Cambodian stampede kills hundreds

          In the Capital city of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, a stampede occurred during a festival killing 339 people, officials said on Monday. In Phnom Penh post, cited information from Prime Minister Hun Sen in a televised address, which said another 329 people were injured in the crush.
            There are varying reports that from 2 -4 million people were attending the Water Festival when the stampede happened. It began about 10 p.m. The municipal police chief said, that it likely occurred due to a suspension bridge which was packed with people, as it began to sway, creating panic.
            Police trying to get the people to move on, fired water cannons onto the bridge “That just caused complete and utter panic,” Bader said. A number of people were said to had lost consciousness and fell into the water. It has been said by some witnesses that people may have been electrocuted. The government have denied this. An unnamed doctor said the main cause of death was suffocation and electrocution. Police were among the people killed.

              The prime minister has ordered an inquiry into the incident, and has declared Thursday a day of mourning.

            Video of the scene showed shocking vision of the crush and the aftermath, dozens of people could be seen laying on hospital floors attached to intravenous lines.Each November the three-day festival, is held near the palace to honor a victory by Cambodian naval forces during the 12th-century reign of King Jayvarman VII.

Happy National Opt-Out Day

   

      It's the day ordinary citizens stand up for their rights, stand up for liberty, and protest the federal government's desire to virtually strip us naked or submit to an "enhanced pat down" that touches people's breasts and genitals in an aggressive manner.  You should never have to explain to your children, "Remember that no stranger can touch or see your private area, unless it's a government employee, then it's OK."   
       The goal of National Opt Out Day is to send a message to our lawmakers that we demand change.  We have a right to privacy and buying a plane ticket should not mean that we're guilty until proven innocent.  This day is needed because many people do not understand what they consent to when choosing to fly.  
 

      The bottom line is that flyers are in a no-win situation: both the naked body scanners and the enhanced pat downs are grossly violative of our privacy rights and dignity, both make you feel like a criminal. At least when you choose a pat down you can look the at the government official eyeball-to-eyeball when you're getting touched, and there are not lingering questions about safety and just what is happening in that back room.  Is there really no better way to provide aviation security than an inappropriate touching or a naked body scan? 

      While passengers fret over getting ogled or groped, Fred Burton, a former CIA and Secret Service agent who now works with the global intelligence firm Stratfor, wonders why so few people are asking why now. "TSA didn't wake up and say let's do full-body pat-downs; they are dealing with a very specific and viable threat that is very serious," he told KXAN in Austin, adding, "Remember, governments are reactionary; very rarely are they proactive." Hmmm, that certainly sounds like the government we know — at least the shrinking-civil-liberties-for-a-looming-unspecified-danger part.

Thanksgiving Day 2010

        Thanksgiving is celebrated throughout America as a time for turkey, family gatherings and in a more recent evolution, shopping.And with all the perceived commercialism that has taken over many American holidays, most people can tell you what they're thankful for in this season and kids are no different.
        At St. Mary of the Angels school recently, first and second graders in the afterschool club spent some time discussing this week's holiday, most with ideas about food, family and thankfulness, but not much idea why there's a celebration Thursday.
        Here are some wonderful Thanksgiving quotes that show you how to count your blessings. How often do we remember to express our gratitude to our friends, family, and God? If you wish to express your deepest gratitude, these thanksgiving quotes will be helpful.

"He who thanks but with the lips
Thanks but in part;
The full, the true Thanksgiving
Comes from the heart."

-J.A. Shedd

The unthankful heart... discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings! -Henry Ward Beecher

Who does not thank for little will not thank for much. -Estonian Proverb 

We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude. 
-Cynthia Ozick 

Gratitude is the sign of noble souls. - Aesop Fables  

U.S. Jobless Claims Decline to 407,000

       Jobless claims declined by 34,000 to 407,000 in the week ended Nov. 20, Labor Department figures showed today in Washington. New filings for unemployment benefits in the U.S. dropped more than expected last week to the lowest level in two years, data from the Labor Department revealed Wednesday morning.
       Fewer firings lay the groundwork for a pickup in job creation that will generate incomes and spur consumer spending, which accounts for 70 percent of the economy. Even with companies firing fewer workers, unemployment will be slow to decline, according to the Federal Reserve’s latest forecast in which policy makers also lowered their growth projections.
       “The labor market is clearly improving,” said John Silvia, chief economist at Wells Fargo Securities LLC in Charlotte, North Carolina. “We’re seeing consistent job gains in the private sector. This suggests we’ll have a good holiday spending season.”
       Consumer spending rose in October for a fifth month as a rebound in incomes lifted the biggest part of the U.S. economy at the start of the final quarter of 2010, Commerce Department figures showed today.
Below are the states reporting the biggest changes in unemployment claims. The figures are for the week ended Nov. 13, one week behind the national data:


States with the biggest drops in claims:
California: Down 5,044, due to a holiday-shortened government workweek and fewer layoffs in services
Pennsylvania: Down 4,494, due to fewer layoffs in the construction, services and furniture industries
North Carolina: Down 2,685, due to fewer layoffs in construction, services, and textiles
Texas: Down 2,632, due to a shorter workweek and fewer layoffs in services and transportation
Wisconsin: Down 2,416, no reason given
Georgia: Down 2,257, due to fewer layoffs in construction, services and manufacturing.
New Jersey: Down 2,062, due a shorter workweek and fewer layoffs in transportation and warehousing


State with the largest increase:
Indiana: Up 2,094, due to layoffs in the auto industry