A Very Scary Halloween 2011

{{{I wanted to blog something REALLY scary and frightening this year for Halloween. I thought of the usual icons of Halloween: Frankenstein, Ghosts, or perhaps Freddie Cruger of ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ fame but when I saw the article 'Various '7 billionth' babies celebrated worldwide' I thought... 'THERE AIN'T NUTTIN SCARIER THAN THAT"!

Please read the article, it's a real eye-opener and should awake every one of us to the realization that something has to be done about this fiasco and FAST! The pain and anguish that awaits our kind will be of epic proportions, in the not so distant future. }}}

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It's Halloween and a little baby girl is born (a symbol of the Earth's human population reaching 7B). WOW, THAT'S SCARY; 7 billion homo-sapiens running around, drinking and devouring Earth's limited resources. Should say volumes to the anti-choice people who are now trying to pass ignorant and delusional laws that say personhood begins at conception (fertilization of the egg).

I wonder, will this law make them all start to label their belief systems’, God, a murderer for spontaneous abortion (miscarriage)?

The parent of this 7 billionth Earthling says it best...

"The number of homeless children I see on the streets keeps multiplying," Camacho said. "When I see them, I'm bothered because I eat and maybe they don't."

I wish the so called 'Pro Lifers" could conjure up such compassion and empathy for all those future babies who will be born into a world that cannot feed and nourish their humongous number' thus, condemning them a life of misery and suffering. Please read this informative but startling article.

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Various '7 billionth' babies celebrated worldwide

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — She came into the world at two minutes before midnight, a tiny, wrinkled girl born into a struggling Manila family. On Monday, she became a symbol of the world's population reaching 7 billion people and all the worries that entails for the planet's future.

Danica May Camacho, born in a crowded public hospital, was welcomed with a chocolate cake marked "7B Philippines" and a gift certificate for free shoes. There were bursts of photographers' flashes, and speeches by local officials.

The celebrations, though, reflected symbolism more than demography.

Amid the millions of births and deaths around the world each day, it is impossible to pinpoint the arrival of the globe's 7 billionth occupant. But the U.N. chose Monday to mark the day with a string of festivities worldwide, and a series of symbolic 7-billionth babies being born.

Danica was the first, arriving at Manila's Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital at two minutes before midnight Sunday — but doctors say that was close enough to count for a Monday birthday.

"She looks so lovely," the mother, Camille Galura, whispered as she cradled the 2.5-kilo (5.5-pound) baby, who was born about a month premature.

The baby was the second for Galura and her partner, Florante Camacho, a driver who supports the family on a tiny salary driving a 'jeepney,' ubiquitous four-wheel drive vehicles used by many poor and working-class Filipinos.

Dr. Eric Tayag of the Philippines' Department of Health said later that the birth came with a warning.

"Seven billion is a number we should think about deeply," he said.

"We should really focus on the question of whether there will be food, clean water, shelter, education and a decent life for every child," he said. "If the answer is 'no,' it would be better for people to look at easing this population explosion."

In the Philippines, much of the population question revolves around birth control. The government backs a program that includes artificial birth control. The powerful Roman Catholic church, though, vehemently opposes contraception.

Camacho, a Catholic like her husband, said she was aware of the church's position but had decided to begin using a birth control device.

"The number of homeless children I see on the streets keeps multiplying," Camacho said. "When I see them, I'm bothered because I eat and maybe they don't."

MORE HERE: http://news.yahoo.com/various-7-billionth-babies-celebrated-worldwide-064439018.html

Occupy Wall Street - We Shall Overcome

Occupy Wall Street 6 Weeks - We Shall Overcome

Occupy Wall Street, still going strong in spite of police brutality.

Scott Olsen, Iraq vet, just standing and watching gets shot in head with a teargas canister projectile, (pointblank) by police; tons of arrests; teargas fired into non-violent crowds of American citizens; batons and pepper spray used to control peaceful people. They, who work for the 1%, want to control the 99%, the masses that they (those who don't realize they are also part of the 99%)were always so readily able to do but this time they have hit a roadblock.

This time WE THE PEOPLE are tired of being hoodwinked and bulldozed.

This time the 1% and all their money and lobbies cannot stop a movement by the people for the people, thus far. It is a shame that it had to come to this, all we, the 99% ever wanted was an equal playing field, a chance to work for a living wage but greed was the winning force. Let us hope this will soon end and THE 99%, THE WE THE PEOPLE SHALL OVERCOME!

Below I made a video using various photos and youtube videos that are posted on the WWW, putting music to the peaceful march for fairness, the song Pete Seeger made so famous, many years ago during movements of peace that helped make this Nation of ours a better place to live. Pete Seeger does again, what he does so well, giving those at the bottom that elusive feeling of HOPE. thinkingblue

The peaceful movement called, ‘Occupy Wall Street’ is continuing, in spite of efforts by those who are supposed to respect the constitutional rights of the people, to end it. Rights we all share (including the police). Police brutality has become the headline of the day. It's initiated by those who wish to control and extinguish the light illuminating from a movement that has long been in hibernation. Too many Americans have felt isolated, alone in their suffering, not realizing that suffering has become a part of everyday life for countless others. The middleclass in America is disappearing and is being replaced by indentured servants, indebted slaves to a wealthy corporate ruling class. There really is strength in number and it is time for that strength to show itself and be silent no more to the corporate 1% who rule over us like gods and kings. Their weapon is money; our weapon is a voice that cries out in unison that we have had enough. thinkingblue

OCCUPY WALL STREET - AMERICAN AWAKENING

OCUUPY WALL STREET 4TH WEEK UPDATE

THETHINKINGBLUE.COM

BLACK TIE AND BODY BAGS - Iraq War

Obama: Iraq war over, US troops coming home

ABC7Chicago.com eTaiwan News - 9 hours ago
"Over the next two months, our troops in Iraq, tens of thousands of them, will pack up their gear and board convoys for the journey home,"

Obama said

~~~~

This is a bittersweet time, the troops in Iraq are finally coming home but we all can't help but feel the sorrow about a war that never should have been. It made me think of an essay written in 2005 when Bush&co were getting ready for their second Inaugural Ball while body bags were returning home from Iraq. I found the page and updated it for both a pleasant (The Troops Are Coming Home) and painful (or regretful) memory. tb

~~~~~

War is sometimes a necessary evil. If we were to be invaded, we sure as hell would have to protect ourselves. But Bush’s war was for greed or retaliation to Avenge His Daddy or (THE REAL REASON) The PNAC'S pipedream - "New Pearl Harbor" Rebuilding America's Defenses, entitled "Creating Tomorrow's Dominant Force", includes the sentence: "Further, the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event––LIKE A NEW PEARL HARBOR".

PNAC members used the events of 9/11 as the "Pearl Harbor" that they needed––that is, as an "opportunity" to "capitalize on" in order to enact long-desired plans. (9/11 GAVE THE PNAC WHAT THEY HAD PLANNED, FOR MANY YEARS PRIOR.)

(BUT THE PNAC WERE) Inexperienced in realities of war Former US Congressman Lionel Van Deerlin and UK Labor MP Tam Dalyell, criticized PNAC members for promoting policies which support an IDEALIZED VERSION OF WAR, even though only a handful of PNAC members have served in the military or, if they served, seen combat. (ARMCHAIR CHICKENHAWKS) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_for_the_New_American_Century

Thus, Cindy Sheehan’s son, U.S. Army Specialist Casey Sheehan, became the 714th to die needlessly in a war that should never have happened. I’m so glad the troops are finally coming home but it is so a bittersweet event, for sure.

Below is a page I did after George W. Bush was elected to a 2nd term (actually it was his first elected term since SCOTUS appointed him the first time). I used an extremely intense article written by Susan Lenfestey of the Minneapolis Star Tribune The beginning of 2005 and Bush&co's 2nd term was a very sad time for America and the writer's mocking words implicating those (uncaring individuals) responsible for the illegal war in Iraq rung so poignantly clear. I started it with a small simplistic poem of tears. thinkingblue

Tears Fall FOR A LIE!

The tears fall each time young soldiers, die.
For a lie…
The tears fall as last breaths whisper, goodbye.
For a lie…
The tears fall, as exploding bombs, fill the sky.
For a lie…
The tears fall, filled with hate, questioning why?
FOR A LIE!
By Carolyn

This melancholy essay speaks volumes of the audaciousness of the 2005 Inauguration and the inequities between those with too much power and those with none. A very sad story, indeed. thinkingblue

BLACK TIE AND BODY BAGS

Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2005 12:12 PM

Subject: Minneapolis Star Tribune
Article startribune.com

Some in black tie; others, body bags
by Susan Lenfestey

It's time to party!

As the families of bomb-flattened Fallujah huddle in make-shift refugee camps, drinking from sewage-filled streams,

Iraqi policy mastermind Paul Wolfowitz fastens the last stud into his starched collar.

As the Iraq Survey Group ends its search for WMD,
concluding that there was no imminent mushroom cloud or even a smoking gun, Condi Rice draws herself a hot bath.

As Sgt. Kevin Benderman, an Army mechanic with nine years of service, refuses a second deployment to Iraq, saying,
"You just don't know how bad it is," Colin Powell pours himself a drink.

As Specialist Charles A. Graner, miscreant and major-domo of Abu Ghraib, shuffles off to prison,
Donald Rumsfeld straightens the black tie of his tux.

As the 9/11 widow tucks her children into bed, wondering why the recommendations made in
"The 9/11 Commission Report" weren't implemented, Tom Ridge tightens his cummerbund.

As prisoners charged with no crimes, and given no recourse, languish in the hellhole of Guantanamo Bay,
torture apologist Alberto Gonzales clicks his cufflinks into place.

As Dan Rather retires in disgrace over forged documents, former CIA Director George Tenet,
proponent of forged documents about Iraq's nonexistent nuclear program, adjusts the Medal of Freedom around his neck.

As the working mother in Chicago wonders how to keep her child from being left behind
now that her special-ed program has been cut, Armstrong Williams polishes his shoes.

As Valerie Plame walks away from a distinguished career as a CIA "operative,"
destroyed when her identity was revealed by columnist Robert Novak, Mr. Novak walks to his limo.

As Osama bin Laden chuckles in his cave to see America's fortunes sink
in the morass of Iraq and as fresh recruits to his cause multiply like flies,
Dick Cheney pops the cork on a bottle of Dom Perignon.

As America's trade gap surges and the red ink in the national debt bleeds to a record level,
Treasury Secretary Paul Snow finishes shaving and dabs at a spot of blood on his chin.

As the Republican Congress gets ready to underfund everything from Head Start to veterans'
benefits, Speaker Dennis Hastert checks his profile in the mirror.

As Pfc. Francis Obaji, oldest son of an immigrant Nigerian family,
is zipped into a body bag for the sad journey home,

And as his corporate pals slide their millions across the table to dance at his ball,
forgetting for a moment the bottom line that forces them to ship jobs overseas,
George W. Bush pulls on his snakeskin boots.

It's time to party!

Susan Lenfestey is a Minneapolis writer.

If Republican Corporatists Had Their Way...

This is what Middle Class America Would Look Like.

http://www.thethinkingblue.com/nkorea.jpg

It's hard to understand why Republicans are so cruel and hateful towards low income people. What is even more perplexing is that they now are going after middle income people and still NO ONE OBJECTS.



That was yesterday, this is today. At last we the 99% who also reside in this land of opportunity (but only for the rich) are speaking out. Perhaps, what the GOP Corporatists had been getting away with for too many years will finally STOP, and they will be forced to look into the faces of we-the-people who they’ve tried to marginalize as inferior but necessary evils.



Go 'Occupy Wall Street! http://www.thethinkingblue.com/occupywallstreet.html

Amplify’d from www.thethinkingblue.com

If Republican Corporatists Had Their Way...

This is what Middle Class America Would Look Like.

TIME LIGHTBOX

OCCUPY WALL STREET

OCCUPY WALL STREET 4TH WEEK

Republicans Drug Test the Poor - October 19, 2011

Republicans To Unemployed: You're Spoiled, Drug-Taking Hobos & Animals, Who Shouldn't Breed.

See more at www.thethinkingblue.com

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1f69s

HUMAN VS. PERSON

HUMAN VS. PERSON

There is so much going on these days it's hard to choose which one to dedicate ones time to. The Occupy Wall Street movement is so worthy of my time but today I came across something that is so ludicrous it certainly begs and deserves a few moments of all of our time. Please read and sign the petition below and perhaps read my 2 cents worth of rant because this is an abortion issue that is just too damn stupid and cruel... I swear too many people live in a world of ignorance and no one should stand idly by allowing them their backward thoughts/actions without SAYING/DOING SOMETHING! thinkingblue

Subject: Stop the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee from using pro-choice donations to support anti-choice candidates
Dear Friend,

The House of Representatives voted to let women die by passing a bill that would make it legal for hospitals to refuse to perform a life-saving abortion on a woman as an emergency procedure.

In response to that vote, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) sent out a fundraising email asking supporters to donate to help protect the health of women.

But three out of fifteen of the DCCC's top candidates who would receive that money voted to let women die.

I told the DCCC that they can't have it both ways and to either stop fundraising off attacks on women's health or stop fundraising for anti-choice Democrats who vote to let women die. I hope you do too.

You can sign the petition at the link below.

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/dccc_choice/?r_by=-2120708-96Ci0nx&rc=paste1

MY 2 CENTS WORTH:

This is so outrageous I want to shout... YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING! This religious based belief that women should not be allowed to choose what is best for their individual life and BODY is, to put it lightly REPULSIVE, to put it seriously heinous and horrifying!

Just because so many poor souls live in a supernatural world of mythology and superstition should not mean that laws should be enacted to force all of us to live in such a medieval world.

This barbaric law of forcing physicians to stand by and witness the death of a woman (a human being) because some cruel law was enacted (by silly frightened people) preventing them from carrying out their Hippocratic Oath is not in reality and is SACRILEGIOUS. (PUT THAT IN YOUR CLERICAL HAT AND SMOKE IT!)

Why must we drift backward in an age of scientific enlightenment? The Dark Ages are long gone; it must stop if we all want to live together in absoluteness. Get real; DEMOCRATS you are suppose to be the party of the people, start acting like it!

PS: And for you ‘RIGHT TO LIFERS’ sure a fetus is a living organism but it hasn’t developed nervous system cells (neurons) in the spinal cord… Let’s all look at the preponderance of evidence here… A functional adult human being vs. A fetus. (or Human vs. Person) THE BIGGEST difference happens to be CONSCIOUSNESS (self awareness):

The defining mark between something that is human and someone who is a person is 'consciousness.' It is the self-aware quality of consciousness that makes us uniquely different from others. This self-awareness, this sentient consciousness is also what separates us from every other animal life form on the planet. We think about ourselves. We use language to describe ourselves. We are aware of ourselves as a part of the greater whole.

So which life form should a doctor save? The answer is pretty self evident; in the future, when making laws that affect half the society stop using a supernatural yardstick and make sure those laws are strictly for the wellbeing of ALL the people not just those with an indoctrinated dogma. PLEASE SIGN: http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/dccc_choice/index2.html

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Occupy Wall Street

MARCH FOR JOBS AND JUSTICE - OCTOBER 15, 2011

Occupy Wall Street will join the March For Jobs and Justice Saturday October 15, 2011.

See Al Sharpton on Last Word tell it like it is. He will be there on Saturday leading this march for JOBS and JUSTICE! Let us hope we-the-people will finally be heard.

Amplify’d from www.thethinkingblue.com

MARCH FOR JOBS AND JUSTICE OCTOBER 15, 2011

March and Rally for Jobs and Justice http://www.afscme.org/members/events-calendar/march-for-jobs-and-justice Event Details Date: Saturday, October 15, 2011

Location: National Sylvan Theater 15th & Independence Ave. Washington, DC 20002

Please see the Guerilla Warfare Tea Party Republicans at their best (HATEFULNESS) in the comments HERE

ALSO SEE OCCUPY WALL STREET - Fourth Week

OCCUPY WALL STREET -Us Awakening

See more at www.thethinkingblue.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1eu3i

Occupy Wall Street - Week Four - The Intellectuals Weigh In

Occupy Wall Street - Week Four - The Intellectuals Weigh In

People are finally realizing just how much the ESTABLISHMENT has screwed them over. Since I started blogging it’s been my thought that we-the-people should start to WAKE UP and REALIZE the power we have being in the majority. Of course there were many just like me who never got out of the THOUGHT stage as to what we could possibly do to change our lot. But now we are seeing action and so is the 1%, giving them a teeny tiny bit of concern.

I don’t know where this movement is heading but one thing is for sure, people really are beginning to comprehend the fact that we the 99% are the losers in this game, the rich and powerful play. There may not be a great deal, we can do at present to induce the drastic changes needed but something is bound to happen in the future with so much awareness spreading like wildfire. One can only hope that our society will start to turn around for the better real soon because there absolutely is… no turning back!

Please watch the video I’ve put together featuring several different opinions from some very wise folks who possess a keen insight as to where this newly hatched movement is directed. thinkingblue

My Tehran For Sale - A Land Without Democracy

My Tehran For Sale - A Land Without Democracy

Actress Marzieh Vafamehr has been sentenced to a year in jail and 90 lashes for her role in a film about the limits imposed on artists in the Islamic republic, an Iranian opposition website reported Sunday.Vafamehr was arrested in July after appearing in "My Tehran for Sale," which came under harsh criticism in conservative circles.

The film, produced in collaboration with Australia, tells the story of a young actress in Tehran whose theatre work is banned by the authorities. She is then forced to lead a secret life in order to express herself artistically.
The Fars news agency said the movie had not been approved for screening in Iran and was being distributed in the country illegally.
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These were the Yahoo headlines I saw this morning eliciting an OMG from me. ONE YEAR IN JAIL & 90 LASHES for her role in a film about the limits imposed on artists in the Islamic republic; what kind of backward, unenlightened, moronic universe does the country of Iran reside in? We all know of the horrors that are faced everyday by ordinary citizens of Iran, especially if you happen to be born a FEMALE.

We, in America, live in a somewhat free society so hearing such tyranny that people from totalitarian regimes must face is quite chilling and shocking to us. It’s hard to believe that there are human beings who live on this planet and they are not allowed to think, talk, move or make facial expressions without committing a crime of some sort. That’s not living, that’s not even existing, what it is or what it resembles is the theological interpretation of HELL. I firmly believe that there are those in this USA who would impose such an ignorant, backward tenent upon we-the-people here in the states if they could and that is pretty damn scary. If you think that statement farfetched and over the top just turn your head to the right and look at what the GOP Tea Party is doing to gut the middle class of our society. Here is an excerpt from Thom Hartmann’s “SCREWED-The Undeclared War Against the Middle Class”:

“In human society as well, to have a democracy we must have a middle class. And to have a true middle class, a majority of the people in a nation must be educated and economically secure and must have full and easy access to real news so they can make informed decisions. Democracy requires that its citizens be able to afford to take care of themselves and their families when they get sick, to afford a decent place to live, to find meaningful and well-paying work, and to anticipate--and enjoy--a secure retirement. This is the American Dream. It's the America my dad grew up in and the America I grew up in. It's the America that is quickly slipping away from us under the burden of crony capitalism and a political system corrupted by it.” SEE MORE HERE

If Actress Marzieh Vafamehr does receive such a harsh punishment (as repulsive as that is) I am sure she will be instrumental in the abolishment of Iran’s Tyrannical Rule. That’s what it takes, stand up and demand liberty, don’t allow them to use fear to erode what freedoms we already enjoy. If we do allow the dismantaling of our rights, we have only ourselves to blame.

Join the movement OCCUPY WALL STREET now! thinkingblue

Iran actress sentenced to one year in jail

A general view of Tehran in July 2011. Actress Marzieh Vafamehr has been sentenced …
Actress Marzieh Vafamehr has been sentenced to a year in jail and 90 lashes for her role in a film about the limits imposed on artists in the Islamic republic, an Iranian opposition website reported Sunday.
"A verdict has been issued for Marzieh Vafamehr, sentencing her to a year in jail and 90 lashes," Kalameh.com reported.
"Her lawyer has appealed the sentence, which was handed down yesterday (Saturday)," the report added, without giving further details.
Vafamehr was arrested in July after appearing in "My Tehran for Sale," which came under harsh criticism in conservative circles.
The film, produced in collaboration with Australia, tells the story of a young actress in Tehran whose theatre work is banned by the authorities. She is then forced to lead a secret life in order to express herself artistically.
The Fars news agency said the movie had not been approved for screening in Iran and was being distributed in the country illegally.
Vafamehr was released in late July after posting unspecified bail. MORE HERE

Watch the video clips of the movie, "My Tehran For Sale"

Trailer

SCENE SHOT

Please support Occupy Wall Street By Signing Commitment: I Support Occupy Wall Street

This protest is so overdue. At last we, the ones who are suffering the most, finally have a voice. For too long we have been the silent majority, feeling the pain inflicted upon us by the 1% with all the power, who feel no empathy towards we, the 99% proletariat. There were times when we 99’ers had some government on our side but today that is no longer true; money talks and money silences, a sad but true fact. I will support the Occupy Wall Street movement in any way that’s possible for me. 'Comment By thinkingblue'

Please sign a commitment: http://act.rootsaction.org/p/dia/action/public/?action

Also see ARE AMERICAN OUTSOURCED JOBS COMING BACK?

OCCUPY WALL STREET

And From Libertyjuice.com
What Does Tyranny Look Like?

Guess What? Outsourced USA Jobs May Be Coming Back!

A GOOD READ: Made (Again) in the U.S.A. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2095571,00.html#ixzz1ZirfNPCb

Please support Occupy Wall Street By Signing Commitment: I Support Occupy Wall Street

This protest is so overdue. At last we, the ones who are suffering the most, finally have a voice. For too long we have been the silent majority, feeling the pain inflicted upon us by the 1% with all the power, who feel no empathy towards we, the 99% proletariat. There were times when we 99’ers had some government on our side but today that is no longer true; money talks and money silences, a sad but true fact. I will support the Occupy Wall Street movement in any way that’s possible for me. 'Comment By thinkingblue'

Please sign a commitment: http://act.rootsaction.org/p/dia/action/public/?action

Guess What? Outsourced USA Jobs May Be Coming Back!
No, it's not because Corporhood America has become enlightened therefor feeling compassion instead of GREED.

Guess What? Outsourced USA Jobs May Be Coming Back!
Could it be the CORPORATISTS have developed a conscience?
Not on your life!

Will wonders ever cease? Never would I have believed that there is a chance of outsourced jobs returning to our American Shores without intervension from the Government . After all, the Corporatists’ are only after the bottom-line, they have proved this time and again with their off-shoring of so many jobs that once belonged to the American Work Force. They didn’t care about Americans losing their jobs and that it would most likely produce a mass slide into poverty. They didn’t care about the foreign workers who were forced to work for slave labor pittance. It was always about the bottom-line profits and making stockholders happy.

Now, it appears that the high OUT OF SIGHT cost to ship goods to faraway places is making the Fat Cats think again. Hey, it’s costing too much $$$ for SHIPPING AND HANDLING which is eating into our ACQUISITION of WEALTH and that, we all know, CAN’T BE TOLERATED! Hey we’ve got to do a 180-degree reversal and take the livelihood from the poor in foreign countries and bring it on back here to give these jobs back to the poor of this country. ACQUISITION OF WEALTH LEAK SOLVED.

Next time you grumble at the prospect of price increases on fuel and goods just remember IT’S BRINGING JOBS BACK TO AMERICA… What a way to run a country! Please read the article Made (Again) in the U.S.A. for some insight into a 180-degree reversal by the Corporate Personhood of America. thinkingblue

Made (Again) in the U.S.A.

With annual sales of $6.5 billion from more than 100 disparate brands, Jarden Corp. of Rye, N.Y., is what used to be known as a conglomerate. It makes, among other things, canning jars, matches, skis, toasters, rope, tents, apparel, fishing gear, sponges, baseball bats and football helmets--many of them under formerly
distressed brands like Coleman, Rawlings and Sunbeam, which founder Martin Franklin and CEO James Lillie have bought and rehabbed.

It's also at the forefront of a trend, the rehab of American manufacturing. Wages in China, where many basic goods sold by companies like Jarden have been produced cheaply for decades, are rising rapidly.
Meanwhile, prices for ocean containers and marine fuel have been volatile, swinging 40% for containers and up to 150% for fuel in some periods. The result is a new cost equation that is returning some manufacturing to the U.S. This year Jarden will "insource" $100 million worth of goods (in wholesale value)--about 4 million items--to the Americas, mostly from Asia, half of that to the U.S. That includes
Worth carbon-fiber softball bats, now in full-swing production in Caledonia, Minn.; marine-antenna castings in Greenville, S.C.; Quickie mops and brooms that have swept into Lumberton, N.C.; and a new line of Rawlings footballs that will touch down in Springfield, Mo.

Because Jarden makes so many different things using so many different processes, the company is keenly attuned to sourcing: it buys certain kitchen appliances from Chinese manufacturers because it won't ever beat their prices in the U.S., but it makes canning jars in Daleville, Ind., because no one else can do it better
for less. The calculation is ever changing, given variable costs like energy and considerations like speed to market. "We kept some facilities open and capacities available for when the cost started moving," says Lillie. So a match factory in Cloquet, Minn., that didn't get extinguished to save $1 million is operating profitably--even adding toothpicks.

This trend will likely grow. According to the Boston Consulting Group, wage and benefit costs will increase 15% to 20% annually in China as it becomes a consumer-oriented economy. Export costs will rise too as the country's manufacturing capacity tilts toward its domestic market. "At the end of the day," says Franklin, "keeping the factories open in the U.S. is an important hedge for what we think is an inevitable
shift." So far, it's a slow one, involving just 1% of Jarden's workforce--a couple hundred jobs. "We're in front of the trend," says Lillie, who has the perspective of running 65 plants worldwide. "A lot of people are still focused on short-term margin enhancement." But for U.S. manufacturing, it's the direction that's important.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2095571,00.html#ixzz1ZirfNPCb