The National Congress of American Indians focused on the perception of young Native Americans in a report "Ending the Legacy of Racism in Sports & the Era of Harmful 'Indian' Sports Mascots", "The report also reviews in-depth studies that show the harm negative stereotypes and “Indian” sports mascots have on Native youth. The rate of suicide is highest for Native young people at 18 percent, twice the rate of the next highest of 8.4 percent among non-Hispanic white youth." Although Bob Burns, who is an elder in the Blackfeet tribe had been quoted as saying that the issue was silly and the name and mascot don't bother him, he also contended that he was misquoted. He really felt this way, "'Redskins' is part of that mentality from colonial times when our people were hunted by soldiers and mercenaries who were paid for the scalps of our men, women and children. How can anyone claim this is a proud tradition to come from?  The labels, racism and hatred that Indian people continue to experience are directly tied to those racial slurs." In my opinion, when it concerns a specific group of people and those people are offended in this manner, it is time to listen to those people, our Native Americans, and drop the name, which they find so offensive.

Click here to view more details

Click Here: MAGIC MEDITATION

Click Here: VIRAL FRIEND GENERATOR

Unified Theater

As the name implies, this program is about togetherness. It combines students who have disabilities with those who don't in the creative enterprise of performing - together. Micaela Connery was 15 years old when her relationship with her cousin, Kelsey, who has multiple disabilities, inspired her to develop a way for kids to spend time together in a theater program. Kelsey and Micaela were both born only 3 months apart, but enjoyed common interests together. Micaela wanted other kids to experience what she did with her cousin, and realize that people, no matter what their abilities, can learn from each other.

UNIFIED THEATER is a school-based performing arts program. Since it started it has been incorporated into fifty schools, involved more than 4,000 students, and has appeared in front of more than 10,000 audience members. So, within the program, teens staff all of the production roles. Since the production is original, students write the entire show, make the costumes, invent dance moves, and handle the lighting and sets. There is no classification of participants; everyone participates fully. This is not just a one-time program, as commercial programs that are purchased by some schools turn out to be. This is meant to be a year-round program and is incorporated into the curriculum and can also continue from year to year. The focus is on the schools and programs have been developed for middle school, high school, and college. The latest feature has been developing local collaborations with theater groups.

So, what has happened to the two inspirations behind this wonderful concept? Well, Micaela still works with Unified Theater as Executive Director. In 2009, she graduated from University of Virginia with high distinction. She continues to advocate for inclusion in many different venues. Kelsey graduated from Middletown High School and delivers newspapers for the Newport Daily News. And Unified Theater continues to provide life-changing experiences for the students who continue to participate. As I suspect, from the many photos, it is also a joyful experience, as well.

Click here to view more details

Click Here: THE TURBO PAYPAL BOOSTER

Heavenly Hats

Anthony Leanna, the founder of Heavenly Hats.

Back when he was just 10 years old, Anthony Leanna started the HEAVENLY HATS FOUNDATION. Two years previously, Anthony's beloved grandmother had developed cancer and during her chemotherapy, she lost her hair. This youngster found out from his grandmother that having a new hat would boost her mood, and from there, Heavenly Hats came to be.

Now 22 years old, Anthony maintains contact with the Foundation he started and is still its inspiration. The brand new hats are a comfort and provide hope for those who lose their hair from an illness or its treatment. They are seeking to provide hats to both hospitals and individuals to give people that extra boost to enable them to fight through their condition. The Foundation keeps its costs down by utilizing the services of volunteers to assemble the packages, process requests, and accept donations. They also accept donations of brand new hats and monetary donations.

One of the smiling recipients of a Heavenly Hat kit.

One of their projects is the Hat Parade, which officially occurred on Oct. 11, this year. However, any organization can hold a Hat Parade at any other time. The objective of a Hat Parade is to raise money to help defray the shipping costs of providing hat kits to the recipients. Anthony also provides a list of some other fun activities which can help schools and other groups in their fund raising activities. The best part of this Foundation, though, is the people who it benefits. When you turn sadness and fear to smiles and hat modeling, when there are moments that people with severe illness don't have to dwell on their conditions, that is what this Foundation is all about.

Click here to view more details

Click Here: SELF IMPROVEMENT: THE TOP 101 EXPERTS

Click Here: UNDERGROUND SECRET EZINE ARTICLES MANIFESTO

Ryan's Well Foundation

Back in 1998, a six-year-old boy, Ryan Hreljac, found out that clean water was scarce in Africa. So, he started to save chore money he earned until he had $70 saved. By 1999, Ryan's efforts led to the first well being constructed by this young boy's efforts. Eventually, the project grew into RYAN'S WELL FOUNDATION in 2001. The continuing legacy of this foundation has built over 800 water projects, more than 1000 latrines and benefited hundreds of thousands of people. Money is raised through speaking engagements at schools and involves young children in its mission.

But Ryan wasn't the only young person involved in building this project. You see, there was a pen pal from Africa, Jimmy Akana, who lives in Uganda, who gave Ryan a personalized view of how his life differed from Ryan's. A few years after they started writing, the situation in Uganda became rather dangerous for Jimmy and he was captured by the Lord's Resistance Army, a rebel group. After a lot of work by a family across the ocean and interested people in Africa, Jimmy was able to move to Canada and become part of Ryan's family. Both Ryan and Jimmy, now young men, have continued roles within Ryan's Well Foundation.

Today, Ryan's Well Foundation remains active in completing water, sanitation, and hygiene projects throughout Africa in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Kenya, Uganda, and outside of Africa in Haiti. In the United States, this Foundation has entered the school curriculum to educate students about the importance of water as a resource, and also to see a need and take action. Various groups can organize fund-raising activities through the Foundation and know that the money they raise will be used in specific projects that are already under way. Donors can keep track of the latest information through the web site, a blog written by Ryan, and other social media.

Click here to view more details

Click Here: MASS PPV TRAFFIC

Click Here: RESELL PRODUCTS MONTHLY