Willie Nelson Educates Tennessee Rep Niceley
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Willie Nelson and the famous survivor of 3-Strikes Ranch Voodoo HfH photo by Amy Nelson
Willie Nelson A Clear and Persistent Voice for the American Horse
Story by R.T. Fitch author of Straight from the Horses Heart
Equine Advocates Sing Praises for the Country Music Legends Commitment
There are many celebrities who lend their names to causes and appear to have conviction and moral fortitude but often times, when things get a little heated, they tuck their tails between their legs and run for cover. But not Willie; question his motives or make an uninformed statement and Mr. Nelson will come out swinging and thats just what he is doing over the issue of Equine Welfare.
Willie and his daughter, Amy, have been long time out-spoken, pro-horse advocates who have lobbied for the cessation of the predatory business of horse slaughter in the United States. Even though the last three horse slaughter plants were shuttered in 2007 hundreds of thousands of healthy US horses are shipped across our boarders for brutal slaughter in Mexico and Canada with their flesh destined for human consumption overseas. U.S. horse meat is now deemed unsafe for human consumption but that did not stop Tennessee Rep. Frank Niceley from sponsoring a bill to bring back the inhumane practice to the state of Tennessee this past week.
Niceley couldnt let it go at that, he went as far as to publicly blame Willie Nelson and thousands of equine advocates for the alleged starving horses across the United States.
Such bogus propaganda and disconnect from the facts is not uncommon in the world of anti-horse and slaughter mongers. Montana,Wyoming, Illinois and a few other states have been embarrassed and plagued by uneducated, misinformed, singular state Representatives who are out to make a name for themselves, on this issue, and have no regard for facts and the truth. Willie wasnt sitting down for this one.
Willie called a spade a spade and lashed back at Niceley through a statement that his daughter Amy and granddaughter Raelyn read to the Tennessee House Sub-Committee this past Wednesday.
We ride horses in America, we dont eat them. states Willie.
My friends and I supported efforts that shut down foreign-owned horse slaughterhouses in the United States, and we continue to work to pass the federal Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (HR 503/S 727), which would ban horse slaughter and prevent horses from being hauled outside of the United States for slaughter.
This must be what state Rep. Frank Niceley was referring to at a recent House Agriculture Committee meeting when he said, Willie Nelson thought it was the humane thing to do to shut down the horse processing plants. Showing compassion? Trying to end equine abuse? Yes, that is the right thing to do, and I will keep fighting for Americas horses.
Willie doesnt stop with the issue of horse slaughter, either, he has also thrown his weight behind the plight of our native Wild Horses. Two weeks ago when simultaneous March for Mustangs demonstrations were held in Washington D.C., across the nation and across the Atlantic in the UK, Willie stepped up to the plight and called on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to suspend their deadly helicopter round-ups and pause from the abusive practice until a reasonable compromise could be reached.
Im a little prejudiced when it comes to horses. I have always loved them. says Nelson.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the agency in charge of protecting wild horses, has been rounding them up at an alarming rate, supposedly for their own good. Sadly, there are more wild horses in holding pens than in the wild. Something is wrong with that, so we must act now before the BLM has managed these magnificent animals into extinction.
Willie puts his money where his mouth is; back home in Luck, Texas Willie has a herd of 68 rescued horses with about half of them saved from slaughter through the efforts Habitat for Horses. Willie currently sits on the Board of Directors of Habitat for Horses and recently adopted from HfH Voodoo the legendary Wild Horse survivor from the 3-Strikes Ranch killing fields of Jason Meduna.
I got involved 8 years ago, when I first became aware that American horses were being slaughtered and shipped overseas for human consumption. Its a shame horses or any animal be treated this way when horses are the foundation of America. Horses were a way to travel to get to where we are today, and it is our job to protect them.
For Willie, Equine Advocacy is a family affair and a way of life. Love, compassion and caring are the centerpieces of his horse sense and his tenacity and energy are a model for horse advocates across the land.
We thank you, Mr. Nelson, for being a man of your word.
Like you, we dont eat our friends, either.
Habitat for Horses Inc.
PO Box 213
Hitchcock, TX 77563
409-935-0277
Stock Wizard A Smart Blog For Smart Investors
Bank of America Corp., the biggest US lender, is scheduled to release Q12010 earnings before the opening bell on Friday, April 16, 2010. Analysts, on average, are looking for earnings of $0.08 per share in the first quarter with estimates ranging from a loss of 3 cents to a profit of 15 cents. Revenues for the quarter are estimated to be $27.63 billion. In the Q12009, Bank of America reported net income of $0.44 per share.
Bank of America Corporation, a financial holding company, provides a range of banking and nonbanking financial services and products in the United States and internationally.
In the preceding Q42009, the Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank posted wider loss of $5.2 billion, or 60 cents a share, from a loss of $2.4 billion, or 48 cents a share in the year-ago period. Revenue for the three months ended Dec. 31 rose to $25.1 billion from $15.7 billion. Breaking out $4 billion of accelerated accretion from redemption of preferred stock issued to the U.S. Treasury and other items, Bank of America lost $194 million in the fourth quarter, compared to a loss of $1.8 billion in the year-ago period. Analysts, on average, expected a loss of $0.52 per share on revenue of $26.84 billion.
The latest news concerning Bank of Americas mortgage business says the company is seeking to forgive up to 30% of principal to homeowners who owe over 120% of the value of their home. Investors took the news as a positive sign, because it could help BAC avoid even more foreclosures as wonky homeowners have taken to the custom of walking away from any mortgages where they dont stand to gain a decent return.
Meanwhile, investors will be looking to upcoming conference call for further clues on what contribution Merrill Lynch is making.
Last month, Bank of America announced that starting this summer it will eliminate overdraft fees on debit-card transactions by only authorizing transactions if a customer has enough cash in the account to cover the purchase. that could cost the bank tens of millions a year in revenue and put pressure on other banks to do the same. The company executives would detail the revenue hit they expect to take from the new policy when the company reports first-quarter earnings.
Among other developments, the bank plans to seek approval from China to expand its operations in the fast-growing country, to grow profits. The company entered China in 2004 with a branch in Shanghai and has since received approval to handle limited forms of lending and investment banking. Bank of America also holds a minority stake in China Construction Bank Corp., the second-largest bank in China.
In terms of stock performance, Bank of America shares have gained nearly 20 percent since the beginning of the year.
Full Disclosure: None.
Stock Wizard A Smart Blog For Smart Investors
Obama To Nasa: Next Stop, Mars
WATCH THIS VIDEO ABOUT OBAMA'S ADDRESS TO NASA ERICA WERNER, Associated Press
SETH BORENSTEIN,Associated Press
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- President Barack Obama predicted Thursday his new space exploration plans would lead American astronauts to Mars and back in his lifetime, a bold forecast relying on rockets and propulsion still to be imagined and built.
"I expect to be around to see it," he said of pioneering U.S. trips, first to an asteroid and then on to Mars. He spoke near the historic Kennedy Space Center launch pads that sent the first men to the moon, a blunt rejoinder to critics, including several former astronauts, who contend his planned changes will instead deal a staggering blow to the nation's manned space program.
"We want to leap into the future," not continue on the same path as before, Obama said as he sought to reassure NASA workers that America's space adventures would soar on despite the impending termination of space shuttle flights.
His prediction was reminiscent of President John F. Kennedy's declaration in 1961, "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth." That goal was fulfilled in 1969.
Obama did not predict a Mars landing soon. But he said that by 2025, the nation would have a new spacecraft "designed for long journeys to allow us to begin the first-ever crewed missions beyond the moon into deep space."
"We'll start by sending astronauts to an asteroid for the first time in history," he said. "By the mid-2030s, I believe we can send humans to orbit Mars and return them safely to Earth. And a landing on Mars will follow."
Obama said he was "100 percent committed to the mission of NASA and its future." He outlined plans for federal spending to bring more private companies into space exploration following the soon-to-end space shuttle program.
He acknowledged criticism for his drastic changes to the space agency's direction. But, he said, "The bottom line is: Nobody is more committed to manned space flight, the human exploration of space, than I am. But we've got to do it in a smart way; we can't keep doing the same old things as before."
Obama said the space program is not a luxury but a necessity for the United States.
He noted that the Kennedy Space Center has inspired the nation and the world for half a century. He said NASA represents what it means to be American -- "reaching for new heights and reaching for what's possible" -- and is not close to its final days.
Obama sought to explain why he aborted President George W. Bush's return-to-the moon plan in favor of a complicated system of public-and-private flights that would go elsewhere in space, with details still to be worked out.
"We've been there before," Obama said of the nation's moon landings decades ago. "There's a lot more of space to explore."
He said his administration would support continued manned exploration of space "not just with dollars, but with clear aims and a larger purpose."
The Obama space plan relies on private companies to fly to the space station, giving them almost $6 billion to build their own rockets and ships. It also extends the space station's life by five years and puts billions into research to eventually develop new government rocket ships for future missions to a nearby asteroid, to the moon, to Martian moons or other points in space. Those stops would be stepping stones on an eventual mission to Mars itself.
Addressing concerns of job losses to space program workers, particularly in Florida, Obama said that "despite some reports to the contrary," his plan would add more than 2,500 jobs to the Cape Canaveral region over the next two years than would the plan worked out by his predecessor.
"We'll modernize the Kennedy Space Center, creating jobs as we upgrade launch facilities. And there is potential for even more job creation as companies in Florida and across America compete to be part of a new space transportation industry.
"This holds the promise of generating more than 10,000 jobs nationwide over the next few years. Many of these jobs will be created in Florida, an area primed to lead in this competition," he said.
Among his most vocal critics has been Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon. Obama did not mention Armstrong, who did not attend the speech, but he did praise Buzz Aldrin, one of Armstrong's Apollo 11 crewmates.
Aldrin did attend the speech -- flying in with Obama on Air Force One.
Obama also said his administration would rescue a small part of the moon program: its Orion crew capsule.
But instead of taking four astronauts to the moon, the not-yet-built Orion will be slimmed down and used as an emergency escape pod for the space station.
Obama spoke in the vast launch complex's Operations and Checkout building -- the place where Orion is scheduled to be eventually prepared for launch.
The president said, "This Orion effort will be part of the technological foundation for advanced spacecraft to be used in future deep space missions. In fact, Orion will be readied for flight right here in this room."
White House science adviser John Holdren summed up Obama's program as "a faster pace in space, more missions to more destinations sooner at lower cost."
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hayley Atwell Will Be Captain America’s Girl Back Home – Cinematical
by Elisabeth Rappe Apr 14th 2010 // 5:40PM
Filed under: Action, Casting, Paramount, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek, War
Every Marvel hero needs a girl worth fighting for (or with), even if you're ostensibly fighting for Lady Liberty as Captain America is. According to Marvel Studios, Chris Evans' Cap has his in Hayley Atwell, who will be playing Peggy Carter in the now retitled Captain America: The First Avenger.
Peggy Carter isn't the most exciting character of the Marvel Universe. A Virginia-born girl who somehow managed to get to France and join the French Resistance, Cap and Peggy met while they were pursuing their mutual interest of killing Nazis. After a passionate romance, the couple was parted by war, Gestapo imprisonment, amnesia, and suspended animation. They did meet again in the 1950s, but their love didn't really survive all of those traumas. In the end, Cap really does love America more than any mortal woman. Would you really expect anything less?
Joe Johnston and Marvel say Carter's story will be "updated", so presumably she'll stay a hunter of Nazis, but won't suffer the amnesia and crippling Victorian grief that she did in the original storyline. (She may even hang on for a sequel or two, given how long these Marvel contracts run.) I think there's probably a major clue in the fact that the movie Carter is an Englishwoman, and there's no doubt she'll stay English since Marvel was circling around British actresses for the role. (Keira Knightley and Emily Blunt were both rumored to be up for the part.) Will she be a member of the Women's Land Army, or the ARP? I hope so. If you're going to set it in World War II, you better add some real history, and remind everyone war isn't always a man's game.
Do you like the Hayley Atwell choice?
