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Post by emeraldsun on Aug 22, 2010 22:08:43 GMT 4
And apparently Afganistan is now a conflict like Korea or Vietnam. Headline World section Opposition To Afghanistan Conflict Not Just A Liberal Issue Anymorewww.huffingtonpost.com/world/
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Post by nodstar on Aug 23, 2010 13:21:25 GMT 4
Hi Everyone .. Oz has a hung Parliament .. and a caretaker Govt.. for now Well I was all set to triumphantly post about our new shiny and female led Oz government today .. ;D But.. in a turn up for the books .. we don't have a clear winner Apparently the last time this happened was during WW2. In a country where voting is mandatory .. there were a record amount of what we call "donkey" votes .. voting forms with wrong input .. some as a form of protest, others are folks who have difficulty with the rather complex voting procedure, who are new to the country or are first time voters. The up shot of this is .. we now wait for up to 2 weeks while the votes are carefully recounted. Then the three remaining independent parliamentarians decide to which party they give their preferences. I'm personally hoping for the country to return to voting boxes and have a do over ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Horsetrading begins after Australia poll Julia Gillard Gillard is trying to find enough support to remain in power[/size] 23 August 2010 Last updated at 07:40 GMT www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11054923Three independent MPs who may hold the balance of power following Saturday's inconclusive election in Australia say they will negotiate as a bloc. With some votes still to be counted, both the ruling Labor party and the opposition conservative coalition appear to have fallen short of the 76 seats needed for a majority. Both are now lobbying for support from the independents. Trading was down as financial markets opened, amid the political limbo. The Australian dollar and government bonds both fell in value. The Australian dollar lost almost 1% against the US dollar in early trading, before recovering somewhat. Australia has not elected a hung parliament since 1940. But the latest figures from Australian public broadcaster ABC give Labor 72 seats and the coalition 69 seats. The Greens secured one seat and independents won three. Five seats have not yet been called. Continue reading the main story Australia Election 'Shoulder to shoulder' On Monday, both Prime Minister Julia Gillard and opposition leader Tony Abbott flew into Canberra to start working to try to secure a majority. Both have opened talks with the independents. "It's my intention to negotiate in good faith an effective agreement to form government," Ms Gillard told journalists on Sunday. Attention is focusing on three independent MPs - Bob Katter, Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott - who represent rural and regional constituencies. Analysis Nick Bryant BBC News, Sydney Camera crews were at Canberra airport to record the arrival of the three independent MPs who will determine this race: the once-obscure kingmakers who are now in the national spotlight. I wonder how many times they have slipped in and out of the nation's capital without anyone paying them a blind bit of notice or even knowing who they are. Now Bob Katter, Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott are the talk of Australia. There is a rich irony, of course. For the past five weeks the myopic focus has been on 20 marginal constituencies, many of which are to be found in the suburban fringes. Now voices from the bush, the outback and regional Australia have come to the fore. Mr Oakeshott said the trio would stand "shoulder to shoulder" during the negotiating process, so they did not "get picked off by political interests and vested interests". Another independent, Andrew Wilkie, looks on course to win the Tasmanian seat of Denison, while Adam Bandt secured one seat for the Greens. Mr Abbott claimed the current government had lost its legitimacy. "It's almost inconceivable that any Labor government emerging from this election could deliver competent and stable government," he said. The election came two months after Ms Gillard ousted Kevin Rudd in a controversial leadership challenge. Correspondents say Mr Abbott has tried to exploit the Labor party's divisions after the departure of Mr Rudd, trying to portray the opposition coalition as a stable answer to a government beset by in-fighting. In his campaign he has pledged to tighten immigration and has hit out at government spending. He has also toned down his well-known climate change scepticism. Ms Gillard, a former lawyer who called a snap election shortly after coming to office, was hoping to be rewarded for the government's handling of the economy, which weathered the global recession remarkably well. But support for Australia's first female prime minister has fallen in the two months she has been in office.
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Post by dan on Aug 23, 2010 15:55:06 GMT 4
My Respects,
Dan
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Post by stan on Aug 23, 2010 15:58:06 GMT 4
My Respects,
Dan Indeed! What a future! My Deep Respects, Stan
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Post by nodstar on Aug 23, 2010 16:02:30 GMT 4
Hey Dr Stan and Dr Dan .. On behalf of my fellow Oz supporters for Ms Gillard I thank you both for the genuine show of respect. I'm hoping she can gather the political backing she needs to take us into a new era in this country. lotsa love to both of you from Downunda Nod
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Post by caspa on Aug 23, 2010 16:11:05 GMT 4
My Respects,
Dan Indeed! What a future! My Deep Respects, Stan "Ms Gillard, a former lawyer who called a snap election shortly after coming to office,.." Women on the rise! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Gillard"Julia Eileen Gillard (born 29 September 1961) is the 27th and current Prime Minister of Australia since June 2010." "On 24 June 2010, after Rudd lost the support of his party and stood aside, Gillard became federal leader of the Australian Labor Party and thus the Prime Minister. Gillard announced on 17 July that the 2010 federal election would be held on 21 August." My Deep Respects, Frances
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Post by marci on Aug 23, 2010 16:16:00 GMT 4
Hey Dr Stan and Dr Dan .. On behalf of my fellow Oz supporters for Ms Gillard I thank you both for the genuine show of respect. I'm hoping she can gather the political backing she needs to take us into a new era in this country. lotsa love to both of you from Downunda Nod Lots of love back to you from all of us here, Noddy. M ~~ My Respects to Ms. Gillard, Marci
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Post by nodstar on Aug 23, 2010 19:29:13 GMT 4
Hey Marci and Fran .. Gosh you both did your homework.. I had no idea I shared the same middle name and year of birth as Ms Gillard .. It will be a VERY tense two weeks here, while the political dice rolls .. Ms Gillard went through a baptism of fire, to be sure, because she is a woman and a very savvy one at that. For instance for the first time in my lifetime, the issue of religious beliefs or lack thereof was raised ( we have a very clear separation of church and politics here ) Ms Gillard bravely and forthrightly explained that she is an agnostic, and is not married to her partner, and above all did not apologise for the absence of either religious beliefs or a wedding ring ;D Of course these issues, and her very astute political move to get the support in party numbers to tumble Mr Rudd ( who was losing voter support by the day, due to full frontal attack on mining companies ). The idea being that the labor party could have a chance to have the much needed two terms of government to really institute change, and remediate ten years of infrastructure neglect by the previous administration. The chutzpah she demonstrated was turned on her, by old guard male politicians .. in short it was a dirty campaign. Win lose or draw .. Ms Gillard has run an extraordinary race, under circumstances that would have had most male politicians carrying on about their privacy and discrimination in short snivelling about a "below the belt" campaign The kind of male politicians that have TOKEN women in their cabinet teams. Thankyou Marcia and Fran lotsa love Nod
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Post by Eagles Disobey on Aug 23, 2010 23:42:05 GMT 4
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Post by satchmo on Aug 25, 2010 19:22:19 GMT 4
Mayan Calendar 'Butterfly' Prophecy The World Will Not End
CARLOS BARRIOS was born into a Spanish family on El Altiplano, the highlands of Guatemala. His home was in Huehuetenango, also the dwelling place of the Maya Mam tribe. With other Maya and other indigenous tradition keepers, the Mam carry part of the old ways on Turtle Island (North America). They are keepers of time, authorities on remarkable calendars that are ancient, elegant and relevant.
Mr. Barrios is a historian, an anthropologist and investigator. After studying with traditional elders for 25 years since the age of 19, he has also became a Mayan Ajq'ij, a ceremonial priest and spiritual guide, Eagle Clan.
Years ago, along with his brother, Gerardo, Carlos initiated an investigation into the different Mayan calendars. He studied with many teachers. He says his brother Gerardo interviewed nearly 600 traditional Mayan elders to widen their scope of knowledge.
"Anthropologists visit the temple sites," Mr. Barrios says, "and read the steles and inscriptions and make up stories about the Maya, but they do not read the signs correctly. It's just their imagination... Other people write about prophecy in the name of the Maya. They say that the world will end in December 2012. The Mayan elders are angry with this. The world will not end. It will be transformed. The indigenous have the calendars, and know how to accurately interpret it, not others."
The Mayan Calendars comprehension of time, seasons, and cycles has proven itself to be vast and sophisticated. The Maya understand 17 different calendars, some of them charting time accurately over a span of more than ten million years. The calendar that has steadily drawn global attention since 1987 is called the Tzolk'in or Cholq'ij. Devised ages ago and based on the cycle of the Pleiades, it is still held as sacred. With the indigenous calendars, native people have kept track of important turning points in history. For example, the daykeepers who study the calendars identified an important day in the year One Reed, Ce Acatal, as it was called by the Mexicans. That was the day when an important ancestor was prophesied to return, "coming like a butterfly." In the western calendar, the One Reed date correlates to Easter Sunday, April 21, 1519 the day that Hernando Cortez and his fleet of 11 Spanish galleons arrived from the East at what is today called Vera Cruz, Mexico.
When the Spanish ships came toward shore, native people were waiting and watching to see how it would go. The billowing sails of the ships did indeed remind the scouts of butterflies skimming the ocean surface.
In this manner was a new era initiated, an era they had anticipated through their calendars. The Maya termed the new era the Nine Bolomtikus, or nine Hells of 52 years each. As the nine cycles unfolded, land and freedom were taken from the native people. Disease and disrespect dominated. What began with the arrival of Cortez, lasted until August 16, 1987 - a date many people recall as Harmonic Convergence. Millions of people took advantage of that date to make ceremony in sacred sites, praying for a smooth transition to a new era, the World of the Fifth Sun.
From that 1987 date until now, Mr. Barrios says, we have been in a time when the right arm of the materialistic world is disappearing, slowly but inexorably. We are at the cusp of the era when peace begins, and people live in harmony with Mother Earth. We are no longer in the World of the Fourth Sun, but we are not yet in the World of the Fifth Sun. This is the time in-between, the time of transition.
As we pass through transition there is a colossal, global convergence of environmental destruction, social chaos, war, and ongoing Earth changes.
All this, Mr. Barrios says, was foreseen via the simple, spiral mathematics of the Mayan calendars. "It will change," Mr. Barrios observes. "Everything will change." He said Mayan Daykeepers view the Dec. 21, 2012 date as a rebirth, the start of the World of the Fifth Sun. It will be the start of a new era resulting from and signified by the solar meridian crossing the galactic equator, and the earth aligning itself with the center of the galaxy.
At sunrise on December 21, 2012 for the first time in 26,000 years the Sun rises to conjunct the intersection of the Milky Way and the plane of the ecliptic. This cosmic cross is considered to be an embodiment of the Sacred Tree, The Tree of Life, a tree remembered in all the world's spiritual traditions. Some observers say this alignment with the heart of the galaxy in 2012 will open a channel for cosmic energy to flow through the earth, cleansing it and all that dwells upon it, raising all to a higher level of vibration.
This process has already begun, Mr. Barrios suggested.
"Change is accelerating now, and it will continue to accelerate." If the people of the earth can get to this 2012 date in good shape, without having destroyed too much of the Earth, Mr. Barrios said, we will rise to a new, higher level.
But to get there we must transform enormously powerful forces that seek to block the way.
A Picture of the Road Ahead From his understanding of the Mayan tradition and the calendars, Mr. Barrios offered a picture of where we are at and what may lie on the road ahead: The date specified in the calendar Winter Solstice in the year 2012 does not mark the end of the world. Many outside people writing about the Mayan calendar sensationalize this date, but they do not know. The ones who know are the indigenous elders who are entrusted with keeping the tradition.
"Humanity will continue," he contends, "but in a different way. Material structures will change. From this we will have the opportunity to be more human."
We are living in the most important era of the Mayan calendars and prophecies. All the prophecies of the world, all the traditions, are converging now. There is no time for games. The spiritual ideal of this era is action. Many powerful souls have reincarnated in this era, with a lot of power. This is true on both sides, the light and the dark. High magic is at work on both sides.
Things will change, but it is up to the people how difficult or easy it is for the changes to come about. The economy now is a fiction. The first five-year stretch of transition from August 1987 to August 1992 was the beginning of the destruction of the material world. We have progressed ten years deeper into the transition phase by now, and many of the so-called sources of financial stability are in fact hollow.
The banks are weak. This is a delicate moment for them. They could crash globally if we don't pay attention. If the banks crash ... then we will be forced to rely on the land and our skills. The monetary systems will be in chaos, and we must then rely on our direct relationship with the Earth for our food and shelter. The North and South Poles are both breaking up. The level of the water in the oceans is going to rise. But at the same time land in the ocean, especially near Cuba, is also going to rise.
A Call for Fusion As he met with audiences in Santa Fe, Mr. Barrios told a story about the most recent Mayan New Year ceremonies in Guatemala. He said that one respected Mam elder, who lives all year in a solitary mountain cave, journeyed to Chichicastenango to speak with the people at the ceremony. The elder delivered a simple, direct message. He called for human beings to come together in support of life and light. Right now each person and group is going his or her own way. The elder of the mountains said there is hope if the people of the light can come together and unite in some way.
Reflecting on this, Mr. Barrios explained: "We live in a world of polarity: day and night, man and woman, positive and negative. Light and darkness need each other. They are a balance. Just now the dark side is very strong, and very clear about what they want. They have their vision and their priorities clearly held, and also their hierarchy. They are working in many ways so that we will be unable to connect with the spiral Fifth World in 2012."
"On the light side everyone thinks they are the most important, that their own understandings, or their group's understandings, are the key. There's a diversity of cultures and opinions, so there is competition, diffusion, and no single focus."
As Mr. Barrios sees it, the dark side works to block fusion through denial and materialism. It also works to destroy those who are working with the light to get the Earth to a higher level. They like the energy of the old, declining Fourth World, the materialism. They do not want it to change.
They do not want fusion. They want to stay at this level, and are afraid of the next level.
The dark power of the declining Fourth World cannot be destroyed or overpowered. It's too strong and clear for that, and that is the wrong strategy. The dark can only be transformed when confronted with simplicity and open-heartedness. This is what leads to fusion, a key concept for the World of the Fifth Sun.
Mr. Barrios said the emerging era of the Fifth Sun will call attention to a much-overlooked element. Whereas the four traditional elements of earth, air, fire and water have dominated various epochs in the past, there will be a fifth element to reckon with in the time of the Fifth Sun: ether. The dictionary defines ether as the rarefied element of the Heavens. Ether is a medium. It permeates all space and transmits waves of energy in a wide range of frequencies, from cell phones to human auras. What is "ethereal" is related to the regions beyond earth: the heavens.
Ether the element of the Fifth Sun is celestial and lacking in material substance, but is no less real than wood, stone or flesh. "Within the context of ether there can be a fusion of the polarities," Mr. Barrios said. "No more darkness or light in the people, but an uplifted fusion. But right now the realm of darkness is not interested in this. They are organized to block it. They seek to unbalance the Earth and its environment so we will be unready for the alignment in 2012. We need to work together for peace, and balance with the other side. We need to take care of the Earth that feeds and shelters us. We need to put our entire mind and heart into pursuing unity and fusion now, to confront the other side and preserve life."
To be Ready for this Moment in History Mr. Barrios told his audiences in Santa Fe that we are at a critical moment of world history. "We are disturbed," he said. "We can't play anymore. Our planet can be renewed or ravaged. Now is the time to awaken and take action."
"Everyone is needed. You are not here for no reason. Everyone who is here now has an important purpose. This is a hard, but a special time. We have the opportunity for growth, but we must be ready for this moment in history."
Mr. Barrios offered a number of suggestions to help people walk in balance through the years ahead. "The prophesied changes are going to happen," he said "but our attitude and actions determine how harsh or mild they are."
We need to act, to make changes, and to elect people to represent us who understand and who will take political action to respect the earth.
Meditation and spiritual practice are good, but also action. It's very important to be clear about who you are, and also about your relation to the Earth.
Develop yourself according to your own tradition and the call of your heart. But remember to respect differences, and strive for unity. Eat wisely. A lot of food is corrupt in either subtle or gross ways. Pay attention to what youare taking into your body. Learn to preserve food, and to conserve energy. Learn some good breathing techniques, so you have mastery of your breath.
Be clear. Follow a tradition with great roots. It is not important what tradition, your heart will tell you, but it must have great roots. We live in a world of energy. An important task at this time is to learn to sense or see the energy of everyone and everything: people, plants, animals. This becomes increasingly important as we draw close to the World of the Fifth Sun, for it is associated with the element ether - the realm where energy lives and weaves.
Go to the sacred places of the earth to pray for peace, and have respect for the Earth which gives us our food, clothing, and shelter. We need to reactivate the energy of these sacred places. That is our work.
According to Mr. Barrios' reading of the Mayan calendar, if war happens in November 2002 or after, then it's bad, but not catastrophic. But if it happens between April and November 2003, it will be catastrophic. Really bad. It could eventually result in the death of two-thirds of humanity. "So stay active," he said. "If we are active, we can transform the planet. The elders watch to see what happens."
Many Mayan elders and knowledge keepers may be eliminated in the next few years. For the first half of the current Katun (20-year period) the dark side has a lot of power. But that will pass 3 to 4 years from now. The tide can turn. Amazing things are going to happen.
One simple but effective prayer technique is to light a white or baby-blue colored candle. Think a moment in peace. Speak your intention to the flame and send the light of it on to the leaders who have the power to make war or peace.
We Have Work to Do
According to Mr. Barrios this is a crucially important moment for humanity, and for earth. Each person is important. If you have incarnated into this era, you have spiritual work to do balancing the planet. He said the elders have opened the doors so that other races can come to the Mayan world to receive the tradition. The Maya have long appreciated and respected that there are other colors, other races, and other spiritual systems. "They know," he said, "that the destiny of the Mayan world is related to the destiny of the whole world."
"The greatest wisdom is in simplicity," Mr. Barrios advised before leaving Santa Fe. "Love, respect, tolerance, sharing, gratitude, forgiveness. It's not complex or elaborate. The real knowledge is free. It's encoded in your DNA. All you need is within you. Great teachers have said that from the beginning. Find your heart, and you will find your way
satchmo
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Post by emeraldsun on Aug 25, 2010 20:49:54 GMT 4
Mayan Calendar 'Butterfly' Prophecy The World Will Not End edited for length... Thank you for sharing this one with us Satchmo. A great article and once again shows me synchronicity. emeraldsun
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Post by satchmo on Aug 26, 2010 23:34:05 GMT 4
Hi emeraldsun A Month Without Monsanto In January of this year, while procrastinating on Facebook, I followed a link to an article reporting on evidence that there may be health effects associated with consuming Monsanto’s genetically modified (GM) corn. Clicking on that link was one of those moments on which I look back and laugh. I had no idea how my life was about to change. Monsanto’s Reach The article I stumbled onto concerned a study done in 2009 by a group of French scientists investigating the safety of genetically modified food. Their results, as published in the International Journal of Biological Sciences, pointed toward kidney and liver damage in rats fed GM corn. I began to research where exactly Monsanto corn appeared in my family’s diet. With a little online sleuthing, I learned that in addition to producing the genetically modified corn, Monsanto produces several other genetically modified crops such as soy, sugar beets, and cotton. Many of these crops form the foundation of our diets: 70 to 80 percent of American processed foods contain genetically engineered ingredients, according to the Grocery Manufacturers of America. A large percentage of the cotton in our clothes and homes begins in Monsanto's labs. By day two of my attempt to remove Monsanto from my life, I realized I was in way over my head.Probing a little deeper, I was surprised to learn that a company specializing in genetically modified plant crops also had an enormous influence on America’s meat industry. Sixty percent of genetically modified corn goes to feed America’s beef cattle. Additionally, Monsanto’s recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) is used to increase milk production in many dairy cows. Tracing Foods Back to their SourceI decided to see if I could go the entire month of March without consuming any Monsanto products. I committed to an all organic, vegan diet, and reluctantly invested in a small organic cotton wardrobe. It was an experiment born of curiosity: I wanted to know just how deeply my life was influenced by Monsanto, a company I knew little about before that click of my mouse in January. With the help of sustainable food advocate Cassie Gruenstein, I got in touch with dozens of health food stores and manufacturers to ask where they sourced their products. I spent hours at the farmers’ market asking farmers what seed companies they bought from, googling on my iPhone before making purchases. It took several weeks, but I slowly built a somewhat normal Monsanto-free existence. There is no easy way to avoid Monsanto. It requires talking with the person who grew your food—every ingredient of every bite.Unfortunately, with the exception of a few national brands (check out Annie’s, Inc. Massa Organics, and Lundberg Farms for a good start), there is no easy way to avoid Monsanto. It requires talking with the person who grew your food—every ingredient of every bite. Good First StepsWhile it’s extremely difficult to entirely avoid Monsanto, there are some basic guidelines that anyone can use to minimize the genetically modified organisms in their lives. Avoid processed foods. In particular, eliminate High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) from your diet and be sure to read labels. HFCS appears in everything from sodas to wheat bread. Consider going vegetarian, limiting your meat consumption, or buying grass-fed varieties. Over 60 percent of genetically modified corn goes to feed cattle on polluting concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in America. Buy organic dairy products to make sure animals weren't given Monsanto’s recombinant bovine growth hormone. Buy organic cotton when you can. Monsanto is a major player in the cotton industry. Even though cotton makes up only 2.5 percent of the world’s crops, it is doused with 16 percent of the world’s pesticides. Cotton pesticides, most of which are listed as “extremely hazardous” by the World Health Organization, turn up regularly in water sources around the globe. What most amazed me during my month without Monsanto was the influence that one corporation had in my daily life—without me knowing anything about it. Once I started looking, Monsanto was everywhere. Once I started making the effort to avoid it, I found something else that surprised me: the confidence that comes from really knowing what I’m eating. www.yesmagazine.org/planet/a-month-without-monsantosatchmo
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Post by iris on Aug 27, 2010 4:29:47 GMT 4
Dear Satchmo,
Thank you for the very interesting post.
Iris
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Post by emeraldsun on Aug 27, 2010 21:05:08 GMT 4
A Month Without Monsanto
Satchmo,
Wonderful article, thanks!!! Yes IMHO it is impossible to find food, water, air that has not been contaminated with one form or another of intentional poisoning. Whether to dumb us down to the fact that We are Spiritual beings, wreck havoc with our reproductive systems to engender us to artificial means of support/continuation or just plain suck the life force out of us, it seems all pervasive and intentional. Our whole society has been lead down the path of moral debasement through a myriad of means. Whether man-made, et guided who knows...I for One have had ENOUGH!!! I somehow, someway will be a part of the solution.
Yesterday was the date of death of One of the most infamous to lead the U.S. into sexual debauchery...Dr Alfred Kinsey...Zoologist who change the pulse of the people through his own misguided perversions. IMHO
Monsanto, ruling families, corporations given the same rights as individuals, all making poor choices to the detriment of the entire planet need to rethink what it means to be here NOW.
Somehow We as a people need to provide [glow=red,2,300]a way[/glow] for them all to come clean make amends and be [glow=red,2,300]forgiven[/glow]
emeraldsun
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Post by ninathedog on Aug 30, 2010 0:19:07 GMT 4
Pro-Israel Public Affairs Committee Contributions to 2010 U.S. Congressional CandidatesKey to chart is at the bottom of each page. Quality of pages is degraded to make file sizes smaller. Heading is actually a spiffy green color Use your imagination or download PDFwrmea.org/pdf/2010pac_charts.pdfdownload PDF — wrmea.org/pdf/2010pac_charts.pdfSource: Washington Report on Middle East Affairswrmea.orgAIPAC's "What is AIPAC" page --"For more than half a century, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee has worked to help make Israel more secure by ensuring that American support remains strong." www.aipac.org/about_AIPAC/default.asp
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