Thirteen Ways Government Tracks Us | Common Dreams
From Common Dreams.org
NEWS AND VIEWS: Check out www.toneyatkins.com/
Saturday, May 11, 2013
FactCheck.org : Viral Spiral 2012
FactCheck.org : Viral Spiral 2012
From FactCheck.org
Toney Atkins comments: Good reading to separate the wheat from the chaff, the lies from the truth. I'm looking forward to the update for 2013, but meanwhile, I'll have to continue to read FactCheck.org.
From FactCheck.org
Toney Atkins comments: Good reading to separate the wheat from the chaff, the lies from the truth. I'm looking forward to the update for 2013, but meanwhile, I'll have to continue to read FactCheck.org.
From flowers to jewelry, consumers are spending more on mom this year | timesfreepress.com
From flowers to jewelry, consumers are spending more on mom this year | timesfreepress.com
From Chattanooga Times Free Press.com
Toney says: Don't forget mom on Mother's Day tomorrow, May 12.
From Chattanooga Times Free Press.com
Toney says: Don't forget mom on Mother's Day tomorrow, May 12.
ABC shows canceled: 'Happy Endings' and four others - CSMonitor.com
ABC shows canceled: 'Happy Endings' and four others - CSMonitor.com
From the Christian Science Monitor
From the Christian Science Monitor
Bullied: A Student, a School and a Case That Made History | Teaching Tolerance
Bullied: A Student, a School and a Case That Made History | Teaching Tolerance
From the Southern Poverty Law Center
Toney Atkins comments: The movie "Bully" is available for streaming on Netflix. It is recommended viewing. Some movie theatres, especially in the South, did not book the film when it was released. A few finally screened it when the public brought pressure to bear.
From the Southern Poverty Law Center
Toney Atkins comments: The movie "Bully" is available for streaming on Netflix. It is recommended viewing. Some movie theatres, especially in the South, did not book the film when it was released. A few finally screened it when the public brought pressure to bear.
Friday, May 10, 2013
President Obama Speaks on Common-Sense Measures to Reduce Gun Violence | The White House
President Obama Speaks on Common-Sense Measures to Reduce Gun Violence | The White House
Transcript from WhiteHouse.gov
Re-posted by request
Transcript from WhiteHouse.gov
Re-posted by request
President Obama Speaks on Common-Sense Measures to Reduce Gun Violence | The White House
President Obama Speaks on Common-Sense Measures to Reduce Gun Violence | The White House
VIDEO from WhiteHouse.gov, Posted April 17, 2013
VIDEO from WhiteHouse.gov, Posted April 17, 2013
BEFORE BENGHAZI, REPUBLICANS VOTED TO CUT EMBASSY SECURITY FUNDING
GOP Rep: I ‘Absolutely’ Voted To Cut Funding For Embassy Security
GOP Rep: I ‘Absolutely’ Voted To Cut Funding For Embassy Security: pRep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) said today that he voted to cut funding for U.S. embassy security amid political attacks from Republicans that the Obama administration did not do enough to secure the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya that was attacked last month. Republicans and their allies have been trying to politicize the attack — [...]/p
From Think Progress.org
Toney Atkins says: IT'S IMPORTANT to note during this Benghazi controversy perpetrated by the GOP is that Republicans had voted to CUT FUNDING FOR EMBASSY FUNDING before the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack on Benghazi. We rarely hear this remarkable truth as the Republicans try to blame the Obama Administration in the attack. If the embassy had had substantial funding, there likely would have been more security. The above link takes you to an October report on the vote to cut funding, and I believe the news media is negligent in not bringing this up more often.
From Think Progress.org
Toney Atkins says: IT'S IMPORTANT to note during this Benghazi controversy perpetrated by the GOP is that Republicans had voted to CUT FUNDING FOR EMBASSY FUNDING before the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack on Benghazi. We rarely hear this remarkable truth as the Republicans try to blame the Obama Administration in the attack. If the embassy had had substantial funding, there likely would have been more security. The above link takes you to an October report on the vote to cut funding, and I believe the news media is negligent in not bringing this up more often.
Despite Touting ‘Healthier’ Products, Fast Food Chains Haven’t Improved Their Menus In Years
Despite Touting ‘Healthier’ Products, Fast Food Chains Haven’t Improved Their Menus In Years: pDespite lauding new, “healthier” choices such as egg whites and wraps, major fast food chains’ menus haven’t improved much over the past decade in terms of nutritional value, according to a new study. The study, recently published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, looked at the menus of eight fast food chains between 1997 [...]/p
From ThinkProgress.org
From ThinkProgress.org
Thursday, May 9, 2013
MOTHER (By Toney Atkins...a re-post by request)
A SPECIAL REMEMBRANCE OF MOTHER -- By TONEY ATKINS (c)
SPECIAL FOR MOTHER'S DAY
-- This tribute by former Daytona Times Assistant Editor Toney Atkins was written and published before Mother's Day, shortly after his mother's death in 1994. Slightly edited to reflect the passage of time, it is dedicated to all mothers everywhere and to the children who love and respect them.
Don't forget your mother on Mother's Day in May (May 12, 2013)!ORIGINALLY PUBISHED IN TONEY ATKINS' VISIONS column in the Daytona Times, Daytona Beach, FL.REMEMBERING MOTHER
By TONEY ATKINS
In past years, I have received a number of wonderful and inspiring phone calls and letters about what would become my annual tribute in the Daytona Times to my beautiful mother, who passed from this world on April 17, 1994.
There have been requests to repeat that tribute, at least in part, to share with those who know what it means to have lost a mother and with those who are fortunate enough to still be able to look their mothers in the eyes on Mother's Day and say, "I love you."
This year marks the 18th anniversary of my mother's death and the 18th year that I still get choked up when I pass a counter in a store stocked with Mother's Day cards - especially the giant ones, which would truly have impressed my mom.
I recently traveled back to the town in which I was born to be with my dad, who currently is going through several different health crises which threaten to take him from me, too.
During the last few months of her life, my mother pleaded with me to get closer to my earthly father and to take care of him. He and I, indeed, have bridged a terrible gap that always seemed to be between us for far too many years, so the prayers of a loving mother were answered - and I am grateful. My dad, who took tender care of Mother during her final months, and I both still miss the woman who had a tremendous impact on both our lives.
My mother is eternal now, but in a spiritual sphere where I can't pick up the telephone and call her and tell her how concerned I am about my father and to hear her words of comfort and advice. Oh, how I miss her! Oh, how I realize how much I took her for granted! Time has increased my appreciation and love for her, but she's not here for me to tell her so.
Somewhere in my belongings is the Mother's Day card I had bought ahead of time in 1994 - the first time I had gotten one in years to send early so she would get it on or before Mother's Day, not several days or a week afterwards. "Better late than never," I always said with a laugh as I excused myself and apologized when she inevitably received it late, and she always said she forgave and thanked me profusely.
I still vividly remember the night that I walked into a dimly lit room in a Georgia hospital and looked down at the shell of my mother on the bed. She appeared to be so at peace and looked so much younger than her 74 years.
An hour earlier, she had been struggling for breath as she lay in a coma on a bed in another room in the hospital, with tubes running into her nose and into her arms that seemed brutally bruised by too many intravenous needles. There were fewer of them than there had been before, because they were relatively useless now. The doctors and nurses had told my dad and me that her body was shutting down, its parts failing rapidly, and that soon the few breaths we heard rattling through the room would be silent.
They were right. Her battle with cancer, congestive heart failure and other ailments - especially the stroke that sent her to the hospital for the last time - would be over that Sunday night - three weeks to the day before Mother's Day that year.
The card she never got to see was still in Daytona Beach.
The blessing was that, at least by appearances, she died without apparent agony from the horrible pain she could have been feeling. She had suffered very much. After her last breath, even with the hospital paraphernalia still attached to her, her years of struggle melted away. As her spirit entered a realm free of suffering, her face expressed its relief.
My mother loved me - sometimes, I thought, too much. She never liked my living 550 miles away. I lived under the "curse" of being an only child and being "smothered with love."
She was an outspoken woman, even more so with age. You could always depend on her speaking her mind to anyone and everyone. If you didn't like it - tough! But most people, young and old, including the minister who preached at her funeral, loved her for her simplistic, down-to-earth qualities. They saw her goodness as well as her human frailties, and the minister made special note that she indeed was one of a kind.
My mother was proud of me. It wasn't that I could do no wrong, because she would always be the first to let me know that I often did. But whether she approved or disapproved, she tried to act as though she respected my feelings and decisions.
I was required to send her copies of the Daytona Times (and the Daytona Beach News-Journal, when I was a writer and editor there) so she could proudly show off my writings to her friends and neighbors.
Oh, the many things I miss about Mother! She was always there when I needed someone to talk to. In our long distance telephone conversations, she worried about me, concerned about whether I was eating right, whether I was staying out of trouble and always wanting to know when I was going to get married and give her a grandchild to dote over. Even though I had crossed the threshold of 50 at the time of her passing, I was always her "little boy."
Eleven years later, I still sometimes find it hard to accept that my mother and my best friend is gone and I can't tell her how I feel about her and let her know that she did a wonderful job in trying to raise a good son. (None of my character defects can be blamed on her.)
How I wish I could hug her tightly and talk to her now!
The purpose of this writing is simple. It's not just therapeutic. I hope it prompts each and every reader whose mother is still alive to stop and think about that special woman, to remember her and treasure her while she's here, especially on the upcoming Mother's Day.
Pay her a visit. Send a card. Send flowers. Give her a telephone call. Buy a gift. Make her feel special, because after all, she brought someone special into the world - you.
Most important, tell her you love her while she can still hear your voice. She'll feel good, and you will, too.
By TONEY ATKINS
In past years, I have received a number of wonderful and inspiring phone calls and letters about what would become my annual tribute in the Daytona Times to my beautiful mother, who passed from this world on April 17, 1994.
There have been requests to repeat that tribute, at least in part, to share with those who know what it means to have lost a mother and with those who are fortunate enough to still be able to look their mothers in the eyes on Mother's Day and say, "I love you."
This year marks the 18th anniversary of my mother's death and the 18th year that I still get choked up when I pass a counter in a store stocked with Mother's Day cards - especially the giant ones, which would truly have impressed my mom.
I recently traveled back to the town in which I was born to be with my dad, who currently is going through several different health crises which threaten to take him from me, too.
During the last few months of her life, my mother pleaded with me to get closer to my earthly father and to take care of him. He and I, indeed, have bridged a terrible gap that always seemed to be between us for far too many years, so the prayers of a loving mother were answered - and I am grateful. My dad, who took tender care of Mother during her final months, and I both still miss the woman who had a tremendous impact on both our lives.
My mother is eternal now, but in a spiritual sphere where I can't pick up the telephone and call her and tell her how concerned I am about my father and to hear her words of comfort and advice. Oh, how I miss her! Oh, how I realize how much I took her for granted! Time has increased my appreciation and love for her, but she's not here for me to tell her so.
Somewhere in my belongings is the Mother's Day card I had bought ahead of time in 1994 - the first time I had gotten one in years to send early so she would get it on or before Mother's Day, not several days or a week afterwards. "Better late than never," I always said with a laugh as I excused myself and apologized when she inevitably received it late, and she always said she forgave and thanked me profusely.
I still vividly remember the night that I walked into a dimly lit room in a Georgia hospital and looked down at the shell of my mother on the bed. She appeared to be so at peace and looked so much younger than her 74 years.
An hour earlier, she had been struggling for breath as she lay in a coma on a bed in another room in the hospital, with tubes running into her nose and into her arms that seemed brutally bruised by too many intravenous needles. There were fewer of them than there had been before, because they were relatively useless now. The doctors and nurses had told my dad and me that her body was shutting down, its parts failing rapidly, and that soon the few breaths we heard rattling through the room would be silent.
They were right. Her battle with cancer, congestive heart failure and other ailments - especially the stroke that sent her to the hospital for the last time - would be over that Sunday night - three weeks to the day before Mother's Day that year.
The card she never got to see was still in Daytona Beach.
The blessing was that, at least by appearances, she died without apparent agony from the horrible pain she could have been feeling. She had suffered very much. After her last breath, even with the hospital paraphernalia still attached to her, her years of struggle melted away. As her spirit entered a realm free of suffering, her face expressed its relief.
My mother loved me - sometimes, I thought, too much. She never liked my living 550 miles away. I lived under the "curse" of being an only child and being "smothered with love."
She was an outspoken woman, even more so with age. You could always depend on her speaking her mind to anyone and everyone. If you didn't like it - tough! But most people, young and old, including the minister who preached at her funeral, loved her for her simplistic, down-to-earth qualities. They saw her goodness as well as her human frailties, and the minister made special note that she indeed was one of a kind.
My mother was proud of me. It wasn't that I could do no wrong, because she would always be the first to let me know that I often did. But whether she approved or disapproved, she tried to act as though she respected my feelings and decisions.
I was required to send her copies of the Daytona Times (and the Daytona Beach News-Journal, when I was a writer and editor there) so she could proudly show off my writings to her friends and neighbors.
Oh, the many things I miss about Mother! She was always there when I needed someone to talk to. In our long distance telephone conversations, she worried about me, concerned about whether I was eating right, whether I was staying out of trouble and always wanting to know when I was going to get married and give her a grandchild to dote over. Even though I had crossed the threshold of 50 at the time of her passing, I was always her "little boy."
Eleven years later, I still sometimes find it hard to accept that my mother and my best friend is gone and I can't tell her how I feel about her and let her know that she did a wonderful job in trying to raise a good son. (None of my character defects can be blamed on her.)
How I wish I could hug her tightly and talk to her now!
The purpose of this writing is simple. It's not just therapeutic. I hope it prompts each and every reader whose mother is still alive to stop and think about that special woman, to remember her and treasure her while she's here, especially on the upcoming Mother's Day.
Pay her a visit. Send a card. Send flowers. Give her a telephone call. Buy a gift. Make her feel special, because after all, she brought someone special into the world - you.
Most important, tell her you love her while she can still hear your voice. She'll feel good, and you will, too.
-- This tribute by former Daytona Times Assistant Editor Toney Atkins was written and published before Mother's Day, shortly after his mother's death in 1994. Slightly edited to reflect the passage of time, it is dedicated to all mothers everywhere and to the children who love and respect them.
The 11 Most Heartless Republican Amendments To The Immigration Bill
The 11 Most Heartless Republican Amendments To The Immigration Bill: pOn Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will begin marking up the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act, a bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill that will allow America’s 11 million undocumented immigrants to earn a path to citizenship over 13 years. Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) has promised an open amendment process, leading senators from [...]/p
From ThinkProgress.org
From ThinkProgress.org
Charles Ramsey, Cleveland kidnapping hero, has a criminal past that's now coming to light
Charles Ramsey, Cleveland kidnapping hero, has a criminal past that's now coming to light
Toney Atkins comments: So what? He's still a hero. People change.
Toney Atkins comments: So what? He's still a hero. People change.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)