Here are two Gallup polls which I found very interesting:

Leading as the people with the most negative emotions in the world, are Middle Easterners. Countries such as Iraq, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Turkey: http://www.gallup.com/poll/155045/Middle-East-Leads-World-Negative-Emotions.aspx

Leading as the most positive people in the world, are Latin Americans. Countries such as Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, El Salvador: http://www.gallup.com/poll/159254/latin-americans-positive-world.aspx

To what do you think the positive outlooks and/or negative emotions are due? Latin countries are among the poorest, and have tremendous political conflicts and upheavals. Wouldn't you think they'd be very negative? Clearly it's not wealth and stability in their countries that makes them positive, since they don't have that.

What about religion? How about family ties? What about neighbors? Where does laughter come into this, and forgiveness? What about rules? Some countries have strict, rigid rules, such as Iran and other Middle Eastern countries, where punishment is carried out routinely for "transgressions."

Do countries have a personality? I think each country does. Some countries are naturally morose and see little humor in anything.

Here's what I keep hearing from gun-fetishists:

1. But guns help me defend myself against guns!

2. If shooters can’t get guns, people will just start building bombs to kill people, so why ban guns?

3. The framers’ intention with the 2nd Amendment was so we could own guns, and no other reasons.

4. Most people who buy guns are collectors, just like people who collect salt and pepper shakers and teddy bears.

5. The shooter at Sandy Hook could’ve killed those 26 people with knives just as easily.

6. Gun owners are very responsible people, so why all the fuss about the shootings in this country?

7. If you encounter a criminal with a gun on the street, you could just then easily pull yours out and kill him.

Gallup poll:
http://www.gallup.com/poll/150353/self-reported-gun-ownership-highest-1993.aspx

I get it about Republicans. I also get it about Southerners. That they'd be gun owners doesn't surprise me one bit. Republicans are nutjobs, and Southerners, well, is that any surprise?

However, I'd love to hear an explanation of why MEN tend to be the gun owners, and I'll tell you why I ask this question.

If guns are for PROTECTION, wouldn't women be the more likely ones to carry them?

If guns are for people who are SCARED, wouldn't women be the more likely ones to carry them?

If guns are for people who are less able to protect themselves against aggressors, wouldn't women be the more likely ones to carry them?

Why then, are men generally the gun owners?????

I'm so so sick of people bashing teachers. Granted, this is done primarily by right wing nutjobs whose real intent is to destroy ALL unions and the public education system. For too many decades Republicans have made teacher-bashing the fashion, and I am just sick of it. But are libs out there defending teachers against bullshit accusations by the right wing? I'm not so sure.

Teachers work a hugely long day. Teachers don't just go home and watch TV, they prepare lessons, they grade papers, prepare exams, are the psychologist of their classroom, finance a lot of the materials kids in their classroom use, and CARE for the well being children while they are in the classroom.

Connecticut Shooting: Teacher Kaitlin Roig Protected Her Students

Teacher rushed 15 small children into the bathroom as shots rang out.

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/connecticut-shooting-teacher-kaitlin-roig-protected-students-17978970

I'm the last to find out Ikea deletes all women out of ads for the Saudi Arabia market. Makes me nauseous, truly, and reaffirms for me that Islam is #1 in misogyny in the world, and some corporations will do their bidding.


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444592404578030274200387136.html

Check out this video of an experiment on monkeys, and then the comments below it. I am posting this NOT in a PETA-like attempt at saving the monkeys in this experiment (God knows there are some ugly experiments on animals out there, and this absolutely not the worst by any stretch). I am posting it because it points out what we are seeing in society. Also, "envy" is mentioned, which I don't think has anything to do with it at all.

http://www.snotr.com/video/9227/redirect#comment-179866


You might have to sign in to post, if that's what you wish to do. Do tell me what you think.

Last night I watched an interview of Marty Kaplan by Bill Moyers. It opened my eyes like few other interviews. I then set about looking up Marty Kaplan, and found it. It sums up some very crucial ideas about this terrifying time we're living in, in which we've had right wing ideology dominating our lives for the past 32 years.

Here it is:

http://billmoyers.com/content/show-preview-marty-kaplan-on-what-makes-political-ads-work/

Libertarian: “When governments spend more than they have, that’s what happens”

Me: “You’re either out of your mind, or you're choosing voluntary blindness, but let’s assume that were the situation, what’s your solution?”

Libertarian: “You lower your spending!”

Me: “But what about the fact that the mega-wealthy are no longer paying equitable taxes? If you have no revenue or very little revenue, how can you even spend ANYTHING? There's nothing TO spend!”

Libertarian: “Are you kidding me? The rich paying the bulk of the taxes in the U.S. What kind of tax rates would you like them to be paying? Let me ask you something, do you routinely spend more than you make?”

Me: “No, I don’t. I do put funds into my piggy bank. There would be a problem if I didn’t put funds in there, and that’s what’s happened in the U.S. I want them to pay the same rates they were paying before Reagan. Let me explain”

Libertarian interrupted me

Again

And again

And again

Then I went quiet, then Libertarian said, “Fine, go ahead but you’re WRONG, and you won’t listen because you're hard-headed!!”

Me: “Listen up. If you have a parent with children, and that parent works but keeps the money for HIMSELF and doesn’t share it with his children, according to YOU, the solution to that problem, is for the children to eat less and go shoeless, since they’re eating more than the money available for them to eat and wear shoes.

Libertarian: “No, that’s not what I said”

Me: “Oh, it sure as hell is, but you said you’d let me finish!!!!”

Libertarian uttered: “Nuts! You're nuts!” then went into silence and seething anger.

Me: “Corporations and the rich are not paying their fair share in taxes, and you know this for a fact because I've mentioned this before so of course this country's govt has much less funds to pay necessary things with. Also, corporations are selling their foreign-made products to us, products that once were manufactured here, and for which the American workforce got paid for making. That means less revenue to go into our country. So there you have 2 monstrously huge reasons our govt has no funds. It’s NOT that vital, life-giving programs are spending more than this country is making. It’s that the funds that were going into this country HAVE BEEN TAKEN AWAY BY THE RICH AND CORPORATIONS, AND THESE NEED TO BE PUT BACK.

Libertarian: “Can I talk now?"

Me: "NO."

Libertarian: "You want to take money from the rich. It’s always the rich, the rich, corporations, the rich, corporations, blah blah”

Me: “Hey, iIf they’re the ones responsible for the f'd up situation we're in, I’m not going to protect their evil asses like you do.”.

And so it went.

This is an article by an Australian professor of social policy at the University of Sydney in Australia.

http://inequality.org/greek-debt-crisis/

Here are some excerpts:

What’s going on in Europe is: not much, really. Greece makes up less than 2% of the European Union’s combined national income. The German economy could eat 10 Greeces for breakfast and still have room left over to eat Finland for lunch. The problems of the Greek economy are only a big deal because a few politically powerful European banks made investments that they now regret. Not just banks, but hedge funds. So-called “vulture” funds have bought up troubled Greek bonds at a big discount. These hedge funds are now using their powerful political connections to lobby for full payment of Greece’s debt. In other words, these vulture hedge funds have bought Greek bonds at 25 cents on the dollar but are pushing for full payment. They’re not going to get full payment. It was reported in June that the French (it’s always the French, isn’t it?) floated the idea of just having the ECB buy back the bonds on the open market — that is, at 25 cents on the dollar — but the banks and hedge funds would have none of that. The French proposal was quickly shouted down. Full payment is the demand; wring your hands, talk a lot, and pay 50 cents is the current agreement on what will actually happen. And the banks and hedge funds are still pushing for at least a few more pennies.

The Greek government is being forced to raise sales taxes on the goods that ordinary people buy, but has been warned not to raise income or investment taxes on the rich. Government employees are having their salaries and pensions cut. People are being forced to work longer and retire later. And the government has been ordered to sell off state-owned companies.

A pro-worker solution to the Greek debt crisis would come in two parts. First, force those who have long evaded their taxes to start paying them. Millionaire shipowners, corporate executives, and highly-paid professionals should be the target. Second, let Greece reimburse bondholders the amounts they actually paid for their bonds. Then Greece could retire its debt in dignity instead of through begging from the ECB.

Here's a bit of a different charity program, but one which is SO essential. My sister recently got involved in a charity program to provide completely recyclable and reusable hygiene products to girls (and, I suppose women) in extremely poor countries around the globe, women who cannot afford hygiene products.

It might seem stupid to focus on this, but the result of not having this availability causes girls and women to have to remain in their homes, jobless, unable to leave the home, unable to go to school, confined, during the days of their menstruation.

This is a program which frees girls and women to pursue their education and work, and it doesn't require a million dollars to participate.

You can participate if you sew just a little bit, or if you have a little bit to donate. No matter how little. $10 would free 1 girl from confinement during the days of her menstruation.

Please see this link. Thank you.

http://www.daysforgirls.org/their-stories#!__results