July 15, 2014

White House: "My Front Porch est. 2014. The President wants to know what's on your mind. What.....

should he hear ?" (end of quote)

http://www.whitehouse.gov/my-front-porch

You can upload a photo of your family, if you wish.

July 15, 2014

Snowpiercer in movie theaters AND on Amazon Instant Video...wave of future or fluke ?

This blows my mind, but I'm guessing it's the wave of the future:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LP9EE1G/ref=atv_feed_catalog

July 15, 2014

Typhoon Rammasun assaults the Philippines, Invest 90E moves west

Last Updated 7/15/2014, 2:00:00 AM (Eastern Standard Time)
Location 13.0N 235.3E Movement WNW at 10 mph
Wind 115 MPH



Last Updated 7/15/2014, 2:00:00 AM (Eastern Standard Time)
Location 12.0 135.0W Movement W at 10 mph
Wind 30 MPH

July 14, 2014

Tropical Storm Rammasun continues course towards the Philippines

Last Updated 7/13/2014, 8:00:00 PM (Eastern Daylight Time)
Location 13.2N 229.1E Movement W at 17 mph
Wind 60 MPH

July 13, 2014

Tropical Storm Rammasun churns towards the Philippines

Last Updated 7/13/2014, 2:00:00 AM (Eastern Daylight Time)
Location 13.6N 223.7E Movement W at 23 mph
Wind 40 MPH

July 13, 2014

Transgender women claim mistreatment at W.Va. DMVs

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/article/Transgender-women-claim-mistreatment-at-W-Va-DMVs-5617060.php


In this undated photo provided by the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, Kristen Skinner poses for a photo.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Two transgender women say they were ordered to take off their makeup, jewelry and wigs at West Virginal Division of Motor Vehicles offices or they would not get new driver's license photos.

In the process, they say they were belittled, and called names like "it."

"The manager told the agent I was working with, 'It' needs to remove 'its' makeup and false eyelashes,'" said Kristen Skinner, a Ranson resident.

Skinner, 45, left the Division of Motor Vehicles office in Charles Town in January with a license featuring her new female name and a headshot she says looks nothing like her.


Such horrible treatment. The WVA DMV needs reform, to be sure.

July 13, 2014

Tenn. governor may talk Medicaid with new HHS chief

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/07/12/tenn-governor-may-talk-medicaid-with-new-hhs-chief/12580585/

NASHVILLE — Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam will get a chance to reopen talks with the federal government over expanding the state's Medicaid program when he sits down Sunday with the Department of Health and Human Services' new leader.

The Republican governor and Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell are scheduled to meet for the first time since Burwell replaced Secretary Kathleen Sebelius last month. The closed-door meeting will take place on the final day of the National Governors Association's summer conference in Nashville.

The meeting comes as Haslam faces mounting criticism for not agreeing to offer TennCare, the state's Medicaid program, to more adults as called for under the 2010 Affordable Care Act. Haslam and Burwell also will sit down a day before a deadline for the state to respond to a stinging letter from federal Medicaid director Cindy Mann that said Tennessee is failing to meet the law's requirements.

"I wouldn't call it a totally new start," he said. "But I think when you have a new, key player it matters to sit down."

July 12, 2014

Caption President Obama pic

July 12, 2014

It's time for....pics of President Obama, Dr. Jill, Michelle, and VP Biden DIALUP WARNING

July 12, 2014

Study of Organic Crops Finds Fewer Pesticides and More Antioxidants

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/12/science/earth/study-of-organic-crops-finds-fewer-pesticides-and-more-antioxidants-.html?_r=0

Adding fuel to the debates over the merits of organic food, a comprehensive review of earlier studies found substantially higher levels of antioxidants and lower levels of pesticides in organic fruits, vegetables and grains compared with conventionally grown produce.

“It shows very clearly how you grow your food has an impact,” said Carlo Leifert, a professor of ecological agriculture at Newcastle University in England, who led the research. “If you buy organic fruits and vegetables, you can be sure you have, on average, a higher amount of antioxidants at the same calorie level.”

However, the full findings, to be published next week in the British Journal of Nutrition, stop short of claiming that eating organic produce will lead to better health.

“We are not making health claims based on this study, because we can’t,” Dr. Leifert said. The study, he said, is insufficient “to say organic food is definitely healthier for you, and it doesn’t tell you anything about how much of a health impact switching to organic food could have.”