As a result of the FTC ruling, consumers now how the right to choose their own funeral goods and services regardless of the local funeral home they choose. This ruling means that when consumers buy their caskets online the consumer is protected so that the rest of the funeral service prices don't get padded or increased. Funeral homes are required by law to supply everyone with an itemized price list upon request. Once they have the price list in hand, then it is safe to purchase their caskets online and have it delivered to "any" funeral home nationwide.

Last night I was part of a conference call/town hall meeting event with Repower America which included remarks by it's Chariman, former Vice President Al Gore.

Gotomeeting use will go a long way to helping countries save on their coal reserves, because it causes fewer long haul trips to be made to come to business meetings. Below is an in depth look at exactly what effect gotomeeting will have on the lifespan of Germany's coal reserves.

I'm amazed at returning to find Political Cortex now a screamer site! No comment, it seems, is based on a sober appreciation of the failure of the voters to install honest legislators and executives. All the blame, it seems, must go to the prostitutes and not the johns.

We specialized humans have decided to buy our governance from the lowest bidder for our nodding assent to promises snicker-inducing in any reality but that of election campaigns.

But we're not evolved to handle the reflexiveness of the niche we've built. Darwin hasn't been around long enough, and we don't like him anyway, for pointing out we're not the crown of creation, but merely an over-adaptable self-obsessed twig on the evolutionary bush.

And bush was devolution, not easily overcome.

Now Political Cortex has been invaded by the noise machines, especially Skip MacLiar (whatever...)

Borrrrrrrrrring!

I'm amazed at returning to find Political Cortex now a screamer site! No comment, it seems, it based on a sober appreciate of the failure of the voters to install honest legislators and executives. All the blame, it seems, must go to the prostitutes and not the johns.

We specialized humans have decided to buy our governance from the lowest bidder for our nodding assent to promises snicker-inducing in any reality but that of election campaigns.

But we're not evolved to handle the reflexiveness of the niche we've built. Darwin hasn't been around long enough, and we don't like him anyway, for pointing out we're not the crown of creation, but merely an over-adaptable self-obsessed twig on the evolutionary bush.

And bush was devolution, not easily overcome.

Now Political Cortex has been invaded by the noise machines, especially Skip the Liar (whatever...)

Borrrrrrrrrring!

(ALM Media) New York-Globest.com's Cody Lyon reports...
On Nov. 12, officials from the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York took legal steps to seize nonprofit Alavi Foundation's 60% ownership stake in the 36-story 650 Fifth Ave. commercial office tower, known as the Piaget Building. The government says Alavi Foundation, through a partnership with Assa Corp. called 650 Fifth Avenue Co., served as a front or shell-company, funneling revenue from the Midtown building through Bank Melli of Iran, and then onto Iranian government officials. ...

....Alavi Foundation attorney John Winter tells GlobeSt.com his client is "disappointed in the government's actions. The foundation had been cooperating with the government for the better part of a year, responding to various questions that the government had put to the foundation." He adds, "The foundation intends to litigate this matters, and expects to prevail in the end," says Winter.

As for the government's sense of timing, Winter says "we are not going to speculate as to the government's intentions, motives or timing." However, as to the case's eventual outcome, he says he suspects the litigation will be "protracted."

For now, business at 650 Fifth can go as it has for the past three decades, according to an official statement from a spokeswoman at the US Attorney's office who says "tenants and occupants remain free to use the properties as they did before" the filing. She says there are "no allegations of any wrongdoing on the part of any of these tenants or occupants."

But it's hard to ignore the government's civil complaint, which paints a portrait of glaring deceit and intrigue more worthy of a James Bond movie than a real estate website. Spokesmen for the Treasury or Justice Department would not speak directly to the case, nor did they recall similar actions toward a large commercial property, instead they referred GlobeSt.com back to the US Attorney's office, which declined to offer more details than those contained in the complaint. Further, most real estate players were not willing to discuss any potential repercussions associated with the case.

Full Text link below at www.globeSt.com
http://www.globest.com/news /1543_1543/newyork/182316-1 .html

There was a good mixture of seriousness and humor in the President Obama on "Letterman" video I dug up this morning. Last night Obama went to visit his old friend David Letterman.

Obama appeared on "The Late Show with David Letterman" several times during his campaign, and I am glad to see that he doesn't consider himself above Letterman's show now that he's been elected.

Changing society, changing rules

Things are changing in society. Secured loans are more common, workplaces are more casual and relaxed, people use the Internet to communicate more and they realize that some traditions hinder progress instead of helping. I think President Obama's appearance on "Letterman" shows that he is in touch with this new generation.

It's a generation that is more focused on results than on process. Other presidents before Obama, I think, thought it inappropriate or unfitting of their position to go on a late night talk show. However, the Obama on Letterman video shows he is more concerned with getting his message out and communicating with Americans on their terms rather than focusing on "proper" process.

Former President of Taiwan Chen Shui-bian was indicted for corruption on December 5 (2008).

Two can play at "Disaster Capitalism".

How about a plan offering immediate relief, revenge (called balance for PR release), economic stimulus, and the feeling of being able to accomplish as encompassing an improvement to many lives as the counterparty has produced degradation.

"While [Barack Obama] wants to ban AR-15s, Palin shoots AR-15s, and apparently pretty well."
(Michael Bane, NRA member from Colorado, host of a show on the Outdoor Channel; quoted in yahoonews, August 31, " Palin electrifies conservative base").

American and Singaporean activists combine efforts to start a letter-writing campaign to the United States Congress.

Missing from the discussion in nearly every US media report of the Russia-Georgia conflict is the fact that an important oil pipeline runs through Georgia, not far from South Ossetia, which is asserting its independence from Georgia.

There is less than obvious beauty in this world, often times, right under our noses, perhaps far away from the banks of the Hudson, or yet again, right along those banks but lost in the shuffle of daily life.

Bob Kendall's piece on 20 June where he notes "foreigners are buying out major assets..." reminds me of the hysteria when the Japanese were buying the Arco Building in LA, Pebble Beach and Rockefeller Centre.

It's an investment. And, they couldn't pick it up and take it to Japan. And, ironically, the Japanese over paid for everything.

Foreigners have historically invested in this country b ecause of our sound economy and political stability. They're buying more because the dollar is soft.

We are the foremost advocates of globalism; which has been good for every body. We can't pick and choose to be 'globalists' one minute and isolationists the next.

Get over it; get on with it; and stop freightening the average American with talk of recession or worse.

LINK TO FULL STORY AT EDGE BOSTON

As was widely expected, on June 3, California Secretary of State Debra Bown confirmed that marriage equality opponents had successfully gathered over one million signatures which allows placement of a proposition on the November ballot that if passed, would overturn the California Supreme court decision.

Leading the local opposition to the court decision are a pair of Southern California businessmen, Howard Ahmanson, owner of Fieldstead & Co and Christian radio magnate Ed Atsinger. Both are evangelical Christians according to a May 27 report from Capital Weekly, a newspaper that covers California's state government.

But a virtual who's who of familiar right wing social conservative organizations have also converged on California and are making the overturning of the California court decision a priority. "There are a number of national religious right groups that are lending their resources to this effort," said Peter Montgomery, spokesperson at the People for the American Way, a liberal advocacy group based in Washington DC.