Avoid Chase Credit Cards!

Just heard from a friend about a balance transfer situation involving CHASE, CITICARD, and DISCOVER.
Balances were transferred from these three cards. DISCOVER and CITICARD both had superior customer service. They were very willing to waive the residual interest charges on the accounts.
Not only did CHASE have the worst interest fees, but they also refused to waive the residual charges. When asked why their customer service level was not up to the quality of CITICARD and DISCOVER the supervisor basically said they are in it to make make money. When asked why they were not willing to rise to the customer service of the other cards they said WE ARE NOT CITICARD or DISCOVER.
NO THEY ARE CERTAINLY NOT!!!
Moral of the story: CHASE Credit Card services are in it for the money and not to help the customer AT ALL .
While ALL credit card companies are in it for the money. CHASE has proven a few dollars in residual fees is more important than good customer relations. After hearing this story I will be doing any business I have with CITICARD and DISCOVER. The only call I will be making to CHASE it to CANCEL my card with them.

amauvecoffeecup at gmail. com

New Orleans Mayor Says God Mad at U.S.

Bloggers Note: Stop trying to second guess God you twit. If anyone was mad at anyone they should be mad at YOU Mayor Nagin. Why? One for being too unprepared to have the buses running to evacuate people. And two for using the phrase "chocolate town" and helping to keep racism alive. You are not a Stupid Black Man. You are just a stupid man who happens to be black.
By BRETT MARTEL
Associated Press Writer

NEW ORLEANS

Mayor Ray Nagin suggested Monday that Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and other storms were a sign that "God is mad at America" and at black communities, too, for tearing themselves apart with violence and political infighting.

"Surely God is mad at America. He sent us hurricane after hurricane after hurricane, and it's destroyed and put stress on this country," Nagin, who is black, said as he and other city leaders marked Martin Luther King Day.

"Surely he doesn't approve of us being in Iraq under false pretenses. But surely he is upset at black America also. We're not taking care of ourselves."

Nagin also promised that New Orleans will be a "chocolate" city again. Many of the city's black neighborhoods were heavily damaged by Katrina.

"It's time for us to come together. It's time for us to rebuild New Orleans _ the one that should be a chocolate New Orleans," the mayor said. "This city will be a majority African American city. It's the way God wants it to be. You can't have New Orleans no other way. It wouldn't be New Orleans."

Nagin described an imaginary conversation with King, the late civil rights leader.

"I said, `What is it going to take for us to move on and live your dream and make it a reality?' He said, `I don't think that we need to pay attention any more as much about other folks and racists on the other side.' He said, `The thing we need to focus on as a community _ black folks I'm talking about _ is ourselves.'"

Nagin said he also asked: "Why is black-on-black crime such an issue? Why do our young men hate each other so much that they look their brother in the face and they will take a gun and kill him in cold blood?"

The reply, Nagin said, was: "We as a people need to fix ourselves first."

Nagin also said King would have been dismayed with black leaders who are "most of the time tearing each other down publicly for the delight of many."

A day earlier, gunfire erupted at a parade to commemorate King's birthday. Three people were wounded in the daylight shooting amid a throng of mostly black spectators, but police said there were no immediate suspects or witnesses.

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press.

Tax credit for hybrid cars

From whatistheword.com
DETROIT - The U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow has announced far reaching tax breaks for people who opt to buy hybrid cars. These gasoline-electric vehicles could end up saving as much as $3,400 for consumers.

'Development and use of hybrid vehicles is a key step toward reducing gasoline consumption, emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions,' Snow said. He was speaking at a Ford Motor research center in Detroit. This tax credit scheme also applies to vehicles that use 'green' or alternative fuel systems.

Under the bill, which was signed into a law in August, if a person or a business has more than one hybrid car, each of these would be eligible for the tax credit. The rule applies to vehicles that were brought into service after January 1. These tax breaks are sure to be welcomed since they are designed to boost sales. Companies like Ford and General Motors, which are struggling against competition by Asian carmakers would be relieved with these tax concessions."

"I commend the manufacturers who are making these energy-efficient and environment-friendly vehicles and hope that the President's energy bill proves to be an important step in their rising prominence on American roads," said Snow. "We're hopeful that with these credits we'll see a burst of interest in the hybrid vehicles."

In the US, hybrid cars are manufactured by Toyota Corp, Ford Motors and Honda Motor Co. Ford is determined to push through its hybrid car segment and has targeted a production of 250,000 cars by 2010. It has two models namely the Escape and the Mercury Mariner on the market at present, but the winner in the hybrid stakes has been Toyota Motor's Prius.

Police shoot teen in school standoff: South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Blogger's Note: See, this is where the system is failing. It's not the fault of the deputy who shot this kid. The blame lies in the people who aren't teaching our youth that video games are not real. Consequenses are much more serious in real life.

Police shoot teen in school standoff
Student pointed pellet gun at deputy

Gary Taylor and Rene Stutzman
Sentinel Staff Writers

January 13, 2006, 11:26 PM EST

LONGWOOD -- A Milwee Middle School eighth-grader, who last year threatened to blow up a school bus, showed up for class Friday with a pistol in his backpack.

However, classmates of Chris Penley, 15, didn't know it was a pellet gun.

Neither did a veteran Seminole County deputy sheriff, who made a split-second decision to open fire when Chris pointed the weapon at him.

The deputy's single shot gravely wounded the boy, who was on life support Friday at Orlando Regional Medical Center.

The midmorning incident plunged the Longwood-area school into chaos, as frightened and weeping students gathered outside, awaiting anxious parents or school buses to take them home.

Mining and Solar possibilities

The mine tragedy in WV is extremely sad. If these people had been building solar panels instead of mining for coal this tragedy would not have happened. It's time we let mining become a historical job. Solar energy won't cause black lung, and won't run out.

A Note To Pat Robertson

So, do you realize you are doing more to hurt the Christian Religion than help it? You say that Sharon's illness is "God's punishment?" Do you have any clue as to how that sounds? That is a "my daddy's going to beat you up" attitude if I have ever heard one. What is it when an innocent person is hurt? God's will? The people that make up the "Christian rules" as they go along are exposing the long kept secrets of the smoke and mirrors portion of the modern day religion known as "Christianity".

Why Kmart Deserves To Be Bankrupt

Blogger's Note: Apparently Kmart WANTS to fail. Now they are trying to blantantly steal from customers. Kmart Execs LISTEN UP!!! Setting Policies that cheat customers are a really bad idea. Wal-Mart has it's draw backs, but you would never catch them trying this!

A friend had received a pair of sleep pants as a Christmas gift.
They were a size too large. After Christmas I was going to KMart so
he
asked me if I would take the sleep pants back to K-Mart where they
had
been purchased. All I wanted to do was exchange them for an identical
pair but just a size smaller. I left the pair to be exchanged with
the
clerk at the customer service desk while I found a pair a size
smaller. When I returned, she informed me it would cost me $2.69. I
said, "But I'm making an even exchange. It's just a size difference."
She told me she understood that but KMart would only allow me credit
for the lowest price the sleep pants I was returning had ever sold
for.

I told her that made no sense to charge me extra when I was only
exhanging one size for another. She informed me that is KMart's
policy.
I told her I would just keep the larger size and that I would give
them
to someone who could use them rather than give KMart any more money.
This incident has colored my opinion of KMart. I know they can't hold
a
candle to Target or Kohls or most any department type store. But I
always felt a little sorry for them and tried to give them some
business. Not any more. I don't need them and I will no longer
patronize them.

Protect your ears: limit iPod use

Blogger's Note - I was waiting for this. It doesn't suprise me. Luckily I prefer the bigger earphones.

Thu Dec 29, 2:23 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The ever-popular earbuds used with many iPods and other MP3 players may be more stylish than the bigger and bulkier earmuff-type headphones, but they may also be more damaging to one's hearing, according to a Northwestern professor.

CAST News Journal

Serious Satellite Radio

Central PA Arts Awards

CAST Newsletter

Things To Think About

A Mauve Coffee Cup

You Could Be President

Cher Connection News Journal

Russia starts cutting off Ukraine gas on Yahoo! News

Blogger's Note: How long will it take? This is EXACTLY the reason we need to become less dependent on fossil fuels. The countries with oil have other countries over an oil barrel and it gives them bully power.

Russia starts cutting off Ukraine gas
By Christian Lowe1 hour, 38 minutes ago
Russia started cutting off gas supplies to Ukraine on Sunday, a move that could hit deliveries to a winter-bound Europe on the day Moscow makes its debut as chairman of the Group of Eight industrialized nations.
Russian Gazprom said it would turn off the taps to Ukraine at 10 a.m. (0700 GMT) after Kiev refused to pay the increased amount Moscow was demanding for its gas and last-ditch efforts to resolve the price row failed.
Russian news agencies said the state-controlled company had already started reducing pressure in the gas pipeline to its ex-Soviet neighbor before the deadline.
Gazprom supplies 25 percent of western Europe's gas -- much of it via Ukraine. It said deliveries to western Europe would not be affected but Italy's gas importer said Gazprom had warned it disruption was possible.
Ukraine's Western-leaning government has complained Moscow was using its control over massive energy resources as a political weapon.
Russia rejects the allegation but it is a suggestion that is being viewed with concern from Berlin to Washington.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin had offered late on Saturday to postpone the price increases until April if Ukraine agreed to the new terms, but a Gazprom spokesman said that offer was rejected.
"The plan to cut supplies from ... 10 o'clock is still in force," spokesman Sergei Kuprianov told Reuters.
West European states, drawing 80 percent of their Russian deliveries from the same pipeline network crossing Ukraine, have expressed concern over the dispute, as has Washington.
Moscow insists it can cut Ukrainian gas while safeguarding supply to others. The danger, in theory, was that Ukraine could nonetheless tap off gas to which it feels it was entitled, thus effectively reducing the flow onwards to western Europe.
Moscow took over the rotating G8 chairmanship from Britain on Sunday, the first time it has held the role and one of the main themes of its tenure will be security of energy supply.
Moscow is seeking a rise in the price of gas it sells to Ukraine to $230 per 1,000 cubic meters from the current $50 -- a level that reflects Soviet-era subsidized rates.
Ukraine agrees in principle but wants a transitional period.
Ukrainian officials accuse Moscow of using the issue to punish Kiev for its drive to join both the European Union and NATO a year after mass protests helped propel Viktor Yushchenko to a presidential election victory -- beating a Kremlin-backed candidate.
Italian oil and gas firm Eni said it had been warned by Gazprom that supplies could be disrupted. Central European states set up contingency plans. Poland said it had at least a week's reserves of gas to guard against supply interruptions.
The EU has called a January 4 meeting of energy officials from its member states to work out a common approach.
Putin's period in office has been marked by an increasingly assertive foreign policy that appears aimed at regaining some of the influence Moscow has lost in former Soviet republics since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
(Additional reporting by Meg Clothier in Moscow, Olena Horodetska in Kiev)
Copyright © 2006 Reuters Limited.

Gazprom tells Eni Ukraine dispute may hit supplies

Blogger's Note: I can believe that President Bush is too stupid to be focusing on solar energy, but c'mon guys, you ought to realize that the smart thing to do is to stop fighting over oil and develop solar capabilities. IF YOU TAKE AWAY THEIR TRUMP CARD THEY LOSE THEIR POWER OVER YOU!!!
This is not rocket science!

Gazprom tells Eni Ukraine dispute may hit supplies
Sat Dec 31, 6:14 AM ET
Gazprom has told Eni that gas supplies could be at risk because of its ongoing dispute with Ukraine over prices, a spokesman for the Italian oil and gas firm said on Saturday, confirming newspaper reports.
Il Sole 24 Ore and Corriere della Sera newspapers said in Saturday editions that Russian gas giant Gazprom had sent a letter to Eni warning of possible problems with supplies.
"I can confirm that Eni has received such a letter from the managing director of Gazprom," an Eni spokesman said.
Gazprom is in dispute with Ukraine over a surprise hike in prices and on Friday spurned a plea from the ex-Soviet state to freeze charges as a New Year deadline for a deal approaches.
Gazprom has said it will cut off all supplies to Ukraine from 0700 GMT on Sunday unless its neighbor agrees to a four-fold leap in prices.
A quarter of Europe's gas needs come from Russia and nearly all of that is piped across Ukrainian territory.
Russia provides around 29 percent of Eni's total gas supplies which were some 77 billion cubic meters in 2004, according to Eni's 2004 accounts.
The European Union has already called for a meeting of energy officials on January 4 to discuss the potential problem.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has asked for further talks with Russia aiming to sign a contract by January 10.
Copyright © 2005 Reuters Limited.

How Appropriate

How Appropriate is it that while Bush was babbling on about how great his war is another station is airing "Born On The Fourth Of July".
I am not against the war. I am against not ending it more forcfully. Too many of our soldiers are dying. Stop these barbarians however you need to then bring the troops home. Stop wasting our money and our soldiers.

Wal-Mart Memo Shows Expansion in U.S.

Blogger's Note: Do not allow this to happen in your town. They ruin communities.
Wal-Mart Memo Shows Expansion in U.S.
Nov 14 3:33 PM US/Eastern
By MARCUS KABEL
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to open or expand 484 stores across the United States next year, over 100 more than previously disclosed, according to an internal document obtained by a leading Wal-Mart opponent and released to The Associated Press on Monday.

Wal-Mart Watch, a Washington, D.C.-based group backed by unions and environmental and other interests, said it will use the detailed list to alert activists in those communities listed in the document to help them rally against projects in their towns. The group said it received the document from Sprawl Busters, a group opposed to unchecked suburban development.



Wal-Mart confirmed that the document belonged to them.

"This report is simply a listing of all stores we expect to open over the next 12 to 14 months, and many are already under construction. Since the unions oppose us wherever we locate our stores, this new stolen document doesn't seem to provide them any advantage," Wal-Mart spokesman Marty Heires said.

Wal-Mart Watch said the list provided key details that would make it easier to organize local resistance because it names the specific towns and gives the size of expansion plans there.

"This internal document reveals where, when, and how Wal-Mart will bully its way across the country to open hundreds of new stores. With this in our hands, our committed supporters are now all the more ready to fight back," Wal-Mart Watch Executive Director Andrew Grossman said in a statement.

Burt Flickinger, managing director of consulting firm Strategic Marketing, said the list's publication could hurt Wal-Mart by giving advanced notice to opposition groups and local and state government officials who might be skeptical of letting Wal-Mart in.

"It presents a challenge to Wal-Mart, especially in key battleground states like California," Flickinger said.

The 11-page list provides details that Wal-Mart has not made public about what type and size of store it plans and by what date, as well as for which communities. The world's largest retailer operates four kinds of stores in the U.S. _ Supercenters, which include a full grocery department, Discount Stores without the grocery component, smaller Neighborhood Markets that are mainly grocery, and Sam's Clubs membership stores.

Wal-Mart in October listed its expansion plans in general terms, without mentioning states or towns. At that time, it said it expected to open 335 to 370 new stores, including 180 expansion projects, either upgrading a Discount Store to a Supercenter or expanding the size of a Sam's Club.

It is the latest internal document obtained by Wal-Mart critics and may add to pressure on the Bentonville, Ark.-based company as it attempts to maintain a rapid growth rate in the face of criticism from organized opponents who claim it treats workers badly and hurts local economies.

Last month, Wal-Mart Watch released another internal Wal-Mart document that detailed the company's plans to seek cost savings by cutting health care and retirement benefits, including proposals to make cashiers collect shopping carts to attract more physically fit employees and discourage unhealthy applicants.

Shares of Wal-Mart rose 27 cents to $49.27 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

___

Clearfield PA Boro Council Are You Listening???

Clearfield Needs The Arts and you are trying to Hurt Them!!!

WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. - Attorneys for Kennywood Park have asked a judge to revoke the borough's right to levy an amusement tax, claiming the park is the only entertainment business in the borough that is forced to pay it.

Kennywood Entertainment Partners wants an Allegheny County judge to not only revoke the tax but force West Mifflin to repay millions it has collected from the park since 1999. The historic park has paid more than $2.7 million to the borough since 2002, according to its lawsuit, but the total proposed refund wasn't immediately available.

Borough officials didn't immediately return calls for comment Friday.

Kennywood's attorneys say the 10 percent tax is unfair because other sports venues, golf courses, nightclubs and other "amusement" establishments aren't forced to pay it.

Mandatory Spanish

This is America. Make them learn English. We sould not have to learn a foreign language in our own country. If you want to speak spanish GO HOME!!!!! If you want to stay in our country LEARN ENGLISH!!! I really hate the fact that our borders are overrun with illegals. I have friends from all over the world. But we don't illegally go to each other's countries and overrun them!!!

Here Is A Link To The Coolest Harry Potter Stuff

Juat had to post this link:

Original Unique Harry Potter Fan Christmas Gifts

To The Woman on WB11 News

This is to the woman on the WB11 News that didn't want subway bag searches because it was an invasion of privacy. Ahem. Hello! Yes, lets stop the bag searches. Then lets announce to all the terrorist wannabees that we have stopped the bag searches. Let's make it easy for them.
WOMAN, you are a complete fool. You said you think that security should be trained to know what a bomb looks like. A bomb in a backpack looks like a backpack. That is why they want to look INSIDE. I cannot believe that there are people that dense.

Michael Chertoff - Three Cheers For You!

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said his department aims without exception to expel all those who enter the United States illegally.

"Our goal at DHS (Homeland Security) is to completely eliminate the 'catch and release' enforcement problem, and return every single illegal entrant, no exceptions.

"It should be possible to achieve significant and measurable progress to this end in less than a year," Chertoff told a Senate hearing.

Thousands of "Mexicans who are caught entering the United States illegally are returned immediately to Mexico. But other parts of the system have nearly collapsed under the weight of numbers. The problem is especially severe for non-Mexicans apprehended at the southwest border," Chertoff explained.

"Today, a non-Mexican illegal immigrant caught trying to enter the United States across the southwest border has an 80 percent chance of being released immediately because we lack the holding facilities," he added.

"Through a comprehensive approach, we are moving to end this 'catch and release' style of border enforcement by reengineering our detention and removal process."

Chertoff's remarks in favor of returning "every illegal entrant, no exceptions" appeared to conflict directly with the US policy toward illegal Cuban migrants.

Though Cubans picked up at sea are returned to their country, those who reach US soil by air, sea or ground are allowed to stay and work -- a fact Cuba says encourages dangerous illegal emigration attempts.

ARTICLE: PETA workers face 25 felony counts in North Carolina (The Virginian-Pilot - HamptonRoads.com/PilotOnline.com)

Blogger's note - If you see these people, please spit on them.


PETA workers face 25 felony counts in North Carolina
By DARREN FREEMAN, The Virginian-Pilot
© October 15, 2005 | Last updated 11:24 PM Oct. 14



WINTON, N.C. — The cats and dogs two PETA employees have been charged with euthanizing and dumping in an Ahoskie garbage bin were killed by injections of pentobarbital, a barbiturate commonly used to put down animals, according to new warrants issued and served on Friday.

Additionally, the two employees were charged with three felony counts of obtaining property by false pretenses. The charges allege that they euthanized three cats from an Ahoskie veterinarian after promising to find the animals new homes, according to the new warrants.

PETA employees Andrew B. Cook, 24, of Virginia Beach, and Adria J. Hinkle, 27, of Norfolk, were served with warrants on 22 felony charges of animal cruelty and the three felony charges of obtaining property by false pretense in court on Friday.

A grand jury is expected to consider formal indictments Oct. 31, Assistant District Attorney Donnie Taylor said.

The new animal cruelty charges replaced 31 previous animal cruelty charges, which were dismissed.

The new warrants now include more information, such as descriptions of animals investigators found, the causes of death and – in some warrants – photographs of the dead dogs.

The new information was added to clarify the charges, which previously did not have such information as the cause of death, Taylor said.

The two employees are still charged with eight misdemeanor counts of illegal disposal of dead animals and one count of trespassing.

Both have been released on $35,000 bail, and PETA is paying their legal fees. PETA suspended Hinkle for 90 days and did not discipline Cook.

Police began investigating this summer after carcasses of cats and dogs in plastic bags were found in a supermarket garbage bin in Ahoskie every Wednesday for four consecutive weeks. At least 80 animals were found.

Officers say that on June 15 they followed a van after it left Bertie County’s animal shelter, then staked out the garbage bins and arrested two PETA employees.

The officers found 18 dead dogs in a bin and 13 other animal carcasses in the van, which was registered to PETA.

PETA had been picking up animals in northeastern North Carolina since 2001, when a caller informed the group of poor conditions in shelters, according to a written apology PETA President Ingrid Newkirk sent to Bertie County officials.

Bertie County and Northampton County officials and one Ahoskie veterinarian said they believed that adoptable animals would find new homes, while sick, injured and wild animals would be euthanized.

Newkirk has since said that dumping the animals into trash bins violates PETA policy.

PETA typically euthanizes animals in Norfolk and cremates the carcasses, Newkirk said in a June 17 press conference.

Newkirk said at the time that the animals found in North Carolina had likely been given a lethal injection of a barbiturate that PETA is licensed to use.

Bertie and Northampton officials cut ties to PETA pending trial.

The counties are now euthanizing animals without help from PETA.


Reach Darren Freeman at (252) 338-0150 or darren.freeman@pilotonline.com.

Blogger's Note - Does the phrase "We are our own worst enemy" ring a bell?


Security fears as flu virus that killed 50 million is recreated Ian Sample, science correspondentThursday October 6, 2005The Guardian
Scientists have recreated the 1918 Spanish flu virus, one of the deadliest ever to emerge, to the alarm of many researchers who fear it presents a serious security risk.
Undisclosed quantities of the virus are being held in a high-security government laboratory in Atlanta, Georgia, after a nine-year effort to rebuild the agent that swept the globe in record time and claimed the lives of an estimated 50 million people.
The genetic sequence is also being made available to scientists online, a move which some fear adds a further risk of the virus being created in other labs.
The recreation was carried out in an attempt to understand what made the 1918 outbreak so devastating. Reporting in the journal Science, a team lead by Dr Jeffery Taubenberger at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Maryland shows that the recreated virus is extremely effective. When injected into mice, it quickly took hold and they started to lose weight rapidly, shedding 13% of their original weight in just two days. Within six days, all mice injected with the virus had died.
In a comparison experiment, similar mice were injected with a contemporary strain of flu, and although the mice lost weight initially, they recovered. Tests revealed that the Spanish flu virus multiplied so rapidly that after four days, mice contained 39,000 times more flu virus than those injected with the more common strain of flu.
The government and military researchers who reconstructed the virus say their work has already provided invaluable insight into its unique genetic make-up and helps explain its lethality. But other researchers warned yesterday the that virus could escape from the laboratory. "This will raise clear questions among some as to whether they have really created a biological weapon," said Professor Ronald Atlas at the centre for deterrence of biowarfare and bioterrorism at the University of Louisville in Kentucky.
Publication of the work and the filing of the virus's genetic make-up to an online database followed an emergency meeting last week by the US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity, which concluded that the benefits of publishing the work outweighed the risks. Many scientists remained sceptical. "Once the genetic sequence is publicly available, there's a theoretical risk that any molecular biologist with sufficient knowledge could recreate this virus," said Dr John Wood, a virologist at the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control in Potters Bar.

Here Is An Idea for A Tax Break

Let's encourage congress to pass a bill that grants tax breaks to people and businesses that use Solar Energy. It saves money, it saves the environment. The only reason not to use it is if we want to continue to be dependent on the oil companies and the Saudis. Encourage Solar Energy Use!