[font size=3]Cognitive Dissonance[/font]
October 8, 2012

Towering about us are banks and other financial institutions that profit from war. War, for some, is a business. And across this country lies a labyrinth of military industries that produce nothing but instruments of death. And some of us once served these forces. It is death we defy, not our own death, but the vast enterprise of death. The dark, primeval lusts for power and personal wealth, the hypermasculine language of war and patriotism, are used to justify the slaughter of the weak and the innocent and mock justice. … And we will not use these words of war.

We cannot flee from evil. Some of us have tried through drink and drugs and self-destructiveness. Evil is always with us. It is because we know evil, our own evil, that we do not let go, do not surrender. It is because we know evil that we resist. It is because we know violence that we are nonviolent. And we know that it is not about us; war taught us that. It is about the other, lying by the side of the road. It is about reaching down in defiance of creeds and oaths, in defiance of religion and nationality, and lifting our enemy up. All acts of healing and love—and the defiance of war is an affirmation of love—allow us to shout out to the vast powers of the universe that, however broken we are, we are not yet helpless, however much we despair we are not yet without hope, however weak we may feel, we will always, always, always resist. And it is in this act of resistance that we find our salvation.

Chris Hedges, from a talk given Sunday night in New York City at a protest denouncing the 11th anniversary of the war in Afghanistan. The event, at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, was led by Veterans for Peace.

Members of the organization were later arrested by the NYPD as they read the names of the war dead, including 85-year-old World War II veteran Jay Wenk.

Image from warisacrime.org


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The Advocate
By David J. Mitchell
River Parishes bureau
October 08, 2012

An as-yet undetermined amount of natural gas is trapped in the aquifer underneath the Bayou Corne community, state and parish officials have said. The area has been rattled by earth tremors, has waterways with gas bubbling to the surface, and is in the vicinity of a 4-acre sinkhole south of La. 70 that has grown larger since its emergence Aug. 3. Bayou Corne’s 150 households have been evacuated since the sinkhole appeared just off the edge of the Napoleonville Dome, a 1-mile-by-3-mile underground salt deposit.

The Mississippi River Alluvial Aquifer is a broad underground belt that tracks the river and flows beneath dozens of Louisiana parishes, but is not a continuously linked formation of ground water. The aquifer under Assumption Parish is not used as its major water source — Bayou Lafourche is — but some parish officials say they are concerned the odorless, colorless gas underground could accumulate unseen to explosive concentrations if left unchecked.

John Boudreaux, director of the Assumption Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, said there are concerns the gas can build up pressure under the clay layer that lies above the aquifer. Once the pressure in the aquifer reaches a pressure greater than 75 to 85 pounds per square inch, the clay layer might not be able to hold back the accumulated gas, according to Boudreaux and geologists.

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Uploaded by AssociatedPress on Jun 16, 2008

BusinessBeing Big Bird: the Muppet UnmaskedBeing Big Bird: the Muppet UnmaskedThe Associated PressOn the street, Caroll Spinney is a 74-year-old of modest proportions. On the job, transformed into Big Bird, he stands 8 feet 2 inches tall and is 6 years old. (June 16)[Notes:UPSOUND SESAME STREET THEME SONG]

For nearly 40 years, Big Bird has been entertaining kids and adults alike on Sesame Street. Since his first TV appearance, Big Bird has seen only a few changes. He's a bit bigger now and he's got a few more feathers - but underneath that fluffy exterior, Big Bird remains the same. Meet Carroll Spinney. Spinney is Big Bird. [Notes:UPSOUND: SPINNEY, (Out of Costume, On Set): OH, HI. I WAS JUST ABOUT TO SEE IF I HAVE ANY MAIL TODAY....]Spinney has been inside the bird suit since the beginning. And while the Big Bird character remains a six-year-old, Spinney, it now 73. Continuing in the role however, suits him just fine. [Notes:SOT: Spinney]ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I REALLY ENJOY ABOUT SESAME STREET IS THAT I GET TO DO SOMETHING THAT MOST PEOPLE ONLY DREAM OF. YEARS GO BY AND YOU'RE STILL THE SAME AGE.Sesame Street's longevity can be attributed to its wide appeal.

For kids, it's often the engagement with the show, and parents can take comfort in knowing that their children are learning. [Notes:SOT SPINNEY]I FIND THAT KIDS REALLY ENJOY IT IF YOU TALK TO THEM LIKE YOU RECOGNIZE THEIR INTELLIGENCE. TRY TO BE AN EQUAL AND NOT TALK DOWN TO THEM. And with Big Bird being so, well, big. You'd think Spinney would be talking down to them regardless. But he's actually at about the same level as them, just separated by about six thousand feathers. [Notes:SOT SPINNEY:]HE IS 8 FEET-TWO. SO MY ARM IS IN HIS LEFT WING AND HIS RIGHT WING IS LIKE A CANTILEVER SYSTEM. YOU PLAY TO THE CAMERA AND I'M WEARING A TINY MONITOR STRAPPED TO MY CHEST. .... .... ....

Spinney also provides the voice of Oscar the Grouch. As Spinney puts it, a character based on a true New Yorker. I ACTUALLY WAS PICKED UP BY THIS CAB DRIVER WHO SAID, 'HEY MACK' AND THEN PROCEEDED TO COMPLAIN ABOUT MAYOR LINDSEY. AND NEW YORK CITY WAS REALLY A MESS BACK THEN WITH GARBAGE LITERALLY PILED ON THE STREET. .... ... AND IS SAID GET AWAY FROM MY TRASH CAN AND JIM HENSON SAID THAT'LL DO FINE AND I HAD A JOB Spinney says that he'll continue with that job - as well as the Big Bird gig - for the foreseeable future. [Notes: UPSOUND SESAME STREET THEME SONG] UPSOUND: Sesame Street has been brought to you by the letter xx and the number xx. and, Jon Belmont, The Associated Press. ___ ___, The Associated Press.(****END****) ANCHOR VOICE:-------------------------VIDEO

PRODUCER: Luke------------------------------VIDEO SOURCE: APTN/Sesame Workshop--------------------------VIDEO APPROVAL:------------------------------VIDEO RESTRICTIONS:----------------------------------SCRIPT/WIRE SOURCE:

Uploaded by staval2000 on May 31, 2010

CNN Wire Staff
Thu October 4, 2012 | updated 4:42 PM EDT

An oil sheen about four miles long has appeared in the Gulf of Mexico near the site of the worst oil spill in U.S. history, a Coast Guard spokesman said Thursday. It was not immediately clear where the oil is coming from, said Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Tippets.

The Coast Guard found out about the oil sheen on September 16 after someone spotted it on a satellite image from the multinational oil and gas company BP, Tippets said. A Coast Guard response team went to the location to collect samples, and sent them to the Coast Guard Marine Safety Lab in Connecticut for testing. Test results are expected in a few weeks, Tippets said.

The service's Marine Safety Unit Morgan City, in Louisiana, is heading up the investigation of the spill, which is in the part of the Gulf officially designated MC252. No one has reported any adverse effects on the environment or marine life, Tippets said.

The sheen is near the spot where, on April 20, 2010, BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded over the Macondo well, killing 11 workers and spewing oil that spread across a huge portion of the Gulf.

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Uploaded by Bjoerner on Sep 22, 2010

Taken from the CBS Show NFL Follies 2010

Jennifer Bendery | Huffington Post | Updated: 10/01/2012 11:48 am EDT



WASHINGTON -- Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) is trailing his Democratic challenger Patrick Murphy by nine points, according to a new Democratic poll. The poll, conducted by Garin-Hart-Yang Research on Sept. 26-27, found that 52 percent of those surveyed support Murphy, compared to 43 percent for West, a Tea Party favorite.

The margin widened even more among Independents: 58 percent said they backed Murphy versus 40 percent supporting the freshman Republican. The poll surveyed 401 likely voters in Florida's 18th District and has a margin of error of 4.9 percent.

"It's clear that with his extreme, offensive rhetoric and record, Allen West is turning off voters all across the spectrum," said Alixandria Lapp, executive director of House Majority PAC, which released the poll on Monday. The PAC is currently airing its second TV ad against West as part of a $1.5 million TV buy in the district.

A West campaign spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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- See also: (Uh, on 2nd thought -- never mind)

Published on Oct 1, 2012 by afscme

Richard is a City of San Diego sanitation worker whose route includes Mitt Romney's $12 million oceanfront villa in La Jolla, Calif. This is his story.

Published on Sep 30, 2012 by Gisela Valentin

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