It was quite a few months ago that McDonald's corporation decided to join the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.  The American Family Association responded by calling for a boycott of McDonald's.  The AFA had requested that McDonald's remain neutral in what the AFA calls the "culture war".

We recently received a communication from the AFA, that McDonald's representative  on the NGLCC board of directors had resigned his position, and that McDonald's would not be renewing it's membership in the NGLCC, so the boycott was being called off. 

We went back to McDonald's the very next day.

Thank you McDonald's, for returning to a neutral position.

«Il y a beaucoup de zones sombres. Personne ne semble comprendre quels tournois on peut ou ne peut pas disputer», assure celle qui sera n°2 mondiale dans quelques heures. L'an prochain, les tournois de Tier I et de Tier II vont être regroupés sous le nom de "Premiers", qui seront au nombre de 20. Certaines joueuses devront prendre part à au moins la moitié d'entre eux. «Ils disent que les meilleures joueuses devront participer à des tournois désignés, alors que celles moins bien classées auront le choix. Il n'y a aucune logique, estime Dinara. Et si les meilleures joueuses veulent toutes aller au même tournoi ? Que se passera-t-il ? Nous voulons savoir». Les obligations ne s'arrêtent pas là, et sont en effet de plus en plus contraignantes en fonction de la hiérarchie.

Un carcan doré pour le Top 10
Quatre tournois de premier plan (Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, et Pékin) seront obligatoires pour les mieux classées, qui devront prendre part à 4 des 5 tournois haut de gamme (Canada, Dubaï, Rome, Cincinnati, et Tokyo). Les dirigeants de la WTA se sont engagés auprès des organisateurs à avoir au moins sept des dix meilleurs joueuses mondiales à ces tournois. Ceux de moindre importance serviront aux membres du Top 10 mondial à compléter leur calendrier.

Svetlana Kuznetsova a emboîté le pas à sa compatriote. «On m'a dit que seulement deux joueuses du Top 10 pourraient disputer un tournoi de moindre importance, comme celui de Moscou», explique la n°7 mondiale. «Que va-t-il se passer si Jelena Jankovic et Serena ou Venus veulent jouer là ? Alors toutes les meilleures joueuses russes, et nous sommes cinq dans le Top 10, ne pourront pas jouer devant notre public. Cela n'a pas de sens». Safina a ajouté qu'un réunion entre joueuses devrait avoir lieu dans un mois, à la fin de la saison, afin de discuter de ces questions.

WASHINGTON, Sep 18, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) announced today that it has reached agreements in principle with, SunTrust Investment Services, Inc. and SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc., both of Atlanta, GA, Comerica Securities, Inc. of Detroit, MI, First Southwest Company of Dallas, TX, and WaMu Investments, Inc., of Irvine, CA, to settle charges relating to the sale of Auction Rate Securities (ARS). Each of the principle agreements is subject to being formalized in an approved settlement document called a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent (AWC).

Each firm has agreed to offer to repurchase at par ARS that were purchased by individual investors and some institutions between May 31, 2006, and Feb. 28, 2008. A total of more than $1.8 billion of ARS are eligible for repurchase. The firms have also agreed to make whole individual investors who sold ARS below par after Feb. 28, 2008. The firms will pay a total of $3.25 million in fines, with individual fines ranging from $250,000 to $1.65 million.

Each firm has also agreed to have an independent, non-industry arbitrator resolve investor claims for any consequential damages -- that is, damages they may have suffered from their inability to access funds invested in ARS.

The agreements announced today are the result of FINRA's increased scrutiny of the auction rate market, which began in March of this year, when required regulatory filings showed an increase in the number of investor complaints against broker-dealers regarding ARS. Nearly 50 additional investigations have been opened, and more are expected. FINRA initially questioned more than 200 firms regarding their holdings of ARS in both proprietary and customer accounts. FINRA then conducted sweeps of mostly "downstream" firms -- that is, firms that were not involved in the underwriting or management of the auction process, but instead served as distributors placing bids on behalf of their customers at the auctions.

"FINRA's primary goal in reaching these agreements was to ensure that investors disadvantaged in failed auctions will be able to access the millions of dollars they invested in Auction Rate Securities," said Susan L. Merrill, FINRA Executive Vice President and Chief of Enforcement. "We are pleased that these firms have stepped up and agreed to do the right thing for their customers, and we have given them credit for doing so in assessing their fines."

In addition to individual investors, those eligible for ARS repurchase and/or payments for ARS sold below par include non-profit charitable organizations and religious corporations or entities. Trusts, corporate trusts, corporations, pension plans, educational institutions, incorporated non-profit organizations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships, non-public companies, partnerships, personal holding companies and unincorporated associations that made individual ARS purchases and whose account value did not exceed $10 million will also be eligible.

Each firm has agreed to provide notice to its eligible customers promptly. Repurchases must begin no later than 30 days after the settlement is approved and must be completed no later than 60 days after settlement approval. Beginning six months after settlement approval, each firm has also agreed to make its best efforts to provide liquidity to all other investors who purchased during the same time period but who were not eligible for the initial repurchase. Those best efforts may include offers to repurchase ARS and/or offers of low- or no-interest loans.

The principle agreements announced today call for payment of the following fines: SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, $1.65 million; Comerica, $750,000; SunTrust Investment Services, $300,000; First Southwest, $300,000; and WaMu, $250,000.

FINRA's investigation has found evidence that each firm sold ARS using advertising, marketing materials or other internal communications with its sales force that were not fair and balanced and therefore did not provide a sound basis for investors to evaluate the benefits and risks of purchasing ARS. FINRA's investigation also found evidence that each firm failed to establish and maintain a supervisory system reasonably designed to achieve compliance with the securities laws and FINRA rules with respect to the marketing and sale of ARS.

In the forthcoming formal settlement documents, the firms will neither admit nor deny the charges, but will consent to the entry of FINRA's findings.

Earlier this year, FINRA released guidance for investors caught in the auction failures in the Investor Alert Auction Rate Securities: What Happens When Auctions Fail.

ARS are typically debt instruments (corporate or municipal bonds) with a long-term maturity for which the interest rate is regularly reset through a Dutch auction. ARS can also refer to a preferred stock for which the dividend is reset through the same process. In the Dutch auction, broker-dealers submit bids on behalf of potential buyers and sellers of the bond. Based on the submitted bids, the auction agent will set the next interest rate as the lowest rate to match supply and demand. Auctions are typically held every 7, 28, or 35 days. Since ARS holders do not have the right to put their securities back to the issuer, a failed auction means that the investors cannot access their investment until the next successful auction or until the security matures, which may not occur for many years.

Investors can obtain more information about, and the disciplinary record of, any FINRA-registered broker or brokerage firm by using FINRA's BrokerCheck. FINRA makes BrokerCheck available at no charge. In 2007, members of the public used this service to conduct 6.7 million reviews of broker or firm records. Investors can access BrokerCheck at www.finra.org/brokercheckor by calling (800) 289-9999.

FINRA is the largest non-governmental regulator for all securities firms doing business in the United States. Created in 2007 through the consolidation of NASD and NYSE Member Regulation, FINRA is dedicated to investor protection and market integrity through effective and efficient regulation and complementary compliance and technology-based services. FINRA touches virtually every aspect of the securities business -- from registering and educating industry participants to examining securities firms; writing rules; enforcing those rules and the federal securities laws; informing and educating the investing public; providing trade reporting and other industry utilities; and administering the largest dispute resolution forum for investors and registered firms.

For more information, please visit our Web site at www.finra.org.

SOURCE: Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)

Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)

Nancy Condon, 202-728-8379 or Herb Perone, 202-728-8464

Copyright Business Wire 2008 End of Story

CTV has obviously sold their soul and lost any sense of professional journalism. Everyone should write to CTV and tell them we are boycotting all their shows until they get rid of Mike Duffy and stop their Fox News style bias reporting. Enough is enough! This is Canada, not Fox News nation!

I'll repeat Dion quote yesterday.

“Stephen Harper may speak better English than me, but I speak the truth better — in both official language.”

After CTV's act today, we can add "CTV and Stephen Harper may speak better English....."

Update 12:08 AM EST October 10, 2008:

I like Galloping Beaver idea. Collect information about their advertisers and tell them we will have nothing to do with their product as long as they advertise with CTV.

Every country has its classes of people from the poor to the rich. Even the Soviet Union had this situation even in its best communistic days. Barack Hussein Obama would like to raise taxes on anyone who makes more then $41,000 per year. He even talks about social Darwinism by everybody getting a share of the government; well the American owns this government. The Common American hires and fires those who run the government and it has become obvious that that good interviewing of candidates like Obama have gone by the wayside. In fact a blind eye has been turned to Barack just like those who are running the financial institutions of this country.

Here is a college professor with limited government experience wanting to take away from the wealthy of this country forget about the middleclass American and only help the poor. He is no different then Jimmy Carter, who sold us out to the Ayatollah Khomeni on November 6, 1979. This created one of the greatest enemies to America, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who would run Israel and America to death just to bring about Armageddon. As proven Carter hates Israel because he takes money from the Arabs so does Barack. Carter wanted to bring change to America and also wanted to be president of the world so does Barack. As stated who cares if the world wants Barack as president let him run Europe we do not need a puppet controlled by the world. We need an American who believes in America first and foremost.

This only gets out to a few people but seriously look at the history of Barack a man who hates America even his friends hate America. The Soviets hated America and Barack would have fit into their agenda during the cold war that is why Vladimir Putin would like to see Barack as president.

what to do... well, I did make one step. i updated our netflix with more amiable movies that both of us would watch. there are some movies that i am just not ready to let go of.

don't get me wrong, i have had my own boycotts in my time. i boycotted wal-mart and target 2 years ago when they wouldn't advertise 'christmas' in their 'christmas/holiday' ads, which make them tons of money. and, it did make a difference. it made national news, which others joined in.

but, how much will it hurt to watch the latest outspoken or even the subtle 'hollywood' entertainer? i do not want to name them because i don't want to give them anymore 'press' for their uneducated/narrow-minded views. why can't they choose to take the high road, and believe what they want and not throw it in our face of what THEY think is right.

i have made one big decision, which those that know me... this is BIG for me. I will not watch the OSCARS this year. I am tired of the 'liberal' forum they believe everyone wants to hear about.

i just love the movies! why can we not enjoy them for what they are...

I got out because, well, I'm smart and bought an iPhone with a superior service provider called Rogers. Why am I such a brainiac?

Since June I've been trying to cancel my Telus phone. I got back from New Zealand and was fed up with the outrageous billing, incorrect charges and added fees such as TV (which my phone can't even use). In July, I got my iPhone and, after multiple attempts, finally got my phone bill canceled.

Or so I thought.

I just got a $250 Telus bill because A) my contract was not canceled and B) they didn't deem it necessary to send me bills for August or September. I am a humble fellow, but I'm in a god damn rage right now. I'm actually pounding kinda loud on my laptop that I try to keep reaaaaal quiet on. Sorry if I wake you, Mum.

So I'm calling Telus again tomorrow and I'm not hanging up until my phone won't even so much as consider dialing out. I have a Telus store in town that refuses to cancel me out of sheer asshole-ery -- if they give me a number, they don't have to do it -- so I've got to call and stay on the line until the phone is dead. I'm sick of this, and I'm sick of not getting bills for phones that I'm paying for, but shouldn't be.

So:

Dear Telus Mobility,

Burn in a fucking grease fire. Then survive so you can burn in another fucking grease fire.

Love,

Mitchell Dyer

There were several factors, one of which - and perhaps the biggest hit America took - is generally overlooked.

If you look at any egghead, scholarly paper on that long, painful chapter in US history, you'll usually see the following items cited as the cause for the Great Depression:

• the 1929 Stock Market Crash,
• bank failures,
• credit-driven consumerism in the 1920s,
• tariffs on imports and a decline in exports,
• a decline in personal savings,
• a sharp downturn in agricultural prices.

In reality, the stock market rallied in 1930, as did the bond markets.  Stock prices themselves would suffer a sharp decline over the next two years, but this had very little to do with the stock market itself, or with the financial markets as you'll see.

The biggest driver in the devastating economic downturn was the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act - a protectionist / anti-free-trade piece of legislation that slapped tariffs on thousands of products - signed into law in the summer of 1930.  In response, Europeans started buying less goods from the United States...especially agricultural products.  In other words: because of government intervention in open markets, the result was the unintended consequence of harming the economy.

The second problem was that numerous Europe nations had been devastated by World War I, and were obligated to pay back loans to the United States that were near impossible for them to pay off...Germany being one example of this condition.  Add to this the rise of a new form of modern-day tyranny (that would be "socialism") in the European political theater, and what you've got is utter chaos in European economic circles.  Germany, once a financial powerhouse, was just about wiped out; a condition that fed the rise of the Nazis to power in that nation.  Russia wasn't on the verge of collapse, it was relegated to a economic non-factor by revolution, and socialist control.  France, England, and the other victors in the war were under heavy financial burden, much of which was owed to the US.  Add the Smoot-Hawley Act, and what you got was a full-fledged revolt by Europe, and boycotts against US products in the only other genuine economic market in the world at that time.

This was before the days of Japan, China, Australia, and the Middle East having any sort of global economic clout.  There was really only one other market out there besides the United States, and that was Europe.

So exports dried up.  American farmers were producing crops that weren't being sold.  The result was a drastic drop in prices.

But the most devastating event that cemented the Great Depression into US history is the one thing rarely mentioned, because it isn't really sexy-sounding.  I'm talking here about the Dust Bowl.

The Dust Bowl started with a drought in America's breadbasket in 1930.  Because American farmers were not using modern-day crop rotation methods, the topsoil (which is needed to get crops to grow) became thin.  The drought in 1930, coupled with high winds, literally stripped away what little nutrient-rich soil from the parched ground, producing huge dust storms that ravaged Texas, Oklahoma, the Great Plains, and huge portions of the country all throughout the 1930s; even up to 1938.  The result for American farmers was devastating crop failures of almost Biblical proportions over the course of nearly a decade.  Unable to pay their loans, taxes, and debts a huge number of farmers fell into default and foreclosure.  This flooded the market with foreclosure properties and lost funds that banks couldn't reclaim (who wants to own a farm in the middle of a desert?).  The result was the collapse of both the banking industry AND the agricultural industry.

Some can compare this today with the seeming collapse of the banking industry and the housing industry, but that would not be an accurate comparison.  Back during the 1920s and 1930s, the financial sector may have hired roughly the same percentage of the population (in 2007, this was something like 3.3% of all non-farm labor), but the housing industry (taken from the figures on construction jobs) only employs something like 3% of the total non-farm employees.

Contrast this with the number of people involved in agriculture in the years preceding the Great Depression, which was anywhere from 20% to 25% of the total workforce.  Nowadays, that number is less than 2% (if not less than 1%) of the workforce, and they produce more agricultural products than ever previously recorded.

Hopefully now you begin to see the picture: the LARGEST employment sector in the US was almost wiped out by government intervention, over-production, and natural disasters.  Take a huge chunk of the population having no money to spend, and what you get is a giant ripple effect, impacting just about everyone in the country.  Add to this the fact that Europe wasn't buying our goods, chaos in the European markets, and that the Soviet Union was putting grain out on the open market at cut-rate pricing (while starving millions of Ukrainians in the process), and you get a devastating blow to the US economy.

In short: we were carrying around a pretty big egg in one basket.

The catalyst here appears to be government-based protectionism in global markets.

Some may think my explanation "simplistic".  I've read more than enough economic egghead-ery that cited "overly optimistic markets", and the Fed, and income taxes, and whatnot as bringing together a "perfect storm" that caused everything to go awry.  Some of this is pulled from demi-socialist economic thought, and some of this is speculation-turned-fact.

What is clear is that none of this was relieved until after the drought-time ended (around 1938), and with the advent of WWII.  All of the government interventionist policies of FDR did nothing to revive the economy.  Stock prices increased after 1933, but slowly, and unemployment remained at or above 15% until 1940.

As FDR critics will tell you: it was WWII that got us out of the Great Depression.  Europe, especially the Soviet Union, had no other choice but to look to the United States for manufacturing their equipment and armaments (especially the Soviets, whose flagging socialist industries were crushed by a Nazi invasion, and socialism's own devastating effect on economic production).  This literally rebuilt our infrastructure such that, after the war was over, we were the only nation that could actually revive Europe.  They had no other choice but to come to us.

This then created the 1950s economic boom, and vaulted the United States of America into superpower status.

Our seeding of other markets post-WWII is, in my opinion, the safety net that will prevent this country from slipping into another huge economic depression.  Between the oil wealth of the Middle East, Europe, the emerging Asian Marketplace, and prosperous English-speaking markets in Australia and Canada a strangling boycott of American goods is almost an impossibility.

The US economy is FAR more diverse than it was back in the 1920s and 1930s.  As we've seen in the past year, even with a near collapse in the housing sector the economy still kept chugging along.  That's because things like Construction only comprise about 3% of the workforce.  The US is in a position to take a couple of big hits in its economic sectors, and still stay afloat.  But as I've shown with the intervention of the FDIC in the subprime markets, and GSEs in lending this could all change if government gets more and more control of our economy.

The passage of the present financial bail-out bill does just that: gives idiot bureaucrats more power.

We weren't on the brink of another Great Depression.  It was all propaganda designed to get average people begging the federal government to do something to "fix" the economy.  And as we saw with the New Deal, the actual results will be anemic at best.  If there is any resurgence in the economy in the near future, it will all be psychological.

People out there need to get a grip.  They also need to stop listening to idiots like Nancy Pelosi and Barney Frank.

They gave it to us good this time. Both parties gave it to us good. Third party candidates like Ralph Nader looking better and better everyday. I know that voting for a third party will not elect a president at this time. However, I am debating if I am just wasting my vote by voting for anybody from the two party monopoly.

Jeff Zucker, Chairman of NBC

Robert Charles Wright, Chair media group

Jeffrey Immelt, General Electric

NBC Headquarters

30 Rockefeller Plaza

New York, New York  10112

Mr. Zucker, Mr. Wright, Mr. Immelt:

We will work daily to protest your depraved programming and boycott your corporation because of the SNL skit implying Todd Palin has sex with his daughters.

We are looking for at least 30 million people of faith to take action against you.

You have awakened a sleeping giant. The majority of Americans have had enough. Your abuse of the public airwaves and your horrendous assault on good people will end, now.

THE HUMOR OF GE/NBC/SNL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRXQ2ZueP5c

Sincerely,

Allan Erickson

10.3.08

What am I'm talking about? I'm talking about preparation to attend a screening of the Canadian co-production of the movie, 'Blindness', based on the book of the same name by Jose Saramago. This involves researching the plot summary (very disturbing, depicting a world gripped by a blindness epidemic....trouble is, all the blind people are portrayed as helpless, altered and desperate...), linking to articles on the Net, listening to the BBC production available 'till October 8th on Sendspace, following the protest in the USA by the NFB, sending out a media release to local media and responding to those who have requested interviews following the screening tomorrow, and preparing a statement in anticipation that this movie's buzz (as one which portrays blind people in a vile and unacceptable manner) is accurate.  The  statement would likely ask the people of Halifax and beyond to give it a MISS altogether, NOT support the  filmmaker and theatre by paying for admission to see it, to look beyond Mr. Saramago's comment that this is a  "allegorical" film and his dismissal of the blind community (who are widely protesting it) as "ridiculous", and send a message that this film is NOT OK with the blind community...I'm just preparing for 'Blindness', 'cause this movie is sending the wrong message about real blindness, and frankly I don't care if  Mr. Saramago's literary soul is crushed in the process. Metaphor shmetaphor!

Senator DeMint a Democrat said on the Glen Beck talk show, “I really did think it was shameless. I mean, votes on these tax cuts that I have supported and already voted on, they brought it back and made me vote on it again as part of this bill to try to pressure me to support the bailout. And we threw away all our freedom principles and free enterprise principles, we threw away all the principles of traditional legislation with no hearings and no debate and no amendments. We threw all this out and did something in a hurry and I tell you, I never in my life have I seen something big done in a hurry that was the right thing to do.”

America it is time that the common man to be heard on this subject. Yes the economy is in trouble which was created in part by the government with deregulation of loan practices and the Democrats blocking an investigation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2005. This is when it was run by Franklin Raines and Jim Johnson, both advisors to Barck Hussein Obama. They made millions in salaries while the institutions were being run into the ground. These two men who should be investigated on bank fraud criminal charges.

Once again the freedoms of America are being taken away by the elitists this what Sen. DeMint said, “Our default position should always be how do we make freedom work and keep government limited, but we threw that out and our first knee jerk reaction was to expand government and to ignore a lot of free enterprise principles that I know would work, and that's the biggest frustration of all here. We didn't give freedom a chance to work in this process and we continue the stranglehold of bad policies and laws on our free enterprise system and then we blame it when it doesn't work.” He talked about pressure being put on Republicans by a group that enjoys the First Amendment, to quote again, “Well, the national media. You know, even media normally that we would count on like Fox, it looks like Murdock got to those guys because they were looking in the camera and saying, you won't get your paycheck if these guys don't change their vote.”[1]

This is a Democrat who in some ways has become frighten of his own party leadership which is Senator Harry Reid, a kingman. This means that these power mad elitists need to be elected out of office by the common Man of America. The most powerful group in America must show that they are not sheep being lead over a cliff to ravenous wolves by evil sheepherders.

The last question of the day, who do you want run your life the government and big business which the socialistic Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi, have crawled in bed with them, or being the Great Common Man of American in charge of his own destiny?

Independent candidate for President Ahmnodt Heare demands to be included in the debates sponsored by the Commision of Presidential Debates.  There are two debates scheduled:  Tuesday, October 7 at Belmont University in Nashville, TN and October 15 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY.

If Ahmnodt Heare is not invited to the debates, he will call for a boycott of the corporations sponsoring the debates:

2008 National Sponsors

Anheuser-Busch Companies
BBH New York
The Howard G. Buffet Foundation
Sheldon S. Cohen, Esq.
EDS, an HP Company
International Bottled Water Association
The Kovler Fund
YWCA USA

****************************************************************************

Dear fellow ministers,

As some of you may be aware, Bill Maher has produced a movie which is now hitting theaters named “Religulous”. The movie is blatantly Atheist and aimed at bashing Christians in particular and religion in general. One of Maher’s quotes from the film is:

“You can’t be a rational person six days of the week and put on a suit and make rational decisions and go to work and, on one day of the week, go to a building and think you’re drinking the blood of a 2,000-year-old space god. That doesn’t make you a person of faith, that makes you a schizophrenic.”

If you are unaware of the movie, here is a link to it: http://www.religulousmovie.net

This movie is just another in a long line of attacks on our faith in this country. It has become culturally acceptable to condone any hate speech aimed at conservatives and Christians while decrying any statement that we make as being judgmental, hate-filled and bigoted. We simply must act if we are to preserve any rights whatsoever in this country as Christians and if we are to avoid becoming social pariahs by being painted as ‘idiots’ by the media.

Now, if we were to picket or make a noise in the media itself, it would only drive up interest for the movie in society and we cannot afford that. But neither can we afford to do nothing.

To that end, we are contacting the theaters in our region and informing them that if they show this movie at any time, we will enact a consolidated boycott of all of their theaters for a period of one year. No Christian will patronize their theater for any reason for one year following their showing of this movie, period. The best way to stymie this film’s success is to hit it in the pocketbook. By going to the theaters themselves with the threatened boycott, we can offer them a greater loss over a one year period of time than they can possibly hope to recoup by showing the film for a few short weeks.

I would like to have your support and the support of your local body in this. Please just drop me a note and let me know if you would stand with us in this. Please forward this to any clergy that you think may be interested in joining an effort to stop this film in its tracks as well.

Remember, together we win!

God bless you all richly.

J. Smith
WSBC

Religulous Trailer

Bill Maher's interview on the View

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The Film, entitled "Een Buitengewone Werk van Schoonheid," is set for a December Release by Magnolia Pictures, which Acquired the Rights to the Film after a controversial Bidding War following the Sundance Film Festival earlier this Year.

No More Gris Gris claims that the Film is Anti-American and Disgusting, among other Criticisms, and they are calling on a Boycott of any American Theatre which elects to Exhibit the Movie. They are also planning a Campaign to involve American Politicians in the Matter, although such Efforts at Film Censorship have been largely Avoided by the US Government in recent Decades.

-*-The Minister of Culture-*-

Dear Kroger,

I am writing to share my extremely frustrating and humiliating experience at your Kroger store located on ********************************** on October 1st at 7:45pm CST. I am still extremely upset over the way my husband and I were treated by the so called manager, Danitra.

My husband and I use coupons as a way to save money for our family. We are very good at using coupons and are daily members to a coupon forum website where we talk with other members about store sales and coupons. I also write a frequented blog where I document my use of coupons. If we did not use coupons, we would not be able to afford the wonderful food that we can with coupons. I'm afraid we would not be able to afford much food at all if we did not use coupons.

We had planned on doing two transactions this evening. One for each of us. Along with some grocery items we had 10 Glade Gel Plug Ins on the first transaction. We had 3 coupons from the newspaper inserts that were "Buy One Get One free" on the plug ins. We also had 2 coupons that were printed off the internet through coupons.com. At our Kroger there are signs saying a limit of 3 of the same coupons on the same transaction. The printed coupons and the insert coupons were different coupons. They had different expiration dates, came from different places, and looked totally different.

The cashier was scanning the coupons and entering in the price. She was very nice. Then, a woman, Danitra, walked over and proceeded to push her aside and go through our coupons. She was very rude and overbearing and she said "You have more than three of the same kind here." My husband explained to her how they were different and she wasn't even listening to him. She talked over him before he could even explain and said we couldn't use all of those. So, I said that was fine that we would just split them up into different orders. She did not like that at all and got abnormally angry and persisted with us that we could not do separate transactions because there was a limit. My husband said that we would go to the car and come back and she said, "Not with those coupons, you won't!"

Mind you, we were very calm and simply wanted things to get resolved and get what we came for. Danitra was rude from the start and was not called to the register in the first place.
We asked her if she was the manager and she said she was. Then, she took our coupons and voided the whole order we had, including our groceries, and stormed off with our coupons saying she was going to talk "to the manager on duty."

She said she was the manager.

After she walked off, we followed her to the customer service desk where she attempted to call the manager. She could not find him/her and gave us back our coupons, which by the way are written on so we can't use them anymore because they look already used. We work very hard to get our coupons and it is very disappointing to loose ones so valuable.

We asked to see the manager three times and we never laid eyes on her/him or heard her/him. We don't even know their name.

We waited for at least 10 minutes and never saw a manager. Danitra came back and said she talked to the manager and they said Danitra was right and we could not have more than three coupons of the like. I don't think Dantria fully explained the situation to the manager. She told us to be sure not to go out and turn around and come back in with our coupons. She was very rude in saying this, waving her arms and yelling. The whole row of registers heard her and looked at us. We were humiliated. This type of situation should NEVER happen. We were merely trying to take advantage of a good sale.

We walked out of the store after that, and I can tell you that will be my LAST time in a Kroger anywhere. This letter doesn't even begin to explain all the humiliation we went though.

Up until today I have been a loyal Kroger shopper of over seven years. I frequent this very store two to three times each and every week. I used to love going to Kroger because of the ease of shopping and great sales, but now the bad has surely outweighed the good. As the economy continues to tighten and families are forced to use coupons to make ends meet, they will search more and more for coupon friendly stores in which to shop. I am sorry to say that what used to be my favorite store, Kroger, no longer falls into that category.

Sincerely,

******************

The Quebec Labour Federation made the boycott call Thursday, after locked-out refinery workers overwhelmingly rejected Petro-Canada's latest contract offer earlier this week.

The six-year deal included 14 per cent salary increases in the first three years.

A majority of the 260 locked-out workers voted 95.6 per cent against the contract proposal.

Petro-Canada locked out workers 10 months ago. Management workers stepped into various positions at the east-end refinery to maintain operations.

The union said it is still interested in reaching a deal with Petro-Canada.

Chevron to step aside as Hebron operator

It is time to blame the right people for this horrendous calamity of financial woes. One could start with President George W. Bush but that would be a lie. The socialistic ideals of the Democratic Party are behind this problem. Now they want it to be a bipartisan resolve in Congress so it does not look like they are cleaning up their own mess. It is nice to believe that everybody should own a home but that is an impossible dream. Except in this manner the $700 billion bail-out would buy every family in America a home and a new car. With money left over to prosecute those who helped with making the bad loans and William Jefferson Clinton for signing legislation that created this problem. Yes it was Republican Congress that passed the Financial Services Modernization Act but nobody had the foresight of the greed that would come into play as Democrats boosted that they had helped the poor into a house they could not afford.

Let the markets collapse and see what shakes out. If it is a Great Depression then those who caused it will get kicked out and new blood will enter the scene. The problem is at the top Barack Hussein Obama represents the past with his Stalinist socialistic views that failed. The Soviet Union no longer exists in fact today Russia believes in a KGB run capitalist system. John McCain has not shown the backbone to let the system fail and lead America into new prosperity.

What is happening to the financial system is its own check and balance process has kicked in. The one thing that the experts have not told the Common American is that even if the bail-out is passed the Great Depression can happen anyway. If this should happen then the rest of the world’s economy would fall apart.

Will nobody stop this ridiculous circus? Prices came down in the Great Depression it was the only way to level the playing field between politicians and the Common American. Most of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s socialistic policies did not work. The greatest socialistic policy that has failed was not Roosevelt’s but Woodrow Wilson’s idea, the Federal Reserve. This is a non-government entity that controls America’s money and financial institutions. This process that is going on is to reduce the amount of banks in America and control the Common American.

One last thought of the day does anybody know where the government is barrowing the money for this bail-out? China a communistic country going capitalistic that also enjoys the fruit of slave labor and non-regulation of its industry.

He Put A Pistol To People's Temples And Blew Their Brains Out!

Seriously! Enough of this Chingoso. Chingate! Pinche Pendejo!

The True Story of Che Guevara, out this week [Sept.23] on DVD, serves up a straightforward account of the man who launched a thousand T-shirts — and turned Cuba into an economic wasteland with precious little freedom.

Soderbergh’s film won’t be released until later this year just as Oscar season heats up. But reviews from a cut screened at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year showed Soderbergh wasn’t interested in exploring Guevara’s dark side.

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-true-story-of-che/

The Gush Shalom Movement congratulates the Barkan Wineries for moving away from the industrial zone of Barkan settlement in the northern West Bank, to Kibbutz Hulda within the internationally-recognized territory of Israel. This is an important act, removing one of the major economic mainstays of the settlements.

[...] About four years ago the Barkan Wineries started a process of moving their operations over to Kibbutz Hulda, a process monitored by Gush Shalom. The soft drinks company "Tempo" which holds ownership of the Barkan Wineries entered into a close partnership with the large Dutch beer company "Heineken" , became part of the worldwide Heineken Group and created a new company called "Tempo Drinks" of which the Dutch Heineken holds 40% ownership.

As is well-known, the Dutch government is firmly opposed to Israeli settlement in the Occupied Territories and therefore was far from happy about a close partnership between a Dutch company and one based at a settlement. Moreover, continued links with a settlement company might have exposed the Heineken Company to considerable criticism in the Dutch public opinion and to a boycott campaign, in the Netherlands themselves as well as in other countries.

[...] The company directors' report to their stockholders stated: "In the past, the location of the company's winery at the Barkan area caused a negative image and made difficult the exporting of the Barkan brands.

[...] Nevertheless, while the Barkan Wineries have completely cut off any association with West Bank settlement ativity, the company - which owns many vineyards in various locations - still owns a vineyard at Avney Ethan on the occupied Golan Heights. Therefore, the Gush Shalom Boycott Committee decided, for the time being, to retain the company on its boycott list.

Well maybe it is necessary for the collapse should happen the American public wants it to happen but not those who lord of the American citizen. The Democrats brought this on in 1999 when William Jefferson Clinton signed the Financial Services Modernization Act. Granted it was a Republican Congress that passed the bill but it was under pressure by Clinton to pass the law so that low income people could by a house.

Well now we have seen the results of getting rid of 1933 Glass-Steagall Act and the 1956 Bank Holding Company Act a safe system which was working for decades. Well greed did take over and people were buying houses they could not afford instead of ones they could honestly pay back. Banks could only see dollar signs in the interest that they would be raking in to their vaults. Yes it gave a good housing market that is now falling apart. Also many new built homes are now standing empty. If the banking industry is allowed to fail then maybe prices will come down and unfortunately high unemployment will be on the rise. With lower prices comes the affordability to buy a home. In Galveston, Texas a great deal of construction is needed in that area to recover from Hurricane Ike.

The amazing part of the $700,000,000,000 bail out will cost each American $10,000. So would this not help in a down payment on home for some people or make payments on a home? Let the wealthy bankers fall it is time that capitalisms leveling system take effect. In other words those on top to be fired from their jobs because they failed and let new blood in to run the show. Let us hope they have learned a lesson from this debacle. The blame game is over it is time that the chips fall where they fall.

No one wants to have another Great Depression but it is brought on by those who wanted more house then they could afford and the banking system looking at all the interest they would be collecting on those homes. Somebody got wealthy off all that interest that was paid on those mortgages. So where are the lending institutions hiding all that money?

Is this a calloused approach? Maybe, with the bailout of these institutions the biggest show of socialism will come into existence. This should never happen. The government will now be able to tell the average American what home they buy and where to live. This is not conspiracy this is fact. Believe what one wants to believe but the Democrats want to control the American public. Nancy Pelosi lives by this to take away the American ideal of self-determination. As country we must stand up to a government that is not listening to America and its belief to weather any storm that comes on the horizon. Did we not hire these people because they listened to us. Fire them because they do not want to listen now.

LAHORE - Lawyers Tuesday observed ‘Yaum-e-Iftikhar’ with a pledge to stand by the deposed Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and continue struggle for his and the restoration of other deposed judges who had previously defied the PCO oath and of late have spurned the government offer of re-appointment under fresh oath of the office.
The outstanding deposed judges are resolute on not accepting the re-appointment and fresh oath on the ground it would negate their Constitutional oath and amount to accepting PCO of Pervez Musharraf which he had passed as Army Chief on November 3. Thus, it would set a precedent for any Army Chief to suspend the Constitution, bring a PCO and subject the judges to it to have his diktats carried through the institution. Lawyers on accepting the re-appointment and fresh oath say, it is tantamount to providing a permanent way to undemocratic forces in the civil govt and its affairs.
The day was observed on the call of the National Coordination Committee to keep legal fraternity warm for what the chairman of the committee, Aitzaz Ahsan had said at its last meeting, for a big show and quicken the movement against the November 3 PCO as well as for judges restoration after Eid-ul-Fitr. Reports received at the Bar here showed that the lawyers at different parts of the country took active participation in the meetings held to renew their commitment with Justice Chaudhry bold ‘no’ to General (r) Musharraf and to carry on struggle for his restoration as Chief Justice of Pakistan. At places, lawyers also took out rallies and raised black flags to resent the yet not honourned commitment for the judges restoration through an executive order. Apart from meetings etc lawyers also continued to hold daily token boycott of the courts and hunger strike to press their demand for revival of November 2 judiciary with Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary as its head.

Lawyers protest, boycott courts (The Daily Mail)-25 September

QUETTA—Quetta lawyers staged a protest and boycotted the courts on Thursday. According to details, the lawyers staged the protest and boycott against non-reinstatement of Iftikhar Chaudhary. They demanded that Iftikhar Chaudhary including all other judges should be reinstated as the position of Nov 2. They said that they would not accept any Judiciary without Iftikhar Chaudhry. The crowd dispersed peacefully yet due to the boycott the people faced problems who came for hearing of their cases.

"Por um preço mais justo: transparência e maior concorrência
A DECO incita todos os consumidores a realizarem uma Jornada Nacional de Protesto, no próximo dia 27, Sábado, pedindo-lhes que não abasteçam os seus veículos durante todo o dia."

in DECO.pt