Anna Nicole Smith: There has been much noise associated with her death: contentions regarding who would have the right to bury her and where, who will have custody of her child, who is the father of her child; and attempts to make her burial glamorous. But, has anyone prayed for her immortal soul? Is she Heaven bound, or bound elsewhere?
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Recovery Mess (state and local governments, plus insurance companies, are, well there just have been no words invented to adequately describe them): The federal government has allocated hundreds of millions of dollars for the recovery of Louisiana and New Orleans from the hurricanes. One part of the recovery program is a grant of up to $150,000.00, to each home owner rebuild their home if it was destroyed as a result of either storm. If a home was worth $150,000.00, or more before the storm, insurance proceeds will be deducted from the grant. If the home was worth less than $150,000.00, the amount of the grant will be reduced to the value of the home, insurance proceeds deducted from that amount.
So far, so good.
But the State of Louisiana is making all claimants receive the grants through a procedure as though it were a building loan, complete with quasi-loan documents. Forty per cent of the effected houses had no mortgage, but after the owners sign the grant papers there will be an effective mortgage on the property.
Those properties on which there is an existing mortgage will have the grant money disbursed as though the grant were a building loan. But only a small portion will be initially disbursed to the home owner - an amount generally insufficient to begin reconstruction. So the home owner has great difficulty in beginning reconstruction.
Those properties on which there is no mortgage must submit invoices showing they have spent money on reconstruction before their grant is gradually disbursed to them. Most people do not have the financial wherewithal to begin reconstruction.
The federal government instructed the State of Louisiana to disburse all of then funds to each home owner in a lump sum. The State of Louisiana only reluctantly is beginning to comply.
Now the mortgage companies are attempting to take the grant money from the home owners to pay off their mortgages.
It seems the federal government must pass a law making the grant money immune from seizure, in a manner in which Social Security benefits generally are immune from seizure.
There are also SBA loans being made to businesses to assist them in recovering from damage caused by the hurricanes. These are loans which must be paid back, but insurance companies which are being sued in court are now saying the amounts of the SBA loans should be deducted from any claim because the money from the SBA is for storm damage. But these are loans, not grants, and the loans must be paid back. There is no net gain for the businesses. And even if the SBA funds were grants, the contract between the businesses and the insurance companies is that the businesses pay premiums and if they suffer a loss the insurance companies pay the amount of compensation specified in the contracts.
The next move by the insurance companies probably will be to attempt to reduce the amount they pay each home owner by the amount of the rebuilding grant they receive.
Always remember the vast majority of damage was in New Orleans, and the vast majority of that damage was due to levee failure cause by improper levee design by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is mandated by Congress to build and maintain the New Orleans levees. The law by which Congress gave the Corps this duty also effectively prevents New Orleans from building its own levees for this purpose - the federal government deeming itself superior in ability and knowledge of what is required to protect cities bordering the Mississippi River.
Islam Threatens, Again: Using the same tactics they used to win the elections in Spain, terrorists threaten to attack Germany and Austria unless they withdraw from the NATO forces which now are attempting to assist in stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan. In Pakistan, Islamic cleric Maulana Abdul Azia and his followers threatened shop owners selling movies and music, burned Western DVDs and cassettes, and threatened use of suicide attacks if the government attempts to stop him. And some United States politicians advocate negotiation.
In many ways this is similar to organized crime telling the police to stop investigating and arresting criminals otherwise organized crime will harm the police officer’s families. It is similar to the Devil telling a religious person to stop praying otherwise he will inflict harm upon those for whom the religious person cares. Is not that what the Devil does anyway? Is that not what organized crime does anyway? Is that not what terrorist do anyway? It is impossible to negotiate with evil for evil does not negotiate in good faith - in good anything. So, why cease opposing the evil? Keep opposing it because no matter what you do it will always oppose you. You may as well fight back, for if you do not it will eat you alive.
Disney (as in Disney Land and Disney World) brings new meaning to Fairyland with its new policy which will allow homosexuals to “marry” homosexuals and lesbians to “marry” lesbians in front of Cinderella’s Castle.
Qualifications to be a Christian leader according to Rev. Jerry Falwell: Well, he invited Newt Gingrich to deliver the commencement address at Falwell’s Liberty University - after Gingrich admitted he was having an affair while in his second “marriage” during the Clinton impeachment. And Falwell said Gingrich admitted the affair to him in private conversations. Let’s see, be unfaithful to your spouse or break the seal of confession - apparently either will gain you a speaking invitation.
The City of Kenner wants to channel money to its residents. Do they have to hire a spiritualist or a Voodoo lady or dude for that?
Japan and Protestant Theology and Dogma: Japan’s schools will no longer teach the truth about Japan forcing Korean women and women from other nations to be sex slaves for its military during World War II. Nor will its schools teach the fact that its military told the people of Okinawa to commit suicide (often by jumping off cliffs onto the rocks which border the sea several hundred feet below) to avoid capture by United States forces during World War II. Reminds one of Protestant Theologians and their practice of changing “dogma” by popular vote. Tell a lie often enough and even though you may begin to believe it, it will never be truth, but will always be a lie.
The U. S. Food and Drug Administration is ready to approve a cattle “super” antibiotic which will be passed on to humans. So what is the problem? The “super” antibiotic will be resident in your system, so if you become infected with a disease it will adapt to the antibiotic Various strains of diseases, serious diseases, will be exposed to the “super” antibiotics which are currently reserved for antibiotic resistant strains of serious diseases. these already resistant strains of diseases will adapt to the “super” antibiotics, thus becoming resistant. Then, when you “catch” the disease, it will be resistant to the “super” antibiotics which could have cured you - and you will become progressively more ill, and possibly die. It appears the drug companies have found another way to make money, personnel of the regulatory agencies are looking for good jobs with the drug companies when they retire from government service by approving this type of use, and the consumer is being treated rather shabbily, again. But this could be just a jaded outlook, and the drug companies and regulatory personnel could actually think they are acting in the best interests of the public, without any concern for their own self interests. They could be!
Adult Stem Cells appear to be useful in mending certain parts of the heart and in other applications. to date, embryonic stem cells appear to hold no promise of being useful except to put money into the pockets of researchers and those who kill babies. But adult stem cells, obtained without killing, apparently effect some forms of repair in afflictions of the vascular, cardiac, neurological and general inflammatory arenas.
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