‘Oh Wow’: What Do Steve Jobs’s Last Words Really Mean?

“Oh wow.” Two words that can have many meanings.

Steve Jobs’s sister Mona Simpson has a moving tribute in the New York Times detailing some of his final moments and his last words.

According to the article, titled “A Sister’s Eulogy for Steve Jobs,” Jobs’s last words were “OH WOW. OH WOW. OH WOW.” (The words were rendered in all capital letters in the essay.)

People are fascinated by last words. They can be viewed as a summing up of a life. Because the person saying them has nothing left to gain (except in terms of their legacy), they can be seen by some as an honest a representation of a person’s true opinions as one can get in this life. And there’s a mystical quality to last words–we hear them and wonder if the person saying them can give us any insight or information about what’s really on the other side.

Fed downgrades growth forecasts, sees high unemployment for years ahead

The Federal Reserve sharply downgraded its projections for the U.S. economy Wednesday, warning that weak growth and high unemployment will be the norm for years.

The Fed expects that the unemployment rate will be around 8.6 percent at the end of next year, down only slightly from 9.1 percent today, and will still be between 6.8 percent and 7.7 percent in late 2014. In their June forecast, Fed officials said joblessness would come down faster, to around 8 percent by the end of 2012, when the next presidential election will take place.

Different State, Same Hate

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against South Carolina to block the implementation of SB 20, a divisive and dangerous anti-immigrant law signed by Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) earlier this year. If SB 20 does take effect on Jan. 1, 2012, the law will create a new $1.3 million immigration enforcement unit for South Carolina and provide local law enforcement with overly broad authority to investigate residents' immigration statuses. As NCLR (National Council of La Raza) has repeatedly pointed out in the past, when other states attempted to pass similar bills, these anti-immigrant laws not only promote racial profiling and discrimination, but also violate the Constitution.

5 things you didn't know about the first black NBA player

Earl Lloyd was the first black person to play in the National Basketball Association. Lloyd made his historic debut in the NBA on October 31, 1950, during a time when many American institutions were still segregated.

Lloyd is remembered for being a trail-blazer for African-Americans in the NBA. What other contributions did he give to the world?

Food Stamps: Democrats In Congress Attempt To Eat On $4.50 A Day To Protest Potential Budget Cuts

Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) along with eight other congressional Democrats are eating on a budget of about $4.50 a day to show solidarity with food stamp recipients who receive $32.59 a week.

The personal thrift, which is part of a challenge organized by Fighting Poverty With Faith, was reported by Pacifica Patch. The site also listed the food items that Speier was now buying.

The number of people relying on food stamps has risen as a consequence of the recession. Over 40 million individuals and 19 million households used the program in 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

How To Look Good Using Food Stamps: Beautify Yourself with the Foods You Buy at the Market!

How To Look Good Using Food Stamps: Beautify Yourself with the Foods You Buy at the Market!

[Ebook, PDF Format]

Poorest poor in US hits new record: 1 in 15 people

The ranks of America's poorest poor have climbed to a record high — 1 in 15 people — spread widely across metropolitan areas as the housing bust pushed many inner-city poor into suburbs and other outlying places and shriveled jobs and income.

New census data paint a stark portrait of the nation's haves and have-nots at a time when unemployment remains persistently high. It comes a week before the government releases first-ever economic data that will show more Hispanics, elderly and working-age poor have fallen into poverty.

Owner of car dealership labeled "Taliban Toyota" wins millions

The owner of a large southwest Alabama car dealership derided as "Taliban Toyota" by a competitor has been awarded $7.5 million in damages after a jury trial for his slander claim.

Iranian-born Shawn Esfahani, owner of Eastern Shore Toyota in Daphne, Alabama, sought $28 million in compensatory and punitive damages from Bob Tyler Toyota, claiming employees at that Pensacola, Florida-based dealership falsely portrayed him as an Islamist militant to customers.

"The feeling I received in the courtroom for the truth to come out was worth a lot more than any money anybody can give me," Esfahani told Reuters on Tuesday.

4 million borrowers eligible for foreclosure review

More than 4 million borrowers who have faced foreclosure since early 2009 will have the chance to have their cases reviewed for potential wrongdoing, federal regulators and some of the nation’s largest mortgage servicers announced Tuesday.

The reviews stem from a deal forged earlier this year in which 14 servicers agreed to hire independent consultants to evaluate whether borrowers suffered financial injury during the foreclosure process. If a review finds errors or abuses by the financial firms, the consultants will determine what recompense wronged homeowners deserve.

10 banned books that may surprise you

Sometimes the banning of a book is self-explanatory, but other cases may leave some of us scratching their heads – who could object to "The Wizard of Oz," for example? Here are 10 books that may seem innocent – but somehow they managed to offend someone.

2nd UDPATE: Obama Administration Unveils New Refinancing Program

 

Two North Carolina schools locked down after shooting

Two schools in Fayetteville, North Carolina, have been locked down after a female student was shot in the neck, officials said on Monday.

Why Senior Citizens Should Be Furious About So-Called Social Security ‘Increase’

Seniors might get a bigger check, but they're losing out

Social Security checks will see their first increase in three years this January. The Social Security COLA, or Cost of Living Adjustment, will amount to 3.6%.

Why Senior Citizens Should Be Furious About So-Called Social Security ‘Increase’

Seniors might get a bigger check, but they're losing out

Social Security checks will see their first increase in three years this January. The Social Security COLA, or Cost of Living Adjustment, will amount to 3.6%.
But seniors should be outraged by the Social Security increase — because it isn’t an increase at all. The fact is the government program is paying less than it has in years past, and the recent COLA “increase” doesn’t make up for the ground that seniors have already lost.

Why Companies Aren't Getting the Employees They Need

With an abundance of workers to choose from, employers are demanding more of job candidates than ever before. They want prospective workers to be able to fill a role right away, without any training or ramp-up time.

Government announces new program to help ‘underwater’ homeowners

The federal government on Monday announced new rules that would allow many more struggling borrowers to refinance their mortgages at today’s ultra-low rates, reducing monthly payments for some homeowners and potentially providing a modest boost to the economy.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency, working with the Obama administration, said that up to 1 million “underwater” borrowers might benefit from an expanded program that targets homeowners who owe more than their properties are worth.

Children's Risk For Nearsightedness May Be Reduced By Spending More Time Outdoors

Children's risk for myopia or nearsightedness, where objects further away look blurred because light entering the eye focuses incorrectly, may be reduced by spending more time outdoors in natural light, according to a new review of research being presented at a conference this week.

Will Dropouts Save America?

True, people with college degrees tend to earn more. But that could be because most ambitious people tend to go to college; there is little evidence to suggest that the same ambitious people would earn less without college degrees (particularly if they mastered true business and networking grit).

H.A.D.L.E.Y. Players, one of Harlem's last surviving black theater companies, looks to the future

It's one of the last surviving black theater companies – and its founder wants nothing more than to see Harlem's beloved H.A.D.L.E.Y. Players continue for a new generation of actors.

Gertrude Hadley Jeannette officially started the theater group (Harlem Artist's Development League Especially for You) in 1980, but its roots go back to the 1950s.

 "When we started out, my students were Esther Rolle, Isabel Sanford and Rosalind Cash," Jeannette, 96, told the Daily News. "They started out on my stage. I was their first teacher and they all came from Harlem."

See Video

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/uptown/2011/10/21/2011-10-21_hadley_players_one_of_harlems_last_surving_black_theater_companies_looks_to_the_.html#ixzz1bipLBAhr

The Ugly Racial Backstory Behind Harlem’s Sewage Plant Explosion

NEW YORK — In 1962, when New York city planners first proposed a
sewage treatment plant for the residents and businesses of Manhattan’s West Side, they picked a spot on the Hudson River around 72nd Street. The neighborhood, however, was well on its way to becoming what it is today — the white, upper middle class district of stylish brownstones, grand co-ops and newfangled condominiums known to most Americans as the backdrop for the TV sitcom, Seinfeld.

Mother, daughter enjoy working together as extras

The Gathers are among a handful of people from Orangeburg represented by Talent-Link Inc. of Charlotte, N.C.

Talent-Link will hold an open audition from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, in South Carolina State University Fine Arts Center's Barbara Vaughn Recital Hall.

Audition slots are limited. To register, visit http://dareauditions1.eventbrite.com.

For more information, call Sharon Gathers at 803-682-4863 or Rose Graham at 678-863-1639, or visit http://talent-link.com.

Read more: http://www.thetandd.com/news/local/article_ef3aa4b0-f134-11e0-9f0e-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1aOTk43rE

Read more: http://www.thetandd.com/news/local/article_ef3aa4b0-f134-11e0-9f0e-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1aOTUwV8j

Surprise! Who's not paying federal income tax?

Amid complaints that nearly half of tax filers in the U.S. won't pay federal income taxes this year, this has been lost: Those making $75,000-$100,000 a year are the fastest-growing share of people who don't pay federal income taxes.

Not working poor people — but those who are firmly middle class.

They still make up less than 1% of the total number of income tax filers who pay no tax at all, but their overall number has exploded, from fewer than 5,000 not paying taxes in 1996 to nearly 500,000 in 2009, the most recent year of available data.

The lowest-income Americans — those who make less than $25,000 a year — account for the largest number of those not paying any federal income tax: 76% as of . . .

Sharpton to broadcast from Occupy Wall Street protests

The Rev. Al Sharpton will bring his nationally syndicated radio show to lower Manhattan Monday as the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations enter their 24th day.


Sharpton, an outspoken civil rights activist and talk show host, will broadcast from Zuccotti Park, where the protests are based, according to his National Action Network.

"Even as banks got bailed out, American children have witnessed their parents get tossed out of their homes and lose their jobs. Public school kids have lost arts, music and physical education," the movement's website said. "Now our kids can see activists take these issues to the streets in a democratic forum at Occupy Wall Street."

The strange, glowing object that put Missouri on "UFO alert" this week

 This is the only picture available of a UFO that has been terrorizing residents in the state of Missouri for the past few days. Apparently the brightly-lit vehicle has been flying low over cars on the highway, and appears to break up into smaller craft. Dozens of witnesses have reported seeing it, boosting Missouri to a "UFO Alert" level 3. The state had the 8th highest number of UFO reports in the U.S. last month. What's going on?

Why pancreatic cancer is so deadly

Special report: China's debt pileup raises risk of hard landing

Deadline: NBA, players in danger of cancellations

A hot dog in Tiger's direction marks his return

"When I looked up, the hot dog was already in the air," Woods said. "The bun was kind of disintegrating."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/10/10/sports/s023431D00.DTL#ixzz1aO9p4EiO

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/10/10/sports/s023431D00.DTL#ixzz1aO9EyIVb

Older, wiser O'Donnell launches 'Rosie Show'

New hurricane emerges off Mexico's western coast

State may ban 'bath salts'

 Stimulants that authorities say are marketed as “bath salts” and mimic the effects of cocaine have gone largely unregulated in the state but could soon be subject to a state law, a federal ban and a growing number of local ordinances.The number of calls to the Palmetto Poison Center about the synthetic drugs has gone from two in all of 2010 to 135 this year, said managing director Jill Michels.

“They’re not abusing grandma’s bath salt,” Michels said. “It’s a totally different compound.”

One dead, seven rescued in Florida after boat capsizes

6 lowball-offer errors home buyers make

Increase your chances of buying a home for a steal

“Sellers who had their homes on the market all summer are anxious to move on, especially before the holidays hit,” said Bill Golden, a real-estate agent with ReMax in Atlanta. The closer it gets to the holidays, the more anxious unsuccessful sellers can become, he said.

Baby-decapitation case: Mom awarded nearly $1.4 million

A jury Thursday night awarded nearly $1.4 million in damages to a mother whose premature baby was decapitated during delivery at a Louisville hospital in 2006.

Under the verdict, reached after about five hours of deliberation, the two doctors involved must pay the mother, Micheatria Donelson, the $1.4 million for pain and suffering.

The hospital and the nurses involved in the case were not held liable, and the jury declined to award punitive damages.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/10/06/20111006kentucky-doctor-sued-decapitated-baby-delivery.html#ixzz1aPIU3Gt7

When the Uprooted Put Down Roots

At the Saturday farmer’s market in City Heights, a major portal for refugees, Khadija Musame, a Somali, arranges her freshly picked pumpkin leaves and lablab beans amid a United Nations of produce, including water spinach grown by a Cambodian refugee and amaranth, a grain harvested by Sarah Salie, who fled rebels in Liberia. Eaten with a touch of lemon by Africans, and coveted by Southeast Asians for soups, this crop is always a sell-out.

Casting Call with Vince Paul of Talent Link Friday October 14, 2011

Friday, October 14, 2011 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM (ET), Orangeburg, South Carolina.

101-Year-Old Woman Evicted From Home In Detroit

A 101-year-old woman was evicted from the southwest Detroit home where she lived for nearly six decades after her 65-year-old son failed to pay the mortgage.

Texana Hollis was evicted Monday and her belongings were placed outside the home. Her son, Warren Hollis, said he didn’t pay the bill for several years and disregarded eviction notices.

“I kept it from her because I didn’t want to worry her,” Warren Hollis told WXYZ-TV for a report that aired Monday night. “I was just so sure it wasn’t going to happen.”

Wayne County Chief Deputy Treasurer David Szymanski told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the Hollises took out an adjustable-rate mortgage in 2002. A default and foreclosure notice was filed in November.

“They ended up owing $80,000 on the home,” Szymanski said. “Warren indicates he did not make the payments. He got the notices, but threw them away.”

County records show that property taxes were paid on the home through summer 2010. A winter tax bill of $55.95, including interest and fees, was unpaid, and a $778.44 summer tax bill was due this month

Job seekers, get ready for personality tests

More employers are using pre-hire assessments

As it turns out, your childhood misdeeds, along with whether you care about someone else’s bad day and how much you read, may have an impact on how a prospective employer views you.

To get a read on applicants, more employers are using pre-hire assessments, which can check personality, cognitive ability, and competency, among other areas. About 56% of companies are using some sort of assessment tool as part of the hiring process this year, up from 48% in 2010, according to Aberdeen Group, a Boston-based research firm. 

Facebook Organizes Friends into Lists Automatically

According to information posted to the Facebook blog , the new friends list feature – labeled Smart Lists – will automatically create groups for users' friends based on things they have in common: Workplace, school, city or family.
Additionally, users will be able to create lists for close friends and acquaintances. Though these lists won't update themselves, this innovation means that you'll be able to view photos or posts from those you really care about while skimming over information from more distant connections. You'll only receive major news – like engagements – from those flagged as acquaintances.

Read more: http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpps/money/facebook-organizes-friends-into-lists-automatically-dpgoha-20110914-fc_15009774#ixzz1Y2TM0bJY

Georgia has 3rd highest poverty rate among states

New Census data shows that Georgia's poverty rate was the third highest in the country in 2010, up two spots from last year, with more than 1.8 million residents counted among the poor.

The only states with higher poverty rates in 2010 were Louisiana and Mississippi. Nationally, 15.1 percent of Americans were living in poverty last year.

Georgia also ranked eighth in the nation in the number of uninsured residents, at a rate of 19.4 percent. Roughly 1.9 million Georgians did not have health insurance last year when the state joined a challenge to President Barack Obama's health care plan, meant in part to address rising numbers of people without health insurance.

SAT scores drop in Georgia, South Carolina, U.S.

More high school graduates are trying to go to college, if SAT results released Wednesday are any indication.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean more graduates are ready for college.

Across Georgia, South Carolina and the nation, 2011 high school graduates posted lower SAT scores on average than students who graduated a year earlier. On the other hand, no graduating class has ever had more students take the SAT than last year’s.

Ohio has country's 11th highest foreclosure rate

Ohio had one of the nation's highest foreclosure rates last month as banks stepped up their actions against homeowners behind on their mortgage payments.

Foreclosure listing firm RealtyTrac Inc. said Thursday that the number of U.S. homes that received an initial default notice - the first step in the foreclosure process - jumped 33 percent in August from July.

Six Things the Film Industry Doesn't Want You To Know About

You may already be a film industry cynic. Maybe you think Hollywood is a barren wasteland, devoid of creativity and originality. Maybe you’re sick of seeing talented people get ignored and vapid hacks get splashed all over the trades. Maybe you’re tired of 3D everything and having to re-buy your movies every five to ten years.

I’m not here to dissuade you of any of that. Hell no, I’m here to make it worse. Get ready, because this is some of the rottenest shit of which the film industry is capable. These are the things so terrible that Hollywood has to cover them up, lest God see their sin and smite them accordingly (and keep various government entities and lawyers off their backs, of course). If you still had any kind thoughts toward Hollywood, I suggest you prepare yourself for crushing disappointment.

NLRB costing South Carolina jobs

The National Labor Relations Board is alleging that Boeing violated labor laws by locating its new 787 Dreamliner facility in North Charleston, S.C. For years, Boeing has operated predominantly in Washington state, where it has invested billions of dollars and created thousands of jobs.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/63502.html#ixzz1Y2XN1Gw7

New local plant will provide 350 jobs 

South Carolina's top-flight aerospace team got a boost from a hometown player Wednesday when The InterTech Group Inc. announced its subsidiary's plans for a major manufacturing facility in North Charleston that would bring 350 jobs to a region hungry for employment and new investment.

10 Things Social Security Won't Tell You

The secret of bigger benefits, and the truth about the agency's bottom line.

A Social Security spokeswoman points out that interest income from the Treasury bonds held in the trust fund will allow it to keep growing until 2022 -- even if the agency has to siphon off some money to offset any shortages in tax revenue -- and won't be exhausted until 2036, when the first Gen Xers begin retiring. But that's already one year earlier than previous projections. After that, the agency says tax income under the current system will only cover about 75% of benefit payments through 2085.

Teachers Are Put to the Test

Teacher evaluations for years were based on brief classroom observations by the principal. But now, prodded by President Barack Obama's $4.35 billion Race to the Top program, at least 26 states have agreed to judge teachers based, in part, on results from their students' performance on standardized tests.

So with millions of teachers back in the classroom, many are finding their careers increasingly hinge on obscure formulas like the one that fills a whiteboard in an economist's office here.

FDA Slams 'Dr. Oz' for Apple Juice Report

Mehmet Oz, MD, the Columbia University thoracic surgeon who gained fame first in books and more recently with his syndicated television show, has run afoul of the Food and Drug Administration with his report about levels of arsenic in popular brands of apple juice.

The FDA called the report "irresponsible and misleading" and another TV doc, ABC's Richard Besser, MD, accused Oz of fear-mongering.

In a recent episode of The Dr. Oz Show, Oz reported that five brands of apple juice -- Minute Maid, Apple & Eve, Mott's, Juicy Juice, and Gerber -- all contained some level of arsenic and suggested that this was a cause for concern.

The show used an independent laboratory, EMSL Analytical, to test dozens of samples from three U.S. cities to compare the level of arsenic in the juices to the Environmental Protection Agency's safe standard for drinking water, less than 10 parts per billion.

At least one sample for four of the five brands -- excluding Minute Maid -- came in above that threshold. The highest level measured was in Gerber apple juice, at 36 ppb.

The segment earned a stiff rebuke from representatives of government, industry, and academia for causing unnecessary alarm, even before it aired.

Apple juice safe despite arsenic, FDA tells Dr. Oz

Dr. Donald Zink, senior science advisor at the agency's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said on the site that arsenic occurs naturally in the environment and can be found in certain food products, including fruit juices and juice concentrates. But the agency says the levels are too low to pose a threat to human health.

Publisher's Note:

So, let me get this straight . . . 

Are all of these people upset with Dr. Oz because he informed the public that 'arsenic' IS indeed found in apple juice, or that he informed the public that arsenic is approved to be in apple juice by many overseeing agencies in our country?
 
So which is it?  I thought "Knowledge is Power?"  Oh, I see.  Knowledge is Power as long as no one else is knowledgeable about the power that is being wield by others.  I GOT IT!  Apparently, Dr. Oz got it also.     

A Must Read for ALL Women

Farrakhan: The Divine Value of the Female

 The enemy's aim has been to devalue the woman transforming her into a sexual plaything instead of treating her with the reverence and honor she deserves as a serious co-creator with God, said The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan in an important and sobering message delivered at Mosque Maryam, the international headquarters of the Nation of Islam.

The upstairs section of Mosque Maryam was packed with women seeking guidance from the Minister. Photo: Courtney X. Powell

“No matter what your race, color or ethnicity, you have never looked at yourself as a part of The Divine. That will change today,” Min. Farrakhan told the packed auditorium and those viewing live Sept. 11 via internet webcast.

“God cannot make us the head if the woman is not lifted. If God does not lift the woman, the man will never come up, so if God is going to make a new world and a better world, He is going to make that world coming through a woman,” said Min. Farrakhan.

Obama Gas Station? YES, They Can!

Obama gas station in Columbia raising eyebrows

 A gas station on Columbia's North Main Street has been renamed and redecorated after President Obama.

Two gas stations sit at the corner of Columbia's North Main Street and Prescott Road, the El Cheapo and another station with a new name -- Obama.
     
"I see more people come in excited with the name," said owner Sam Alhanik, who got the idea from a friend who created an Obama Gas Station in Michigan.

Twitter and Facebook Know Where You've Been Online? Do Not Like

For Retirees, a Real-Estate Nightmare Looms

Should you stay put, downsize or get out completely?

With home prices falling for nearly five years, many Americans must consider what to do with their homes should prices continue to collapse and the equity in their homes if they are still lucky enough to have any disappears completely.

Should they stay in place and wait it out? Or should they bail out now and downsize? If they stay in place, should they pay down their mortgage, if they have one? And if they have a home-equity loan, should they refinance that or, if possible, accelerate the payments on that debt?

Shop Zamzuu with Your Own FREE E-commerce Site!

N.Y. case highlights daily dangers faced by hotel maids

'These customers think they can use us for anything they want,' says one housekeeper 

 

80 things we wish we knew before we started traveling 

 

Travel Link:

Book your own travel: Hotels, cruises, vacations, rent vehicles, and more, with your own Zamzuu "Travel & Shopping" site to get, use, own, and keep, ABSOLUTELY FREE!  Click HERE.  Brought to you by Miriam - Your Zamzuu Free Agent!

'Undocumented': U.S. banks servicing drug cartels?

The vital role of U.S. banks in moving billions of dollars for Mexican drug cartels—enabling their latest five-year killing spree—has largely been “undocumented.” Wachovia, now owned by Wells Fargo, is prominently featured on the list of financial institutions that have helped move money for Mexican cartels. The list also includes Bank of America, American Express, as well as the Mexican offices of Citigroup and the European HSBC and Banco Santander, and money-transfer giant Western Union.

HUD report: Low income renters suffering

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently released its bi-annual report to Congress on the housing needs of low income Americans.
It shows an increased number of very low income households have severe housing difficulties, particularly housing costs that far exceed what they can afford.
The findings of the 66-page“Worst Case Housing Needs 2009: Report To Congress,” released Feb. 1, reveal that in 2009 there were 7.1 million worst case needs households in the country, up significantly from 5.9million two years prior.
HUD defines these worst case needs households as very low-income renters who do not receive government housing assistance and who either paid more than one-half of their income for rent, lived in severely inadequate conditions, or both.

Bloomberg to Lay Off Thousands of Teachers

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg intends to eliminate 4,278 teaching jobs through layoffs, and about 1,500 through attrition, marking the first significant layoffs of teachers since the fiscal crisis of the 1970s.

 

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange rails against Facebook, says it's a spy tool for US government

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange called Facebook "the most appalling spying machine ever invented" in an interview with Russia Today, pointing to the popular social networking site as one of the top tools for the U.S. to spy on its citizens.

"Here we have the world's most comprehensive database about people, their relationships, their names, their addresses, their locations, their communications with each other and their relatives, all sitting within the United States, all accessible to US Intelligence," he said. "Facebook, Google, Yahoo, all these major U.S. organizations have built-in infaces for US intelligence.

"Everyone should understand that when they add their friends to Facebook they are doing free work for the United States intelligence agencies," he added.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2011/05/02/2011-05-02_wikileaks_founder_julian_assange_rails_against_facebook_says_its_a_spy_tool_for_.html#ixzz1LabXPyc9 

Unemployment down, Black unemployment up

More than 200,000 jobs were created last month, 216,000 to be exact.Coming after the February lift of more than 200,000 jobs, there are those who are saying that economic recovery is around the corner. I don't know what corner they are standing on, but the Black corner took a hit in March, and the Black unemployment rate rose from 15.3 to 15.5 percent.

No other racial/ethnic group saw unemployment rates rise.

Some will say the slight increase is statistically insignificant.Try telling that to Blacks who don't have jobs, or to those who are not in the labor force.Indeed, while the number of Whites who had dropped out of the labor force went down, the number of Blacks out of the labor force went up.

Will America ever have enough jobs?

“Blacks have got to make a major economic adjustment. There are a lot of jobs out there but they require computer and other skills training,” said Dr. David Horne, a California-based African Studies professor and political scientist.

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Out With the Old, and In With The Young!

ZAMZUU Your Life in 2010!
www.ytb.com/mgaw







Out With The Old, and In With The Young!
The New 21st Century America

by Miriam G. Aw

Regardless of what you may think about the idea of change, it is being actualized in the 21st Century, whether you like it, or not! And as a result of 'change,' the traditional known phrase of "Out with the Old, and In with the New" which is often associated with the coming of the New Year, is now "Out with the Old, and In with the Young!"

America was hit hard with this bit of fact about 'change' quicker than an elephant sinking in quicksand when the news of our country’s economy in Year 2008 was increasingly spoiling the existence of viable businesses, banks, car dealerships, and so forth, to the point of retarding financial assistance, and/or bankruptcy claims to home owners who were, and still are, losing their homes due to foreclosures.

In addition, common sense practices of saving money for a rainy day was dismissed, and credit cards overturned the sense of practicality into a hoarding impatient country to the point that even excellent credit card holders are now being treated just as poorly as an individual with horrendous credit by attaching increasing fees onto their account. Wow, talk about working hard to keep your credit score in tact. If that is not a kick in the face, I don't know what is at this point!

So, how did this happen?

Frankly put, greed, manipulative home lending practices, deceit, and yes, even the psychological use of “divide and conquer’ racial, and class tactics played major roles in the demise of our country’s economic woes by covertly pitting so-called “middle class” Americans against ‘’poor working class’ American individuals, thus leading the charge that ‘middle class’ individuals can afford to live in a larger square footage home than the average poor working class individual, or family. And it worked, BIG TIME!



However, the joke-of-the-century, which was pulled-off magnificently by manipulative bankers, home loan lenders, to name a couple, received the blessings from the previous White House Administration under former President Bush’s eight years in office, that the so-called middle class populations’ need to be better than those who are unlike them in many, and every way, suffered as a result of this tremendous American hoax!

In fact, BOTH the race AND class cards that were dealt by the powers-that-be, who orchestrated the strings of puppets behind the financial scene had worked so well, millions of American people have literally gone financially broke, became unemployed, have intentionally received poor education, and for the most part, they were not encouraged to further their education to climb the corporate ladder.

In other words, America got screwed without the benefit of a penis!

To add insult to injury, the call to either attend college, or go back to college to further one's education, especially in the fields dealing with health care, education, green jobs, computer technology, and so forth, is not a call for the old, but instead, for the young! And, it is not a call for anyone who decides to attend a private post-secondary educational institution, for example, ITT, which is a school that teaches Information Technology (i.e., computer programming, and the ilk).

The proof of the pudding is in your Sunday newspaper classified ads. Pick a day - any day to buy a newspaper, or go online to seek your [so-called] dream job. Too many of these employers are looking for 1) College degrees, and or 2) Years of related experience, and/or 3) College and years of related experience, and/or 4) State Certification, and/or 5) Licensing, and/or . . . you get the picture. For the average person, who is 40 years of age, or older, who've never attended college, but have worked at a place of business for a numerous amount of years, and have outsourced itself, and has been left to be unemployed, uneducated, and unable to afford to attend college.



And, if through the Grace of God, he or she can attend college, or a privately run post-secondary educational institution to take a stab at the healthcare field, for example, will find a rude awakening at the fact that a myriad of courses in the medical field have been broken down to the bone so much that it will take at least FIVE YEARS to receive a complete sense of getting "whole" education! There are either Certificates, or Diplomas given in: Medical Terminology; Medical Office Assistant; Phlebotomy; Medical Billing; Medical Coder; and the list goes on, and on!

When I attended the same kind of school in the health care field, I received a COMPLETE bundle of ALL OF THE AFOREMENTIONED SUBJECTS/COURSES LISTED ABOVE! Five days a week for six months (600 hours), a thorough education was given, and medical terminology, coding, insurance, billing, vital signs, venipuncture (phlebotomy), CPR, typing, filing, medical records, and other administrative and clinical learning skills, were wholly taught within, and as a complete package! It afforded me to work in hospitals, medical centers/clinics, nursing homes, along with physicians who either head the department, division, and/or the health institution itself, in Endocrinology, Pediatric Nephrology and Immunology, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics, just to name a few.

TODAY?

You have specific learning modules that are offered, particularly, in two-year colleges. There is a Certificate, or Diploma, for this. When you are completed with that program, now you have to take another program. More money. Then there is another program course. More money and time. Then another, and another! Damn, by the time you are able to receive a comprehensive knowledge about, and in the health care field, years and a lot of money would have gone by, along with your age! It is all about money! Pure greed. And this "Educational Rape" has been going on for, at least, the past decade!

The practices of "financial rape" performed by many schools, businesses, banks/credit card suppliers, home loan lenders, health care/life/vehicle insurances, and land-line telephone companies, just to name a few, in America are worse than any male who pimps out a female to earn money for himself by (mis) using, and abusing someone else's goods just to satisfy their own!

Meanwhile, back at the farm, the younger the population gets while tackling the advancing technology in computers at an early age, for example, or starting early in life to pursue a specific career in the health care profession, education, green jobs, etc., the older the individual gets when he, or she, who were taught to believe that their future was solid-as-a-rock, decides to tackle the economic societal ills of attempting to better themselves in an economy that is no longer their own to possess by attending school when in fact, the game is basically over for them.



The truth of the matter is that I am an optimist, and I do not believe in portraying negativity at any time. Anyone who knows me can attest to this. What pisses me off, however, is no one wants to admit there is a problem with today's job market, and the people who are paying the price are the individuals who were bamboozled into believing that their way of thinking, and living, particularly so-called 'middle class' Caucasians, was the American Dream to behold, and that no one else is privy to such a lifestyle.

The irony here is that no one can blame the Mexicans, Blacks, poor Whites, Asians, the Native Americans, or welfare assistance recipients, for the declination of our country's economy because now there are no jobs to blame anyone for taking at the expense of the American people!

Again, the "divide & conquer" practices of race, class, and economic status used to pitt each other against each other played integral roles into America's economic demise performed by "behind-the-scene" power players, who've gained financial wealth, and power as a result of this 'Willie Lynch' methodology on ALL races, classes, despite an individual's economic status! Ain't THAT a bitch!

And much like in the Bible when a group of people had to wander around for 40 years until they all died out, such a prophecy is seemingly taking place today in the early 21st Century for many individuals who refuse to make change . . . thus, "Out with the Old, and In with the Young!"

Too bad such a revelation have not set quite firmly into the minds of the living dead.

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