April 30, 2004
Czech Your Knowledge
Left is Right BEATS THE ODDS!
BBC News has a 10-question, multiple-choice quiz for you to test your knowledge of one of the upcoming new members of the E.U., the Czech Republic. Left is Right knows virtually nothing about this nation. Even with those odds, on a 3-choices-per-question test, probability states that the score should be 3 to 4 correct answers. Left is Right scored 90%! Yes, 90% WRONG! Here is the only question answered correctly:
| Question 5
A Czech or Czechoslovak team has won the ice hockey world cup nine times since 1947. In which of the following years was the Czech team not world champion? A: 2000 B: 2001 C: 2002 |
Funny thing is, of all the subjects covered by the questions, this is the one about which Left is Right knows the least.
This Week's "Question for President Bush"
Asked by Mark Morford:
| Some believe the mind and body are merely rote machines, Dubya, ugly dumb congestions of cells and carbon and water and electric impulses whose only real purpose is raw animal survival and desperate procreation until death and decay and nothingness.
Others believe the human animal is a potent divine vehicle, that this flesh is merely how our ageless, formless spirit experiences density, and that we are here, in short, to learn mandatory messy earthbound information and then merge what we learn with the Great Mystery. This is the last question, Shrub, and perhaps the most important of all: What will your contribution be? With what sort of divine openness and creative energy are you choosing to pass through this world? What will you lay at the feet of the divine besides a small mountain of dead bodies and an oil-rich stock portfolio? |
ALERT: Blatant Broadcasting Censorship - Tonight
With regards to the pending ban of tonight's airing of "Nightline" on ABC affiliate stations owned by Sinclair Broadcasting Group, SBGI released this note on their website:
| ABC Nightline Pre-emption
The ABC Television Network announced on Tuesday that the Friday, April 30 edition of "Nightline" will consist entirely of Ted Koppel reading aloud the names of U.S. servicemen and women killed in action in Iraq. Despite the denials by a spokeswoman for the show, the action appears to be motivated by a political agenda designed to undermine the efforts of the United States in Iraq. There is no organization that holds the members of our military and those soldiers who have sacrificed their lives in service of our country in higher regard than Sinclair Broadcast Group. While Sinclair would support an honest effort to honor the memory of these brave soldiers, we do not believe that is what "Nightline" is doing. Rather, Mr. Koppel and "Nightline" are hiding behind this so-called tribute in an effort to highlight only one aspect of the war effort and in doing so to influence public opinion against the military action in Iraq. Based on published reports, we are aware of the spouse of one soldier who died in Iraq who opposes the reading of her husband's name to oppose our military action. We suspect she is not alone in this viewpoint. As a result, we have decided to preempt the broadcast of "Nightline' this Friday on each of our stations which air ABC programming. We understand that our decision in this matter may be questioned by some. Before you judge our decision, however, we would ask that you first question Mr. Koppel as to why he chose to read the names of 523 troops killed in combat in Iraq, rather than the names of the thousands of private citizens killed in terrorist attacks since and including the events of September 11, 2001. In his answer, we believe you will find the real motivation behind his action scheduled for this Friday. Unfortunately, we may never know for sure because Mr. Koppel has refused repeated requests from Sinclair's News Central news organization to comment on this Friday's program. |
Just be aware that this company sends 98% of its political contributions to the Republican Party. They are justifying their decision behind the curtain of their suspicion that there is more than one person who opposes this. And note that the memo says "the spouse of one soldier who died in Iraq who opposes the reading of her husband's name to oppose our military action". However, it is only the opinion of Sinclair B. that ABC is airing this program for political purposes. It does not say that the spouse opposes the reading of her husband's name on this program.
Oh Siht - Those Britons Are At It Again
Rob at Conniptions found this gem:
| U.S. Government asked to approve trademark of 'FCUK'
Ask the Federal Patent & Trademark Office to reject the applications and not approve FCUK as a government-recognized trademark in the United States. Wednesday, April 28, 2004 The French Connection United Kingdom Company has applied for government approval of a registered trademark using their acronym, "FCUK." If the French Connection gets approval for the trademark, the "FCUK" will begin appearing on T-shirts, tote bags, sodas, mugs and other products worn and displayed in the public, all with the approval of the U.S. government! Plus it will be used in advertising in all media: TV, newspapers, magazines, etc. Click here to see a sample of their product. WARNING: The material is extremely offensive. Last year, major retailers pulled products from their store shelves carrying the acronym because of its offensiveness. Now the company is asking the United States Patent & Trademark Office to officially sanction it as a standard trademark for public promotion of their products in America. Our children don't need to see this term pop up on TV and newspaper ads, or worn in public. And, won't you please forward this e-mail to a friend? Do it for our children. |
Yes, do it for our fcuking, gdodam children. Tahnk gdo we have the religious right to protect ourselves from the terrorism of freedom of speech. And do click the link to see the product sample; you'll be
Trucker Outrage
Here in Southern California this morning five truckers stopped their big rigs on the northbound 5 Freeway, completely blocking all northbound lanes of this busy route. One source says they left their trucks and took their keys in protest of the high diesel fuel prices. Chaotic rush-hour traffic jam followed.
FRIDAY FUN
Axis of Evil (speed typing game) Other Games from same site
Bar Bowling (game)
Clone your own mouse (interactive)
Ebay Wedding Dress
Fun Games (need shockwave)
Logo Game
Looking to Get Away? (photo)
Meat Jell-O
Photographers of Genius at the Getty (interactive art exhibits)
Show Me What You're Eating (photos)
Star Wars Kid (video)
Time Travel
Useless Information
Who is that with Jeremy? (photos)
April 28, 2004
April 28 - Workers Memorial Day
Today is WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY. "Every April 28th, people in hundreds of communities and worksites around the world remember those who have suffered and died on the job. Yearly, more than 6 million U.S. workers are injured or become sick on the job, 50,000 die from occupational illness, and nearly 6,000 are killed on the job." What has President Bush done lately
| Bush's Workplace Safety Record Is the Worst
The Bush administration has joined with business groups to roll back and block key worker protections. Killed workplace ergonomic protections. On March 20, 2001, President Bush signed legislation repealing the ergonomics standard designed to protect workers from repetitive motion and back injuries. Shut down dozens of workplace safety and health rules. In December 2001, the Bush administration announced the withdrawal of 29 rules that would have protected workers from serious hazards at work. Killed TB standards. On December 31, 2003, the Bush administration killed the final tuberculosis standard that would have protected health care workers from SARS and other airborne infectious disease threats. Reduced nursing home inspections. In the fall of 2003, the Bush administration cut the number of nursing home inspections from 1,000 to 400 a year. Favors employers over workers. The Bush administration’s fiscal year 2005 OSHA budget (issued Feb. 5, 2004) proposed to cut OSHA’s safety training program for workers by 65 percent ($7.1 million cut) while increasing funding for employer programs. President Bush and the federal government need to protect workers, not corporate special interests. |
Pizza: Not As Private As You Might Think
Pizza delivery databases now used for tracking offenders.
| Missouri tracks scofflaws via pizza-delivery databases
By Kelly Wiese, Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — It's dinnertime, and you're hungry and tired, so you pick up the phone and order your favorite pizza. But you might have just landed yourself a lot more than pepperoni and cheese. If you owe fines or fees to the courts, that phone call may have provided the link the state needed to track you down and make you pay. That's one of the strategies of firms such as a company being hired by the Missouri Office of State Courts Administrator to handle its fine and debt collections. David Coplen, the state office's budget director, said he discovered that pizza delivery lists are one of the best sources such companies use to locate people. "There are literally millions of dollars of uncollected fines, fees and court costs out there," Coplen said. How much? A sampling in January of just three of Missouri's 114 counties found about $2 million owed to courts by people whose Social Security numbers were known, Coplen said. That finding suggests courts statewide could reap significant revenue once Dallas-based ACS gets to work this month pursuing people using phone numbers and addresses. Databases compiled by private companies and government agencies are a key tool for firms such as ACS, Coplen said, and "one of the databases they find to be most helpful are pizza delivery databases." "When you call to order a pizza, you usually give them your correct name, your correct address and your correct phone number," he said. Just which pizza companies' databases might be mined is unknown. A representative of Domino's Pizza said the company does not sell its customer information, and other national pizza chains did not respond to messages seeking comment. Michael Daniels, an ACS division vice president, declined to reveal exactly which companies' databases ACS uses. Daniels said sifting through private databases, from pizza deliveries to magazine subscriptions, is just one piece of the work the company does to help states collect more money and make the process more efficient. The company's clients typically see their collections rise anywhere from 33% to 100% in the first year of a contract, Daniels said.... |
I don't know, this seems like a violation-of-privacy issue to me. Does anyone (you readers) know more?
April 27, 2004
Republicans Eliminate "Neither" from Dictionary
Richard Engle, President NFRA thinks it's time for Republicans to revisit those fond Reagan years:
| ...It is my contention that the modern Republican Party is entirely the creation of Ronald Reagan's legacy. While we would not want to demean the impact other Republicans have had including our current President and his father, there is little doubt either of them would have become President without Reagan. More importantly, the Grand Old Party would stand for "Old" more than it does "Grand" were it not for "the Great Communicator" transforming its message to one that reached the hearts of the vast majority of Americans. At that time and still today, Americans are largely politically conservative as conservativism was defined by him. On social issues, Americans hold to traditional definitions of family and of life. On fiscal, Americans want limited government, freedom to pursue there own goals, and minimal taxes. Internationally, Americans want to engage the world rather than be isolated from it, however they want our government to pursue the values of liberty rather than to appease foreign potentates.
It is my opinion that Ronald Reagan's success was built on the fact that he never failed to stand firm in his commitment to principle. I also believe that the Republican Party must, on an ongoing basis, recall that recipe for success. We will not achieve greatness by merely electing more and more Republicans if being a Republican carries little or no meaning or impact on that elected officials public policy. I understand that the Party must shape its platform anew to address the issues of the day. We should also revisit the platform of Ronald Reagan to remind ourselves of timeless values which will lead us to victory, and more importantly, to truth.... |
"...there is little doubt either of them would have become President without Reagan." Excuse my grammar, but isn't that saying that the Bushes would have become President even without Reagan? Therefore, what's the big deal about Reagan?
Anyway, this essay is so full of b.s. because it replaces the term "conservative Americans" with "Americans". Read and enjoy.
Today's Quote
| "There is no violent reason for this; I'm doing this for peace and justice and to try to help this country wake up once and for all." |
What John Kerry said, April 23, 1971, as he tossed a handful of medals over a fence as a symbolic gesture of protesting the Vietnam War by Vietnam Veterans Against the War, according to Thomas Oliphant
April 26, 2004
Hitler Couldn't Make It, but His Supporters Were There
Yesterday Renay San Miguel, CNN Anchor, interviewed Randall Terry, president of the Society for Truth and Justice, on the Pro-Choice march in Washington (excerpt):
| SAN MIGUEL: You've talked about this being a grass roots issue but you've no doubt seen this list of celebrities who will be attending today a mile long. I wanted to ask you, where are the anti- abortion celebrities? Name some names, here. Who of the people that are seen all over the media are on your side of the issue?
TERRY: Mother Teresa, John Paul II. To be honest with you, I kind of smirk and laugh at this whole celebrities thing because when child killing is made illegal, these celebrities who have attached their names to this, their names are going to have a certain amount of shame with it. Remember, Adolf Hitler in the mid '30s had really big crowds and had a lot of famous people saying he was a great guy. It didn't do him much good in 1945. |
Yes, you have it correct, pro-choice supporters are equivalent to Hitler supporters. Thank you, CNN, for being objective and insightful.
April 24, 2004
Johnkerryisadouchebagbutimvotingforhimanyway
Here's an interesting, new blog by someone who gives his reasons for believing that Kerry is much maligned by the media and many progressive like me. Although he may correctly justify many of Kerry's incorrectly-perceived flip-flops on current campaign points, I take issue with a lack of mention of Kerry's most recent transgression, namely supporting Bush's policy of agreeing with Sharon's doomed stance of continued occupation of Palestine.
The Cost of Election Stealing
How much would it cost to steal an election, such as the House of Representatives? About $100M, according to Bruce Schneier.
| Stealing an Election
There are major efforts by computer security professionals to convince government officials that paper audit trails are essential in any computerized voting machine. They have conducted actual examination of software, engaged in letter writing campaigns, testified before government bodies, and collectively, have maintained visibility and public awareness of the issue. The track record of the computerized voting machines used to date has been abysmal; stories of errors are legion. Here's another way to look at the issue: what are the economics of trying to steal an election? Let's look at the 2002 election results for the 435 seats in the House of Representatives. In order to gain control of the House, the Democrats would have needed to win 23 more seats. According to actual voting data (pulled off the ABC News website), the Democrats could have won these 23 seats by swinging 163,953 votes from Republican to Democrat, out of the total 65,812,545 cast for both parties. (The total number of votes cast is actually a bit higher; this analysis only uses data for the winning and second-place candidates.) This means that the Democrats could have gained the majority in the House by switching less than 1/4 of one percent of the total votes -- less than one in 250 votes. Of course, this analysis is done in hindsight. In practice, more cheating would be required to be reasonably certain of winning. Even so, the Democrats could have won the house by shifting well below 0.5% of the total votes cast across the election. Let's try another analysis: What is it worth to compromise a voting machine? In contested House races in 2002, candidates typically spent $3M to $4M, although the highest was over $8M. The outcomes of the 20 closest races would have changed by swinging an average of 2,593 votes each. Assuming (conservatively) a candidate would pay $1M to switch 5,000 votes, votes are worth $200 each. The actual value is probably closer to $500, but I figured conservatively here to reflect the additional risk of breaking the law. If a voting machine collects 250 votes (about 125 for each candidate), rigging the machine to swing all of its votes would be worth $25,000. That's going to be detected, so is unlikely to happen. Swinging 10% of the votes on any given machine would be worth $2500. This suggests that it is necessary to assume that attacks against individual voting machines are a serious risk. Computerized voting machines have software, which means we need to figure out what it's worth to compromise a voting machine software design or code, and not just individual machines. Any voting machine type deployed in 25% of precincts would register enough votes that malicious software could swing the balance of power without creating terribly obvious statistical abnormalities. In 2002, all the Congressional candidates together raised over $500M. As a result, one can conservatively conclude that affecting the balance of power in the House of Representatives is worth at least $100M to the party who would otherwise be losing. So when designing the security behind the software, one must assume an attacker with a $100M budget. Conclusion: The risks to electronic voting machine software are even greater than first appears. |
I think we've already proven that advanced technology in the wrong hands often leads to disasterous results. For example, does Hiroshima/Nagasaki ring a bell? How about gun powder or rocket fuel? Our civilization does a piss-poor job putting the same effort into both research/development and regulation. Someday we may pay the ultimate price for our carelessness, and rest assured the proponents of the Rapture are just waiting on the sidelines, rubbing their hands.
April 23, 2004
I sent away for my Rock Against Bush Vol. 1 CD/DVD package. It's only $6. Did you send for yours yet?? With such artists as The Offspring, Pennywise, Descendents and NOFX, how can you go wrong? As MoveOn.org says:
| This CD aims to inspire and enrage the young Punkvoter.com audience and comes packaged with a bonus DVD that includes tons of factual information and several music videos. It also includes short versions of the documentaries "Uncovered: The Whole Truth about the Iraq War" and "Unprecedented," and even the five winning commercials from MoveOn Voter Fund's Bush in 30 Seconds campaign. |
Facts Be Damned - Most Americans Prefer Remaining Ignorant
| Perceptions of World Public Opinion Appear Highly Influential
College Park, MD: According to a new PIPA/Knowledge Networks poll, a majority of Americans (57%) continue to believe that before the war Iraq was providing substantial support to al Qaeda, including 20% who believe that Iraq was directly involved in the September 11 attacks. Forty-five percent believe that evidence that Iraq was supporting al Qaeda has been found. Sixty percent believe that just before the war Iraq either had weapons of mass destruction (38%) or a major program for developing them (22%). Despite statements by Richard Clarke, David Kay, Hans Blix and others, few Americans perceive most experts as saying the contrary. Only 15% said they are hearing ?experts mostly agree Iraq was not providing substantial support to al Qaeda,? while 82% either said that ?experts mostly agree Iraq was providing substantial support? (47%) or ?experts are evenly divided on the question? (35%). Only 34% said they thought most experts believe Iraq did not have WMD, while 65% said most experts say Iraq did have them (30%) or that experts are divided on the question (35%). Not surprisingly, perceptions of what experts are saying are highly correlated with beliefs about prewar Iraq, which in turn are highly correlated with support for the decision to go to war. Perhaps most relevant politically, perceptions of what the experts are saying are also highly correlated with intentions to vote for the President in the upcoming election. Among those who perceived experts as saying that Iraq had WMD, 72% said they would vote for Bush and 23% said they would vote for Kerry, while among those who perceived experts as saying that Iraq did not have WMD, 23% said they would vote for Bush and 74% for Kerry.... |
(If) Looks Could Kill
Eric Alterman belittles the perception of "likeability" in a candidate:
| Based on his intellect, experience and knowledge of the issues Kerry—like Gore—is obviously more qualified to be president than Bush is. Furthermore he is morally far better qualified to send men to die in battle if need be. And finally, he is also closer to the American people on the panoply of issues that people say matter to them. What Kerry is not is more “likeable,” at least as defined by the punditocracy. This may even be true. But so what? Just look where “likeability” has gotten us. We are the only advanced democratic nation in the world even to entertain such nonsense as a serious issue. And yet it will likely decide whether Bush and company are given a chance to finish the work they have begun: destroying the fiscal basis of our children’s future; ensuring the violent hatred of our nation for generations to come and inviting Christian fundamentalists the right to determine what rights we enjoy in our public and private lives. I know that sounds overheated and inflammatory. I only wish it were, but there it is. That’s all.
|
I don't know if I find Eric likeable. His writings depress me.
And, since when have most Americans considered candidates' qualifications? For the average Joe Shmoe on the street, the order of importance of a candidate's qualities are: looks, accent, speaking style, spouse's looks, political party affiliation, looks, and looks.
Come on, Eric, get real. Whose face would you rather observe giving a 90-minute lie-saturated SOTU: Bush or Kerry?
FRIDAY FUN
Banana Guards
Gum Blondes
Human Descent
IntelliBuddy (interactive)
Old Songs
On-Off (game)
Playing With Time
Railroad Tycoon (game)
Windows Sounds (lasts several minutes)
April 22, 2004
Diebold Gets a Black Eye
"California's Voting Systems Panel voted unanimously on April 22 to decertify use of the Diebold TSx paperless electronic voting system in California elections. Although the final decision is up to California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley, he is expected to follow the recommendation of the board before April 30, 2004, and remove paperless Diebold electronic voting machines from California polling places in time for the November 2004 election."
April 21, 2004
Rapture
I'm reprinting the entire following article from the Guardian because it describes, in essence, the driving force of the Neocon movement to overtake the Middle East in the name of Democracy. If you are not very familiar with this subject then I strongly recommend reading this and whatever you can dig up at your local library.
| Their beliefs are bonkers, but they are at the heart of power
US Christian fundamentalists are driving Bush's Middle East policy George Monbiot - Tuesday April 20, 2004 - The Guardian To understand what is happening in the Middle East, you must first understand what is happening in Texas. To understand what is happening there, you should read the resolutions passed at the state's Republican party conventions last month. Take a look, for example, at the decisions made in Harris County, which covers much of Houston. The delegates began by nodding through a few uncontroversial matters: homosexuality is contrary to the truths ordained by God; "any mechanism to process, license, record, register or monitor the ownership of guns" should be repealed; income tax, inheritance tax, capital gains tax and corporation tax should be abolished; and immigrants should be deterred by electric fences. Thus fortified, they turned to the real issue: the affairs of a small state 7,000 miles away. It was then, according to a participant, that the "screaming and near fist fights" began. I don't know what the original motion said, but apparently it was "watered down significantly" as a result of the shouting match. The motion they adopted stated that Israel has an undivided claim to Jerusalem and the West Bank, that Arab states should be "pressured" to absorb refugees from Palestine, and that Israel should do whatever it wishes in seeking to eliminate terrorism. Good to see that the extremists didn't prevail then. But why should all this be of such pressing interest to the people of a state which is seldom celebrated for its fascination with foreign affairs? The explanation is slowly becoming familiar to us, but we still have some difficulty in taking it seriously. In the United States, several million people have succumbed to an extraordinary delusion. In the 19th century, two immigrant preachers cobbled together a series of unrelated passages from the Bible to create what appears to be a consistent narrative: Jesus will return to Earth when certain preconditions have been met. The first of these was the establishment of a state of Israel. The next involves Israel's occupation of the rest of its "biblical lands" (most of the Middle East), and the rebuilding of the Third Temple on the site now occupied by the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa mosques. The legions of the antichrist will then be deployed against Israel, and their war will lead to a final showdown in the valley of Armageddon. The Jews will either burn or convert to Christianity, and the Messiah will return to Earth. What makes the story so appealing to Christian fundamentalists is that before the big battle begins, all "true believers" (ie those who believe what they believe) will be lifted out of their clothes and wafted up to heaven during an event called the Rapture. Not only do the worthy get to sit at the right hand of God, but they will be able to watch, from the best seats, their political and religious opponents being devoured by boils, sores, locusts and frogs, during the seven years of Tribulation which follow. The true believers are now seeking to bring all this about. This means staging confrontations at the old temple site (in 2000, three US Christians were deported for trying to blow up the mosques there), sponsoring Jewish settlements in the occupied territories, demanding ever more US support for Israel, and seeking to provoke a final battle with the Muslim world/Axis of Evil/United Nations/ European Union/France or whoever the legions of the antichrist turn out to be. The believers are convinced that they will soon be rewarded for their efforts. The antichrist is apparently walking among us, in the guise of Kofi Annan, Javier Solana, Yasser Arafat or, more plausibly, Silvio Berlusconi. The Wal-Mart corporation is also a candidate (in my view a very good one), because it wants to radio-tag its stock, thereby exposing humankind to the Mark of the Beast. By clicking on www.raptureready.com, you can discover how close you might be to flying out of your pyjamas. The infidels among us should take note that the Rapture Index currently stands at 144, just one point below the critical threshold, beyond which the sky will be filled with floating nudists. Beast Government, Wild Weather and Israel are all trading at the maximum five points (the EU is debat ing its constitution, there was a freak hurricane in the south Atlantic, Hamas has sworn to avenge the killing of its leaders), but the second coming is currently being delayed by an unfortunate decline in drug abuse among teenagers and a weak showing by the antichrist (both of which score only two). We can laugh at these people, but we should not dismiss them. That their beliefs are bonkers does not mean they are marginal. American pollsters believe that 15-18% of US voters belong to churches or movements which subscribe to these teachings. A survey in 1999 suggested that this figure included 33% of Republicans. The best-selling contemporary books in the US are the 12 volumes of the Left Behind series, which provide what is usually described as a "fictionalised" account of the Rapture (this, apparently, distinguishes it from the other one), with plenty of dripping details about what will happen to the rest of us. The people who believe all this don't believe it just a little; for them it is a matter of life eternal and death. And among them are some of the most powerful men in America. John Ashcroft, the attorney general, is a true believer, so are several prominent senators and the House majority leader, Tom DeLay. Mr DeLay (who is also the co-author of the marvellously named DeLay-Doolittle Amendment, postponing campaign finance reforms) travelled to Israel last year to tell the Knesset that "there is no middle ground, no moderate position worth taking". So here we have a major political constituency - representing much of the current president's core vote - in the most powerful nation on Earth, which is actively seeking to provoke a new world war. Its members see the invasion of Iraq as a warm-up act, as Revelation (9:14-15) maintains that four angels "which are bound in the great river Euphrates" will be released "to slay the third part of men". They batter down the doors of the White House as soon as its support for Israel wavers: when Bush asked Ariel Sharon to pull his tanks out of Jenin in 2002, he received 100,000 angry emails from Christian fundamentalists, and never mentioned the matter again. The electoral calculation, crazy as it appears, works like this. Governments stand or fall on domestic issues. For 85% of the US electorate, the Middle East is a foreign issue, and therefore of secondary interest when they enter the polling booth. For 15% of the electorate, the Middle East is not just a domestic matter, it's a personal one: if the president fails to start a conflagration there, his core voters don't get to sit at the right hand of God. Bush, in other words, stands to lose fewer votes by encouraging Israeli aggression than he stands to lose by restraining it. He would be mad to listen to these people. He would also be mad not to. |
Be sure to read Steve Gilliard's commentary of this subject.
Dishing Out Pressure to WHO
Bush White House Finds New Ways to Kill All of Us.
| GENEVA (Reuters) - Consumer activists on Tuesday accused the World Health Organization (WHO) of "caving in" to the United States and the junk food industry after the U.N. agency revised its blueprint for tackling obesity worldwide.
They said a draft of WHO's Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity was weakened by changes including deletion of a passage urging states to offer incentives for producing, marketing and transporting fruit, vegetables and other healthy produce. The plan aims to promote healthy foods and lifestyles amid soaring death rates from cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The draft, revised since a debate by WHO's executive board in January, was issued on Monday after officials studied suggestions and objections from member states and food industry lobbyists. "The WHO caved into the United States and the junk food industry by deleting support for policies that promote the production and marketing of fruit, vegetables and legumes," the U.S.-based group Commercial Alert said in a statement. "The advertising and junk food industries should be happy because it doesn't encourage countries to ban junk food advertising to children," the non-profit group added. Critics say Washington bowed to pressure from its powerful food industry to water down the plan. WHO's 192 member states, who ordered the strategy drawn up two years ago, are due to endorse a final document at their annual assembly in May. Poor diets and physical inactivity are among the major causes of noncommunicable diseases -- cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancers and obesity-related conditions -- which WHO says now account for 60 percent of 56.5 million preventable deaths a year. The toll is set to rise to 73 percent by 2020. According to the World Heart Federation, 1.1 billion adults and 22 million children under age five are obese. In the United States, two-thirds of adults are overweight. The WHO plan states simply that governments "can influence prices through taxation, subsidies or direct pricing in ways that encourage healthy eating and lifelong physical activity." While recommending that people limit intakes of fats, sugar and salt, it does not lay down specific targets or recommend taxing such goods. "We do recommend that fiscal policies take into account public health considerations. We leave it to countries to decide what those specific policies will be," WHO's project manager Amalia Waxman told Reuters. At least 30 minutes of regular, moderate physical activity "on most days" is also recommended to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, colon and breast cancers. |
The Newest Teflon President
From the Guardian (excerpts):
| George Bush emerged relatively unscathed from one of the worst months of his presidency yesterday, holding steady in opinion polls as Iraq experienced a wave of ambushes, kidnappings and bombs. Two polls showed that the chaos in Iraq has so far produced little direct gain for the Democratic challenger, John Kerry, for what is shaping up to be an exceedingly close election next November.
But recent violence has yet to shake faith in Mr Bush, or in his command of Iraq and other elements of national security. On some issues Mr Kerry's approval rating slipped. Despite Mr Kerry's years in the Senate and his status as a Vietnam war hero, 49% of respondents said Mr Bush was better equipped to deal with the national security problems, compared with 44% for the Democratic challenger. A second poll in USA Today reached a similar conclusion. "By two to one, voters say only Bush, not Kerry, would do a good job in handling terrorism," USA Today said. "By nearly as much, 40% to 26%, they say only Bush would do a good job in handling the situation in Iraq." Analysts said it was impossible to ignore Mr Kerry's failure to break through. "Most of his support is anti-Bush, not pro-Kerry," said Peter Feaver, a political scientist at Duke University. "If the election were held today, 90% of people voting for Kerry would really be voting against Bush. That points to a softness in Kerry's appeal." |
I think another reason for Kerry's soft appeal is that he is so much like Bush. Why bother stopping and getting out of your Lincoln Navigator and making the effort to get into your Cadillac Escalade, when either will get you to your destination? Nader and Kucinich know this, and that's why neither will go away, as long as they think that they can offer a real alternative.
The more Kerry tries to appeal to Bush's base, the more he appears like Bush. This risky strategy is probably going to backfire big time for Kerry. It's already alienated true Democratic progressives like me.
UPDATE: skippy-with-a-small-s expands on the Kerry-a.k.a.-Bush theme.
On the Road With John
The Bush/Cheney Campaign web site has set up a new web tool called "Journeys With John", a John Kerry travel tracker. It allows anyone to know, in advance, Kerry's next campaign destinations. When you click a highlighted state you get a summary of anti-Kerry spins that includes a mix of both national and state-specific issues. Today Louisiana and Florida are highlighted. Visitors to the site are encouraged to add their own Kerry-bashing comments.
April 20, 2004
Hybrid Owners Eying Carpool Lanes
Possible good news for us Prius owners:
| Bill would allow hybrid cars in California car pool lanes - TIM MOLLOY - Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - Solo motorists driving hybrid vehicles would be allowed on California car pool lanes under a bill that received support Thursday from a coalition of elected officials and environmentalists inside. The bill would apply to hybrids that get more than 45 mpg and meet the state's strictest emission standards. Current law allows electric and some other very low emission vehicles to use the lanes, as well as carpoolers in normal vehicles, said Michele St. Martin, a spokeswoman for the California's Environmental Protection Agency, which supports the bill. "It's to recognize consumers who have already done the right thing and purchased fuel efficient and clean emitting vehicles, but also to encourage consumers to purchase more of them," said Susan Little, spokeswoman for the bill's author, Assemblywoman Fran Pavley. Those attending a news conference to support the bill were state Treasurer Phil Angelides, EPA Secretary Terry Tamminen, and Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky. Also attending was National Resources Defense Council Trustee Laurie David. The Toyota Prius, one of the hybrids that would get car pool lane privileges, gets frequent exposure on her husband Larry David's HBO television show, "Curb Your Enthusiasm." In a statement, Gov. Schwarzenegger's office said he also supports the legislation. The statement said the bill would provide an "incentive for intelligent-minded consumers who are seeking fuel-efficient and environmentally sound modes of transportation." There are now about 6,000 electric and low-emission vehicles authorized to use the lanes, St. Martin said. The bill would also open the lanes to the 20,000 hybrids currently on the state's roads, she said. The bill would allow up to 75,000 hybrids to get special passes to use the lanes, and would extend through 2008. State transportation officials would be allowed to end the privilege if the law led to too much congestion, St. Martin said. The bill, AB2628, was introduced Feb. 20. |
Letting California Mind Its Own Business(es)
In a meager yet valiant effort to keep up with the Bushies' support of corporate takeover of government, Governor Groperzenegger has appointed energy industry executives to California energy regulatory and advisory posts:
| Apr 20, 2004 - 01:50 PM
Government of PG&E, by Edison and for the Business Lobby - by Doug Heller Politicians at various times have said that government should be run more like a business. Arnold seems to think it should be run by businesses. In that spirit, the gov today named Pacific Gas & Electric to the California Energy Commission and a private energy consulting firm to be his chief energy advisor. Officially, of course, Arnold must actually name human beings to the posts. So, the Energy Commission‚s environmental slot -- by law the Commission must have a member with expertise in environmental protection -- went to Jackalyne Pfannenstiel, a former executive at Pacific Gas & Electric who is said to maintain close ties with the company. You've got to have some serious sway to convince the governor (with his reputed eco-friendly attitude) to appoint a former utility executive to be the environmental advocate at the energy commission. PG&E pays for sway: the company contributed $200,000 to Arnold's main campaign committee this year. And, as ArnoldWatch predicted last week, the gov picked Joe Desmond, an energy industry executive, to be his chief energy advisor. Desmond runs a company, Infotility, that was formed in 2000 and profits off of the confusion and complexity of deregulated energy markets. It is no surprise that he has been an active voice in the effort to keep deregulation -- and the volatility that makes businesses need consultants like his firm -- alive. In recent years Desmond has worked on energy issues with the special interest lobbying force known as the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group. But why work as a special interest on the outside when the governor has prime spots for special interests on the inside? Arnold isn't the first governor to hand the reins of government over to corporations. He follows the course set by Gray Davis, who put oversight and regulation of utilities in the hands of former Southern California Edison utility executive Michael Peevey. Peevey, still in charge at the California Public Utilities Commission, rounds out the energy industry assumption of power in Arnold's government of PG&E, by Edison and for the Business Lobby. |
Eventually all Californians will pay their utility bills by sending their (pay)checks directly to Sacramento.
I normally do not post about the Arab-Israeli conflict, as it is the most complex and distasteful issue of our civilization. However, Bush's recent endorsement of Sharon's policies supporting blatantly illegal occupation of the Palestinians brought this pronouncement by the European Jews for a Just Peace:
| ....Bush's endorsement of Sharon's unilateral approach is a rejection of any genuine 'two-state' agreement. Its waiving of international law in favour of illegally-created 'facts on the ground' is a cynical endorsement of the philosophy of 'might is right'.
The so-called 'withdrawal' from Gaza is in reality merely a relocation of Jewish settlements, while Israel retains military bases and exercises control over Gaza's borders, coast, airspace and water. The strip will remain a vast detention camp, a concentration of misery and despair that will breed more terrorists, whose acts will cynically be used by Sharon to continue to refuse negotiations. The six settlement blocks which Sharon has made clear, with Bush's approval, will remain under Israeli rule are deliberately located so as to slice up the West Bank and make a genuine 'peaceful, democratic and viable' Palestinian state impossible. The cruel and illegal 'apartheid wall' will remain in its criminal route through Palestinian lands, with only cosmetic changes; imprisoning Palestinians, destroying their livelihoods, and ensuring the continuation of the sadistic regime of 'closure' and collective punishment of an entire people. An 'agreed, just, fair and realistic' solution to the problem of Palestinian refugees can only be found through negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, that recognises Israel's role in creating the problem and its responsibility for sharing in a solution, as well as Israel's legitimate concerns. Bush's endorsement of Israel's rejection of this approach can only reinforce hatred and embitter relations between the two peoples beyond any hope of reconciliation. In particular the statement is a betrayal of those among both peoples who have been struggling together for a non-violent strategy of resistance to the 'apartheid wall'. As the reaction from Hamas shows, the statement will be seen as a rejection of peace through negotiation between equals, and as confirmation of the argument that Israel and the USA only understand the language of violence.... |
Why can't Kerry throw his support to this faction of the Jewish vote instead of betraying our basic democratic principles when he genuflects to Bush?
Green Wars
The Union of Concerned Scientists has issued a scathing report on the Bush Administration's tendency of distorting scientific findings in order to justify its environmental policies:
| The U.S. government runs on vast amounts of information. Researchers at the National Weather Service gather and analyze meteorological data to know when to issue severe-weather advisories. Specialists at the Federal Reserve Board collect and analyze economic data to determine when to raise or lower interest rates. Experts at the Centers for Disease Control examine bacteria and viral samples to guard against a large-scale outbreak of disease. The American public relies on the accuracy of such governmental data and upon the integrity of the researchers who gather and analyze it.
However, at a time when one might expect the federal government to increasingly rely on impartial researchers for the critical role they play in gathering and analyzing specialized data, there are numerous indications that the opposite is occurring. A growing number of scientists, policy makers, and technical specialists both inside and outside the government allege that the Bush administration has suppressed or distorted the scientific analyses of federal agencies to bring these results in line with administration policy. In addition, these experts contend that irregularities in the appointment of scientific advisors and advisory panels are threatening to upset the legally mandated balance of these bodies. The quantity and breadth of these charges warrant further examination, especially given the stature of many of the individuals lodging them. Toward this end, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) undertook an investigation of many of the allegations made in the mainstream media, in scientific journals, and in overview reports issued from within the federal government and by non-governmental organizations. To determine the validity of the allegations, UCS reviewed the public record, obtained internal government documents, and conducted interviews with many of the parties involved (including current and former government officials). Scientific Integrity in Policymaking: An Investigation into the Bush Administration's Misuse of Science presents the finding of this investigation and offers solutions to help restore scientific integrity to the federal policymaking process.... |
You can read the report summary HERE and the full report HERE. Snippet:
| ....To determine the validity of the allegations, UCS reviewed the public record, obtained internal government documents, and conducted interviews with many of the parties involved (including current and former government officials).
FINDINGS OF THE INVESTIGATION 1. There is a well-established pattern of suppression and distortion of scientific findings by high-ranking Bush administration political appointees across numerous federal agencies. These actions have consequences for human health, public safety, and community well-being. Incidents involve air pollutants, heat-trapping emissions, reproductive health, drug resistant bacteria, endangered species, forest health, and military intelligence. 2. There is strong documentation of a wideranging effort to manipulate the government’s scientifi c advisory system to prevent the appearance of advice that might run counter to the administration’s political agenda. These actions include: appointing underqualified individuals to important advisory roles including childhood lead poisoning prevention and reproductive health; applying political litmus tests that have no bearing on a nominee’s expertise or advisory role; appointing a non-scientist to a senior position in the president’s scientifi c advisory staff; and dismissing highly qualified scientific advisors. 3. There is evidence that the administration often imposes restrictions on what government scientists can say or write about “sensitive” topics. In this context, “sensitive” applies to issues that might provoke opposition from the administration’s political and ideological supporters. 4. There is significant evidence that the scope and scale of the manipulation, suppression, and misrepresentation of science by the Bush administration are unprecedented.... |
You really can't get more objective than the UCS, so it is now up to the media to carry the ball on this. How far do you think it will go now? We'll find out right after we come back and present Part Seven of our Analysis of the Impact of "The Apprentice" on Saturday Morning Cartoons.
April 19, 2004
“As I was telling my husb—”
Huh? I thought Bush was gay, not a rice-kisser. Well, at least it's something new to discuss around the office microwave....
Steve Gilliard gives a quick analysis...
April 18, 2004
Still glad you voted for Bush?
| "I'm sure something will pop into my head here in the midst of this press conference with all the pressure of trying to come up with an answer, but it hadn't yet," he said. "... I just haven't -- you just put me under the spot here and maybe I'm not quick -- as quick on my feet as I should be in coming up with one." ---- Bush, when asked last week in a nationally-televised, prime-time press conference, if he accepts any responsibility for his administration's failures leading to 9-11. |
Update: Here's a video of this, courtesy DNC. (Note: Windows Media version seems to work better...)
Steve Gilliard explains why the pro-Iraq America liberals also got it wrong:
| ....No implantation, whether done by the inept Bush or a competant admistration, would have worked, because Iraqis have their own history and culture. They are a fiercely nationalistic people and one who would never accept outside change easily. They have also suffered a great deal since 1980. The idea that a bunch of well-heeled academics, traitors to Iraq and shady liars could be an effective government was a fantsy quickly rejected by the Iraqi people. Why liberals thought the most independent minded of Arab peoples would accept our lectures on how to live is beyond me.
There are other, practical, reasons on why our efforts in Iraq were doomed from day one. Very simply, the US forces supported no one with a base of support in Iraq. Chalabi was unknown in Iraq and when he was known, became quickly reviled as a con man and American puppet. SCIRI, the Hakim's organization, was reknowned for torturing Shia POW's to get them to join up. So when we get there and remove Saddam, the last men standing are the clerics, and they don't like the US much, forget any liberl ideas of remaking their society.... |
U.N. Troops In Row Over Iraq - IN KOSOVO
How Bizzare Is This?
| UN peace police shoot each other - 19apr04
THREE police officers serving with the United Nations force in Kosovo were killed yesterday when a row broke out over the war in Iraq and officers began shooting at each other. Two of the dead, including a woman, were American; the third was Jordanian. Several other officers were badly wounded in the shooting, at the UN compound in the city of Kosovska Mitrovica. The lethal firefight between fellow members of the UN force was unprecedented in five years of peacekeeping in Kosovo, where police of some 30 nations make up the international force of about 3500. Serb and international sources in the city confirmed the UN police officers shot at each other. The gunfight is believed to have lasted for about 10 minutes. Initial reports said a dispute over Iraq led to the shootout between several Americans and one Pakistani UN police officer. Another report said Jordanian police were involved. Four Jordanians have been arrested.... |
Spain Gets Even Smarter
This just in:
| Spanish Leader Pulls Troops From Spain
MADRID, Spain - Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said Sunday he had ordered Spanish troops pulled out of the U.S.-led occupation force in Iraq (news - web sites) as soon as possible, fulfilling a campaign pledge and acting to salve his uneasy nation. Zapatero, who swept to victory in elections three days after 191 people were killed in terrorist commuter-train bombings in Madrid last month, said he acted after deciding the United Nations (news - web sites) was unprepared to take over the occupation of Iraq — his condition for keeping Spanish troops in the country. In the announcement, surprising for its timing, Zapatero said he had ordered his defense minister to "do what is necessary for the Spanish troops stationed in Iraq to return home in the shortest time possible." Zapatero spoke just hours after the new Socialist government was sworn in. His party won March 14 general elections and had pledged to bring Spain's 1,300 troops home unless the United Nations took political and military control. "With the information we have, and which we have gathered over the past few weeks, it is not foreseeable that the United Nations will adopt a resolution" that satisfies Spain's terms, Zapatero said.... |
April 17, 2004
Can't Beat 120 More Days of Vacation Pay
Steve Gilliard thinks maybe, just maybe, the CPA is possibly not making the best possible decisions:
| There is frightening lack of foresight here. Picking fights you cannot win is insane. We cannot fight the entire enraged Shia population. Saddam tried it and nearly lost and he had most of his army intact. His million man [army]. We don't have a million men in Iraq. Now, you have the shaky 1st Armored Division ready to attack Najaf. They are one bad day from a collapse in combat. Extending their tours was as braindead an act as possible. These guys have to feel that they're being sentenced to death after escaping a year in Iraq. That extra 120 days is a number in Washington, but it's the difference between life and death or injury in Iraq. |
"Whole Lotta Love" Would've Really Confused Them
Report from Fallujah:
| Troops Blast Music in Siege of Fallujah - Fri Apr 16, 6:42 PM ET - By JASON KEYSER, Associated Press Writer
FALLUJAH, Iraq - In Fallujah's darkened, empty streets, U.S. troops blast AC/DC's "Hell's Bells" and other rock music full volume from a huge speaker, hoping to grate on the nerves of this Sunni Muslim city's gunmen and give a laugh to Marines along the front line. Unable to advance farther into the city, an Army psychological operations team hopes a mix of heavy metal and insults shouted in Arabic — including, "You shoot like a goat herder" — will draw gunmen to step forward and attack. But no luck Thursday night. The loud music recalls the Army's use of rap and rock to help flush out Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega after the December 1989 invasion on his country, and the FBI (news - web sites)'s blaring progressively more irritating tunes in an attempt to end a standoff with armed members of the Branch Davidian cult in Waco, Texas in 1993.... At night, the psychological operations unit attached to the Marine battalion here sends out messages from a loudspeaker mounted on an armored Humvee. On Thursday night, the crew and its Arabic-language interpreter taunted fighters, saying, "May all the ambulances in Fallujah have enough fuel to pick up the bodies of the mujahadeen." The message was specially timed for an attack moments later by an AC-130 gunship that pounded targets in the city. Later, the team blasted Jimi Hendrix and other rock music, and afterward some sound effects like babies crying, men screaming, a symphony of cats and barking dogs and piercing screeches. They were unable to draw any gunmen to fight, and seemed disappointed. |
Maybe they could play some country & western music and bore them to death.
It's Madness, I Tell You
Here is an appeal by Lew Rockwell, who looked beyond the trees when analyzing the Bush/Blair press conference earlier this week (thanks to Left i for the lead):
| "The urgent moral priority of our time is to dismantle the warfare state, disarm the nukes, roll back the empire from every corner of the globe. We want to live in a country even a crazy man can head and not have it be dangerous for us or the world. If George or his successors want to play violent games, someone could just bring them a set of plastic army men and they could have at it all day in the West Wing. Let them live out their fantasies of death and dominion with toys rather than the real world." |
April 16, 2004
My 12-year-old makes more sense
President George Bush, holder of the single most powerful job in the universe, Ivy-league university graduate, over three years experience as President, answers a question about why there has been an upsurge in Iraqi resistance recently:
| "They're not happy they're occupied. I wouldn't be happy if I were occupied either." |
I thank the lord every day for Bush's ability to produce deep, thoughtful and educated analyses. I just can't imagine how bad things would be if we had mistakenly let some moron into the Oval Office.
A Passion for Avoiding The Passion.
The Passion of the Christ has been thoroughly evaluated, analyzed, critiqued, trashed, worshiped, despised and revered, you'd think there was nothing left to say. Wrong. Read Mark Morford's restrained (for him) review.
Tenet's Lies
From today's Salt Lake Tribune:
| CIA's Tenet did speak to Bush before 9-11, spokesman says - By Stewart M. Powell Hearst Newspapers
WASHINGTON -- CIA Director George Tenet met with President Bush at least eight times in the 42 days before the catastrophic terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, a CIA spokesman said Thursday, correcting Tenet's testimony that he hadn't talked with the president during the entire month of August. Bill Harlow, spokesman for the agency, said CIA records showed Tenet briefed the president on national security threats once during Bush's 27-day ranch vacation, on Aug. 17, and again at the White House on Aug. 31. He also met with the president at least six more times during the first eight days of September. Bush has established the practice of receiving daily face-to-face intelligence briefings by the CIA chief. Tenet's contacts with Bush during that period are significant because the CIA director was the highest ranking U.S. official who was aware of both the FBI's arrest of flight student Zacarias Moussaoui in Minnesota and the CIA warning to Bush that Osama bin Laden was "determined to strike" inside the United States. The CIA warning memo to Bush on Aug. 6, 2001, also noted that the FBI had detected "patterns of suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks." Tenet learned of Moussaoui's arrest on Aug. 23 or Aug. 24 in a CIA memo entitled "Islamic Extremist Learns to Fly," investigators disclosed Wednesday.... |
So the question now is, why did Tenet lie to the 9-11 commission?
FRIDAY FUN
Dancing Trombonist (video)
Drinking through your nose (video) (dedicated to my three sons)
Guide to Shooting Rubber Bands
Icons Unsupervised
If They Mated
Impact Effects (calculates the effects of asteroid hitting Earth, using your parameters)
Jerry and Superman (video)
Webjay (free music)
What to Do in a Terrorist Attack
Writings on the Stall
Be sure to visit the FRIDAY FUN archives and relive some of your most unforgettable moments in online humor.
April 15, 2004
Left i On the News directs us to a news item not (yet?) covered by the American press:
| Iraqi 'beaten to death' by US troops - April 14, 2004
AN Iraqi has died of his wounds after US troops beat him with truncheons because he refused to remove a picture of wanted Shiite Muslim leader Moqtada Sadr from his car, police said today. The motorist was stopped late yesterday by US troops conducting search operations on a street in the centre of the central city of Kut, Lieutenant Mohamad Abdel Abbas said. After the man refused to remove Sadr's picture from his car, the soldiers forced him out of the vehicle and started beating him with truncheons, he said. US troops also detained from the same area five men wearing black pants and shirts, the usual attire of Sadr's Mehdi Army militiamen and followers. Qassem Hassan, the director of Kut general hospital, identified the man as Salem Hassan, a resident of a Kut suburb. He said the man had died of wounds sustained in the beating. A spokesman for the US-led coalition could not confirm the incident. |
Question: What the &%$# is up John Kerry's butt? From the WaPo:
| ...In declaring that Israel should be able to keep some of the occupied territories and block Palestinian refugees from settling in Israel, Bush followed a familiar pattern of finding common cause with Jews and increasingly pro-Israel Christian conservatives. That Bush's move was good politics was evidenced by Democratic rival John F. Kerry's quick move not to let Bush outflank him among pro-Israel voters.
"I think that could be a positive step," the Massachusetts senator said, approving of the Bush-Sharon action regarding both refugees and Israel's borders. "What's important obviously is the security of the state of Israel, and that's what the prime minister and the president, I think, are trying to address."... |
Answer: His common sense. He's essentially supporting Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian territory.
Your Leader Speaks
Theoria at DailyKOS:
| "...As a country, we appear to be coming apart at the seams. At this crucial moment in the history of our nation, our protectors sometimes seem to be our biggest threat, hurtling down a path of destruction and rejecting our right to do anything about it. Did the founding fathers have the forethought to protect us against this unique threat? Only time will tell...." |
Bad Karma
From the NY Times:
| FALLUJA, Iraq, April 14 — American forces killed more than 100 insurgents on Tuesday in close combat in a small village in central Iraq, Marine commanders said Wednesday. The battle, classic urban combat that raged for 14 hours, was one of the heaviest engagements since the invasion of Iraq last year. It showed not only the intensity of the resistance but an acute willingness among insurgents to die. "A lot of these guys were souped up on jihad," said Lt. Col. B. P. McCoy, commander of the Fourth Battalion, Third Marines. "They might as well been suicide fighters."
Marines fought house to house, roof to roof, doorway to doorway. They repelled attacks of machine-gun fire, volleys of rockets and repeated charges by masked fighters, Colonel McCoy said. Two marines were shot but their injuries were not life-threatening. The fighting erupted in Karma, six miles northeast of Falluja, during a search-and-destroy mission.... |
Understatement of the Day
"The chaos in Iraq has shown how hard Washington is finding the task of stabilizing the country it invaded last year. ----Reuters
Somehow, Incredibly, Benjamin Frankin Sends Message to Bush
| "There is no kind of dishonesty into which otherwise good people more easily and frequently fall than that of defrauding the government." ----- Benjamin Franklin |
Happy Meals Without Prizes
The largest contributor to America's obesity epidemic, McDonalds, now offers an "adult" Happy Meal. Problem: no prize inside. Forget the artery-choking, lard-laden, artificial, immitation, food-like product. We want our prizes too!
April 13, 2004
To Live and Diefault in L.A.
From today's L.A. Times:
| Home values in Los Angeles County posted the biggest year-over-year increase in at least 15 years in March as frenetic buying activity pushed the median sale price up 29%, to a record $375,000, according to data released Monday.
Confounding predictions by the experts, sales were surprisingly strong, jumping 12% from a year ago to 10,875 new and resold houses and condos. Analysts and brokers said the heavy demand was driven by anxious consumers, many of whom are paying more than the asking price to get in the housing market before interest rates rise and supplies thin further. The inventory of houses available for sale has been at historical lows, and the latest flurry of purchases suggests that the market will only heat up as the busy home-buying season nears. .... The median price in Los Angeles County has nearly doubled since March of 2000, when it was $192,000. The county's rate of appreciation in recent months has outpaced other areas in the region, such as Orange and San Diego counties, as well as nearly everywhere else in the country. In San Diego County, the median price rose 16.8% in March from a year earlier, to a record $424,000. (March figures for other Southland counties will be out later this week.) In Chicago, the median rose 7.3% to $213,500. Miami's median climbed 11.1% to $200,000, and Seattle saw a 7.3% increase to $236,000. Among the country's less expensive big cities is Phoenix, where the median price rose 8.6% to $158,000. The spectacular gains in Southern California have fueled concerns of a possible housing "bubble." But most analysts believe the real estate market is on much firmer footing compared with a decade ago, when sales and prices tumbled. ....There also are risks to some buyers, who may be overextending themselves. DataQuick said 58% of the purchasers in L.A. County last month took out adjustable-rate mortgages, which initially offer lower interest rates than traditional fixed mortgages but could subject borrowers to higher payments if interest rates rise. A year ago, 29% of buyers used adjustable mortgages..... |
We sold our home in the L.A. area 20 months ago at a price we thought was ridiculously high then and which has increased yet another 25%, and have rented since then because of the irrationally high prices. The only thing fueling the buying boom is the historically low mortgage rate. Thanks to Bush's shrewd tax cuts over the past three years and the resulting increases in the federal deficit, significant rises in interest rates are destined to kick into high gear within 9-12 months. This of course will put thousands of homeowners, who bought with variable rate loans, out to pasture as they default on their mortgages. The rising mortage rates will also wipe out the sellers' market and prices will consequently drop, like a lead ball from the sky.
That or another good earthquake. I can wait....
Center for American Progress makes a valid point:
| In his single-minded push to go to war in Iraq, President Bush defended his lack of definitive proof of a WMD threat by saying, "Some have said we must not act until the threat is imminent. Since when have terrorists and tyrants announced their intentions, politely putting us on notice before they strike? If this threat is permitted to fully and suddenly emerge, all actions, all words, and all recriminations would come too late." However, he used exactly the opposite rationale to justify why he ignored far more compelling evidence about the terrorist threat leading up to 9/11. Despite explicit warnings that al Qaeda might be planning attacks inside the United States, he said, "There was nothing in [the PDB] that said, you know, there's an imminent attack. There was nothing in this report to me that said, oh, by the way, we've got intelligence that says something is about to happen in America." |
They didn't tell me the date, time and place of the attack, so I'm just going to ignore this whole thing until something happens. But, that man tried to hurt my daddy, so I'm going to invade, unprovoked, his country and kill thousands of his citizens.
Don't Forget to RSVP
Steve Bates has obtained a copy of the invitation that apparently Bush and Rice were expecting but that never got all the way through the Whitehouse mail...
Also: If They Mated...
April 12, 2004
Those Darn Deceitful Liberal Ads
I received this message from BushCheney'04 today:
| Dear $$$$$$,
Last week, I sent you an e-mail asking for your help to keep pressure on the FEC and encourage them to take action to stop the flow of tens of millions of dollars in illegal soft money that is funding attack ads on President Bush. Your response was fantastic. More than 66,000 e-mails have been sent to the Commissioners. Thank you for all you've done. Unfortunately, we cannot rely on the FEC to act anytime soon. We must prepare for the worst and assume that these shadowy liberal propaganda groups - who are illegally working to help Senator Kerry - will outspend our campaign until they are forced to shut down. President Bush needs the help of grassroots leaders like you to respond to the deceitful ads these groups are airing with this illegal cash. Please contribute today, using our secure server, so we'll have the resources to counter their efforts. www.GeorgeWBush.com/Contribute/ Don't let billionaires like George Soros - who has compared President Bush to a Nazi and said he would spend every penny he has to win - side-step the law and use illegal funds to attempt to defeat our President. Please help today. |
As you can see they are pleading for even more GOP campaign contributions while simultaneously characterizing as illegal the fundraising actions of "shadowy liberal propaganda groups" such as MoveOn.org . Pretty damn funny. Note: I'm on the BushCheney'04 mailing list specifically so that I can receive these interesting mailings; I of course don't actually contribute to their campaign.
| "I was in my home for days, unable to leave, even to treat the sick, for fear of being shot. One morning, I decided I had to make it to the hospital, but just before I left, I saw my neighbor walk from his house. An American sniper shot him, once in the head. I was afraid to go out to him, to treat him. I watched him die." |
Quote from a doctor in Fallujah, Iraq.
UPDATE: Received this response from a private source:
| "What Dr. Giggles forgot to tell all of you crappy communist maoist liberals is that his neighbor was carrying a rpg & ak-47. Wake up morons this is ww3" |
I'm really insulted. I'm not even a decent communist maoist liberal, I'm a CRAPPY one. Now that hurts.
April 11, 2004
Is Neal for Real?
I'm not familiar enough with this blogger to know if THIS is for real of if he's making it up. Someone please tell me...
Oil Ask You Once More.... Please Leave
I do like Steve Gilliard's rationale for having our troops escape from Iraq.
| ...Any attempt to expand the Army will come way too late to solve our troubles in Iraq. We need 3-500K men on the ground today, not three years from now. You don't send two battalions to take a city the size of Albany. You send a division to do that. You had a division in Fallujah, there would be sniping, not fighting and a cease-fire. We don't have a division to send there. We will not get a division to send there. We may have problems getting the First Marine Division home.
We need to negotiate with the clerics and leave Iraq. We cannot win there, the people are not on our side. If they were, these guerillas would have no support, no food, no ammo. Instead, they are embraced by the people. What is the US waiting for? A massacre of a rear area unit? Bremer's assassination? Every time Bremer speaks for the Iraqi people, he lies worse than Saddam. There has been scant evidence that the Iraqi people want us to stay. Some want us to kill the criminals we unleashed, others just want us to leave, most are pissed that we haven't made them rich. The right doesn't get it. The Iraqis they get lied to by tell them that they want all these things. But the people in the street don't like us or want us there. If they did, the cops and ICDC wouldn't run at the first sign of conflict with the guerillas. They have killed Americans. Take that as a hint. Anyone who exposes themselves as working for the US, not just CPA, but media, risks assassination. Is that support for the US? We are failing in Iraq. Our mission, our war, lies in shambles. How many more Americans and Iraqis have to die before we decide to walk away? |
Steve so far is the only high-profile blogger I've found whose views are close to mine, with regards to just dropping our weapons and getting the hell out of Iraq. Everyone else says that if we do that, the country will erupt into civil war, blah, blah, blah, and hundreds or thousands of Iraqis will die. Forgive me for interrupting, but how is that any different than now, with dozens and soon hundreds of new dead American G.I.'s thrown in for good measure? The ONLY solution to this complete screwup by George W. Bush is the replacement of our army in Iraq with a U.N. peacekeeping force. Sure there will be some isolated battles and unrest amongst the religious factions, but nothing like what's going to happen very soon if we don't do the right thing.
Dennis Kucinich has been spouting this line for over a year now, and its about time someone with the power and influence to change things heeds this advice. It really isn't all that complicated, in spite of what all the political pundits say. If the current plan isn't working, then you regroup, gather new facts and then put into action the best solution (which in this case is: get the f*ck out of there). The solution is obvious, and it's been so since long before Mr. Powell sat in front of the U.N., held up his toy antrax vial and proclaimed Iraq a grave threat to the world's existence. It's been painfully obvious only to those who are too proud and selfish to admit their mistakes
The ONLY reason we are still in Iraq is because there is money there in the form of oil that Bush and Cheney just flat out want. The Iraqis and American soldiers are getting maimed and killed ONLY for the opportunity for Bush and Cheney to keep their pockets filled to the brim. Why won't any of you people admit it?
April 09, 2004
KUCINICH ON AIR AMERICA RADIO TONIGHT
Kucinich is a guest tonight on Janeanne Garafalo's Air America Radio program. Check out www.airamericaradio.com to find out if you can listen to Air America in your area. If Air America is carried on a local station, listen for Kucinich at 10 p.m. in all time zones. Otherwise, you can listen to the online webcast at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
But the School Uniforms Would Be So Much More Colorful
From TheIowaChannel.com:
| Senators Say They Won't Confirm Gay Nominee - Vilsack Won't Withdraw Candidate
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Gov. Tom Vilsack is taking issue with Senate leaders over his nominee to the state school board. Vilsack said he has no plans to withdraw his nomination of Jonathan Wilson, a Des Moines gay activist, after Senate leaders said they won't confirm him. Vilsack said that's discrimination. Wilson, a Des Moines attorney, was defeated in his bid for re-election to the Des Moines school board in 1995 after he announced he was gay. Sen. Nancy Boettger chairs the Senate Education Committee. The Republican from Harlan blames the controversy on Wilson's activism and concern that he may push a gay lifestyle agenda into curriculum discussions. The nine-member state school board approves policy and accreditation rules for Iowa school districts, area education agencies and community colleges. |
When is our society finally going to grow up?
Bush, the 0.60 FTE
From the Washington Post (emphasis mine):
| Democrats criticized Bush for taking the Easter-week vacation while U.S. forces are struggling to put down an uprising in Iraq. Campaigning in Milwaukee, Sen. John F. Kerry, the presumed Democratic presidential nominee, said: "I notice President Bush is taking some days off down at Crawford, Texas, and I'm told that when he takes days off, you know, he totally relaxes: He doesn't watch television, he doesn't read the newspapers, he doesn't make long-term plans, doesn't worry about the economy. I thought about that for a moment. I said, sounds to me like it's just like life in Washington, doesn't it?"
White House communications director Dan Bartlett retorted that Bush is "not skiing" in Texas, as Kerry did on a recent vacation in Idaho. He said Bush remains in contact with his military advisers and is spending Easter weekend with his family. "Most Americans will understand that," Bartlett said. This is Bush's 33rd visit to his ranch since becoming president. He has spent all or part of 233 days on his Texas ranch since taking office, according to a tally by CBS News. Adding his 78 visits to Camp David and his five visits to Kennebunkport, Maine, Bush has spent all or part of 500 days in office at one of his three retreats, or more than 40 percent of his presidency.... |
What's wrong with Kerry's skiing? He's not a President supervising a war. Plus, I like a job that pays me to be on vacation 40% of the time; where do I sign up?
BUSH THE UNITER
Finally President Bush has brought peace between two adversaries. From The NYT:
| Signs That Shiites and Sunnis Are Joining to Battle Americans - By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN
Published: April 9, 2004 AGHDAD, Iraq, April 8 — When the United States invaded Iraq a year ago, one of its chief concerns was preventing a civil war between Shiite Muslims, who make up a majority in the country, and Sunni Muslims, who held all the power under Saddam Hussein. Now the fear is that the growing uprising against the occupation is forging a new and previously unheard of level of cooperation between the two groups — and the common cause is killing Americans. "We have orders from our leader to fight as one and to help the Sunnis," said Nimaa Fakir, a 27-year-old teacher and foot soldier in the Mahdi Army, a Shiite militia. "We want to increase the fighting, increase the killing and drive the Americans out. To do this, we must combine forces." This new Shiite-Sunni partnership was flourishing in Baghdad on Thursday. Convoys of pickup trucks with signature black Shiite flags flapping from their bumpers hauled sacks of grain, flour, sugar and rice into Sunni mosques. The food donations were coming from Shiite families, in many cases from people with little to spare. And they were headed to the besieged residents of Falluja, a city that has now become the icon of the resistance, especially after the bombing on Wednesday of a mosque compound there. "Sunni, Shia, that doesn't matter anymore," said Sabah Saddam, a 32-year-old government clerk who took the day off to drive one of the supply trucks. "These were artificial distinctions. The people in Falluja are starving. They are Iraqis and they need our help." But it is not just relief aid that is flowing into the city. According to several militia members, many Shiite fighters are streaming into Falluja to help Sunni insurgents repel a punishing assault by United States marines. Groups of young men with guns are taking buses from Shiite neighborhoods in Baghdad to the outskirts of Falluja, and then slipping past checkpoints to join the action. "It's not easy to get in, but we have our ways," said Ahmed Jumar, a 25-year-old professional soccer player who also belongs to a Shiite militia. "Our different battles have turned into one fight, the fight against the Americans." .... |
| "What Falluja and the Shiite attacks Sunday tell us is that failure is now an option." ---- Patrick J. Buchanan, conservative columnist |
FRIDAY FUN
Anipoems
How grammatically sound are you?
Comicbook Words
Hamsters Inside Your Computer
How Much is Inside?
Subservient Chicken (interactive)
Underdog Movies
Wacky Warning Labels
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April 08, 2004
Reliant Resources Inc. - not necessarily reliable
Wow, lookie here, some GOOD news:
| WASHINGTON (AP) 4.8.04, 12:30p -- A subsidiary of Reliant Resources Inc. and four of its employees were indicted Thursday on charges of driving up prices during the 2000-2001 California energy crisis. It's the first company to face criminal charges in the case.
The six-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in San Francisco and released by the Justice Department in Washington stems from allegations that the unit of Houston-based Reliant, Reliant Energy Services Inc., illegally manipulated prices during June 2000 by shutting down four of its five power plants during a two-day period to create a phony shortage. The price of electricity rose through the remainder of the week after that action, according to the indictment. Artificially inflated spot prices were then posted for market participants throughout California, including Pacific Gas & Electric Co. in San Francisco. Once those prices were inflated, the indictment says Reliant Energy Services then sold power at the higher prices, costing electricity purchasers some $32 million in overpayments. The indictment says the intent was to reverse Reliant's losing financial position due to previously low electricity prices. |
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