Tran Government cuts off Internet before student rallies

Government opponents shouted "Allahu Akbar" and "Death to the Dictator" from Tehran's rooftops in the pouring rain on the eve of student demonstrations planned for Monday. Authorities choked off Internet access and warned journalists working for foreign media to stick to their offices for the next three days.

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Health Care Debate gets HEATED!!!!

During a rare Saturday session in the Senate, tempers flared over health care reform.

http://news.yahoo.com/video/health-15749655/tempers-flare-during-health-care-debate-17004624

Vouge...the Undergroud Phenomenon

Ok have you ever heard of Vouging, and I don't mean Madonna's video. Vouging is known underground dance style known well within the gay community. People compete at "Balls" and battle with this dance style. Since its begining it has grown and manifested and now has hit the mainstrem. Here are some videos..... I Took the Night..... Danielle Ninja Vs Leiomy Mizrahi.... cam cam prodigy

Victoria Secret Fashion Show 2009

This was by far the best Fashion Show yet... here's a small taste of the fashion show

South Africa expands AIDS treatment for babies & mothers

South African President Jacob Zuma on Tuesday unveiled a dramatic expansion in treatment for pregnant women and babies with HIV, sealing a turnaround in the AIDS fight in the world's worst-affected country.
Zuma said that all babies with HIV will receive treatment at public facilities from next April, while women will receive care earlier in their pregnancies in a bid to prevent transmission to newborns.
He also announced that he was preparing to take a HIV test himself, and urged the public to do the same.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091201/ap_on_bi_ge/af_south_africa_aids

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091201/wl_africa_afp/healthaidssafricachildren

Poachers kill endangered South African rhinos

South Africa has lost hundreds of animals, including 13 black rhinos, an endangered species, over the past five years due to poaching, media reports said Thursday quoting official figures.
Environment minister, Buyelwa Sonjica said of the 253 animals killed between 2005 and this year, 114 were killed in national parks.
Business Day quoted Sonjica saying measures such as a complete ban on the sale of ivory were being mooted.

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Nollywood films to speak out against pregnancy complications with Nigerian women

At least 144 women die each day in Nigeria during pregnancy or childbirth, according to the UN and World Bank statistics, placing it among some of the worst countries for women to deliver babies in the world, after Sierra Leone and Niger among others. Activists on Thursday premiered three short but hard-hitting Nollywood films to push for an urgent change in attitude and provision of adequate health care services to avoid pregnancy-related problems.
The films take a provocative look at the deadly crisis in sub-Saharan Africa's second largest economy and the world's eight largest oil exporter, where some 70 percent of the 150 million people live on less than a dollar a day.

For more info please visit http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091204/wl_africa_afp/nigeriahealthwomen

Guinea's wounded president flown to Morocco

CONAKRY, Guinea – Guinea's president has been flown to Morocco for medical treatment after he was shot during an assassination attempt nearly a year after he seized power in a coup, a government official said Friday.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091204/ap_on_re_af/af_guinea;_ylt=AsRlnmtaCpcV_VlBY57ffQvlWMcF

'Sun-Maid girl' makeover sparks controversy

When the iconic raisin girl sheds her traditional homely look, the critics pounce. Sun-Maid recently decided to join Betty Crocker, Aunt Jemima and Mrs. Butterworth's in giving the female face of their product a substantial makeover from a young, early 20th-century girl into a buxom, modern young woman, leading some to say that the newly made-over raisin girl looks like a Barbie Doll in Amish attire. For info please visit http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/108296/sun-maid-girl-makeover-sparks-controversy.html?mod=family-love_money

Passion Desert.....its worse than the foridden fruit

A dessert tiled 'passion dessert' sits on display at the annual gastronomy fair in Bogota, Friday, Nov. 13, 2009. The dessert's ingredients include passion fruit and the active ingredient in Viagra, according to one of the dessert's creators Juan Sebastian Gomez. To learn more about this dessert please visit http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091113/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_colombia_passion_parfait

Strange Sexual Harrasment Case in NYC

Two women claimed they were sexually harassed by their boss at the Battery Park health club, but when they asked for help they were fired.

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=16978154&ch=4226723&src=news

Genital Herpes May Never Go Dormant

Herpes, the sexually transmitted disease that causes genital lesions, never truly goes into a dormant state, new research suggests.
As a matter of fact, even when it's not causing an outbreak, the virus is shedding tiny bits of itself in the genital tract. The study for these findings appears in the Nov. 18 issue of Science Translational Medicine.While the study did not specifically address whether or not the very small amounts of virus being continually shed are enough to infect someone else, the findings have the potential to change the way in which scientists view the life cycle of the disease.
To learn more please visit http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20091119/hl_hsn/genitalherpesmaynevergodormant

One in Four Teen Girls Have STDs

As many as one in four U.S. teenage girls have had a sexually transmitted disease (STD), many infected soon after their first sexual encounter, a new government report shows. This is a growing problem in the American community I think parents and the school system need to take a stronger approach in educating teens about sex.
to learn more please visit http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20091124/hl_hsn/oneinfourteengirlshavestds

NY couple charged with forcing woman into sex work

NEW YORK – A young woman from Mexico was smuggled over the border and forced to work as a prostitute for years in Brooklyn, and the remains of an infant were found in concrete at the home where she was held prisoner, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
The woman was beaten so frequently by her captors, sometimes with bricks and wooden boards, that scars and bruises covered her body, according to a federal affidavit.
Domingo Salazar and his wife, Norma Mendez, appeared in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn on sex trafficking charges and were being held without bail. Their attorneys had no comment.
To learn more about this story visit http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091126/ap_on_re_us/us_sex_trafficking

Nursing Home Industry Scares Senior Citizens

An influential Medicare advocacy group has called out a large skilled nursing home corporation for going into its facilities and scaring elderly residents into thinking their healthcare benefits will be worse if health reform provisions in H.R. 3200 are voted into law."The nursing home industry is scaring residents, telling them that healthcare reform will lead to poorer quality of care and the loss of the staff who provide them with essential care each day," says the Center for Medicare Advocacy's senior policy attorney Toby S. Edelman. "This outrageous misinformation campaign must stop." Click link to read article:http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/239622/page/1/topic/WS_HLM2_FIN/Nursing-Home-Industry-Frightening-Seniors-Against-Health-Reform-Says-Medicare-Group.html

VOP Racial Profiling Campaign Update

Racial profiling and other biased policing practices are issues of concern to people of color around the Commonwealth. African-American, Latino, South Asian and other groups are concerned about this issue every time they drive a car, and even more so when their children begin to drive. Racial profiling is the result of patterns, often unconscious, that are in the minds of law enforcement officers before they even begin their careers, and that current training is not enough to get rid of. To learn more about racial profiling click the link below: http://www.virginia-organizing.org/campaign/racial_profiling_update.php

Over 500 Groups Demand End To Local Immigration Checks

Since taking office, the Obama Administration has been doing a carefully choreographed dance with both sides of the immigration debate in an attempt to place itself in a "sweet spot" where it believes it will be able to appease all concerned parties when the thorny issue of immigration reform finally moves up the legislative agenda. http://migramatters.blogspot.com/2009/09/over-500-groups-demand-end-to-local.html

Rural Virginians talk health care to Congress

Rural Virginians cleared the air about their position on health-care reform at the “Rural Issues in Health Care Reform” congressional briefing hosted this week by Reps. Tom Perriello (D-Va.) and Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.). Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) and Rep. Steve Kagen (D-Wis.) also spoke at the briefing. http://augustafreepress.com/2009/10/02/rural-virginians-talk-health-care-to-congress/

S.L.O.T. participates in the Walk For Hunger in Petersburg VA

The Student Liaison Outreach Team participated in the Walk for Hunger in Petersburg Va Nov 21. The Walk for Hunger is a 10 mile walk around the city of Petersburg VA.

S.L.O.T. Takes Home the Iron Award at the FAAM Awards

The Student Liaison Outreach Team b.k.a. S.L.O.T., took home the best community service organization award -- The Iron Award at the FAAM Awards this fall at Virginia State University.

Student Liaison Outreach Team (S.L.O.T.) was recognized as an organization on Virginia State University's campus on January 12, 2007. The S.L.O.T. program is designed specifically to connect the youth with their future. The members of S.L.O.T. are fulfilling that goal by providing positive influences through interactive community service and workshops.
To learn more please visit http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?id=1135553698&ref=ts

Study Reveals the Angriest Americans

Anger is more likely among the young, those with children at home, and the less educated, a new study finds.
A national survey of 1,800 Americans aged 18 and older questioned participants on how and when they feel angry in order to build "a broader social portrait of anger in the United States," said study researcher Scott Schieman, now at the University of Toronto.
These angry emotions range from mild annoyance to yelling and feelings of outrage.
While anger is a normal human emotion, it could be detrimental if you hold on to it too long. And those who express their anger might actually live longer than those who keep it bottled in, one study found.
The results of the survey, conducted in 2005 and to be published next year, showed several key connections to anger.
For one, people under 30 experienced anger of all forms or intensities more frequently than did older adults. This was mainly due to the fact that young people are more likely to be affected by three core stressors that can trigger angry feelings, Schieman said:
Time pressures
Economic hardship
Interpersonal conflict at the workplace
Time pressures had the strongest link to anger, especially low-grade versions termed "feelings of annoyance," the study found.
Those who were under financial strain tended to report higher levels of anger, a connection that could be particularly important in today's flagging economy, Schieman noted. The financial influence tended to be stronger among women and younger adults.
Having children was also associated with angry feelings and behaviors, such as yelling, particularly in women, the survey found.

Filled with tears, Iverson happy to be back in Philadelphia

The 76ers officially welcomed back guard Allen Iverson(notes) during a Thursday afternoon press conference.
Surprisingly, it took just five minutes for A.I.'s eyes to well-up with tears as he tried to talk about his career's progressions and how happy he was to be back in Philadelphia.
Enrico of The 700 Level has Iverson's emotional quotes:
• "I have fans all over the world ... I appreciate them in Memphis, Detroit, Denver, but the relationship I have with these fans [in Philadelphia] is like no other."
• "People here watched me grow as a basketball player. They came in and cheered for me night in and night out, gave me everything that they had. That's why it was easy to give them everything I had."
• "This is one of the realest places in the world. They're passionate about their sports and I gave them everything I had and that's why they responded to me they way they did."

Soccer world focuses on 2010 draw in Cape Town

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) -- The eyes of the soccer world focused on Cape Town on Friday, with fans of 32 competing nations hoping for a kind draw at next year's World Cup.
Coaches, former soccer stars and celebrities were gathering for a draw ceremony to decide the eight groups of four teams.
Oscar-winning movie star Charlize Theron will help FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke in a lavish ceremony due to start at 7 p.m.
Defending champion Italy, five-time winner Brazil and European champion Spain will be looking to avoid the sort of draw that makes it tough to get through the group phase. Teams from New Zealand to Mexico, Chile to North Korea, Slovakia to host South Africa will hope those conducting the draw will give them a chance of a place in the knockout phase.
The 32 nations in the draw have been split geographically into four pots which will eventually produce eight groups of four teams.
South Africa, as host, has been given one of the seeded positions along with Italy, Brazil, Spain, England, Germany, Netherlands and Argentina.
"Expectations are very high and this is the start of the World Cup for me and the other coaches involved," said South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, who led his native Brazil to the 1994 title and has coached at three other World Cups. "I have been involved in World Cup draws before. As Brazil's national coach, expectations were just as high but this one is extra special because we are the World Cup hosts."
The other three South American teams -- Paraguay, Chile and two-time World Cup winner Uruguay -- are also in the same pool so they can't meet in the first round. The same applies to the four Asian qualifiers, North Korea, South Korea, Japan and Australia. and Africa's other qualifiers, Nigeria, Ghana, Algeria, Ivory Coast and Cameroon.
The 13 European teams in the competition can't avoid each other altogether, but there can't be more than two in any group.
The second band of European teams -- France, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Denmark, Switzerland, Greece and Serbia -- are in the same pool. That has angered the French, who felt they should have been seeded after winning the title in 1998 and reaching the final four years ago.
Because France is in the European pot, there could be a repeat of the 2006 World Cup final in the group stage, with Italy possibly meeting the French.
With the draw ceremony for the June 11-July 11 championship taking place and hundreds of delegates and officials from around the world gathering in Cape Town, the bidding nations for the World Cups in 2018 and 2022 are also taking the opportunity to impress observers.
David Beckham is one of the leading figures backing England's bid. But the 1966 hosts face opposition from the United States, Australia, Russia, Japan, Qatar, Indonesia, South Korea and joint bids from Spain-Portugal and Netherlands-Belgium.

Healthcare For America NOW!

No more lifetime limits on how much insurance companies will pay (2013) Employers are required to offer coverage to their workers and their worker’s families with minimum contributions and meet standards for that coverage or pay a penalty of 8% of their payroll to help offset the cost of their workers obtaining coverage through the Exchange. (2013) Establishes a list of ‘minimum services to be covered’ in all plans which are referred to as the ‘essential benefits’ including, Inpatient hospital service, outpatient hospital services, physician services, equipment and supplies incident to physician services, preventive services, maternity services, and prescription drugs. (Takes effect 2013 inside exchange and 2018 for employers outside exchange)

Affordable Health Care for America Act Promotes Competition

Insurance reforms and Health Insurance Exchange will promote healthy competition in the market. Affordable Health Care for America Act: · Implements insurance reforms and standardized benefit packages that will require insurers to compete on the basis of price and quality, not on the basis of the medical underwriting of sicker patients. · Establishes the Exchange, a transparent marketplace that replaces today’s dysfunctional small group and individual market, to lower administrative costs and provide incentives to insurers to maintain lower premiums in order to attract millions of Exchange enrollees.· Injects further competitive pressure into the Exchange by adding a public health insurance option in many markets that have little competition. · The public option will be a low cost, transparent insurance option that can exert price pressure on all other plans in the Exchange.

Importance of Healthcare for Children

Health care insurance is so important for our children. Well-child exams ensure they are developing on schedule and properly immunized. 32% of children without health insurance had no usual source of care in 2007. Uninsured children were also six times more likely to go without needed medical care because they could not afford it. There is a direct connection between health insurance and educational achievement. Uninsured children lose 30% more school days than insured children, resulting in lower academic performance.Currently only 68% of Virginia’s children have private health insurance. Another 8% have military coverage. For more information on health care for children click the provided link below:http://www.havcare.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=gwHtQW3tDvw%3d&tabid=928&mid=2150

Virginia's Ranking

Virginia has consistently excelled in attracting competitive businesses to the state, remaining fiscally sound, and providing a high quality education to its children and young adults. For over 70 years, Virginia has maintained a AAA bond rating. In addition,Virginia is ranked:• #1 state for business [Forbes Magazine ]• #8 nationally in per capita personal income ($42,876 a year in 2008)• Best managed state [Governing Magazine ]Yet, by many measures, Virginia has failed to achieve as much success in the availability and delivery of health care to its citizens. The Commonwealth lags behind many states in maintaining safety net protections and ensuring affordable private insurance options. To learn more click the link provided below:http://www.havcare.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=eJLbYURv8RQ%3d&tabid=928&mid=2150

Health care reform may hurt hospital credit

NEW YORK (Reuters) – High-cost urban U.S. hospitals may face debt rating downgrades if large cuts to Medicare funding are implemented as part of U.S. health care reform, Moody's Investors Service said on Monday.The U.S. Senate voted on Saturday to debate a reform bill two weeks after the House of Representatives passed its own version of a bill. Both bills seek to expand the number of insured patients, while reining in future health care costs."Achievement of these goals will affect hospitals in different ways, but cost control measures could be especially negative for the credit position of many high-cost urban hospitals even if the number of insured patients expands," Moody's said in a report.The push to cut costs is driven by the rising costs of Medicare, the federal health care program for the elderly.Research shows there are massive cost differences between hospitals in different regions. A recent report by Dartmouth College revealed costs per Medicare enrollee ranged from $5,300 to $16,000 in 2006.Most of the 17 highest cost hospitals are in urban or densely populated areas, which tend to have a higher cost of living, higher poverty and unemployment levels, diverse populations with diverse health care needs and expensive research arms.The cost differences also highlight the local nature of health care markets with most hospitals drawing more than 90 percent of patients from a 50-mile radius.If reform involves large Medicare cuts, the best-placed hospitals are those that are part of multi-state systems that have economies of scale or those that gain the most new patients with health insurance."The most vulnerable hospitals will be stand-alone hospitals dependent on high cost referral practices and which do not gain many new paying patients," the agency said.

Health care fight swells lobbying

WASHINGTON — Companies and groups hiring lobbying firms on health issues nearly doubled this year as special interests rushed to shape the massive revamp of the nation's health care system now in its final stretch before Congress.About 1,000 organizations have hired lobbyists since January, compared with 505 during the same period in 2008, according to a USA TODAY analysis of congressional records compiled by the non-partisan CQ MoneyLine.Overall, health care lobbying has increased, exceeding $422 million during the first ninth months of the year, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks money in politics. That's more than any other industry and a nearly 10% jump over the same period in 2008. The center's Dave Levinthal said the frenzy of new lobbying activity makes financial sense. "If lobbying didn't work, people wouldn't do it," he said.The vast scope of the health care legislation, which cleared a major hurdle Saturday when the Senate voted 60-39 to begin debating it, has spurred some to lobby for the first time. Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford, Conn., a 137-bed long-term care facility, decided it needed professional help after scrambling last year – aided by state lawmakers – to avoid losing Medicare payments, said Janine Epright, hospital chief financial officer."It was an eye-opener," she said of the Medicare fight. "We realized that we didn't have enough pull individually or as an industry to drive the process" in Washington. Epright said the non-profit hospital will spend about $50,000 on lobbying.Others are beefing up their lobbying presence. Language Line Services, which has spent $90,000 on federal lobbying since 2007, hired a second firm this year as it pushed to boost federal funding for medical translation services. The firm, which employs 8,000 translators, says interpreters can reduce medical errors for patients who don't speak English.The lobbyists arranged meetings between company executives and House staffers, said Marty Conroy of Language Line. The health bill passed by the House this month would require Medicaid to match up to 75% of translation costs, up from 50%.The American Beverage Association hired a fifth lobbying firm this year as it worked to kill a proposed federal excise tax on sugary drinks to help pay for the bill. The group spent $7.3 million on lobbying during a three-month period, federal records show. That included $5 million on advertising to fight the tax, spokesman Kevin Keane said.

VOP is on Twitter

Follow the Virginia Organizing Project on Twitter !

VOP working towars Restoration of Voting Rights in Virgina

The Virginia Organization Project is working hard to push Governer Kaine to sign for the Resoration of Voting Rights for felons upon complettion of the sentence begin servered.
Please help support the VOP in their efforts.


Restoration of Voting Rights for
Former Felons in Virginia

The problem:

Virginia has an estimated 300,000 former felons who cannot vote.
Virginia and Kentucky are the only two states that have this restriction.

The solution:

Former felons should have their rights automatically restored when they complete their sentence and probation. The Governor can establish this policy entirely on his own, with no permission required from the Virginia General Assembly. We need Governor Tim Kaine to sign an Executive Order to correct this injustice — before he leaves office.

ACTION NEEDED:

What you can do:

Contact Governor Tim Kaine at (804) 786-2211 or send an e-mail at http://www.governor.virginia.gov/AboutTheGovernor/contactGovernor.cfm

and ask him, “Please sign an Executive Order to restore voting rights for former felons so that their rights are automatically restored when they finish their sentence.”

Tiffany Evans blast Rihanna's "Russian Roulette" Song

Singer Tiffany Evans blast Rihanna for her new song Russian Roulette. She says the song promotes and glorifies suicide and may provoke listeners to follow through such acts. She also continues on to say that Rihanna, as well as many other mainstream music artist, is a Satanist and worships the devil. I know it probably seems a little far fetched but after you ready this article you may think twice. http://peoplemagazinedaily.com/?p=2047

Angela Davis is speaking at VSU

Can you believe it? Angela Davis, one of the legandry leaders of the Black panther Party movement, will be speaking at the Virginia State University Winter Commencement on Dec 12th. This probably one of the most anticipated graduations yet. To bad she couldn't speak at the spring commencement.

Girl gets Flu Shot and now walks backward

I cant believe this. A girl takes the flu shotand and has a crazy neerve reaction, and now she can only walk bafredhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uR5p_bD3uLc&feature=player_embedded

Designer Babies???

Have we gotten to the point that we think we are God now? Whats going on with the world? Transhumanism is the manipulation of traits to change the traits of your baby before they are born. People are you serious???? Why is everyone trying to play God? http://http://www.longevitymeme.org/topics/transhumanism.cfm
http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj_-sBNQKcQ

Gay Marriage in DC?

Never thought I would see the day but Gay marriage is on the way to legalized in D.C. You don't have to take my word, see for your self...

Obama What happened!!!!

Obama you said no more troops, now you send more then ever???? I so confused. I though this was a time for change, yet everything is repeating itself.
look for your self

Disney is a Freak!!!

I can't believe what Walt Disney has done! He has polluted the minds of children everywhere. Just watch the madness.... Disney exposed

SCHOLARSHIPS!!

College students are having a hard time finding/receive college grants and loans now more than ever. So here are some places to go to help try and receive more funding for school.
Fast Web, College Board, Annual Signet Classic Scholarship Essay Contest, Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship Program, Lowe’s Scholarship

HBCU's are under attack in Mississippi

According to MSNBC, in JACKSON, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour's plan to merge Mississippi's three historically black universities has created a tense atmosphere in a state saddled with a violent civil rights past and a decades-long legal battle over the historic underfunding of those schools.

At Jackson State University, students have turned to Twitter and Facebook to gather signatures on a petition to block the move proposed by the Republican governor. A half-dozen students attended a state College Board meeting Thursday expecting some discussion about the proposal, but there was none.

Why do the black schools have to merge? I feel like this is a cop out and the HBCU's are being used because they are an easy target. I hope these school continue to fight back before this plan is offical. Its bad enough HBCU's don't recieve as much funding as mainstream school, now you want to squeeze them all together? Who benefits from that, certainlly not the students attending these HBCU's.

Tiger may not be so great...

Golfer Tiger Woods apologized Wednesday for "transgressions" that let his family down -- the same day a gossip magazine published a report alleging he had an affair. He stated on his website, "I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves." US Weekly magazine printed a report Wednesday alleging that Woods had an affair with Jaimee Grubbs, whom it identified as a 24-year-old cocktail waitress. The magazine also published what it says is a voice mail message from Woods to Grubbs.
I don't know was going on with Tiger but I just hope this doesn't ruin another great African-American athlete.

'>check out this video

I can see your Halo!!

Yes the moon has a halo!!! If you were out last night you may have noticed a ring or "halo" around the moon. This ring around the moon is caused by high upper-level clouds called Cirrus Clouds. These clouds are made of ice crystals. These ice crystals bend the moon light shining through these ice crystals and create a ring, or halo, around the moon. There is a saying, "ring around the moon, rain comes soon," sure enough it rained today.