No Spec Work - Rewarding Creativity Properly

Cancer of the mesothelium is a infrequent cancer of the tissue that lines the body’s inside organs. Nearly two thousand brand new occurrences are pinpointed each year in the whole US. Out of these, aroundthree out of four of instances affect the sac around the lungs, called the pleura. This type of cancer is called pleural mesothelioma. In about ten to 20 percent of occurrences, mesothelioma cancer might involve the tissue that surrounds abdominal organs, referred to as the peritoneal membrane, creating what is then known as peritoneal mesothelioma.

Exposure to asbestos is absolutely the main influencing factor for this rare aliment. After exposure to asbestos, the time period to development of the mesothelioma disease may be 2 to 4 decades. As a result of work related introduction, mesothelioma is almost three times more likely in males, than in females. Because the mass of cases rises with age, there are nearly ten times more instances in the men more than age 64 than in the males in their thirties.

Getting Cancer of the mesothelium is a grave sickness, that, currently, has a incredibly bad rate of long-term continuance. On the other hand, if it is recognized early on, care are then in existence that will seriously lengthen the patient’s life. All new therapies continue to be and are being developed through clinical trials.

Most people know her as former President Clinton’s Deputy Attorney General and Federal National Mortgage Association’s (Fannie Mae) vice chairman. Jamie Gorelick is also known as an active member of the 9/11 Commission (National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States). At present, she is a partner at the Washington office of the law firm WilmerHale. What most people do not know about Jamie Gorelick is the fact that she actively and passionately supports several important causes and organizations. In fact, she sits on the board of the organizations she supports.

For The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Gorelick is the chair of the Audit Commission. She is also a member of various committees of the foundation: the Budget & Compensation Committee, Nominating Committee, and the Committee on Global Security & Sustainability of the Foundation. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is an independent foundation that works to defend human rights, advance global conservation and security, ensure better and safer cities, and highlight the effects of technology on children and society.

Another worthwhile cause that Jamie Gorelick supports is that of the Urban Institute’s work of gathering important data, conducting of research and evaluating programs while educating Americans regarding important social and economic issues. She sits on the board of trustees of the institute.

Jamie Gorelick helps The Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, or WLCH, to find ways to end poverty-caused suffering. She is a member of the foundation’s board of directors.

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is another organization that is close to Jamie Gorelick’s heart. As a member of this private nonprofit organization’s board of trustees, Jamie Gorelick shares the group’s dedication to advancing cooperation between nations in order to achieve international peace.

Most of the rich and the elite few would like to have their philanthropic endeavors be trumpeted in a loud fashion, and for obvious and quite understandable reasons. But no matter how important fame and popularity are to these members of the highest caste of society, such prevalence does not affect Mr. Charles Feeny. Known as Chuck, Feeny is described as one of the world’s most generous philanthropists, and an anonymous one at that.

Feeney started from the ground up, selling liquors to sailors in the ports of Europe. He eventually founded the Duty Free Retail Stores, the world’s largest duty-free chain stores. But his fortune did not blind him to acquire the luxuries other billionaires typically have. He rides the cab or the subway train to get around. He prefers to rent apartments rather than live in a mansion. He does not even fly first-class to travel the world.

The head of Atlantic Philanthropies, Feeney has given away $4 billion since 1982, totally under the radar. But after a long time of giving without people knowing, Feeney finally surfaced and braved the uncertainty of revealing himself as a big shot giver. People may argue that Feeney feels the burden of social responsibility thrust to him. But then, he is entitled to do anything he wants with his money. It is, after all, his for the spending.

Courtney Sale Ross was interviewed by Charlie Rose.

Courtney Ross was profiled on the Forbes 400 list.

In response to what is now being called the Black Sunday riots in Lebanon, a massive turnout of people has gathered in Beirut for Tuesday, February 14, and is being widely supported across the United States. This event also launches the one-month period of remembrance for last year’s Cedar Revolution. Events which had already been planned for Tuesday’s one-year anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri have been adapted into a march for peace in Lebanon. In the U.S., three million Americans of Lebanese descent are rallying to support this small, Middle Eastern country which still has emotional ties for their families, according to Sanford Holst, chairman of the Hariri-Tueni Remembrance Committee.

The Black Sunday riots broke out on February 5 in Beirut when Muslim protesters attacked the Danish mission and a church. It brought back unwanted reminders of the civil war which ripped Lebanon apart from 1975 to 1990. The peace rally on Tuesday is seen as an antidote to these heightened tensions. It will be held in Martyrs’ Square, the same place an estimated one million people gathered last year in the now-famous Cedar Revolution.

In the U.S., urgent activities are under way to allow millions of Americans of Lebanese descent to join the Beirut proceedings by telephone or online at www.cedar-lebanon.com. Many are also joining Lebanese-American clubs across the country to continue the peace effort through the full month of remembrance which lasts until March 14.

President Bush, in pointed reference to the perceived instigator of Lebanon’s recent troubles, called for Lebanon to be “free of Syrian intimidation, free to chart its own course.” Of the 174 people arrested in the Black Sunday riots, 76 were Syrian, 38 were Lebanese, 35 were Palestinian and 25 were stateless Bedouins.

“Lebanese people in the USA and in Lebanon are upset by these events, but also hopeful that peace will prevail,” said Holst. “Historically the Lebanese have always been peaceful until outside forces provoked violence.”

Sources:

“Bush Orders Full Probe of Hariri Murder” (Reuters 1/27/06)

“Rally, Concert to Mark Anniversary of Hariri’s Murder” (Daily Star [Lebanon] 2/4/06)

“Beirut Rioters Attack Church” (Los Angeles Times 2/6/06)

“Beirut Mob Burns Danish Mission Building Over Cartoons” (New York Times 2/6/06)

“Are Extremists Fanning Cartoon Outrage?” (AP 2/9/06)

“Siniora Unites Country’s Religious Leaders” (Daily Star [Lebanon] 2/11/06)

Sanford Holst is author of the highly-regarded “Phoenicians: Lebanon’s Epic Heritage.” Active in the American Lebanese community, he is an historian, noted speaker, and author of six books on world cultures. http://www.sanfordholst.com

While the rest of the world watches, Americans will be voting on November 2 to either re-elect George Bush, or John Kerry. You can be sure that as citizens of the earth, we all have a vested interest in the outcome of this election. The most powerful nation in the history of the planet is at war with terror, and terrorist organizations. This war started in New York City, on the infamous date of September 11th, and has now gone from Afghanistan to Iraq. Iran and her peoples are especially concerned, as they are most likely the next targets of the Bush administration. Slogans like “Vote or Die” are being shouted across that nation. The nation is almost equally divided, as history threatens to repeat itself after the Bush-Gore controversy in Florida. Kerry has vowed not to let that happen again, but how could he possible prevent that from happening? And if he does becoming elected, will America, much less the World, actually become a safer place?

The main thing about Bush is, you know what you get. He is a puppet on a string. A sock with a face painted on. A nothing. A nobody. His handlers and party leaders tell him what to say, while the corporations that have bid the highest get to dictate foreign and domestic policy. But you know that, or at least you know what the outcome will be as a result of his re-election. The Americans will continue to wage war. The gap between the haves, and the have-nots will widen. Jobs will be shipped to other countries. Nothing new. The same as the last 4 years. If the Americans didn’t complain enough then, there is no reason to believe they will complain much louder at the end of another 4 years. The flip side to this is control. George Bush will maintain control of the people. Money is power for the republicans, not opinion. There is no money is losing control over your country. Should people start taking the law into their own hands, they will be punished quickly, and severely. Bush would stop anarchy from spreading.

John Kerry. Here is a man that joined the army because of his own ideals. When he came back home, and found that public sentiment was against it, he went with them. He was one of them to the point where he made a public demonstration of throwing away his army medals to make a statement. Except he still has the real ones. He put replicas on his army jacket. Fast forward to pre-9/11. Kerry voted to reduce funding to intelligence gathering, and the military. In the wake of the attacks in New York, Kerry became a Bush supporter, and followed public sentiment that more should be spent on national defense and the armed forces. Kerry backed all of Bush’s war efforts, until public sentiment turned against Bush. If Kerry is elected, he will be a West Coast style President. He will be a surfer, riding the waves of public opinion. Problem what that is, it is a proven fact that when a mass of people are confronted with a negative situation, problems arise. Problems become hysteria, and hysteria will lead to bloodshed. It is possible that in the event of another terrorist attack, John Kerry will fan the flames of public angst instead of putting them out. He will be slow to react, causing those people who would be naturally opposed to stir those who would be normally neutral.

Both Bush and Kerry are members of a secret organization known as the Skull and Bones. There have been movies about them, but at the core of those movies there is truth. This society was created to elevate its members into positions of power. Most of these men today are either in office, or executives in Fortune 500 companies. No matter who is elected, there are companies that stand to gain more than others. It will be the job of either Bush or Kerry to keep the average Joe content enough to let it happen.

About the Author

Gary Whittaker is the editor of T.E.N Magazine, a social commentary webzine with balls! Check out more articles at http://www.tenwebzine.com

Last week, I began my look ahead to the 2008 presidential campaign with the potential Republican candidates. Today, I will continue by taking a look at the potential Democratic candidates. Among them are New York Senator and former First Lady Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, Indiana Senator Evan Bayh, Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, North Carolina Senator John Edwards, Illinois Senator-elect Barack Obama, Nevada Senator Harry Reid, and Virginia Governor Mark Warner.

Hillary Clinton would seem to hav e the inside track to the Democratic nomination for 2008. However, she could be seen as a far too polarizing figure whose candidacy in the general election could bring out the evangelicals in droves for the Republicans as John Kerry’s did this year. She will probably have to moderate a bit over the next three years in order to prove that she could win a general election. If she can’t do this, the Democrats may seek a candidate with broader appeal. Right now, though, the nomination appears to be hers to lose.

After losing such a close election to George W. Bush in 2000, I believe Al Gore will make another run for the presidency. Those who would summarily dismiss him as no longer being a viable future presidential candidate are ignoring history. Richard Nixon was written off by almost everyone after losing to JFK in 1960 and then losing his California gubernatorial bid to Pat Brown in 1962. He came back six years later to win the presidency and then win re-election four years after that. However, Democrats are ostensibly less tolerant of their former losers than Republicans are. Democrats seem to be constantly looking for a fresh face. Gore would have to convince Democratic primary voters that he’s more ”electable” than their up and coming stars. That could ultimately prove to be a difficult task.

Bill Richardson served 15 years in the House of Representatives before becoming U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and subsequently Energy Secretary under Bill Clinton. Richardson is known as a moderate Democrat and is a member of that wing’s Democratic Leadership Council (DLC). Being the governor of western state could work to his advantage, although New Mexico switched from blue to red in the recent presidential election. He may take a hit politically because of that. Due to his previous ties to the Clinton Administration, he might be viewed as an acceptable alternative to Hillary, should her candidacy not catch on.

Many Democrats may see Evan Bayh as just the candidate they need in the wake of Kerry’s recent loss. He is a strong Democrat from a solidly red state, i.e., he was overwhelmingly elected to a second term as senator even as George W. Bush overwhelmingly carried his state in the presidential election (as all Republican candidates have in recent presidential elections). Bayh had previously served two terms as governor of Indiana. He is one of the leaders of the moderate Democrat movement. His father, Birch Bayh, was also a U.S. Senator and ran in the Democratic primaries for president in 1976, but was defeated by Jimmy Carter. Bayh is my dark horse pick to take the nomination. The only negative about him is that he seems to have a smirk on his face all the time and looks like he belongs on a TV show like Saturday Night Live!

In 1998, Tom Vilsack was elected Iowa’s first Democratic governor in over 30 years and was re-elected in 2002. He is one of the most well respected and influential governors in the U.S. He is one of the established, but relatively unknown, players in the Democratic Party. Vilsack may be one of the people whom Democrats will look to following Kerry’s loss. He refused to take sides prior to January’s Iowa Democratic Caucuses, although his endorsement was sought by all the leading candidates. His wife endorsed Kerry and that seemed to help propel him to victory there. As is the case with Bill Richardson in New Mexico, Vilsack might have to explain why Iowa went from blue to red in the last presidential election. Vilsack’s candidacy would render the 2008 Iowa Democratic Caucuses meaningless and place all the early emphasis on New Hampshire. A similar thing happened in 1992 when Iowa Senator Tom Harkin ran for president.

Howard Dean will likely make another run for the presidency. However, with a much stronger field, he will find the going tougher this time. Money will be even tighter as the big names will be pulling in most of it. His collections in small amounts might still work, to a certain extent. He will not be able to sneak up on anyone this time and the war in Iraq may no longer be an issue by the time 2008 rolls around. His best chance for the nomination is to play the liberal card while most everyone else will undoubtedly be playing the moderate card this time. At least that strategy might garner him enough delegates to allow him to cut a deal for the vice presidential nomination. Rumors have it that Dean is interested in taking the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee. If he does, that would preclude him from running for president or vice president in 2008.

John Edwards will face an uphill climb for the Democratic nomination. Within a couple of months, he will just be a former one-term senator, as he didn’t seek re-election this year. However, the biggest obstacle for him will be his status as a vice presidential nominee on a losing ticket. Candidates in both parties who lose in their bid for vice president, without having first won, have great difficulty getting a presidential nomination. For example, Joe Lieberman’s campaign crashed and burned after the New Hampshire Primary in January. Before this year, Sargent Shriver (in 1976) and Edmund Muskie (in 1972) were the last failed vice presidential nominees to even seek the Democratic presidential nomination and they were both rejected. On the Republican side, Bob Dole was finally able to capture his party’s nomination in 1996 after a failed bid for vice president in 1976. However, even he was turned away in his first two attempts (1980 and 1988). On the positive side for Edwards, he will have more time to campaign than most of his opponents. Only Gore, Dean, and Mark Warner might have similar amounts of free time to campaign.

Barack Obama is seen as a very promising young future star for the Democratic Party. He is a state senator who was just elected in a landslide (and that’s an understatement) to the U.S. Senate from Illinois. He was featured as the keynote speaker at the Democratic convention in Boston this summer. However, Obama is still a relatively unknown quantity and he’ll have to prove himself in the Senate. He has, by far, the least political experience of all the candidates on this list. There have been many politicians from the past with similar potentials whose careers have fizzled out before they ever really got started. Even if Obama can live up to all the hype surrounding him, he still might not be viewed as presidential timber until 2012. A vice presidential nomination in 2008 might be a better bet for him.

Harry Reid has just been elected to his fourth term in the U.S. Senate and will take over as Minority Leader from Tom Daschle, who was recently defeated. Before coming to the Senate, Reid served as Nevada’s Lieutenant Governor and served two terms in the House of Representatives. Since 1999, he has been the Assistant Democratic Leader in the Senate. Should Reid decide to run, the one advantage he’ll have over his opponents is that he’ll be acting as the official spokesman for the party on many issues and will therefore get plenty of free media exposure.

Mark Warner was elected governor of Virginia in 2001 after losing a closer than expected Senate race to John Warner five years earlier. Virginia law does not permit its governor to succeed himself, so Warner will not be allowed to run for re-election next year. Therefore, he will be able to devote himself to full-time campaigning for president, beginning in January 2006, if he so chooses. The fact that Warner is a Democratic governor in a strong red state will be a positive for him. However, even though the Republican presidential candidate has carried Virginia every time since 1968, a Democratic governor in the state is not unusual. In fact, since 1977, Virginia has elected a Democratic governor every time a Republican is in the White House. The opposite has been true when a Democrat is in the White House. If Warner is nominated by the Democrats and George Allen is nominated by the Republicans, the Mother of Presidents will be guaranteed to have produced our next Chief Executive.

Obviously, not all the candidates on the Republican list I discussed last or this week’s Democratic list will actually run for president in 2008. Chances are, only about half on each list will run. At this point, however, no one can really say with a great deal of certainty which ones they will be. In addition, some candidates whom no one is predicting right now will decide to run. At this time in 2000, who would have predicted that Howard Dean would run in 2004? Who outside of Vermont even knew who he was back then? In politics, the only thing you know for sure is that you don’t really know anything for sure. Uncertainty and unpredictability are what make politics interesting to me, but it’s still fun to try to guess things and match wits with other pundits once in a while.

Terry Mitchell is a software engineer, freelance writer, and trivia buff from Virginia, USA. He operates a website - http://www.commenterry.com - on which he posts commentaries on various subjects such as politics, technology, religion, health and well-being, personal finance, and sports. His commentaries offer a unique point of view that is not often found in meanstream media.