We Need them Home, all of them, from Iraq and Afghanistan.....Now

Jon Tumilson, a Navy SEAL, was killed in Afghanistan on Aug. 6. At the funeral his dog, Hawkeye, mourns his passing. RIP.

@AWOP Radio Sunday Show....Tune In and Listen Up ....

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We have a Great Show planned for Sunday Evening 7-9PM EST on @Awopradio, really wonderful guests. Jason Leopold of Truthout will be on first and then we have Leslie Boyd of LifeOMike, and Ashley Arrington of BlueRidgePride. We will be talking with all three of these progressive warriors as they Fight the Good Fight. Perry @mommapolitico and Kim @awop are really wonderful hosts of this show, allowing people to tell their stories and have a Voice. (Click the Title and listen in...)

Saturday Night Thoughts....

This Week's Food For Thought....

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Fran Sent this in regarding the Irene...
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Conan on Perry....
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Boehner only played golf 119 times this year....
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Sunflowers and the Fukushima Snow.....

Click the Title to this Reuters Article , a really beautiful article about Monks and planting of Sunflowers in the Fukushima Zone...
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"Sparks from burning strips of paper swirled into the hot summer sky, carrying the names of the dead above a temple in Fukushima where thousands of sunflowers have been planted to help fight the omnipresent radiation.The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant some 50 km away suffered a series of core meltdowns and explosions after the massive March 11 earthquake and tsunami knocked out cooling systems, setting off the world's worst nuclear accident in 25 years and forcing tens of thousands from their homes.

"It is as if an invisible snow had fallen on Fukushima and continued to fall, covering the area," said Koyu Abe, chief monk at the Buddhist Joenji temple.

"This snow, which doesn't melt, brought a long, long winter to Fukushima."

Some 80,000 people were forced to evacuate from a vast swathe of land around the reactor as engineers battled radiation leaks, hydrogen explosions and overheating fuel rods -- and have no idea when, if ever, they can return to homes that have been in their families for generations."

Are Banks Morally Bankrupt ? Let's Look at Some Recent Cases of Banks taking Homes from the Elderly ....

(1) UK Daily has has a recent story about Homes being taken by the Banks in two different Situations. One Situation involves an elderly couple trying to cope with Medical Debt and losing their Home in Florida. And the other case they covered is about the Brooklyn Grandmother who the Bank was trying to take her home due to a default on a 1000 dollar loan. The two examples they gave blatantly show that the Banks were brutal to these elderly folks. In other Countries Elderly are treated with Respect and Compassion.

(2) More about Mary Lee Ward the Brooklyn Grandmother's Situation, from the NY Daily News explains how this great-grandmother of Brooklyn , who has lived in her home of 44 years borrowed money in 1995, and it almost cost her her home Today.

Let's read more from the Business Insider of these Subprime Scams and how such a thing could happen to Mary and other Grandmothers...

Village Voice has the update of the Battle that was waged and how Mary Lee Wards Brooklyn Neighbors joined the Fight, drawing crowds and Media and Support.

Progessive Radio , @awopradio Sunday Night, Tune In and Listen Up....

So this Sunday we have a great show planned, and the show starts at 7PM runs to 9PM EST. ( And if you miss it you can always listen to the Podcast later.) This Sunday we have the one and only Lizz Winstead, Co-creator of The Daily Show and Co-founder of Air America Radio. She will be on to discuss her Road Tour for Planned Parenthood (as she has been traveling around the Country , Educating and Advocating for Planned Parenthood ...really important cause for Women's Health). We will be talking to her about Politics and also her Upcoming Book. (Please do see the Post below about her Show and her blog....She has added more great Show Sites : Bellingham, Burlington and More. ) Then we also have Perry Interviewing the Filmmakers of "Default" which should be very illuminating and sobering, as this is the Next Financial Situation we all need to learn more about....And also the Authors of "Waiting for Rove" will be visiting us as well.

Perry, Kim, and Nunzia and I are all trying to create a Show where Progressives can Tune In , and Listen Up, and serve up some real brain food, and get folks thinking and talking on Sunday Eve's...So grab some coffee and some snacks and have a Listen....It's like we are all crowded around the kitchen table...Connecting.

2012 is heating up and getting ugly....It's time for Bloglatopia, Twitterland, Internet News and Magazines, and Internet Radio to come together...create Strong Powerful Alliances and Dialogue...Our History is up to us.

Tune In and Listen Up....
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More Links about the Show....
Open Salon has more on the upcoming show....

Lizz Winstead Has More Tour Dates on her Planned Parenthood Tour......

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Lizz Winstead has been touring the Country this summer educating, advocating about Planned Parenthood in her own unique wonderful show...She has more shows added to her Tour, and her blog is wonderful with photos and video from the tour ( you can click the title for the the link to her Tour Blog. ) And if you can get to her show....get there... And this coming Sunday she will be our first guest on @awopradio on 7:30PM EST to talk The Tour, Politics and her upcoming book. ( Click the Radio on the sidebar to listen in ).

LIZZ's TOUR Information is here, so check it out, Shows are still being added..... Check it out there is still so much more to come !! This Week : Frederick Maryland....and coming up New Hamphire and out west there is Seattle and Bellingham, NYC, Burlington,VT, and Manchester,Hampshire and Orlando and other cities...

Sadly we all know the attack on Women's Healthcare and Planned Parenthood is continuing and surely will not ease now that the GOP has a fine crop of presidential contender clowns hitting the road.....

If you are on Twitter every Thursday and Friday I try to share #PlannedParenthoodFacts be sure to join in the hashtag and here is the main Planned Parenthood Factsheet to share.
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Some Planned Parenthood Facts to Share (Some from their own website and some from other online sites.....:::
(1) 75% of Clients Served live at or below the Poverty Level. ( For many low income, working poor women Planned Parenthood is their only source of Healthcare.
(2) Less than 3% of ALL Planned Parenthood Budget is spent on Abortions ( regardless of what GOP says. And those services are provided via donated funds. NOT a dime of Federal Money is spent on Abortion Services.
(3) 17% of Budget is spent on Cancer Screenings.
(4) 10% of Budget is spent on Prenatal Care and WIC services.
(5) 12% of Budget is providing Medical / Reproductive Care to Older Women
(6) Planned Parenthood provides Infection, detection and care, as well as HIV/AIDS detection and services( as early as the 1980's they were one of the first Medical Providers to help facilitate testing and care for men and women.
(7) They provide Medical Care and Reproductive Care for 3-5 Million Women per year in America alone, and have provided this care for over 75 years. They help women Worldwide , not just in the United States.
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Please do see the Post above about her Interview on @awopradio where she explains so much about her tour and the purpose and what she is seeing as she travels. It was a great discussion and a great Listen.

Friday Finally.....Molly Ivins Wisdom...and more...

"Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly."~~Langston Hughes

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LillyDog at the attic Window...looking for the owl in the tree...Isn't it funny how dogs really have their priorities straight....they make us stop for the flowers...and the birds....August 20th 2004 my LillyDog showed up at our Doorstep out West and decided that I was her owner....She claimed my home and my heart...I am forever grateful to this amazing little Barkless Basenji. This amazing dog helped me work with Homeless Iraq Vets suffering PTSD in downtown Cleveland and now she has been helping me work with Bhutan Refugees...and she helped me write The Book laying by my leg hour after hour while I typed...This quiet little gentle dog with the large eyes is so special....She is a "Rescue", but in the end we know that she rescued me too.
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Molly Ivins Sharing Some Wisdom on Fear Mongering...and Fear..."Why We Hurt Ourselves" (2004)

"Next time I tell you someone from Texas should not be president of the United States, please pay attention."-- Molly Ivins
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And yeah...I am editing the Final Edit of the Final Chapter....so some Music to Celebrate ...Firework LIVE by Katy Perry

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Florence and the Machine "You've got the Love"

Then it was Wednesday: Books,Blogs&music...and a Bit More...

Morning Glories after the Weekend Storms....Battered, but not beaten...and Beautiful....
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"Don’t speak to me about your religion; first show it to me in how you treat other people. Don't tell me how much you love your God; show me in how much you love all His children. Don't preach to me your passion for your faith; teach me through your compassion for your neighbors. In the end, I'm not as interested in what you have to tell or sell as I am in how you choose to live and give." ~Cory Booker
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If you come here I try to feed your soul....not just share news with you....I have had Molly Ivins on my brain and my heart ever since Perry threw his oversized overzealous Hat in the Ring this week....So I am going to post her videos this month...Here is the First one from an Interview 1992 ( Thank you and Hat Tip to Mother Jones ), Molly talking about Lies, Unraveling layers of Lies, The Civil Rights Movement, and Race Issues, It's poignant....beautiful, 7 minutes of Molly at her best,


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Blog Gems......to read with your morning coffee
So I was whining last week that I was worried that Murdochgate had become ecclipsed in the headlines and John Dean (yes THE John Dean tweeted back to me that there was more to Unravel ANY day...which made my whole damn week....so here we go folks, THE Unraveling as real Smoking Gun Documents are starting to suddenly be uncovered.... Here is the Latest from Alternet about the latest slime to oooze to the surface.....

(2) On Twitter there is Keith Balmer who goes by @KeithSmooth ( which yes is a great handle) and he has a great blog, I included his insightful blog post on Amy Winehouse's death in my last round up. His New post is "Liberalism on Life Support". The thing about Keith is that he makes me think, as a Liberal I look in the mirror after I read what he writes.....
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This week's book is Waiting for Karl Rove Written by Kat Nove and Jeni Decker who were on @awopradio and who I met on Twitter @WaitingforKarlRove , they are so sharper than any scissors I run with....and since Karl Rove came out this week pouting and opining Perry this makes the perfect read. If you click on the Amazon Link you can read parts of it, believe me once you do you will be hooked...( oh and yes, they are coming back on Awopradio this coming Sunday as a treat.) On my street we have a Book Club , and it's our First Pick for the Fall....
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Nuttin But Stringz are huge in Japan right now, here they are playing "Broken Sorrow" on Tudou music videos....Two brothers from Queens who know how to Fuse Hip Hop with Violin....they are so powerful they take your breath away.....
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"The thing about democracy, beloveds, is that it is not neat, orderly, or quiet. It requires a certain relish for confusion. "~~Molly Ivins
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"Kings and Queens" by 30 Seconds to Mars...
Enigma #Thought4theday :: This song is so beautiful....if you have a young person Hug Them...they are trying to get through these times....they too have desperate dreams and hopes...And on another note I watch this video because I can't ride a bike anymore....But I remember how it feels....the Wind on a Crisp Clear Night....there is Nothing Like it....And yeah,Long ago in my 20's putting myself through Nursing School I drove a Pedicab at Night in Downtown Baltimore, I was the first girl ever to do that there......

PreOrder Harry Shearer's The Big Uneasy on Amazon this Month

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Here is the link to the PreOrder Amazon Site....Also he has a great Sunday Night Show. ( Le Show that is wonderful and you can listen to on Podcasts on his website, so I have linked that to the TITLE). For anyone who has wondered about New Orleans Recovery and worried has the Army Corp upgraded all the needed protections, do see his film. He did a tour this summer introducing this film and now you can get a copy for your own library....
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August 16th Live now on Countdown Online: @theharryshearer on the riots in London, Murdoch-gate and his doc "The Big Uneasy". Harry Shearer is on with David Shuster talking about the Big UnEasy and much more.....
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Required Reading.... From Harry Shearer
(1) read this letter from a whistleblower from inside the Corps that is a Must Read....chilling.
(2) More about the Army Corps that is a Must Read , and explains why it is the piece that must be understood and looked at closer.
(3) And this from Cal Berkley explains more
(4) And this from the DOT of Louisiana.
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If you want to follow Harry Shearer on Twitter @theharryshearer and @TheBigUneasy

While Perry held his Prayer Meeting 7Miles Away more than 100,000 gathered to get Free School Supplies for their Children.....

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This photo tugs at my heart......All of these desperate families and loving parents standing out in Texas heat just so their children will have some pencils and paper and crayons for school....it's wrong on so many levels. And then miles away Perry was holding his "Prayer" rally. This one photo in my mind defines his wretched leadership of his own state on so many levels.
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Jan. 12, 2006 from Molly Ivins on Gov.Perry regarding Failure of Education in Texas....

"The governor of Texas is despicable. Of all the crass pandering, of all the gross political kowtowing to ignorance, we haven't seen anything this rank from Gov. Goodhair since ... gee, last fall. Then he was trying to draw attention away from his spectacular failure on public schools by convincing Texans that gay marriage was a horrible threat to us all. Now he's trying to disguise the fact that the schools are in free fall by proposing that we teach creationism in biology classes.The funding of the whole school system is so unfair that it has been declared unconstitutional by the Texas Supreme Court. All last year, Rick Perry haplessly called special session after special session, trying to fix the problem, and couldn't get anywhere - not an iota, not a scintilla, of leadership.Instead of facing the grave crisis that might yet result in the schools' being closed, Perry has blithely gone off on creationism - teach the little perishers the Earth is 6,000 or so years old, that people lived (with) dinosaurs, and who cares if the school building is falling apart? "
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This Think Progress Article on Gov.Perry and his pathetic leadership and his State's Suffering says it all....This photo of the lines of people trying to get School Supplies for the children is heart tugging....but tells all we need to know about Perry.

And here is more from Molly Ivins...via Alternet via Mother Jones.....( It even has some great video of her speaking out....)

More from Molly Ivins in the Charlotte Observer this weekend. This wonderful woman wrote about him with such razor sharp insight, and we need to read ALL of her works on him again....because we know she is screaming from her grave....

Perry's AssClownery Scorecard
MORE on Texas and Perry..
1) 49th in teacher pay
2) 1st in the percentage of people over 25 without a high school diploma
3) 41st in high school graduation rate
4) 46th in SAT scores
5) 1st in percentage of uninsured children
6) 1st in percentage of population uninsured ...

Oh wait....and There's More ( thank you loyal reader Fran.....I went and did some extra Digging....)
• 4,056,130 on food stamps ( *Updated Dec 2010 Number is now over 5 million )
• 985,720 unemployed ( *actually the updated Dec2010 Number is now 1,100,000
• Revenue $144,739,916,500
• Spending $184,938, 100,500
• Debt per citizen $8387

Sunday Radio Show....@awopradio this Sunday, Our Guest Dr.Margaret Flowers

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This Sunday on progressive @awopradio we will be welcoming Dr.Margaret Flowers and discussing her work with other Physicians working for improved Health Care in our Country, as well as other progressive projects that are ongoing. Below I have posted Information about her fine work and her efforts, as well as her biography. The Show starts at 7PM please see the Radio in the Sidebar and click to listen in....or even just Click the Title of this post.... ( Her Interview should start at 7:30PM) (as I explained earlier that I have been very kindly invited to contribute at @awopradio and have been trying to contribute especially stories that are of a Health nature.)
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More from Bill Moyers Program Feb2010 about Dr.Flowers work on Medicare for All.
Snippet from Moyer's Website really describes her efforts :::

"While many in Congress, the press and the public have given up on the idea of even a limited public option in health care reform, Flowers and her group, Physicians for a National Health Program, are standing firm for a single-payer plan. Specifically, they want to extend the Medicare program, which they see as a functioning single-player plan, to the nation as a whole. Flowers has testified before Congress and penned Op-Eds and she has been arrested three times in her attempts to get Congress and the White House to pay attention to single-payer."
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The U.S. also ranks highest in total cost of care, but according to a recent report by the Commonwealth Fund, ranks last among industrialized countries "in preventing deaths through use of timely and effective medical care." In a recent FRONTLINE report comparing the health care systems of five other capitalist democracies, "Sick Around the World," WASHINGTON POST reporter T.R. Reid notes that, "The World Health Organization says the U.S. health care system rates 37th in the world in terms of quality and fairness. All the other rich countries do better than we do, and yet they spend a heck of a lot less."
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Her Biography off Bill Moyers Website:
Dr. Margaret Flowers is a Maryland pediatrician with experience as a hospitalist at a rural hospital and in private practice. She is currently the Congressional Fellow of Physicians for a National Health Program, working on single-payer health care reform full time. In addition to her activity with PNHP, an organization of 17,000 doctors who support single-payer national health insurance, she is a member of Healthcare-Now! of Maryland and a co-founder of the Conversation Coalition for Health Care Reform. Dr. Flowers obtained her medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and did her residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.
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Physicians for National Health Program has a great website that describes their ongoing efforts to get Medicare for All ( Single Payer) Plan, and also have updates on the current holes that the HCR leaves in American Healthcare. ( Please do read their website about 23 Million Americans that currently still have no access.)
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In January 2010 Dr.Flowers wrote a beautiful Letter to President Obama expressing concerns about the American People not being truly heard by the Obama Administration and DC Leadership as to what was needed for true reform.
Snippet From the Letter of Jan 2010 to President Obama:
My colleagues, fellow health advocates and I have been trying to meet with you for over a year now because we have an approach which will meet all of your goals and more.

I am a pediatrician who, like many of my primary care colleagues, left practice because it is nearly impossible to deliver high quality health care in this environment. I have been volunteering for Physicians for a National Health Program ever since. For over a year now, I have been working with the Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Health Care/ National Single Payer Alliance. This alliance represents over 20 million people nationwide from doctors to nurses to labor, faith and community groups who advocate on behalf of the majority of Americans, including doctors, who favor a national Medicare-for-All health system.

I felt very optimistic when Congress took up health care reform last January because I remember when you spoke to the Illinois AFL-CIO in June, 2003 and said:

"I happen to be a proponent of a single-payer universal health care program." (applause) "I see no reason why the United States of America, the wealthiest country in the history of the world, spending 14 percent of its Gross National Product on health care cannot provide basic health insurance to everybody. And that's what Jim is talking about when he says everybody in, nobody out. A single-payer health care plan, a universal health care plan. And that's what I'd like to see. But as all of you know, we may not get there immediately. Because first we have to take back the White House, we have to take back the Senate, and we have to take back the House."
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Healthcare Now.org is the current organization that is working on promoting SinglyPayer.
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Here is an article Dr.Flowers wrote in April 2011 to Republican and Democratic Leadership expressing her concerns about Medicare and Medicaid being privotized and gutted under the Congressional Plan and Paul Ryan.
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Paul Ryan's People's Plan that was proposed to Congress in Spring, shows how the Congress proposes to shamelessly gut Medicare and Medicaid for millions of vulnerable sick Americans. It is Frigthening Document , but worth reading and was mentioned in her letter.
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Dr.Flowers is currently working on the October 2011 Project and we will ask her more about this project as fall is approaching. Dr.Flowers working with many other groups, are planning an action in DC to bring awareness to many issues. Please do go to her website and learn more and I will update as October gets closer.
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Tune in to the Show as there will be much more than this interview, there will be news from Mommapolitico and Kim , sharp commentary and music.....

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For anyone that does not think we have a Broken Health Care System, please read Wendell Potters' latest in Truthout about Health Insurer's Profits, it will sober the reality of what we are up against.
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The actual recording of the Radio Show, the actual interview is at the 30 Minute mark, Dr.Flowers is really wonderful explaining the Health Care Crisis and why it is a Civil Rights /Social issue at this point.
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Indiana Fair Stage Collapse....

At the fair Sugarland was about to perform when a freak storm ripped through just before they were to go on stage. High Winds tore down the stage. 5 were killed and more than 43 injured at last check.

Micheal Jackson's Earth Song....

Micheal Jackson Earth Song...really stunning...

It's Saturday...time for a Break...from the Silliness...with Some Silliness

Manru the Cat.....and the Big Box...

Progressive Radio , Turn It On Folks !! ....Yup Enigma4ever has joined RadioLand on the Internet...Read Below...

So I have been listening to alot of Progressive Radio this summer, and am really inspired that this is a great way for progressive to talk to each other and connect and organize and educate each other. I am very hopeful that Radio can be the CrossRoads that unites Blogatopia and Twitterland, and becomes a powerful Progressive Tool.

I was amazingly fortunate to be asked to contribute to AWOP radio, which is a great show run by Kim (@awop) of A World of Progress Blog and Perry ( @mommapolitico) and her wonderful MommaPolitico Blog . These two women have a great show....( I was very lucky to be able to come on the show on July31st and talk about the Book, Silent Fallout. It was my very first Radio Interview about the book.) Kim in based in North Carolina and Perry is from California, it is great that I, stuck here by the Great Lakes can contribute to this endeavor and hopefully we can get Progressives talking and sharing. Also there is Leslie and Shelley and Nunzia who keep the show rolling and humming and are working hard on the Internet Website and other wonk wonders of getting Radio to flow...( And hey folks, you can call in to the Radio Show and talk about issues that are going on....be heard. Be a Progressive Voice.) Do see the LINK on the SIDE and you can click on Sunday Nights to listen in to the show.

Here is the Link to This Past Weeks Show that explains all about the Guests and some wonderful Music, A World of Progress Media Center has all the details and even Podcasts so you can hear the Show. ( Kim is really hooked in to some great Music, so if you know any aspiring Musicians do have them connect to her.)

A World of Progress has a radio show on Sunday Nights 7PM EST.
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This past Sunday @AWOPradio Linda Leavitt of NOLA was on the radio show . Linda is known on Twitter as @whodat35 and she is a tireless inspiring NOLA/Gulf activist, you can read more about her efforts and work at , Gulf Coast Environmental and Health Coalition , where they are working hard to help so many in the Gulf. The Gulf one year after the Oil Spill is still suffering on so many levels , there is economic damage still, but there is also Health Damage. The Workers and residents are suffering from a wide variety of symptoms that need attention and focus. And of course BP thinks they have met their responsibilities, yet no one has truly stepped in to take care of the People who clearly have health damage directly related to the COREXIT dispersant and the Oil. ( Symptoms range from sinus and respiratory problems to Neurological /Nervous System damage. There are also people suffering from Depression and PTSD , mental health issues remain invisible and still in need of care. ) Linda in her interview carefully explained the symptoms, and also clearly described how the People are very much stuck in a bureaucratic Tug-Of-War between government Agencies and Corporations. There are no real winners in such a struggle. MSM has also moved on, so please do read up on the ongoing battles of the brave resiliant folks of the South.

This is the Podcast of the 8.7.11 Show and you can hear the Interview with Linda Leavitt. ( Also there is a review of the Mad as Hell Doctors ongoing work and Perry of Mommapolitico shares really helpful information about the S&P Downgrade as well as more insights by Robert Reich.

*** During the Interview with Linda Leavitt she mentioned the OP ED by Kerry Kennedy, that is really beautifully written, and hopefully the RFK Center will help the Gulf with the some of the growing Health Concerns.

**** Here is the Link to Robert Reich's Blog Post explaining all about the S&P Issue, that Mommapolitico carefully explained on the show. Really the best right up seen so far.****
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So Folks do gather around the Radio on Sunday Nights and do Listen Up and call in if you want to update on Progressive Battles in your end of the World. Also do contact me and I can put you in touch with Kim or Perry if you know of some guests that should be on the show. And for those that have followed this blog for over 6 years please join me at @awopradio. ( You all know I am pretty shy , but in these Hard Times I do want us all talking to each other....).

London and UK Riots.....Please Follow and Watch...we need to Learn from this....

Liverpool 3am from @brit_newsman
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The Riots are not just in London, they are in other towns and cities where there is anger and Unrest. Sadly many small businesses have been torched as well as cars and some homes. (The Guardian links below have full details of cities and businesses). Sadly in England the Insurance does not cover losses and damage due to Civil Unrest. It's now Day 3 of the Unrest, and England like here has had Austerity Cuts laying off many police and fire fighters. This photo is of a business burning, with woman jumping from flat above. ( Many of the smaller shops have flats above). On Twitter @brit_newsman is following all the details, as are @acarvin and @fieldproducer @ukprogressive.

From The Guaridan (snippet) :
"David Cameron, forced to break off from holiday in Tuscany, was this morning due to chair a meeting of the government's emergency committee, Cobra. He was travelling on a UK military flight leaving Italy at 3am. Asked why the prime minister had now decided to return, a Downing Street source said: "The situation has become more serious."

Officers from Thames Valley, Essex, Kent, Surrey and City of London were drafted in to support the Met. But apparent "copycat" riots continued to spread in the wake of Tottenham's riots on Saturday precipitated by the fatal shooting by police of Mark Duggan, 29, a father of four, last Thursday. So far 225 people have been arrested and 36 charged."
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Are there problems with massive Unemployment ? People unhappy with the College Tuitition Rises ? Austerity Measures only being shared by the Poor and Middle Class and not the Rich ? Hackgate ? Who is doing the Looting ? the Burning ? Is this the only way to protest ? Why are the Police Protecting the Banks and not the shops ? Is this much anger really making sense, that youth gangs are destroying their own neighborhoods ?

( For anyone who lived through the Sixties these photos are haunting and disturbing.For me it reminds me of the Riots in Baltimore the summer after RFK and MLK were killed...the anger and the Fires.)
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The UnderClass Lashes Out is how the Telegraph is reporting it....
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Our final story, summing up a seemingly-endless day of violence and destruction (NYT)
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Guardian: "If the rioting was a surprise, people weren't looking"
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Photos from Tottenham to Clapham three nights of #LondonRiots in pictures (Reuters)
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More from The Guardian updated , London riots escalate as police battle for control
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Stunning Photos... London riots - The Big Picture - Boston.com
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Please read this blogpost From Penny Red....a UK perspective... from Inside London and do read the comments on her post too...
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For people like me not in the UK at the mo, here is a google map image of the riot locations, and you will see it is mostly in the Working Class Sections...Here is the GOOGLE map LINK...it is quite a number of communities and parts of London effected...

Political Carnival Takes on the Craziness of the Teabaggers....

Laffy over at the Political Carnival does a great job keeping Progressives up to date on What is Going on. She has a sense of humor that really makes her coverage special. She makes videos on topics, and people contribute their thoughts on video. She calls these BLUNT videos. Here latest about the Tea Party is a must see. ( And yeah, tired worn out Enigma added her two cents, on Twitter I am known as watergatesummer, also look for Marnus3 and ArrghPaine-all awesome....) Here is the Link to read more on the Tea Party Craziness....

BLOG Round Up :: Must See Blogs.....People in the Know....

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"Pray for the Dead, but Fight like Hell for the Living." ~~Mother Jones.....So I keep sharing these Morning Glory photos with you...20 cents spent on so much wonder....every day a new bloom. They only bloom for one day..so I have to share with you.
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A New Political Blog to read up and absorb, a NW lady breaks it down, the Political Psychic... she's also on Twitter @politicalpsychic
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Carolyn Moon has a a beautiful blog where she really makes one think and examine perspectives on so many issues, and she has great links, articles, Round table and videos.I read her blog and I really always come away feeling enlightened...what a wonderful thoughtful lady....
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Oh Twitter he is known as @KeithSmooth (he used to be known as the @PrinceofSatire) he has a really wonderful blog, and his latest post on Amy Winehouse and Addiction Issues is really moving. Please do give him a read and be sure to also follow him on Twitter.
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The Nerdy Nurse is on Twitter , she is a Mom and a Nurse and has a wonderful blog, really thought provoking, but she also takes the time to cover Nurse issues in a way for lay people to think about complicated medical issues in these Health Care Challenged Times....
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Political Packrat is a great blog and there is a MUST read post by MommaPolitico that is up right now explaining the financial muck right now....really great writing my Momma......
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AND Our Jill E.Bond is now hitting the Airwaves on Tuesday Eve, through Radio-or-Not, you can click here to listen or learn more, Great to have more progressive Bloggers and Twitter folks hitting the Air.
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WISCONSIN.....
FINALLY MUST READ ABOUT WHY WISCONSIN MATTERS TO THE REST OF THE COUNTRY from the CS Monitor.....
And this from Will Rivers Pitt "The Wisconsin Soiution" is a must read....

About the Debt Ceiling....Or How the TeaThugs and Repugs Took Our Country Hostage....

The Past Month we watched the TeaThugs and Rethugs Take this Country Hostage.Elderly and the Disabled Sweating and Sleepless over Looming Medicare Cuts and Social Security Checks held Hostage by a bunch of arrogant uneducated treasonous THUGS. The past few weeks as this battle raged on and the MSM again legitmized the Teabaggery "Concerns" I kept flashbacking to this 1994 SPEED Movie Scene regarding how to deal with Hostage Takers.....

Under Reagan the Debt Ceiling was raised to meet our Obligations every 5 Months, and under Bush every 8 Months, and Not a single Republican ever got in the way of this Obligation. 89 Times we as a Nation have met our Debts, but then the TeaThugs and Repugs of Today entered the scene. I would bet not one of them can balance a checkbook or pays their Credit on Time.
And the past few weeks as the battle raged on , I kept wondering why no one was confronting the Hostage Takers and Their Tactics and who would defend the Vulnerable. And this One Scene from SPEED was trapped in my head, the scene about PopQuiz What Do YOU do ? and "Jack" coldly says " Shoot the Hostage". That scene really reminds me of this scenario, for no matter how we talk about this situation, even if the "ransom " is paid, there will be people hurt in all of this. If Deals are made with Hostage Takers and Thugs, there is Damage, Fallout.
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Trailer #1




Speed

— MOVIECLIPS.com

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Bottem line dealing with Hostage Takers, there are No Good Deals , there are only the Hostage Takers and the Damage in the end. On another Note the Ironic thing is that if Military Spending and Tax Cuts for the Rich had been seriously examined like they should have been the Debt would be a more manageable Issue.....on manyu levels. I know that sounds Simple, but actually it's just Math and Logic......
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LINKS to Different Sources on where it stands right now.....
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First after watching the Weekend from hell unfold like a bad B Movie, Ok, here's the link to the Whitehouse Fact Sheet of the "DEAL" as it stands as of late Sunday Night, ( it says it is BiPartisan and a Victory..sorry I don't agree..it is a Deal between Tea Thugs and Rethugs and there is No "WINNING" in it or "Victory".
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Here is More Explained Late Sunday Night from Ezra Klein of the Washintgon Post, He explains most of it and explains why it's not the best deal, but sadly the only deal at this point.
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NYT Opinion /Editorial Post, "To Escape Chaos,A Terrible Deal" explains the whole Hostage Taking scenario concisely....
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Nicole Sandler's Radio Show Today Monday is a MUST Listen, " Singing a Sad American Tune " Her Choice of the Paul Simon show really sets the Tone and is sobering....
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As of 1PM Monday..... From 538 ::: @fivethirtyeight
Declared Republicans now 34-12 in favor of bill. Democrats 8-9 against. Passage looking at bit safer. ( I am not really sure what "safer" means right now, but that is how Nate put it.
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Five Things for Liberals to Like in the Debt Ceiling Deal | Swampland ( TIME)
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BUT ....Then there is this, Reuters is reporting Nancy Pelosi's Late Sunday Night Concerns.....
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BUT then there is this, from Paul Krugman, who has his own Concerns, he basically cuts to the chase as to why it is NOT a Compromise and why it holds hidden risks....
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And then the Post I was most waiting for .....Robert Reich who I think is wise, fairminded and even handed and economically always thinking three chess moves ahead, wrote a post on his blog today that is simply called " The Ransom" , which I think says it all. I tried to talk to folks today about why this "Deal" is so upsetting and why it was a deal made with hostage takers, and no one really listened to me on Facebook. I was really disturbed by the White House press release calling the Debt Deal a Victory.....Robert explains WHY that is not ok and why this deal is concerning....
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And then finally I actually do read alot of foreign papers and press because I think how we are viewed and interacting Globally is important. So far I am conflicted about posting the articles here, but this one from The Guardian is a look at what the world saw and is seeing, it is not a pretty picture, "Debt deal: anger and deceit has led the US into a billionaires' coup"