God Bless You Janet Reno - Child Killer - Waco Revised

LIMON,CO(IFS)- The Documentary Channel for the past several nights have been reviewing the Congressional Investigation of the Branch Davidian Massacre.

It goes to show that "Only the Winners write history; losers get nothing to say." Minute after minute, you find the ATF Directors, along with Janet Reno saying one thing, and the video evidence shows something else completely different.

These people then lied to Congress under oath, and what we find, nothing was done to these agents.

Ruby Ridge is another hot point of contention, as we see that certain people are above the law.

For 51 days, the ATF and the FBI held these people hostage, and then lied to Congress. I just want to let everyone know that I too, remember these Americans, these little children and old people that Janet Reno had gunned down, mutilated and burnt in the name of justice. I remember that one male report, who would come to the microphone and TV camera, and report that - there was no food for the children, or the next time, the kids were being molested, or the very next time, the kids were being held as hostages, etc. I wonder how his career is during these days. America will never forget Janet Reno and her friends that kill children, mothers and old people. I know she will live a long fruitful life. After all one day she will meet each and everyone of those victims again. And at that time, there are no laws, police and anything thing else that will save her from the raft of hell.

Janet Reno, the former attorney general in the Clinton administration, received a lifetime achievement award Friday, April 18, 2009, from the American Judicature Society, a non-partisan justice advocacy network.

Speaking slowly because of the effects of Parkinson Disease, Reno praised violence prevention programs and the current direction of the Justice Department. “Now I can look at America and think this is a nation that is responding in the most intelligent way possible to deal with violence, especially domestic violence,” Reno said.

Speakers supported Reno’s controversial actions during her time as attorney general, including the Justice Department’s siege of a religious sect’s compound in Waco, Texas.

Waco occurred under the presidency of Bill Clinton, with Janet Reno, Wesley Clark and current Attorney General Eric Holder running the show. The US government demonstrated its contempt for the American people by carrying out a massacre in order to “demonstrate” (on prime time TV) its supposed “authority” (a tactic favored by fascist governments).

On February 28, 1993, the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) launched the largest assault in its history against a small religious community in America. Approximately eighty armed agents invaded the compound, purportedly to execute a single search and arrest warrant. The raid went badly; six Branch Davidians and four agents were killed.

Attorney General Janet Reno asked for and received military support. The U.S. Army showed up with tanks.

After a fifty-one-day standoff, the United States Justice Department approved Reno’s plan to use CS gas and break down the walls with tanks to “save the children” of those barricaded inside.

On the 51st day tanks carrying the CS gas broke through the concrete walls and entered the compound. A fire broke out, and all seventy-four men, women and children inside perished. One third of them from gunshot wounds, the rest crushed by debris or burned to death.

After the compound had burned down the ATF flag was hoisted aloft to signify ‘victory’. At Janet Reno’s award ceremony today it was only mentioned that 74 “cult members” were killed.

After the BATF and FBI learned that the American Justice Federation had released a press release stating that the use of military troops against United States citizens violated federal law, specifically, the Posse Comitatus act, the ATF released a cover story, claiming that the tanks were “really” not Army, they were national guard, and had been brought in under the “Drug interdiction act” because they had heard there was a “methamphetamine lab” — three weeks after the FBI had already publicly announced there was never any question whatsoever of drug involvement.

The compound was immediately demolished and the land was cleared leaving no chance for the Attorney’s of the family members of those who died to retrieve any evidence of what had happened.

God Bless you Janet Reno - you Child killer!!

Branch Davidian Victims

Died February 28, 1993 in initial BATF assault on Mount Carmel
Winston Blake 28 British
Peter Gent 24 Australian
Peter Hipsman 28 American
Perry Jones 64 American
Michael Schroeder 29 American
Jaydean Wendell 34 Hawaiian American

Died April 19, 1993
burnt or shot to death during FBI assault

Katherine Andrade 24 American
Chanel Andrade 1 American
Jennifer Andrade 19 American
George Bennett 35 British
Susan Benta 31 British
Mary Jean Borst 49 American
Pablo Cohen 38 Israeli
Abedowalo Davies 30 British
Shari Doyle 18 American
Beverly Elliot 30 British
Yvette Fagan 32 British
Doris Fagan 51 British
Lisa Marie Farris 24 American
Raymond Friesen 76 Canadian
Sandra Hardial 27 British
Zilla Henry 55 British
Vanessa Henry 19 British
Phillip Henry 22 British
Paulina Henry 24 British
Stephen Henry 26 British
Diana Henry 28 British
Novellette Hipsman 36 Canadian
Floyd Houtman 61 American
Sherri Jewell 43 Asian American
David M. Jones 38 American
David Koresh 33 American
Rachel Koresh 24 American
Cyrus Koresh 8 American
Star Koresh 6 American
Bobbie Lane Koresh 2 American
Jeffery Little 32 American
Nicole Gent Little
and unborn child 24 Australian
Dayland Gent 3 American
Page Gent 1 American
Livingston Malcolm 26 British
Diane Martin 41 British
Wayne Martin, Sr. 42 American
Lisa Martin 13 American
Sheila Martin, Jr. 15 American
Anita Martin 18 American
Wayne Martin, Jr. 20 American
Julliete Martinez 30 Mexican American
Crystal Martinez 3 Mexican American
Isaiah Martinez 4 Mexican American
Joseph Martinez 8 Mexican American
Abigail Martinez 11 Mexican American
Audrey Martinez 13 Mexican American
John-Mark McBean 27 British
Bernadette Monbelly 31 British
Rosemary Morrison 29 British
Melissa Morrison 6 British
Sonia Murray 29 American
Theresa Nobrega 48 British
James Riddle 32 American
Rebecca Saipaia 24 Asian British
Steve Schneider 43 American
Judy Schneider 41 American
Mayanah Schneider 2 American
Clifford Sellors 33 British
Scott Kojiro Sonobe 35 Asian American
Floracita Sonobe 34 Philipino
Gregory Summers 28 American
Aisha Gyrfas Summers
and unborn child 17 Australian
Startle Summers 1 American
Lorraine Sylvia 40 American
Rachel Sylvia 12 American
Hollywood Sylvia 1 American
Michelle Jones Thibodeau 18 American
Serenity Jones 4 American
Chica Jones 2 American
Little One Jones 2 American
Neal Vaega 38 Asian New Zealander
Margarida Vaega 47 Asian New Zealander
Mark H. Wendell 40 Asian American

Imprisoned
Renos Avraam 31 British 40 years
Brad Branch 35 American 40 years
Jaime Castillo 24 American 40 years
Graeme Craddock 31 Australian 20 years
Livingstone Fagan 35 British 40 years
Paul Fatta 35 American 15 years
Ruth Riddle 31 Canadian 5 years
Kathryn Schroeder 35 American 3 years
Kevin Whitecliff 33 American 40 years


DAVIDIAN PRISONERS INFORMATION

In The Davidian trial judge sentenced five Davidians to the maximum sentence of 30 years each; one to 20 years; one to 15; one to 5 years and one to 3 years. On June 4, 2000 the Supreme Court cut 25 years from 4 Davidians' sentences and 5 years from one. On September 9, 2000 Judge Walter Smith followed the Court's instructions and cut those sentences, as well as the 25 year sentence of Livingstone Fagan who had not appealed.

All were released as of July 2007.

Americans must demand prosecution of all responsible agents and financial reparations to the Davidian prisoners who spent more than a dozen years in prison, victims of government crimes against them.

Information on the Davidian trials and appeals
Documents Illustrating Prosecutorial Misconduct

Davidian Suprme Court arguments at attorney Steve Halbrook's home page: http://www.stephenhalbrook.com

Each of the prisoner's "allocution" made just before sentencing in 1994
Stories about the prisoners' appeals, instances of abuse of some prisoners, and Waco Justice protests are scattered throughout Waco News and Updates.

Welcome to Mi2N's B2N, BUSINESS NET NEWS

Welcome to Mi2N's B2N, BUSINESS NET NEWS
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December 1, 2009

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* MUSICDISH NETWORK
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GIVE THE GIFT OF MUSIC PROMOTION

As part of Mi2N's continuing efforts to make its
services available to more artists/musicians, the
company will begin offering the purchase of its Mi2N
press release distribution services in the form of gift
certificates for the upcoming holiday season. Through
Mi2N's penetration in the music industry as well as its
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=> RON SPAULDING PROMOTED TO PRESIDENT
OF FONTANA; UMGD Has Promoted Ron Spaulding
To President Of Fontana, To Its Independent
Distribution Arm
http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=125368

=> ATLANTIC RECORDS UK APPOINTS MARK
TERRY AS GENERAL MANAGER; Terry Will Oversee
Some Of The Key Functions Within The Label,
Including Marketing, Digital, Press And Creative
http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=125367

=> LIVE NATION HIRES NEW PROMOTER
TEAM IN FRANCE; Angelo Goppe, Formerly
With Nous Productions, Will Join Live
Nation As Senior Vice President Promotions
http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=125365

=> GRAMMY AWARD WINNER & FOUNDING
MEMBER OF THE FLECKTONES HOWARD LEVY TO
LAUNCH ONLINE HARMONICA SCHOOL; Levy Announces
Partnership With ArtistWorks, Inc.
http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=125356

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THE 7 ESSENTIALS TO WRITING A PRESS RELEASE

Writing a press release may prove to be a challenge to
those whose focus is solely on their musical ability
and efforts, but it doesn't have to be. There's an art
to writing a good press release just like there's an
art to making good music. In fact, a well written press
release is simply you on paper. There are many tricks
to the trade, and I'm going to share some of several of
them with you: The Seven Essentials of Press Release
Writing.

http://www.musicdish.com/mag/?id=12524

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Submit Your Music News To Mi2N
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=> REDEYE DISTIRBUTION BOOSTS SALES
FOR ARTISTS AND LABELS BY EXPANDING
THE HUMAN ELEMENT OF DIRECT-TO-FAN
SERVICE; Redeye Provides Its Artists And
Labels The Benefit Of Its Award-winning
Staff And Expansive Facilities
http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=125362

=> REVERBNATION & SOUNDEXCHANGE
PARTNER TO GET ARTISTS PAID; SoundExchange
Has Engaged ReverbNation To Educate Artists
And Labels Owed Royalties For Satellite,
Internet And Cable Play
http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=125361

=> BUG MUSIC SONGS IN 3Q '09 BILLBOARD
HOT 100 GROW BY 12% OVER 2Q '09; Company Ranks
#1 In 3Q Top Independent Publisher Spot For
Co-Published Songs In Billboard Top 10
Publisher Airplay Chart
http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=125360

=> 7DIGITAL'S INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION
CONTINUES WITH THE LAUNCH OF NEW DOWNLOAD
STORES IN FINLAND AND NORWAY; Partners At
Launch Include Spotify, Last.fm And AOL's Winamp
http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=125376

=> TRADEBIT.COM LAUNCHES NEW MUSIC
CONTENT THROUGH A PARTNERSHIP WITH
7DIGITAL; DRM-free Music Downloads With
No Registration
http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=125302

=> ATLANTIS INTERNET GROUP AND EMI
MUSIC PUBLISHING INK DEAL FOR JUKEBOX
SLOTS; The World's Largest Music Publishing
Company, EMI, To License Over 1.5 Million Songs
For Jukebox Slots
http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=125371

=> MU ENCOURAGES VENUES TO PUT ON
LIVE MUSIC WITHOUT A LICENCE; Premises
Can Put On Small Scale Live Music Without
Needing To Apply For A Licence
http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=125355

=> BIG APPLE STYLE MARKETING PARTNERS
WITH JAPAN MUSIC WEEK TO BECOME THEIR
INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL MEDIA LIAISON; Japan
Music Week Gears Up For Another Exciting Year
By Focusing On New Press And Sponsorship
Opportunities
http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=125324

=> SNOOP DOGG & VOICESKINS.COM ANNOUNCE
SNOOP'S TOMTOM GPS VOICE; Multiplatinum
Hip-Hop Artist Snoop Dogg Lends His Iconic
Voice And Distinctive "Snoop Speak" To TomTom
GPS Navigation Systems
http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=125318

=> FMG UK LTD: LIVE MUSIC VENUE TOPS
1/4 MILLION FANS; The Venue Recently Awarded
The Godiva Award For Best Live Performance
Venue
http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=125375

=> THE UK'S FIRST MUSIC PRICE
COMPARISON AND COMMUNITY SITE
LAUNCHED; Music-spy.com Saves Consumers
Money By Searching The Leading Music Stores
To Find The Best Prices For Songs And Albums
http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=125374

=> RCS AND PLAY MPE ENTER INTO GLOBAL
PARTNERSHIP; RCS Radio Clients Will Have
Access To New Music Powered By Play MPE Under
The Musicpoint Brand
http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=125373

=> LAWSUIT DEMANDS ANSWERS ABOUT
SOCIAL-NETWORKING SURVEILLANCE;
Government Agencies Withholding Information
On Data-Gathering From Facebook, Twitter, And
Other Online Communities
http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=125369

=> EUROPEAN BORDER BREAKERS AWARDS
LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE; The Online Voting
Starts For The New Public Choice EBBA On
The New EBBA Website
http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=125354

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MI2N LAUNCHES PR WRITING SERVICE

With a dozen years at the forefront of music PR, Mi2N
announced the launch of MI2N-PRESS. MI2N-PRESS provides
a complete PR solution for independent artists, labels
and music companies, including professional press
release writing and the option to combine the service
with selected Mi2N Music PR marketing packages for a
complete music-oriented press release service.

http://mi2n.com/services/mi2n_press.php3

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Follow MusicDish Tweets
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=> ROLAND SHIPS SP-404SX LINEAR WAVE
SAMPLER; This Offers 44.1kHz/16-Bit Sound
Quality, Improved DSP Effects, A More Versatile
Pattern Sequencer, And Easier Data Management
http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=125363

=> BLACK MIRROR REFLECTS ON THE FUTURE
WITH EUPHONIX; New, State-of-the-Art Recording
Studio Installs Two Euphonix Systems
http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=125353

=> SHAZAM LAUNCHES ENHANCED APPLICATION
ON OVI STORE BY NOKIA; New Version Offers Extra
Features, Unlimited Tagging And Integration With
Nokia Music Store
http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=125351

=> SECURENET SYSTEMS ANNOUNCES
NEW PLAYER CAPABILITIES FOR STREAMING
CUSTOMERS; Securenet Systems Has Just Released
Some New Radio Player Features For Streaming
Customers, Including The Ability To Stream
Live Or Pre-recorded Video
http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=125314

=> FIVE TOWNS COLLEGE PURCHASES 16
TELEFUNKEN MICROPHONES; Long Island's
Five Towns College Has Chosen 16 TELEFUNKEN
Elektroakustik Microphones For It's Recording
Studios And Sound Stages For Film And
Television
http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=125320

=> AVIOM'S A-16II PERSONAL MIXERS
KEEP ROCK BAND 'JUMP THE GUN' ON TARGET;
Independent Rock Group Jump The Gun Is Finding
Its Performances To Be Spot On With The Help Of
Aviom's Personal Mixers
http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=125335

=> GIBSON GUITAR AND PUDDLE OF MUDD JOIN
FORCES TO LAUNCH GIBSON'S DUSK TIGER, THE
MOST ASTOUNDING INNOVATION IN THE HISTORY
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National Day of Listening - Great Questions Generator

http://www.nationaldayoflistening.org/great-questions/

Great Questions

What was the happiest moment of your life?
What are you most proud of?
What are the most important lessons you've learned in life?
What is your earliest memory?
How would you like to be remembered?

Welcome to StoryCorps’ section devoted to great questions. You can use our Question Generator tool (below) to create a list of questions for your interview. You can also print out and use our great questions list.

The process takes about 15 minutes. Before you begin using the Question Generator, make sure you have either a valid email address or access to a printer on the computer you’re working on now, because you’ll have to print out the list when you’re done or have us email the list to you.

Let’s start with your basic information. (We’ll use this to customize your question list.)

Will you be talking to your interview partner about his or her life, or will you and your partner be remembering someone who has passed away?

"Kindle for PC" Now Available -- The Free Application for Reading Kindle Books Available

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"Kindle for PC" Now Available -- The Free Application for Reading Kindle Books Available on the PC Today for Readers Around the World

Latest Kindle application brings more than 360,000 Kindle books, including New York Times Bestsellers and New Releases, to the PC

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 10, 2009-- Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) today announced the availability of "Kindle for PC," the free application that lets readers around the world enjoy Kindle books on their personal computers (PC). The U.S. Kindle Store (www.amazon.com/kindlestore) currently offers more than 360,000 books, including New Releases and 101 of 112 New York Times Bestsellers, which are typically $9.99 or less. The Kindle Store is the only place to find some of today’s most popular books in digital format. Kindle books can now be read on the Kindle, Kindle DX, iPhone, iPod touch and PC. Kindle for PC is now available as a free download to readers in over 100 countries at www.amazon.com/KindleforPC.

Kindle for PC features Amazon’s Whispersync technology that automatically saves and synchronizes bookmarks and last page read across devices. Whether you read Kindle books on a Kindle, Kindle DX, or one of the free Kindle applications, you can always have your reading with you and never lose your place. With Kindle for PC, you can read some on your PC, read some on your Kindle, and always pick up right where you left off. Whispersync helped make the Kindle for iPhone application the most popular books app in the Apple App Store.

"Kindle for PC is the perfect companion application for customers who own a Kindle or Kindle DX," said Ian Freed, vice president, Amazon Kindle. "Kindle for PC is also a great way for people around the world to access a huge selection from the Kindle Store and read the most popular books of today even if they don’t yet have a Kindle."

With Kindle for PC, readers can take advantage of the following features:

* Purchase, download and read hundreds of thousands of books available in the Kindle Store
* Read the beginning of any book for free before they buy
* Access their library of previously purchased Kindle books stored on Amazon’s servers for free
* Read books in full color including children’s books, cookbooks, travel books, textbooks and graphic novels
* Choose from more than 10 different font sizes and adjust words per line
* Add and automatically synchronize bookmarks and last page read
* View notes and highlights marked on Kindle, Kindle DX, iPhone, and iPod touch
* Zoom in and out of text with a pinch of the fingers (Windows 7 users only)
* Turn pages with a finger swipe (available in a future release for Windows 7 users)

Microsoft demonstrated Kindle for PC for the first time ever at the Windows 7 launch event last month in New York City. Kindle for PC takes advantage of capabilities in the new Windows 7, including Windows Touch technology. In addition to Windows 7, Kindle for PC is also compatible with Windows XP and Windows Vista.

Kindle for PC is available for free download at www.amazon.com/KindleforPC.

About Amazon.com

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth's Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel; Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial.

Amazon Web Services provides Amazon’s developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon's own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business. Examples of the services offered by Amazon Web Services are Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2), Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), Amazon SimpleDB, Amazon Simple Queue Service (Amazon SQS), Amazon Flexible Payments Service (Amazon FPS), Amazon Mechanical Turk and Amazon CloudFront.

Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, and www.amazon.cn. As used herein, “Amazon.com,” “we,” “our” and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.

Source: Amazon.com, Inc.

Amazon media hotline, 206-266-7180

Droid - What's In A Name?

LIMON, CO (IFS) It is an ULTRA MASCULINE NAME that TURNS OFF WOMEN is the talk on the town about Verizon's new iPhone clone. It really makes a differences according to the most recent sales debut put at 200,00 plus units sold on the first day. Now comparing that to the iPhone debut -- it was in the millions. They say give it time.

Theodore Alexander Smith - Early Days of Polyfoam Construction

EXCERPTS FROM THE BOOK - MAGNET -THEODORE ALEXANDER SMITH

LIMON, CO (IFS) - It was once said, that if it was not for the impossible construction feats of Theodore Smith, many of us would not have a cellphone in our hands, but a tin can and string between us. Smith pioneered many of the construction standards in the early days of wireless tower construction and protocols in the industry that we just take for granted.
But everyone and everything has a beginning, and Smith was no exception.

Wireless Construction's once King of installation setups and Impossible Missions Expert, Professor Theodore Alexander Smith's demostration and Construction of then superstar writer and artist for the Rocky Mountain News building one of his first homes, and he 's having problems, with boulders, water and a mountain. One of the possibilities is using PolyFoam Construction, with great new inovations in the manufacturing process --back in the early days.

Among Smith's other accomplished first's included the new "Radical Design" when working in the engineering department of Boeing as an intern, at the age of 15 years old.

As told by his daughter, Sherry Smith, a retired VP from the Airborne days, ". . . Theodore was not helping.

He didn't know.

No inspiration.

Couldn't feel the spirit.

Spirit or no spirit, time was up.

It was now.

". . . I was told once by our crossing guard, a real gentleman sitting on the park bench in Rosamond, California waiting for the school bus, as a kid around the age of 10 years old. . . I was very late in turning in my class assignment. . ."I don't know what they wanted, or even what I wanted. . ."

No Clue. ". . .My picture was a must -- right now."

". . . We didn't even have enough money to buy thing like crayons, coloring pencils, with six brothers and sisters, from a box, each one of the children got two colors-- it was only once in a while that we got alot of art supplies and other fun stuff. Mother had some old brown shopping bags, that were really big sized. So she sit out a pair of scissors, and one of these brown bags.

The teacher was on her way to deliver them to the Kern County Fairgrounds Committee, and that was 75 mile drive on a two lane blacktop road , in the mountains, the grade at Techachapi Mountains -- The delivery trucks -- before the Eisenhower freeway systems.

The crossing guard was sitting there enjoying the evening sun, and Theodore began telling the elder about this painting he had to turn in. "He said, get you an old shopping bag. Just a piece of craft paper and anything, stove charcoal -- heck just start drawing. . . "

Within some time on it, the paper began to come alive.

As the young Smith got off the bus and walked into the dinning soom, there sit his teacher with cup in hand, and that look. After school came to the house and having coffee with Mrs. Rillie Louise Sellers-Smith, and she began to tell her that Theodore has refused to turn in a drawning. The Principal Dr J.A. Lawson was the Superindent of our small Southern Kern County School District school, and he wanted 100 PER CENT PARTICIPATION. The end.

So with the teacher sitting at the dinner table, drinking coffee, telling mother, that she was headed up to Bakersfield, and she need "Something" from Teddy. As she put it, "NOW!"

As every other family during those times as a kid, when a loaf of bread only costed Eight (8) cents. And a Taco Bell taco was only Fifteen (15) cents.

With two women sitting at the same table with a brown paper bag, some scissors, glue, and some art stuff. Theodore said, the talk with the senior began to play in his head. He said, "So, did you know that a Fool and a Genius usually sit side-by-side. He said, "One carries the books of knowledge in a sack on his back, while the other one is reading the books."

At that instant, the young Smith went to the house stove and dug into the ashes and came across some wood charcoal. He broke off several inches of this semi soft and yet very light and yet firm piece. One of his instructors in the art class was taking about Spain.

So that would be his subject.

With the charcoal, with Mother sister there and the teacher looking down at him, Theodore made several lines on to the cut brown paper bag, and after several shadowings and more curvy, straight lines, more shadowing and he was finished in five minutes.

The teacher had Teddy sign his drawing at the bottom of the picture, and she said that she would place it in a frame.

It's now two weeks later, Rosamond school grade kids had 100 per cent participation. Period.

50,000 grade school entries from every school district in Kern County. And Teddy's painting that he did on the brown paper shopping bag, was now in a frame and sitting out in front of every mom and dad in the county looking at Theodore's drawing.

The first drawing picked the winners from each school distrcit, and Teddy was the winner for the Kern County Schools District to represent the entry to the California State Arts Festival.

On The last day of the two weeks of the State Fair, Theodore's Charcoal painting of a Spanish Galleon took the State's first Prize for this age group. After that, his teacher never asked Theodore for another drawing. He had received an A plus for the school year.

Elected two times from the Kern County School District to the California State band under the direction of Zabin Meta, as the groups conductor.

This film shows Professor Smith at the Home and Garden Show in 1993, demostrating the product. Short film by SDC Pictures.

Gov. Palin Gets It Wrong Again

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Denver (IFS) - Governor Palin just keeps getting it wrong, time after time. Remember she called Canidate Obama a person who "hung-out" with terrorists and all sorts of crazy names during the election. She always wants to exploit both sides of the argument, or at least dominate them to her advantage. Mr. Letterman's joke was about the "nothing" -- but Palin wants to tie it to her youngest kid -- a big stretch Governor!

AOL Spin-Off

Time Warner Approves AOL Spin-Off

By Zachary Rodgers , May 28, 2009

Earlier this year, Time Warner took the first steps toward spinning off AOL. Yesterday the board endorsed that plan and authorized CEO Jeff Bewkes to move forward to jettison its Web advertising and Internet access businesses.

After a separation, AOL would be an independent, publicly traded company. It would consist of a dial-up access business that is still among the largest in the U.S.; the AOL.com portal and other in-house properties such as Bebo and TMZ; and ad network Platform-A, which boasts a greater than 90 percent reach among U.S. Web users, according to Comscore.

"The separation will be another critical step in the reshaping of Time Warner that we started at the beginning of last year," Bewkes said in a statement. "The separation will also provide both companies with greater operational and strategic flexibility."

For advertisers, who were exposed to few if any synergies between AOL and other Time Warner businesses, the changes resulting from a spin-off will likely be few.

However, AOL CEO Tim Armstrong is reportedly preparing some significant structural transformations at the company, including the creation of a Ventures unit to house the company's Bebo social networking platform and other recently acquired sites and services. According to BoomTown, the new unit is meant to attract outside investments.

Armstrong stated AOL will leverage its independent status to accelerate its recruiting efforts. "We play in a very competitive landscape and will be using our new status to retain and attract top talent," he said. "Although we have a tremendous amount of work to do, we have a global brand, a committed team of people, and a passion for the future of the Web."

As part of the preparations for a spin-off Time Warner will re-acquire the 5 percent of the AOL business it sold to Google in 2006. The remaining 95 percent of AOL already belongs to Time Warner shareholders. Time Warner said it hopes to complete the legal and structural separation of AOL by end of year.

Back to Article

H1N1 Upclose

By Tina Hesman Saey Friday, May 22nd, 2009

Components of the H1N1 swine flu virus have been circulating undetected for years, but the virus combines the bits and pieces in a way never before seen, a detailed genetic analysis reveals.

The analysis, published online May 22 in Science, pinpoints the origins of each of the virus’s components. It suggests that current influenza vaccines probably won’t provide protection from the virus, but that the virus is susceptible to some antiviral drugs and will be amenable to new vaccine development. A separate study of the virus’s neuraminidase protein (the N in H1N1), published May 20 in Biology Direct, also shows that the virus is sensitive to some drugs but that parts of the protein important for vaccine development and antibody therapies are already changing.

Pigs are the likely origin of the virus, says Nancy Cox, chief of the influenza division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta and a coauthor of the Science paper. But it is still unclear whether the virus jumped directly from pigs into humans or infected an intermediate host first.

In the United States, 6,552 probable and confirmed cases of H1N1 influenza, including nine deaths and more than 300 hospitalizations, have been reported to the CDC as of May 22, says Anne Schuchat, CDC’s interim deputy director for the science and public health program. But public health officials estimate that more than 100,000 Americans may have already been infected with the virus.

Overall the number of new cases in the United States is falling, Schuchat says, but the virus is still active in some pockets of the country and is expected to produce more new cases over the summer. “We don’t want people to think we’re out of the woods yet,” she says. “It could come back in the fall in the worst way.”

CDC is already testing two candidate vaccine viruses and expects to send the viruses to manufacturers by the end of May, Schuchat says.

Genetic analysis of the new H1N1 virus reveals that three of its genes, including the hemagglutinin gene (the H in H1N1), originally came from the 1918 Spanish influenza virus and have been present in pigs ever since. The genes have not changed much, likely because pigs do not live long enough to get reinfected with the same virus, Cox says. Reinfection would have favored changes that could have allowed the virus to evade the immune system. Now that the virus has entered humans, researchers expect it to mutate at the same rate as currently circulating seasonal influenzas.

The new virus does not contain the genetic changes thought to have helped the 1918 flu virus and the H5N1 virus (avian flu) adapt to humans, the researchers report. That means that other genetic components of the new virus must be responsible for its ability to pass from person to person.

Both studies find that the closest relative of H1N1’s neuraminidase gene is from a Eurasian swine flu virus that probably leaped from birds to pigs in about 1979.

The new virus differs in 21 of 387 amino acids from the H5N1 virus and the 1918 Spanish flu (also an H1N1 virus), researchers from Singapore’s Agency for Science and Technology Research report in the study in Biology Direct. Viruses isolated from patients during the first two weeks of the current outbreak already have changes on the outer surface on the neuraminidase protein that could interfere with antibodies against the virus or alter the effectiveness of future vaccines. But none of the changes have altered the parts of the protein targeted by antiviral drugs, such as Tamiflu or Relenza.

mmm

Broncos' Jay Cutler says he can't trust McDaniels

DENVER (IFS) - The Colorado Rockies head coach Clint Hurdle said it best. "You have got to be truthful, clear and direct". Mr. McDaniels has lost the handle to directing the Broncos, and they have yet to play a scrimmage game. This is going to be one hellva season in D-Town. Denver may get to .500 again -- but most likely - NOT! Yes, these guys make loads of money, and they are still kids. Very fragile and you can hurt their feelings. But the last straw, it's still the respect clause. No matter what, you have got to respect the people that you are working with. If Bowlen and McDaniels wanted to trade Cutler in the beginning, they should have called him up and told him -- that he's on the trading block. Not problem. But Cutler found out on a TV news show -- not man-to-man. He was disrespected and one can not blame him. The only other problem that Denver is going to have, is when Jay Cutler is in another uniform and is across the line of scrimmage and it's a vital game for Denver -- the Broncos will loose. Cutler should sit out this year until Mike Shanahan gets his new team and go there. If you watched the movie "Any Given Sunday", when the coach left town, he took the starting QB with him. Look out now! -KHS
---------------------

By Chris Mortensen
ESPN.com

Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler said Sunday night he has formally asked Denver to trade him and confirmed that a Saturday meeting with first-year coach Josh McDaniels ended badly from his perspective, while McDaniels offered another viewpoint on Sunday night. "I went in there with every intention of solving the issue, being a Bronco, moving forward as a Bronco," Cutler said. "We weren't in there but about 20 minutes, [McDaniels] did most of the talking and as far as I'm concerned, he made it clear he wants his own guy. He admitted he wanted Matt Cassel because he said he has raised him up from the ground as a quarterback. He said he wasn't sorry about it. He made it clear that he could still entertain trading me because, as he put it, he'll do whatever he feels is in the best interest of the organization.

	Jay Cutler said while new Denver coach Josh McDaniels hasn't been critical of him, Cutler can no longer trust McDaniels.

"At the end of the meeting, he wasn't like, 'Jay, I want you as our quarterback, you're our guy.' It felt like the opposite. He basically said that I needed to tell him if we can't work this out, to let him know," Cutler added. "I thought he was antagonizing me and that was disappointing because I was ready to move on, committed as a Bronco. Really, I figured we'd hash things out, shake hands, laugh a little and move forward. What happened [Saturday] was the last thing I expected. If I didn't think it could be fixed, I never would have come back to Denver. It was painfully obvious to me and Bus [Cook, his agent] it's not something they want to fix." Consequently, Cutler instructed Cook, who also attended the meeting, to formally request a trade. The quarterback said he left town late Sunday and would skip McDaniels' first (nonmandatory) team meeting Monday as the Broncos begin their offseason program. "The Denver Broncos confirm that Jay Cutler has requested a trade," team spokesman Jim Saccomano told The Associated Press on Monday. Broncos owner Pat Bowlen told The Denver Post on Sunday that he was disappointed with how Cutler has handled the situation. In a telephone interview with ESPN, McDaniels was reluctantly expansive on the story. "I really have wanted to avoid a he-said, she-said thing but it's only fair for us to present the Bronco side of the story rather than let things get taken out of context," McDaniels said. "There's been a pattern here for the past two weeks the way things [have been represented] in our communications. I don't think anything that happened [Saturday] was out of the ordinary. At the end of the meeting, Jay said he had thought about things quite a bit and requested a few more hours to mull things over. He said he wanted to talk to Bus on how to proceed. He was gonna call me on my cell phone and that never happened. Instead, Bus called [GM] Brian [Xanders]. "Again, I think that's been a pattern. I couldn't get [Cutler] to talk to me for two weeks or to talk to Mr. Bowlen. Then when he came here this weekend, we couldn't get a one-on-one meeting, just me and him alone. He wanted Bus in there, so I had Brian sit in, too. And it was the four of us. There wasn't any yelling, none of that. I can't believe we get to a totally different [interpretation]. "It's an unfortunate set of circumstances that has cropped up, a potential distraction and we've done our best to limit that. The main message I want to get out is that we're excited to start our offseason program [Monday]. It's an exciting time for us." Cutler was not present for Monday's team meeting. "I certainly went back there, expecting I'd be there [Monday] but not now," Cutler said. "It's not mandatory. I'll attend every mandatory minicamp and training camp but that's it. Really, it's best for me to move on. As Coach said, he needs every eye in the meeting room to be on him and not me." McDaniels briefly addressed his broiling quarterback controversy when he gathered his team as a group for the first time Monday morning. "He just addressed it and said, 'I'll take care of it," recounted defensive lineman Kenny Peterson. As McDaniels pointed out, Cutler had a completely different expectation when he left their private meeting on Saturday. Cutler said: "You know, even after the meeting, I hung around town, kind of expecting him to call me and say, 'Hey, let's just me and you get away and have lunch or a cup of coffee' and mend things, but that didn't happen. So, I get it, really, it's a business. I'm disappointed because I love being a Bronco but I think it's run its course." Cutler denied recent reports that he had asked to be traded when the Broncos fired offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates. "Yes, I was upset when they let Jeremy go because Mr. Bowlen had assured me when Mike [Shanahan] was fired that the offense wouldn't change because it was the second-ranked offense in football," Cutler said. "But I didn't push for a trade then." McDaniels and Cutler agreed on at least one element of the controversy, knocking down a Sunday report on NFL Network that the coach had criticized the quarterback's play in 2008. "That just isn't true," McDaniels said. "Not a word has been said about that." Cutler added: "Josh has never said anything negative to me about my play or anything else, for that matter." McDaniels admitted that the team got involved in trade discussions for Cassel, who instead was dealt to the Kansas City Chiefs. However, he said any perception Cutler felt that the team could still trade him was misleading. "That's what we have communicated ever since the deal with Cassel didn't happen," McDaniels said. "Other teams have called but we're not interested in getting draft picks for Jay. I never made a statement [Saturday] that 'you can be traded at any time.' They asked a question and I told them it was the time of year when people inquire about your team. Your job, as a head coach and general manager, is to listen and not bypass any opportunity to help your team improve. I think most people [in the NFL] feel the same way. You make smart, educated decisions that are best for your football team." Cutler feels like McDaniels lost his credibility with him when he initially denied to the quarterback that the Broncos tried to acquire Cassel only to admit it later. "Before this trade for Cassel thing ever came up, in the two weeks or so I had spent with McDaniels, he was basically telling me that he came to Denver because he wanted to coach me and that we needed to trust each other," Cutler said. "He's never been critical to me. But trust now? How can I trust him now?" He also explained that his house being put up for sale was "nothing more than a coincidence." "I had already shown my house privately to some interested buyers a couple of months ago," Cutler said. "I've really been looking to buy 40 to 70 acres of land there." As for ignoring phone calls from McDaniels and Bowlen, Cutler said: "Josh and I have exchanged text messages. We had a conference call. And if Pat wanted to speak to me, why didn't he come to the meeting on Saturday?" Cutler will miss out on a $100,000 bonus if he doesn't attend 90 percent of the workouts. Cutler is entering the fourth season of a six-year, $48 million contract he signed as a rookie. Even though it's voluntary, the coaches expect everyone to attend the team's offseason program unless players have an excused absence such as newcomer Brian Dawkins, who helped the NFL Players Association elect a new executive director in Hawaii on Sunday. "Right now we're just running and lifting," Peterson said. "You'd like to see everybody here. ... But we'll be all right. I mean, I got faith in the people upstairs and everything else that we'll be just fine." The Broncos' first minicamp is April 17-19, a week before the draft. Newly signed cornerback Andre' Goodman said McDaniels asked the players not to talk about what he said in the meeting regarding Cutler. Still, there was a major void in the room with Cutler missing, Goodman said. "I think the quarterback is the face of the team," Goodman said. "You take the coach out of it and he is the face of the team." Cook said that as an agent he was "totally in shock" that it has gotten so ugly. "I would have bet my house going into Saturday's meeting that everyone would be shaking hands and smiling," Cook said. "I thought it was going to get worked out. But it was very clear to me that Jay Cutler is not their choice to be quarterback of that team." Yet Cook admitted that when he called Xanders to request a trade on Saturday night, the team's general manager said it wasn't going to happen and that "Jay should show up Monday." That wasn't going to happen, either.

Chris Mortensen is a senior NFL analyst for ESPN. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

U.S. pays millions to help Mexico fight vicious cartels

By Ramon Bracamontes / El Paso Times

Posted: 02/07/2009 11:01:52 PM MSTEL PASO - Mexico's vicious drug war - a bloody conflict that has claimed the lives of thousands of people throughout the country - is now costing U.S. taxpayers $465 million so far.

Whether the U.S. will get a return on the investment is the topic of a fiery debate. Locally, some say the so-called Merida Initiative, which will provide $1.4 billion to Mexico and other countries over three years, will not do enough to help reduce the violence that is crippling Mexico and border cities like Juárez.

Others say the U.S. has no business spending one dime in Mexico and argue that improving security along the U.S.-Mexico border should be the priority.

Now, the United States has a $465 million stake in Mexico's brutal drug war.
Whether that is enough or merited remains a point of contention. Some El Paso officials want the U.S. to do more because the violence is beginning to cripple Juárez and, to a lesser degree, El Paso.

As of last month, the U.S. began spending the $465 million that Congress approved last year in the Merida Initiative, a three-year counter-drug and anti-crime package for Mexico and Central America.

Most of the money, $400 million, will be spent on scanners, helicopters, boats and computers in Mexico. Mexican President Felipe Calderón is trying to implement systemic changes he hopes will change a culture that permits powerful drug cartels to thrive.

Mexico's ambassador to the U.S., Arturo Sarukhan, strongly rebuts any insinuation that Mexico isn't sound or is on the verge of collapsing, as some U.S. military officials claim. Mexican officials make it clear that the Merida plan is a joint cooperating agreement, not the U.S. stepping in.
Wait-and-see approach

Overall, the Merida Initiative, as proposed by the Bush administration, will spend $1.4 billion on initiatives in Mexico over three years. However, only $465 million has been approved, and several congressmen have said they want to see how the first phase goes before they approve spending any more money to help Mexico fight the cartels.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said he is extremely concerned about the rising violence in Mexican border towns and its dangerous implications for Texas border towns.
"He is currently examining ways to best use federal resources to quell border violence and keep families and businesses in El Paso and all border communities safe," said Jessica Sandlin, Cornyn's Texas press secretary. "He supports assisting the Mexican government in fighting narco-terrorism due to its serious implications for our national security but believes any U.S. assistance should be grounded by strict accountability measures to ensure those funds are being used effectively and responsibly."

Before any money is spent, the U.S. Department of State produced several reports justifying the use of the money. One report issued in January by the Congressional Research Service states that the U.S. has a shared responsibility for combating crime in Mexico because 90 percent of the cocaine consumed in the United States moves through Mexico.

"The Merida Initiative envisions strengthening and integrating security from the U.S. Southwest border to Panama," the federal report states. "The desired end state is to produce a safer and more secure hemisphere where criminal organizations no longer wield the power to destabilize governments nor threaten national and regional security and public safety; as well as to prevent the entry and spread of illicit drugs."

In December, the United States and Mexico signed a letter of agreement allowing $197 million in Merida funds to be disbursed. While President Barack Obama has not officially said whether he will continue to support the Merida plan, the fact he met with Calderón before his inauguration bodes well for future funding, officials said.

"It supports the systemic change that President Calderón is after," said William McGlynn, deputy assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement.

Goals of initiative

The International Narcotics and Law Enforcement bureau of the U.S. State Department is assigned to oversee most of the Merida Initiative money.

McGlynn said the initiative does not call for sending cash or U.S. troops into those countries. All of the money will be used on products bought in the U.S. or on programs the State Department can monitor.

The initiative has four principal goals:
Break the power of criminal organizations.

Help Mexican and Central American governments strengthen their borders and air and sea controls.

Improve justice systems in the region.

Curtail gang activity in Mexico and Central America, and diminish the demand for drugs in the region."This is Mexico's plan, not ours," McGlynn said. "A lot of the tactics and techniques in the Merida Plan are theirs, not ours. We are just supporting what Calderón is doing."

McGlynn said the main reason the U.S. chose to help Mexico is that Calderón is already spending $3 billion of Mexico's money to combat the cartels. And Calderón asked for help.
"The U.S. and Mexico now have a different relationship," he said. "This is the top priority for Mexico right now. It will take a long time for the system to change, but this has not been done before."

Ray Walser, a public policy analyst with the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., said that anyone who expects this three-year plan to change the historically corrupt culture in Mexico is expecting too much.

"It is not designed to do that," he said. "But it is a start that will tip the balance of that country in the direction we want it to go. Ending the corruption in that country will be a long battle, but the process is starting."

U.S. Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, said he would rather see all of the money in the Merida Initiative used on the U.S. side of the border to help the Border Patrol and Texas border sheriffs. He is from Houston.

"It is inexcusable, it is intolerable for us to send one dime to the Mexican government when they can afford to pay for this equipment themselves," Culberson said. "But even more importantly than that, our southern border is not secure."

No immediate relief

El Paso city Rep. Beto O'Rourke does not question the use of the money in Mexico or the plan's strategic goal. His concern is that the plan does not provide any immediate relief and does nothing to quickly end the violence.

More than 1,800 people in Juárez have been killed in the past 13 months. Officials estimate that 93 percent of those slain had ties to the cartels. In Mexico, more than 6,000 people have been killed so far.

"The implication that we are not going to do anything, that we are going to let the cartels duke it out is unbelievable especially when innocent people are being killed, businesses are being extorted and everyday Juarenses are being kidnapped," O'Rourke said. "We know the violence is affecting more than just the cartels."

And it will soon affect El Paso, if it hasn't already, officials said. More than 54,000 jobs in El Paso are directly connected to Juárez.

Raymond McGrath, the U.S. consul general in Juárez, said the seriousness of the problem in Juárez is easily evident and increasing daily. As an example, McGrath said, in 2007, Juárez officials were concerned because more than 300 murders had occurred. It was a number they found unacceptable at that time.

"That murder number has quintupled," said McGrath, whose office provides security updates to U.S. officials. "Not only has the murder rate increased dramatically, the level of violence has created an environment in which other forms of criminality have been increasing."

Daily life for the 1.2 million people in Juárez has been disrupted, he said.

"People are going to school and work and back home and that is it," he said. "If they go shopping, they shop for the basics and nothing else. They are not going out at night and they are staying indoors."

He said the service industry has been affected the most. Restaurants are mostly empty, and the occupancy rate for hotels is less than 40 percent.

Bob Cook, president of El Paso Regional Economic Development Corp., which recruits businesses to this region, said the drug violence now comes up in every conversation that his office has with out-of-town companies.

"One hundred percent of the time, the Juárez violence comes up," he said. "And they are now taking an extra 90 to 120 days before deciding if they come here. They are concerned and doing risk assessment, but they have yet to say no to coming to this area.

"Strong commerce is taking place, but we need (the violence) to stop because what is happening is not sustainable."

More being done

U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, who met with Calderón in January, said the Merida Initiative does as much as it can within the limits placed on it by the Mexican government.
"I can assure you that the U.S. government is not sitting on its hands doing nothing," he said. "There aren't any guarantees that we are going to eliminate the drug cartels and the problems. But everything that we can do, we are doing."

Reyes, chairman of the House intelligence committee, also said that more is being done by the U.S. than what has been made public, but that he is not at liberty to talk about it. Reyes also said that he knows how much in aid, programs and equipment is coming to the U.S.-Mexico border as part of the Merida plan, but he cannot talk about that either.

Luis Garcia, a retired INS district director who once was to be stationed in Mexico, said the Merida plan is coming at the right time because systemic changes are occurring in Mexico. He bases his observation on the fact that the relationship between U.S. and Mexican agencies has changed in the past 25 years.

The two countries are now cooperating and talking daily, a change from when he was a federal agent.

"Relationships between the two countries before were based on personal relationships," Garcia said. "It was based on who knew each other, not on who was in office. Now, those relationships are institutionalized. All the agencies work together; they talk and work to solve problems.
"This plan is a start, a step in the right direction."

Ramon Bracamontes may be reached at rbracamontes@elpasotimes.com; 546-6142.

Merida money

In June 2008, the 110th Congress appropriated $465 million in supplemental assistance for Mexico, Central America, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic.

On Dec. 3, 2008, the United States and Mexico signed a letter of agreement, allowing $197 million in Merida funds to be disbursed.

Since President Felipe Calderón took office in December 2006, Mexico has increased security spending to $4 billion.

The Bush Administration designed the Merida Initiative as a $1.4 billion, three-year counter-drug and anti-crime package for Mexico and Central America that would begin in fiscal year 2008 and last through fiscal year 2010.

Funding for 2010 has not been approved.

2 big satellites collide 500 miles over Siberia

By MARCIA DUNN,
AP Aerospace Writer Marcia Dunn,
Ap Aerospace Writer – 2 hrs 1 min ago

AP – CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Two big communications satellites collided in the first-ever crash of its kind in orbit, shooting out a pair of massive debris clouds and posing a slight risk to the international space station.

NASA said it will take weeks to determine the full magnitude of the crash, which occurred nearly 500 miles over Siberia on Tuesday.

"We knew this was going to happen eventually," said Mark Matney, an orbital debris scientist at Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASA believes any risk to the space station and its three astronauts is low. It orbits about 270 miles below the collision course. There also should be no danger to the space shuttle set to launch with seven astronauts on Feb. 22, officials said, but that will be re-evaluated in the coming days.
A spokesman for the Russian civilian space agency Roscosmos, Alexander Vorobyev, said on state-controlled Channel I television that "for the international space station, at this time and in the near future, there's no threat."

The collision involved an Iridium commercial satellite, which was launched in 1997, and a Russian satellite launched in 1993 and believed to be nonfunctioning. The Russian satellite was out of control, Matney said.

The Iridium craft weighed 1,235 pounds, and the Russian craft nearly a ton.
No one has any idea yet how many pieces were generated or how big they might be.
"Right now, they're definitely counting dozens," Matney said. "I would suspect that they'll be counting hundreds when the counting is done."

As for pieces the size of micrometers, the count will likely be in the thousands, he added.
This was the first high-speed impact between two intact spacecraft, NASA officials said.
There have been four other cases in which space objects have collided accidentally in orbit, NASA said. But those were considered minor and involved parts of spent rockets or small satellites.

Nicholas Johnson, an orbital debris expert at the Houston space center, said the risk of damage from Tuesday's collision is greater for the Hubble Space Telescope and Earth-observing satellites, which are in higher orbit and nearer the debris field.

At the beginning of this year there were roughly 17,000 pieces of manmade debris orbiting Earth, Johnson said. The items, at least 4 inches in size, are being tracked by the U.S. Space Surveillance Network, which is operated by the military. The network detected the two debris clouds created Tuesday.

Litter in orbit has increased in recent years, in part because of the deliberate breakups of old satellites. It's gotten so bad that orbital debris is now the biggest threat to a space shuttle in flight, surpassing the dangers of liftoff and return to Earth. NASA is in regular touch with the Space Surveillance Network, to keep the space station a safe distance from any encroaching objects, and shuttles, too, when they're flying.

"The collisions are going to be becoming more and more important in the coming decades," Matney said.

Iridium Holdings LLC has a system of 65 active satellites that relay calls from portable phones that are about twice the size of a regular mobile phone. It has more than 300,000 subscribers. The U.S. Department of Defense is one of its largest customers.

The company said the loss of the satellite was causing brief, occasional outages in its service and that it expected to have the problem fixed by Friday.

Iridium also said it expected to replace the lost satellite with one of its eight in-orbit spares within 30 days.

"The Iridium constellation is healthy, and this event is not the result of a failure on the part of Iridium or its technology," the company said in a statement.

Initially launched by Motorola Inc. in the 1990s, Iridium plunged into bankruptcy in 1999. Private investors relaunched service in 2001.

Iridium satellites are unusual because their orbit is so low and they move so fast. Most communications satellites are in much higher orbits and don't move relative to each other, which means collisions are rare.

Iridium Holdings LLC, is owned by New York-based investment firm Greenhill & Co. through a subsidiary, GHL Acquisition Corp., which is listed on the American Stock Exchange. The shares closed Wednesday down 3 cents at $9.28.
___
AP science writer Seth Borenstein in Washington and AP technology writer Peter Svensson in New York contributed to this report.
___
On the Net:
NASA: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_sc/storytext/satellite_collision/30936877/SIG=10lb6edco/*http://www.nasa.gov

Open Letter to: Rachael Maddow c/o MSNBC and Others From Gene Zelinger

Open Letter to: Rachael Maddow c/o MSNBC and Others From Gene Zelinger

Denver (IFS) This email and letter was addressed to Rachael Maddow by one of Colorado leading judges (back in the 1970-80's). But first, equal time. If you have never seen Ms. Maddow's show or listen to her on radio -- below get a chance to know a little bit about her.

Rachel Maddow

Host, "The Rachel Maddow Show"

msnbc.com

updated 4:48 p.m. MT, Wed., Aug. 20, 2008

Rachel Maddow hosts MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show,” featuring Maddow’s take on the biggest stories of the day, political and otherwise, including lively debate with guests from all sides of the issues, in-depth analysis and stories no other shows in cable news will cover. Maddow also continues to host “The Rachel Maddow Show” on Air America.

In January of 2008, Maddow was named an MSNBC political analyst; she is a regular panelist on MSNBC’s “Race for the White House with David Gregory” and a frequent contributor on “Countdown with Keith Olbermann.” She has been the regular guest host for "Countdown," has filled in for David Gregory on "Race," and has been a regular panelist on MSNBC's 2008 election coverage.

Maddow has worked with Air America Radio since its inception in the spring of 2004. Prior to joining AAR she worked for WRNX in Holyoke, Massachusetts, and WRSI in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Maddow received a bachelor’s degree in public policy from Stanford University. She earned her doctorate in political science at Oxford University, which she attended on a Rhodes Scholarship. She is currently working on a book on the changing role of the military in U.S. politics, due out next year. She lives in New York City and Massachusetts with her partner, artist Susan Mikula.

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Exclusive to IFS - Denver

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Open Letter to: Rachael Maddow c/o MSNBC and Others From Gene Zelinger

Dear Rachael

I'm writing this as self therapy 'cause I have to. It's a bonus if anything good comes of it and at least I've done something.

I intimately understand the Jewish plight and I absolutely oppose what they and their supporters are doing to the Palestinians and their neighbors.

This is my background which I don't believe is unique for many American Jews.

I was born in 1936.

My dad was born in Poland and my mother's parents, with whom we lived, came here from Russia. I was raised and had my Bar Mitzvah in an orthodox Jewish community in West Denver.

Prior to to WW2 my family got lots of mail from family in Russia and Poland. By ages 5-7 not so much, and by the Wars end my European family, with exception of great uncle Hummel who escaped to Palestine, had been eliminated by Nazis.

Growing up I was told by Jews that Jews are better and smarter. It took till my 1st year at Colorado University to realize what a load of crap that was. I experienced anti-Semitism, name calling, etc. We could not own homes in some places, join country or athletic clubs, or stay in many hotels.

I was taught that more than 5,600 years ago my people, led by Moses entered the Land of Canaan, the "Holy Land", where they lived in peace until they went on to destroy holy places of the original inhabitants. Later, the sons of Abraham split into Jew and Arab (Muslim) and resulting conflict is without end.

In WW2 six million European Jews surrendered to the Nazis and were exterminated. So this might not happen again, around the end of WW2 with major funding by the American Zionist Organization some Jews formed a militant group bent on taking Palestine away from the Palestinians by any means to form the Jewish State of Israel.

I think this group includes the father of Rahal Emanuel, the chief advisor to President Elect Obama, which makes me fearful of the influence he might have re. the Israeli Palestinian problem.

The English Empire in 1948, maybe out of guilt or negative World opinion from its refusal to save the European Jews by accepting Hitler's offer to allow Jews to emigrate to England during WW2, gave Palestine to the surviving Jews.

The rub was it was inhabited. The Jews went on to attack, displace and take Palestine from Palestinians.

Some of the Palestinians capitulated. Others with aid of neighboring Arab states fought back several times against the Zionists. Jewish money, the will of the Jewish survivors and vastly superior US arms defeated the Palestinians.

Palestinians were displaced and forced to live in refugee camps in other countries as second class citizens. The UN attempted to resolve conflict by dividing the country and gave Palestinians less than l/3d (Gaza and the West bank) and Israel the rest. Even so, hard-liners on both sides have refused compromise.

Jews have always faced discrimination in Christian countries. Many Christians, if not most, believe Jews killed their God. Likely Christian countries support Israel in part because in doing so Jews living in Israel at least don't live in their Christian countries.

Others love to see Jews and Muslims killing each other. Financially, it might be said that the continuing conflict is a God-sent to the Industrial-Military Complex. So Israeli Jews are given total carte-blanche no matter how insane their actions and any who oppose them are labeled terrorists.

Seems to me that Israel has and continues to commit acts of terrorism amounting to Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes. I believe Gaza and the West Bank are now ghettos. There is no way an even playing field exists. The US gives more aid to Israel than any other country in the world.

It provides it with the newest, most powerful and lethal weapons it has and would come to its aid militarily if needed. Israel is highly industrialized, a major weapon producer itself and a producer of nuclear bombs. The Palestinians are extremely poor, nearly without weapons and without outside support.

Israel has dealt with neighboring countries by bombing them and UN observation posts; by killing peace keepers; humanitarian and aid workers; by dropping cluster bombs which leave behind land mine type explosives that cause injuries to and kill civilians for a long time thereafter, by treating other people inhumanely; and all the while illegally taking and settling their lands.

In the present Gaza situation it was Israel that first broke the Egyptian brokered cease fire by entering Gaza and killing Palestinians before Hammas and the Gaza victims retaliated with rockets. This occurred even after Hammas agreed to join Fah-Ta in the West Bank and other Arab countries in unconditionally

recognizing Israel's right to exist if Israel would agree to retreat to 1967 International borders and legitimately negotiate with them. Hammas prevented nearly all rocket attacks against Israel during the cease fire even though Israel continued its blockade and continued fathering misery upon Gaza civilians including withholding food, supplies, medication, water, fuel and electricity and the right to exit.

Since Israel began its current attack against the people in Gaza, although not entirely proven, it likely killed humanitarian aid workers during three hour "cease fires for humanitarian relief."

It instructed civilians including women and children to go to "a safe place" a school, then destroyed it killing some of those who fled there for safety. After lying by blaming Hammas for firing rockets from the school and presenting phony evidence, Israel in lieu of indisputable evidence to the contrary had to admit the lie.

Then Israel then said it accidentally missed its target and hit the school all the while bragging about and televising how accurate its weapons are, capable of hitting targets within feet of where aimed. It might be illegally using white phosphorous in heavily populated areas including refugee camps to bum the flesh of civilians and might be using experimental weapons that tear flesh and limbs from humans. It won't permit civilians to get out of Gaza to save their lives. If Israel was not tying and committing atrocities I think it would want independent journalists in Gaza as proof but instead it has prevented their entrance into Gaza.

I support all peoples' right to live in peace. I do not support terrorism. I don't like, but I understand the reason for the present rocket attacks against Israel Jews were victims of Hitler, but the Israelis have way over reacted and are responsible for the Palestinian's current retaliation.

I recognize that many of my people and others totally disagree with me and many blindly support Israel. It may be there are two sides, but I don't see it. I have personally experienced the plight of my people and support their need to have a Jewish homeland but I think their actions may have blown their right to this one.

Israel seems addicted to power and like an addict is completely out of control. The USA enables it. There needs to be an intervention.

If the USA doesn't intervene and force Israel to make peace, as only it can, the situation may well bring Iran and other Arab countries to the aid of the of their fellow Muslims which in turn might lead to deadly conflicts throughout the Middle-East involving the USA in still another war.

I also realize that Pakistan and Russia are friendly to Iran and along with Israel are nuclear powers with missile launching capabilities. This thing might well be Armageddon. The religious Right could have its dream fulfilled. Look out Sarah Palin, Alaska here I come.

I really enjoy watching you on your MSNBC show and I think you are exceptionally brilliant, talented and entertaining. Your show is relatively new and I write this because I fear you have inadvertently contributed to a situation dangerous to us all.

I watched with disappointment as you presented Senior NBC correspondent Richard Engel as an impartial reporter and I listened to his one sided, inaccurate, and partially untrue report on Gaza.

He blamed only Hammas, neglecting to say anything about Israel's aggression, inhumanity or overreaction. He accurately said the Hammas Charter called for extinction of Israel but left out its current change of position, all the while implying that only Hammas broke the cease fire. This kind of bull dung is all over lie TV and and a real need exists for fairness, impartiality and transparency.

You, Rachael Maddow, have quite a following and a large Main Stream audience which I believe is greater than Amy Goodman's and Juan Gonzales' Democracy Now, the War and Peace Report, the only fair and honest TV News program I know. By your full and honest reporting of all sides of the issue, informing, thus enlisting your audience's help, the word might just get out to President Elect Obama, appointed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the rest of the proposed cabinet members and advisors, all of whom seem to blindly support Israel. Thereby, maybe an unimaginable disaster may be averted. I think you have the power if only you are willing to use it.

At this point neither you or Kieth Oberman seem to want to squariy report on the issue if at all and what is discussed are the Obama appointments and the economy. None of this will really matter much if the Earth's inhabitants are nuked or fallout destroys life on the planet- RACHAEL MADDOW, YOU COULD HELP SAVE OUR WORLD!! Help! Please! I wish you only the best.

With love in my heart, l am

Yours sincerely,

Gene Zelinger

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