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Showing posts from June, 2008

OY-bama!

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By Michael Freund Is American Jewry finally waking up from its love affair with the Democratic Party? That, at least, is the question that comes to mind when one considers some very interesting polling data that emerged recently. As odd as it may sound, Republican presidential candidate John McCain may just be poised to capture a significant percentage of the Jewish vote. Early last month, you'll recall, headlines blared in the US and Israeli press trumpeting the results of a Gallup survey conducted back in April which found that American Jews preferred Democratic hopeful Barack Obama by a margin of 61 to 32 over his GOP rival. For many observers, it seemed to confirm the time-honored tradition that American Jews continue to remain solidly in the Democratic camp. After all, a two-to-one margin represents a fairly compelling advantage. But here's something the mainstream media has not, and likely will not, tell you: Obama's support among US Jewry is on the decline. This beca

Judgement Calls

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Just a few years ago I would tell people, "oh I don't judge." And usually I thought I didn't. But that was a big, fat lie. I judge. We all judge. I judge if the driver in front of me is actually going to make that turn or stop short. I judge how well I am on any given day so that I can make the appointments I have or if I am having such severe pain or cognitive dysfunction I should just call, cancel (which I do a lot) and stay home. I judge whether people are being truthful. Because of events in my life, I judge most everyone these days as untrustworthy if they get too personal with me. And most of all, I judge myself. I judged already that my ability to make good decisions is flawed and my ability to choose friends is downright laughable. I think everyone has an agenda because I don't. My kids sometimes get bullied. Its hard to teach them to be tolerant and how to judge someone who's a true friend from someone who's just a "fr-enemy."

Empowerment is Key To Healing & Health

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When Kay Day began to take her 12-year-old daughter Rebecca to doctors in South Carolina for a mystery illness, both mother and daughter became very frustrated. Different doctors offered a variety of diagnoses for the girl's recurrent abdominal pain. Some doctors suggested radical treatment options. At least one doctor believed her daughter suffered from depression and needed anti-depressants. Her pain was all "in her head." The family was about to make an unexpected move to Jacksonville, Fla., and even some family members wondered if the middle-school student wasn't just upset about the move. The result of what became a year of turmoil is Day's first nonfiction book, “Killing Earl.” After six months of unsuccessful treatment, Rebecca was on home-bound instruction from her school and had lost 15 pounds. The family couldn't complete their move to Florida until Rebecca was well. Complicating matters was the fact that Rebecca named her pain “Earl.” Fortunately, D

June Is Brain Injury Awareness Month

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Brain Injury can change your life Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) is caused by traumatic and non-traumatic events that injure the brain. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the result of a blow to the head or spinning forces on the brain. Common causes include motor vehicle crashes, falls or assaults. Non-traumatic brain injury is caused by illness such as meningitis and encephalitis; anoxic events - whereby oxygen flow to the brain is disrupted as in strokes, aneurysms or during cardiac arrest and near-drowning. The brain can also be damaged from tumors, hydrocephalus and substance abuse. Every year in Canada, over 11,000 people die as a result of a Traumatic Brain Injury. Over 4,000 will die in Ontario alone. The leading causes of TBI are falls, motor vehicle crashes, bicycle crashes, and sports related injuries. TBI is the leading cause of death and disability among children. It is estimated that the direct and indirect costs associated with Traumatic Brain Injury are $3 billion annually in

Do You Need MORE Reasons to Vote McCain?

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From STOP-OBAMA.ORG A week ago, Obama Democrats were telling us that a vote for a Republican was tantamount to a vote against modernity. Never mind the fallacious simile, suggesting that McCain was the kind of Republican to whom such charges applied. Obama Democrats are anti-intellectual by definition, or at best “fake” intellectual, and I don’t expect them to use their faculties of recall or historic reference. Implying that a vote for the most centrist candidate in the Primary, is a vote for the most retrograde Creationists and Anti-Abortionists, requires you be deliberately oblivious to the fact that only four years ago John Kerry was seriously considering nominating John McCain as his Democratic Vice Presidential running mate. IF YOU'RE ON AN AGGREGATOR - CLICK HERE TO VIEW THIS VIDEO. Well, now the GOP, or McCain, need not even bother answering the ignorance of Obama’s crowds as expressed in that ad. A new video, called Blue Balled, takes up where Obama Slut left off. Whoring

Good Night, George Carlin

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I am in SHOCK. George Carlin -- one of the most brilliant, insightful and provocative comics ever to walk the earth has crossed over. His was the first comedy album I ever bought... you know the one! Heaven is going to be a great place to perform, George. You, Lenny and all the truly great THINKING comics! And we here will never be the same without you. Over and out. Comedian George Carlin, a counter-culture hero famed for his routines about drugs and dirty words, died of heart failure at a Los Angeles-area hospital on Sunday, a spokesman said. He was 71. Carlin, who had a history of heart and drug-dependency problems, died at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica about 6 p.m. PDT (9 p.m. EDT) after being admitted earlier in the afternoon for chest pains, spokesman Jeff Abraham told Reuters. Known for his edgy, provocative material, Carlin achieved status as an anti-Establishment icon in the 1970s with stand-up bits full of drug references and a routine called "Seven

Porn-ification

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It's a Jungle Online

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After being exploited due of my once-trusting nature about 4 1/2 years ago, I unplugged then ditched my computer for many months. Much of what was done to me happened online. I was severely ill and too traumatized then. It took me that long to wrap my head around what had happened, my part in it and deal with the (still unanswered) 'whys.' People do and say a lot of things online they would never do or say in real life . Therein lies the problem. I went and got a new computer because in my trauma I had personally smashed up a lot of my equipment. I spent time at a retreat and had what used to be called a breakdown. It took a lot of therapy for me to be o.k. with getting back online. I am grateful to Blogger.com for being so helpful during my May 2007 hacking in identifying the culprits and keeping an eye on things for me now. Since then I constantly tell my friends and anyone I talk to to PLEASE PLEASE be careful online. I watch my children like a hawk and monitor them