700,000 Americans petition the White House to secede from the US

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In the one week since US President Barack Obama won his bid for re-election, representatives from all 50 states have filed petitions with the White House asking to secede from the United States.

Just seven days after a citizen of Louisiana asked for the state’s peaceful secession from the rest of the country, hundreds of thousands of electronic signatures from around the United States have been submitted to WhiteHouse.gov for review as Americans from all corners of the country ask the president to grant them amicable separation from the union.

According to the White House’s own rules on the ‘We the People’ portal of the Executive Branch’s official website, a staffer from within the walls of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue will respond in a timely manner to any petition that can garner more than 25,000 signatures. As of the morning of Nov. 14, pleads out of Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee have all crossed that threshold, with petitions from the rest of the country quickly accumulating enough signatures to soon require a reply as well.

In almost every case, signees say that the time has come to do something about the state of the union.

Petraeus Case Raises Concerns About Americans’ Privacy

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The F.B.I. investigation that toppled the director of the C.I.A. and has now entangled the top American commander in Afghanistan underscores a danger that civil libertarians have long warned about: that in policing the Web for crime, espionage and sabotage, government investigators will unavoidably invade the private lives of Americans.

On the Internet, and especially in e-mails, text messages, social network postings and online photos, the work lives and personal lives of Americans are inextricably mixed. Private, personal messages are stored for years on computer servers, available to be discovered by investigators who may be looking into completely unrelated matters.

Probe widening Petraeus scandal; Obama expected to comment today

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WASHINGTON — Lawmakers are digging into the tangled tale of e-mails that exposed an extramarital affair ending David Petraeus' CIA career and led investigators to a questionable relationship between a Florida socialite and the general commanding the war in Afghanistan.

Their main question: Was national security threatened?

The extramarital affair was between Petraeus and his biographer Paula Broadwell, who U.S. officials say sent harassing, anonymous emails to a woman she apparently saw as a rival for Petraeus' affections. That woman, Jill Kelley, in turn traded thousands of sometimes flirtatious messages with Gen. John Allen, possible evidence of another inappropriate relationship.

5 things we’ve learned from Petraeus scandal

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Editor's note: Frida Ghitis is a world affairs columnist for The Miami Herald and World Politics Review. A former CNN producer and correspondent, she is the author of "The End of Revolution: A Changing World in the Age of Live Television." Follow her on Twitter: @FridaGColumns

(CNN) -- The increasingly convoluted scandal that led to the resignation of CIA Director David Petraeus has become an endless source of speculation, drama and surprising turns of events. There is much we don't know, but a few important facts have emerged with sharp clarity.

It's not too early to learn the first few lessons from this continuing saga, which promises to deliver many more for weeks, probably months. Here is some of what we have learned -- and relearned -- so far:

1. Powerful men, no matter how brilliant and accomplished, can suffer from a form of temporary insanity caused by the interaction of arrogance and libido.
Sadly, this is a lesson we see repeated time and time again, across national borders, destroying promising careers and even changing the course of history. Nothing, it seems, not even the highest IQs, the most exclusive security clearances, or the tangible risk of losing it all for the sake of a tryst will stop certain men from pursing an illicit relationship. Yes, powerful women do it, too, but the cases are rare.

On the other hand, the parade of men who have destroyed or very nearly killed their careers and their personal lives is endless.
Gen. Petraeus, the most celebrated military officer of his generation, is the most recent addition to the list. We still don't know what's behind tens of thousands of pages of e-mails Gen. John Allen allegedly exchanged with a woman involved in the Petraeus scandal, and there's the curious case of the FBI agent who reportedly sent shirtless pictures of himself to that same woman. We can't say yet which of these characters will join the melancholy list that includes John Edwards, Eliot Spitzer, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Tiger Woods, Mark Sanford, Anthony Weiner, and on and on and on, each with an accompanying cast of heartbroken relatives.
(And, by the way, when a powerful man pays a high price for his indiscretions, prepare to see efforts to blame it all on the woman. It's not surprising that the Petraeus case has included countless references to the clothing choices of the general's girlfriend, as if form-fitting outfits made it all seem logical and understandable.)

TRR: Florida Vote Twist: More Ballots Than Voters – Washington Times

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Nov 11 UPDATE: Late Saturday Florida officials agreed to a full recount of early ballots then on Sunday abruptly excluded over half of them without clear reason.

Republican Congressman Allen West’s campaign is ready to “go to war” to get a recount in the Florida 18th Congressional District race. The latest twist to emerge from the ongoing vote count – in some precincts there are more ballots than voters.

Preliminary, unofficial vote totals were filed today in the neck and neck race between Mr. West and Democratic challenger Patrick Murphy. The Murphy campaign has already declared victory, but the numbers have not been officially certified and the count goes on. The West campaign believes that they are close to the .5% vote margin that will trigger an automatic recount under Florida election law.

TRR: Florida Vote Twist: More Ballots Than Voters – Washington Times

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Nov 11 UPDATE: Late Saturday Florida officials agreed to a full recount of early ballots then on Sunday abruptly excluded over half of them without clear reason.

Republican Congressman Allen West’s campaign is ready to “go to war” to get a recount in the Florida 18th Congressional District race. The latest twist to emerge from the ongoing vote count – in some precincts there are more ballots than voters.

Preliminary, unofficial vote totals were filed today in the neck and neck race between Mr. West and Democratic challenger Patrick Murphy. The Murphy campaign has already declared victory, but the numbers have not been officially certified and the count goes on. The West campaign believes that they are close to the .5% vote margin that will trigger an automatic recount under Florida election law.

Papa John’s and Applebee’s Warn of Obamacare Cuts

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Applebee’s and Papa John’s have joined the growing chorus of employers who warn the upcoming implementation of Obamacare will lead to damaging cuts in its workforces.

"That's what you do, is you pass on costs,’’ John Schnatter, founder and CEO of Papa John’s, told students at Edison State College in Naples, Fla. “Unfortunately, I don't think people know what they're going to pay for this."

John Schnatter compared the federal government's involvement in healthcare to the Postal Service.
(Getty Images) Schnatter, who supported Mitt Romney, compared the federal government’s involvement in healthcare to its running of the U.S. Postal Service.

"The worst entity in the world for running the thing is the government,’’ he said. Schnatter’s remarks were first reported by NaplesNews.com.

He estimated the new law will cost Papa John’s $5 million to $8 million annually.

Old Soviet jokes become the new American reality | WatchDogWire – Florida

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I have seen the future and ran away.

At first the move to America from the former USSR made me feel as though I had made a jump in time, from the stagnant depraved past into a distant dynamic future.

There was an abundance of commonly available futuristic contraptions, machines, and appliances that made everyday existence easier and more enjoyable. Less obvious but just as exciting was the media’s openness: I no longer needed to read between the lines to know what was happening.

Most importantly, there was honesty, dignity, and respect in relations among people.

Today I’m feeling like a time traveler again.

Only this time the productive, honest and self-reliant America is vanishing in the past, as we are quickly approaching the all too familiar future.

It is the future of equal poverty, one-party rule, media mooching, government looting, bureaucratic corruption, rigged elections, underground literature, half-whispered jokes, and the useful habit of looking over your shoulder.

Voting and worries over a new storm mark election day after Sandy – latimes.com

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LITTLE EGG HARBOR, N.J. -- Voters in the New York metropolitan area went to the polls on Tuesday, wary about an upcoming storm and many still grappling with the damage caused by Sandy just over a week ago.

The initial turnout was high in storm-hit areas where many people arrived at makeshift polling sites like the recreational vehicle parked in Little Egg Harbor. Ruth Ann Murray, 75, was staying in a shelter there after her home in Manahawkin was flooded--and has never missed an election.

“I think it's wonderful that we can still vote,” Murray said after she was lowered from the RV on a wheelchair ramp, adding that she felt voting was her duty. “This is our country and we have to make sure it's being run as we want it to be.”

Kevin Trudeau, autore dei super-popolari "cure naturali" libri, è stato nuovamente citato in giudizio da parte della Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Questa volta, non si tratta di calcio di corallo e il cancro, si tratta di perdita di peso copre le richieste inoltrate nella commercializzazione del suo libro, "The Cure perdita di peso 'Loro' non voglio che tu sappia chi."

In base alla FTC, Trudeau false prodotti dimagranti dichiarazioni includono quelli come questo:

"Posso mangiare quello che voglio ora, qualsiasi cosa e quanto ne voglio quando voglio. Nessuna restrizione ora. E il peso non tornera '. Non guadagnare il peso indietro."

A seconda di cosa è venuto prima di questa dichiarazione, potrebbe essere grave esagerazione o verità solido. Per esempio, so che se si passa a una dieta a base di alimenti non trasformati, ottenere un sacco di sole, impegnarsi in un regolare esercizio fisico e prendere un sacco di tracce di minerali, la maggior parte desiderio di carboidrati e prodotti alimentari trasformati scomparire nel giro di 30 giorni. Da quel punto in avanti, è vero che una persona può essenzialmente mangiare ciò che vogliono, quando vogliono, perché non sono craving le insalubri, alimenti trasformati grassi che producono in primo luogo. Inoltre, il loro metabolismo è normalizzata e non stai ricevendo selvatici sbalzi di zucchero nel sangue che causano voglie.

D'altra parte, se con questa prodotti dimagranti affermazione, Trudeau significa che si può mangiare tutto il gelato, cibi fritti, biscotti, bibite e dolci si vuole senza aumentare di peso poi, naturalmente, è una sciocchezza. Il peso sarà sicuramente tornare per tutte le persone che consumano principalmente alimenti trasformati.

Un bersaglio preferito FTC

Ma la vera storia non è se Trudeau è giusto o sbagliato sulla perdita di peso, è circa l'applicazione selettiva dei crediti di perdita di peso da parte della FTC. Trudeau è un bersaglio preferito della FTC, e lui è stato citato in giudizio davanti a oltre indicazioni sulla salute per i suoi prodotti di calcio di corallo. La FTC anche lui costretto in una città in cui non poteva più vendere prodotti nutrizionali. Questo è quello che alla fine ha portato Trudeau a scrivere i suoi libri Cure prodotti per dimagrire naturali, che ora sono probabilmente i libri di maggior successo commerciale mai venduti tramite infomercials.

La FTC, a quanto pare, vuole mantenere il targeting Trudeau indipendentemente da quello che vende. E mentre peso Trudeau sinistri può o non può trattenere l'acqua (non ho visto il infomercial me stesso, quindi non so cosa le altre dichiarazioni che può aver fatto), sono molto più interessati al fatto che la FTC sembra di essere disinteressato a fermare molte altre truffe di perdita di peso.

Ad esempio, cosa succede con i prodotti Slim Fast al supermercato? Sono posizionati come la perdita di peso pasto sostitutivo scuote, e ancora il 1 ingrediente n ° tra prodotti per dimagrire il prodotto in polvere non è altro che lo zucchero da tavola raffinato! Se credi che lo zucchero favorisce la perdita di peso, poi ho un ponte di vendere. Perché non è la FTC in grado di denunciare il costruttore SlimFast e ottenere questi prodotti apparentemente ingannevoli dagli scaffali?

E per quanto riguarda prodotti dimagranti questi prodotti Weight Watchers? In realtà sto facendo una serie di foto su alcuni dolci Weight Watchers per mostrare come incredibilmente malsano sono. Molti sono realizzati principalmente con lo zucchero e oli idrogenati. Per implica che essi effettivamente promuovere la perdita di peso mi sembra ridicolo, se non addirittura fraudolente. Dove si trova la FTC quando si tratta di proteggere i consumatori da questi popolare (ma a mio parere ingannevole) i prodotti di perdita di peso?

Peggio ancora, dare un'occhiata prodotti per dimagrire alla pubblicità farmaceutiche che girano in televisione in questi giorni. Senza esplicitamente affermando, questi annunci implica che l'assunzione di Big Pharma overpriced, farmaci pericolosi per trasformare la tua disorganizzato, la vita dolorosa e depresso in una vita di felicità, l'abbondanza e la chiarezza. E 'la stessa prodotti dimagranti storia che è mostrato in quasi ogni annuncio: Qualcuno ha una vita terribile che è girato da una pillola magica, e poi alla fine dell'annuncio, che stanno camminando verso il tramonto con un po' top model sexy e la vita è perfetta!

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