As It Stands (Recent Visitor Map)16th April 2010 09:33:46

WHERE DO AS IT STANDS READERS COME FROM? AS YOU CAN SEE THEY’RE WORLDWIDE.

248 Visitors have stopped by just this morning to visit by 9:33 a.m. PST. I’ve been averaging 978 visitors a day since January. I’m learning that a large percentage of both US and foreign viewers come from schools and colleges. That is probably why readership drops on weekends by as much as half of the weekday visitors.

It’s been awhile since I thanked you all for stopping by. THANKS! I really enjoy doing this blog and your readership is the icing on the cake. Have a great weekend!

Chocolate may be good medicine for liver patients

Rejoice Cocoa drinkers everywhere! There’s another good reason for you to have your favorite drink. Here’s the good news.

Excerpt:

“Cocoa-rich dark chocolate could be prescribed for people with liver cirrhosis in future, following the latest research to show potential health benefits of chocolate.

Spanish researchers said Thursday that eating dark chocolate capped the usual after-meal rise in abdominal blood pressure, which can reach dangerous levels in cirrhotic patients and, in severe cases, lead to blood vessel rupture.

Antioxidants called flavanols found in cocoa are believed to be the reason why chocolate is good for blood pressure because the chemicals help the smooth muscle cells of the blood vessels to relax and widen.”

Steven Hatfill was investigated for years before being cleared; no apologies

 As Hatfill said, “The government can do whatever it wants to anyone, at any time, just based upon suspicions.” Scary but true.

This man’s story is NOT unusual, or the exception to what happens to people when the government even suspects them of any crime.

Back in the early 70s I had two friends that were peace activists that were harassed by local police and the FBI. They followed them around for months (openly) hoping to catch them doing anything illegal. They both smoked pot (which could land your ass in jail back then) and they basically had to quit during that time. Here’s Steven Hatfill’s story:

 Exonerated anthrax suspect: FBI harassed me

“The man falsely accused by the FBI of sending letters laced with deadly anthrax spores has received a big settlement from the government, but never an apology for destroying his life.

What’s more, Dr. Steven J. Hatfill told TODAY’s Matt Lauer during his first interview since the September 2001 attacks, neither the Justice  Department nor the FBI has been held accountable for breaking the law and lying in their pursuit of him.”

When the Army Uses "Enhanced Interrogation" on an American Soldier

By Joshua Kors/ Investigative Reporter for The Nation

“I had been covering veterans' issues for several years and thought I'd developed a thick skin.But the pain on the other end of the telephone line was difficult to stomach.

 Sergeant Chuck Luther, now back from Iraq, was describing his journey to hell and back. The worst part, he said, wasn't battling insurgents or even the mortar blast that tossed him to the ground and slammed his head against the concrete — it was the way he was treated by the U.S. Army when he went to the aid station and sought medical help.

In gruesome detail, Luther described what happened to him at Camp Taji's aid station. He thought he would receive medical care. Instead he was confined to an isolation chamber and held there for over a month, under enforced sleep deprivation, until he agreed to sign papers saying that he was ill before coming to Iraq and thus not eligible for disability and medical benefits. "They wanted me to say I had a 'personality disorder,'" Luther told me.”

Go here to read the rest of this article.

Tea Parties on Tax Day features people who aren’t aware their federal taxes went down last year, while state taxes went up

What a grand gathering of uninformed people as the

Tea party tour ends in the capital it loves to hate

Activists in several states also organizing anti-tax rallies Today

“Lost in the rhetoric was that taxes have gone down under Obama. Congress has cut individuals' federal taxes for this year by about $173 billion, leaving Americans with a lighter load despite nearly $29 billion in increases by states. Obama plans to increase taxes on the wealthy to help pay for his health care overhaul and other programs.”

A protester wears an American Revolution era flag and an Obama picture during the Tea Party Express rally in 2009 in Washington, DC.

View related photos

Related: A tea party group is demonstrating in the front of the Eureka Court House in Humboldt County today. No photos available at this time.

Taxation dates back to Mesopotamia

It's small comfort, but may help you put April 15 in perspective

Excerpt:

“During tax season, millions of us pore over paperwork, fill out forms and gripe about how much money we're putting in Uncle Sam's bank account.If it's any consolation, the history of taxes goes back at as long as there are written records, according to Tonia Sharlach, an assistant professor of history at Oklahoma State University who studies ancient Mesopotamian taxes. "I'm sure there were earlier taxes that we just don't know about because they didn't have writing," she says.”

To learn about seven taxes through the ages go here.

“One of the taxes that he thinks people complain about the most are the funeral parlor taxes — I guess some things don't ever really change," Sharlach says. "People would gouge people trying to bury people and he's trying to change those practices as well as some others.”

Retro-inspired Travel Posters: Visit Other Planets in Style

via, see a lot more here

Huckabee likens gay marriage to incest, drugs

If this is an example of the kind of candidate the “Party of No” is going to field for the next presidential election, Obama will be easily re-elected.

I don’t believe the majority of Americans revile gays and lesbians. In this day and age, most people realize sexual orientation is not a crime against anyone. 

Possible 2012 GOP candidate says some lifestyles too far outside 'the ideal'

Excerpt:

“Mike Huckabee, a possible Republican presidential candidate in 2012, says the effort to allow gays and lesbians to marry is comparable to legalizing incest, polygamy and drug use.”

 

Hoyer slams 'deniers' of racial incidents at Capitol

Well…well. Will the voice of reason reign over the violent rhetoric from all lawmakers?

Let’s stay tuned and see what happens shall we?

Excerpt: 

“House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) issued a plea for civility Tuesday, calling on his colleagues not to "incite the public" and criticizing Republicans who doubt whether much-discussed racially charged incidents during last month's health-care debate ever took place.

Returning from an Easter recess marked by heated partisan rhetoric over health care and a rash of high-profile threats against members of Congress, Hoyer suggested at his weekly press briefing that there was a link between what lawmakers say about each other and how their constituents behave in response.

Hoyer emphasized "the need for all public officials -- all members of Congress of either party -- to urge the American people and conduct ourselves in a way that provides an environment for civility.... That debate ought to be civil, ought to be constructive, and ought to be designed to educate the public, not incite the public." Read the rest here.

How many animals can you find?

Image source

Parents may not recognize bullies

Many fail to see aggressive behavior in their own children

“Some common misconceptions may lull the parents of bullies into failing to recognize warning signs.

Bullies are often star athletes or popular girls considered charismatic leaders by peers and adults, experts say. What's often missed or passed over as minor is a consistent pattern of control and aggression against other kids — behavior that socially savvy bullies can sometimes slide under the radar of grown-ups.” Photo source