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Obama to propose two-year pay freeze for federal workers

WASHINGTON — President Obama will announce Monday morning that he wants to freeze pay for federal employees for the next two years, a move the administration says would save more than $5 billion between now and 2012. The freeze would not apply to military personnel but rather to all other civilian employees on the federal payroll. Congress would have to approve the proposal in order for it to take effect. The plan is part of Obama's effort to contain the $1.3 trillion federal deficit, and will be followed by more proposals for spending reductions over the next few months, White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer said Monday morning. The president's announcement lands as a pre-emptive strike on congressional Republicans, who are preparing a plan to slash federal pay and workforce next year. It comes in advance of a meeting between the Democratic president and GOP leaders at the White House on Tuesday. “Clearly, this is a difficult decision,” said Jeffrey Zients, Obama's chief performance officer and the Office of Management and Budget's deputy director for management. Federal employees are hard-working, he said, and “central to delivering services to the American people. We believe it's the first of many difficult steps ahead … to put our nation on sound fiscal footing.” In other steps aimed at reining in the deficit, Obama has previously frozen salaries for senior White House officials and proposed doing the same for all political appointees across the government. His administration is also working on scouring out what they call “excesses” in federal contracting and on reducing loss through improper payments. Obama has also directed federal agencies to dispose of excess real estate. The president's announcement will come this morning in remarks to the press at the executive office building next to the White House. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/sc-dc-1130-obama-freeze-web-20101… added by: iGoogle

The Jester Hits WikiLeaks Site With XerXeS DoS Attack

Infamous hacker The Jester is claiming responsibility for a DoS attack that disabled WikiLeaks hours before the release of thousands of documents. The WikiLeaks Twitter account said, “We are currently under a mass distributed denial of service attack,” for several hours on Sunday… https://www.infosecisland.com/blogview/9865-The-Jester-Hits-WikiLeaks-Site-With-… added by: Paisano1

DAMAGE CONTROL ; US tries to contain damage from leaked documents

Cleaning Up After Leaks WASHINGTON – Bristling over the unauthorized release of more than a quarter million classified State Department documents, the Obama White House on Monday ordered a government-wide review of how agencies safeguard sensitive information. The weekend release of documents reflecting, in some cases, unflattering assessments of world leaders has caused embarrassment to the administration. The director of the White House's Office of Management and Budget, Jacob Lew, said in ordering the agency-wide assessment Monday that the disclosures are unacceptable and will not be tolerated. The U.S. cables contained raw comments normally muffled by diplomatic politesse: Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah pressing the U.S. to “cut off the head of the snake” by taking action against Iran's nuclear program. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi described as “feckless” and “vain.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel dismissed as “risk averse and rarely creative.” Publication of the secret memos and documents made public by the online whistle-blower Wikileaks Sunday amplified widespread global alarm about Iran's nuclear ambitions. It also unveiled occasional U.S. pressure tactics aimed at hot spots in Afghanistan, Pakistan and North Korea. The leaks disclosed bluntly candid impressions from both diplomats and other world leaders about America's allies and foes. It was, said Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, the “Sept. 11 of world diplomacy.” In the wake of the massive document dump by online whistleblower WikiLeaks and numerous media reports detailing their contents, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was expected to address the diplomatic repercussions later Monday. Clinton may have to confront the fallout first hand after she leaves Washington on a four-nation tour of Central Asia and the Middle East — a region that figures prominently in the leaked documents. Most of the disclosures focused on familiar diplomatic issues that have long stymied U.S. officials and their foreign counterparts — the nuclear ambitions of Iran, North Korea and Pakistan, China's growth as a superpower, the frustrations of combating terrorism. -continued – – – LINK- – – http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101129/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/wikileaks Graphic http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dSyIizN3UI4/TFNGefE2WGI/AAAAAAAAAxQ/g7_M6iyCDvo/s1600/… added by: remanns

Organic food will no longer be availiable Monday, November 29, 2010, Senate Bill S.510

This urgent call-to-action video by the Health Ranger calls upon grassroots food freedom supporters to call their U.S. Senators on Monday, November 29, 2010, to oppose S.510. Video Keywords: food safety,food supply, Senate,S 510,Senate Bill 510,food freedom,health freedom,tyranny,FDA,Big Government,agriculture,legislation,raw milk,America 510:FDA Food Safety Modernization Act A bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to the safety of the food supply. This bill was considered in committee which has recommended it be considered by the Senate as a whole. Although it has been placed on a calendar of business, the order in which legislation is considered and voted on is determined by the majority party leadership. Keep in mind that sometimes the text of one bill is incorporated into another bill, and in those cases the original bill, as it would appear here, would seem to be abandoned. If this atrocious bill is passed don’t expect to see SWAT teams waiting outside every organic farm waiting to toss a flash-bang grenade. Modern tyranny most often comes first in the form of a suit knocking at your door and demanding to see your licenses and documentation. And that is precisely what this bill outlines. Exhaustive records must be kept for anyone producing food, which will place growing, production and sale of food outside the reach of the average small time operation. Just think back to the Oregon Lemonade stand that was shut down by Health Inspectors. The restraints placed on local farms, food co-ops and farmers markets will destroy whats left of independent agriculture. A wise move in the midst of the Great Recession. Without the freedom to strive for self sufficiency, a god given right endowed to all creatures, we are left only one option. Dependence. The forced symbiosis to factory farms, process plants and the GMO mafia, without so much as the freedom to store and save seeds. Scale Appropriate In addition to the focus on facilities that manufactures, processes, packs, or holds food for sale farmers who supply the nation with fresh produce would also be subject to a number of new regulations and recommended practices. The new rules haven’t been written yet, but are expected to focus on water quality, employee hygiene, the use of manure and compost as fertilizer and wildlife intrusions. Because farmers across the nation have warned against punitive rules and many feel they are already taking extreme steps to make sure their food was safe, FDA officials and bill supporters have professed their commitment to ensuring that the final bill is “scale-appropriate.”S. 510:FDA Food Safety Modernization Act A bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to the safety of the food supply. This bill was considered in committee which has recommended it be considered by the Senate as a whole. Although it has been placed on a calendar of business, the order in which legislation is considered and voted on is determined by the majority party leadership. Keep in mind that sometimes the text of one bill is incorporated into another bill, and in those cases the original bill, as it would appear here, would seem to be abandoned. If this atrocious bill is passed don’t expect to see SWAT teams waiting outside every organic farm waiting to toss a flash-bang grenade. Modern tyranny most often comes first in the form of a suit knocking at your door and demanding to see your licenses and documentation. And that is precisely what this bill outlines. Exhaustive records must be kept for anyone producing food, which will place growing, production and sale of food outside the reach of the average small time operation. Just think back to the Oregon Lemonade stand that was shut down by Health Inspectors. The restraints placed on local farms, food co-ops and farmers markets will destroy whats left of independent agriculture. A wise move in the midst of the Great Recession. Without the freedom to strive for self sufficiency, a god given right endowed to all creatures, we are left only one option. Dependence. The forced symbiosis to factory farms, process plants and the GMO mafia, without so much as the freedom to store and save seeds. Scale Appropriate In addition to the focus on facilities that manufactures, processes, packs, or holds food for sale farmers who supply the nation with fresh produce would also be subject to a number of new regulations and recommended practices. The new rules haven’t been written yet, but are expected to focus on water quality, employee hygiene, the use of manure and compost as fertilizer and wildlife intrusions. Because farmers across the nation have warned against punitive rules and many feel they are already taking extreme steps to make sure their food was safe, FDA officials and bill supporters have professed their commitment to ensuring that the final bill is “scale-appropriate.” http://electricbrave.wordpress.com/2010/11/29/organic-food-will-no-longer-be-ava… added by: electricbrave

Facial Bone Grinding Surgery Caused Death In China Wang Bei

China's Ministry of Health plans to tighten the laws on cosmetology as the recent plastic surgery caused death to two people. added by: f4schennai

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange seeking asylum in Switzerland over fears for his safety

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is considering applying for asylum in Switzerland because he fears for his safety. The controversial intelligence hacker said he was still looking into the process, the Associated Press reports. “The Swiss have a history of fierce independence,” he told reporters. Assange applied for residency in Sweden in October, but his application was rejected as Swedish authorities look into allegations he sexually assaulted two Swedish women. The 39-year-old Australian denied those charges. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/11/06/2010-11-06_wikileaks_founder_ju… added by: mik661

DVDs of the Week: Vampires Suck

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DVDs of the Week: Vampires Suck

An Extended Interview with U.S. Attorney Ben Wagner

Adam Yamaguchi learns that even a major drug bust may at first have only a minor impact on trafficking organizations. TONIGHT 9/8c

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An Extended Interview with U.S. Attorney Ben Wagner

Leslie Nielsen Has Died | Photos | Videos

JUST COMING IN NOW…. Leslie Nielsen Dies 28 minutes ago by TMZ Staff Legendary funny man Leslie Nielsen died today of complications of pneumonia in a hospital near his home in Fort Lauderdale, this according to his agent. He was 84. His agent tells TMZ Nielsen passed surrounded by his wife and friends at about 5:34 PM ET. Nielsen was best known for his roles in “Airplane” and the “Naked Gun” series. His “Airplane” co-star, Barbara Billingsley, passed away last month. Ted Striker: Surely you can't be serious. Rumack: I am serious… and don't call me Shirley. Elaine Dickinson: A hospital? What is it? Rumack: It's a big building with patients, but that's not important right now. added by: EthicalVegan

Dear Nerd Girls: A Young Nerd Girl Needs Your Support

I tweeted about this last night, but it's important enough to me that I want to mention it here. It's about a young girl named Katie, whose mother happens to be a blogger for Chicago Now. Here's what her mother posted on Monday: At summer's end, Katie and I went to Target to pick out her backpack, lunchbox and water bottle for the new school year. After great deliberation, she chose a Star Wars water bottle to match her Star Wars backpack. ” Katie loves Star Wars, and she was very excited about her new items. For the first few months of school, she proudly filled her water bottle herself and helped me pack her lunch each morning. But a week ago, as we were packing her lunch, Katie said, “My Star Wars water bottle is too small. It doesn't hold enough water. Can I take a different one?” She searched through the cupboard until she found a pink water bottle and said, “I'll bring this.” I was perplexed. “Katie, that water bottle is no bigger than your Star Wars one. I think it is actually smaller.” “It's fine, I'll just take it,” she insisted. I kept pushing the issue, because it didn't make sense to me. Suddenly, Katie burst into tears. She wailed, “The first grade boys are teasing me at lunch because I have a Star Wars water bottle. They say it's only for boys. Every day they make fun of me for drinking out of it. I want them to stop, so I'll just bring a pink water bottle.” ” OH, HELL NO. Look, I'll poke fun at people who fill their rooms with merchandise or want to take a bullet for fictitious characters, but Katie here isn't obsessed, isn't insane — she just likes Star Wars. These little bastards have broken Nerd Commandment #3, which is to revere the nerd girl, and this aggression will not stand. added by: Darevalo