Category: News

Playoffs are here, guys are hurt, practices are done. Let’s go over the news.

• Calvin Johnson(notes) (knee) and Matthew Stafford(notes) (shoulder) were both held out of Thursday’s practice. You can pretty much eliminate Stafford right now – warm up, Daunte Culpepper(notes) – but Johnson has a shot to play against the Cardinals if he can show something Friday. The frustrating season for Megatron owners continues.

• Larry Fitzgerald(notes) (knee) did a little more work in Thursday’s practice but he’s far from a sure thing for Sunday’s match at Detroit. We should know a lot more about Fitzgerald after the Cardinals have the key Friday workout.

• Brian Westbrook(notes) (post concussion) was limited in Thursday’s practice and the context clues around Eagles camp point to him sitting out another week. We’ll see what Andy Reid offers to us Friday. In the meantime, LeSean McCoy(notes) is a reasonable play Sunday (even against a surging San Francisco defense) and Leonard Weaver(notes) isn’t the worst reach play in the world (he’s got 189 total yards over the last three weeks, and his touch count could be heading up).

• Matt Ryan(notes) (toe) and Michael Turner(notes) (ankle) both got back on the practice field Thursday in what Mike Smith(notes) termed an "extremely limited" fashion. I don’t see any reason to wait around for Ryan’s status this week – not against the Jets pass defense – and I’d only look to Turner in Week 15 if I were completely sunk at the position.

• The Vikings have a slew of receiver injuries: Bernard Berrian(notes) (ankle) had another limited day, while Sidney Rice(notes) (illness) and Percy Harvin(notes) (migraines) didn’t practice at all. We’ll pay close attention to their Friday practice.

• Hines Ward(notes) (hamstring) had a full day with the Steelers and should be in line for a full game against Green Bay.

• Vince Young(notes) (hamstring) and Kerry Collins(notes) both took reps at Tennessee’s workout Thursday. "I thought [Young] moved pretty well," Jeff Fisher told the Nashville Tennessean.

• Roddy White(notes) (knee) took all the reps Thursday and looks fine to start against the Jets. But from a fantasy perspective, you can’t be happy to see shutdown ace Darrelle Revis(notes) waiting for him on the other side.

• Josh Cribbs (ankle) has been limited in practice this week and is no sure thing to go at Kansas City. If he has an encouraging session Friday, he makes for an interesting Hail Mary reach in Week 15.

• Brent Celek(notes) (back/thumb) was limited at practice Thursday. He’s been playing through these nicks for a while.

• Ahmad Bradshaw(notes) (foot/ankles) was held out of Thursday’s work but he’s got time on his side given that the Giants play Monday night in Washington. He’s expected to play. Mario Manningham(notes) (illness) was also held out Thursday.

• Aaron Brown (shoulder) had a limited practice with the Lions Thursday. If you’re chasing for production in this backfield, I’d look to Maurice Morris(notes) first. Granted, this is for the desperados in the crowd.

• Jeremy Shockey(notes) (toe) did some work at Thursday’s practice after sitting out the previous day. He’s been a dud over his last six games, with a measly 17 catches for 193 yards over that span (with no touchdowns).

• Visanthe Shiancoe(notes) (foot/ribs) had a limited day Thursday but no one seems to be concerned yet about him sitting in Week 15. That said, keep in mind the Vikings play Sunday night at Carolina, so you might want to stash an alternate tight end on the bench now (Fred Davis(notes) or Kevin Boss(notes) waiting in the Monday game would do nicely, if it’s available to you; heck, you might want to play Davis over Shiancoe anyway).

• Derrick Mason(notes) (finger) skipped some of the reps Thursday but he’s still expected to play against the Bears. Unless the news is ominous Friday, I’d use him. The Ravens certainly need Mason in this spot; Mark Clayton(notes) (hamstring) and Kelley Washington(notes) (ankle) were both held out of Thursday’s practice.

• Mark Sanchez(notes) (knee) took three-quarters of the Thursday reps and has a good chance to start against the Falcons, not that you want your playoff life to be tied to the Jets passing game. I suppose Braylon Edwards(notes) and Jerricho Cotchery(notes) get a mild upgrade if Sanchez can go, but it’s nothing substantial.

• Devin Hester(notes) (calf) was held out of Thursday’s practice, as expected. He hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 7 and I can’t see why anyone would risk their playoff life on him at Baltimore.

• Tom Brady(notes) (various) and Randy Moss(notes) were both back at practice Thursday, if you wanted to know. It’s hard to trust the Patriots passing game this week from a fantasy perspective, however; Brady doesn’t seem healthy, Moss has been in a funk and Buffalo’s defense practically begs opponents to run the ball as much as possible. Also pay attention to the forecast here; the Buffalo area is expecting snow on Monday but you never know with upstate New York in December.

• Jake Delhomme(notes) (finger) missed another practice so it looks like the Matt Moore(notes) show again this week. Good luck with that against the Vikings defense.

• A swine flu outbreak caused the Rams to cancel their entire practice Thursday. Head coach Steve Spagnuolo said "five or six" of his players are dealing with the bug, but he didn’t name any names.

• Terrell Owens(notes) is dealing with an undisclosed illness and didn’t work Thursday.

• Zach Miller (post concussion) is unlikely to play this week and it won’t be a shock if he’s done for the year.

The holidays are only days away and you still have so much to do. As you begin a frantic last-minute rush to find the last few gifts on your list, to buy all the goodies for your holiday open house and to clean everything in sight, don’t forget these time-saving holiday preparation tips:

• Take advantage of giftwrapping shortcuts. Some stores, such as Boscov’s, offer free giftwrapping services on items customers buy in the store. Many shopping malls team up with Boy Scouts or other organizations to wrap gifts for a small donation. If neither of these options work for you, don’t be ashamed to use gift bags.
• Get rid of the clutter fast by designating a storage container for each room and quickly tossing everything that doesn’t belong out into the container. Put the containers in the closet or under the beds and then deal what the contents after the guests are gone.
• Simplify your plans. Do you really need ten different appetizers for the open house? Will Christmas be ruined if you make sugar cookies from the refrigerated store bought dough? Will guests truly care that you didn’t put fresh liners in every drawer?
• Set up shopping bags and fill each of them with all the items you need to take to another person’s home over the holidays. (Just make a note of refrigerated items to add to the bag at the last minute and clip it to the bag so you don’t forget to grab them, too.) This really saves a lot of time and frustration, since you have the items right there instead of having to remember that you wanted to pass on that mystery book to Aunt Jillian after you get to her house.

Do you have any last-minute holiday preparation tips?

Photo: SXC

Post from: Blisstree

Last-minute Holiday Preparation Tips

Forensic Mortgage Auditors Expands Audit Focus to Include “Option Arms” and Reverse Mortgages. Serving Borrowers and Law Firms Nationwide – … With one in four US borrowers underwater, this company can provide the compliance review needed to determine if a residential mortgage was originated in compliance with the applicable federal laws. Improperly originated mortgages may be subject to modification or recission. … – Press Release at PR Web

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Mortgage Modification Applications Decline in November – Posted by Larry Doyle – … The Obama administration’s attempt to stabilize the housing market has been an abysmal failure.  … Homeowners will not gain the benefits of a mortgage modification without processing an application. … What would be the heavy artillery? Principal reduction via mortgage cram-downs. … has link to 24 page B of A research report – Sense on Cents

Failed Deals on Wall Street – Posted by Larry Doyle –  … Let’s review a recent story from American Banker, Ellington Mortgage Bond Pool’s IPO Fails: … I view these failed transactions as a precursor to what may occur in our markets as the Fed withdraws stimulus and support for housing specifically and the markets in general in 2010. … – Sense on Cents 

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Property Values: Four More Years To Fall – Michael David White – New
Observatrions.net

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Investment Funds Find Profits by Reducing Mortgage Balances – Reverse Mortgage Daily

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securitization interview starts 40% down the page – The Institutional Risk Analyst: Fixing Securitization: Interview with Michael Krimminger – In this issue of The Institutionl Risk Analyst, we feature a discussion with Mike Krimminger of the FDIC about the new draft regulations governing bank securitizations that the agency will shortly be issuing for public comment. – The Institutional Risk Analyst 

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FDIC proposes rules on securitization sales – By Jody Shenn and Theo Francis – … In its “sample” rule, the FDIC suggests, among other things, blocking for home-loan bonds any more than 80 percent of the compensation for lenders, securitization sponsors, credit raters and bond underwriters from being paid upfront, with the rest due over five years and based on asset performance. – Risk Retention – It also proposes requiring sponsors to retain 5 percent of credit risk of all securitizations, as well as barring from securities any home loans less than a year old, or that don’t rely on documented borrower income. … – Bloomberg

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4 Big Mortgage Backers Swim in Ocean of Debt – By MARY WILLIAMS WALSH – … And the total risk they (4) pose to the taxpayer far exceeds that of the big banks. … – NY Times

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House Committee Gauges Covered-Bond Interest – BY JOHN CLAPP – Expert witnesses testifying before the House Financial Services Committee this week suggested that covered bonds, long-standing debt instruments in European markets for more than two centuries, should have a home in the U.S. – MortgageOrb

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Housing Won’t Collapse in 2010, says Radar Logic – By JON PRIOR –  The US housing market could be in for some serious trouble in 2010, but predictions of a second collapse are “exaggerated,” according to a report from Radar Logic, a real estate data and analytics company. – HousingWire

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Default Risk to Linger in 2010 – Maturities may be stretched out, but many companies are still saddled with too much debt. – High-yield bond defaults in the United States fell in the second half of 2009, according to a report released this week by Fitch Ratings, and are projected to decline substantially by the end of 2010. But there’s still plenty of risk that many noninvestment-grade firms will default on debt next year and the year after, especially if the U.S. economy does not make a strong recovery, Fitch says. – CFO.com

As a few folks sent in, Nicolas Sarkozy has pledged to spend approximately $1.1 billion scanning books. Does this sound familiar? It should. Five years ago, French officials freaked out about Google scanning all those books, and declared they were going to spend $2.5 billion on its own project, called Quaero. And what happened? Well, it turned into a huge boondoggle with a bunch of companies claiming the money, but nothing of substance ever coming from the project, which has now been mostly abandoned.

So, now we’ve got Sarkozy — defender and mass infringer of copyrights — who recently warned that Google’s book scanning project was somehow a threat to French culture. So, now he’s going to spend $1.1 billion more on a project that we hope will be at least marginally more well defined than Quaero. In the meantime, France’s national library is apparently all set to have Google scan its collection of books. Seems easier. In fact, the report notes that the $1.1 billion will go to private companies to scan books, and it’s entirely possible that Google could be one of those companies. After all, it’s pretty good at book scanning.

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Wow, I just made the most awesome mushroom burgers using this recipe:
http://americanfood.about.com/od/vegetarian/r/Mushroom_Burger.htm

My picture quality is terrible and I apologize, but I just wanted to EAT!

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Japan, Subaru, Toyota

It should come as no surprised that Subaru — a brand that’s made its name in the States for offering rugged, all-wheel drive vehicles — is a little wary about bringing its own version of the RWD Toyobaru to the U.S.

Speaking with Wards Auto, Subaru spokesperson Michael McHale said, “We’re an all-wheel drive brand,” going on to say that, “If it doesn’t affect the core of the brand, maybe we’d bring it in as an interesting option.”

Although we’ve yet to seen the Subaru variant of the Toyota FT-86, the rebodied version is expected to debut sometime in 2010, with both examples going on sale in Japan later next year or in early 2011. Power is supposedly supplied by Subaru-sourced, Toyota-tweaked flat-four, putting out around 200 horsepower in naturally aspirated guise.

For Toyota to make a business case for putting the FT-86 into production, it’s been all but assumed that the RWD coupe would go on sale in markets outside of Japan — specifically in Europe and North America. However, the Subaru version’s fate isn’t quite as clear. If earlier reports are any indication, offering an AWD coupe could be a possibility given the coupe’s underpinnings. But if it’s strictly RWD, McHale hopes consumers can, “forgive us a one-off exception.”

[Source: Wards Auto]

REPORT: Subaru spokesman concerned that RWD Toyobaru could dilute brand identity originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2009 BMW X5 xDrive35d delivers obsolescence to gasoline-powered sibling

The X5 has always been a competent handler, but even with BMW-esque agility, it lacked something in the efficiency department. With the introduction of the new diesel-powered xDrive35d, one of its biggest downsides has finally been addressed.

VIDEO: How not to behave during a traffic stop

One roadside siren was none too happy about the ticket she received and she made her distaste all too clear to her husband, the arresting officer and the guy with the video camera. You’ve got to see it to believe it.

Top 10 Forward-Thinking Vehicles of the Decade

Trend-setting. Far-reaching. Record-setting. In a word: Important. Use whatever descriptors you’d like, what we’re looking are some of the most forward-thinking cars of the last decade. Is your pick on the list?

Also of interest:

• Four-cylinder Buick LaCrosse arrives Q1 next year, to be priced from $26,995*
• Detroit 2010 Preview: Volvo C30 EV evolves for road trials
• VIDEO: Valet vigilante vandalism visualizes very vunerable vehicles
• GMC reveals gussied-up Acadia Denali for 2011
• VIDEO: Lamborghini’s Valentino Balboni drifting a Lamborghini Valentino Balboni

Browse our archive of Daily U-Turn posts or subscribe to the RSS feed

Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 12.17.09 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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An aerosol known as “black carbon,” a primary component in soot, looks to be a key driver of anthropogenic global warming in tropical locations around the world — most notably, in the Himalayan region.

…new research, by NASA’s William Lau and collaborators, reinforces with detailed numerical analysis what earlier studies suggest: that soot and dust contribute as much (or more) to atmospheric warming in the Himalayas as greenhouse gases. This warming fuels the melting of glaciers and could threaten fresh water resources in a region that is home to more than a billion people.

[…] Nicknamed the “Third Pole”, the region in fact holds the third largest amount of stored water on the planet beyond the North and South Poles. But since the early 1960s, the acreage covered by Himalayan glaciers has declined by over 20 percent. Some Himalayan glaciers are melting so rapidly, some scientists postulate, that they may vanish by mid-century if trends persist. Climatologists have generally blamed the build-up of greenhouse gases for the retreat, but Lau’s work suggests that may not be the complete story.

He has produced new evidence suggesting that an “elevated heat pump” process is fueling the loss of ice, driven by airborne dust and soot particles absorbing the sun’s heat and warming the local atmosphere and land surface.

Globally, black carbon looks to be the second most-important warming agent after CO₂.

Here’s the twist: much of the production of black carbon comes from the combustion of biofuels and diesel, the two leading “greener” fuel technologies.

Aerosols last for months in the atmosphere, as opposed to the decades that greenhouse gases can last. This is good, as it means that policies that reduce the production of black carbon can start showing positive results in a matter of weeks.

Sempra Generation has gained approval for Pacific Gas & Electric to procure 48 megawatts of solar photovoltaic power from the California Public Utilities Commission. This enables Sempra to begin the facility construction. …

… “The CPUC’s approval of the contract signals the January 2010 construction start for the facility, an expansion of Sempra Generation’s existing 10-MW El Dorado Solar power plant. Both projects are located near Boulder City, Nev., about 40 miles southeast of Las Vegas, and each will provide power to PG&E under two 20-year power contracts. When completed by late 2010, the combined 58-MW installation will become the largest operational photovoltaic solar-power facility in North America. Together, the two facilities will utilize nearly 1 million photovoltaic panels. ” …

Via Sempra Energy: Largest operational photovoltaic solar facility in North America

Spring-energized seals are single-acting sealing elements primarily used for sealing reciprocating pistons and rods as well as being suitable for use in rotary, swiveling and static applications.

The seal comprises two components:
an outer sealing element made of high-strength plastic (e.g. PTFE, PE-UHMW) an integral stainless steel spring.

To cover an optimum range of pressures and temperatures, two basic versions have been developed, differing in terms of outer geometry, but especially in terms of spring design and characteristic curves of the springs.

The U- and C-type designations are based on the respective shape of the seal.

Filed under: Concept Cars, Lamborghini

Slavche Tanevski had a project to complete at the Munich University of Applied Sciences, and the result is the stacked, vented, and char-blackened concept you see above. In keeping with Lamborghini nomenclature, an Ankonian is a kind of bull, and if you took a Lamborghini Reventon and asked the question, “Does it blend?”, the Ankonian concept is what you might pour out of your glassware.

It doesn’t have any hypothetical specs, nor, we suppose, does it really need them. The car is long, low, and narrow, and darkly hostile enough to go as quickly or as slowly as it wishes. What it does have is flames that shoot out of the exhaust, and frankly, that’s enough for us. You can have various looks at it in the gallery of high-res photos below, but please, don’t make it angry. You wouldn’t like it when it’s angry.

[Source: CarDesign.ru (translated)]

Lamborghini Ankonian by Slavche Tanevski is part wasp, part alien, all black originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Better ways to educate public on human body, disease

Editor, The Times:

We are dismayed that the organizers of the “Bodies: The Exhibition” have chosen to bring their exhibit back to Seattle [“ ‘Bodies: The Exhibition’ returns to Seattle,” Seattletimes.com, Health, Oct. 10].

There are ways to educate the general public about the human body and disease without resorting to the mining of dead bodies from overseas for their prurient shock value. We are offended at the disingenuous attempt to profit commercially from human remains.

As Chinese Americans, we have a millennia-old culture of showing respect to our dead, a culture of respect that has been violated by the “plastination” process and staging of these bodies for sensational display.

This is desecration, pure and simple.

We encourage others to think twice before choosing to spend their money to support this kind of sordid moneymaking enterprise.

— Ron Chew, Lily Jung, Debbie Louie, Seattle

Alamogordo, New Mexico | Natural Wonders

The wind blown sands and rolling dunes of White Sands National Monument blanket an area of 115 square miles in south-central New Mexico. It is the largest pure gypsum dune field in the world. A pure white expanse that has drawn a steady flow of visitors for over 80 years.

Located at the northern limits of the Chihuahuan Desert and at the edge of a US military base and missile-test facility, this U.S. National Park is as obscure as it is beguiling. Visitors can drive to various undulating dunes, take hikes through a nature reserve and even purchase sleds for cruising down the dunes.

Year-in and year-out, the most active dune fields can move in a northeasterly direction at a rate of up to 30 feet per year. These abnormal dunes, formed out of pure gypsum (hydrous calcium sulfate), are borne out of “an ephemeral lake or playa with a very high mineral content,” located in the western section of the monument. As the water in the lake evaporates, it leaves behind minerals that form gypsum deposits. These deposits are then transported by wind and form the ever-expanding sea of dunes.

A reserve can be found at the park as well, where a unique array of specially adapted plants and animals are found. Some of the more distinctive species of animals include the Bleached Earless Lizard, the kit fox as well as the non-native but highly adapted African Oryx. An easily navigable path allows for exploration of this unique landscape.

The miraculous natural setting is a spectacle to experience and despite the park’s popularity, finding solitude amongst the vast whiteness is remarkably easy.

A St. James Cathedral pastor’s plight

I’m curious about the resistance to the Very Rev. Michael G. Ryan’s proposal concerning the forthcoming translation of the Roman Missal [“St. James pastor speaks out against changes in Mass,” NWTuesday, Dec. 15].

Let Catholic bishops of the English-speaking world undertake a yearlong pilot program in selected communities with an educational process, then objectively evaluate the results — hardly a revolutionary proposal, and one sought by more than Ryan.

To date, more than 4,300 people have signed on to the proposal from all over our country, and from Singapore, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Italy, Austria, the U.K., Scotland, Belgium, Morocco, Nepal, Japan, Guyana, China, Hong Kong and Malaysia.

Yes, we find the revision process to have violated the spirit of the reforms of Vatican II, but we also wish to pray in an intelligible and, more importantly, beautiful language.

With others, I find what we presently have not all that bad.

— Rev. Roger G. O’Brien, Lynnwood

Unfortunate new translations

As coordinator for a local group of 140 resigned priests, I would like to commend Rev. Michael Ryan for his courage and integrity as a dedicated pastor in proposing a review of the unfortunate new translations for liturgy recently rubber-stamped by the U.S. bishops.

Ryan has been highly regarded by his fellow priests for more than 40 years. From his days as chancellor to his brilliant renovation of St. James Cathedral and the expansion of ministries there. He has created a thriving, dynamic parish for more than 2,000 families who flock there for good liturgy from all over the Seattle metro area.

His forthright article in “America” magazine and related interviews explain that he took action in making this proposal because he felt the new translations themselves would damage our prayer life, and the process that brought them about violated the rights of bishops, priests and laity who would be impacted by them.

My thanks, and for those local Catholics who share a Vatican II vision, go to Father Ryan for his proposal for evaluation of these new texts before widespread implementation.

— Patrick Callahan, Seattle

Big difference between psychopathic and psychotic

Oftentimes people are too critical of racism, sexism, anti-Semitism and homophobia.

I am saying this because I have mental-health issues and, contrastingly, citizens are allowed to say whatever stupid thing comes to mind when addressing this issue [“Haq guilty in shooting at Jewish Federation,” NWWednesday, Dec. 16].

People who make these criticisms do not even acknowledge that people like me read these criticisms. Very little is ever written or said that puts mental-health issues in a positive light. There is no other side to the argument — just stupid chatter.

When people are actively psychotic, they are much more likely to commit violent crimes; however, they are much more likely to point a weapon at a policeman in order to commit suicide than they are to murder a policeman.

Murdering policemen is usually psychopathic, not psychotic. There is a very big difference in the motives and perception of reality between the two states.

I believe Maurice Clemmons was just a psychopath. It is much more difficult to keep psychopaths off the streets because a person cannot be locked up for merely being psychopathic. And besides, psychopaths know how to con.

I am a caregiver and a student. I have a degree in psychology. I would like to see the complexity of mental illness portrayed in the media. The vulnerability of the mentally ill to crime and to the lack of due process exceeds our propensity to commit violent acts.

— Dale McCracken, Renton

California, US | Inspired Inventions

The philosophers stone also known as “the great work” was the search not so much for eternal life, or to turn lead into gold, but the search for perfection, for God.

Turning a human into an immortal represented a step closer to our original pre-fall condition, and turning lead into gold meant transmuting a base metal closer to perfection, gold being seen as the most perfect, the most god-like of all the metals. (Alchemists did in fact accidentally invent gold plating in the process.)

This search to turn lead into gold has, in modern times, become the symbol of the foolishness of the alchemists and of the middle ages in general… except they were absolutely right, metals can be transmuted and base metals can be turned into gold. Of course to do so, the alchemists would have needed a nuclear reactor.

The transmutation of metals is not uncommon. It happens in nuclear reactions both natural such as at the center of stars (the idea that lead can be turned to gold in the center of a star would have appealed greatly to the alchemists) and in man-made nuclear reactions such as in particle accelerators like the LHC and in conventional fission power reactors.

In 1980 at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Glenn T. Seaborg, a nobel prize winning chemist, achieved for the first confirmed time in history man-made transmutation of a base metal, bismuth, into gold. Granted it was only several thousand atoms, not even enough to see with the naked eye, and cost many many times more to create then it was worth, but nonetheless ‘the great work’ had been achieved. As it turns out, the philosophers stone is a well funded national laboratory.

(There is a rumor of a Soviet nuclear research facility, sometimes identified as the “Soviet nuclear center of Lake Baikal,” where in 1972, an experimental reactor lead shielding was found to have been transmuted to gold. Unfortunately there is little in the way of documentation to support this story.)

There is a further irony, this time on the alchemists. It is in fact much easier to turn gold into lead, then the other way around and gold left in a nuclear reactor will eventually turn into lead.

But then, Alchemists promising to find a way to turn gold into lead just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

Why aren’t they listening?

The Obama administration and socialistic progressive Democrats are trying to force a massive, costly health-care-reform bill upon the American people without the transparency that was promised [“Senate Dems appear ready to drop expanded Medicare,” News, Dec. 15].

How they plan to make cuts in costs while expanding coverage with an inefficient, money-draining bureaucracy remains to be seen. Why are they pressuring legislators to vote on bills and amendments they haven’t read and to some degree haven’t even seen?

Why has there been no discussion on portability of health insurance from state to state? What about some degree of tort reform?

Conservatives and moderates who brought these possibilities for discussion are being shut out. In the latest MSNBC poll, more than 75 percent of the American people are against Obama’s hasty and radical attempt to overhaul health care.

Why aren’t the progressives in Washington, D.C., listening?

— Laurie Hatakeda, Redmond

Kill this bill!

The current Senate health-care bill has become a travesty [“Cap-cost loophole cut in Senate bill,” News, Dec. 12].

It has been weakened to the point of becoming a gift to the insurance companies. It mandates that individuals must purchase health insurance from a private insurance company or be fined or jailed. Yet it provides nothing to control escalating insurance premiums — a public option.

Insurance companies must accept people with pre-existing conditions, but the insurance companies can set exorbitant premiums for these people. Insurance companies will be allowed to charge older people rates that are three times higher than for younger people.

This is not reform.

This is a gift on par with the Bush administration’s Medicare Part D gift to the pharmaceutical industry. The Senate bill is a guarantee of additional medical bankruptcies for millions of Americans.

Better no bill than one that preserves a dysfunctional health-care system and that transfers billions of taxpayer money to the insurance companies for outrageous executive salaries and bonuses, marketing expenses and shareholder dividends.

I am asking Sen. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell to kill this bill rather than see a huge taxpayer bailout of the insurance industry.

— Kenneth J. Jones, Seattle

Freedom of religion and the Bill of Rights

The First Amendment and the nine proceeding amendments to the Constitution restrain only the government from impeding certain and specific rights of individuals [“First Amendment rights for all,” Opinion, Northwest Voices, Dec. 15]. The amendments do not necessarily restrain individuals from impeding the rights of other individuals.

Contained in the nine following amendments is an amendment citing “freedom of religion.” Catholic bishops are making a valiant attempt to circumvent this freedom through imposing their religious and institutional beliefs on the government and other individuals.

As they cloak their attempts in the garment of humanitarianism, they overstep the same bonds securing the very rights that allow them to exist, as they do, in the U.S.

If the Catholic bishops think they should have undue influence on government, they should be willing to give up their tax-exempt status, pay taxes on their wealth and register as a political-action group. Until such time as they cede their religious status for political status, they should channel their brand of humanitarianism to influence individuals, not government.

Again, this writer suggests a reading of the Bill of Rights when assuming their use to support specific actions and causes.

— Karen Clay, Port Orchard

An all-too-common misconception of conception

Pastor Frank Schuster, in his letter regarding the Catholic bishops’ position on abortion and health care [“First Amendment rights for all,” Opinion, Northwest Voices, Dec. 15], makes an all-too-common incorrect assumption that we all agree God places the soul in the child-to-be at the moment of conception —the point where the egg and sperm unite to create that first single-celled fertilized cell called the zygote.

I don’t agree with this assumption, nor do millions like me.

Dr. John Opitz, professor of pediatrics, genetics, obstetrics and gynecology, testified before President George W. Bush’s Council on Bioethics that some 40 percent of normal embryos are flushed out unnoticed in a woman’s normal menstrual flow; they are not miscarriages.

This fact plus several others raise serious questions about the belief that God places souls in eggs as they are being fertilized by sperm — the moment of conception.

What happens to all those souls up there in heaven who were never born, never had a thought, never had a brain? What about identical twins formed from a single fertilized egg with its one soul? Does each get half a soul?

My recommendation to all is that we do a little more thinking and a little less believing.

— Ralph Turman, Seattle