Who’s Really Committing Voter Fraud and a sneek attack on our environment?

           By Paul Canning
The conviction of a Republican operative has thrown the spotlight onto who is really committing voter fraud in the US.
Right-wing news outlets have been claiming for years that liberal groups such as ACORN are behind ‘massive’ voter fraud operations. Despite investigations by the Justice Department only showing a tiny number of proven cases (86) over the past decade, Republican legislators in twelve states have passed legislation, on the basis of supposed fraud, restricting voting.
Paul Schurick, an aide to former Maryland Republican Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., was convicted last week of attempted voter suppression.
During the 2006 gubernatorial election, Schurick tried to use robocalls to suppress the black vote. 112,000 voters were called a few hours before polls had closed in Baltimore and Prince George’s County. The recorded message told African American residents to “relax” because Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) had already won the race.
Wrote York Van Nixon III:

The conviction … reminds those old enough to remember [of] the days when African Americans were required to count the number of jelly beans in a jar before they were given a ballot.

The Washington Post’s Robert McCartney points out that this was not a minor official — Schurick was Ehrlich Jr.’s campaign manager in the 2010 race and had been his communications director for the four years that he was governor.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/whos-really-committing-voter-fraud-video.html#ixzz1gQW7vBkO

Right now, Republican leaders are making a carefully orchestrated effort to slip dangerous anti-environment measures into unrelated funding bills that Congress must finalize by December 31st.

I know how busy you are but please take a moment to urge your senators and representative to keep these dangerous anti-environment riders off year-end spending bills.

The Republicans are counting on the fact that everyone is too busy and distracted by the holiday season to notice what they're doing.

But we're not going to let them get away with it, are we? Email your members of Congress now.

Here's just a small sampling of what we're facing in the next two weeks and why we MUST speak up immediately:

• Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner is pushing to attach a rider that would force approval of the highly controversial Keystone XL pipeline with almost no review of its effect on water supplies and other public resources to the payroll tax bill. If it goes through, this would circumvent the State Department's authority and expose America's heartland to the risk of spills and contamination from the 2,000+ mile pipeline.


• Another rider would block new limits
• emissions. If it passes, this rider will cause up to 28,350 premature deaths, 150,000 asthma attacks, and nearly 19,000 hospital visits over the next 3 ½ years.
• Republican Senator Barrasso of Wyoming is also pushing for a rider that would hamper efforts to preserve critical waterways, including wetlands and small streams that filter pollutants, prevent flooding, and replenish our drinking water.

Please ask your members of Congress to say NO to these and other dangerous anti-environment riders.

Not only are these anti-environment provisions completely unrelated to the spending bills the Republicans are trying to sneak them into, they pose a serious threat to public health and to our environment.

We cannot let the Republicans get away with this...

Please contact your Senators and Representative without delay and then help spread the word. The timing is urgent!

Thank you again for your support – we could not do this without you.

Sincerely,

Michael Town
Director, SaveOurEnvironment.org

                   info@saveourenvironment.org

We must remember that the world we leave behind will be the world that our children and grandchildren and their children will grow up in they will need fresh air, clean drinking water and clean sources of energy. We can not hog it all for the sake of a fast buck, because in the end that might very well be the Legacy we leave behind--The End.

 

Tips to cope with job you hate and Letters of Recommendation

Tips To Cope With A Job You Hate

Do you remember what it was like when you were still at school and the weekend started to wind down? At around 3pm on a Sunday you started to feel sad, your eyes were drawn to your school bag which still needed to be packed and you might have started to dread what the maths teacher had in store for you over the coming week. It wasn’t a nice feeling. You think it will be better when you finish school and perhaps for a brief period of college it is. Then, a few years down the line, you look up after reading the Sunday papers, realise that it’s 3pm and you have to go to work the next day. You feel sad, your eyes are drawn to your briefcase and you start to dread what your boss has in store for you over the coming week.

Does it sound familiar?

Logic tells us that any job is better than no job, especially with unemployment being the way it is. But hating your job, as over 80% of working people do, takes a huge emotional and psychological toll which often manifests in physical illness (real, feigned and imagined).
The effects are not only felt in people’s personal lives but also in the corporate environment. People who hate their jobs simply aren’t as productive as those who love their jobs, or feel more or less neutral about going to work every day. Job haters tend to use all their available sick days in a given year, they take long coffee breaks, gaze out the window and generally seek distractions. The quality of their work is also often poor because they lack the motivation to put in the effort required.
Of course, quality of work doesn’t suffer as much when the boss is something of a demon.
Horrible bosses are able to suck the joy out of even the most satisfying jobs. Countless people who are passionate about their career paths stumble in the face of a boss with absolutely no people skills. Horrible bosses come in all forms. There are those that micromanage every single process, that are weak and unable to lead, that take all the glory and shrug off all the blame, that delegate everything, that lose their tempers and shout, that are hypocritical, that gossip, that express overt favouritism … the list goes on.
The sad truth is that the perfect boss doesn’t exist. Even bosses that seem decent for years can turn on a dime and make life impossible. It’s up to you how you decide to handle it. Some people have a very basic philosophy: they won’t work for anyone who doesn’t respect them. Other people don’t have that luxury. Mortgages, kids in school, car payments, insurance, pension plans and medical aids are all very effective at keeping people miserable in jobs they hate.

Tips to survive the job you hate

• Talk about it. It’s not just enough to complain to your friends and family about how much you hate your job; you also have to talk to someone in your HR department. The people in the HR department are there for their ability to solve people-problems. They’re trained to help you manage stress and deal with internal hassles all while maintaining confidentiality. If the problem is a big one, like sexual harassment, then they will ask your permission before taking the matter further.
  If you work for a very small company without an HR department then you’ll have to bite the bullet and try talk to your boss or immediate manager.
• Get a hobby. As difficult as it sounds you need to make a concerted effort to leave your work problems at work. The best way to do this is to distract yourself with something that you love, or to try different things until you unlock your secret passion. Many community centres and libraries offer classes and groups for a range of activities, such as pottery, pencil drawings, scrapbooking, writing, yoga, pilates and aromatherapy. A lot of places will let you try out a lesson for free to see if you like it before committing yourself to the class. Find out about local sports clubs in your area, even if it’s just bowls or hiking. Alternatively, research some hobbies on the internet. You’ll find information and tutorials on anything from bird watching to knife making.
• Save the best for last. People have a tendency to leave the worst for last, but, thinking back to you childhood again, do you remember saving the best food on your plate for last? Remember holding breath while bolting the broccoli and then savouring the mashed potatoes? Revive this childhood tradition in the workplace. Rather than procrastinate and leave the most tiresome and dreaded assignments or tasks for the end of the day or the end of the week or the last minute of the deadline, get them done first. Having the worst behind you allows you to savour the bits of your job that you still enjoy. Otherwise, even the fun bits are tainted by the awful bits looming over your head.

If nothing helps and you still feel like crying in the car on your way to work every morning you should think very seriously about putting your CV on some job sites and expanding your horizons. In the end, no job is worth your self-esteem, dignity and sanity.
Sandy writes for a number of different blogs, on a number of different topics, including job posting software, advertising, travel, technology and the environment.

Many people decide on going to graduate school after they finish their four-year degree. Graduate school is a great way to continue your education and get your master’s degree or Ph.D. My sister is currently in graduate school and in order to get in, she had to send in letters of recommendation. This is a very crucial part of the application process. The school you are applying for will really look at the recommendation that the person gives you. They will take into account how the person recommends you and what they say about you. It is crucial to get someone’s opinion of your work ethic. In order to receive some good letters, follow these tips:

Content

You may think that the most important thing is to get a well-established and really smart person to write your letter. This is not always the best option. The best person to write your letter would be someone who knows you very well and has seen you work really hard in a class or work setting. This could be a teacher’s aid, rather than the professor. Asking someone who knows you best gives you a greater chance of proving your hard work to a graduate school. Choose someone who has seen you in group settings, or someone who has seen you solve problems in the work place. Graduate schools are going to be looking for students who are able to analyze situations and solve problems. When you are looking for your letter writer, don’t worry about all the credentials and degrees a person may have, look for someone who knows you personally and has seen you when you are working your hardest.

Asking

When you figure out who you are going to ask, set up a meeting with them. Be professional about it and do it in person, or at least over the phone. Make sure you ask them if they have time to do it. If they don’t have time, don’t take it personally. Writing a good letter of recommendation is a lot to ask from a person, and many people are too busy to do anything like that. If they do have time and they say yes, make sure to ask them what you can do to help them. If you meet with them in person, you can talk to them about your goals and your interests which will help them know exactly what kind of letter they should write.

Timing

Make sure you ask the person with plenty of time to spare. Do not throw it on them last minute because they will most likely not do it. Give them plenty of time to accept the assignment. You want to ask them way before you turn in your application because you want to make sure that it is in on time. Also, have a rough draft of your resume and personal statement done before you ask them so your letter writer can draw from those to make your application flow.

Start Now

If you are still getting your undergraduate degree, make sure you are finding connections with professors and other people at school or work. Work hard in group settings and show your professors that you are capable of doing well in any setting. Start preparing now in order to get the best letter you can possibly get. Do all your work and ask your teachers for help. They will get to know you if you are in their office during office hours getting help or if you participate a lot in class. Be a good student and you will get a good recommendation.
Meagan Hollman composes for MyCollegesandCareers.com. My Colleges and Careers gives people who want graduate, and undergraduate, credentials the way to discover which online masters degree programs fit their needs best, and help them reach their potential.

As a person who still to some degree has to put up with a job that I have very much learned to hate, because my new job is still in very early stages and very part-time, too part-time to leave the job that I hate. I hope that by passing this on I can help someone else who is in the same boat that I am to cope with their job, while finding a new job or if not, then maybe use the 'hated job' to pay for college, which would enable one to get better job. After all, I  do have new job, where I am hoping that in due time I can and will work my way to full-time. In the meantime, I hope that by the Grace of God, I can be of service to others, one way or another, just somehow.

Obama demands vote on consumer watchdog

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President Barack Obama announcing the nomination of former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray to serve as the first director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), July 18, 2011. Republicans in the Senate have blocked the appointment, saying a single person should not head the agency. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

(AP)  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama isn't backing down from demanding that Republicans confirm his pick to head a new consumer watchdog agency, saying Republican lawmakers are depriving middle-class Americans of better protection against the kind of deceptive business practices that contributed to the financial meltdown.
Every day that the country must wait for a director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau "is another day that dishonest businesses can target and take advantage of students, seniors and service members," Mr. Obama said Saturday in his weekly radio and Internet address

."So I refuse to take 'no' for an answer. Financial institutions have plenty of high-powered lawyers and lobbyists looking out for them. It's time consumers had someone on their side."

Senate Republicans this past week blocked President Obama's appointment of Richard Cordray, a former Ohio attorney general, to lead an agency they said had been given too much power and too little accountability.
Without a director, the office designed to shield consumers from the excesses behind the 2008 financial crisis is unable to operate at full strength.
With voters set to begin selecting a Republican presidential nominee in less than a month, President Obama suggested the disagreement is another example of two parties who see fairness very differently. He said a consumer watchdog agency is critical to protecting ordinary Americans from the greed of the financial sector.
"Today, America faces a make-or-break moment for the middle class," he said, echoing a theme outlined during a Kansas speech earlier in the week. "I believe that this country succeeds when everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share and everyone engages in fair play."
Mr. Obama also reiterated his push for congressional Republicans to extend the Social Security payroll tax cut, which is set to expire at the end of the year. . . .

 Republicans in the Senate have blocked the appointment, saying a single person should not head the agency?!?!?!?!? Why all of a sudden is that a problem????   Look at the Department of Defense--According to Wikipedia--

The President of the United States is, according to the Constitution, the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces and Chief Executive of the Federal Government. The Secretary of Defense is the "Principal Assistant to the President in all matters relating to the Department of Defense", and is vested with statutory authority to lead the Department of Defense and all of its component agencies, including military command authority second only to the President. 

In addition to that look at the Department of Energy, which is typical of each and every department--According to Wikipedia---

The United States Secretary of Energy is the head of the United States Department of Energy, a member of the President's Cabinet . . . .

 Boehner continued: "This is no time for the same-old my-way-or-the-highway theatrics. It's no secret that Democrats and Republicans often disagree about the best way to create jobs, but we can't let those disagreements prevent us from acting when we agree."

That is absolutely true, Please,Please Mister Speaker of the House and other Republicans go to your mirrors, that is IF you really can look yourselves in the face and look at the biggest obstacle that this Nation and the Middle-Class and the Working-Class and the Poor face and Become part of the solution, instead of continuing to Be part of the Problem. The 'Republican Propaganda Show' is over, Please start Governing.

A Little Bit of Everything Kind of Day from job clubs to Republican debate

Diana Miller, Founder, Job Club Architect

The Community Job Club' s missions is to help job seekers conquer job search hurdles, families survive and thrive during challenging times and communities shape up their economic fitness.

If your community is interested in starting a Community Job Club to shape up and be career champions, give us a call.  Visit our website at www.communityjobclub.com

Since this Global Recession has produced a Global Un- and Underemployment, I can only Hope and Pray that by passing this on; that the possible creation of more Job Clubs might some how help to inspire some one to start up their own job club in their own community.

On second thought, that really did not come out right. What I should have written was that I hope and pray that others are inspired to start Job Clubs in their own communities, If one does not already exist. If there is one already, I would highly encourage any job seeker, who is not already a member, to do himself/herself the favor of joining it.

Russians fight Twitter and Facebook battles over Putin election

Protests against president's party escalate across social media with flood of automated counterattacks and alleged hacking

The reason that I try to do my best to stick with local politics are these--(1) I do not know whether a news story like this is Good News Or Bad News Or No News Or Something Else, entirely. (2) I know what 'Lake of Fire' I am tempted to tell a person to jump into who walks up to me and starts telling me--how I better vote be it this way or that way on any issue or candidate or party. As the result, I will campaign for or against something or someone, but hopefully and prayerfully stop short of dictating to people, who are as blessed as I am with Intelligence and Free-will, how they should be voting or thinking. This is why I do my best not to do it to others.

The most I can do at times like this, IMHO, is hope and pray that it works out well for the people.

Israeli Planes Attack Gaza Targets

nytimes.com - JERUSALEM — Israel carried out more airstrikes in Gaza early Friday, killing one Palestinian, as militants fired more rockets into southern Israel. Tensions flared after an Israeli airs...

nytimes

As much as I hope and pray that the 'Arab Spring' works out to create as many Democracies as possible and that each and every nation recognizes that ALL their citizens have certain God given Rights: we also have to remember that Israel has the Right to Exist, as sure as the Arab World has the Right to Reinvent themselves and their countries.
But then again, This is something that Palestine and Israel will have to work out, themselves. After all, at the end of the day ( no one will or should give a hoot what this mere blogger thinks or believes), They are the ones who will have to live with the results; either they will learn to live with each other or to continue the killing and dying.

On ABC, Dec 10, 2011---Republican Debate--Your Voice, Your Vote: Republican Presidential Candidate Debate in Iowa: GOP presidential candidates discuss issues in Des Moines, Iowa. . . .

Which I will not be watching for these reasons--(1) this Independent is already committed to the Re-election of Barack Obama.   After all, IMO the Tea Party Movement has taken the Republican Party waaaaaaaaaaaay too far to the right for this Moderates liking. (2) I would rather be thinking locally--very locally, since my older son, Andrew is about to run for Precinct Committee Person of the Democratic Party or could it be for the Democratic Party, will either way. That, IMO, is an Higher Priority.

EPA implicates fracking in groundwater pollution

By Mead Gruver
Associated Press

FILE - In this Sept. 10, 2009 photo, Louis Meeks holds a jar filled with water from a contaminated well on his property near in Pavillion, Wyo. The ranking Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is asking the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for more information about an EPA investigation into groundwater contamination in a Wyoming gas field. Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe asked EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson in a letter Tuesday to explain a recent comment she made about the contamination in the Pavillion area in central Wyoming. Jackson told a Bloomberg news program last month that a petroleum industry practice called hydraulic fracturing could have affected nearby areas containing groundwater. (AP Photo/Casper Star-Tribune, Kerry Huller,)

CHEYENNE, WYO.: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday for the first time that fracking — a controversial method of improving the productivity of oil and gas wells — might be to blame for causing groundwater pollution.
The draft finding could have significant implications while states try to determine how to regulate the process. Environmentalists characterized the report as a significant development though it met immediate criticism from the oil and gas industry and a U.S. senator.
The practice is called hydraulic fracturing and involves pumping pressurized water, sand and chemicals underground to open fissures and improve the flow of oil or gas to the surface.
The EPA found that compounds likely associated with fracking chemicals had been detected in the groundwater beneath Pavillion, a small community in central Wyoming where residents say their well water reeks of chemicals. Health officials last year advised them not to drink their water after the EPA found low levels of hydrocarbons in their wells.
The EPA announcement could add to the controversy over fracking, which has played a large role in opening up many gas reserves, including the Marcellus shale in the eastern United States in recent years.
The industry has long contended that fracking is safe, but environmentalists and some residents who live near drilling sites say it has poisoned groundwater.
The EPA said its announcement is the first step in a process of opening up its findings for review by the public and other scientists.
“EPA’s highest priority remains ensuring that Pavillion residents have access to safe drinking water,” said Jim Martin, EPA regional administrator in Denver. “We look forward to having these findings in the draft report informed by a transparent and public review process.”The EPA also emphasized that the findings are specific to the Pavillion area. The agency said the fracking that occurred in Pavillion differed from fracking methods used elsewhere in regions with different geological characteristics.
The fracking occurred below the level of the drinking water aquifer and close to water wells, the EPA said. Elsewhere, drilling is more remote and fracking occurs much deeper than the level of groundwater that would normally be used.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Oil and Gas Resource Management has said it has no evidence of fracking causing groundwater contamination problems in Ohio.
Ohio is on the verge of a major drilling boom into the Utica shale that lies under the eastern half of Ohio. That drilling relies heavily on the use of fracking.
Ohio officials continue to say they are confident that the state can manage the drilling without creating health or environmental problems.
But critics worry about contaminated aquifers and polluted air from the drilling.
Environmentalists welcomed the news of the EPA report, calling it an important turning point in the fracking debate.“This is an important first indication there are potential problems with fracking that can impact domestic water wells. It’s I think a clarion call to industry to make sure they take a great deal of care in their drilling practices,” said Steve Jones with the Wyoming Outdoor Council.
Calgary, Alberta-based Encana owns the Pavillion gas field. An announced $45 million sale to Midland, Texas-based Legacy Reserves fell through last month amid what Encana said were Legacy’s concerns about the EPA investigation.
Encana spokesman Doug Hock said there was much to question about the draft study.
The compounds EPA said could be associated with fracking, he said, could have had other origins not related to gas development.
“Those could just have likely been brought about by contamination in their sampling process or construction of their well,” Hock said.
The low levels of hydrocarbons found in local water wells likewise haven’t been linked to gas development and substances such as methane itself are naturally occurring in the area.
“There are still a lot of questions that need to be answered. This is a probability and it is one we believe is incorrect,” Hock said.
Sen. James Inhofe said the study was “not based on sound science but rather on political science.”
“Its findings are premature, given that the Agency has not gone through the necessary peer-review process, and there are still serious outstanding questions regarding EPA’s data and methodology,” the Oklahoma Republican said in a statement.Wyoming last year became one of the first states to require oil and gas companies to publicly disclose the chemicals used in fracking.
Beacon Journal staff writer Bob Downing contributed to this report.

Thank God for the EPA! We must not sell out our drinking water! After all, is it not written in the Holy Bible--"For what shall a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and forfeit his life? or what shall a man give in exchange for his life?" Or in this case, our drinking water, but then again, how would life be able to continue without fresh drinking water?
By the way, Yes-I believe in Jesus Christ the Risen Lord, the Son of God, the Lion of Judah; But Not the 'Holy Republican Party' as preached by all to many 'Social Conservatives'.  Yes, the United States of America is a secular nation, which means any one and every one has the same right to disagree with me as I do to disagree with them.
Most especially since there are other energy alternatives, which also create jobs.