Thursday, May 31, 2007

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

From MoveOn re public airwaves

Public Airwaves for the Public Good

The federal government is on the verge of turning over a huge portion of our public airwaves to companies like AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast--who will use them for private enrichment instead of the public good.

These newly available airwaves are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to revolutionize Internet access -- beaming high-speed signals to every park bench, coffee shop, workplace, and home in America at more affordable prices than current Internet service. Phone and cable companies don't want this competition to their Internet service--they'd rather purchase the airwaves at auction and sit on them.

In June, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will make a major decision: Use the public airwaves for the public good, or turn them over to big companies who will stifle competition, innovation, and the wireless Internet revolution. We're urging the FCC to mandate that whoever wins the auction cannot stifle competition and innovation.

Can you sign this petition to the FCC today, and send it to your friends?

A compiled petition with your individual comment will be presented to the Federal Communications Commission.

Petition can be found HERE


Monday, May 28, 2007

It's Memorial Day

I remember when I liked this day...post WW II it was parades, friends, and playing....no school....and was always on May 30th - not the "last Monday in May." [ These 3 day weekends have turned all celebratory dates into BUY BUY BUY]

As a kid, we were told that WW II was the "last" war - that the world was made safe.....Guess I was a cynic early on because in a few years post WW II we were in Korea [not a war - just a police action]

During the Vietnam years, I began to hate war.....it made me cry to see, hear and read about the deaths of all the people subjected to the idiocy of war...I did not have a child back then but I cried for all those mothers who children died in Vietnam....

I still cry when I read of deaths in Iraq - but I now have a son and more fully understand the horror of potentially losing a child. Mine opted for the military for his own reasons, and he is now out and in college. And he hates king george even more having been in the military - because his friends who stayed in are dying or getting maimed.

My son was never really in harms way in all his 8 years of Army and National Guard - but I had a constant stomach ache worrying he could be sent....no parent anywhere on earth should have to live in that kind of fear...

So here I am today - reading about dead kids - Americans and Iraqis - and reading that the butcher of Washington went to Arlington Cemetery and said this:
The conflict will end some day "because all wars do," he said, adding, "Our duty is to ensure that its outcome justifies the sacrifices made by those who fought and died in it."
Said just like he has nothing to do with ending it....and the idea that more need to die to justify the one's already dead is a concept I could never grasp....This from a coward who never saw war, will not allow anyone to see or photograph the coffins arriving back in the USA and who never has attended a funeral of the ones he sent to die....

He should not be allowed to speak at any cemetery - especially not he one he goes to every Memorial Day - he disgraces the office of the president and disgusts me.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

Who will protect consumers?

A few more "bad stuff" postings:

If you wear contacts and use AMO solution - please read...this is not being loudly announced - I saw it online and went OOPS - this is what I have been using!!!!
AMO Announces Voluntary Recall of Complete(R) MoisturePlus(TM) Multipurpose Solution

SANTA ANA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 25, 2007--In response to information received today from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding eye infections from Acanthamoeba, a naturally occurring water-borne organism which can contribute to serious corneal infections, Advanced Medical Optics (AMO) (NYSE:EYE) is immediately and voluntarily recalling its Complete(R) MoisturePlus(TM) contact lens solutions. CDC data was made available to AMO today showing that it had completed interviews with 46 patients who had developed Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) since January 2005. A total of 39 of these patients were soft contact lens wearers, 21 of whom reported using Complete(R) MoisturePlus(TM) products. The CDC estimates a risk of at least seven times greater for those who used Complete(R) MoisturePLUS(TM) solution versus those who did not.

Full article HERE

And more bad "food" from China - people food this time.

Imported Monkfish May Actually be Poisonous Puffer Fish: FDA

Americans should not buy or eat imported fish labeled as monkfish that may actually be puffer fish containing a dangerous and potentially deadly toxin called tetrodotoxin, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday.

The agency said that 282 22-pound boxes of the fish were imported from China and distributed by Hong Chang Corp., of Santa Fe Springs, Calif. to wholesalers in Illinois, California and Hawaii beginning in September 2006.

Two people in Chicago became ill after they ate soup made with the fish and one of them had to be hospitalized. Initial symptoms of tetrodotoxin poisoning include tingling of lips, tongue, face and extremities. Subsequent symptoms may include headache, balance problems, excessive salvation, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Anyone with these symptoms should seek immediate medical care, the FDA said.

Severe cases of tetrodotoxin poisoning can cause muscle paralysis and death due to respiratory muscle paralysis.

Full article HERE

So more "stuff" from China is mislabeled - after harming pets the new batch is harming people - will we learn from this?
Not as long as moneyshrub is king and money politiks is the bottom line here in the USA.

and so we go blind...they don't care...as long as the big corporations make tons of money....
that's the criteria for most consumer decisions it seems