Once called ‘coward,’ he fights for PTSD victims

Army tried to prosecute him after he had a breakdown in Iraq

“They call him the angry guy now. Even his friends. And at this moment, on a snowy evening when he should be home, putting his son to bed, Andrew Pogany is, in fact, ticked off.

He sits with a soldier in a law office. The man has brought with him a pile of medical files, and another desperate story: Sent off to war to fight for his country. Diagnosed, now, with post-traumatic stress disorder. Yet the Army, the soldier tells Pogany, is drawing up papers to discharge him in a way that could mean no medical benefits.

The soldier confides he thinks about killing himself. All the time, he says.”

Nurses: 'with you from birth till the day you die'

By Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard

Posted: 04/18/2010 01:52:52 AM PDT

Hava Phillips, dressed in green scrubs, stood in the blustery Arcata Plaza on the first day of this year's Farmer's Market and collected signatures on a petition to save Humboldt State University's nursing program from elimination.

Next to her, 21-month-old Leo peeked out from behind the safety of his mother's leg and smiled at me. Hava, a second semester student, was born in Humboldt County, moved away, and came back to get her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing.

How often do high school graduates in Humboldt County have to leave to go elsewhere to get a job? Most of those who stay and go to HSU have trouble finding work here for their chosen vocation. Not nursing students.

Go here to read the rest.

Pot enthusiasts gather at California cannabis expo

T.J. Sheen, who lost his leg in an accident and now wears a prosthetic, smokes marijuana during the International Cannabis & Hemp Expo on Saturday, April 17, 2010, in Daly City, Calif. The event featured speakers, panel discussions, growing aids, smoking paraphernalia and an area for people with medical marijuana cards to light up. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

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Is the GOP okay with extremists calling the shots?

I sometimes write articles for ALL VOICES, an online publication. This is my latest article with them.

Excerpt:

“The whole Republican Party is being painted as extremist because hate-mongers like Rush Limbaugh, or Glenn Beck are speaking for it. It doesn’t help that these purveyors of fear have the ear of so many Conservatives and outright nut cases. Lines do become blurred after a while.”

Image source

Library Late Fees: let’s go after the founding fathers!

“If George Washington were alive today, he might face a hefty overdue library fine. New York’s oldest library says one of its ledgers shows that the president has racked up 220 years' worth of late fees on two books he borrowed, but never returned.”

To read the rest and see some other founding fathers who borrowed books but never returned them click here.

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Obama pushes bank reform, lashes out at GOP

He accuses Republicans of waging ‘deceptive’ attack against measure

“President Barack Obama accused Republicans on Saturday of spreading misinformation about a Democratic bill that aims to tighten oversight of Wall Street banks and their practices.”

 One thing is for sure, the Republicans are going to still oppose ANYTHING Obama proposes. Anything. This following quote really spells out their tactics from the moment Obama became President.

“All 41 Republicans in the 100-seat Senate expressed their opposition to the bill in a letter on Friday but said they were willing to work with Democrats on the issue.”

Notice the lock-step attitude even when they claim they’re “willing to work with Democrats.” Does that sound like they’re really going to look at the issues, or continue to do what they have been doing? That is, being the Party of “NO,” because they got kicked out of power by a majority of Americans and resent it. They long for the “good old days” when Bush plunged the country into economic chaos and took Americans rights away with things like the so-called “Patriot Act.”

"What is clear is that this crisis could have been avoided if Wall Street firms were more accountable, if financial dealings were more transparent, and if consumers and shareholders were given more information and authority to make decisions," Obama said in his weekly address.”

Obama’s above quote is based upon facts, things discovered after the Wall Street traders schemes were exposed. This what what he’s trying to prevent from happening again, but the Republicans, in full partisan fever, don’t care. They just want to see Obama fail at anything. A pathetic goal to be sure, but it’s what they’ve embraced.

 

You tell ‘em Sarah!

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It’s looking like Wall street thieves are going to get their just dues soon

Is it possible? Are Americans going to see Wall Street bad boys get more than a tap on their greedy little fingers?

Wouldn’t that feel good to see them tar-and-feathered, then paraded down Wall Street in portable jails? Ahhhhh…one can dream. I suppose I’ll be happy if the SEC just nails some of the bigger thieves and institutes some meaningful reform.    

Is the SEC Opening the Floodgates?

“Securities-fraud charges related to the subprime debacle have been few and far between until now (plenty of mortgage originators have been indicted, but Wall Street has remained mostly unscathed). By naming the most prestigious firm on Wall Street and a world-famous hedge fund—Paulson & Co.—known for making some of the biggest profits by shorting subprimes, the SEC has signaled that there may be a lot more indictments to come.

And there ought to be. All indications are that, in the late stages of the subprime-mortgage bubble, the kind of alleged fraud identified in the complaint was far more common than is typically acknowledged.”

IN A RELATED STORY:

Arming Goldman With Pistols Against Public: Alice Schroeder

“I just wrote my first reference for a gun permit,” said a friend, who told me of swearing to the good character of a Goldman Sachs Group Inc. banker who applied to the local police for a permit to buy a pistol. The banker had told this friend of mine that senior Goldman people have loaded up on firearms and are now equipped to defend themselves if there is a populist uprising against the bank.

I called Goldman Sachs spokesman Lucas van Praag to ask whether it’s true that Goldman partners feel they need handguns to protect themselves from the angry proletariat. He didn’t call me back. The New York Police Department has told me that “as a preliminary matter” it believes some of the bankers I inquired about do have pistol permits. The NYPD also said it will be a while before it can name names.

READ THE REST HERE.

Vintage ads that wouldn’t go over very well today!

 

Vintage Ads: Translation, Sex Appeal, and Innuendo

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!