Test

What If Everything You Were
Taught Was A Lie?

March 13, 2014--There is a war going on right now and it doesn’t involve guns or the military industrial complex.

It’s a war on consciousness and most people are clueless that it even exists.

Ultimately, the education system can be blamed for feeding us propaganda and forcing us to regurgitate it so we can “fit in” with the rest of society. 

Our public school systems are set up to get the students primed for economic slavery without ever offering courses that allow to students to think creatively or freely.

If you trace the companies who print our children’s textbooks, you’ll find a Zionist agenda behind them all. 

For example, George W. Bush’s grandfather, Prescott Bush, was arrested for funding both sides of World War II, yet we never learned this in school. 

Why? 

Because had we learned this, NEITHER Bush would have been elected president for having a traitor in their lineage.

We are taught about Darwinism and how man evolved from ape but if this were true, then why are there still apes?

And surely, Christopher Columbus didn’t “discover” America.

Granted some things that we learn in school are the truth, such as math, music and some science but our TRUE history has been kept from us for reasons of subservience, control and conformity.

In all forms of education, there are still perpetual references to “fossil fuels” including at the college level. 

How ridiculous is this? 

Oil is abiotic, which means it replenishes itself, yet we are draining the planet of a lubricant that serves no other interests other than economic.

For example, in the late 1980 s, Stanley Meyer invented a car that could go from coast to coast in the United States on 21 gallons of water. 

He was offered $1 billion from the automobile industry for his invention but turned it down because he wanted this idea to go to the people. 

Shortly afterwards, he was poisoned to death and the invention has been hidden from us ever since, yet our children are not learning about inventors such as Meyer in school, nor are they being encouraged to develop alternate fuel sources.

Sen. John Barrasso: White House Is 
'Cooking The Books' On 
Obamacare Enrollment Numbers?

Ah c’mon, Senator! Now you know very well the White House isn’t cooking any books...

The American people were starved for affordable health care...

Are you that dense that you can’t figure that out?

What’s in it for you that you’ll do virtually anything to deny health care to your fellow American.

Let’s hope the voters vote your ass out of the Senate, Barrassso!

PREVENT AMERICA FROM MOVING TO AN OLIGARCHIC FORM OF SOCIETY. 

VIRTUALLY ALL ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL POWER RESTS WITH A HANDFUL OF BILLIONAIRES.

Okay folks...

So here is the result of some evil Americans(?) doing their damnedest to stifle voters who generally vote Democratic...the people's party.

They've thrown everything at us to discourage us from having our votes count.

There are more of us than them...so, let's show up, jump through their hoops and run the fux out of town! 

Dot Calm 

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Good people,

If you know a NC high school teacher, student or parent of a high school student, please forward this message to them as soon as possible (or do this yourself at a school, faith center, workplace or store–and let us know what happens). 

Three quick facts: (1) The deadline to register to vote in the North Carolina primary is fast approaching–registration forms must be postmarked by April 11.

(2) A 17 year old who will be 18 on November 4, 2014, can register now and vote in the primary and general election.

(3) Even though some NC voting laws were changed, all high schools are still required to have voter registration forms and make them available to eligible students who will be 18 or older on the next general election (NCGS 163-82.23--see PS note below).

This is the perfect time to organize a registration table during lunch or an event to solicit registrations and hand out voter info cards. 

Democracy North Carolina can help volunteers conduct registration drives. 

Here’s a handy guide to help you begin; also view the info card here.

Ask a teacher or administrator about setting up a registration table in the lunch room or at a school event. 

It really helps to have students with you for peer-to-peer contact!

Or hold a registration event at your place of work or worship, or another location, for citizens from 17 to 107!

Call us at 919-286-6000 x 10 or write info@democracy-nc.org for all the materials you need: a “Register Here” sign, blank registration forms, “I Registered” stickers, voter-info cards, and the handy guide for registering others. 

We can send all of this and offer advice for getting started; just call or write us.

You can take a similar initiative to reach people at a community college, shopping center or public building. 

In most public places, you don’t need to ask for permission first–just show up with a clipboard, your smile, registration forms, our voter-info cards and say, “Are you registered to vote at your current address. . . 

Here’s a pocket card with the new rules about voting in North Carolina.”

Call Democracy North Carolina with questions and for the materials listed above. 

Don’t wait for someone else–it’s up to you!

Thanks,

 By CNBC's Robert Frank.

The wealthy often buy their most prized possessions at auction: art, jewelry, wine and even mansions.

Now they might be able to bid on an even bigger auction prize: visas. U.K. entry visa.

In the latest twist to the global drama over luring rich emigres from China, Russia and other countries, an immigration official in the U.K. is proposing a plan to auction off visas to the overseas rich, with minimum bids starting at $4 million.

The program would be a first of its kind in the world. And the U.K.'s Migration Advisory Committee report said that any surplus from the bidding could go to good causes like assisting inner-city schools or health-care research.

Skeptics, however, say such a plan would create "eBay immigration" for the rich, where a country simply sells access to the highest bidder—regardless of their longer-term value to the country.

"It sends the wrong message to the public," Sophie Barrett-Brown, a U.K. immigration lawyer told The Times of London.

But the policy only makes official what many countries are already doing.

As the world's rich—especially from China and Russia—look to safeguard their families and their fortunes, many are fleeing to other countries.

And governments hoping to attract the overseas rich have created special fast-tracks for big investors.

In Australia, 91 percent of the 545 applicants for the country's "significant investor" visa program are from mainland China.

The program only requires a $5 million investment and clean criminal record.

Chinese luxury spending fell 15 percent last year, the biggest decline in five years.

CNBC's Robert Frank reports on the falling sales of Chinese luxury goods and the migration of the super wealthy.

But some governments are starting to ask tougher questions about the benefits.

Canada this month decided to kill its controversial investor visa program after it was inundated with tens of thousands of wealthy Chinese applicants.

Under its plan, people worth a minimum of $1.4 million could get a visa if they loaned the government $720,000 interest-free for five years.

The Canadian Department of Finance said the program "significantly undervalued Canadian permanent residence."

(Read more: Chanel 'tours' tailored for Chinese big spenders)

The U.S. EB-5 program, known as the investor visa, is also coming under fire for providing far fewer jobs and economic benefits than promised.

The Brookings Institution this month released a report saying that the program—which gives a visa to those investing $500,000 or more or creating or preserving at least 10 jobs—needs more oversight.

"There is a dearth of reliable and publicly available data that would enable better monitoring and evaluation of the economic impacts of regional center investments," Brookings said.

And next to Britain's $4 million, American visas still look cheap.                                                                     

Outsourcing and Privatization are 
Killing America

Austerity and privatization harm, not 
help, people.

March 27, 2014--With devastating austerity measures being imposed nationwide—state and local governments are facing a lot of budget crunches.

In an effort to make ends meet and bring in money—many of them are handing over control of public services to private corporations.

State and local governments are doing that because of the Reagan-era argument that private corporations are "always" able to run things more efficiently than governments.

But while privatization and outsourcing of public services may make sense on paper—it turns out they haven't worked for the people.  George Washington and those other guys were onto something when they created a government for this nation! 

A new report from the Colorado Center for Policy Studies at the University of Colorado has found that society pays a steep price for the outsourcing of government functions, with things like a weakened social infrastructure, increased economic inequality, poorer services or quality of care and hollowed-out civic institutions.

For example, the report noted that an analysis of the outsourcing of public healthcare in hundreds of counties across America found that, “Although primary care hours and access increased, the quality and quantity of well-baby care and home care for the elderly fell.

Costs of providing care did fall, but at the ‘price’ of less access and quality in some critical areas.”

And as Michelle Chen points out over at The Nation, “When Shelby County Schools in Memphis contracted out janitorial services, what was supposed to be a more cost-effective labor arrangement collapsed when principals complained that that their schools were ‘not being cleaned properly,’ and the contract workers complained that they had been shorted on pay.

In the process, 750 school jobs were lost for a ‘cost cutting’ contract that in the end, cheated workers and the community.”

And we’ve all seen what a disaster privatized prisons and Blackwater over in Iraq have been.

Meanwhile, when governments outsource public services and jobs to private corporations, many workers lose their jobs. 

And those who are lucky enough to keep their jobs are often forced to take pay cuts and deal with harsh working conditions so the CEOs and stockholders can take home more money.

A Senate investigation found that, “almost 30 percent of the top violators of federal wage and safety laws are also current federal contractors."

And when workers’ wages decrease, local economies suffer.

The Colorado Center report found that privatization of a public workforce leads to increased inequality and hinders long-term social mobility.

The bottom-line here is that while outsourcing and privatizing public functions and services may look good on the fiscal balance sheet, it’s bad news for American workers, local communities and society as a whole. 

It's time to say that Reagan was wrong—and stop letting governments auction off public jobs and services to the highest bidder.

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 GET THE MONEY
OUT OF POLITICS!
We’re Losing Our Democracy!
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Dot,

Thank you so much for the support that, over the years, you have given me.

As Vermont's senator and the longest serving Independent in American congressional history I am helping to lead the fight in Congress to protect the middle class and working families of our country against the greed and recklessness of Big Money interests.

In that struggle you have been with me step by step, battle after battle--and I appreciate all that you have done.

In the midst of the most severe economic and political crisis in the modern history of our country, I am once again writing to ask for your political and financial support.

The unprecedented struggle that we're engaged in now against the Billionaire Class is not just about preserving Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, or whether we create the millions of jobs our economy desperately needs.

It's not merely about whether we raise the minimum wage, make college affordable, protect women's rights or take the bold initiatives we need to reverse climate change and save our planet.

It's not just about creating a health care system which guarantees health care to all as a right, or addressing the abysmally high rate of childhood poverty.

THE STRUGGLE THAT WE'RE ENGAGED IN RIGHT NOW IS MUCH MORE THAN ALL THAT.

IT IS WHETHER WE CAN PREVENT THIS COUNTRY FROM MOVING TO AN OLIGARCHIC FORM OF SOCIETY IN WHICH VIRTUALLY ALL ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL POWER RESTS WITH A HANDFUL OF BILLIONAIRES.

I know that some of you think I am exaggerating when I say that.

I'm not.

Sincerely,
Senator Bernie Sanders

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RAISE THE FREAKING MINIMUM WAGE!
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                                      ******
In the history of our once-great nation, no other occupant of the Oval Office has ever shown such rampant disrespect and disregard for the rule of law as George W. Bush.
                                     ******

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Gun Rights -- YES
Reproductive Rights -- NO!
Gay Rights -- NO!
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THIS IS A FREE COUNTRY, SOMEWHAT

WHO'S RUNNING THIS SHOW, ANYWAY?

I KNOW! I KNOW!

A BUNCH  OF 
PASTY FACED, WHITE, SELF-RIGHTEOUS PRIX

WHOSE WET DREAM IS 
COMPLETE CONTROL OF WOMEN!

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Gun Rights -- YES
Reproductive Rights -- NO!
Gay Rights -- NO!

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THIS IS A FREE COUNTRY, SOMEWHAT

WHO'S RUNNING THIS SHOW, ANYWAY? 

I KNOW! I KNOW!

 A BUNCH OF PASTY FACED, SELF-RIGHTEOUS DIX!

So Many Sounds to F-up...so little time!

Where is the Exxon Valdez today?
Exxon Shipping Company was renamed Sea River Shipping Company.

The Exxon Valdez was repaired and renamed the Sea River Mediterranean and is used to haul oil across the Atlantic.

The ship is prohibited by law from returning to Prince William Sound.

How did the accident happen?
The National Transportation Safety Board investigated the accident and determined that the probable causes of the grounding were:

    The failure of the third mate to properly maneuver the vessel, possibly due to fatigue and excessive workload;

    The failure of the master to provide a proper navigation watch, possibly due to impairment from alcohol;

    The failure of Exxon Shipping Company to supervise the master and provide a rested and sufficient crew for the Exxon Valdez

    The failure of the U.S. Coast Guard to provide an effective vessel traffic system.

    The lack of effective pilot and escort services.

Okay. But what actually happened?
The Exxon Valdez departed from the Trans Alaska Pipeline terminal at 9:12 pm March 23, 1989.

William Murphy, an expert ship's pilot hired to maneuver the 986-foot vessel through the Valdez Narrows, was in control of the wheelhouse.

At his side was the captain of the vessel, Joe Hazelwood. Helmsman Harry Claar was steering.

After passing through Valdez Narrows, pilot Murphy left the vessel and Captain Hazelwood took over the wheelhouse.

The Exxon Valdez encountered icebergs in the shipping lanes and Captain Hazelwood ordered Claar to take the Exxon Valdez out of the shipping lanes to go around the icebergs.

He then handed over control of the wheelhouse to Third Mate Gregory Cousins with precise instructions to turn back into the shipping lanes when the tanker reached a certain point.

At that time, Claar was replaced by Helmsman Robert Kagan.

For reasons that remain unclear, Cousins and Kagan failed to make the turn back into the shipping lanes and the ship ran aground on Bligh Reef at 12:04 am March 24, 1989.

Captain Hazelwood was in his quarters at the time.

Drunk as a skunk!

Can I have more detail, please?
Here's a detailed account of the accident as reported by the Alaska Oil Spill Commission in its 1990 Final Report.

Was the captain drunk?
The captain was seen in a local bar, admitted to having some alcoholic drinks, and a blood test showed alcohol in his blood even several hours after the accident.

Oh, mercy! Tell me it isn't so!

The captain has always insisted that he was not impaired by alcohol.

The state charged him with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol.

A jury in Alaska, however, found him NOT GUILTY of that charge.

The jury did find him guilty of negligent discharge of oil, a misdemeanor.

Hazelwood was fined $50,000 and sentenced to 1,000 hours of community service in Alaska (State of Alaska v. Hazelwood).

He completed the community service ahead of schedule in 2001.

Waddaguy!

He picked up trash along the Seward Highway and worked at Bean's Cafe, a "soup kitchen" for the homeless in Anchorage, Alaska.

Gawd bless Captain Hazelwood.

What's being done to prevent another Exxon Valdez-type accident?
See the Spill Prevention and Response page for a thorough answer.

Nah...Screw the Spill Prevention and bla, bla, bla...
We've got bigger plans...Ever hear of the XL Pipe Line? 
We're really gonna piss oil all over the heartland of this gawd-forsaken country.

How much oil was spilled?
Approximately 11 million gallons or 257,000 barrels or 35,000 metric tonnes (38,800 short tons).

Picture the swimming pool at your school or in your community.

The amount of spilled oil is roughly equivalent to 17 olympic-sized swimming pools.

How much oil was the Exxon Valdez carrying?
53,094,510 gallons or 1,264,155 barrels.

How does the Exxon Valdez spill compare to other spills?
The Exxon Valdez spill, though still one of the largest ever in the United States, has dropped from the top 50 internationally.

It is widely considered the number one spill worldwide in terms of damage to the environment, however.

The timing of the spill, the remote and spectacular location, the thousands of miles of rugged and wild shoreline, and the abundance of wildlife in the region combined to make it an environmental disaster well beyond the scope of other spills.

How many miles of shoreline were impacted by oil?
Approximately 1,300 miles. 200 miles were heavily or moderately oiled (meaning the impact was obvious); 1,100 miles were lightly or very lightly oiled (meaning light sheen or occasional tarballs).

By comparison, there is more than 9,000 miles of shoreline in the spill region.

How large an area did the spill cover?
From Bligh Reef the spill stretched 460 miles to the tiny village of Chignik on the Alaska Peninsula.

How was the spill cleaned up?
Complicated question.

It took more than four summers of cleanup efforts before the effort was called off.

Not all beaches were cleaned and some beaches remain oiled today.

At its peak the cleanup effort included 10,000 workers, about 1,000 boats and roughly 100 airplanes and helicopters, known as Exxon's army, navy, and air force.

It is widely believed, however, that wave action from winter storms did more to clean the beaches than all the human effort involved.

How much did it cost?
Exxon says it spent about $2.1 billion on the cleanup effort.

What techniques were used?
TIP: Check out National Geographic , January 1990, Pages 18-19 for a great illustration on how shoreline cleanup was conducted.

Hot water treatment was popular until it was determined that the treatment could be causing more damage than the oil.

Oops! Back to the drawing board.

Small organisms were being cooked by the hot water.

High pressure cold water treatment and hot water treatment involved dozens of people holding fire hoses and spraying the beaches.

The water, with floating oil, would trickle down to the shore.

The oil would be trapped within several layers of boom and either be scooped up, sucked up or absorbed using special oil-absorbent materials.

Mechanical cleanup was attempted on some beaches.

Backhoes and other heavy equipment would till the beaches to expose oil underneath so that it could be washed out.

Many beaches were fertilized to promote growth of microscopic bacteria that eat the hydrocarbons.

Known as bioremediation, this method was successful on several beaches where the oil was not too thick.

Oh, goodie!

A few solvents and chemical agents were used, although none extensively.

Right

How about more detail on cleanup techniques?
Follow this link to read the chapter on Technology in The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Final Report, State of Alaska Response (1993)

How many animals died outright from the oil spill?

No one knows.

The carcasses of more than 35,000 birds and 1,000 sea otters were found after the spill, but since most carcasses sink, this is considered to be a small fraction of the actual death toll.

The best estimates are: 250,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, 250 bald eagles, up to 22 killer whales, and billions of salmon and herring eggs.

How are the animals doing now?
Lingering injuries continue to plague some injured species while others are fully recovered.

See? What were we worried about? Nada.

When Organized Religion Becomes a Cult

By tedweekends@huffingtonpost.com

The distinction between cult and religion lies squarely in how those leaving or those wanting to leave are treated

Diane Benscoter tells her harrowing story of leaving the "Moonie" cult.

In highlighting the dangers of cults, Benscoter uses clear examples like David Koresh, Jonestown, suicide bombers, the Westboro Baptist Church, but often the line between conventional religion and cult is not so clearly defined.

Cults claim exclusivity, are highly secretive, and authoritarian.

To many of my atheist friends, religion fits the bill.

What distinguishes religion from cults is the ability to question without being shunned and ability to reject dogmatic tenets without being shunned.

Many religions make exclusive claims to truth.

There is nothing wrong with that.

Many systems of philosophy do the same.

Kantianism's categorical truths are, for example, incompatible with utilitarianism’s balancing of harm and good.

The harm stems from a system that shuns and ostracizes adherents that don't accept their exclusive claims to truth.

That is where conventional religion becomes a potentially harmful cult.

Forcing people to conform by using the subtle threat of social alienation is a form of coercion.

People leave religion because of the seemingly restrictive lifestyle, conflicts between science and literal biblical interpretation, ethnocentrism, sexism, dogma, intolerance or boredom.

Those may all be legitimate reasons or just misapplication of religious principles but the bottom line is those are personal choices people make about whether to follow a particular religion.

Any religious community can become a cult.

It's not about how faith is expressed in a community but more importantly how people are treated if they want to leave and disbelieve.

While camping in northern Wisconsin I found an opportunity to talk with several teens of the Old Order Amish.

The Old Order Amish are distinguished from more modern Amish because they strictly forbid automobile ownership, modern books and require strict traditional dress.

It was either the modern unknown world, or their family. If they chose not to return, their family would disown them.
--Eliyahu Federman

I asked the older teens why they returned to their community after the Rumschpringe (which is a period where youth temporarily leave the community to experience the outside world).

The answer surprised me.

I was expecting to hear that they returned for the longing of a simpler life, free from the rat race and materialistic pursuits of the modern world.

They almost unanimously expressed that they returned to Amish life because they had no other choice.

It was either the modern unknown world, or their family.

If they chose not to return, their family would disown them.

Leaving their loved ones behind was not seen as an option.

Sadly, that, in my opinion, is the definition of a cult.

The Amish lifestyle is beautiful, environmentally-friendly and family-focused.

But shunning those who want to leave is a sinister form of coercing adherence.

The historical roots of three monotheistic religions, namely Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, are founded on the story of Abraham, a man who was willing to question authority and refute the superstitions of worshiping material objects.

This story is the foundation of monotheism and should serve as an example of how nonconformists should be embraced.

According to Biblical lore, through a process of logical deductions and observation of the universe around him Abraham began to question the validity of idolatry and recognize that because the universe is so complex it must have a designer.

Abraham was unafraid to challenge the mores of his time and to question authority.

This is the historical underpinning of monotheistic religions.

Religious communities and society as a whole should allow wider expression and diversity, allowing all to feel welcome and comfortable.

In order to prevent crossing the line from religion to cult, communities need to purge themselves of dogma, intolerance and ostracizing those with different beliefs, so their adherents have true choice on how to live their lives.

Ideas are not set in stone.

When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form.

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TEDWeekends will highlight some of today's most intriguing ideas and allow them to develop in real time through your voice!

Tweet #TEDWeekends to share your perspective or email tedweekends@huffingtonpost.com to learn about future weekend's ideas to contribute as a writer.

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RAISE THE FREAKING MINIMUM WAGE!
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 "The way to see by faith is to shut the 

eye of reason."

--Benjamin Franklin

*Poor Richard's Almanack (1758)

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