Global Warming...New Report...and it ain't happy news

Not religous myself, Merry Christmas to all.

0 Replies

I am religious--Merry Christmas to all--

0 Replies

http://www.cagle.com/working/051220/bennett.jpg

Best Christmas wishes to all from me also --- that cartoon is a joke, OK!!

0 Replies

cicerone imposter wrote:

Hunger and Food Insecurity in the United States

One of the most disturbing and extraordinary aspects of life in this very wealthy country is the persistence of hunger. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports, based on a national U.S. Census Bureau survey of households representative of the U.S. population, that in 2004 11.9 percent of all U.S. households were "food insecure" because of lack of resources. Of the 13.5 million households that were food insecure, 4.4 million suffered from food insecurity that was so severe that USDA's very conservative measure classified them as "hungry."

Since 1999, food insecurity has increased by 3 million households, including 1.4 million households with children. In 2004, 38.2 million people lived in households experiencing food insecurity, compared to 33.6 million in 2001 and 31 million in 1999. See FRAC's Press Release and a link to the full report: Household Food Security in the United States, 2004.

CI I read these statistics and honestly cant believe them. Until I read them again and again and understand the truth. There are many things I admire about America, yet sometimes I wonder if I am delusional. Sad

0 Replies

Steve, I doubt very much I am delusional about what has happened during the Bushco regime.

1. We have lost most of our allies.
2. We have lost credibility with most Arab countries.
3. We have seen torture perpetrated against our prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan (and Gitmo according to personal accounts).
4. More Americans are now withouth health insurance.
5. More middle class families now live in poverty.
6. More religious intrusion into our lives based on Bush's religious' beliefs.
7. Our veteran benefits being cut and/or reduced. This while Bushco's rhetoric about supporting our troops. For Bush supporters: Don't bother about the increase in funds; it's still short for meeting all the demands of increased injuries from the wars.
8. Bush lies about social security will go bankrupt in 2042 to push his agenda.
9. Bush's continued rhetoric of "progress in Iraq."

0 Replies

Cicerone,

I don't believe you can find any factual basis for most of your rather exaggerated claims.

0 Replies

He cant. I challenge him to give reliable evidence for each of those ridiculous claims. He gives no source for his ridiculous claims. Therefore, they are bogus as far as I am concerned.

(George, You give good advice but your advice to "respect" others Opinions obviously should not apply in cases like this--egregious and erroneous blah-blah. How can one "respect" such unsourced blather?

And as far as Hunger is concerned, Cicerone is very very wrong.

Anyone who wishes to see just how wrong is invited to go to

http://www.heritage.org/Research.Welfare?bg1711.cfm

TITLE- MAYORS CLAIM OF GROWING HUNGER APPEAR WILDLY EXAGGERATED.

0 Replies

Steve (as 41oo) wrote:

CI I read these statistics and honestly cant believe them. Until I read them again and again and understand the truth. There are many things I admire about America, yet sometimes I wonder if I am delusional.

Your first reaction was probably your best and most accurate. "Food insecurity" is a novel term and concept likely devised to help make the author's preconceived point. Evidently anyone who occasionally chooses between the purchase of food or other articles is experiencing "food insecurity". Just yeaterday I decided to pass up a dinner at Tommy Toy's (a very expensive San Francisco restaurant that Cicerone will likely know) in favor of the purchase of some extra gifts. Evidently I am among the "food insecure".I wonder what is the level of "food insecurity" in Switzerland?

Anyway, what the hell has this to do with Global warming?

A few pages back I proposed we consider the subject oif this thread again, but in terms of the relative benefits of authoritarian structures or free market alternatives for meeting whatever challence one may perceive in the phenomenom. I dressed it up a bit with some nice words about the relative merits of authoritarian Platohnism and free human development and initiative. The ball didn't bounce - no one took it up. Too bad. I still think it might be interesting and illuminating.

0 Replies

On Aug. 26 the Census Bureau released its annual survey of income in the US. These more up-to-date figures show that Kerry may well have been correct when he said the middle class is shrinking, using present tense.

There's no standard definition of "middle class," so we looked at households with pre-tax income of between $25,000 and $75,000 -- a group occupying roughly the middle half of the Census income distribution tables. As we noted before, that group grew smaller during the economic recession of 2001 and the initially slow recovery of 2002. Now the new Census figures indicate it continued to decline in 2003, and while this time some of the middle group were moving up , a larger portion were moving down.

Shrinking Middle Class

(Income in 2003 dollars, adjusted for inflation)

Under $25,000
$25,000-$75,000
Over $75,000

Change:

2002-2003
+0.4%
-0.4%
+0.2%

2000-2003
+1.5%
-1.2%
-0.4%

Distribution in 2003
29.0%
44.9%
26.1%

Source: Table A-1, Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the US: 2003

Rows don't net to zero due to rounding

Moving on Down

The table shown here is updated to reflect the latest Census figures, and shows both the one-year change for 2003, and also the three-year change from 2000 to 2003 (covering the period since Bush took office.) The income figures are adjusted for inflation, and shown in 2003 dollars.

Since Bush took office, the middle-income group has declined by 1.2 percentage points , and now constitutes less than 45% of all households.

At the same time, households with less than $25,000 in income have grown by 1.5 percentage points, and now make up 29% of all households. So a large number of households have slipped out of the middle group and into the lower-income range over the past three years.

0 Replies

Arab mistrust of US grows
By Stephen Collinson and correspondents in Washington
03dec05

PEOPLE in Arab nations believe the Iraq war has brought less peace, more terrorism and contrary to Washington's claims, will result in less democracy, according to a poll published yesterday.

The survey of six Arab countries, also found a plurality of respondents got their news from the Al-Jazeera satellite television network, currently at the centre of a storm over an alleged US idea to bomb its headquarters.
When asked which country was the biggest threat to them, most respondents chose Israel or the US, while France was nominated as the country most respondents would like to be a superpower.

The University of Maryland/Zogby International poll was conducted in Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in October.

81 per cent of respondents said the Iraq war had brought "less peace" to the Middle East, while only 6 per cent believed it had enhanced peace.

0 Replies

Red Cross accuses US of torture in Guantanamo

Posted by: Mokuhadzushi
On: Tue November, 30 2004 @ 05:08 GMT
The International Commitee of the Red Cross, Geneva, has found that different torture methods are being used by US interrogators at the prison camp in Guantanamo, Cuba. This contradicts a Pentagon statement according to which the detentions are conducted according to international humanitarian standards.

original news source:

news.yahoo.com
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The International Committee of the Red Cross has reportedly found prisoner abuse that amounted to "a form of torture" at a US military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Citing a confidential report, the New
York Yimes reported that based on a visit to the detention centre in June, an ICRC team, which included humanitarian workers and experienced medical personel, discovered a system devised to break the will of prisoners through "humiliating acts, solitary confinement, temperature extremes, use of forced positions."

"The construction of such a system, whose stated purpose is the production of intelligence, cannot be considered other than an intentional system of cruel, unusual and degrading treatment and a form of torture," the report said.

...

"The United States operates a safe, humane and professional detention operation at Guantanamo that is providing valuable information in the war on terrorism," the Pentagon statement said.

Most of us have seen those photographs of our military mistreating prisoners at al Garayb prison.

0 Replies

Poverty spreads

Census Bureau says 1.3 million more slipped into poverty last year; health care coverage also drops.
August 26, 2004: 1:54 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The number of Americans living in poverty jumped to 35.9 million last year, up by 1.3 million, while the number of those without health care insurance rose to 45 million from 43.6 million in 2002, the U.S. government said in a report Thursday.

QUICK VOTE
With poverty rising in 2003, are you better off financially than you were a year ago?
Yes
No
About the same

View results

The percentage of the U.S. population living in poverty rose to 12.5 percent from 12.1 percent -- as the poverty rate among children jumped to its highest level in 10 years, the Census Bureau said in an annual report. The rate for adults 18-to-64 and 65-and-older remained steady.

0 Replies

U.S. Constitution: First Amendment

First Amendment - Religion and Expression

Amendment Text | Annotations
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

0 Replies

BUSH END RUNNING CONGRESS, PUSHING FAITH-BASED FUNDING PROGRAMS AS USE OF TAX MONEY BY CHURCHES GROWS

Web Posted: September 8, 2002
aced with opposition on Capitol Hill, the Bush administration is ordering five more federal agencies to rewrite regulations in order to help churches and other religious groups obtain money to operate faith-based social programs.

Meanwhile, a new study released by the Hudson Institute and the Center for Public Justice indicates that while lawmakers have not voted to fund a federal faith-based initiative, tax money is flowing into the coffers of religious organizations in record amounts. Amy Sherman, a scholar at Hudson Institute, said that while it is not new for houses of worship to operate social welfare programs, "What is new is that the government is helping to pay some of these bills of these organizations."

0 Replies

Ain't it amazing! They need to cut programs to those that need it the most, but they've got plenty of money to send to the bible thumpers. What a bloody travesty! I'm really getting to hate these religious bums with a real passion!

0 Replies

Cicerone Imposter exaggerates in each one of his posts. This is not a thread given over to the laundry list attempted by CI but as long as he wishes to play the game, I will show just how deluded he is.

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Welfare/bg1711.cfm

quote:

There are three reasons to believe the mayors's claims of rapid and continuing increases in "hunger" or food bank use are inaccurate and exaggerated. Specifically, the mayors' data

l. Reflect an implausable rate of growth

The mayors have reported that food bank/soup kitchen use has increased at an average of 17 percent per annum for the past decade. According to the mayors' data, the number of persons receiving emergency food aid is 12 TIMES HIGHER TODAY THAN IN 1986. This is implausable. The US Department of Agriculture reports that between 18 Million and 24 Million persons receive food aid each year, If the mayors' data were accurate and representative of the nation, it would mean that fewer than 2 million persons received food aid in 1986-ONE TWELFTH OF THE PRESENT NUMBER

2. The mayors data are contradicted by US Census Bureau surveys. Census data show NO INCREASE IN THE USE OF FOOD PANTRIES AND SOUP KITCHENS IN EITHER CENTRAL CITIES OR THE NATION AS A WHOLE BETWEEN 1995 AND 2001. By contrast, the mayors' reports claim an increase in USE OF 150 PERCENT DURING TGHE SAME PERIOD

3. The Mayors' Data are contrdicted by the Second Harvest Reports.

Second Harvest, THE MAJOR SUPPLIER TO FOOD BANKS, REPORT THAT EMERGENCY FOOD USE INCREASED BY 9 PERCENT BETWEEN 1997 AND 2001. THE MAYORS' REPORT CLAIM THAT EMERGENCY FOOD USE INCREASED BY NEARLY 100 PERCENT DURING THAT PERIOD.

It is clear that the Mayors' reports were highly exaggerated. But why?

For the same reason that any organization that benefits from funding to help feed people will exaggerate.THEY GET MORE FUNDING!!!

0 Replies

cicerone imposter wrote:

Arab mistrust of US grows
By Stephen Collinson and correspondents in Washington
03dec05

PEOPLE in Arab nations believe the Iraq war has brought less peace, more terrorism and contrary to Washington's claims, will result in less democracy, according to a poll published yesterday.

The survey of six Arab countries, also found a plurality of respondents got their news from the Al-Jazeera satellite television network, currently at the centre of a storm over an alleged US idea to bomb its headquarters.
When asked which country was the biggest threat to them, most respondents chose Israel or the US, while France was nominated as the country most respondents would like to be a superpower.

The University of Maryland/Zogby International poll was conducted in Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in October.

81 per cent of respondents said the Iraq war had brought "less peace" to the Middle East, while only 6 per cent believed it had enhanced peace.

So the arabs mistrust a country which is liable to bomb and invade without just cause, and lie to the world about it?

Whatever next?

0 Replies

I can't read 126 pages of responses when I come late to a thread and therefore if I am repeating someone else's post, forgive me.

This morning, I heard on NPR that studies have been recently published which argue that by reducing air pollution we will increase global warming. Apparently the scientist who produced this study found that there are particles within common air pollution that reflect the Sun's heat rays, and if we rid our atmosphere of them we will increase the Sun's warming effect on our planet.

Also on NPR was the story that planting thousands of trees to combat air pollution carries with it considerable risk. For example, huge tree plantings dry up local water supplies.

Unless we destroy ourselves in the interim, eventually we will competently control our environment. We can't now, and we shouldn't allow ideological idiocy to assure us we can.

0 Replies

Heritage is a crap organization by that arch rascal Scaife

0 Replies

Global Warming...New Report...and it ain't happy news

Related Topics

Quick Links

My Account

able2know