One Amazing Girl

Congratulations to second grader Lori Anne Madison, age 6, the youngest person ever to compete in  the national spelling bee. In addition, she is adorable. She ended by missing "engluvies." the term for a bird's craw., Earlier, she correctly spelled "dirigible." Previously,in Virginia, she won by spelling the word "vaquero," the Spanish translation of "cowboy" often used in parts of the South.

Lori likes to study while swinging upside down or jumping on her trampoline, according to her bio on the event's website. She's also a competitive swimmer, has won math and science awards, and takes karate, dance and tennis classes.

This is a fabulous unbelievable feat and we will watch her bloom in the future. 

Fresno Bee Racism Sexism CD 16 Election

Fresno Bee article is racist and sexist.
 
In listing Dr Loraine Goodwin as a candidate for CD 16, it mentions she is a physician. But they


fail to mention her years of work in women's health and preventive medicine. 


Dr Goodwin also has a law degree from San Joaquin College of Law and she works as a legal 


arbitrator and mediator. She also sits on the California Air Hearing Board, Central Region and 


the IRWMG where she acts to protect valley air and water. Dr Goodwin also sits on the 


Madera behavioral health board, which provides help to the poor, homeless and addicted. She 


also sat on the Madera American Disabilities Act Advisory Board which initiated ADA 


requirements to remove barriers for disabled. 


Dr Goodwin comes from a Fresno farm family that has farmed for generations. She 


understands farming needs and wants to encourage young farmers. 


If you believe in education, you can believe in Dr Goodwin. As a member of the Madera Unified 


School Board, she started the "Farm-to-school Program which gives fruits and vegetables to 


kids and pays farmers over $500,000 a year - Goodwin has proven she can bring money into 


the central valley, keep staff working and finances sound. 


Dr Goodwin stands up for women, children, disabled, seniors, families and students. We must 


act to reduce racism in the central valley. It is a hard fight...it keeps coming back. Join the 


GOODWIN TEAM. 


Don't trust what you read in the Fresno Bee.

Fresno State WASTES one- and- a- half million dollars on coach

Pat Hill, coach for Fresno State football, was fired today. Pat Hill has been coaching at Fresno State for 15 years, but the university says season ticket sales are down over 40% with revenues down. The record for the team this year is reported as 4 - 9. Many had been demanding the university get rid of Pat Hill all season long. This will be a costly firing. Pat Hill has 2 years remaining on his contract and he is due 80% of his salary. Pat Hill will get around $650,00 a year for the next two years, plus benefits. In addition, the university will have to hire behind the coach to fill the position.
I feel the people who continued Hill on the last contract and offered him such a ridiculously huge salary should also be fired for mismanagement of university funds. I feel the students should also vote as to how much the next coach will be paid, after all, they are getting hit with tuition increases to pay these exorbitant salaries.

Congress adjourns for week with no help to citizens

Congress is unable to function and will lead our country into further disaster.The dysfunction and political division has made Congress a place for grandstanding and hot rhetoric, but at the cost of national unemployment and no confidence in the economy. Politicians can't even decide if the federal government should give FEMA money to help citizens who are victims of national disasters. Republicans say they will vote to fund FEMA, if the money comes from current programs that help US children and the poor.
I think most Americans want to help people who suffer from natural disasters. The stagnation in Congress is hurting us all - a different type of national disaster. Republicans had hoped they could force Senate Democrats to accept a partisan budget cut on the threat that disaster victims would otherwise be deprived of assistance for days or even weeks.
We in the valley must assuredly work to get Denham out of the valley as a representative. We will never get a reduction in the deficit via the congressional super-committee with this group in office - that means cuts in Medicare, social security, medicaid, etc.. We must vote the obstructionist Republicans out in 2012, so we can move forward.
Then, after spending billions of dollars fighting whether to fund FEMA or fighting  to suspend clean air and water regulations and spend billions on studies to see if clean air improves health, the Congress adjourns for a week-long vacation.
This Congress takes too much time arguing and needs to spend more time in DC in session working and attempting to come to some needed agreements.
Americans are suffering, but congressmen are deaf to the cries.

Happy Mother's Day! Unfortunately my mother died a couple of years ago, so I must revive good and fun memories. Hence, I hope you will make great memories with your kids today.

General Vang Pao Funeral Ends Today

Today, Wednesday, February 9, 2011, is the last day of the General Vang Pao funeral. It was a great and memorable event. Such a well-planned 6-day event. The people that I met were very friendly and nice. Lots of the attendees were high level officers in the Laotian military and many people held high level jobs in the U.S. today. I learned alot about Buddhist funerals.

Rest in Peace General Vang Pao. He did a great thing in bringing many thousands of Hmong, Laotians, and Cambodians into the US for safety and a new future. Yes, the stories were amazing.

FRESNO BEE LIES TO GET HMONG EMOTIONAL APPROVAL

FRESNO BEE LIES TO GET HMONG EMOTIONAL APPROVAL

       FRESNO BEE GOES FOR RACISM AND LIES TO CUT MINORITIES


The Fresno Bee printed that the "Obama Administration" denied General Vang Pao the honor of burial at Arlington Cemetery..

The TRUTH is that President Obama's administration had nothing to do with the denial that was presented at General Vang Pao's funeral on February 5th. The decision to deny General Vang Pao was based on a decision by the white generals who oversee the military cemetery. President Obama does not select who is buried at Arlington, he is busy with a few actual wars.

The Fresno Bee struck a low blow to inject racial hatred against President Obama into the decision. Also it shows that these valley republican newspapers are prone to lie in order to get public sentiment on their side. We certainly can not trust what we read in the Fresno Bee or the Modesto Bee.

The TRUTH is that the burial issue will eventually come before President Obama, after the Hmongs appeal this decision by the generals. Amazing as it may seem, President Obama does not even handle the first appeal, so the next decision will also be made by a military review committee.  Eventually, the issue will reach the President - but it will be months because the military has a policy of following the "chain of command" and you can not circumvent the process.

The Hmong community understands the truth and will not be deceived by cheap political antics by the Fresno Bee.
See:  Youtube:  CentralValleyCd19 (posted today - 2/6/2011)

DO WE WANT ANOTHER LARGE CASINO?

Article from ABC30 Website:
Shannon Handy
More: Bio, Articles by Shannon Handy, News Team
FRESNO, Calif. -- Hundreds gathered in Prather Wednesday to share their opinions on a proposed Vegas-style Indian casino to be built in the Fresno County foothills.

The "Big Sandy Casino" would be located off Auberry and Millerton Roads.

On Wednesday, supporters and critics got a chance to talk about the newly released environmental impact statement. More than fifty people got up and spoke during the public meeting.

Those who support the project say it will benefit the local economy, but opponents aren't sure if valley residents can support another casino.

A standing room only crowd packed into Foothill Middle School's auditorium in Prather Wednesday night.

For nearly three hours, representatives from the Bureau of Indian Affairs listened as valley residents voiced their thoughts on the proposed construction of Big Sandy, a $250 million casino near the town of Friant.

Concerns included the project's affect on the local water supply. "I'd like to know how this is going to impact the residents in the local area with their water."

Others, like Rachelle Bedwall of Clovis question the casino's sustainability. "There's already a casino real close and so I don't think it can support two casinos."

Many in the crowd cheered whenever supporters talked about the more than 1500 jobs the 48 acre project would bring to the area.

Eddie Clement said, "It is gonna have the ability to give people career, as well as the construction industry on the build."

The Big Sandy Rancheria announced plans to build the casino in 2004. A switch in development partners initially delayed the project. But, now another claim may delay it even more.

Table Mountain, a casino located about a mile from the proposed site, argues part of the land Big Sandy wants to use is a sacred burial ground.

Big Sandy, however, says that claim is based more on competition than facts.

Loretta Tuell said, "And we believe it is a historic ancient village with many burials with many pounding rocks, with many issues you can't litigate very easily."

John Peebles said, "I think there's a real concern on Table Mountain, members and their leadership that they will have a substantial reduction in income which will affect their quality of life. It's economics."

At this point, no public meetings are scheduled in the near future. But, you have until March 28th to send in a comment about the environmental impact statement

Reprinted from POLITICO

JAKE SHERMAN | 1/31/11 9:14 AM EST

Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) caught lots of flak earlier this year for hosting a swank, rock ‘n’ roll fundraiser months after his freshman class was swept to Washington after promising a renewed commitment to frugality and economic restraint.

And all that ire was before the nearly $80,000 in expenses was disclosed.

The night before lawmakers were sworn in, the first-term congressman’s political action committee appears to have doled out $25,000 to have LeAnn Rimes perform in Washington at the W Hotel for an event that raised eyebrows in both Republican and Democratic circles.

The PAC paid the W Hotel $22,000 for catering and lights, and audio services ran up a $5,000 tab. It also paid $10,000 for “floral expense and event design.”

It was a particularly bizarre event, even by Washington standards. Denham invited the media to the W Hotel before the event, where he vowed that “we’re conservatives but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun.”

“Obviously this isn’t just about raising money, this is about having a good time,” Denham said to reporters before the fundraiser. “We have a great entertainer here in Grammy Award-winner LeAnn Rimes. And we’re excited about that, and excited about the event tonight.” Reporters were not permitted to attend the fundraiser itself.

The money that the PAC raised hardly covered the cost of the event — it took in $85,000. The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians donated $50,000 to the committee, and the Morongo Band of Mission Indians Native donated $25,000. Blue Shield of California’s PAC chipped in $5,000 and the American Association of Clinical Urologists and a Tennessee-based donor gave $2,500 each.

Although Denham was the face of the event, the political action committee raises money for a slew of first-term Republicans, including Reps. Scott DesJarlais (Tenn.), Robert Dold (Ill.), Renee Ellmers (N.C.), Jeff Landry (La.), Tom Marino (Pa.), Tom Reed (N.Y.), David Rivera (Fla.), Jon Runyan (N.J.), Steve Southerland (Fla.), Marlin Stutzman (Ind.) and Kevin Yoder (Kan.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/48487.html#ixzz1CdRE69JZ

Clovis, CA: Vets will sponsor dinner to honor fallen soldiers tomorrow, Saturday, from 4 to 6 PM. Cost is $10.00 for spaghetti dinner and the money will be used to build a memorial to soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq

SARGENT SHRIVER DIES AT AGE 95

Sargent Shriver, a former Peace Corps director and Democratic vice presidential candidate, has died at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. Sargent Shriver has suffered from Alzheimer's disease for many years and has been the foundation for a lot of fundraising and advanced medical research for the degenerative disease. Shriver was also the founder of the Special Olympics and The Peace Corps which, since the Kennedy years, allowed citizens to help impoverished communities abroad.

Recently the Peace Corps has come under fire for placing Corps volunteers in areas which were dangerous without any protection. Volunteers tell stories of violent rapes and murders of Corps volunteers by community members. 

Although the Peace Corps may be too dangerous for young volunteers in many areas, the Special Olympics is still going strong.

Help Loraine Goodwin and Al Franken Prevent Comcast/NBC Merger!

If you're concerned about corporate control of the media, Senator Al Franken needs you to take two minutes to view his video and sign the petition to the Federal Communications Committee objecting to the merger of Comcast with NBC.  The FCC and Department of Justice may be about to approve this deal. This would have serious consequences for consumers across America.  We don't have much time.  Pass the vido link on to others: 

http://www.alfranken.com/index.php/splash/fccopenletter

ARETHA SAYS SHE IS FINE

Just wanted to write this correction straight from Aretha. Aretha says she is fine and will reschedule her tour. She says she is housebound for 2 more weeks - then she will spend some time at the beach - maybe Hilton Head.

Thanks Aretha!!

NEW CONGRESS OFF TO BAD START

I don't feel great about this "new" Congress - looks like the same "old boys club " to me. Jeff Denham has been given the job of frat party thrower and fundraiser. Hence, on the day BEFORE he even gets into office, he throws a $2,500 a plate dinner at a luxury hotel in D.C.. I guess the economy is doing very well after all.

Next Boehner starts crying repeatedly. He is like an old depressed drunk. In fact, he has around eleven brothers and sisters. His sister said, “John is a little man and he has a big job ahead of him." With family confidence like that, it is no wonder Boehner started the, "my gavel is bigger than yours" contest. Yes, it sounds like a penile problem to me too. In fact, as Boehner was waving his gavel around with great pride about its size, the gavel began to resemble a "penis analogy" to me.  Let the frat party begin.

Next these guys, getting high salaries, decide to read the Constitution aloud on the House floor. Maybe these guys should have been reading the Constitution instead of partying, drinking and womanizing at the lavish party the night before. Yes, we got to pay to hear these inept congressmen read the Constitution aloud. It was sad to hear some of the congressional members stumble over the words. That reading exercise cost us citizens around a million dollars or more...our tax money.

The Republicans said the only idea they had for reducing federal spending was to cut the congressional budget. Later, it was revealed that actually the congressional budget would be too hard to cut, so the reduction will be greatly reduced and the congressional party can continue. 

Boehner said first job, as Speaker of the House, is to repeal health care reform legislation. The Congressional Budget Office says that will cost over $230 billion dollars with the investments already made - plus the Senate will not pass the repeal bill, so it is a waste of time and money - but a good show for gullible Republicans. On a news interview show when Boehner was asked what he planned to cut to reduce federal spending as promised during the campaign, Boehner said, in spite of all of his years in the House, he "had no specific ideas."

HOMELESS ANNOUNCER FINDS EMPLOYMENT

Ted Williams, a homeless man begging for money was YouTubed discussing his former career as a radio announcer. He was doing well, but fell into drugs and alcohol. Now, stating he is 2 years clean, he wants to return to radio announcing. Today he was featured on all of the morning talk shows and he will do some TV shows tomorrow. GOOD LUCK Ted. I hope you have a lucretive future career in radio. Look, Rush Limbaugh has been on illegal drugs for years and he has kept his radio job - so can you Ted. I will watch you tomorrow on TODAY show.

BOTTLED WATER A HEALTH HAZARD - TELL THE KIDS AND SAVE BIGTIME

BOTTLED WATER A HEALTH HAZARD - TELL THE
KIDS AND SAVE BIG TIME

TELL KIDS BOTTLED WATER NOT BETTER THAN TAP WATER AND SAVE MONEY

Schools sell bottled water to kids - around $1 a day - and
the costs add up for families. Kids feel because the water is sold that the
bottled water is BETTER - NOT TRUE!!!! School administrators don't care and
continue to allow this message to be given on a daily basis. Tell kids in your
communities the truth about bottled water. Also, the water sold at schools is
often kept at varying temperatures (unrecorded) and for varying lengths of time
(unrecorded). These storage conditions can make the water even worse with higher
bacterial counts. These elevated levels of bacteria can increase oral bacterial
count and increase cavities and gum disease.

Here is an article on
BOTTLED WATER from the web:

How much do you know about the bottled water
you drink? Not nearly enough, according toa new report released today from Environmental Working
Group (EWG)."Bottled water companies try hard to hide information you
might find troubling," says Jane Houlihan, senior vice president of research for
the Washington D.C.-based research and advocacy group.
EWG analyzed the
labels of 173 unique bottled water products and company websites to determine if
companies disclose information on where water comes from, how or if their water
is treated, and whether the results of purity testing are revealed. The
nonprofit also looked at how effective (and advanced) any water treatment
methods are. Researchers followed up by calling dozens of bottled water
companies to find out which ones willingly tell consumers what's in their
bottles.
The Environmental Protection Agency says on its website that
consumers have the right to know where their water comes from and what's in it
so they can "make informed choices that affect the health of themselves and
their families." Tap water is regularly tested and consumers can find their local water info
online. That's not necessarily the case with bottled water, which is
not required to disclose that information to consumers. "Bottled water is a food
product and every one of these companies is complying with federal law,"says Tom
Lauria, of the International Bottled Water Association.
More than half of the
bottled water products surveyed failed EWG's transparency test --18 percent
didn't say where their water comes from, and another 32 percent did not disclose
any information on treatment or purity of water.
Only three brands earned the
highest possible marks for disclosing information and using the most advanced
treatment methods available- Gerber Pure Purified Water,
Nestle PureLife Purified Water, and Penta
Ultra-PurifiedWater.
On the other end of the spectrum, these six
brands got the worst marks in EWG's report because they don't provide consumers
with the three basic facts about water on product labels or their company
website - Whole Foods Italian Still Mineral Water,
Vintage Natural Spring Water,Sahara Premium Drinking
Water, O Water Sport Electrolyte Enhanced Purified Drinking
Water,Market Basket Natural Spring Water,
andCumby's Spring Water.
How does your bottled water brand
stack up? Here's a look at the 10 top-selling* U.S. brands:
1.     Pure Life
Purified Water (Nestle),EWG grade = B
2.     Arrowhead Mountain Spring
Water(Nestle), EWG grade = C
3.     Aquafina Purified Drinking Water(Pepsi),
EWG grade = D
4.     Dasani Purified Water (Coca-Cola),EWG grade =
D
5.     Deer Park Natural Spring Water(Nestle), EWG grade = D
6.     Ice
Mountain Natural Spring Water(Nestle), EWG grade = D
7.     Ozarka Natural
Spring Water (Nestle),EWG grade = D
8.     Poland Spring Natural Spring
Water(Nestle), EWG grade = D
9.     Zephyrhills Natural Spring Water(Nestle),
EWG grade = D
10.  Crystal Geyser Natural Alpine Spring Water (CGRoxane), EWG
grade =  F
Filtered tap water received the best grade (an A) from EWG because
if you change your filter regularly, EWG says it is purer than bottled water,
plus it saves money (bottled water can cost up to1,900 times more than what
flows from your tap). Drinking tap water also takes less of a toll on the
planet. EWG offers plenty of tips for filtering your tap
water so that you can drink the healthiest water
possible.

What should you do when bottled water is your only
option?"While our top choice is filtered tap water, when you do need to choose
bottled water, we recommend brands that tell you what's in the water and that
use advanced treatment technologies like reverse osmosis and micro-filtration," says
Houlihan. Advanced treatment technologies remove pollutants that other methods
don't. You should look for bottled water products that tell you where the water
is coming from and how pure it is.
Here are the results for all 173bottled water brands
included in the report. You'll find that some less popular brands rank even
lower than our list of top-sellers.
The advice to drink filtered tap water
can seem confusing when there are often reports about the contaminants found in
municipal water supplies. Just last month, for example, EWG announced that cancer causing hexavalent chromium (chromium-6) is in 31cities' tap water. Houlihan says
chromium-6 is as likely to be in your bottled water as it is in your tap water
and we need action from the federal government on this. She points out that a
reverse osmosis filter can remove the worrisome contaminant. You can guarantee
its removal in your home supply, but in many cases you don't know what's in the
bottle you're drinking from.
*Sales rankings from the Beverage
MarketingCorporation.

Repuublicans Fight To Make America FAIL AND STEAL OUR MONEY

Repuublicans Fight To Make America FAIL AND STEAL OUR MONEY

John Boehner now becomes Speaker of the House

of Representatives -- and big banks, insurance companies and

Wall Street lobbyists across the country rejoice.

Money is king in D.C. again.

Boehner before even taking the gavel already laid

out an extreme right-wing agenda. It starts with

unraveling the last Congress and a vote to repeal health

insurance reform and includes gutting Social Security,

making tax cuts for the rich permanent and more.

John Boehner's House will empower

right-wingers like Michele Bachmann and Eric Cantor to roll back

progressive legislation and empower big corporations over the middle

class. Our money will go to the rich even faster and in larger amounts.

Let's just say what everyone already knows -- John Boehner's

agenda has everything to do with embarrassing President Obama and nothing to do

with creating jobs and getting America back on track. Boehner,

Denham, Rush Limbaugh and others want President Obama, our country and soldiers to fail.

 

Thanks to President Obama, during the December break while home in Hawaii, the President signed a financial help package for the 9/11 rescuers. The 9/11 World Trade Center Rescuers will get some money to help with medical care, death benefits, disability retirement benefits and other terrorist-related injuries. The President had a rough time passing this legislation because the Republicans in Congress did not want to pass it. The Republicans said it there was no plan to fund the bill, so they voted against it. Finally, there was a statement that the funding will come from overseas corporations..

I know our rescuers did not hesitate to search and rescue victims of the tragedy...and I would not have allowed them to suffer so long. Thanks President Obama. Rotten tomatoes to the Republicans in Congress.

JOIN US IN EDUCATION REFORM

A new report that showed a nearly 3 percentage point jump – from 18.9 percent to 21.7 percent – in California’s high school dropout rate from 2007-08 to 2008-09 triggered alarmed headlines around the state. Locally, however, the concern had an additional dimension: Data showing San Diego County’s dropout rate increased from 17.1 percent to 20.4 percent from 2007-08 to 2008-09 may not be accurate because figures for San Diego Unified, by far the county’s largest school district, were in doubt. Why? The district’s dropout rate inexplicably soared from 9.2 percent to 23.5 percent.

Send your name and email address to: saveourvalley@hotmail.com. List your special concerns.

MEXICAN GANGS TARGET FAMILY KILLING THE WOMEN

The tale of Marisela Escobedo continues after her murder. Marisela was a nurse in the U.S. who retired after her16-year-old daughter, Rubi Marisol, was found killed and dismembered in August 2008. The suspect, her live-in boyfriend, Sergio Rafael Barraza, escaped into Mexico, joined a gang and had Marisela killed outside the governor's mansion to stop her cries for justice. (see prior article)

Now the gang has targeted Marisela's husband by setting ablaze his lumber business in Ciudad Juarez.