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Katherine Berlyn May 13, 2013 at 09:31 pm
I love your dolphin photos! It breaks my heart to think that our garbage and negligence can harm…Read More our beautiful dolphins, birds, and sea turtles.
Janette Gorney May 13, 2013 at 10:16 pm
Thank you Kat! I hear you, yet all we really have to do is become more conscious of our impact and…Read More we will make a huge difference. Thanks for reading!
Arthur Christopher Schaper May 10, 2013 at 01:45 pm
Please visit
"Waxman Watch"
waxmanwatch.blogspot.com
To do a "background…Read More check" on Congressman Henry Waxman.
WAXMAN OUT IN 2014!
Stephanie May 28, 2013 at 02:03 am
Yes it has been banned. That's why 100 scientists wrote a letter to Vice President Biden asking him…Read More "asking him to allow the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to once again fund research into the public health impacts of guns." So why would they have to do that? Because the law that the CDC is following says, "“None of the funds made available for injury prevention and control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may be used to advocate or promote gun control.” I know it's hard to believe, because who would make that kind of demand? I'll leave it at that. The Joyce Foundation is mostly interested in education. However, they were involved in a study on gun violence. They compiled and studied data from all the states. What they found was really interesting. There are so many discrepancies in the way gunshot injuries and deaths are coded and classified. Why? Is it because there are not as many experts, as I said before? I don't know. But the website James referred me to actually proves my point. The data is not accurate, and that is what we are using to shape policy. There are some gun stats on the CDC website, but those are reported stats that may or may not be correct. I know there is a margin of error, but that error seems quite large. I'm not anti-gun. But there is absolutely no moderation when it comes to gun control. It's all or nothing. No one wants to hear about faulty data. No one wonders why crime is down, but the jails are stuffed to capacity. There is a bigger picture here, and someone needs to connect the dots. I don't believe in conspiracy theories. But there is something really rotten with policy revolving around inaccurate stats and a lobbying group who can make congress do their bidding to such an extreme. So when people say, "studies say....." about gun violence, there is no way to know if those studies are telling the truth.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/cdc-nra-kills-gun-violence-research-2013-1#ixzz2UZjsRvt0
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/cdc-nra-kills-gun-violence-research-2013-1#ixzz2UZjMtWYi
Rick Carson June 5, 2013 at 01:24 pm
I agree with Buy Back Programs. Some people have firearms they don't want or have acquired over the…Read More years. The current reregistration and paper work prevent or hinter them into not selling the firearms on an open market so why not ? just drop them off at the no question asked Buy Back Program.
True Freedom May 7, 2013 at 04:17 pm
@Elias: RE: carrying purchases in your hand...
like Chris Rock in "I'm Gonna Get You…Read More Sucka"... "F** the cup, pour it in my hand!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNQRqAoT-2c
classic
Anthony van Leeuwen May 18, 2013 at 02:45 pm
Check out my new blog: http://fighttheplasticbagban.com/
On my blog I have a "downloads"…Read More menu item. If you click on that there are a number of papers that I have written that can be downloaded.
One paper titled “Negative Health and Environmental Impacts of Reusable Shopping Bags” deals with the health issues more extensively than you did in the article above. For example, in addition to bacteria, viruses and virus transmission with reusable shopping bags could make other sick. Also, people who have AIDS or a suppressed immune system may be more sensitive to bacteria in reusable bags then people who have normal immune systems. About 20% of the population fit in this category.
Also, when bag bans are implemented people always complain about all those plastic bags that end up in the landfill. But they have never stopped to calculate all the stuff going into a landfill after a plastic carryout bag ban compared to before. It would surprise you to know that 3 to 4 times the amount of material goes into the landfill post ban than pre ban. Those plastic carryout bags are sure looking good. see my article titled “Fact Sheet – Landfill Impacts” for the details and the calculations.
There is much more.
Susan Campisi June 12, 2013 at 09:48 pm
How many plastic bags does it take to kill a dolphin?…Read More
http://www.surfrider.org/coastal-blog/entry/how-many-plastic-bags-does-it-take-to-kill-a-dolphin-4
geoff harris May 3, 2013 at 11:20 am
@Can't Say,,,, I hope thew next thing to be banned are the BLOWERS. The worst, constant, extremely…Read More local, violent destruction of our Sonic environment. Talk about disturbing the peace.
Muffle it completely, or back to the rake, I say. (Yeah, I know it would take more time to rake, and it's concomitant adjusted cost might find some up in arms, {since it appears many are willing to argue over 10 cents}).
Ban the blower!! You'll feel so much better!!
Jonathan Ortega May 3, 2013 at 02:52 pm
All I hear is a bunch of whining, this ban is for the greater good TO PROTECT OUR PLANET, stop…Read More including your ego's and feelings for a lifeless object in this conversation. If you knew anything about environmental law/politics, you would realize that money is spent on hot topics, because if they weren't hot nobody would support their movement and these already limited resources will be wasted.
Cigarette butt's, the e-cig is coming along
Cars and planes, is there an un-disruptive alternative? Get over yourselves
Gem City Muse May 3, 2013 at 08:39 pm
You are the voice of reason, Stephanie. What certain people haven't learned is that the government…Read More cannot legislate morality or good habits. Certain groups believe if there's a problem the gov't can make a law and solve it. Whether plastic bags or guns, big brother can't legislate morality.
Alecqs de Nulleparte May 5, 2013 at 11:56 pm
Fine example of coherency, I guess, while addressing an issue of a visit to a restaurant - "we…Read More can only know the phenomenological and never the thing itself"??
I guess, you never tip the waiter...
"a gratuitous self indulgent reversion into dialogue that does nothing to advance a thesis "? Really?? Wasn't it Kant, who gratuitously insisted "Live your life as though your every act were to become a universal law".
You seem to become offended, when people follow his advice to live and write like that. And disregard yours...
melissa anderson May 6, 2013 at 03:04 am
@Alecqs- coherency? I make clear my criticism of the writer is not based on her Yelp review but on…Read More other articles she wrote and comments made. And btw, I took the liberty of reading hee blog Victoria Chick. One thing stood out. This self described super intellect was almost forced out of the graduate program at Yale. She flunked her comps and orals. That's huge. Really huge. One prepares almost an entire year for comps / orals. The decision to fail is pretty well made in advance via interaction with professors. Flunked theory. No suprise.
geoff harris May 9, 2013 at 09:48 am
Thanks, Marty. Definitely one of The most troubling issues of our times. Monsanto wields a great…Read More power (check: farmers in India), and their intent is bordering on the diabolical, to say the least. (also check the bee decline in recent years--a decade--dropped by a third. There's a bill coming up in congress to address this similar issue.)
Yikes. Too bad we weren't able to pass that initiative for food labeling.
Growing your own food is part of self empowerment, but also a wonderful miracle to observe.
Stuart Clark May 9, 2013 at 06:57 pm
Any time I see "single use bag" I know that the writer has an agenda to foist. Most people…Read More will reuse these bags or put them in the recycling bin that all markets are required to have. One of these bags weighs 1/7th the weight of a TJ's paper bag and this affects transportation costs as well as recycling volume. Recycling paper, the primary component in our landfillls, takes lots of water. If you miss the carry home bags, you can buy them on the internet at $20 / 1000.
David Haake May 16, 2013 at 08:49 am
Great article! Its great to see that Culver City is finally going to ban plastic bags!
Jeffrey Sabatini April 24, 2013 at 06:37 pm
Advertising is an art in itself. The ad spoof movie Crazy People showed how important the right tag…Read More line can be with "Metamucil, use it or you will die!". Or like the motto of my former firearms dealership... "If our guns can't kill it, it's immortal!". Good times, good times.
Jeffrey Sabatini April 24, 2013 at 07:22 pm
In the mid 80s & 90s it was "SEX SELLS". The late 90s into 2005 brought us funny ads…Read More that centered around dumb stunts, usually ending up with some poor guy getting hit in the 'boys'. Between then and now, the "heart tug" or "real men cry" ads like the Budweiser "Clydesdale friends forever" ad. Which of course was the perfect follower to Bud's "Mascot dog trains horse Rocky style" and "Donkey gets a shot" ads. All ad hall of fame'rs in my humble opinion.
Sadly, it looks like the ad world has taken two giant steps backwards with the bevy of male & female eye candy flashed over disclaimers of side effects such as : Nausea, vomiting, uncontrollable flatulence, sudden weight gain, sudden weight loss, skin rash, welts & boils, hair loss, blindness, heart arrhythmia, swollen glands, muscle atrophy, Turrets, short term memory loss and how the product should not be used by or in proximity to pregnant women or nursing mothers.
However, I would like to say "feek'n about time" for all the "thank you and honor our military and first responder" theme ads.
But if I could change ONE THING in regard to this discussion... It would be to finally apply "Truth In Advertising Laws" to political ads!
What say you?
Paul S April 24, 2013 at 11:25 pm
always has been about sex or the promise of perfection or happiness- it's never changed- Robert…Read More Downy Jr's father - Robert D Sr did a movie in the 60's - "Putney Swope" - a good send up of the ad game- I worked as a copywriter in the late 60's and couldn't wait to get out- never disliked a business more than the ad one- yet- some ads are pure genius- many Bud ads definitely- those Honda blowfish ads are incredible - I love a good ad- they are rare
Carl Petersen III April 21, 2013 at 10:03 pm
Carl Petersen III
5 hours ago
Robert Livesay
2 minutes ago
'ou folks that voted for Liberals need…Read More some lessons in economics.'
.
.
Is lesson one how the Conservative economic policy of the Bush administration crashed the economy?
Carl Petersen III April 21, 2013 at 11:34 pm
Robert Livesay
8 minutes ago
"Herr Carl Petrersen III I have some concerns about your…Read More postings."
.
.
Sounds like someone is a little bit upset over getting proven wrong about his allegations about the cause of our economic crash.
Nicole Mooradian April 22, 2013 at 01:43 am
We've closed comments on this post; thank you for your contributions.
Bandelier Pilferage May 5, 2013 at 12:16 am
@ Patricia. Garcetti was groomed as part of the L.A.political machine. Don't tell Bandelier who to…Read More vote for. Felon on parole. Can't vote. Right stripped away by the state because of bad decisions I made. Nepotism,favoritism, cronyism. All part and parcel to what voters get these days. Same old, same old. Just what we need, another 'Boss Hog' to continue bending statue and law to feather ones own retirement and reward friends and favors. I'll sit this one out. And they talk about Nigga's errant ways. I am a mere neophyte compared to these career politicans. These are the 'Real Nigga's' playing hard and fast.
Alex White May 5, 2013 at 12:15 pm
The only thing Garcetti will change is to add more apartment buildings and commercial development to…Read More an already congested, dysfunctional city infrastructure. And, yet, I still vote for the lesser of two evils-- Garcetti-- for one particular reason, W.G.'s relationship with the DWP coupled with my escalating (actually out of control) utility costs, including the sanitation charges. It is absolutely unbelievable that in a city with almost year round sunshine, the DWP thwarts "accessible" solar energy incentives and programs because it will reduce their profits when people sell back their unused energy to The Grid? I mean come on! The monopoly is as clear and painful as an electric cattle fence, a puddle of water, and an errant touch. Even the simplest of solutions for the people are ignored for the profit of the elite. In the end, no matter who wins this clearly "bad choice" election, LA is in a Sanctuary City slide, and the most industrious, intelligent, and financially capable will seek safe harbor in another city, if not another state to both reside in, to raise their children, and to conduct their business ventures. The rest will wallow and complain as they wilt from lack of inspiration, leadership, and a general fleecing.
Monica G May 16, 2013 at 01:36 pm
I have also encountered similar such LACKS in service on my street...however, I do NOT excuse even…Read More ONE missed day because I am being charged for the service to be completed on a weekly basis, and I shouldn't have to go out of my way to call to have that service carried out. Street cleaning is another CHARGED service that is now routinely carried out bi-monthly instead of weekly (supposedly due to furloughs and budget cuts), yet I am still being charged the same monthly fee. If the city expects us to either do the service ourselves (i.e. sweeping the street on their furlough days) or find ways to carry out city-provided (and charged) services ourselves, then they had better give us a refund, or offer us the option of privatizing the service. Most unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County (such as Rowland Heights, Whittier, etc) have outsourced their city services such as trash collection. There are many limitations, such as bulky items are only picked up on one city-wide scheduled day per year, however, how many times per year do we use the bulky item pick up. The service is also not much cheaper than what we now pay...however, it IS consistent, and rarely to never miss a day. I think there are certain cases where your entire block can privatize it's services, such as trash, but I'm not sure how to go about it.
Jonathan April 5, 2013 at 11:18 pm
Yes, however it still happens and the sea lions are being attacked.
Al Loren Stone April 6, 2013 at 06:53 pm
"UME" needs to be defined in this article. Means "unusual mortality event".
Bruce March 28, 2013 at 02:17 am
Mr Sayen sounds like he works for CMS Medicare. His comments are straight out of the same old…Read More talking points that have been spewed over and over since this competitive bidding program started. Its gonna be a mess with the disabled and seniors as the major losers. Not to mention the countless jobs that will be lost from all the good dealers going out of business. I guess Mr Sayen doesn't think unemployment cost the taxpayers extra money.
nonoise March 30, 2013 at 02:37 pm
There will be some winners and losers. Lowering costs for some will cost jobs. There is always…Read More good and bad. Some good health care providers will be lost and some bad ones (with inexperience) and otherwise, will come in.
And, many insurance companies are no longer selling Long Term Care insurance. That means when people no longer pay for that insurance the taxpayers will end up paying more money for people to be in nursing homes. This is a HUGE expensive. In trying to save money and making things more difficult for insurance company and agents through too much red tape, the taxpayers will be picking up more of the bill instead of individuals willing to pay for insurance.
Ask your favorite insurance agent or company. They will tell you what a mess ObamaCare is going to cause. Just wait one more year. Those "freebies" people think they are getting is going to be a rude awaking when people find out there really are no freebies. People will be forced to pay whether they want to or not or be taxed.
Low income people will not be affected because they will continue to get free medi-cal. The rich people are not affected because they can buy whatever health insurance they want. It is the middle class that will suffer.
Just wait the lower income middle class will figure out a way to wiggle out of ObamaCare because they simply can not afford it. They will either quit their jobs and go on medi-cal or fraud will come into play. It always happens.
nonoise March 30, 2013 at 02:41 pm
Any medicare or health insurance premium increase or decrease all has to be approved by the…Read More Department of Insurance. And, it is a really tough job to put the paperworkk (red tape) together to ask the insurance commissioner for a rate increase or decrease. That is why may insurance companies do not ask for a rate decrease when they would like too. It is too much red tape.
Tree Party April 8, 2013 at 12:04 am
I knew Peggy Noonan. I worked with Peggy Noonan. Sir, you are no Peggy Noonan..
All this stuff from…Read More Peggy Noonan is form, not function; style, not substance. Indeed, on substance: "Take the president's issues, steal them - they never belonged to him..." Really?
Tree Party April 8, 2013 at 12:20 am
Happy to see that you agree that "some people need the government". Actually, EVERYONE…Read More needs the government, some more than others. Goes without saying!!
If you believe that "it's an extreme and unsubstantiated response to conclude that conservatives, Republicans or people on the right want to get rid of all government", show us your evidence. Otherwise, I will have to conclude that your reasonableness is an anomaly; and that in truth, the conservative orthodoxy is that (as Buckley and others have argued) "government is evil"...
Tree Party April 8, 2013 at 01:30 pm
"Norquist does not speak for everyone all the time."
In the current Congress, there are…Read More 219 (out of 235: 93%) Republican representatives that have signed Norquist's "Taxpayer Protection Pledge" (and only one Democrat out of 200); and there are 39 (out of 45: 87%) Republican Senators (and zero Democrats out of 53) who have "taken the pledge". So to a first approximation, yes, Norquist does speak for all Republicans. Certainly his stance on taxes is the very strong Republican orthodoxy at the present time.
"Bigger the government, smaller the individual."
This formulation ignores such relevant considerations as the size of the government per capita, or as a function of the size of the economy. If the economy grows by a factor of 10, do you expect that the government will not have to grow by some factor to "keep up"? In 1790, each representative had just over 30,000 constituents. Today, each representative has about 700,000 constituents. So actually, the smaller the Congress, the smaller the individual in terms of representation.
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