By Stephen Labaton
Monday, October 29, 2007

WASHINGTON: The top official for consumer product safety has asked Congress in recent days to reject legislation that would strengthen the agency that polices thousands of consumer goods, from toys to tools. (more…)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Department of Revenue is taxing jack-o’-lanterns this Halloween. The new department policy was implemented after officials decided that pumpkins are used primarily for Halloween decorations, not food, and should be taxed, said Renee Mulvey, the department’s spokeswoman.

“We made the change because we wanted the sales tax law to match what we thought the predominant use was,” Mulvey said. “We thought the predominant use was for decorations or jack-o’-lanterns.”

Previously, pumpkins had been considered an edible squash and exempted from the tax. The department ruled this year that pumpkins are taxable – with some exceptions – if they are advertised for use as jack-‘o-lanterns or decorations.

Iowans planning to eat pumpkins can still get a tax exemption if they fill out a form.

Enough is enough already! Water bottles, cigarettes, gas, electricity, water, the air we breath and now pumpkins. Well ok, we are not getting taxed on the air we breath but if they could find a way to do it we would be. Tea anyone?

(more…)

The Chamber of Commerce, which has long crusaded against the right of citizens to amend the Florida Constitution through petitioning, is now paying their professional collectors $3 per signature for their “Smart Growth” petition! The Chamber, with a huge war chest funded by St. Joe Corp, Big Sugar, Miami Corp and other major land developers, is rapidly buying their way onto the ballot!

(more…)

On the October 22 edition of his nationally syndicated radio program, host Glenn Beck stated, “I think there is a handful of people who hate America. Unfortunately for them, a lot of them are losing their homes in a forest fire today.” Beck continued: “There are a few people that hate America. But I don’t think the Democrats are those. I think there are those posing as Democrats that are like that.” Beck’s comment came as forest fires ravaged parts of Southern California, leaving one person dead, four firefighters wounded, and forcing about 1,500 people from their homes, according to The New York Times.

…and this is the guy CNN advertises as having common sense? How is it that right wing show hosts continue to bash people that have had disasters or tragedy strike them and STILL have a show?

(more…)

International Society for Infectious Diseases

Date: Sat 20 Oct 2007
Source: SciDevNet [edited]

Ebola viruses ‘capable of merging’ into new strains
——————————————————-
Scientists have discovered that a strain of Ebola virus isolated from
wild apes in the Gabon/Congo region belongs to a new lineage and is
capable of genetically merging with other strains of the virus to
create new variants. (more…)

Hey, buddy, watch who you call an ‘elector’

By HOWARD TROXLER

Did you ever hear of the famous speech given by a Florida politician where he used a lot of big words to fool the ignorant voters?

Part of the speech supposedly went:

Are you aware that (my opponent) is known all over Washington as a shameless extrovert? Not only that, but this man is reliably reported to practice nepotism with his sister-in-law, and he has a sister who was once a thespian in wicked New York.

Actually, the “speech” was a hoax and a parody. But it became a legend. (more…)

The Voice of Freedom denounces remarks made by the so-called political pundit Anne Coulter on a recent edition of CNBC’s The Big Idea, hosted by Donny Deutsch.

“Ann Coulter’s remarks that Jews needed to be perfected and America would be better off if everyone was Christian is deeply offensive and has been the language of bigots, hateful people and elitist throughout the ages.”

Ann Coulter should apologize. Further the media should stop promoting hate filled speech over and over again without confronting it. She has over the years amused herself, on major media outlets, with other anti-Jewish comments, name calling and even openly spoken of her hopes for political assassinations for “named individuals”.

It is amazing — in this day and age, in a country founded by immigrants, — that there are people like Ms. Coulter who hold to these repugnant views.

While we respect the fact that, like all Americans, she is free to have her views and far be it for us, a champion of the First Amendment, to deny her the right to say what she believes, we are shocked that she would be given “air time” to spew her bigotry on national television over and over again.

The positions she argues and the hate she spews on national television should be condemned on same.

VoF