31 Aralık 2012 Pazartesi

Collecting Pearl Harbor Postal History

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Today marks the 71st Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. A day that will live in infamy and one which makes for interesting collecting.

Fred Schmitt writes in one of his postal history newsletters, "There are many different kinds of mail that would be considered 'Pearl Harbor-related.' In essence, collectors are interested in postally used covers (which can be even more desirable if the contents are intact) not only to and from Hawaii in the weeks before and just after the attack, but also mail from a much broader period to and from the 116 named ships that were in the harbor on the morning of the attack."

He goes on to say, "Either kind of mail can be military--related mail or civilian mail (such as letters to
and from sailors on the vessels, soldiers at Schofield Barracks, or airmen at Hickam Field. Another important related area is the collecting of covers bearing patriotic slogans and artwork that were produced and in use after the attack and all during the war."

Shown above, a censored cover with a Naval ship cancel dated December 7, 1941. Although there's no indication where the cover originated, it is still valuable according to Schmitt.

To view some examples, click here and here.

USPS May Start Selling Mag Subscriptions

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The Columbia Journalism Review reports, "Your next magazine subscription may well be purchased at the post office—the Postal Service could begin selling magazines directly to consumers as soon as next month."

According to reporter Peter Sterne, "The news comes from the Mailers Technical Advisory Committee. MTAC is a committee made up of representatives from the US Postal Service and various industries related to it—from magazine publishers to envelope manufacturers. Most of their discussions are concerned with arcane mailing regulations, but one proposal is relevant to journalists and media companies."

Sterne goes on to say, "The plan is for the Postal Service to install posters with QR code in post offices around the country. Customers could then scan the code with their phones and subscribe to different magazines. Alternatively, they could just subscribe to magazines online, through USPS.com. USPS did not respond to requests for comment."

To read the entire article, click here.

The Great Texas Stamp Collection

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Mike Cox writes on the Austin, Texas website Statesman.com, "Still one of the most popular hobbies despite the continuing erosion of first-class mail by email, stamp collecting has millions of U.S. enthusiasts. Turns out some of the rarest — and now most valuable — stamps ever pasted on an envelope were printed in Texas early in the Civil War by several Confederate postal officials."

He goes on to say, "The story of these Texas-made stamps is well-told by Charles W. Deaton in “

: How Some Stubborn Texas Confederate Postmasters, a Handful of Determined Texas Stamp Collectors, and a Few of the World’s Greatest Philatelists Created, Discovered, and Preserved Some of the World’s Most Valuable Postage Stamps.” (University of Texas Press, $27.95 in hardcover.)

"That not-so-postage-stamp-size subtitle pretty much covers what the book’s about. The only information it leaves out is that the story also involves big money, greed and its progeny, crime."

Click here to preview the table of contents and introduction along with additional information.

A Stamp for Every Holocaust Child Lost

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Reporter Christine Igo Freeman writes on Massachusetts' Foxboro Reporter website that the Foxborough Regional Charter School has collected 1.5 million stamps to honor the 1,500,000 children killed in the Holocaust.

According to Freeman the schools goal is to collect 11 million stamps. Six million Jews and five million other victims of Nazi aggression in Europe before and during World War II in including 1.5 million children.

The Holocaust Stamps Project began in 2009 and is one of the Community Service Learning (CSL) classes that students in grades 5-12 take in addition to their regular classes.

If you would like to participate in helping the school reach its goal, send your stamps to Holocaust Stamp Project, Foxborough Regional Charter School, 131 Central Street, Foxboro, MA 02035. If possible, sending them trimmed is greatly appreciated and even better if you can provide a count of how many you are donating.

Shown above, teachers and children with 1.5 million stamps they have already collected.

To read the entire article, click here.

New Children's Book - "The Stamp Collector"

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The Stamp Collector by Jennifer Lanthier, François Thisdale, illustrator,. is reviewed on the QuillandQuire.com website by Kerry Clare.

Clare pens, "In measured, precise prose, Lanthier tells the story of a Chinese boy who discovers a discarded postage stamp and realizes he is connected to a wider world. As stamp collecting becomes his passion, another boy in the countryside develops his own passion for telling stories. Their lives intersect years later, when the first boy becomes a guard at the prison where the second has been locked up for his political writings."

Clare goes on to say "The writer is sent letters from readers around the world, though he’s not permitted to receive any of them. With his interest in stamps, the prison guard takes note of the mail and eventually feels compelled to deliver the letters to the writer as evidence the world has not forgotten him. Weakened by his years in prison and near death, the writer tells his stories to the guard, who promises to share them. He does so by writing a book that begins as The Stamp Collector does: “This is the story of not long ago and not far away ..."

For additional information, click here.

27 Aralık 2012 Perşembe

Invest in Asian America: 3hrs on the iphone and that's a GOOD thing?

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Video info:

"Invest in Asian America" highlights the global and transnational characteristics of Asian Americans.

Sponsored by Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) and produced by Niwa PR, an Asian American PR & Marketing agency, the video calls out Asian American economic contributions to the global economy in the United States and in Asia. It points to the use of new technology among Asians and economic exchange as ways that Asian Americans can play a key role in the development of global organizations and cross-border relations. The video also encourages multinational companies to invest in the development of the Asian Americans in the workforce.

My observations:

This puts a generally positive spin on the rise of Asians in America and their contributions in creating jobs and opportunity and investment, which is quite a contrast from either the "America is being taken over by Asians" threat view or the "Model Minority is a Rignt Wing Racist plot" view.

Highlights:

* Asians are among the most watched on Youtube (referring to the success of Asian American youtube channels like KevJumba and lesser stars like ClaraC)
* A lot of Chineses millionaires are settling here, and convincing China to invest in America
* Asians kids are really, really connected to the internet 3 hours a day on their phones (really?? I need a talk with my kids... And how many hours wasted a day on stupid Asian American youtube videos and online gaming?????)

(Interesting the "UCLA Asians in the library" girl shows up in the list of related videos when it finishes)

Here's the research

http://www.niwapr.com/pdf/invest_in_asian_america.pdf

INVEST IN ASIAN AMERICA

The 21st Century is America’s Pacific Century.

The Asia Pacific region is already 55% of the world’s economy2 And the US is the largest economy in Asia Pacific.

27% of US jobs created from exports come from trade with Asia. 3

“America’s great ticket to the future is that there is somebody here from everywhere.” -‐ Bill Clinton, “Embracing Our Common Humanity” Speech, January 2012

Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial group.5

One of the most likely groups to start a business one out of five workers own their own businesses.6

One in five workers own their own business (wow... but because employment options are bad for immigrants?)

A 40% increase in five years!!!7

Asian American employers create an average of seven new jobs. 8

Asian Americans have made major contributions to the American economy.

• Yahoo! = Jerry ang

• Foursquare = Naveen Selvadurai

• LaLa = Bill Nguyen

• Google = Vic Gundotra

• Adobe = Shantanu Narayen

• NVIDIA = Jen-‐Hsun Huang

Asian Americans are among the most watched on YouTube.9

1 America’s Pacific Century By Hillary Clinton

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/10/11/americas_pacific_century

2 The APEC Region Trade and Investment, Australian Government 2011,

http://www.dfat.gov.au/publications/stats-
pubs/downloads/APEC_2011.pdf.

3 WISERT Report, International Trade

Administration http://www.trade.gov/mas/ian/employment/index.asp.

Asia Matters for America, East-‐West Center,

http://asiamattersforamerica.org/.

4 http://merchandisingmatters.com/featured/president-‐clintons-‐challenge-‐retailers/.

5 http://2010.census.gov/news/releases/operations/cb12-‐cn22.html

6 1.5 million small businesses

(http://www.census.gov/econ/sbo/get07sof.html?16) / 7.2 million labor

force (http://www.dol.gov/_sec/media/reports/asianlaborforce/) / = 20%.

7 http://www.census.gov/econ/sbo/get07sof.html?16

8 2.8 million workers / 397,484 employer firms = 7.05 workers

http://www.census.gov/econ/sbo/get07sof.html?16.

9 Ryan Higa and Michelle Phan (Phan is from Australia...)

(http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/31/fashion/for-‐asian-‐stars-‐many-‐web-‐fans.html)

And they are the most active and experienced news viewers online.10

Their kids are totally connected. (Three hours a day on a cell phone!)11

The Internet is Asian America’s link to their ethnic homelands.

They send money back to Asia

60% travel to Asia frequently.

Helping to convince Chinese to invest $5 billion in the US every

year.12

And settle 3,000 Chinese millionaires in the US every year.13

Asian Americans are an engine of growth.

A source of soft power. Invest in “somebody here from everywhere.”

“The Asian community is a very large economic force both inside and outside of the U.S. The more you understand what’s going on globally, and the impact that China and India are having on the world, the more you will recognize the importance of having Asians be part of your organization and leadership team.” -‐Barbara Adachi, Managing Director of Deloitte Consulting LLP’s Human Capital Practice14

“Asians in America: Unleashing the Potential of the ‘Model Minority,’” a study from the Center for Work-‐Life Policy, July 2011 Invest in Asian America.

10 http://www.slideshare.net/PewInternet/asianamericans-‐and-‐technology%20-‐ slide 8 11 Nadra Kareem Nittle, “Minority youth media consumption may be hampering academic achievement,” Chicago Defender, July 13, 2011, 106 edition.

12 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704615504576172410117309984.html?

13 http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/chinas-‐superrich-‐buy-‐a-‐better-‐life-‐abroad-‐11222011.html.

14 http://www.worklifepolicy.org/documents/TopAsianTalent_PressRelease_7.20.11.pdf

Sponsored by Wells Fargo Produced by Niwa Public Relations

Romney's Inspirational Jersualem Speech You'll Never Hear From Obama

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Mitt Romney Jerusalem Speech Transcript 7-29-12
Maggie's Notebook ^ | 7-29-12 | Maggie@MaggiesNotebook
Posted on Mon Jul 30 2012 14:40:16 GMT-0500 (Central Daylight Time) by maggiesnotebookThe following is the transcript of a brilliant and inspiring speech by Mitt Romney from Jerusalem's Old City. I see only one word missing..."Palestinians," although they and the evil they perpetrate is clear. He reiterates that Jerusalem is the Capital City of Israel; that our ideals and values are much the same; that America will not stand by and watch horror played out again; that true peacemakers never allow despotic regimes to spread their hate to free peoples; that we have a solemn duty to believe Iran when they tell us they will destroy Israel [and the U.S.]; that the people of Israel are among our "dear friends," and that we both cherish free enterprise, and millions in the Middle East would cherish the same if they had the opportunity.He mentions the athletes and coaches who died in the 1972 Munich Olympic attack 40 years ago, by Palestinians known as Black September. Did you know that the day after those murders, the Olympics were shut down for that day and flags of all countries were flown at half mast - EXCEPT the flags of Arab countries, which continued to fly high with heinous pride?Barack Obama still has not set foot inside Israel during his Presidency. He has ushered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in through a side door of the White House, walked out of White House meetings with him - leaving him and his staff in a Conference Room, and embraced nothing of Israel except his own false rhetoric. Obama has been to the Middle East numerous times - but never to Israel. UPDATE: Romney also made the point that an Islamist is now running Egypt. Two thumbs up for calling the ruler what he is.I urge all American Jews to vote for Mitt Romney, especially those of you in Florida, Ohio, Nevada and Pennsylvania. Get out the vote for him if you can. Donate to him if you can. [All emphasis in the text below is mine.]Pullout Quote:

By history and by conviction, our two countries are bound together. No individual, no nation, no world organization, will pry us apart. And as long as we stay together and stand together, there is no threat we cannot overcome and very little that we cannot achieve. ~ Mitt Romney in Israel 7-29-12

Begin transcript of Mitt Romney's speech in Jerusalem's Old City, July 29, 2012Thank you for that kind introduction, Mayor Barkat, and thank you all for that warm welcome. It's a pleasure and a privilege to be in Israel again.To step foot into Israel is to step foot into a nation that began with an ancient promise made in this land. The Jewish people persisted through one of the most monstrous crimes in human history, and now this nation has come to take its place among the most impressive democracies on earth. Israel's achievements are a wonder of the modern world.These achievements are a tribute to the resilience of the Israeli people. You have managed, against all odds, time and again throughout your history, to persevere, to rise up, and to emerge stronger.The historian Paul Johnson, writing on the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Jewish state, said that over the course of Israel's life, 100 completely new independent states had come into existence. "Israel is the only one whose creation can fairly be called a miracle," Johnson wrote.It is a deeply moving experience to be in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel.Our two nations are separated by more than 5,000 miles. But for an American abroad, you can't get much closer to the ideals and convictions of my own country than you do in Israel. We're part of the great fellowship of democracies. We speak the same language of freedom and justice, and the right of every person to live in peace. We serve the same cause and provoke the same hatreds in the same enemies of civilization.It is my firm conviction that the security of Israel is in the vital national security interest of the United States. And ours is an alliance based not only on shared interests but also on enduring shared values.In those shared values, one of the strongest voices is that of your prime minister, my friend Benjamin Netanyahu. I met with him earlier this morning and I look forward to my family joining his this evening as they observe the close of this fast day of Tisha B'Av.It's remarkable to consider how much adversity, over so great a span of time, is recalled by just one day on the calendar. This is a day of remembrance and mourning, but like other such occasions, it also calls forth clarity and resolve.At this time, we also remember the 11 Israeli athletes and coaches who were massacred at the Munich Olympics forty years ago. Ten years ago this week, 9 Israeli and American students were murdered in the terrorist attack at Hebrew University. And tragedies like these are not reserved to the past. They are a constant reminder of the reality of hate, and the will with which it is executed upon the innocent.It was Menachem Begin who said this about the Ninth of the month of Av: "We remember that day," he said, "and now have the responsibility to make sure that never again will our independence be destroyed and never again will the Jew become homeless or defenseless." "This," Prime Minister Begin added, "is the crux of the problems facing us in the future."So it is today, as Israel faces enemies who deny past crimes against the Jewish people and seek to commit new ones.When Iran's leaders deny the Holocaust or speak of wiping this nation off the map, only the naÃ¯ve - or worse - will dismiss it as an excess of rhetoric. Make no mistake: the ayatollahs in Tehran are testing our moral defenses. They want to know who will object, and who will look the other way.My message to the people of Israel and the leaders of Iran is one and the same: I will not look away; and neither will my country. As Prime Minister Begin put it, in vivid and haunting words, "if an enemy of [the Jewish] people says he seeks to destroy us, believe him."We have seen the horrors of history. We will not stand by. We will not watch them play out again.It would be foolish not to take Iran's leaders at their word. They are, after all, the product of a radical theocracy.Over the years Iran has amassed a bloody and brutal record. It has seized embassies, targeted diplomats, and killed its own people. It supports the ruthless Assad regime in Syria. They have provided weapons that have killed American soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq. It has plotted to assassinate diplomats on American soil. It is Iran that is the leading state sponsor of terrorism and the most destabilizing nation in the world.We have a solemn duty and a moral imperative to deny Iran's leaders the means to follow through on their malevolent intentions.We should stand with all who would join our effort to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran - and that includes Iranian dissidents. Do not erase from your memory the scenes from three years ago, when that regime brought death to its own people as they rose up. The threat we face does not come from the Iranian people, but from the regime that oppresses them.Five years ago, at the Herzliya Conference, I stated my view that Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons capability presents an intolerable threat to Israel, to America, and to the world. That threat has only become worse.Now as then, the regime's claims that it seeks to enrich nuclear material for peaceful purposes are belied by years of malign deceptions.Now as then, the conduct of Iran's leaders gives us no reason to trust them with nuclear material.But today, the regime in Iran is five years closer to developing nuclear weapons capability. Preventing that outcome must be our highest national security priority. I want to pause on this last point. It is sometimes said that those who are the most committed to stopping the Iranian regime from securing nuclear weapons are reckless and provocative and inviting war.The opposite is true. We are the true peacemakers. History teaches with force and clarity that when the world's most despotic regimes secure the world's most destructive weapons, peace often gives way to oppression, to violence, or to devastating war.We must not delude ourselves into thinking that containment is an option. We must lead the effort to prevent Iran from building and possessing nuclear weapons capability. We should employ any and all measures to dissuade the Iranian regime from its nuclear course, and it is our fervent hope that diplomatic and economic measures will do so. In the final analysis, of course, no option should be excluded. We recognize Israel's right to defend itself, and that it is right for America to stand with you.These are some of the principles I first outlined five years ago. What was timely then has become urgent today.Let me turn from Iran to other nations in the Middle East, where we have seen rising tumult and chaos. To the north, Syria is on the brink of a civil war. The dictator in Damascus, no friend to Israel and no friend to America, slaughters his own people as he desperately clings to power.Your other neighbor to the north, Lebanon, is under the growing and dangerous influence of Hezbollah.After a year of upheaval and unrest, Egypt now has an Islamist President, chosen in a democratic election. Hopefully, this new government understands that one true measure of democracy is how those elected by the majority respect the rights of those in the minority. The international community must use its considerable influence to ensure that the new government honors the peace agreement with Israel that was signed by the government of Anwar Sadat.As you know only too well, since Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, thousands of rockets have rained on Israeli homes and cities. I have walked on the streets of Sderot, and honor the resolve of its people. And now, new attacks have been launched from the Sinai Peninsula.With Hezbollah rockets aimed at Israel from the north, and Hamas rockets aimed from the south, with much of the Middle East in tumult, and with Iran bent on nuclear arms, America's vocal and demonstrated commitment to the defense of Israel is even more critical. Whenever the security of Israel is most in doubt, America's commitment to Israel must be most secure.When the decision was before him in 1948, President Harry Truman decided without hesitation that the United States would be the first country to recognize the State of Israel. From that moment to this, we have been the most natural of allies, but our alliance runs deeper than the designs of strategy or the weighing of interests.The story of how America - a nation still so new to the world by the standards of this ancient region - rose up to become the dear friend of the people of Israel is among the finest and most hopeful in our nation's history.Different as our paths have been, we see the same qualities in one another. Israel and America are in many respects reflections of one another. We both believe in democracy, in the right of every people to select their leaders and choose their nation's course.We both believe in the rule of law, knowing that in its absence, willful men may incline to oppress the weak.We both believe that our rights are universal, granted not by government but by our Creator.We both believe in free enterprise, because it is the only economic system that has lifted people from poverty, created a large and enduring middle class, and inaugurated incomparable achievements and human flourishing.As someone who has spent most of his life in business, I am particularly impressed with Israel's cutting edge technologies and thriving economy. We recognize yours as the "start-up nation" - and the evidence is all around us.You have embraced economic liberty. You export technology, not tyranny or terrorism. And today, your innovators and entrepreneurs have made the desert bloom and have made for a better world. The citizens of our countries are fortunate to share in the rewards of economic freedom and in the creativity of our entrepreneurs. What you have built here, with your own hands, is a tribute to your people, and a model for others.Finally, we both believe in freedom of expression, because we are confident in our ideas and in the ability of men and women to think for themselves. We do not fear open debate. If you want to hear some very sharp criticisms of Israel and its policies, you don't have to cross any borders. All you have to do is walk down the street and into a cafÃ©, where you'll hear people reasoning, arguing, and speaking their mind. Or pick up an Israeli newspaper - you'll find some of the toughest criticism of Israel you'll read anywhere. Your nation, like ours, is stronger for this energetic exchange of ideas and opinions.That is the way it is in a free society. There are many millions of people in the Middle East who would cherish the opportunity to do the same.These decent men and women desire nothing more than to live in peace and freedom and to have the opportunity to not only choose their government but to criticize it openly, without fear of repression or repercussion.I believe that those who oppose these fundamental rights are on the wrong side of history. But history's march can be ponderous and painfully slow. We have a duty to speed and shape history by being unapologetic ambassadors for the values we share.The United States and Israel have shown that we can build strong economies and strong militaries. But we must also build strong arguments that advance our values and promote peace. We must work together to change hearts and awaken minds through the power of freedom, free enterprise and human rights.I believe that the enduring alliance between the State of Israel and the United States of America is more than a strategic alliance: it is a force for good in the world. America's support of Israel should make every American proud. We should not allow the inevitable complexities of modern geopolitics to obscure fundamental touchstones. No country or organization or individual should ever doubt this basic truth: A free and strong America will always stand with a free and strong Israel.And standing by Israel does not mean with military and intelligence cooperation alone.We cannot stand silent as those who seek to undermine Israel, voice their criticisms. And we certainly should not join in that criticism. Diplomatic distance in public between our nations emboldens Israel's adversaries.By history and by conviction, our two countries are bound together. No individual, no nation, no world organization, will pry us apart. And as long as we stay together and stand together, there is no threat we cannot overcome and very little that we cannot achieve.Thank you all. May God bless America, and may He bless and protect the Nation of Israel.End TranscriptRomney mentions Tisha B'Av. Please read this concise article on Tisha B'Av and what it commemorates at Monkey in the Middle - It's excellent!Thanks to the SunTimes

Transcript: Kengor on Frank Marshall Davis, CPUSA'S Mentor of Obama

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http://townhall.com/video/dinesh-dsouzas-new-film-reveals-obamas-ties-to-frank-marshall-davishttp://www.theblaze.com/stories/blaze-exclusive-see-this-clip-about-obamas-relationship-with-communist-frank-marshall-davis-from-dinesh-dsouzas-new-2016-film/
From the Blaze:

Exclusive: See This Clip About Obama‘s Relationship WithCommunist Frank Marshall Davis From Dinesh D’Souza‘s ’2016′ Film

Posted on July 12, 2012 at 8:12am by Billy Hallowell Print »Email »
The Blaze has secured a second clip from the film. Ratherthan focusing upon Obama’s relationship with his brother, this exclusivefootage delves into the president’s kinship with avowed communist FrankMarshall Davis.
If you’re unfamiliar with this controversial figure,consider Dr. Paul G. Kengor, author of the upcoming Mercury Ink book aboutDavis called “The Communist,” and his recent Blaze contributor piece in whichhe further explains who he is. Kengor writes:
I know this area intimately well, given that my next book ison Obama’s mentor during those precise years: Frank Marshall Davis. I will nothere lay out the litany of Davis’s astonishing career, but, in essence, he wasa literal card-carrying member of Communist Party USA. For decades, he wrotethe most harsh, outlandish pro-Soviet material you can imagine, with his worstdemons being Democrats like Harry Truman and the men in Truman’sadministration—George Marshall among them—who opposed Stalin and the Kremlinduring the darkest days of the Cold War.
As I lay out in the book, Davis’s work was so bad that hewas called to testify on his “Soviet activities” by the Senate JudiciaryCommittee (run by Democrats), was carefully investigated by the FBI (Davis’sFBI file is 600 pages long), and, most remarkably, was placed on the federalgovernment’s Security Index—meaning that in the event of war breaking outbetween the United States and USSR, Davis could be immediately arrested.
And yet, this was the man that Obama’s grandfather, StanleyDunham, connected to a young Obama for the purpose of mentoring—preciselyduring these high school years.Frank Marshall Davis is another of those radicalassociations in Obama’s past. There are so many, and so unusually bad, thatObama, if he were a typical citizen, probably wouldn’t get a security clearancefor an entry-level government job.
In the clip, D’Souza takes viewers through the intriguing — some wouldargue disturbing — relationship between Obama and Davis. In the footage,D’Souza speaks, in detail, with Kengor about this connection and attempts tobreak it down for viewers. (See original link above for video)
Watch it, below:

Barack's grandfather sought out a mentor for his grandson
Transcript:
D’Soua: He found an aging journalist and poet named Frank Marshall Davis. The two becameclose over eight years until Obama left for college. I had the opportunity totalk to cold war historian Paul Kengor author of a book on Frank MarshallDavis.
D: What is the connection between Obama and Frank MarshallDavis?

Kengor: In Dreams of My Father he mentions Frank by name 22times. He never refers to him once as Frank Marshall Davis.
Why is that?
Frank Marshall Davis was a very controversial politicalfigure. He wrote for a number ofpublications that even started in Chicago in the late 40s for a communist party publication called TheChicago Star He did that for two years and then he moved on to Honolulu,Hawaii and there he wrote for a paper called the Honolulu record .If you read these columns they were so breathtakinglyanti-american . I found numerous comments over over and over again where heismocking and ridiculing the american way .

Stanley Dunham, the grandfather was also on the left . Obamahimself recalled how his grandfather and davis would get hammered drunk theywould spend hours together. He saw in davis a potential mentor , role model forBarack

So Frank Marshall Davis was not some kind of a benign civilrights figure ?

Frank Marshall Davis was considered such a threat by the FBIthat they actually placed him on a federal government security index. What that means is that he was considered such a potential threat thatif a war ever broke out between the USand the soviet union that Frank Marshall Davis could be placed under immediate arrest .

Why has the media avoided reporting on th4e connectionbetween Davis and Obama?

Umm, it would have to. I mean if we ever had a president ofthe United States who was mentored by some meaningful degree by a literalpro-soviet pro-communist card carryingmember of communist party USA card number 47544, that alone, the pro-Obama mediahas to ignore

And they’ll call me Joe McCarthy for even bothering to lookat it. (end)

Also of interest: http://www.akdart.com/obama1.htmlWhy Obama's radicalism matters: According to his own narrative, Barack Obamawas bred by communists, raised by communists, mentored by communists and wasemployed by communists. By hisadmission, he sought out communists as preferred parties with whom to fraternize. Obama's radical Marxism is at the very coreof why he does what he does, why he will continue to do so and why Americaremains in dire peril with every day he occupies the White House. Everything Obama has actualized or attempted— from his exploitation of high health-care costs to surreptitiouslycompromising the Constitution, to his desperation to regulate the Internet andany other means of public address into which he might conceivably insinuategovernment's putrid tentacles, to his proclivity for religious persecution, tohis spending us into destitution — have their roots in Marxist doctrine.

Frank Marshall Davis: Soviet Russia's Communist Revolutionary in Hawaii (Hawai'i Free Press)

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Barack Obama Reading List:

By Andrew Walden :: 10785 Views

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Barack Obama Reading List:
By Andrew Walden :: 10785 Views

Barack Obama: Born in Hawai`i
http://www.hawaiifreepress.com/main/ArticlesMain/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/92/Barack-Obama-Born-in-Hawaii.aspx
Barack Obama: Red Diaper Baby
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/10/barack_obama_red_diaper_baby_1.html
What Barack Obama learned from the Communist Party
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/07/what_barack_obama_learned_from.html
The Frank Marshall Davis network in Hawaii (Obama and the “revolution of 1954”)
http://www.aim.org/aim-column/the-frank-marshall-davis-network-in-hawaii
Obama’s Sex Rebel Communist mentor Frank Marshall Davis (Honolulu Record columnist)
http://www.usasurvival.org/docs/Rpt_Davis_Sex.pdf
Sex Rebel: Black (memoirs of a gash gourmet) by Obama mentor Frank Marshall Davis -- full text in pdf
https://secure.wikileaks.org/wiki/Image:SexRebelBlack.pdf

Obama’s Hawaii Democrat Party Connections
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/price_of_apology_clinton_obama
Lehman Bros: Obama’s Rezko-Auchi Conflict of Interest
http://www.hawaiifreepress.com/main/ArticlesMain/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/66/Lehman-Brothers-Obamarsquos-RezkoAuchi-conflict-of-interest.aspx
Obama’s Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac connection
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,423701,00.html
Obama Tries to stall Iraq withdrawal
http://www.hawaiifreepress.com/main/ArticlesMain/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/68/Obama-tries-to-stall-Iraq-withdrawal.aspx
Ayers: Obama’s ghostwriter?
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/10/who_wrote_dreams_from_my_fathe_1.html
Obama’s War
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/06/obamas_war.html
Obama's War on Black America
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/barack-obama%E2%80%99s-war-on-black-america/
Iraqi Billionaire threatens reporters investigating Obama-Rezko affair
http://www.aim.org/aim-column/iraqi-billionaire-threatens-reporters-investigating-rezko-affair

From the Frank Marshall Davis FBI files p. 15, this is the same "Frank" mentioned in "Dream from My Father" as the author's mentor
http://www.scribd.com/doc/34857706/Obama-Frank-Marshall-Davis-FBI-File
Davis never admitted openly that he was member of the communist party, but he told FBI informants that he was a member, and the FBI tagged him as a member of the party in Chicago from 1945 to 1948 before he moved to Hawaii.

SAC, Honolulu August 15, 1962
Frank marshallDavis Security Matter
Reurlet 7-30-62.
Subject is a male, 56 year of age, who has been employed most of this life as a reporter.He was a Communist Party (CP) member in Chicago from 1945 until 1948 when he moved to Hawaii. He was very active in the Party there until Party activity as such ceased in 1952. He was active in front groups in a leadership capacity until such front groups became inactive in 1956. when questioned before the Senate Internal Security Subcommitee in 1956, Davis took the fifth amendment
He wrote a column which constantly followed the CP line in the now defunct "Honolulu Record" until 1957.
In 1958 he frequented the premises of this newspaper. He contributed to "The Worker" prior to 1956.
He was listed as a sponsor for the 27th National Conference of the American Committee for Protection of Foreign Born in December, 1960.
In 1957 he championed the policies of Soviet Russia
His name is being retained on the Security Index at this time.
Note on yellow: Relet recommended deletion from the SI.
The security index meant that Davis would have been arrested if war ever broke out with the Soviet Union.

Israel's Heavy Armoured Personell Carriers As Tough as Tanks

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One the first things that a military geek will tell somebody that calls an M113 a "tank" is that's an armoured personall carrier, it's doesn't have a big gun and isn't as heavily armoured as a tank. Except if it's one of these Israeli jobs which have to deal with palestinean nationalists and occasionally neighboring Arab states .

found this http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/israels-heavy-armored-personnel-carriers/

and pulled out these bits. Visit link for the whole thing. Seems they converted every tank they had except the Sherman and M-60

Israel’s Heavy Armored Personnel Carriers

Heavy metal

Written by: Mike Markowitz on August 1, 2012
Categories: Land Forces, Programs & Tech
Tags: Armored Fighting Vehicles, Foreign Military, Military News
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More »A column of IDF AFVs. The nearest vehicles are Puma combat engineering vehicles, the distant ones are Achzarit heavy APCs. Photo by merdi IDF's Zelda

The IDF’s Combat Engineering Corps training aboard M113 “Zeldas.” The shortcomings of the M113 were one spur to the development of heavy armored personnel carriers. Israel Defense Forces photo

HALFTRACKS: The first APCs were “half-tracks,” basically trucks with rear axles replaced by caterpillar tracks. Their thin armor and lack of overhead protection led American GIs to call them “Purple Heart boxes.”Israel acquired 3,500 surplus half-tracks, using them in the 1956 and 1967 wars after most armies had upgraded to fully-enclosed boxes such as
M113 GAVIN TRACKED BOX: the M113. Made of welded aluminum, the M113 could “swim” in water, propelled by its tracks. Aluminum armor kept out bullets and shell fragments, but was easily penetrated by rocket-propelled grenades (RPG) and anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM). The U.S. sent Israel over 6,000 M113s. They were nicknamed “Zelda,” Hebrew slang for an American Jewish girl. In the 1973 war, they suffered painful losses. REBUILT T-55 Achzarit

The first of the IDF’s heavy armored personnel carriers, Achzarits were built from the captured hulls of Soviet-made T-54/55 tanks. Photo by gkirokI...Beginning in 1987, some 276 T-55s were rebuilt by removing the turret and constructing a compartment for 10 troops. The bulky Russian diesel engine was replaced by a compact power pack, leaving space for a passageway to a rear exit door. The exterior was covered with reactive armor that defeats RPGs and early ATGMs. Named Achzarit (“Cruel One”) the 48.5 ton vehicle carries four roof-mounted 7.62 mm machine guns.
REBUILT CENTURION:

Nagmash’ot, Nagmachon, Nakpadon and Puma

Nagmachon heavy APC at the LIC 2004 exhibition. Derived from the British Centurion tank, this example has the distinctive “doghouse” replacing the turret. Photo by Fresh Military & Security Forum, Israel via MathKnightSimilar rebuilds gave new life to hundreds of obsolete IDF Centurion tanks. ...By the 1980s, as Centurions were replaced by new Israeli-designed Merkava tanks, they were rebuilt as infantry carriers. ... Some Nagmachons are fitted with a distinctive non-rotating “doghouse” studded with vision blocks for a forward observer.

Namer (Merkava)

Soldiers from A Company, 1st Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment, maneuver around an Israeli Namer during the Maneuver Battle Lab’s Ground Combat Vehicle assessment at Fort Bliss, Texas. The Namer was originally rebuilt from early Merkava tank chassis, but today they are being constructed by General Dynamics Land Systems in the United States. DoD photo by 1st Lt. Tyler N. GinterNamer means “tiger” or “leopard” in Hebrew. Weighing 66 tons, this big cat is the most heavily armored APC ever built. About 130 are currently in service. Early versions were converted surplus Merkava Mk. I tanks, but new production vehicles are assembled by General Dynamics in Lima, Ohio, and then shipped to Israel for installation of weapons and the secret composite and reactive armor.Namer carries a crew of 11: commander, driver, gunner and eight troops. The gunner’s remote-controlled weapon station can be fitted with a 7.62 mm or 12.7 mm machine gun, or 40 mm grenade launcher. Four external video cameras provide 360-degree vision.Future versions will carry a 30 mm automatic cannon and the Rafael Trophy active protection system. Namer is under evaluation for the U.S. Army’s Ground Combat Vehicleprogram.

20 Aralık 2012 Perşembe

New Movie Promotes Stamp Collecting

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Saturday Night Live comedian turned serious actor Bill Murray has been nominated for a Golden Globe award for "Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical."

Murray portrays Franklin Roosevelt in the new film Hyde Park on Hudson. While Murray does not collect stamps as far as we know, Franklin Roosevelt certainly did and the film uses stamp collecting as part of the the story line.

The film takes place during the summer of 1939 at Hyde Park in New York during a weekend visit of the King and Queen of England.

In one of the opening scenes, Roosevelt asks his cousin, Daisy, if she would like to see his "some of his stamps." As she looks through one of the albums filled with pictures of world leaders on stamps, she comments, "You must have met them all." Roosevelt replies, "Not all of them," as the camera cuts to a close up of a stamp with Hitler on it.

Later in the film he asks the visiting King George VI if he collected stamps. He responds, "I used to." Roosevelt then advises King George to find a past time where he will not be disturbed. "People know not to disturb me when I'm working on my stamps, " Roosevelt says.

Shown above, 1945 stamp picturing Roosevelt and his Hyde Park home.

Click here for more about Hyde Park on Hudson.

“Modern Art in America” Miniature Sheet

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Due for release in early 2013, the “Modern Art in America” miniature sheet shown above marks the 100th anniversary of the groundbreaking 1913 Armory Show in New York - the first exhibition to introduce modern art to American audiences on a large scale.

According to a write-up on the ArtFix Daily website, twelve works, dating from 1913 to 1931, will be featured.

These include Stuart Davis’s House and Street, Charles Demuth’s I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold, Aaron Douglas’s The Prodigal Son, Arthur Dove’s Fog Horns, Marcel Duchamp’s Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2, Marsden Hartley’s Painting, Number 5, John Marin’s Sunset Maine Coast, Georgia O’Keeffe’s Black Mesa Landscape, New Mexico/Out Back of Marie’s II, Man Ray’s Noire et Blanche, Charles Sheeler’s American Landscape, Joseph Stella’s Brooklyn Bridge, and Gerald Murphy’s Razor.

For more information about the artists and to pre-order, click here.

What's the Big Deal About Payment Automation?

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Would you consider the capability to get paid faster and more completely while also reducing manual processes and the need for full-time staff to be a big deal? Of course you would. The evolving healthcare landscape demands that providers of all sizes find solutions to not only collect more revenue, but be more efficient in doing so. Any alternative that results in greater reimbursement and staff efficiencies is, simply put, a big deal.

That’s where Emdeon Payment Automation comes in. Providers nationwide are reaping the benefits from automated solutions for processing paper Remittance Advice (RA) and Explanation of Benefits (EOBs) for one streamlined workflow. We’re empowering providers to eliminate burdensome, manual processes related to paper with automation to post commercial insurance payments promptly and accurately.

Rather than just tell you of Emdeon Payment Automation’s powerful impact from our vantage point, we’d prefer to show you its benefits through a recently-released case study featuring a prominent medium-sized organization’s surprisingly simple and quick journey to big time benefits.

Download this compelling case-in-point to discover:

• The shortcomings of a bank’s EOB processing system and lockbox services
• How long it took and how many people were needed to post payments and correct Electronic Remittance Advice (ERA) errors for this provider organization
• The many, measurable ways Emdeon Payment Automation improved the situation
• An executive’s firsthand account of Emdeon’s implementation process and support
• How long it took for the provider organization to break even on its investment in Emdeon’s solution

While this Emdeon Customer Success Story is a relevant read for any organization seeking a practical, simple-to-implement payment automation solution, it’s particularly fitting for providers that are:

• Still using an inordinately large dedicated staff to handle manual commercial payer payment processes
• Currently tied to a bank for payment process and lockbox support
• Struggling with posting errors and subsequent revisiting of items posted
• In need of higher first-pass yield, reduction of denials and all-around better data accuracy
• Looking for a simple-to-integrate, automated solution that will enhance efficiencies and bring big deal results

With Emdeon, achieving those big deal results can be a relatively small feat. We cover all the details to get you up and running with automated payment solutions promptly and offer integration to make workflows as seamless as possible. Click here to download the case study and learn more!

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What to Expect When You're Expecting (...A Bill, That Is!)

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Tips for Teaching Patients What to Expect Before the Statement Arrives

It’s human nature to fear the unknown. The quake of uncertainty arises during many of life’s big challenges. Leaving home for the first time, getting married, having a family… receiving a hospital billing statement.

Yes, holding a billing statement from a healthcare provider can be a white-knuckled experience when the Total Amount Due puts an unexpected strain on the household budget.

Many professionals in the business of Accounts Receivable and collections in the healthcare industry report that people generally want to pay their bills but are hindered in doing so promptly or in full if their billing statements are complex or hard to read. Add the innately daunting details of a healthcare encounter to a billing statement, and it’s simple to understand why patients are so fearful come payment time.

Today, many providers have taken steps to make statements more approachable and understandable. They’re using better designs organized for easier review, incorporating colors to call out key information and tailoring language with the recipient in mind. Nonetheless, fears and confusion associated with billing remain. What’s a provider to do?

Here are some practical ideas to help educate patients about the billing process.

Show & Tell at Registration
Begin educating patients about their bills at the point of registration by familiarizing them with the statement layout. Display a poster-size version of a statement in the patient registration area with visual callouts highlighting key aspects of the design. If your facility has different statement templates for subsequent notices, display the entire statement series so patients are acquainted with what to expect.

Interactive Explanation Online
Extend this “show & tell” approach to your website. Create an easily accessed page that shows interactive first, second and final notice statements. Create clickable highlighted information to engage patients as you explain how to find essential balance information, due dates, etc.

Continuous Improvement Based on Feedback
In the latest report issued by the PATIENT FRIENDLY BILLING® Project Report “Case Studies in Customer Service”, the case study of Sharp Grossmont Hospital’s approach to improving patient statements serves as a motivating template for providers. The Sharp Grossmont team met regularly to identify and address the portions of patient statements that generated the most calls and questions. Over time, the organization redesigned its statements to reduce calls and empower patients to better understand their payment requirements and options.

Pre-Statement Communication
Don’t blindside patients, especially those facing large out-of-pocket balances. Make it standard practice to pull reports identifying these patients, and send them pre-statement correspondence to prepare and guide them regarding what’s to come. Call them directly and proactively offer financial counsel to help ease the payment process. Starting the conversation early will make it easier to stay in touch during the payment process.

Want to learn more about helping your patients better understand their financial responsibilities? Call 877.EMDEON.6 (877.363.3666) to learn more or visit us online.

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It's 10 O'Clock. Do You Know Where Your Patient Data Is?

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If nothing is more important to a healthcare provider than caring for the well-being of patients, protecting patients’ personal information runs a very close second. Patient care is guided by the Hippocratic Oath but it is also heavily regulated by HIPAA mandates requiring that provider organizations keep a watchful eye to safeguard patient data too.

If your organization uses email to transmit patient billing files, you are likely subjecting precious data to potential compromise. The causes of possible data leakage through email are vast including human error, system hacking and unauthorized access. All around, transmitting patient billing files using email is a high risk procedure that comes with enormous consequences should the method fail.

That’s why Emdeon ExpressBill Services is designed to protect patient billing information throughout statement printing and mailing and especially when files are initially uploaded from the provider’s patient billing system.

The key to our data protection? Emdeon leverages a password-protected File Transfer Protocol (FTP) site which allows customers to transfer files to this secure site ensuring only the provider and Emdeon can access the files. This method is like an armed guard escort leading the file directly from one locked safe to the next reducing the risk of misdirected, leaked or intercepted data. Our eye on file security doesn’t stop there. After the files are uploaded, they are automatically scanned to evaluate data integrity and file completeness. Another bonus? Data can be sent 24 hours a day, seven days a week and customers have the flexibility to select whether file processing should start in real time or on a pre-determined schedule.

Keeping sensitive data protected and secure is at the core of Emdeon’s business. Did you know that Emdeon powers the single largest financial, administrative and clinical information exchange in the U.S. healthcare system? Recently, Emdeon opened the second of two new data centers that serve as the central nervous system for the largest and most powerful network in healthcare. With a Tier 3 infrastructure, these centers allow us to provide a single, interactive and standards-based transaction processing and analytics platform.

Take a comprehensive look at your patient billing data processes. Do you see any potential leaks in the system? Call 877.EMDEON.6 (877.363.3666) to learn more about Emdeon ExpressBill Services!

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16 Aralık 2012 Pazar

Busiest Day of the Year for USPS

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Tuesday is expected to be the busiest day of the year for the U.S. Postal Service.

USPS officials are anticipating 658 million pieces of mail to be sent out, which is more than a 100 million more than an average day.

Thursday is the last recommended day to send mail expected to arrive before Christmas Eve.

After that, USPS recommends the two-day priority mail service or overnight express mail.

Christmas Mail

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In the mood for a philatelic Christmas movie you probably haven't seen? Then try Christmas Mail.

According to Hallmark's Spirit Clips website, "Sparks fly during the holidays when Postman Matt (A.J. Buckley: 'CSI: NY') meets mysterious new coworker Kristi (Ashley Scott: 'Jericho'). As an official 'Santa Writer', Kristi is buried in children's letters to Santa. Her job-to respond to every letter addressed to St. Nick. Their petty boss is suspicious of this new employee and enlists a reluctant Matt to spy on her. The more Matt gets to know Kristi, the more he falls for her.

It goes on to say, "After learning of Matt's forced betrayal, Kristi is devastated and leaves the post office. Will the magic of the Christmas season be enough to bring them back together? Christmas Mail is an endearing Christmas tale that will appeal to the entire family this holiday season."

Click here to sign up to Spirit Clips and watch this and other films during a free one week trial.

What's the Big Deal About Payment Automation?

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What to Expect When You're Expecting (...A Bill, That Is!)

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It's 10 O'Clock. Do You Know Where Your Patient Data Is?

To contact us Click HERE

12 Aralık 2012 Çarşamba

The History Behind Postal Currency

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According to the American Numismatic Association's website, "As the Civil War began, many people started to stockpile their money, causing a serious shortage of coin currency. To replace the shortage of coins, people began to use postage stamps as currency. John Gault came up with the idea to 'encase' the stamps in order to provide extra protection for them.

"Even with this case around the stamps, the stamps could be taken out and used as normal postage. US Treasurer Francis E. Spinner recognized that people were using postage stamps for currency; he recommended to Congress that a new paper money series should be produced.

"In August of 1862, fractional currency, otherwise known as postage currency, was developed. The design for the postage currency was based off the design of 5-cent and 10-cent stamps. This form of money was printed in 5-cent, 10-cent, 25-cent and 50-cent denominations. Postage currency was short-lived: It existed from August 1862 until May 1863 and was replaced by fractional currency. Fractional currency, which was used until 1876, was not only a different design and size, making them easier to distinguish, but it was also difficult to counterfeit."

To read the rest of the article, click here.

Another Philatelic Gift Idea

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The Fort and Field website is offering some unique masking tape that has stamp designs on it.

Made in Japan, the tape can be used to "to seal a note, decorate a gift, in an album, anywhere for a bit of color!"

According to the site, "The tape is easy to reposition and tear by hand and is transparent (but not too much) so one or multiple colors and prints can be layered over each other for great effect."

Cost is $7.50 for a 11-yard roll.

Click here to order.