See you in 2010!
"2009 is also the first year of the establishment of Global governance with the establishment of the G20 ... The climate conference in Copenhagen is another step towards the global management of our planet"
and you thought that this was just for conspiracy theorists.
Hat tip EU Referendum
Two more individuals suffer under the European Arrest Warrant. This is not justice. It is the 'New Law' of the European Union. Have you been affected yet? You will be. Just add the names to the ever growing list and remember them, especially Andrew Symeou as he rots in a Greek Jail.
Free Mike and JasonJustice for Symeou (Remember he has been in a dreadful Geek prison since July 2009)
and our 'caring government' say that we must have 'mutual respect' for the legal systems of other members of the European Union.
we got the boys some PVC pipe and fittings and they love putting them together and sending down cars, balls, or whatever down them!
“By His Grace, an American life is an extraordinary life.” Sarah Palin
At 413 pages one is left wondering what the editor took out, but it would appear that he, Adam Bellow, was giving Sarah Palin a relatively free hand. The result is a very readable ride through a life that is both ordinary and very extraordinary at the same time and I was glad that none of the incidents or stories had been edited out. We get to know Sarah Palin well. We are given an insiders insight into a family that is closely knitted, that has struggled with employment and finances so understands the difficulties that so many face in these days of job losses. The book also gives a valuable insight into life in Alaska.
This home town Mom, took on the challenge of local mayor, then state Governor. In just over two years, she shook up the political scene in Alaska routing out excessive spending and big government in the face of considerable opposition, but was unable to convince the voters of her skills and record in the 2008 Presidential election. We are given a first hand account of how those behind the scenes work to control politics through manipulation and trickery and why ordinary people are likely to be put off entering the political fray. Read and be informed.
Sarah Palin is not a grey person. Love her or not, and I think she is great, this book leaves you with absolute clarity as to where she stands on the major issues of the day. What you see is what you get. eg:
“In his book A Conflict of Visions, Thomas Sowell explains the underlying assumptions or “visions” that shape our opinions and the way we approach social and political issues. He identifies two separate visions: the unconstrained and the constrained.
People who adhere to the unconstrained vision (the label applied to them is “liberal” or “left-wing”) believe that human nature is changeable (therefore perfectible) and that society's problems can all be solved if only the poor, ignorant, disorganized public is told what to do and rational plans are enacted. And who better to make those plans than an elite bureaucracy pulling the strings and organizing society according to their master blueprint? No one can doubt that our current leaders in Washington subscribe to this unconstrained vision.
Conservatives believe in the “constrained” political visions because we know that human nature is flawed and that there are limitations to what can be done in Washington to “fix” society's problems.
Commonsense Conservatives deal with human nature as it is – with its unavoidable weaknesses and its potential for goodness. We see the world as it is – imperfect but filled with beauty. We hope for the best. We believe people can change for the better, but we do not ignore history's lessons and waste time chasing utopian pipe dreams.
We don't trust utopian promises from politicians. The role of government is not to perfect us but to protect us – to protect our inalienable rights. The role of government in a civil society is to protect the individual and to establish a social contract so that we can live together in peace." P 386.
I expect that we will hear more from this lady.
But, if you prefer the opposite opinion, read The Guardian's book review "Jay Parini shudders at the thought of President Palin". I feel that Jay Parini cannot see past his prejudices to understand the strengths of Sarah Palin.
(Sarah Palin, Going Rogue. An American Life, Harper Collins, New York, 2009)
Watch and wonder about the moral backbone of our UK leaders. (YouTube)
From Fair Trials International, Nov 24th, 2009.
Greek police fabricated evidence and lied under oath in order to frame Andrew Symeou, according to a criminal complaint being filed by Andrew's lawyer in Greece. Andrew, a 20 year old British man from Enfield, is accused of involvement in the tragic death of another young British man in a nightclub in Zante, Greece in 2007.
Jago Russell, Chief Executive of Fair Trials International, said:
"Andrew should not have been extradited on the basis of this fabricated evidence and flawed investigation. This young man has already spent four months in a Greek jail, and still no trial date is in sight."
Despite serious flaws in the case against him, in July of this year British courts ordered his extradition to Greece under a European Arrest Warrant. Andrew remains in prison, having been twice refused bail on the grounds that he is not a Greek national.
Read also the speech made by Baroness Ludford, Liberal Democrat Member of the European Parliament for London and remember that the Liberal Democrats are completely and fully supportive of our European Government.
Sarah speaks to the European Parliament about the European Arrest Warrant, defendants' rights and Andrew Symeou
Speech by Sarah Ludford MEP delivered to the European Parliament on Tue 24th Nov 2009
Sarah Ludford (ALDE). - Mr President, the Swedish Presidency is to be congratulated for the way they have pushed the overdue question of defendants' rights to fair treatment across Europe. This is absolutely essential to accompany the European arrest warrant. We need to ensure that mutual recognition really can be based on mutual confidence in all the national criminal justice systems. This is not the case at present and there are severe weaknesses.
I also have a constituent, Andrew Symeou, who has been in jail in Greece since July, refused bail because he was a foreigner. His Greek lawyer has made a complaint about police abuse and destruction of evidence. An application will be made to the European Court of Human Rights, and it is pretty shameful that this is necessary, because this is about the treatment of one EU citizen by another Member State. It is shocking that this has to go to Strasbourg.
So I support the European arrest warrant, but we absolutely must have the defendants' rights to go with it. Otherwise we will have scandals like that of Andrew Symeou which destroy public support for the European arrest warrant, as is happening in my country.
Remember. Andrew has been in this Greek jail for over 4 months now.
Hat-tip The Anglo Saxon Chronicle
The most troubling aspect is that politicians have been:
1. not only taken in by this, but they have
2. bought into it wholescale and have then
3. found it to be a powerful tool to manipulate, scare and tax their subjects
4. hiding behind the new found power of so called "Expert Groups"
We have had a close shave as "Governments", in their glee were about to hand over fiscal power (your money) to some new, as yet undefined, international government. Read this extract from the UN's "AD HOC WORKING GROUP ON LONG-TERM COOPERATIVE ACTION UNDER THE CONVENTION" and note the "Government" and the power that was to be handed to it.
Page 18/19. "The Government?"
38. The scheme for the new institutional arrangement under the Convention will be based on three basic pillars: government; facilitative mechanism; and financial mechanism, and the basic organization of which will include the following: (a) The government will be ruled by the COP with the support of a new subsidiary body on adaptation, and of an Executive Board responsible for the management of the new funds and the related facilitative processes and bodies. The current Convention secretariat will operate as such, as appropriate.
(b) The Convention’s financial mechanism will include a multilateral climate change fund including five windows: (a) an Adaptation window, (b) a Compensation window, to address loss and damage from climate change impacts, including insurance, rehabilitation and compensatory components, (c) a Technology window; (d) a Mitigation window; and (e) a REDD window, to support a multi-phases process for positive forest incentives relating to REDD actions.
(c) The Convention’s facilitative mechanism will include: (a) work programmes for adaptation and mitigation; (b) a long-term REDD process; (c) a short-term technology action plan; (d) an expert group on adaptation established by the subsidiary body on adaptation, and expert groups on mitigation, technologies and on monitoring, reporting and verification; and (e) an international registry for the monitoring, reporting and verification of compliance of emission reduction commitments, and the transfer of technical and financial resources from developed countries to developing countries. The secretariat will provide technical and administrative support, including a new centre for information exchange.
From: Seventh session, Bangkok, 28 September to 9 October 2009, and Barcelona, 2–6 November 2009 FCCC/AWGLCA/2009/INF.2 15 September 2009
Hat-tip Watt's Up With That
Please note that Leo Carrington doesn’t exist, neither does Carrington Automotive Enterprises, Inc, however don't let that distract you from the message.
Carrington Automotive Meeting From the CEO
**************************
The Employee Meeting:
"Carrington Automotive Enterprises is what we call a Sub-S - a Subchapter S corporation. The name comes from a particular part of our tax code. Sub-S status means that the income from all 12 of our stores is reported on my personal tax return. Businesses that report their income on the owner's personal tax return are referred to as "small businesses." So, you see now that this $534,000 is really the total taxable income - the total combined profit from all 12 of our stores. That works out to an average of a bit over $44,000 per store.
Why did I feel it important for you to see my actual 2008 tax return? Well, there's a lot of rhetoric being thrown around today about taxes, small businesses and rich people. To the people in charge in Washington right now I'm a wealthy American making over a half-million dollars a year. Most Americans would agree: I'm just another rich guy; after all ... I had over a half-million in income last year, right? In this room we know that the reality is that I'm a small business owner who runs 12 retail establishments and employs 187 people. Now here's something that shouldn't surprise you, but it will: Just under 100 percent ... make that 99.7 percent of all employers in this country are small businesses, just like ours. Every one of these businesses reports their income on a personal income tax return. You need to understand that small businesses like ours are responsible for about 80 percent of all private sector jobs in this country, and about 70 percent of all jobs that have been created over the past year. You also need to know that when you hear some politician talking about rich people who earn over $200,000 or $500,000 a year, they're talking about the people who create the jobs." . . .
"Right now the Democrats are pushing a nationalized health care plan that, depending on who's doing the talking, will add anywhere from another two percent to an additional 4.6 percent to my taxes. If I add a few more stores, which I would like to do, and if the economy improves, my taxable income ... our business income ... could go over one million dollars! If that happens the Democrats have yet another tax waiting, another five percent plus! I've really lost track of all of the new government programs the Democrats and President Obama are proposing that they claim they will be able to finance with new taxes on what they call "wealthy Americans."
And while we're talking about health care, let me explain something else to you. I understand that possibly your biggest complaint with our company is that we don't provide you with health insurance. That is because as your employer I believe that it is my responsibility to provide you with a safe workplace and a fair wage and to do all that I can to preserve and grow this company that provides us all with income. I no more have a responsibility to provide you with health insurance than I do with life, auto or homeowner's insurance. As you know, I have periodically invited agents for health insurance companies here to provide you with information on private health insurance plans. The Democrats are proposing to levy yet another tax against Carrington in the amount of 8 percent of my payroll as a penalty for not providing you with health insurance. You should know that if they do this I will be reducing every person's salary or hourly wage by that same 8 percent. . . "
"Let's be clear about this ... crystal clear. Any federal tax increase on me is going to cost you money, not me. Any new taxes on Carrington Automotive will be new taxes that you, or the people I don't hire to staff the new stores I won't be building, will be paying. Do you understand what I'm telling you? You've heard about things rolling downhill, right? Fine .. then you need to know that taxes, like that other stuff, roll downhill. . . "
"Most Americans don't realize that when the Democrats talk about raising taxes on people making more than $250 thousand a year, they're talking about raising taxes on small businesses. The U.S. Treasury Department says that six out of every ten individuals in this country with incomes of more than $280,000 are actually small business owners. About one-half of the income in this country that would be subject to these increased taxes is from small businesses like ours. Depending on how many of these wonderful new taxes the Democrats manage to pass, this company could see its tax burden increase by as much as $60,000. Perhaps more."
Thanks to "Collecting my thoughts"
As this parable has evolved, it has gained the following paragraphs, in other blog entries
I know a lot of you voted for President Obama. A lot of you voted for Democrats across the board. Whether you voted out of support for some specific policies, or because you liked his slogans, you need to learn one very valuable lesson from this election. Elections have consequences. You might have thought it would be cool to have a president who looks like you; or a president who is young, has a buff body, and speaks eloquently when there’s a teleprompter in the neighborhood. Maybe you liked his promises to tax the rich. Maybe you believed his promise not to raise taxes on people earning less than a certain amount. Maybe you actually bought into his promise to cut taxes on millions of Americans who actually don’t pay income taxes in the first place. Whatever the reason .. your vote had consequences; and here they are.
Bottom line? I’m not taking this hit alone. As soon as the Democrats manage to get their tax increases on the books, I’m going to take steps to make sure that my family isn’t affected. When you own the business, that is what you’re allowed to do. I built this business over a period of 23 years, and I’m not going to see my family suffer because we have a president and a congress who think that wealth is distributed rather than earned. Any additional taxes, of whatever description, that President Obama and the Democrats inflict on this business will come straight out of any funds I have set aside for expansion or pay and benefit increases. Any plans I might have had to hire additional employees for new stores will be put aside. Any plans for raises for the people I now have working for me will be shelved..
Year-end bonuses might well be eliminated. That may sound rough, but that’s the reality.
You’re going to continue to hear a lot of anti-wealth rhetoric out there from the media and from the left. You can choose to believe what you wish ... ..but when it comes to Carrington Automotive you will know the truth. The books are open to any of you at any time. I have nothing to hide. I would hope that other small business owners out there would hold meetings like this one, but I know it won’t happen that often. One of the lessons to be learned here is that taxes ... all taxes ... and all regulatory costs that are placed on businesses anywhere in this country, will eventually be passed right on down to individuals; individuals such as yourself. This hasn’t been about admonishing anyone and it hasn’t been about issuing threats. This is part of the education you should have received in the government schools, but didn’t. Class is now dismissed.
First, we're happy to announce that the team has identified and fixed the issue with the YouTube conduit; you can now find and add videos from YouTube to your library and posts. As always, thanks for your patience!
The other news we have today is about a new addition to the Six Apart family: TypePad Micro, a new free level of TypePad that is streamlined for microblogging. We see a new form of blogging emerging that lives between the quick status updates of Twitter and Facebook and the long-form posts of "classic" blogging; TypePad Micro is designed to meet that need. You can read more about TypePad Micro in Chris Alden's post on the Everything TypePad blog.
A lot of the new capabilities we've added to TypePad this year were actually inspired by some of the best things about Vox: favoriting, member profiles, a dashboard to follow other bloggers, and easy ways to post content from other social media sites. But the things that make Vox different from TypePad are still there: Vox has always been -- and still is -- the best place for "friends and family" blogging, where you're in control over who sees what. TypePad, on the other hand, is built for the blogger who wants, no, craves, attention.
Do you have a passion or interest you want to share with people beyond your Vox neighborhood? If so, we'd love it if you tried out TypePad Micro. Maybe you've always wanted to start that obsessive blog that's just about waffle restaurants. Or want a place to share videos of your favorite band (Jonas Brothers, anyone? Anyone? ...). TypePad Micro's great for those topic-specific blogs. Take it for a spin and let us know what you think.
On the Vox front, our designers are working on some cool new themes (coming soon!). We'd also love to hear your thoughts about where we should take Vox in the coming year. What are the key things you'd like to see for Vox? If you've had a chance to use TypePad this year, what are the features there that we should bring over to Vox? And, if you're thinking big thoughts, how could we connect the Vox and TypePad communities in order to bring together bloggers and their shared passions? Your feedback is really important to us, so please leave a comment here, or shoot me a message.
And again, thanks for your patience as we found and fixed the YouTube bug!
~ daisy
As many of you have noticed, the YouTube Conduit is not working. I am so sorry about this; I know how frustrating it is.
The team is looking into how to get this fixed and I will update you as soon as I hear something. In the meantime, not all is lost... There is a work-around for posting videos.
When you're in the Compose Screen, just click on "embed." Ignore the fact that it says "Widget" before everything because you can definitely use this to embed videos as well. You'll just need to input the embed code from the video, enter a title (if you want) and hit OK.
It might not show up perfectly in your compose screen, but when you hit "Save," your video should appear just the way you wanted it to.
Hopefully this will allow you to keep posting videos while we figure out what's happening on our end.
As always, thanks for your patience.
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