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Nelson Mandela Is To Celerbrate His 93rd Birthday Keeping The Legacy Alive

Nelson Mandela's Legacy

Nelson Mandela is a symbol of the human struggle for equality and justice. In celebration of his 93rd birthday coming on Monday, you may want to ask yourself how best to honor him.

His own foundation is committed to the subject of social justice. Mandela once said, “To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.”

The main charge of Mandela’s 46664.com organization is global awareness as well as the prevention of HIV/AIDS. The plight of those who have HIV/AIDS in Africa and throughout the world has always a great concern to Mandela. UNAIDS estimated the number of people living with HIV/AIDS in 2009 was more than 33 million. More than 22 million of those people live in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund is dedicated to helping improve the conditions and lives of children and youths. Mandela always loves children, and he wants the world’s young people to have chances.

In a 2000 interview with CNN’s Jim Clancy, Mandela told us, “We want every child to have a first-class primary education. We want the elimination of all preventable diseases in society so that we can say in theory and in practice that we regard our children as the jewels in our society.”

The Mandela Rhodes Foundation is aimed to help African youths who show academic ability and leadership potential through offering scholarships to them to further their education and build upon their leadership skills. Mandela knows that young people are the key to the future. He wants these young people to have the chance to develop to their fullest potential.

Mandela often calls on all people to do something — even if it’s something small — to make the world a better place. It seems that each of us whose lives have been touched by the causes he is so stoically fighting for for can honor him by carrying on his work in our own way.

Secret Palin Tape Will Be Released In Iowa As Sign of Possible Presidential Candidacy

Secret Palin Tape

Reports have leaked of a surprising new development for the 2012 Republican presidential election. According to an item by Scott Conroy of RealClearPolitics, Sarah Palin and her political machine have hired the conservative filmmaker, Stephen Bannon, to produce a two-hour epic film documentary presenting a heroic image of the former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential nominee. According to reports, the film will first be viewed in Iowa, a pivotal state with a presidential caucus that is the first step in the presidential nominating process. It is said that the film will present Sarah Palin as a political maverick, a low-tax and balanced budget conservative that is not afraid to take on the politics in both major parties.

The news of the Sarah Palin movie epic comes in the wake of continuous ignoring of Palin as a potential 2012 presidential candidate, or otherwise demeaning her credibility as a candidate, within mainstream liberal and conservative media. The undiminished contingent of Palin partisans are convinced, however, that the news of the Palin film is a sure sign that Sarah Palin will enter the 2012 presidential campaign. According to reports on the Palin movie, it is said to be ideally suited for Tea Party supporters, as well as non-partisan voters seeking a low-tax, anti-Obama conservative in the White House.

Sarah Palin in the past has hinted that if she ran for president, her campaign would be eccentric and rely largely on social media, avoiding what Palin views as the biased, pro-liberal “lamestream media” (which is how she refers to mainstream electronic and print media). A customized film epic that shows Sarah Palin in the best possible light while simultaneously marginalizing criticism of her on issues such as resigning before her Alaska gubernatorial term had been completed, may very well be the sort of unconventional campaign technique she was referring to.

One aspect already being speculated on: why premiere the Sarah Palin film in Iowa?  If Palin has no intentions of entering the contest for the Republican presidential nomination? I suppose there will remain those in rejection to Palin’s strong supportive following in America who will maintain that this is just to keep her speaking fees high and improve her status as a GOP “kingmaker.” Others, however, believe that this is a sure sign that their political God, Sarah Palin, will soon be descending from the heavens to the earthly plane as a full-fledged presidential candidate. Given the lack of charisma of the current top-echelon of Republican presidential candidates, the Joan of Arc style portrayal of Palin that is being hinted at in the Stephen Bannon film may be the type of game-changer that Barack Obama’s book, The Audacity of Hope, proved to be in the 2008 presidential campaign.

Fonda Irritated With Canceled QVC Appearance

Jane Fonda Irritated

Jane Fonda took went to her personal blog on Saturday, July 16, to speak out against QVC canceling her appearance on Saturday where she was set to promote her latest book “Prime Time.”

The 73-year-old Academy Award-winning actress and author claims her appearance was canceled over her previous activism against the Vietnam War which happened years ago.

“The network said they got a lot of calls yesterday criticizing me for my opposition to the Vietnam War and threatening to boycott the show if I was allowed to appear,” Fonda wrote. “I am, to say the least, deeply disappointed that QVC caved to this kind of insane pressure by some well funded and organized political extremist groups.”

“I have never shied away from talking about this as I have nothing to hide. I could have pointed out that threats of boycotts are nothing new for me and have never prevented me from having best selling books and exercise DVDs, films, and a Broadway play,” Fonda added. “Most people don’t buy into the far right lies. Many people have reached out to express how excited they were about my going onto QVC and hearing about my book.”

Fonda continued by saying, “I do not understand what the far right stands to gain by continuing with these myths. In this case, they denied a lot of people the chance to hear about a book that can help make life better, easier and more fulfilling. I am deeply grateful for all of the support I have been getting since this happened, including from my Vietnam Veterans friends.”

However, the QVC network tells The Associated Press that Fonda’s appearance was canceled due to a routine programming change not what Fonda is saying was the issue.

QVC spokesman Paul Capelli confirmed Fonda’s cancelled appearance to the wire service and he said, “It’s not unusual to have a schedule change … with little or no notice.”

Fonda regularly spoke out against the Vietnam War in the 70s and was once dubbed “Hanoi Jane” after she visited the North Vietnamese capital and made radio broadcasts in which she criticized U.S. leaders and their policies. She also visited an anti-aircraft gun area site that was used to shoot down American pilots.

“I will go to my grave regretting that. The image of Jane Fonda, Barbarella, Henry Fonda’s daughter, just a woman sitting on an enemy aircraft gun, was a betrayal,” Fonda said about visiting the gun site in a “60 Minutes” interview during 2009.

The actress said later that she does not regret making the radio broadcasts, “Our government was lying to us, and men were dying because of it.” Fonda added, “And I felt that I had to do anything that I could to expose the lies, and help end the war. That was my goal.”

Fonda’s book “Prime Time” is set for release next month. In the book, she tells about plastic surgery she recently underwent, which she has not discussed in detail, as well as tidbits about her health and fitness habits.

The Duchess Of Cambridge’s Old Car For Sale On Ebay

Car For Sale On Ebay

A 2001 Volkswagen Golf might prove to be very profitable to one eBay auctioneer.

The 10-year-old car reportedly once belonged to Kate Middleton and who is now referred to formally as Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, before being sold to a car dealership in 2009.

Sonny Brazil, whose father owned the dealership, put the car up for sale on eBay on Friday with a starting bid of $32,242, according to the UK newspaper The Daily Mail.  Official spokespeople for the Royal couple have not commented on the car or the report.

According to the report, Kate purchased the car in November of 2001 for £10,818. She then gave the car to her younger brother James in February 2007. James Middleton then later sold the car to Brazil’s father in 2009.

“I went to an auction house in Dorset a few weeks ago and they said it would be worth £30,000 pounds [$48,363] plus, solely because of the name in the log book,” Brazil told the UK newspaper. He put it up for sale on eBay shortly afterward.  You can find the listing for the car there.

According to Brazil, there was also a pair of cufflinks left in the car when it was sold. “I’m not quite sure who the cufflinks belong to, they might have been William’s or they could have belonged to James,” Brazil said.

Brazil added, “It is hard to say but I’ll be selling them with the car as well as all the receipts for work done on the car and the log book.”

The report says that during the time Kate drove the car it racked up 60,000 miles and was photographed several times for getting ticketed for parking violations.

The Royal couple recently finished a brief tour in North America last week where they began in Canada on June 30 and ended in Los Angeles on July 10.

Americans Are Stiffing Preventative Care For Picking Botox

Care For Picking Botox

Americans are starting to see their doctor again, but more often than not it is for cosmetic procedures, such as Botox treatments, rather than cancer screening and other life-saving preventive care.

Healthcare company executives who were attending the Reuters Health Summit this week painted a sobering picture of healthcare use among patients who are struggling to afford medical care.

While the jobless rate remains high, still many Americans are postponing treatment, and that is not likely to vary in the short term, they said.

But when it comes to smoothing out wrinkled brows, the market is rebounding, according to chief executive of Botox maker Allergan Inc. (AGN.N) David Pyott.

“Happily, for all of the facial aesthetics and even breast aesthetics markets, we are now at a place that we are beyond the peak pre-recession,” Pyott tells the Reuters Summit.

Pyott said demand for cosmetic procedures hit bottom in the spring of 2009 in the wake of the U.S. global financial crisis. Now sales of Allergan’s dermal fillers are 20 percent above where they were at when they peaked before the recession.

NHNHeHe said the Botox revival is being fueled not just by the super-rich, but by consumers with annual household incomes of around $50,000.

“It’s correlated with people’s confidence about the future, maybe how much money they have got on their credit card at the time,” Pyott continued.

“Of course, when you think about it we all want to look better, right?

Pyott compared a $400 Botox injection or an $800 wrinkle filler to treating the entire family to a baseball game or really fancy dinner, calling them “one of life’s little luxuries”.

Is The Federal Health Care Law Unconstitutional?

Federal Health Care Law

A federal appeals court just heard the first appeals from lower court decisions who are dealing with the constitutionality of the federal health care law (alternately called “Obama care” and the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act”). A Florida judge and a Virginia judge (both appointed by Republican Presidents) decided that Congress lacks power under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution to pass the federal health care law. Three other federal trial judges (appointed by Democratic Presidents) upheld the law. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals that heard the case has three appellate judges appointed by Democratic Presidents. The judges asked several questions in general supporting the government’s position to uphold the law. The Supreme Court will have to settle the issue.

One immediate question rose about these cases: why can Massachusetts require all of its citizens to enroll in a health care plan, yet there is doubt whether the federal government can do the same thing? The simple answer is that the states have unlimited power to pass legislation (subject to the restrictions of the Bill of Rights and their own constitutions). In holding the Obama health care law was unconstitutional, the two judges from Virginia and Florida who struck down the law held that the Constitution grants Congress, not all power to legislate (like the States have), but only limited powers specifically mentioned in the Constitution.

Why should this distinction exist: states can pass any law they want, yet Congress must
rely on specific language in the Constitution which, according to those judges, must be as narrowly defined as possible? Why should there be unrealistic limits on Congress’ power to “regulate Commerce… among the several States,” the broad language of the Constitutional provision? Isn’t it important for Congress to be able to solve national problems that the States are unable to adequately deal with?

Hamilton Bar Room “Punch” Man Leaves Bermuda

Bar Room “Punch”

The 36 year old man who continually punched another man until he was unconscious in a Hamilton bar recently has been given permission to go back home to the United Kingdom.

Mr. Richard Brown has finished his work in Bermuda as of yesterday and the permit he holds is expiring at the end of July according to his lawyer Allan Doughty who told the Magistrates’ Court.

Mr. Brown punched Matthew Claridge in the face continually while drinking in Hamilton with a group of friends at a bar named Docksiders in December 2010.  The entire incident was caught on Closed Caption Television.

Mr. Brown has plead not guilty to causing grievous bodily hard to Mr. Claridge when he appeared in court in January.

The court heard that he later confessed to his crime because he had lost control when a disparaging remark was made about his wife.

The victim, Mr. Claridge lost two teeth due to one of the punches and his mouth required several stitches inside.  Mr. Claridge also had a gash in his head.

Mr. Brown has paid Mr. Claridge $17,000 to go toward his medical expenses and then gave him another $10,000 as a “gesture of goodwill.”

Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo handed Mr. Brown a six-month conditional discharge for his offense in June 2011.

Part of the sentencing for Mr. Brown was that he had to ask permission from the courts before he could leave the Island.

Mr. Tokunbo commented that when he sentenced Mr. Brown that he was aware that the punch was “a one-off occurrence.”

The sentence Mr. Brown received caused some public controversy.

Michael Dunkley, Shadow National Security Minister, said the sentence Mr. Brown received was because he is “a white guy who paid out a lot of money and got off”.

Dunkley said the sentencing sent “the wrong message” to the public, and people are questioning if “a 23-year-old black guy” would receive the same sentencing.

Prince William And Duchess Catherine In Downtown L.A. And Skid Row

Royals Visit Los Angeles

The British royal newlyweds saw a different side of Los Angeles on Sunday when they toured downtown’s skid row and also an arts center for unfortunately poor children.

President of Inner-City Arts, Cynthia Harnisch took the Prince and Duchess through a tour of the gritty neighborhood which is near San Pedro and 6^th streets.  They had already heard about the influx of single moms in the neighborhood as well as the homelessness and the challenges of poverty that these residents face.

The royal motorcade made u of black Range Rovers past a few dozen fans who were gathered outside as they arrived at the Inner City Arts campus around 11:30 AM.

About six dozen third, fourth and fifth graders held up welcome banners painted with butterflies, ladybugs and flowers while a police helicopter circled overhead for security.

The Prince and Duchess shook hands with everyone and chatted with them for a few minutes before going inside the nonprofit organization’s campus to tour the art studios and black box theater and to see student’s dance performances.

There was even a small energetic crowd of a few dozen fans who were staked out on skid row anticipating the arrival of the royal couple.

Some royalty of sorts were among the people there including: Arianna Menon, the self-proclaimed Duchess of Silver Lake was there wearing her black pillbox hat.

Menon, 35, came with her friends and husband to see the royal newlyweds, who, she said, brought the British royal family into the 21st century. “They brought a breath of fresh air to the monarchy,” Menon said. “They’re not like the other royals: standoffish.”

In Los Angeles coming across celebrities isn’t out of the ordinary, but for some the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge represent a different category.

“I can’t think of any other celebrities I’d come out at 9 a.m. for,” added Andreas Tompros, 33, of Los Feliz and a Canadian who had grown up with a portrait of William’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, in his home.

“We see celebrities all the time,” added his wife, Shannon Tompros, 37, “but we never get to see royalty.”

The royal appearance drew less enthusiasm for some residents of skid row.

“It’s a dog-and-pony show,” commented Victor Green, 53, who sat on cardboard in a patch of shade on 7th Street close to Central Avenue. “What’s the big idea? … It’s not going to change anything.”

His companion, Tina Green, 4O, totally disagreed. “I think it’s a special idea,” Green said. “They live in a castle; they live in a better place. If they are coming to see this, it’s nice …. I thank them for their support.”

June Gets A Terrible Job Report… It’s Very Bad!

Terrible Job Report

Analysts who were surveyed by Bloomberg News had predicted that in June the economy would add 100,000 jobs.  This is about half the number of jobs the economy needs to be producing to keep up with the population growth.  It is however an improvement over May where the economy added only 54,000 jobs and the unemployment rate was 9.1 percent.

Unfortunately the analysts completely missed the mark.  The actual jobs report shows that the economy added only 18,000 jobs and unemployment rose to 9.2 percent.  Public sector employment took a downward dip while private sector industries remained stagnant.  There was an actual loss of 39,000 jobs.

Unemployment for Latinos and blacks remains at 11.6 and 16.2 percent respectively.  About 272,000 people dropped out of the labor force so they are not included in the unemployment calculation either.  This kept the unemployment rate lower when in fact it should be a bit higher.  And as the icing on the cake, May’s job growth was revised downward from 54,000 to a mere 25,000 jobs created.

If the country had its senses a job report like this would have lawmakers deeply panicking and scrambling to do something for the growing number of unemployed people.  Today, Democratic lawmakers are not willing to spend energy on efforts to reduce unemployment while Republican lawmakers have put stakes in the ground against any federally funded job creation.  Even President Obama doesn’t want to address the reality when he was speaking in his radio address saying:

Government has to start living within its means, just like American families do. We have to cut spending we can’t afford so we can put the economy on sounder foothold, and give our businesses the confidence they need to grow and create jobs.

“The average American does not view the economy through the prism of GDP or unemployment rates or even monthly jobs numbers,” added senior political adviser to the president, David Plouffe. “People won’t vote based on the unemployment rate; they’re going to vote based on: ‘How do I feel about my own situation? Do I believe the president makes decisions based on me and my family?’”

Review of ‘Citizen U.S.A. – A 50 State Road Trip’

Citizen U.S.A.

Right in time for July 4^th, filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi along with HBO brings to you a homemade patriotic valentine.  It is complete with streamers, ribbons and enough flag waving to create a breeze emanating from your flat screen television.

“Citizen U.S.A.: A 50 State Road Trip” began when Pelosi’s husband who is Dutch born realized, upon the birth of the couple’s first child that a green card is not enough.  To avoid being “a foreigner in my own family,” he became an American citizen. Pelosi tells us that his naturalization changed him so she decided to travel the U.S. to see if this experience was shared by the approximately 1 million people who become American citizens in each year.

Pelosi is contently crashing a series of naturalization ceremonies in various states asking newly minted citizens what they like the best about America.

Pelosi reports that the answers are as diverse as each country that these new Americans represent.  One young man from Afghanistan thinks it’s rhapsody to be able to walk down the street holding his girlfriend’s hand.  One man from Albania can’t believe the variety of food we have to offer him while a Thailand woman loves that when she calls 911 someone comes to rescue her.  One man from Nigeria is grateful for clean water.  But what unites all of them is a sense of still-astonished gratitude that America is a place of opportunity and abundance.  This is a tone of both admonishment and celebration.  We are told those born as Americans take their freedom for granted.

If you don’t get that from the interviews you will hear it on the soundtrack.  It is one of the varieties that usually accompany a fireworks display.

While it is important to know that the United States is still considered as the land of opportunity by this diverse group of people.  Like the generations of immigrants that were before them, they create the dream even as they live it out.  “Citizen U.S.A” is more of a video album and less of a documentary. Pelosi known for being of the point-and-shoot school in filmmaking, this plays more like a student project and less like a serious film.

Pelosi wanted to create a joyful movie about America and one can’t imagine a better way than by filming it at the moment of citizenship.   Pelosi is the daughter of former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.  She enjoys interviewing people fresh from the rigors of the citizenship application.