.
Filed under: Ecology, Environment, Holidays, News | Tagged: christmas, Christmas tree, Decorations and Props, Gift wrapping, Holidays, paris, Recycling, Tree | Leave a Comment »
3 Fun Ways to Reuse Your Christmas Tree (via Autonomie Project’s Blog)
Posted on December 29, 2010 by iwilder
Federal Reserve Should Withdraw Proposals that Enable Loan Scams on Senior Citizens
Posted on December 28, 2010 by iwilder
Image via Wikipedia
The Fed has issued a wide-ranging proposal on reverse mortgages—a loan product that represents a growing market for lenders, but which can pose major risks for elderly homeowners. In comments submitted to the Board, the groups detail how the Board’s proposal would permit several negative outcomes:
- Bundling harmful and unnecessary products with reverse mortgages. When seniors get a reverse mortgage, the lender would be allowed to also sell them harmful or unnecessary financial products after a 10-day waiting period.
- False advertising. Would allow advertisers to make false statements, such as “you can never lose your home,” as long as they present additional information.
- Gouging homeowners unfairly. Would open the door for a harmful new type of reverse mortgage where borrowers could owe much more than the home is worth. As it stands now, borrowers cannot owe more than the home is worth if they pay off the reverse mortgage by selling the home.
- Undermining the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Clashes with specific requirements in the financial reform bill passed last summer, which calls on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to study reverse mortgages and issue regulations based on its findings.
Another major issue involves the “right of rescission,” which provides homeowners up to three years to refinance or restructure a mortgage if a lender made the loan without providing timely and accurate disclosures about the loan’s terms and conditions. Under the new proposal, the definition of “accurate” disclosures would be relaxed, allowing, for example, a lender to tell a homeowner that the monthly payment was $100 less than it actually was. The groups urge the Fed to preserve this right of rescission, which has been a major tool in combating predatory lending.
via Federal Reserve Should Withdraw Proposals that Enable Loan Scams on Senior Citizens.
Filed under: Action Alert!, activism, economy, News, politics, US Politics | Tagged: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Federal Reserve System, Financial Services, Home insurance, Loan, Mortgage loan, Reverse mortgage | Leave a Comment »
Sheehan: We Need “Don’t Go, Don’t Kill (DGDK)” More Than a Repeal of DADT
Posted on December 27, 2010 by iwilder
via Dandelion Salad
Filed under: Action Alert!, activism, afghanistan, Anti-War, Cindy Sheehan, News, nonviolence, Peace, politics, US Politics, war | Tagged: Africa, Barack Obama, Cindy Sheehan, dadt, don't ask don't tell, Maher Arar, Medal of Honor, military, united states, Wikileaks | Leave a Comment »
Pharmaceutical Industry Fraud By Ralph Nader (via Dandelion Salad)
Posted on December 27, 2010 by iwilder
Image by guano
via Dandelion Salad
Filed under: Action Alert!, activism, grassroots democracy, health, health care, Healthcare, News, politics, Ralph Nader, US Politics | Tagged: Fraud, Medicaid, medicare, Prescription drug, Public Citizen, Ralph Nader, republican, united states | Leave a Comment »
United for Peace and Justice Issues Weekly Afghanistan War Reports; Nation Interviews Matthew Hoh (via Peace and Justice Online)
Posted on December 27, 2010 by iwilder
Filed under: Action Alert!, activism, afghanistan, Anti-War, News, nonviolence, Peace, US Politics | Tagged: Al-Qaeda, Barack Obama, Pakistan, Peace, Taliban, united states, War in Afghanistan (2001–present), White House | Leave a Comment »
Green Party certified as ballot qualified Party in NY
Posted on December 27, 2010 by iwilder
Image via Wikipedia
The Green Party was officially certified Monday December 14 by the NYS Board of Elections as the newest ballot qualified party, with the Gubernatorial ticket receiving 59,928 votes. 50,000 votes for Governor is needed to qualify a party. The Greens received 49,201 votes outside of NYC.
Key issues for the Green Party in 2011 will including seeking a permanent ban on hydrofracking for natural gas; supporting community rather than mayoral control of public schools; progressive tax reform to resolve the state budget deficit; and public campaign finance reform. The Greens will also campaign for their Green New Deal program, including public jobs for full employment, single-payer health care, fully funded public schools and colleges, and renewable energy.
Filed under: 3rd party, activism, Ballot issues, campaign finance reform, Ecology, economy, Education, election, Election 2010, Election Night 2008, elections, energy, Environment, governor, grassroots democracy, green, Green Party, health, health care, Healthcare, new york, New York State Politics, politics, Press Release, US Politics | Tagged: ballot access, ban on hydrofracking, fracking, green, Green New Deal, new york, renewable energy, Single-payer health care, third party, united states | 3 Comments »
Blizzard 2010: Video of snow on Long Island
Posted on December 27, 2010 by kwilder
Filed under: local, long island, nature, News, video | Tagged: Blizzard 2010, kimberly wilder, long island, Long Island snow, Long Island weather, snow, snow drifts, Snowfall totals | 1 Comment »
Blizzard Fun! (Photos)
Posted on December 27, 2010 by kwilder
The wilderside team lives in North Babylon, Long Island, NY. One report says that we received 12.5 inches of snow by this morning. It is still blowing, and there is more to come. Update at 11:30am: Newsday reports the snow had mostly stopped by 10:30am, and total in Babylon was 18.5 inches of snow!
Below are some photos from about 6:30am. Video is in post above, and at youtube: here.
Filed under: local, long island, News, Photos | Tagged: Blizzard 2010, Long Island blizzard, Long Island snow, Long Island weather, snow, snow drift, snow drifts, snow photos, snow pictures | Leave a Comment »
Michael Moore Uses Wikileaks to Expose Bush Sicko Lies and Ignore Obama Lies
Posted on December 26, 2010 by iwilder
Cover of Sicko (Special Edition)
IW: Just as amusing as the Obama administration‘s “Don’t look at the man behind the curtain” stance on Wikileaks is watching Michael Moore’s contortions to use Wikileaks proves that the Bush administration was evil while ignoring that the Obama administration is committing the same atrocities. In case Moore forgot, Sicko promoted Single-Payer Healthcare. Bush and Obama opposed it.
So, on January 31, 2008, a State Department official stationed in Havana took a made up story and sent it back to his HQ in Washington. Here’s what they came up with:
XXXXXXXXXXXX stated that Cuban authorities have banned Michael Moore’s documentary, “Sicko,” as being subversive. Although the film’s intent is to discredit the U.S. healthcare system by highlighting the excellence of the Cuban system, he said the regime knows the film is a myth and does not want to risk a popular backlash by showing to Cubans facilities that are clearly not available to the vast majority of them.
Sounds convincing, eh?! There’s only one problem — the entire nation of Cuba was shown the film on national television on April 25, 2008! The Cubans embraced the film so much so it became one of those rare American movies that received a theatrical distribution in Cuba. I personally ensured that a 35mm print got to the Film Institute in Havana. Screenings of ‘Sicko’ were set up in towns all across the country. In Havana, ‘Sicko’ screened at the famed Yara Theater.
via ¡Viva WikiLeaks! SiCKO Was Not Banned in Cuba | MichaelMoore.com.
Related Articles
- ¡Viva WikiLeaks! SiCKO Was Not Banned in Cuba (redantliberationarmy.wordpress.com)
- Michael Moore: ¡Viva WikiLeaks! SiCKO Was Not Banned in Cuba (huffingtonpost.com)
- WikiLeaks cables: Michael Moore film Sicko was ‘not banned’ in Cuba (guardian.co.uk)
- Wikileaks/Cablegate: Cuba banned Michael Moore’s “Sicko” for fear of public backlash (boingboing.net)
- Sicko Doesn’t Meet Cuban Propaganda Standards (reason.com)
- WikiLeaks: Cuba banned Sicko for depicting ‘mythical’ healthcare system (guardian.co.uk)
- “WikiLeaks: Cuba banned Sicko for depicting ‘mythical’ healthcare system” and related posts (ontd_political.livejournal.com)
- ‘Sicko’ not shown in Cuba: “disturbed at the blatant misrepresentation of their healthcare” (riehlworldview.com)
- Moore: Hey, Cuba loved my movie! (hotair.com)
Filed under: film, health, health care, Healthcare, News, politics, president, US Politics | Tagged: cuba, film, Havana, michaelmoore, Movies, Obama Administration, Sicko, united states, United States Department of State, Washington, Wikileaks | Leave a Comment »
Newly Leaked Cable: Pope ‘quietly supportive’ of GMOs (via Food Freedom)
Posted on December 26, 2010 by iwilder
via Food Freedom
Filed under: Action Alert!, activism, Food, News, Organics, Spiritual Study | Tagged: Biotechnology, Genetically modified food, Genetically modified organism, gmo, gmos, Pontiff, Pope, Pope Benedict XVI, Transgenic maize, Wikileaks | Leave a Comment »
Wikimania and the First Amendment – The Nader Page
Posted on December 26, 2010 by iwilder
Image via Wikipedia
The mad dog, homicidal demands to destroy the leaders of Wikileaks by self-styled liberal Democrat and Fox commentator, Bob Beckel, the radio and cable howlers and some members of Congress, may be creating an atmosphere of panic at the politically sensitive Justice Department. Attorney General Eric Holder has made very prejudicial comments pursuant to his assertion that his lawyers considering how they may prosecute Julian Assange, the Wikileaks leader.
Mr. Holder declared that both “the national security of the United States” and “the American people have been put at risk.” This level of alarm was not shared by the public statements of defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of States Hillary Clinton who downplayed the impact of these disclosures.
The Attorney General, who should be directing more of his resources to the corporate crime wave in all its financial, economic and hazardous manifestations, is putting himself in a bind.
Related Articles
- Wikimania and the First Amendment by Ralph Nader (dandelionsalad.wordpress.com)
- Ralph Nader: Wikileaks and the First Amendment (indigenist.blogspot.com)
- Ralph Nader: Julian Assange Prosecution a ‘Distraction’ from Executive Branch Secrecy (blogs.abcnews.com)
- Wikileaks, the Espionage Act, and the Constitution (Ralph Nader testifies) (dandelionsalad.wordpress.com)
- Ralph Nader: Obama Will Face Primary Challenge In 2012 (huffingtonpost.com)
- Of Secrets and Mad Dogs : Wikileaks and the First Amendment [Zahir shamsery] (ecademy.com)
- Congress Hears WikiLeaks Is ‘Fundamentally Different’ From Media (wired.com)
Filed under: Action Alert!, activism, media, News, Ralph Nader | Tagged: Bob Beckel, Eric Holder, Freedom of the Press, Julian Assange, Ralph Nader, robert gates, united states, United States Department of Justice, Wikileaks | Leave a Comment »
NYCLU Sues Police Officer Over Taser of a Syracuse 9th Grader
Posted on December 25, 2010 by iwilder
The New York Civil Liberties Union today filed a civil rights lawsuit in federal court on behalf of a Syracuse student who was shot with a Taser by a police officer last year. The student, a ninth grader at the time, was attempting to stop a fight between two female classmates at Fowler High School at the time of the incident.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, maintains that the police officers used excessive force and violated his constitutional rights. It names the city and the two police officers involved in the incident as defendants.
“Tasers are dangerous, even deadly, weapons,” said Barrie Gewanter, director of the NYCLU’s Central New York Chapter. “The officers in this case were guided by policies and practices that may be suitable for fighting crime on the streets, but are completely inappropriate for working with children in a learning environment.”
Filed under: Action Alert!, activism, Education, new york, New York State Politics, News | Tagged: Fowler High School, law, New York Civil Liberties Union, police, Police officer, Syracuse New York, Taser, United States Constitution | 1 Comment »
Police Tactics in New York City Housing Are Criticized – NYTimes.com
Posted on December 25, 2010 by iwilder
Image via Wikipedia
h/t NYCLU
A Manhattan judge criticized the policing tactics in New York City Housing Authority developments, ruling on Tuesday that officers appeared to be routinely flouting the law by questioning people without legal justification.
via Police Tactics in New York City Housing Are Criticized – NYTimes.com.
Filed under: News | Tagged: law, Lower East Side, Manhattan, new york, new york city, New York City Housing Authority, public housing, united states | Leave a Comment »