Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Teaching kids how to program

Alice

Alice is an innovative 3D programming environment that makes it easy to create an animation for telling a story, playing an interactive game, or a video to share on the web. Alice is a teaching tool for introductory computing. It uses 3D graphics and a drag-and-drop interface to facilitate a more engaging, less frustrating first programming experience.

http://www.alice.org

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Scratch

Scratch is a programming language that makes it easy to create your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art -- and share your creations on the web.

As young people create and share Scratch projects, they learn important mathematical and computational ideas, while also learning to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively.

http://scratch.mit.edu

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Stencyl (games)

http://www.stencyl.com

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Basic-256

BASIC-256 is an easy to use version of BASIC designed to teach anybody (especially middle and high-school students) the basics of computer programming.

http://www.basic256.org

http://goo.gl/vWRzD

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Squeak

http://www.squeak.org

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KTurtle

KTurtle aims to make programming as easy and touchable as possible, and therefore can be used to teach kids the basics of math, geometry and... programming.

http://edu.kde.org/kturtle/

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Little Wizard

Little Wizard is a development environment for children. It is intended to be used by primary school children to learn about the main elements of real computer languages. Using only the mouse, children can explore programming concepts such as variables, expressions, loops, conditions, and logical blocks.

http://goo.gl/hYE3D

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GvRng (Linux)

Guido van Robot Next Generation (GvRng) is a project developed by advanced high school students for use by their peers as a learning tool and precursor to the further study of programming with Python. It is a minimalistic programming language providing just enough syntax to help students learn the concepts of sequencing, conditional branching, looping and procedural abstraction.

http://goo.gl/b7OX8

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Edubuntu

Edubuntu is a grassroots movement, we aim to get Ubuntu into schools, homes and communities and make it easy for users to install and maintain their systems.

We are students, teachers, parents and hackers who believe that learning and knowledge should be available to everyone who wants to improve themselves and the world around them.

Our Goals

Our aim is to put together a system that contains all the best free software available in education and make it easy to install and maintain.

http://www.edubuntu.org

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Ubuntu

http://www.ubuntu.com

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Open source programming languages for kids
http://goo.gl/ol7Dj

Teaching Kids Programming with Free Programming Languages
http://goo.gl/F0D3X

The programming languages listed here are designed for educators to teach children how to write computer program. Like the Logo programming language, they are typically graphics-based so as to make the language attractive and relevant to kids. They are designed to teach children basic programming concepts and have some of the basic elements required in traditional programming so as to provide a means for kids to learn and become interested in programming.

http://goo.gl/Hvzhi

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General Education:

Khan Academy
http://www.khanacademy.org

MIT Opencourseware
http://ocw.mit.edu

Berkeley Webcast
http://webcast.berkeley.edu

Project Gutenberg
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin – Some Insight and an Excerpt!

Src:  http://goo.gl/6RfmR

" By Co-Author: Ken Morris

Despite being filled with regret for his own actions while serving for nearly four years under candidate and then half-governor Sarah Palin, Frank Bailey came to fear that his former boss remained a voice in American politics. In Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin, former insider and my co-author Frank Bailey said of his ideals when we first met, “I am still a Fox News Conservative.”

Frank went on to explain that Sarah Palin, despite her carefully managed image and “word salad” lip service to conservative ideals, cared little for the smaller government and social values that attracted him to her candidacy in 2005. She was (and he admits guilt in getting sucked in, and participating wholeheartedly) consumed not with governance, but with image, vindictiveness, and ultimately reaping worldly rewards.  A frequently used Palin password from before her run for governor, “Jabez”, provided a subtle clue as to her ultimate goal. From Chronicles 4:10: Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, ‘Oh that Thou would bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast [territory], and that Thine hand might be with me, and that Thou would keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me!’ And God granted him that which he requested.”

From the very beginning, Sarah had a plan that God would answer her Jabez-like prayers. And while none of us (Frank, me, and third co-author Jeanne Devon) believe God played any part, amazingly her dream for riches came true; the three of us decided that she’d have been wiser to pray for happiness.

Well documented in Blind Allegiance, Sarah came to relate to yet another Biblical figure, Queen Esther, going so far as to borrow the one-time savior of the Jewish people’s most famous line on several occasions: “If I die, I die.” In our book, we document several emails where the governor (who said repeatedly, “I hate this damn job”) marveled at how God chose her, above all others, for divine purpose.

And while Frank was blindly allegiant to a woman he once truly believed was Ronald Reagan in a dress, Sarah was no less blind in her own faith in herself. She became convinced that she had Reagan’s so-called steely spine. She swore publicly that her skin was rhino thick, even to the point of lecturing Hillary Clinton to buck up and adopt Sarah’s ability to take the heat in the political kitchen. Frank and the others who knew the backbone filleted, thin-skinned truth, choked at the words despite continuing to believe in her mission. Not everyone in this world, they rationalized, is self-aware. If this were her only fault, they could live with that.

Unfortunately, this was the least of the character flaws that made her, in Frank’s words, “…not only ill-suited to head a political party or occupy national office, but would lead to a disaster of, well, biblical proportions.”
Sarah was, at best, an Old Testament Christian (an oxymoron since Christianity began with the birth of Christ and the creation of the New Testament). And she was a revisionist at that. An eye for an eye became two eyes for an eye. Eventually she translated that into the belief that any perceived slight deserved nothing less than personal destruction......."

Continued: http://goo.gl/6RfmR

Fox News Ticker Hacked

Updated with response + hack info: http://goo.gl/znIyX

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Src: News Hounds - http://goo.gl/QOlrS

Reported by Ellen - May 31, 2011

Some resourceful protesters hacked into the Fox News ticker that displays on News Corp headquarters in New York City. The results were captured on YouTube.



Alt. video src: http://goo.gl/jDb7l

.... a hoax ? if so well played....

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UPDATED: 06-01-2011 - Response from ticker hacker - http://goo.gl/jDb7l




Fox is of course saying this didn't happen. So I will maybe post a video explaining how I did it later. "

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Original video post comment:


" Hello

Monday night I hacked into the FoxNews news ticker on 6th avenue in NYC.

Here's the video. If you'd like to know why, just read the message in the hack.

I accessed the Fox ticker basically to get your attention. Also because Fox deserves it: they're the 24/7 mouthpiece of the right wing. They are huge perpetuators of the big lie.

This country isn't broke. Question is: where is the money going?

Americans have a right to know their pockets are being fleeced by corporations and tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy and we can no longer tolerate the deceit FoxNews is perpetuating.

For the record, I am not connected to Anonymous or any of the recent attacks on the PSN, PBS, Nasdaq or So-net.

We are being lied to and you cannot stop Americans from fighting for the truth. Sorry my friend is somewhat annoyingly enthusiastic in the video but it's one of the best hacks in recent memory so cut her a break.

For those who think this is fake and that the sign can not play color. http://bit.ly/mRfOUD "


Getting the IT security word out there to the rest of the world

Src: http://goo.gl/X2OQG

Published: 2011-05-31,
Last Updated: 2011-05-31 14:15:31 UTC
by Chris Mohan (Version: 1)



Here in Australia we're in the middle of National Cyber Security Awareness Week [1], which is an Australian Government initiative to help spread the word about the security issues faced every day by those using technology.  It’s a shame I’ve only just found out about this now as I would have been letting as many people know as possible this was on and herding them to sitting in or be part of the events. The IT security community needs to get everyone, including itself, to good quality, relevant talks, presentations and debates on what’s happening in and around IT security.
I'm a firm believer that the more informed people are in what the problems and risks are facing us using technology, the better off we’ll all be. Of course the information has to be in a clear, concise and non-jargon polluted manner to be digestible to the non-technical folk to make it relevant and actionable. Having someone other than you communicate what IT security is all about and why it’s important can help push others to believing you're not some crazy person making this stuff up, because, to most, some of the cyber attacks that take place today can seem to be the stuff of sci-fi movie plots
If you don’t believe user awareness is a key defence measure, then you might be one of those charming sales folk attempting to sell me the next Big Thing to protect my company from EVERYTHING bad*. If you haven't already read Kevin Liston's recent Diary entry, Managing CVE-0 [2], take a moment and go read it. Attackers will continue to innovate on getting us humans to unknowingly bypassing technological safeguard measures the defenders have put in place, as this blog piece from Sophos lab shows [3]. 
Find good quality events to send out your management, co-workers and friends and family to learn from someone else why it’s important to understand at least the basics of IT security principles. From vendor events to talks at retirement homes or schools, match up the ability level of the talk to the attendee. Spare a though for having likeminded people in the audience as those attending in order put them to their comfort zone, so don’t send your Grandmother off to a meeting filled with CEO’s. If you can’t find event to send them to, offer them easy to understand tips on keeping safe. SANS’ tip of the day site [4] is a marvellous place to harvest tips from.
Nothing written here is earth shattering or ground breaking, but I feel a bit miffed when I miss an opportunity to get others to see for themselves why IT security has to be understood and practiced by everyone, especially if it's a free event. If events like National Cyber Security Awareness Week are coming up in your area, use whatever medium – be it social media to bits of coloured paper stuck on the wall -  to let everyone, including your fellow IT security professionals, know it's happening ahead of time. I know I won’t be the only gratefully one if you do. 
*Well, apart from all the stuff it doesn’t protect you from. You do get a soft toy, badge and pen that breaks after 20 uses included in the price. Support and maintain is extra. Yes, we told you up front. Well, it was in the fine print. On the back of the page we didn’t send you the first eight times you asked. Perhaps cyber mutant chickens ate the fax with those details then. Oh and our product doesn’t protect against those cyber mutant chickens either. That’s just silly. Our Executive deluxe add-on widget does that. It's an additional cost. When do you want sign the contract? 
Chris Mohan --- Internet Storm Center Handler on Duty - http://goo.gl/X2OQG

Monday, May 30, 2011

EFF: Twitter, Free Speech, Super-Injunctions and the Streisand Effect

Commentary by Jillian York
Co-authored by Cindy Cohn

This blog post was also published on the Index on Censorship blog.

" Despite a super injunction in place to keep his name and the story of his extra-marital affair out of the tabloids, a British footballer has found that where there’s the Internet, there’s a way...for the story to get out, that is.

Partially in response to the draconian nature of the super injunction the footballer obtained, tens of thousands of Twitter users published his name, briefly turning it—along with the name of his alleged mistress—into a Twitter trending topic, with purportedly as many as 75,000 individuals tweeting the name. The athlete—who has now been named in British media as well as in Parliament as Ryan Giggs—reportedly obtained a court order in British High Court to demand Twitter reveal the identities of users who had posted the tweets. We call this public backlash to overbroad censorship attempts the Streisand effect......" continued: http://goo.gl/kWsZL

Advances in IPv6 insecurities - Security expert Marc Heuse

Security expert Marc Heuse - an introduction to the current situation with IPv6 and the associated security problems



http://goo.gl/RWgfK

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Herman Cain - "I Don't Snuff My Own Seed"



http://goo.gl/eIDUS

Audio of a 2006 radio ad from America's PAC featuring Herman Cain, who is now considering running for President.

Doctor Who 6.7 teaser, Torchwood S04, Who at the Proms 2008....

Doctor Who 6.7: A Good Man Goes To War



http://goo.gl/yclSL

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Torchwood (season 4): Miracle Day



http://goo.gl/P6bU9

" What if we detached the head? "  [shrug] -- Captain Jack

" I'm Welsh. " [kick to the head] -- gwen

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Torchwood (season 1) trailer



S01:  http://goo.gl/hSXP3
S02:  http://goo.gl/rAjYC
S03:  http://goo.gl/Czo1L
S04:  http://goo.gl/P6bU9

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Doctor Who at the Proms - 2008 ( great live music )



* full show: http://goo.gl/sAAYp

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Doctor Who at the Proms 2010 - All 10 Regeneration Scenes



http://goo.gl/7kz9G

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Doctor Who - The Best of David Tennant



http://goo.gl/aJHOY

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http://goo.gl/xGhIm

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Doctor Who: Themes 1963 - 2010



http://goo.gl/l6mT

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The Alternative Doctor Who theme



http://goo.gl/fAUFj

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Android Apps that Make Rooting Your Phone Worth the Hassle

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The Always Up-To-Date Guide to Rooting Any Android Phone
http://goo.gl/VDuSO

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The 10 Best Android Apps that Make Rooting Your Phone Worth the Hassle

" Matthew Rogers — Android phones are spectacular little devices because they're able to so much that others simply can't, but one big snag in that greatness is that many of those best features require that the phones be rooted. Whether you plan on installing custom ROMs or not, you may want to root your phone just to use the great apps that require root access. Here are the ten most essential apps available for Android that require root.

Rooting, for those of you that don't know, means giving yourself root permissions on your phone. It's similar running programs as administrators in Windows, or running a command with sudo in Linux. With a rooted phone, you can run more apps or install custom versions of the Android operating system. Note that there's a big difference between installing a custom ROM on an Android phone and just rooting it. Custom ROMs may offer plenty of features that aren't available direct from the manufacturer, but most of them can be added to a rooted phone by simply installing the right apps. That's what we're after today.

If you haven't rooted your phone yet, but would like to know more about the process, be sure to check out our always up-to-date guide [ http://goo.gl/VDuSO ] to rooting Android phones...." continued: http://goo.gl/x2jx2

Friday, May 27, 2011

townhall.com - email joke of the week - You MUST Stock Up on Food and Supplies NOW! Here's why...

You MUST Stock Up on Food and Supplies NOW! Here's why...

Pure Silver Coin -Yours Free!

Gas and food prices skyrocketing... Decimated home values, withering 401(k)s... Massive unemployment, the devaluing dollar... Unraveling social safety net, confiscatory taxes...

Who are YOU relying on to secure your future – your financial advisor? An employer? A family member? The government? The fact is there's really no one left you can or should rely on... except yourself.

With traditional methods of protecting your wealth, your privacy, and your future all evaporating very quickly, becoming more self-reliant on all fronts – health, finances, and freedom – has never been more critical.

My new mega-manual teaches you how to embrace smart, savvy, self-reliance – to "reboot" your own personal American dream. Let me send you this giant manual NOW – while these key strategies are still legal!

Dear Fellow Savvy Individualist:

"We've never been in this unstable position in the entire currency history of 3,000 years."

This dire warning appeared in The Wall Street Journal in October. And the implications for our future are truly frightening.

Total monetary and financial collapse of the massive government debt bubble is upon us, with devastating real-world consequences for your savings, property values, investments, and other assets.

The Journal's source? Noted economist Robert Mundell of Columbia University, regarded by many as the world's top currency expert.

And he's not alone. Major players across the political spectrum are finally acknowledging the extraordinary crisis facing us. Even as establishmentarian a figure as World Bank President Robert Zoellick has recently admitted that fiat currencies may need to be tied back to gold!

I've been warning of the potential collapse of the U.S. dollar for over five years – well before Obamanomics pushed us to the brink. Now Dr. Mundell's words confirm my worst fears – you and I must find ways to protect ourselves, as our nation teeters on the edge of a disastrous financial meltdown.

My name is Lee Bellinger, founder and publisher of Independent Living, a private advisory letter for individuals who seek to become more self-reliant in these challenging and unprecedented times.

The upshot is I have budgeted to send you, with my compliments, a copy of my hot-off-the-presses, 224-page, blockbuster manual,

Independent Living's Ultimate Self Reliance Mega-Manual: 151 Practical Strategies for Thriving in a Shattered Economy

For more than three years, I have been fervently preparing this "master blueprint" for savvy, ahead-of-the-curve individualists – a mega-manual to help you survive and thrive no matter what happens in the national and global economies.

Unlike the talking heads who merely babble on about our economic woes, I've been actually doing something so that I, my friends, family, and closest associates can weather this crisis – and even come out way ahead.

In this important briefing, I'll give you some of the highlights of this mega-manual, and tell you how to secure your own personal copy of this critical information for discreet, discerning Americans who don't like being caught in the herd.

In addition to all this, I'm going to help you get up to speed fast... in three other critical areas.

First, I want you to have my detailed and valuable manual on how to stock up on food, water, and yes, fuel – a real lifesaver in case of critical shortages of these essential supplies.

Second, I want you to have my guide to cutting-edge strategies for reclaiming your privacy from snoops, corporations, and government busybodies.

And as a third bonus, I'm going to send you an actual silver coin – one-half ounce of gleaming brilliance that permanently stores value and you can hold in your hand. It's a great way to start (or add to) your holdings in precious metals.

More on these gifts later in this email. For now, suffice it to say that they are unique, extraordinary and valuable, and I'm confident you're going to like them.

This is a CODE-RED alert!

With a global fiscal crisis of unprecedented magnitude now heating up – threatening the value of your assets, your access to markets, the ability of your business or your employer to function – even the necessities of life needed for basic survival – there isn't a moment to spare. Please read this briefing carefully because I doubt there will be an opportunity to send you another one before the you-know-what hits the fan.

More than five years ago, I founded Independent Living newsletter to warn people that...

the U.S. banking system was a house of cards set to collapse (which came true);

the dollar was destined to enter a major wealth-destroying phase (coming true in spades);

we face a global debt crisis of unimaginable depth (as now clearly confirmed by Professor Mundell).

Now that reality has caught up to my predictions, few are pooh-poohing my dire warnings to get ready any more. Moreover, I have a more than a 5-year jump on the crowd in helping you respond to and prepare for these rapidly unfolding events with very tangible, practical strategies you can implement quickly and easily.

For example, gold has nearly tripled in value since I began urging my Independent Living readers to protect themselves by steering out of dollar-denominated assets. (While my favorite precious metal – silver – is up more than four fold!) And now that the dangers are beginning to become visible to the masses, you have only a short time to act on and benefit from my comprehensive plan to come out ahead.

Trust me, my friend. You need a plan to function and prosper in the dire new realities facing America. From learning how to barter in the non-regulated underground economy... to fortifying your personal, health, and financial arrangements... to not attracting the attention of cash-hungry bureaucrats and desperate government dependents, you need a comprehensive and smart pathway to greater self-reliance.

Way down deep, situationally-aware Americans like you and me have known this "perfect storm" had to come, didn't we?

Decades of unsustainable, debt-driven "prosperity" are now crashing down around our heads and Uncle Sam has no way to continue paying all the people all that they have been promised over the years.

And when this harsh truth dawns on millions of hopelessly dependent people who trust government to look after them that politicians have run out of options to fund their retirements and pay for their healthcare, all hell is going to break loose in this country, big-time.

But you still have a choice. You can profit from this situation, or be a victim of it. Throughout history no matter how bad it gets in a country, a handful of far-sighted, action-oriented people always seem to emerge unscathed, unbowed, and yes, even prosperous. My readers and I strive to be such individuals.

You Need My Plan to Survive and Thrive

This email is to invite you to join us in surviving and prospering, no matter what... and to get you up to speed fast with an incredible opportunity to acquire our new action guide for self-sufficient individuals,

It's this simple: Cancerous central government is quite literally consuming the private sector as it mushrooms in power and size – far beyond the will of either political party to control it. Kicking radical leftists out of Congress can no longer save the economy. The damage is done, and you and I are on our own... ready or not.

You see, millions who have known nothing but easy success and upward mobility now face retirement under the harsh task-master of grinding unemployment. This means fewer taxpaying worker bees to prop up Social Security and the various public and private pension plans that these retirees are relying on.

It's a double whammy for those who have jobs, who are forced to "contribute" to the unemployment fund for their jobless contemporaries, while also forking over large chunks of every paycheck to support retirees. The squeeze on the paychecks of these productive Americans is only going to get worse.

Furthermore, unlike the hardy, self-reliant Depression-era generation of the 1930s, today's jobless workers and retirees are completely unschooled for surviving the really tough times, making them all the more dependent on social programs for their support.

Learning to Prosper in a Shattered Economy Is a Must-Acquire Skill-Set

You've likely heard the phrase, "he is a survivor." Hang onto that thought for a moment – it has become important. Especially as state and federal public support programs are nearly bankrupt and tax revenues everywhere are crashing.

Millions of clueless souls raised to expect guaranteed Social Security and red-carpet Medicare from grinning politicians are in for a rude awakening – they still don't realize that Uncle Sugar can't deliver. Ominously, most know nothing but living beyond their means. And unlike any other generation, they are infected with an "entitlement mentality" – with absolutely no self-reliance skills.

That's exactly why I am writing you today...

I am going to show you everything you need to know about holding onto what's rightfully yours – the assets you've acquired and nurtured... the dreams you've built... the legitimate hopes you hold for a secure future.

The "Must-Read" Item of 2011 –Independent Living's Ultimate Self-Reliance Mega-Manual: 151 Strategies for Thriving in a Shattered Economy

Long before it dawned on most people that Uncle Sam is destitute and the once-robust U.S. job-creating engine has been hollowed out, I began work on the most exhaustive personal protection plan I've ever created for my cherished readers –Independent Living's Ultimate Self-Reliance Mega-Manual: 151 Strategies for Thriving in a Shattered Economy.

You needn't be afraid of or crushed by events. It's all about understanding what is going on around you, then taking prudent, measured steps to adapt. Adaptation is the key to survival for all life forms – including you and me!

The alternative is nothing less than becoming a serf in our bankrupt central government's desperate grabby assaults against your privacy, liberty, property, and self-autonomy.

A Dangerous Time to Be Dependent on Anyone Other Than Yourself

Let me pause for a moment to stress that your time will be very well spent with this extremely useful briefing you now hold in your hands. I've prepared it exclusively for my associates, friends, family, loyal subscribers, and a select group including yourself whom I'm inviting to join us.

Independent Living's raison d'être –Lighting Your Way to Total Personal and Financial Sovereignty

It's no accident that Independent Living is so named. From humble beginnings, Independent Living has become America's fastest growing independent financial and personal liberty publisher by delivering real-world solutions that motivated individuals can use to protect themselves from large and complex problems. It's our reason for being Рor as the French say it, our raison d'̻tre.

Helping you achieve Total Personal Sovereignty is where my unparalleled Ultimate Self-Reliance Mega-Manual shines its brightest.

Total Personal Financial Sovereignty vs. Relying on "The System"– It's a Choice You Make, and the Stakes Are Very High

No one is a bigger believer than I am in the American system and way of life. Entrepreneurship, the rewards of hard work and initiative, living the American dream – it's the stuff that makes me tick. Discovering opportunities for life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness – and sharing those findings with my precious readers – is my personal ambition and life's work.

What I don't trust is the American government, which has foolishly spent us into near oblivion, over-regulated our irreplaceable job-creating engine, and fed us a load of "bull chips" about the state of our economy.

This leaves you, me, and every one of our friends and loved ones with a critical choice to make – will we cast our lot with the millions now dependent on government to look out for them, or will we chart our own course to freedom and prosperity by seeking Total Personal Sovereignty?

I want you to have this wisdom, because it's going to help you make smart moves with your money (among other things), and because it will help you sleep like a baby at night.

Listen, what your retirement assets ultimately get for you are not things, but peace of mind and quality of life. That's my goal in serving you... to help you secure the quality of life that you and I as freedom-loving Americans ought to be able to enjoy, free from excessive government intrusion and protected from government-induced financial turmoil.

Markets will always move up and down, but it's the recklessness and heavy-handed interference of government that places you and me at the greatest risk. My mega-manual is designed to help you shield yourself from these risks to the greatest extent humanly possible.

Why You Need to Learn about Functioning in Today's Growing Underground Economy

In my Ultimate Self Reliance Mega-Manual: 151 Practical Strategies for Thriving in a Shattered Economy, I spell out in step-by-step detail...

perhaps the most essential survival skill of all – how to not only lock in but actually increase the buying-power of your retirement assets,

how to discreetly secure your future access to top-notch, U.S.-standard medicine (far beyond what Obamacare bureaucrats will ration out to you),

how to lower your personal and financial profile so you stay one step ahead of our political overlords – the army of snoops, moochers, taxers, regulators, and slick legal operators who have finally brought down the late, great U.S. economy, and would happily do the same to you personally.

And, in what I consider the most sensitive content of all, this one-of-a-kind blockbuster manual is the national go-to resource on a totally "verboten" subject.

It's something they simply don't teach anywhere else. Namely, how to magnify the value of your personal money by preparing yourself to function in what many at the pinnacles of power deride as the "underground economy."

An underground economy here in America? Yes. It already exists, and it is huge and growing. Americans are increasingly embracing private, non-monetary barter. Unfolding job-killing regulations and mandates – such as the Obamacare's sneakily included proviso which soon requires most $600+ transactions across the economy to be reported to the U.S. government – are driving commerce into the shadows.

So with confiscatory taxes set to skyrocket – and depression-level collapse of employment already here – being ready to trade and function in America's vastly expanding underground barter economy has become an absolute must.

I've worked through the barter issue carefully and know that you won't find anything resembling my practical how-to information on the topic anywhere else.

Are you ready to function and prosper in the rising underground economy? If not, you'll to want to devour the successful bartering secrets in my new Ultimate Self Reliance Mega-Manual as soon as it arrives in your mailbox.

8 top websites for bartering good and services (going way beyond Ebay and Craigslist), the private way to make a great deal – and an essential skill to develop now so you can keep functioning if the dollar crashes or the ATM network goes down.

The most timeless, most universal form money – essential to any upscale barter kit.

"Will get especially expensive. Could be an excellent investment. Will always be in demand and can be used as barter." Readily available now in most any U.S. city or town, but sure to be scarce as hen's teeth in a crisis.

"Have been used as a form of money in various underground micro-economies throughout the world," including the United States. Easily obtained, fits in your pocket, sure to be in high demand by certain population segments in times of supply chain disruptions.

"Can potentially save you real money – sometimes hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a single purchase. The secret to success is..." spelled out in my mega-manual.

4 adult education courses – available at many community colleges – offering smart opportunities to turn a hobby into survival skills and/or barterable goods and services.

You'll want to grab a yellow highlighter and some sticky notes as you read my Ultimate Self Reliance Mega-Manual , because it's not just "nice-to-know" information – it's a practical, do-it-now action guide to self-reliant living.

10 Signs America Is Becoming a Third-World Country before Our Eyes

The folks at Casey Research recently unearthed a perceptive little article titled "10 Signs the U.S. is Becoming a Third World Country." The list speaks for itself, as I have been warning my readers of all ten red flags for some time:

Rising unemployment and poverty (both are much bleaker than official reports portray, as government statisticians routinely "cook the books").

Economic dependence (debt above 90% of GDP).

Declining civil rights (Patriot Act and other privacy stealing mandates).

Increasing political corruption (not only the criminal trials and sex scandals that make for titillating headlines, but the insidious, below-the-radar payola system that corrupts government at all levels).

Military patrolling the streets (my newsletter has detailed the hush-hush training of thousands of U.S. troops for deployment in urban America).

Failing infrastructure (bridges, dams, oil and gas pipelines, power grid).

Disappearing middle class (massive, permanent loss of blue-collar jobs).

Devalued currency (the inevitable result of chronic deficit spending).

Controlling the media (the FCC, having effectively co-opted the major networks, is now eyeing talk radio controls and internet "neutrality").

Capital controls (preventing free markets and free people from correcting and disciplining the financial misdeeds of big government).

Earlier, I promised to make the time you invested in reading this briefing worth your while. Here is an example of just one major wealth-enhancing step you can take right now, as fully explained in my Ultimate Self Reliance Mega-Manual: 151 Practical Strategies for Thriving in a Shattered Economy.

Pick the "Low-Hanging Fruit" First! Save 40% on Your Groceries -- Guaranteed

I can tell you from extensive research and personal experience that doing all your food shopping at a conventional supermarket is a colossal waste of money!

Fortunately, taking decisive steps to dramatically reduce your basic food budget is an easy (and essential) first step toward smart self-reliance... and will put cash in your pocket to pay for other purchases.

With some minor adjustments in how you buy groceries, you can save as much as a whopping 40% on your personal food bills. In one section of my must-read Ultimate Self Reliance Mega-Manual, I spell out how the foods you purchase at your local supermarket are expensively over-packaged to make tiny portions appear to be bigger than they are. (Bags of snack food that are 60% air? This is just for starters in terms of how most consumers get fleeced every time they set foot in a supermarket, or worse, a convenience store.)

As with all the recommendations in my manual, I have personally implemented them. Saving BIG money on food is easier than you think if you plan ahead. Here are just a few of the steps I have personally taken, so I know this works!

Buy an energy-efficient freezer for your house for under $200!

Shop at major discount chains such as Sam's Club or Costco once a month and fill that freezer with meats and your shelves with non-perishables.

Find local restaurant outlets for even cheaper perishable meats – you and several friends can probably join, or failing that, someone you know with a restaurant can be most helpful.

"A breeding ground for dangerous food-borne bacteria, a serious risk to public health." Virtually unknown just a few years ago, this threat now infests millions of homes nationwide, thanks entirely to Big Government injecting itself into the daily affairs of Americans.

If you aren't taking these steps and MANY MORE outlined in my Ultimate Self Reliance Mega-Manual, then you are leaving big money on the table. Which of course is exactly what retail chains are counting on. Few can afford to hemorrhage this kind of cash... but many do.

One other thing: There is only enough food in the national supply chain to last for three days. Which means that an abrupt energy crisis, bio-terror attack, trucker strike, disease outbreak, or other form of mass panic could leave you without access to essential food – unless you follow my lead and plan ahead.

More on Your Finances and Your Future: Here's the VERY LATEST on the Need to Diversify Out of Dollars Now While You Still Can

My Ultimate Self Reliance Mega-Manual: 151 Practical Strategies for Thriving in a Shattered Economy tells you everything you need to know about safely and efficiently diversifying out of dollar-denominated assets.

In this must-read section, I spell out in plain, simple, and easy-to-implement language your safest and more effective options for diversifying out of the falling dollar:

How to safely and easily convert your rapidly-declining dollar assets into more stable currencies beyond the destructive reach of Obamanomics.

How to secure safe, stable investments in business-friendly, property-rights respecting, resource-rich countries – BEFORE that door is closed by U.S. regulators struggling to stem the flight of capital from our shores.

How to safely and systematically obtain and dispose of precious metals discreetly, with no government reporting.

The easiest, most practical, and typically most cost-effective way to accumulate silver.

The most recognized, easily exchanged, relatively stable currencies, including arguably the world's soundest currency. Suitable for staying liquid without being tied to the dollar.

3 alternative precious metals offering a safe haven during possible gold confiscation.

This Manual Isn't for Everyone, But It IS for You

The steps toward basic self-reliance I spelled out above are just the tip of the iceberg – I have MUCH more I want to send you with my compliments!

Let me say this again: You really don't have to become Barack Obama's ATM, or have what's yours taken away by desperate federal officials, or be caught flat-footed in the ugly aftermath when all of Uncle Sam's promises finally do fall apart under the harsh light of financial reality.

Self-reliance is an emerging MUST. As federal finances continue to unravel, millions of government dependents who are completely unequipped to stand on their own two feet (much less have savings set aside for retirement) are going to be desperate. Dangerously desperate. (In the Great Depression, almost half of the population still worked close to the land through professions like agriculture – which means they were far more capable of riding out the storm than most Americans are today.)

Under Obamanomics, It's Back to Every Man for Himself, Big-Time

While these concerns are very real, none of this need ruin you (as it will others who will be caught unaware). You can act decisively today to make yourself more self-reliant in every sphere of your life and come out way ahead.

It's all about situational awareness of what is happening around you... sound planning... and effective comprehensive implementation. That's where my Ultimate Self Reliance Mega-Manual stands apart. It doesn't stop at exposing the great risks we face; it delivers real-world solutions that are straightforward and easy to put into immediate action.

Need to sell your house in this tough market? Two features place your home in the group that's in peak demand. You'll get a better price and a faster sale.

"One of the best ways to legally reduce [or eliminate] taxes you pay to the bloated bastion of waste and corruption that is the federal government." How to get started fast.

You've heard it many times – cash is king. It goes double in times of crisis! Imagine the scenario if the banking system takes a sudden "holiday" or the ATM network crashes. In a flash, access to cash will be the new king. My manual advises precisely how many greenbacks to squirrel away (along with other, better forms of cash).

How to hedge yourself against – and potentially profit from – the rebound in fuel prices. Even larger price surges are inevitable due to chronic under-investment in global energy infrastructure.

At the end of this briefing, I will tell you how to get your FREE copy of the must-have Ultimate Self Reliance Mega-Manual I've been telling you about,and in the process, plus a steeply-discounted, completely risk-free subscription to my monthly flagship publication, Independent Living newsletter.

I know your time is valuable so let me summarize what amounts to thousands more great tips and action suggestions I want to rush you right now on how to enhance your family's self-reliance, each detailed in my Ultimate Self Reliance Mega-Manual...

Get these inexpensive solar-powered stoves, ovens, and water-purification systems now while you still can. They're great for camping and are essential in case of inevitable interruptions in normal utility service.

Make (and trade) your own healthy multi-grain bread for pennies on the dollar. It's a great family activity with these surprisingly easy-to-use technical innovations at your fingertips. Learn this skill now so you can easily fall back on it in times of crisis or shortage.

These low-cost blood tests reveal hidden information about your underlying health. This service not only evaluates your blood for signs of potential disease, it gives you a suggested vitamin regimen to fend off the illnesses to which you are most susceptible! Yet few establishment doctors or corporate healthcare entities will breathe a word to you about any of it.

Stop paying those inflated auto repair shop rates for diagnostic services. Instead, learn where to get FREE diagnostic tools and services for your car, truck, or SUV. Over 4,000 professionally staffed locations nationwide.

Two ways to use your spare time to become much more self-sufficient.

The 33 most useful words ever to appear in a government manual? Use them as your watchwords to survive any situation, evade any threat, recover from any crisis. Proven effective by U.S. combat forces.

You Need These Capabilities NOW!

The Boy Scouts are right. Preparedness is essential to survival and comfort in times of crisis. Think of my mega-manual as a Boy Scout guide for grown-ups, offering thousands of ways to "be prepared" for whatever comes down the pike.

You must take steps to get medical masks, water purification tablets, and potassium iodide pills for nuclear and biological protection right now, before these items become impossible to find. Here's how to do it!

State and federal bureaucrats are taking steps to track who is buying ammunition in the U.S. Here's how to discreetly get high-quality ammo reload kits and stay off Uncle Sam's radar screen – or trade later for big bucks if you don't own a gun!

Use the Internet to get involved in local farming co-ops. It's a great way to meet like-minded friends and have a "PLAN B" for access to food in times of national turmoil.

Why I fear my government. According to a Department of Justice internal document reviewed by Independent Living, citizens who have "instructed themselves on topics ranging from first aid to childbirth to edible plants" are to be considered potential terrorists and extremists. They are to be subjected to enhanced scrutiny by criminal investigators, who are directed "to obtain as much information as possible" about such citizens.

Or if you consider yourself a "constitutionalist," or a "Christian patriot," or if you identify with the "Patriot movement," you, too, have been named as a terror threat, per this official 120-page Department of Justice manual, last updated in 2009. Also on the potential terrorist threat list of scaredy-pants U.S. officials – vegans, proof to me that it's federal overlords who are bizarrely paranoid, not ordinary citizens sick and tired of the nanny state.

(And while our government builds its files on spooky vegetarians and scary midwives, murderous criminal gangs – heavily populated by illegal aliens – roam our cities at will and spread a reign of terror into our suburbs.)

You Won't Find This 4-1-1 Anywhere Else but in My Mega-Manual!

Do your own research! We found the insider website that healthcare professionals use to check the quality of hospitals and the care they deliver. There are often vast differences in quality of care between one hospital and another. Let me show you how to use this site to your OWN advantage!

The shocking untold story of how most "fuel-efficient" hybrid cars are overhyped, over-priced, and a lousy alternative... as compared to far more cost-effective options I spell out for you.

How pre-paid foreign currency debit cards remain one of the relatively unregulated ways you can discretely spend money here in the U.S.

12 invaluable websites every self-reliant individual should bookmark now.

Grab an old toolbox, backpack, or even a shoebox and load up with these tools, gadgets, and gizmos. Easy to do now... invaluable in time of need.

Escape Obamacare's Rationing Schemes and Death Panels

At risk of facing lung cancer under Obamacare? This herbal remedy may help fend it off. This section of my manual also tells you how to detect this deadly disease while you still have an 80% chance of survival.

7 cheap-yet-powerful infection fighters you can improvise from your pantry.

As a self-reliant person, you want to keep current with first-aid skills. See my manual for easy, practical ways to do this. Note: that Red Cross class you took oh-so-many years ago may not help much when the heat is on.

Prepare for the Looming Energy Crisis

What your electric company is hoping you never find out. Four little-known options for dramatically lowering your utility bills.

A power outage for an hour is an inconvenience; for a day, a hardship; for a week, a crisis. Two key items can help you get by longer without power.

With all domestic energy production under regulatory assault by Al Gore clones, $6-8 per gallon gasoline is inevitable. Here's how to smile all the way to the bank when Obama's anti-fossil-fuel policies crimp supply and the prices at the gas pump skyrocket.

If you ever have to hire a lawyer or need legal advice, get a copy of this "cheat sheet" reference book that attorneys quietly consult when they don't know how to resolve your issue. It will cut down on your need for lawyers!

Cash In on Obama's Energy Tax Scam

These two websites give you ALL the updated information you need to get the maximum benefit out all the new energy-saving tax breaks coming out of Washington!

An amazing new tax code change allows for a 30% renewable energy tax credit – with NO LIMIT on the total credit you can take! MUST-READ.

Most doctors won't admit it, but when you complain of symptoms, they frequently reference their Merck Manuals to identify the problem and determin a course of action. Here's how to get a layman's version of the Merck Manual just in case you have a medical issue and don't have access to a doctor. A must for the self-reliant household.

Why big companies like Coca-Cola are investing in so-called "Bloom Boxes" to supply power against the growing probability of rolling blackouts. Your house or business can get one for about $3,000, and the price is dropping fast.

PLAN B to Protect Your Finances

Before you hire an "expert" on offshore financial instruments as a means of wealth protection, make sure you visit these two ALL-FREE websites to get vital inside information without spending a dime.

How and why to set up a "weekend retreat" location, complete with total personal security and sweet tax advantages (if you do it like we show you).

Homemade wine and beer seemed like a hassle, but not anymore. Let me show you the latest breakthroughs on how you can make, drink, or even trade what you brew. Think what this skill could mean in times of crisis.

Greater Self-Reliance Made Profitable

Here's a home-grown asset protection trick even the most advanced financial "experts" don't know about: How to purchase a foreign insurance policy that gives you the same tax advantage as U.S. counterparts – with the upside of allowing you to denominate the payout in a stronger foreign currency! It's the perfect idea for the era of the declining dollar.

How and why you should spend your own money detecting health problems before they become serious. Waiting for the symptoms of a deadly illness to get serious enough for insurance to "kick in" is a fatal mistake that has killed millions!

Personal Defense Tactics 101

Four steps you need to take now to side-step a pending new bill, the Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act. Get this done before the gun-grabbers make this bill a law!

Everything you need to know about non-lethal home defenses, including Tasers, pepper spray, stun devices, and other key devices to make your home (and its occupants) much safer.

Cigarettes are bad for you, yes – but they are great for trading in the underground economy now that state and even local governments are taxing them to dizzying heights. Here's how to buy high-quality tobacco on the cheap and the machine you need to roll an unlimited number of authentic looking and tasting filtered cigarettes for trade or use.

Home Security Tips: The Brilliant Home Decoy Safe – WOW!

How to set up a decoy safe in your house that will fool even the most experienced criminals.

Your first line of defense against burglary or home invasion. Often the mere presence of such a device will keep a burglar from even trying to get into your home and instead, find an easier mark down the street.

"Quick fix" that makes any door more secure. Can be done in minutes by most homeowners and costs only pennies.

Burglars' entry tool of choice is no longer a crowbar, but a cordless drill with a hardened drill bit. Defeat this tactic with one call to a locksmith (or if you're handy, one trip to the home improvement store).

An innocent knothole in your privacy fence can quite literally turn into a loophole for police who want to enter your property. The manual describes fence specifications that keep both prying eyes and unwanted visitors out.

Where to store your valuables and barterables so burglars won't find them. Whether you go for an actual safe or one of my sneaky "secret hiding places," my manual will help assure that you and only you have access to the items you've stashed away for use in an emergency.

Worst hiding place for valuables: the master bedroom. Burglars ransack them first! Outsmart common thieves by hiding valuables "in plain sight"... see the clever tips in the manual.

Escape the incompetent clutches of Obamacare! Save big bucks on dental and health procedures by knowing which advanced countries now offer first-class, U.S. rated hospitals and other medical facilities.

Where to find the very best "fill-in-the-blanks" pre-fab legal agreements, simple wills, and other legal documents. They'll save you a TON of money!

The uncrashable Internet? Take these precautions so your business can still function in the event of a massive crash in the Internet. This section of my manual can help your company operate, survive, and prosper if Obama uses his executive power to take control of the Internet or if the World Wide Web crashes for any reason.

Free Legal Assistance CAN Work!

Under attack by a federal bureaucrat, regulator, or the IRS? Here are the VERY BEST free legal assistance agencies out there!

A lawyer can be your best friend and advocate... or your worst nightmare. Learn what to do when you need good legal help, as well as how to handle matters yourself (and save a pile of money in the process) when possible.

Lawyers' "little black book of secrets." I'll give you the title plus the website where you can buy it. For roughly the cost of one hour of an attorney's time, you'll get answers to thousands of legal questions anytime you need them.

Perhaps the web's best resource for legal self-help. Has info on nearly every aspect of law, and articles are written in plain English, not legalese!

How to take hucksters, shysters, and con artists to court – to exact a pound of flesh, or to be made whole after you've been taken to the cleaners.

4 unorthodox – but oh, so effective – ways to "persuade" a contractor or local business to either make good on a promise, or make restitution pronto.

Hasty statements put innocent men behind bars. Use the manual to think through any potential future encounters with law enforcement. Very frequently it's not a person's actions that convict him, but his words.

Smart alternatives to litigation. Stellar results, less heartburn, lower cost.

The 11 most dangerous myths about offshore financial dealings and how to hedge your risks.

Thousands More Tips and Secrets They Never Tell You About in the Mainstream Media

The federal government has a $10,000 threshold for transactions between financial accounts using certain monetary instruments. Here's what ISN'T reported!

Get it now! The soon-to-be-outlawed home DNA test kit that reveals genetic markers that signal cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's.

Don't let anyone tell you that speeding and parking fines aren't a big deal for state and local agencies. The city of Seattle (pop. 617,000) hauls in $21.5 million a year from parking tickets alone! My manual explains what to do if you are pulled over, ticketed, or dragged into traffic court – and how to charm your way out of fines, points, and convictions.

Buy a water cooler and take water as a "business expense." You need a minimum 3-week supply of drinkable water in your house at ALL times!

How to make your own antibiotics in the privacy of your home.

Where to obtain the little-known natural protein DMG (dimethylglycine) which has strong potential to help you survive an anthrax or other biological attack.

How deactivated old cell phones can easily be converted to serve as an emergency call beacon for members of your family.

Why getting an insurance umbrella policy equal to or greater than your net worth can save you from disastrous, wealth-destroying lawsuits.

The importance of 12-volt chargers and 110-volt converters so you can recharge computers, flashlights, and other essentials using the cigarette lighter in your car. Here's where to get reliable high-quality stuff you need.

You Can – and MUST – Attain Greater Medical Self-Reliance

In over 50% of heart disease cases, the first "symptom" is sudden death! These low-cost screening services go far beyond the cookie-cutter, insurance-approved tests your doctor normally does during your annual physical. Learn your true risk of stroke, heart disease, and arterial blockage.

Getting screwed by a corporation or small business? Here's how to sue them without you having to hire an attorney, but in such a way that it forces them to bear the cost of hiring one. A great pressure tactic to getting the justice you want and deserve.

And scores of other great tips, suggestions, and strategies I don't have room to spell out here!

To sum it all up, you really did get this Confidential Briefing just in the nick of time. Please do not lose it or put it aside.

My Ultimate Self Reliance Mega-Manual gives you everything you need to reclaim your autonomy, safeguard and build what's yours, make provisions for first-rate medical care, and a thousand other smart, savvy steps to protect yourself and prosper.

This manual offers insights insight found nowhere else.

Were I to make this confidential, highly-specialized manual on asserting your self-reliance available to the general public, the price would be $199 or higher. That price falls within the range for many specialty investment reports and financial newsletters. But in the interest of getting the word out to right-thinking Americans (like you) who see the trouble ahead and want to do something to prepare themselves – I've arranged a far better deal.

You see, I want to send you a copy of my Ultimate Self Reliance Mega-Manual with my compliments just for trying a totally risk-free, steeply-reduced, trial subscription to my monthly intelligence advisory Independent Living for a very good reason.

A Windfall of Valuable, Actionable Intelligence

Independent Living has become the nation's fastest-growing and largest monthly financial and self-reliance advisory that smart investors, savvy taxpayers, and health-conscious Americans are increasingly turning to as an alternative to the tell-no-truth mainstream media.

Independent Living is about smart, ahead-of-the-curve planning. Using the system to your advantage. Protecting your assets. Reducing your profile. Being clued in to the best medical care and most exciting breakthroughs the public won't learn about for years. Getting the most out of your tax planner. Living the highest possible quality of life nearing and in retirement.

Independent Living exists to help our readers attain the most from life! Our sole mission: to strengthen and protect your health, finances, security, privacy, and prosperity especially in this rapidly-changing economy and challenging legal, regulatory, and tax environment.

Why should you consider Independent Living? Quite frankly, the powerful combination of our unique perspective and our tenacious pursuit of powerful yet little-publicized information has resulted in a windfall of valuable, actionable intelligence for our readers –

It wasn't necessarily what readers wanted to hear, but in 2006, while most homeowners were in a state of denial over the housing bubble, Independent Living suggested that anyone who had a home for sale promptly offer a steep discount before the market demanded even lower prices. In short order, home values plunged 29% nationwide according to Standard & Poor's.

While the Wall Street/Washington-beholden media were still touting a strong economy in '07, Independent Living warned we were entering a recession (as the feds finally admitted a year later).

When most experts saw crude oil as overpriced at $50, Independent Living called $100+ oil "inevitable."

Then as crude surged toward $145 in spring '08, Independent Living warned prices could fall back below $80 as the economic contraction intensified.

Independent Living warned readers that even after the initial plunge of REITs in summer '07, they were still grossly overvalued. REIT values have fallen by half in the ensuing 24 months.

We urged subscribers to avoid the U.S. financial sector before the floor fell out. Long before the collapses of Bear Stearns, Countrywide Financial, and Indymac, Independent Living specifically warned that the banking system was a house of cards and led readers to get out of the riskiest banks and brokerages (which we specifically named... well in advance of their collapse).

While investors fled out of risky assets and into the "safety" of U.S. Treasuries, we said investors were merely blowing up a new bubble that was about to burst. In the first half of 2009, the Treasury market took its worst hit since 1994. Instead of taking losses, Independent Living readers were clearly directed to specialty "inverse" instruments that yielded profits of 30-50%.

While a panicky Wall Street (along with a slew of investment newsletters) told people to sell stocks at the very bottom of the crash, Independent Living readers were urged in early 2009 to snap up mining stocks, gold, silver, energy, and other prime assets that had been thrown out with the bathwater. Most of the sectors we picked are up well over 100% in less than 2 years!

It's no accident that Independent Living newsletter got all these game-changing stories right!

Why did Independent Living get the biggest financial stories of our lifetime right – when so many other pundits and prognosticators completely missed the boat?

No, we don't have a crystal ball, and we're not so headstrong as to believe that we're necessarily smarter than anyone else. I believe it comes down to two things.

Number one, we are truly independent. We aren't "bought" by advertisers or tied to the fortunes of giant corporations. We aren't allied with any political party or movement. Currying favor with media elites, high-ranking government officials, or Hollywood's rich and famous is of zero interest to us.

Instead, our business model – and our loyalties – revolve around one thing and one thing only: our readers. Independent Living exists to serve YOU. We are beholden to no one else. Period, end of story.

There is a second factor that sets us apart, and it's closely related to the first. We do our research differently from and better than any other financial and personal advisory service. It's simply part of our commitment to you – to back up everything we say with unassailable facts and disciplined analysis. Plus, we have a different point of view about research.

You see, research is no longer just about reviewing historical data and trying to plot the next point on the graph. We live in truly unprecedented times – and crunching numbers and plotting charts is no longer sufficient.

So Independent Living's research looks at emerging social trends... at the shifting targets of government regulators... at the subtle changes of various market sectors relative to one another, relative to government policies, and relative to investor expectations. It's this unique approach to research that yields the valuable insights and spot-on predictions our readers have come to look forward to and rely upon every month.

Events Are Unfolding At Lightning Speed... Lock in This Great Offer Now!

No sane person would drive a car at night without headlights. To navigate the road – and to navigate life in these tricky times –you need to see every twist, turn, and obstacle ahead. That's just what Independent Living's Ultimate Self-Reliance Mega-Manual: 151 Practical Strategies for Thriving in a Shattered Economy will do – help you see what's ahead and prepare accordingly. Without it, you're simply operating in the dark.

Remember with your trial subscription to Independent Living, you get a FREE copy of my must-read mega-manual. Even better, subscription to Independent Living for one year (12 issues) costs a mere $49 – that's $90 off the regular rate or a savings of more than 60%!

But because I think you can profit from the information I've dug out, I want to offer you my very best deal:

Get a trial subscription to Independent Living for two years (24 information-packed issues) for a steeply discounted $79 ($199 off – a whopping savings of 72%!) and along with the Ultimate Self Reliance Mega-Manual, you ALSO get TWO FREE bonus reports and a FREE one-half ounce pure silver coin:

Free Valuable Report #1: SMART HOARDING 101: Do It Right and Save Big Money by Stocking Up on Food, Water, and Yes, Fuel

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Extra FREE BONUS: A gorgeous and valuable half-ounce uncirculated PURE SILVER COIN minted in the USA

You should understand I and my staff spent five years researching the Ultimate Self Reliance Mega-Manual for my own education and planning purposes – and for my friends, family, and my cherished subscribers. That's how I know the contents of this blockbuster manual are vitally important and will stand you in good stead in the ongoing collapse of the U.S. economy and unsustainable government spending programs.

This manual will position you to be better off than 99% of the American people. This I promise.

My Personal Full One-Year Promise of Complete Satisfaction: I'll Pay YOU if You Decide to Cancel for Any Reason!

My blockbuster Ultimate Self-Reliance Mega-Manual and the trial subscription come with a full assurance. If for any reason during the next year you don't think Independent Living is right for you, you can cancel your subscription, and I'll pay you $79 (or $49 if you took my one-year offer) for the time and trouble you took to check out my newsletter.

Not only that – I'll let you keep every issue and every report with my compliments. Obviously I'd go broke making this kind of offer – UNLESS I backed it up with the most reliable, most practical, most valuable information on the planet... which is exactly what I intend to do!

So you have everything to gain and nothing to lose. You'll get this blockbuster manual plus two must-read reports, a valuable pure silver coin, and a risk-free subscription. But you must act now.

With my iron-clad promise of full satisfaction, you take absolutely no risk. You have everything to gain by getting my Ultimate Self Reliance Mega-Manual, while the strategies it offers are STILL legal.

Order now – the U.S. economy is continuing to collapse. And with it, our freedoms and the American Dream.

Making prudent, measured preparations to function and prosper in this environment is a must. Don't wait for events to overwhelm your life. Become a survivor by acting now. This is one of the few remaining paths left open to true personal prosperity.

Yours in Freedom and Prosperity,

Lee Bellinger, Publisher, Independent Living

P.S. Time is running out to prepare. My very best offer is as follows:

Enter a fully assured, trial subscription to Independent Living for two years for only $79 (24 information-packed issues for $199 off the regular price – savings of 72%!). In addition to sending you my Ultimate Self Reliance Mega-Manual: 151 Practical Strategies for Thriving in a Shattered Economy, you ALSO get two GREAT FREE BONUS reports and a PURE SILVER COIN, just for giving Independent Living a try!

Free Valuable Report #1: SMART HOARDING 101: Do It Right and Save Big Money by Stocking Up on Food, Water, and Yes, Fuel

Free Valuable Report #2: 21 Cutting-Edge Strategies for Reclaiming Your Privacy from Snoops, Corporations, and Newly-Unleashed Government Busybodies

Extra FREE BONUS: A gorgeous and valuable half-ounce uncirculated PURE SILVER COIN minted in the USA

P.P.S. On a budget? Try Independent Living for one-year (12 information-packed issues) for a mere $49 ($90 less than the regular price!). I'll rush you Ultimate Self Reliance Mega-Manual: 151 Practical Strategies for Thriving in a Shattered Economy. Satisfaction guaranteed.

Please don't waste a moment. You absolutely need to protect yourself from the debasement of the dollar and take defensive steps to come out ahead of 99% of the American people.

To order, simply click one of the buttons below, or through my office's toll-free Customer Service line, 24 hours a day – 1-877-371-1807. If you order by phone, refer to the code LILUSR11001.

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Let's Blame the Jews - video and transcript from Pat Condell



Transcript: http://goo.gl/IMy0J

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Install Boxee - Ubuntu Natty 11.04

Natty release should be out soon, until then:

[1]
Download Ubuntu .deb from: http://www.boxee.tv/download

[2]
Open Terminal in the download dir

[3]
sudo dpkg-deb -x boxee-REV-version-HERE.modfied.deb boxee

( current build as of this post: boxee-0.9.22.13692.i486.modfied.deb )

[4]
sudo dpkg-deb --control boxee-REV-version-HERE.modfied.deb boxee/DEBIAN

[5]
sudo nano boxee/DEBIAN/control

[6]
Locate:    libxmlrpc-c3

[7]
Change to [append -0]:    libxmlrpc-c3-0

Save changes and exit nano ( any txt editor can be used )

[8]
sudo dpkg -b boxee boxee-MY-WORKING-PKG.deb

( "boxee-MY-WORKING-PKG" can be named anything you like followed by ".deb" )

[9]
sudo apt-get update

[10]
sudo dpkg -i boxee-MY-WORKING-PKG.deb

( this will produce dep. errors )

[11]
sudo apt-get -f install

( this will fix the broken deps )

....

[12] Optional

sudo aptitude safe-upgrade -y
sudo apt-get clean
sudo apt-get autoclean

sudo chown -R yourUSERname:YOURuserNAME /home/yourUSERnameHERE

example: sudo chown -R comgen:comgen /home/comgen

Monday, May 23, 2011

De-brick a Xoom :-) or unroot for 3.1 update - brought to you by the words..

....

Tonights blog post is brought to you by the words:

Brick

Fu*k

WooHoo

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Alt. instructions: Android Central http://goo.gl/hiCVk

Original Root Steps - XDA Dev. (do not perform until this is updated for 3.1)
http://goo.gl/qtN94

Alt. Rooting - 3.1 (search XDA Dev)
http://goo.gl/Zoj5d

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Note:

have device connected to AC charger while performing the following tasks.

I assume if you are reading this you already know how to root the Xoom [devices] and have the required OS flash utilities, etc on hand.

You will loose ALL data on the device, backup first if you still can !

This will reset to the factory (shipped OS version)

Android 3.1 update will download and prompt for install once the device is reset and rebooted

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I will be posting 3.1 root instructions later, once I have time to review the src code, any restrictions (google/android devs) and have time to research alt solutions.

* Updated: 2:35 am May 24 2011: Several 3.1 Rooting solutions added (scroll to the end)

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IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER

ONLY YOU and YOU alone are responsible for any damage, further damage or completely bricking the device beyond (easy) repair. I have performed the following steps on the Xoom WiFi only US device, with ease and success several times. If you are unsure, please visit the manufacturer site ( http://goo.gl/ktL3 ) and/or search google ( http://goo.gl/TI0Pz  http://goo.gl/udcEE )

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[1]
Download stock OS from MotoDev website. (3g or wifi only img's)
http://developer.motorola.com/products

[2]
Extract into the folder with fastboot on your PC ( *.img files )

For example:

FOLDER: c:\xoom   (or SDK folder, depending on how you rooted)
    - fastboot.exe
    - adb.exe
        - boot.img
        - system.img
        - recovery.img
        - userdata.img

[3]
Plug in device via micro usb to the PC ( with adb and fastboot installed )

Note: Enable USB debug mode: Settings - Applications - Development - USB Debugging [ debug mode ] ON

[4]
Press at the same time: POWER BUTTON and the DOWN VOL to enter fastboot on the Xoom

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[5]
With the img's in the same path as fastboot (fastboot.exe win32)

Open command prompt (fastboot dir)

Type each of the following commands on the PC and follow instructions.

....

Skip, if you are not prompted to UNLOCK

fastboot oem unlock

(if it happens to be locked)

DOWN Vol to select YES - ACCEPT terms, UP Vol to CONTINUE/OK

....

[6]
fastboot flash boot boot.img

[7]
fastboot flash system system.img

[8]
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img

[9]
fastboot flash userdata userdata.img

[10]
fastboot erase cache

[11]
fastboot oem lock

DOWN Vol to select YES - ACCEPT terms, UP Vol to CONTINUE/OK

....

Device will reboot

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If you know how to reach me online I'll be happy to answer any questions.

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Rooting a Xoom - Updated: 2:35 am May 24 2011

3.1 Rooting Forum: http://goo.gl/P1CFj

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How to Root Motorola Xoom on Honeycomb 3.1 version - Tutorial
http://goo.gl/aFY17

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[GUIDE] How To Root Stock 3.1 Xoom and More! [3G] [Updated 5/20]
http://goo.gl/kdb72

[GUIDE] [WIFI ONLY] How to Root the Xoom from Stock 3.1
http://goo.gl/tk36y

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Update your Rooted Xoom to 3.1 Without Losing Root (3G or WiFi)

Video (easy to follow instruction): http://goo.gl/9UUtu

Main Article: http://goo.gl/gMaWR

Sunday, May 22, 2011

End of the World Prediction Fails

44 failed and 1 ambiguous end-of-the-world - predictions that were to occur between 30 - 1920 CE

http://goo.gl/tBrfe

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The 12 Greatest End of the World Prophecy FAILs

http://goo.gl/9881p

A few highlights:

Televangelist Pat Robertson Says God Told Him World Would End in 1982

"....Robertson, of course, had no reasoning behind this other than he felt the Lord told him it was going to happen and was 100% wrong. He said “times will be terribly hard, but we will survive.” Maybe he was just talking about Olivia Newton John's "Physical" being the #1 hit in America in 1982, and hey, in that respect, he was right.

In 2006 he predicted a tsunami would hit America.

In 2008 God told him it would be a year of worldwide violence (pretty general there) and a recession would hit America before the stock market crashed in 2010 (it had hit by 2007).

Robertson has called Hinduism "demonic" and Islam "Satanic" and has denounced homosexuality, abortion, feminists, and pagans, holding them responsible for 9/11. After Hurricane Katrina hit, Robertson said it was God's punishment for America's abortion policy. When the 2010 Haiti earthquake hit, Robertson said the Haitians had formed a pact with the Devil to liberate themselves from the French and the earthquake was a product of their curse....."

Continued: http://goo.gl/9881p

"....When amateur astronomist Chuck Shramek took a fuzzy CCD image of the comet Hale-Bopp, which was set to reappear in 1997, he mistakenly observed that a Saturn-like object was trailing behind it. The observation reached message boards on the early, pre-YouTube Internet and spread, making UFO enthusiasts predict that an alien spacecraft was trailing the comet.

The closeness of the comet's appearance to the new millennium led religious cults like Heaven's Gate to see it as a sign of the apocalypse.

39 people in the cult committed mass suicide in California because they believed the UFO disguising itself through the comet was there to rescue them from a doomed Earth. How they thought killing themselves would help them get on the UFO makes no sense. Other cults who thought themselves to be creatures from other planets were waiting for the UFO to take them back home and end their "visit" on Earth....."

Continued: http://goo.gl/9881p

"....Instead of getting ready to party hard to celebrate the privilege of welcoming a new millennium, theories that computers would shut down completely when they reached 00 due to the use of two digits for years (97,98,00) raised panic throughout the world.

People bought gas-powered generators in case of massive power outages and stocked up on canned food and water because they were convinced that without computers running companies could not operate and the world would fall into chaos. In a Time article about Y2k that was written in 1998, the Eckhart family was featured as they prepared for the disaster. They loaded up on weapons (handguns, shotguns and rifles) in case any of the "unprepared" ones came onto their property after the New Year hit and Mrs. Eckhart made sure to learn some dentistry and medicine in case of emergencies......."

Continued: http://goo.gl/9881p

"...."The True Way" (Chen Tao) was a cult started by a Taiwanese national named Hon-Ming Chen who was originally an atheist and a professor. The movement was a mix of Buddhism, Taoism and UFOlogy. Three things that obviously fit together.

Chen believed the Universe was 4.5 trillion years old and had been created by a nuclear war. He also believed there had been five tribulations in the past which were survived by UFOs rescuing Earth's inhabitants each time.

Chen predicted that God would appear on cable television in North America at midnight on March 31, 1998, regardless of whether you subscribed to cable or not. After announcing his return, he would land on Earth in his spacecraft. To prepare for God's arrival, "The True Way's" 140 members moved to Garland, Texas because it sounded like "God Land," bought twenty homes and started wearing cowboy hats......"

Continued: http://goo.gl/9881p

".....The Large Hadron Collider that stretches 27 km between France and Switzerland is the largest particle accelerator ever built and was set to be turned on on September 10, 2008 to recreate the Big Bang.

It was built by Cern, the European Organization for Nuclear Research and cost 5 billion pounds (or almost 10 billion American dollars), which was paid for by 20 different countries.

The hadron particles within the accelerator would be crashed into each other at a speed almost as great as the speed of light in an area a billion times smaller than a speck of dust....."

Continued: http://goo.gl/9881p

"....The Mystical Nativity was the only painting Botticelli signed and with it wrote an inscription that said:

"This picture, at the end of the year 1500, in the troubles of Italy, I Alessandro painted. In the half time after the time, during the fulfillment of the eleventh chapter of St. John in the second woe of the apocalypse."


Botticelli was convinced that he was living in the times of the Tribulation (the pre-apocalyptic period described in the Bible during which the untrue would suffer great disasters) because a fanatical preacher named Savonarola had arrived in Florence in 1490......"

Continued: http://goo.gl/9881p

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Congratulations Matteo Lopez - winner of the Doodle 4 Google contest

Matteo Lopez, a local second grader, won the Doodle 4 Google contest and traveled to New York City to accept his prize.


Seven-year-old Matteo Lopez of South San Francisco is spending the weekend in the Big Apple, courtesy of Google and his budding artistic skills....continued: http://goo.gl/OBTdl

Friday, May 20, 2011

UPDATED 2:36 am EST - It's The End Of The World - R.E.M.

UPDATED - UPDATED 2:26 am May 24 2011 - the "NEW" end of the world will happen Oct 21 2011...so says Camping: http://goo.gl/oZm27  http://goo.gl/5YFGI

"Family Radio would never tell anyone what they should do with their belongings, and those who had fewer would cope, Camping said."


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New Zealand was the first time zone to reach Judgment Day.............hmmmmmm

Judgment Day - Current local time in New Zealand

worldtimeserver.com — 6:28 PM Saturday, May 21, 2011

Standard Time +1200 UTC

Thursday, May 19, 2011

The Cheater's Guide to Winning Online Arguments

"Let's say you're having a conversation with some guy in a chat room. You're talking about something totally innocuous, like let's say, your favorite homemade enema recipes. But throughout this entire conversation, you've got no way of knowing whether you're talking to some old dude in a basement or a Tibetan monk or a room of third graders learning computer skills. This is just basic Internet anonymity, and we're usually pretty comfortable with it. And indeed, about 95 percent of the Internet hinges upon it. But what if you're talking with someone you already know, who's hiding their identity? That feels a little weird, doesn't it? Is this person using a second persona -- called a sock puppet -- to further some secret agenda of theirs? There's something a bit seedy about that. It's an act we're much less likely to condone.

"Wait," I hear you saying. "I have agendas! And I don't have any sock puppets at all! Help me Bucholz! Please, help show me what sock puppets can be used for, and also, if you can, please use this staged dialog to segue neatly into the body of your column."

Well. All right. Since you asked so nicely ..." ...continued: http://goo.gl/bTCtJ

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Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Quickly Put: brief reply to "Writer's archive. Involuntary toxin purge, Coop, and the forest of thoughts. " quirkopatra.blogspot.com

Updated (06-30-2011):
quirkopatra - quirky - 06-30-2011
http://comgen.blogspot.com/2011/06/quirkopatra-quirky-06-30-2011.html

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Note: I apologize in advance for the mangling of English grammar, I'm not very good at writing :-)

....

First, Hi ! :-) quirko

Blog post (quirkopatra): http://goo.gl/7DekR

Blog post (comgen): http://goo.gl/Cthll

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"....There seems to be a rise in anti-Christian vehemence in the country.  Let's consider.  Seventy percent (conservatively) of Americans consider themselves Christian.  If you are one of those with the notion that a Christian nation is bad, do an experiment for me.  Go to the mall.  Now, consider that seven of ten people you encounter are Christians.  Does it oppress you?  Do you feel a sense of menace?  Do you think seven of ten people you encounter can't be trusted to do the right thing?.... " -- quirkopatra.blogspot.com

....

Forced false labeling of my person is offensive to say the least, though I tend to be soft on such issues, more tolerant than most atheist. For example: I have been known to pray with my employees, friends, co-workers and family [ out of respect, not my belief in or non belief ], I volunteer and donate to certain churches and/or similar organizations that help/assist the needy and not just themselves.

To label the USA as an Christian nation would go against one of the core reasons we came here in the first place: to break away from the tyranny and forced religion of the Church of England....thus "Freedom of Religion".

....

"...Seventy percent (conservatively) of Americans consider themselves Christian....." -- quirkopatra.blogspot.com

If you are including: all Christian based religions - [Catholicism, Islam, Judaism, Protestantism, Lutheranism, Methodism, Presbyterianism, Modern Protestantism, ALL Abrahamic based religions, etc...] under this label then I would agree, this "core" belief does have an large following.

The mall experiment I would argue under other conditions, however, I understand the point [loosely] you were making. But DO NOT let numbers rule the land - we are a nation of freedom.

Now, when there is one universal religion, agreed on by all mankind [I repeat this often...sorry], one set of rules to follow or in other words "ONE GOD", a proven god [ having faith in the idea does not cut it] then and only then would I personally reconsider. Until then, there are way too many religions, beliefs, non beliefs, there is no PROOF at all for example the bible was written by god, through others or what not, there has been no modern reinforcement of the bible by god himself [or deity of choice]. Since the invention of the world religions, books [bibles] have been re-written, edited, adjustments made, many interpretations, etc, spanning thousands of years..........its difficult not to overlook the probability of error, manipulation by "mankind" in order to serve some selfish need, goal and/or objective [good or bad].

....

Dubya at his best:

"America rejects bigotry. We reject every act of hatred against people of Arab background or Muslim faith America values and welcomes peaceful people of all faiths -- Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu and many others. Every faith is practiced and protected here, because we are one country. Every immigrant can be fully and equally American because we're one country. Race and color should not divide us, because America is one country." -- President George W. Bush Promotes Compassionate Conservatism - Parkside Hall, San Jose, California
April 30, 2002

"We're taking action against evil people. Because this great nation of many religions understands, our war is not against Islam, or against faith practiced by the Muslim people. Our war is a war against evil. This is clearly a case of good versus evil, and make no mistake about it -- good will prevail." -- George W. Bush - Ontario Convention Center, Ontario, California January 5, 2002

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If we are to become an Christian labeled nation, what type ? Fundamentalist ? Creationism based ? there are many flavors of the Bible and many denominations that branch out in many directions, so are we going to be strict literal bible Christians or more open minded Christians, lean more toward Evangelical or toward Southern Baptist beliefs....? are we new or old testament ? King James bible ? Jewish or Muslim [both Christian-Abrahamic based] ? are we going to be warrior pope based ? are we going to be crusades based ? are we going to move past our borders and force label the world "Christian" ?

The question here is: What type of Christian nation are we going to be ?

LOL: Gatorade and modern religion have much in common [btw, I'm at the store..]

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Let me [metaphorically] bend to your god.

god gave us a mind: to thinking for ourselves, to learn, to evolve in our knowledge of how things work or don't work, to achieve great things, to survive...

god gave use arms and legs: to walk and run in any direction we choose, to feed ourselves, to hold our loved ones, to keep those that may harm us at bay.....

god gave us eyes, ears and a mouth: to view the world around us in our own perspective, to hear the good and the bad, to communicate, to voice our own opinions, to hear the cries of help and the cries of joy......

god gave us free will: to pick our own path in life, to journey five miles, hundreds, or across oceans to seek out our place in life, to say yes or no when presented with options...agree or disagree...accept or decline.......

god gave us sin, love and compassion: to work with our fellow brothers and sisters of this "world" in making our stay here safe, pleasant and without fear, to purge sinful acts such as murder, rape, tyranny, oppression, hatred from our lives......

Why place a label on us, when so clearly god designed us to be:

Individuals

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Along the same thought process: the last election "we" voted a Dem in to office, Senate is Dem controlled and many of you have pointed out that even digg is dem/liberal in point of view. why not label the USA as an Democrat nation ? in stead of what it really is: a nation of mixed views and opinions, beliefs, Dem, Republican...made up of free thinking individuals.

In other words we are a "freedom" loving and supportive nation, not a nation wearing a badge of one, but a badge of many, working together, living together, loving life in the ways "we" see fit, not in the way one group sees fit.

-- best regards