Who Killed the Electric Car? Director Chris Paine Holds Grand Opening for Green Demo Home Marrakesh House on June 6th
Culver City, CA – May 19, 2009 - Filmmaker and environmentalist Chris Paine, noted for his award winning documentary Who Killed The Electric Car? celebrates the completion of Marrakesh House (http://marrakeshhouse.com,), his new green demonstration home with a Grand Opening Party on Saturday June 6th. The event will commence at 5pm so guests can witness a brilliant sunset from the hillside home.
Entertainment includes headliners Naked Rhythm, plus acclaimed performer Ben Lee, Danyavaad, DJ eEvil, and KCRW’s Tom Schnabel.
Inspired by a lifelong commitment to environmental activism and his interest in Moroccan design, Chris and his team transformed a hillside Mid-Century Modern Home into a 21st Century green showcase for more sustainable living. Located adjacent to California's newest State Park, the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, Marrakesh House is one of the more environmentally friendly remodels in Southern California.
"Bringing people together has always been important to me, especially living in Los Angeles where everything is so spread out, says Paine. I wanted Marrakesh House to provide a relaxed atmosphere that reflects my interests in different cultures and more eco-friendly living. I hope Marrakesh House inspires everyone who comes here."
The Marrakesh House Grand Opening supports charities NextAid, Green Wave, Plug-In America, Rainforest Action Network, the Impro Theatre, and the Wildlife Learning Center. All the organizations will have representatives and information on hand at the event.
Marrakesh House Sponsors and solar providers Mitsubishi Electric and REC Solar have installed a unique kiosk that allows party-goers to see how the solar array is impacting the home’s energy use. Other house sponsors include sustainable plumbing provider Toto USA, Pittsburgh Paint Low VOC wall covering, Cisco Brothers furniture, noted Burning Man/ Coachella installation artist Shrine and GardeNerd organic gardens.
In addition to music and dance performances by Naked Rhythm, Ben Lee, Danyavaad, and DJ eEvil, there will be live animals courtesy of the Wildlife Learning Center who provide outreach education in wildlife biology. Models will be showcasing the latest in sustainable fashion by Meghan Fabulous and delicious Moroccan style cuisine will be provided by Akasha.
Ticket prices are $50 ($75 at door) for VIP which includes hosted bar and a gift bag of sustainable products or $25 ($40 at door) for general admission. Valet Parking is included. Space is very limited.
Tickets are on sale now through Brown Paper tickets, the first and only fair trade ticketing agency at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/57205.
Paine traveled to Morocco in 2008 and discovered that the layouts of traditional Moroccan “riads” center on a courtyard, in a way that mirrors the layout of his new property. With Marrakesh and Los Angeles located on similar latitudes, each with desert topographies near high mountains, he decided to call his remodel “Marrakesh House” combining the home’s Mid-Century modern architecture with Islamic design motifs to forge a visual bridge between two cultures.
Paine rarely wavered in his commitment to remodel the 4,300 square-foot house using environmentally friendly guidelines. He assembled a team of dedicated craftspeople, led by project manager, noted LEED AP, Shellie Collier. He also brought on board sponsors who were passionate about a reconstruction that would showcase greener living. When asked about their choices in planning the remodel, Shellie said, “I’m very glad we spent time considering how to take advantage of what the house already had instead of tearing everything down. Sometimes the future is about simply remaking the present.”
As a residence for the director of Who Killed the Electric Car? no garage would be complete without solar powered plug-in electric vehicles. During the remodel, three 220volt chargers were installed to charge on-site and visiting plug-in vehicles, whether electric scooters or plug-in hybrid conversions. “Of course, you can plug almost any electric car directly into a regular wall socket – it just takes longer that way,” notes Paine. At the moment, Paine’s “plug-in mecca” includes a 2002 Toyota Rav4-EV and his 2008 Tesla Electric Roadster, both of which have cameos in his upcoming film Revenge of the Electric Car. “Electric Cars make powering your car with renewable energy off your house easy. You just can’t do that with a gas car.”
In all Paine has created an opening event and home that brings Mid-Century modern into the 21st century with the currently popular, yet eternal style of Morocco and a focus on sustainability that will never go out of fashion.
# # #
For information on Marrakesh House or the event please contact Susan von Seggern on susan@susanvonseggern.com or 213-840-0077.
Susan von Seggern
Public Relations Consultant
susan@susanvonseggern.com
213-840-0077
Follow me on http://twitter.com/SusanvonSeggern
www.susanvonseggern.com
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Thursday, May 28, 2009
Donate the three books to your community
Readers often ask us what more can be done to get the valuable information they find at Consortiumnews.com to a wider audience.
One way is to take advantage of our 3-for-the-price-of-1 book offer and then to donate the three books - Lost History, Secrecy & Privilege, and Neck Deep - to your community or school library.
If we could get the books into the collections of 1,000 libraries, hundreds of thousands of people would have access to the honest history that the books present - from the Reagan-era scandals of the 1980s to the crimes and abuses under George W. Bush this decade.
For instance, more people would learn the true stories of cocaine trafficking by Ronald Reagan's Nicaraguan contras (in Lost History); George H.W. Bush's dark role in U.S. politics (in Secrecy & Privilege); and George W. Bush's brazen theft of Election 2000 (in Neck Deep).
Now, for a limited time, you can get all three books for only $20, plus $5 for shipping ($25 total). Then, you can contact your local library about placing them in the permanent collection. (If you wish, we can send them to the library directly although it's more effective if a local person donates them.)
Beyond getting this honest history to many more people, we will put $5 from each sale into the coffers of Consortiumnews.com so the Web site can keep publishing important articles by Ray McGovern, Coleen Rowley, Peter Dyer, Lisa Pease and many others.
So help us reach our goal of putting this important three-book set into 1,000 libraries.
All you have to do is send a check for $25 to:
The Media Consortium; 2200 Wilson Blvd.; Suite 102-231; Arlington VA 22201.
And tell us the address for delivering the books.
(Other payment options include sending us your Visa/Mastercard data by mail. Or you can submit your payment as a donation to Consortiumnews.com, but in that case, you must send us an e-mail - to consortnew@aol.com - explaining that you want the payment to go for the 3-for-1 offer and telling us where to ship the books.)
Thanks for your support.
Robert Parry, Editor
Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories in the 1980s for the Associated Press and Newsweek. He founded Consortiumnews.com in 1995 as the Internet's first investigative magazine. He saw it as a way to combine modern technology and old-fashioned journalism to counter the increasing triviality of the mainstream U.S. news media.
One way is to take advantage of our 3-for-the-price-of-1 book offer and then to donate the three books - Lost History, Secrecy & Privilege, and Neck Deep - to your community or school library.
If we could get the books into the collections of 1,000 libraries, hundreds of thousands of people would have access to the honest history that the books present - from the Reagan-era scandals of the 1980s to the crimes and abuses under George W. Bush this decade.
For instance, more people would learn the true stories of cocaine trafficking by Ronald Reagan's Nicaraguan contras (in Lost History); George H.W. Bush's dark role in U.S. politics (in Secrecy & Privilege); and George W. Bush's brazen theft of Election 2000 (in Neck Deep).
Now, for a limited time, you can get all three books for only $20, plus $5 for shipping ($25 total). Then, you can contact your local library about placing them in the permanent collection. (If you wish, we can send them to the library directly although it's more effective if a local person donates them.)
Beyond getting this honest history to many more people, we will put $5 from each sale into the coffers of Consortiumnews.com so the Web site can keep publishing important articles by Ray McGovern, Coleen Rowley, Peter Dyer, Lisa Pease and many others.
So help us reach our goal of putting this important three-book set into 1,000 libraries.
All you have to do is send a check for $25 to:
The Media Consortium; 2200 Wilson Blvd.; Suite 102-231; Arlington VA 22201.
And tell us the address for delivering the books.
(Other payment options include sending us your Visa/Mastercard data by mail. Or you can submit your payment as a donation to Consortiumnews.com, but in that case, you must send us an e-mail - to consortnew@aol.com - explaining that you want the payment to go for the 3-for-1 offer and telling us where to ship the books.)
Thanks for your support.
Robert Parry, Editor
Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories in the 1980s for the Associated Press and Newsweek. He founded Consortiumnews.com in 1995 as the Internet's first investigative magazine. He saw it as a way to combine modern technology and old-fashioned journalism to counter the increasing triviality of the mainstream U.S. news media.
Klassic Konformist: The Integraton
Robert Sterling, Robert Larson, Stephen Miles Lewis, Peter Stenshoel, Adam Gorightly, Greg Bishop at The Integraton...Great Movies: Thief of Bagdad
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090506/REVIEWS08/905069995/1004
Great Movies
Thief of Bagdad (1940)
by Roger Ebert
May 6, 2009
Cast & Credits
Abu - Sabu
Ahmad - John Justin
Jaffar - Conrad Veidt
Genie - Rex Ingram
Princess - June Duprez
Janus Films/United Artists present a film directed by Michael Powell, Ludwig Berger and Tim Whelan. Written by Miles Malleson. Running time: 106 minutes. Available on DVD from the Criterion Collection.
To begin with a story: Our grandson Taylor was deeply immersed in a video game on his laptop. I began to watch "The Thief of Bagdad" on DVD. At first he ignored it. Then I saw him glancing at the screen. Then he closed the laptop and watched full time. During the spider sequence, only his eyes were visible above the neck of his T-shirt. "That was a good movie!" he told me. "What did Taylor say when he found out it was almost 70 years old?" his mother, Sonia, asked me. "I didn't tell him," I said.
This 1940 movie is one of the great entertainments. It lifts up the heart. An early Technicolor movie, it employs colors gladly and with boldness, using costumes to introduce a rainbow. It has adventure, romance, song, a Miklos Rozsa score that one critic said is "a symphony accompanied by a movie." It had several directors; as producer, Alexander Korda leaped from one horse to another in midstream. But it maintains a consistent spirit, and that spirit is one of headlong joy in storytelling.
The story is loosely borrowed from Douglas Fairbanks Sr.'s "The Thief of Bagdad" (1924), itself a great film. Fairbanks Jr. told me it was his father's favorite. One major change is crucial: In the silent film, the thief and the romantic lead were one and the same, played by Fairbanks. In the 1940 film, they are made into two characters. The thief, Abu, is played by the Indian child star Sabu, then about 15. The king, Ahmad, is played by John Justin with a Fairbanksian mustache. This is an invaluable change, for both dramatic purposes and practical ones: The silent character needs no one to talk to. The 1940 characters become allies drawn from the top and bottom of society, making Sabu essentially the star of the film, although he doesn't receive top billing. The most compelling character, as he should be, is the villain Jaffar, played by the German emigre Conrad Veidt with hypnotic eyes and a cruel laugh. The beautiful, passive heroine, a princess desired by both men, is played by June Duprez.
The story in my mind moves from one spectacular special-effects sequence to another: the Sultan's mechanical toy collection. The flying horse. The storm at sea. The goddess with six arms. The towering genie released from a bottle. Abu's assault on the temple that contains the All-Seeing Eye. His climb up a mountainous statue. The battle with the gigantic spider. The flying carpet.
Half of the the shots in "Citizen Kane" used special effects, according to Robert Carringer, who wrote a book on the film. There is rarely a shot in "The Thief of Bagdad" without them. The film was a breakthrough in technique and vision, influential in shaping the entire genre. There are few effects in "Star Wars" (1977) that cannot be found in "Thief." Some of them, such as blue screen, were still being perfected. Other effects, such as matte paintings, had been in use for years.
The Criterion DVD offers interviews with three effects experts, including Ray Harryhausen, who discuss the film's techniques. It is especially eye-opening to see stills revealing the "hanging matte" technique, which creates a background or completes a composition by suspending a matte painting in front of the camera. The camera's 2-D eye is fooled by the painting into making us see foreground as background. Other techniques are simplicity itself: The genie is made to tower over Abu by using an optical printer to combine a shot of the genie (Rex Ingram) close to the camera, and Abu hundreds of feet away. Both are filmed from a static camera on the same beach.
The use of blue screen may seem primitive compared to today's computer-generated animation, but it has the advantage of using real-world subjects. The flying horse, for example, is a real horse, with a real actor mounted on it. The flying carpet is a real carpet, with Abu standing on it. Both the genie and the thief seem real in all of their shots, because they are.
The point here is that all of the effects, supervised by the wizard Lawrence W. Butler, are used to further and deepen the story. Consider the remarkable beauty of several scenes showing magnificent cities climbing hills in the background. The cities may be tinted peach or blue, which makes them all the more fantastical. They are all mattes.
Once on a visit to the Disney Studios, I met the famous matte artist Peter Ellenshaw, who was a young assistant artist on "Thief." He told me how his paintings used not only a forced perspective , but such devices as deliberate blurring to create the illusion of depth. When two lovers are standing in a balcony in front of a matte cityscape, it would be a mistake to make the painting in a photo-realistic style. Its indistinct qualities make it seem farther away.
Korda, a Hungarian emigre who had earlier run Britain's Denham Studios, was now an independent, powerful in the Mayer, Selznick or Goldwyn mode. He used his brother Vincent as his art director, his brother Zoltan as a director. The already legendary art director William Cameron Menzies also worked on the film, and is said to have directed some scenes. Together they made a film of breathtaking beauty. It is done so well that it does not date. Never mind that today similar vistas could be painted with CGI. These are so gorgeous that we cannot imagine them being improved.
Korda often employed others from overseas. Veidt (1893-1943) was a famous German silent actor who fled Hitler in 1933, became a British citizen, worked in Hollywood, was a major star. Sabu (1924-63) was born in Mysore, India, and as a boy was a servant for a maharajah. In 1937, he was cast by Robert Flaherty in the title role of the quasi-documentary "Elephant Boy," an international hit. He was signed by Korda, for whom he made "The Drum" (1938), "Thief" and the great success "Jungle Book" (1942). Rex Ingram (1895-1969), the genie, was a well-known African-American stage and screen actor who graduated from Northwestern University. He achieved fame in films like "Green Pastures" and "Cabin in the Sky."
The energy centers on the film are clearly supplied by Sabu and Veidt, as a boy bubbling with enthusiasm and innocent guile and a man steeped in bitterness and cruelty. Both performances are perfectly pitched to the needs of the screenplay. The romance between Duprez and Justin, as the princess and Ahmad, is rather bloodless, centering on abstract vows; their greatest passion is shown in the scene where they're bound to opposite walls, and under sentence of death. The same low-flame romance was mirrored in Disney's "Aladdin" (1992), greatly influenced by both versions of the "Thief," combining Abu and Ahmad as "Aladdin."
Although the film had so many directors (including Michael Powell, two Kordas and Menzies), it seems the work of one vision and that must have been Korda's. It remains one of the greatest of fantasy films, on a level with "The Wizard of Oz." To see either film is to see the cinema incorporating every technical art learned in the 1930s and employing them to create enchanting visions. Today, when dizzying CGI effects, the Queasy-Cam and a frantic editing pace seem to move films closer to video games, witness the beauty of "Thief of Bagdad" and mourn.
Note: You may watch the Criterion Collection's DVD of "The Thief of Bagdad" online for $5 at www.criterion.com/films/544.
Great Movies
Thief of Bagdad (1940)
by Roger Ebert
May 6, 2009
Cast & Credits
Abu - Sabu
Ahmad - John Justin
Jaffar - Conrad Veidt
Genie - Rex Ingram
Princess - June Duprez
Janus Films/United Artists present a film directed by Michael Powell, Ludwig Berger and Tim Whelan. Written by Miles Malleson. Running time: 106 minutes. Available on DVD from the Criterion Collection.
To begin with a story: Our grandson Taylor was deeply immersed in a video game on his laptop. I began to watch "The Thief of Bagdad" on DVD. At first he ignored it. Then I saw him glancing at the screen. Then he closed the laptop and watched full time. During the spider sequence, only his eyes were visible above the neck of his T-shirt. "That was a good movie!" he told me. "What did Taylor say when he found out it was almost 70 years old?" his mother, Sonia, asked me. "I didn't tell him," I said.
This 1940 movie is one of the great entertainments. It lifts up the heart. An early Technicolor movie, it employs colors gladly and with boldness, using costumes to introduce a rainbow. It has adventure, romance, song, a Miklos Rozsa score that one critic said is "a symphony accompanied by a movie." It had several directors; as producer, Alexander Korda leaped from one horse to another in midstream. But it maintains a consistent spirit, and that spirit is one of headlong joy in storytelling.
The story is loosely borrowed from Douglas Fairbanks Sr.'s "The Thief of Bagdad" (1924), itself a great film. Fairbanks Jr. told me it was his father's favorite. One major change is crucial: In the silent film, the thief and the romantic lead were one and the same, played by Fairbanks. In the 1940 film, they are made into two characters. The thief, Abu, is played by the Indian child star Sabu, then about 15. The king, Ahmad, is played by John Justin with a Fairbanksian mustache. This is an invaluable change, for both dramatic purposes and practical ones: The silent character needs no one to talk to. The 1940 characters become allies drawn from the top and bottom of society, making Sabu essentially the star of the film, although he doesn't receive top billing. The most compelling character, as he should be, is the villain Jaffar, played by the German emigre Conrad Veidt with hypnotic eyes and a cruel laugh. The beautiful, passive heroine, a princess desired by both men, is played by June Duprez.
The story in my mind moves from one spectacular special-effects sequence to another: the Sultan's mechanical toy collection. The flying horse. The storm at sea. The goddess with six arms. The towering genie released from a bottle. Abu's assault on the temple that contains the All-Seeing Eye. His climb up a mountainous statue. The battle with the gigantic spider. The flying carpet.
Half of the the shots in "Citizen Kane" used special effects, according to Robert Carringer, who wrote a book on the film. There is rarely a shot in "The Thief of Bagdad" without them. The film was a breakthrough in technique and vision, influential in shaping the entire genre. There are few effects in "Star Wars" (1977) that cannot be found in "Thief." Some of them, such as blue screen, were still being perfected. Other effects, such as matte paintings, had been in use for years.
The Criterion DVD offers interviews with three effects experts, including Ray Harryhausen, who discuss the film's techniques. It is especially eye-opening to see stills revealing the "hanging matte" technique, which creates a background or completes a composition by suspending a matte painting in front of the camera. The camera's 2-D eye is fooled by the painting into making us see foreground as background. Other techniques are simplicity itself: The genie is made to tower over Abu by using an optical printer to combine a shot of the genie (Rex Ingram) close to the camera, and Abu hundreds of feet away. Both are filmed from a static camera on the same beach.
The use of blue screen may seem primitive compared to today's computer-generated animation, but it has the advantage of using real-world subjects. The flying horse, for example, is a real horse, with a real actor mounted on it. The flying carpet is a real carpet, with Abu standing on it. Both the genie and the thief seem real in all of their shots, because they are.
The point here is that all of the effects, supervised by the wizard Lawrence W. Butler, are used to further and deepen the story. Consider the remarkable beauty of several scenes showing magnificent cities climbing hills in the background. The cities may be tinted peach or blue, which makes them all the more fantastical. They are all mattes.
Once on a visit to the Disney Studios, I met the famous matte artist Peter Ellenshaw, who was a young assistant artist on "Thief." He told me how his paintings used not only a forced perspective , but such devices as deliberate blurring to create the illusion of depth. When two lovers are standing in a balcony in front of a matte cityscape, it would be a mistake to make the painting in a photo-realistic style. Its indistinct qualities make it seem farther away.
Korda, a Hungarian emigre who had earlier run Britain's Denham Studios, was now an independent, powerful in the Mayer, Selznick or Goldwyn mode. He used his brother Vincent as his art director, his brother Zoltan as a director. The already legendary art director William Cameron Menzies also worked on the film, and is said to have directed some scenes. Together they made a film of breathtaking beauty. It is done so well that it does not date. Never mind that today similar vistas could be painted with CGI. These are so gorgeous that we cannot imagine them being improved.
Korda often employed others from overseas. Veidt (1893-1943) was a famous German silent actor who fled Hitler in 1933, became a British citizen, worked in Hollywood, was a major star. Sabu (1924-63) was born in Mysore, India, and as a boy was a servant for a maharajah. In 1937, he was cast by Robert Flaherty in the title role of the quasi-documentary "Elephant Boy," an international hit. He was signed by Korda, for whom he made "The Drum" (1938), "Thief" and the great success "Jungle Book" (1942). Rex Ingram (1895-1969), the genie, was a well-known African-American stage and screen actor who graduated from Northwestern University. He achieved fame in films like "Green Pastures" and "Cabin in the Sky."
The energy centers on the film are clearly supplied by Sabu and Veidt, as a boy bubbling with enthusiasm and innocent guile and a man steeped in bitterness and cruelty. Both performances are perfectly pitched to the needs of the screenplay. The romance between Duprez and Justin, as the princess and Ahmad, is rather bloodless, centering on abstract vows; their greatest passion is shown in the scene where they're bound to opposite walls, and under sentence of death. The same low-flame romance was mirrored in Disney's "Aladdin" (1992), greatly influenced by both versions of the "Thief," combining Abu and Ahmad as "Aladdin."
Although the film had so many directors (including Michael Powell, two Kordas and Menzies), it seems the work of one vision and that must have been Korda's. It remains one of the greatest of fantasy films, on a level with "The Wizard of Oz." To see either film is to see the cinema incorporating every technical art learned in the 1930s and employing them to create enchanting visions. Today, when dizzying CGI effects, the Queasy-Cam and a frantic editing pace seem to move films closer to video games, witness the beauty of "Thief of Bagdad" and mourn.
Note: You may watch the Criterion Collection's DVD of "The Thief of Bagdad" online for $5 at www.criterion.com/films/544.
FeedBack: RIP! A Remix Manifesto
I actually wasn't that aware of Girl Talk until I saw the film at a screening a few weeks ago. Even though I was initially uncertain about how I felt on the subject, the film did a remarkable job of swaying my opinion in favor of copyright loosening. Particularly the discussions and illustrations of the manners in which culture builds upon the past. I'm glad to see the film is available on iTunes and through their website (http://www.ripremix.com/getdownloads/) now because it will certainly spur some interesting discussion.
Edward L.
Edward L.
Obama’s sermon at Notre Dame
http://wsws.org/articles/2009/may2009/pers-m19.shtml
Obama’s sermon at Notre Dame
19 May 2009
Tom Eley
President Barack Obama’s commencement address at Notre Dame University took on heightened political significance after several weeks of a media-hyped protest by anti-abortion fanatics denouncing the presence of a supposedly “pro-choice” president at the nation’s leading Catholic university.
As it turned out, the reactionary campaign mustered little more than one hundred protesters, most of whom were brought to the campus from other locations. Residents of South Bend, Indiana—where Notre Dame is located—were overwhelmingly hostile to the anti-abortion fanatics and their publicity-minded campaign. Even after weeks of a right-wing media campaign spearheaded by Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News, the overwhelming majority of Notre Dame students were hostile to anti-abortion forces. The handful of protesters who tried to disrupt Obama’s speech were completely drowned out by chants from the crowd.
This outcome was not particularly surprising. National opinion polls show that a very sizable majority of the population opposes further restrictions on abortion, and that there remains a strong consensus in support of the Supreme Court’s landmark Roe v. Wade ruling of 1973. Randall Terry, one of the principal protest leaders, publicly admitted that the aim of the Notre Dame campaign was to revive the “moribund” anti-abortion movement.
Obama could have easily ignored the protest and used his appearance to address any number of issues of greater concern to Notre Dame students and the country as a whole. Or, if he felt that the question of abortion had to be addressed, he might have taken the opportunity to present an unambiguous defense of every woman’s constitutionally-established right to privacy and her freedom of choice.
Instead, in what has become this administration’s standard operating procedure, Obama opted for an approach that was as spineless as it was reactionary. The central premise of his speech was that the views of those who would deny citizens their democratic rights are no less deserving of respect than those who seek to secure and defend those rights. He approached the issue of abortion as if this legal right should be perpetually subject to negotiation between those who seek to exercise their rights and those who would deny women the protection of the law.
Obama’s indifferent attitude toward the defense of democratic rights was not confined to the issue of abortion. In a statement whose reactionary implications grows clearer with each reading, Obama declared: “The soldier and the lawyer may both love this country with equal passion, and yet reach very different conclusions on the specific steps needed to protect us from harm. The gay activist and the evangelical pastor may both deplore the ravages of HIV/AIDS, but find themselves unable to bridge the cultural divide that might unite their efforts. Those who speak out against stem cell research may be rooted in an admirable conviction about the sacredness of life, but so are the parents of a child with juvenile diabetes who are convinced that their son’s or daughter’s hardships can be relieved.”
What is Obama’s point? That the general who favors martial law “to protect us from harm” has a view that is as legitimate as that of the lawyer who defends the Bill of Rights? That the views of the evangelical pastor whose hateful sermons encourage anti-gay discrimination are to be seen as a valuable contribution to the national discourse? And, finally, that some sort of common ground should be found between those who oppose stem cell research and those whose children may die because of such reactionary efforts? Why is opposition to stem cell research, rooted in ignorance and hostility to science, being praised by the president as “an admirable conviction about the sacredness of life”?
On the issue of abortion itself, Obama tacitly implied that women who undergo this procedure are engaged in disreputable activity, and that the moral high ground is held by the opponents of abortion. He declared: “Let’s honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion, and draft a sensible conscience clause, and make sure that all of our health care policies are grounded not only in sound science, but also in clear ethics, as well as respect for the equality of women.
Obama overlooks the fact that no one is compelled by law to undergo abortion. Those who disagree with abortion are not required to avail themselves of the legal right to have one. But why should the president feel obliged to “honor the conscience” of those who would deny this right to those who decide to exercise this right? The so-called “conscious clause” would make it possible for health care workers to deny individuals treatment to which they are legally entitled. Then there is the suggestion that “sound science” may be based on bad ethics. Again, the president is adapting himself to the baseless claims of the religious right, which demands that science be subordinated to their ignorant and reactionary world view. As for Obama’s reference to the “equality of women,” the phrasing makes clear that these words were included only as an afterthought.
There are many other aspects of Obama’s speech that betrayed a callous indifference to democratic principles, including the separation of church and state. Obama’s remarks were far less a political speech than a religious sermon, with numerous invocations of God, a reference to “original sin,” and the retelling of his own discovery of Christ.
Does Obama—whose late mother was an atheist—actually believe any of this? In the Notre Dame rendition of his conversion story, Obama emphasized the influence of the Catholic hierarchy. He did not mention the name of his long-time pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. When it was politically convenient to do so, Obama gave credit to Wright, the politically-connected black Baptist preacher from South Chicago, for his religious consciousness. Obama even used Wright’s phrase, “audacity of hope” in the title of his best-selling book of the same name. But after Wright’s criticisms of US social and military policy became the center of a media campaign during Obama’s battle with Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination, Obama dumped Wright and his Baptist congregation, where Obama and his family had been parishioners for years.
What was on display at Notre Dame was not Obama’s deep-rooted religious convictions—which, we suspect, are as flexible as all his other convictions—but definite political calculations. The president’s every move is intended to accommodate and cultivate the most reactionary social forces.
Obama’s sermon at Notre Dame
19 May 2009
Tom Eley
President Barack Obama’s commencement address at Notre Dame University took on heightened political significance after several weeks of a media-hyped protest by anti-abortion fanatics denouncing the presence of a supposedly “pro-choice” president at the nation’s leading Catholic university.
As it turned out, the reactionary campaign mustered little more than one hundred protesters, most of whom were brought to the campus from other locations. Residents of South Bend, Indiana—where Notre Dame is located—were overwhelmingly hostile to the anti-abortion fanatics and their publicity-minded campaign. Even after weeks of a right-wing media campaign spearheaded by Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News, the overwhelming majority of Notre Dame students were hostile to anti-abortion forces. The handful of protesters who tried to disrupt Obama’s speech were completely drowned out by chants from the crowd.
This outcome was not particularly surprising. National opinion polls show that a very sizable majority of the population opposes further restrictions on abortion, and that there remains a strong consensus in support of the Supreme Court’s landmark Roe v. Wade ruling of 1973. Randall Terry, one of the principal protest leaders, publicly admitted that the aim of the Notre Dame campaign was to revive the “moribund” anti-abortion movement.
Obama could have easily ignored the protest and used his appearance to address any number of issues of greater concern to Notre Dame students and the country as a whole. Or, if he felt that the question of abortion had to be addressed, he might have taken the opportunity to present an unambiguous defense of every woman’s constitutionally-established right to privacy and her freedom of choice.
Instead, in what has become this administration’s standard operating procedure, Obama opted for an approach that was as spineless as it was reactionary. The central premise of his speech was that the views of those who would deny citizens their democratic rights are no less deserving of respect than those who seek to secure and defend those rights. He approached the issue of abortion as if this legal right should be perpetually subject to negotiation between those who seek to exercise their rights and those who would deny women the protection of the law.
Obama’s indifferent attitude toward the defense of democratic rights was not confined to the issue of abortion. In a statement whose reactionary implications grows clearer with each reading, Obama declared: “The soldier and the lawyer may both love this country with equal passion, and yet reach very different conclusions on the specific steps needed to protect us from harm. The gay activist and the evangelical pastor may both deplore the ravages of HIV/AIDS, but find themselves unable to bridge the cultural divide that might unite their efforts. Those who speak out against stem cell research may be rooted in an admirable conviction about the sacredness of life, but so are the parents of a child with juvenile diabetes who are convinced that their son’s or daughter’s hardships can be relieved.”
What is Obama’s point? That the general who favors martial law “to protect us from harm” has a view that is as legitimate as that of the lawyer who defends the Bill of Rights? That the views of the evangelical pastor whose hateful sermons encourage anti-gay discrimination are to be seen as a valuable contribution to the national discourse? And, finally, that some sort of common ground should be found between those who oppose stem cell research and those whose children may die because of such reactionary efforts? Why is opposition to stem cell research, rooted in ignorance and hostility to science, being praised by the president as “an admirable conviction about the sacredness of life”?
On the issue of abortion itself, Obama tacitly implied that women who undergo this procedure are engaged in disreputable activity, and that the moral high ground is held by the opponents of abortion. He declared: “Let’s honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion, and draft a sensible conscience clause, and make sure that all of our health care policies are grounded not only in sound science, but also in clear ethics, as well as respect for the equality of women.
Obama overlooks the fact that no one is compelled by law to undergo abortion. Those who disagree with abortion are not required to avail themselves of the legal right to have one. But why should the president feel obliged to “honor the conscience” of those who would deny this right to those who decide to exercise this right? The so-called “conscious clause” would make it possible for health care workers to deny individuals treatment to which they are legally entitled. Then there is the suggestion that “sound science” may be based on bad ethics. Again, the president is adapting himself to the baseless claims of the religious right, which demands that science be subordinated to their ignorant and reactionary world view. As for Obama’s reference to the “equality of women,” the phrasing makes clear that these words were included only as an afterthought.
There are many other aspects of Obama’s speech that betrayed a callous indifference to democratic principles, including the separation of church and state. Obama’s remarks were far less a political speech than a religious sermon, with numerous invocations of God, a reference to “original sin,” and the retelling of his own discovery of Christ.
Does Obama—whose late mother was an atheist—actually believe any of this? In the Notre Dame rendition of his conversion story, Obama emphasized the influence of the Catholic hierarchy. He did not mention the name of his long-time pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. When it was politically convenient to do so, Obama gave credit to Wright, the politically-connected black Baptist preacher from South Chicago, for his religious consciousness. Obama even used Wright’s phrase, “audacity of hope” in the title of his best-selling book of the same name. But after Wright’s criticisms of US social and military policy became the center of a media campaign during Obama’s battle with Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination, Obama dumped Wright and his Baptist congregation, where Obama and his family had been parishioners for years.
What was on display at Notre Dame was not Obama’s deep-rooted religious convictions—which, we suspect, are as flexible as all his other convictions—but definite political calculations. The president’s every move is intended to accommodate and cultivate the most reactionary social forces.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Organic Foods Provide More than Health Benefits
http://www.naturalnews.com/026266.html
Organic Foods Provide More than Health Benefits
Friday, May 15, 2009 by: Sheryl Walters, citizen journalist
Key concepts: Foods, Food and Organic foods
(NaturalNews) Organic foods can be considered to be better and healthier not only for the consumer but also for the environment. Organic foods are considered to be more nutrient dense than their counterparts produced via modern farming practices.
Dr. David Thomas, a physician and researcher, has studied and compared the United States government guidelines and tables for the nutritional content of various foods. These tables have been published by the government first in 1940 and again in 2002. Dr. Thomas has noticed a trend that supports the decline in the nutritional quality of fruits and vegetables produced via modern farming practices in recent decades. Because of his research Dr. Thomas has posed the following question, "Why is it that you have to eat four carrots to get the same amount of magnesium as you would have done in 1940?"
A study published in the Journal of Applied Nutrition lists many nutrients that appear to be altered based on how they are farmed. The study looked at organic apples, pear, potatoes, wheat, and sweet corn and compared the levels of certain nutrients in relation to the commercially available counterparts produced via modern farming practices. The study lists the macronutrient chromium as being found at levels 78% higher in organic foods. The study also showed that Calcium is found at a level 63% higher in organic foods and Magnesium is found at a level 138% higher in organic foods. Other studies have shown that the use of pesticides can also alter the levels of certain vitamins including B vitamins, vitamin C, and beta-carotene in fruits and vegetables.
In 2003 a study was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry which found that organic corn had 52% more vitamin C than the commercially available counterpart which was grown utilizing modern farming practices. This study also found that polyphenol levels were significantly higher in the organic corn.
While many studies have been done looking into the benefits of organic produce there still is much to be learned. Dr. Marion Nestle the chair of New York University's department of nutrition, food studies and public health has said, "I don't think there is any question that as more research is done, it is going to become increasingly apparent that organic food is healthier."
Many studies including a study recently published in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) have done much to reinforce the perception of many American consumers that organic foods are both better for the consumer and the environment.
About the author
Sheryl is a kinesiologist, nutritionist and holistic practitioner.
Her website www.younglivingguide.com provides the latest research on preventing disease, looking naturally gorgeous, and feeling emotionally and physically fabulous.
And her latest website www.raiselibido.com offers a vast quantity of information on how to increase sex drive and enjoy a vibrant sex life.
Organic Foods Provide More than Health Benefits
Friday, May 15, 2009 by: Sheryl Walters, citizen journalist
Key concepts: Foods, Food and Organic foods
(NaturalNews) Organic foods can be considered to be better and healthier not only for the consumer but also for the environment. Organic foods are considered to be more nutrient dense than their counterparts produced via modern farming practices.
Dr. David Thomas, a physician and researcher, has studied and compared the United States government guidelines and tables for the nutritional content of various foods. These tables have been published by the government first in 1940 and again in 2002. Dr. Thomas has noticed a trend that supports the decline in the nutritional quality of fruits and vegetables produced via modern farming practices in recent decades. Because of his research Dr. Thomas has posed the following question, "Why is it that you have to eat four carrots to get the same amount of magnesium as you would have done in 1940?"
A study published in the Journal of Applied Nutrition lists many nutrients that appear to be altered based on how they are farmed. The study looked at organic apples, pear, potatoes, wheat, and sweet corn and compared the levels of certain nutrients in relation to the commercially available counterparts produced via modern farming practices. The study lists the macronutrient chromium as being found at levels 78% higher in organic foods. The study also showed that Calcium is found at a level 63% higher in organic foods and Magnesium is found at a level 138% higher in organic foods. Other studies have shown that the use of pesticides can also alter the levels of certain vitamins including B vitamins, vitamin C, and beta-carotene in fruits and vegetables.
In 2003 a study was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry which found that organic corn had 52% more vitamin C than the commercially available counterpart which was grown utilizing modern farming practices. This study also found that polyphenol levels were significantly higher in the organic corn.
While many studies have been done looking into the benefits of organic produce there still is much to be learned. Dr. Marion Nestle the chair of New York University's department of nutrition, food studies and public health has said, "I don't think there is any question that as more research is done, it is going to become increasingly apparent that organic food is healthier."
Many studies including a study recently published in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) have done much to reinforce the perception of many American consumers that organic foods are both better for the consumer and the environment.
About the author
Sheryl is a kinesiologist, nutritionist and holistic practitioner.
Her website www.younglivingguide.com provides the latest research on preventing disease, looking naturally gorgeous, and feeling emotionally and physically fabulous.
And her latest website www.raiselibido.com offers a vast quantity of information on how to increase sex drive and enjoy a vibrant sex life.
Top Ten Products for Fasting and Detoxification
http://www.naturalnews.com/026261.html
The Top Ten Products to Use for Fasting and Detoxification
Thursday, May 14, 2009 by: Kirk Patrick, citizen journalist
Key concepts: Burdock, Milk thistle and Fasting
(NaturalNews) Spring has traditionally been the season for detoxification and cleansing. Throughout the ages, humans and animals have emerged from their winter dormancy to find themselves malnourished. Having gone months without any vegetables they needed to seek remedies provided by nature, many of which blossom in spring. Certain plants and compounds greatly increase the productivity of the internal organs and thus help to restore optimal health. This article will summarize the top 10 products that assist the body`s natural healing processes.
The Top Ten
1) Milk Thistle (seed) - Silybum marianum (Compositae)
Milk Thistle is a thorny, purple flower that is commonly found growing by the roadside. Used as a liver tonic for centuries, milk thistle seeds contain the active ingredient Silymarin. By exerting a protective effect on the liver, silymarin prevents damage from compounds that are normally highly toxic such as Poison Death Cap Mushrooms. Milk thistle flowers can be boiled and eaten like artichokes. A mild laxative and natural antidepressant, milk thistle is used to treat cirrhosis and hepatitis. Milk thistle both increases breast milk production and stimulates bile production.
2) Cascara Sagrada (bark) - Rhamnus purshiana (Rhamnacea)
Cascara sagrada is one of the safest laxatives and normally induces peristaltic action within 8-12 hours. The "sacred bark" has been used for over 1000 years. During a fast, cascara sagrada is essential as it assists detoxification by helping the body to remove large amounts of impurities from the intestine and colon.
3) Psyllium (seed husks) - Plantago (Plantaginaceae)
Psyllium seed husks contain fiber and can absorb remarkable amounts of water. One Tablespoon of psyllium will make a cup of water become as thick as pudding within one minute. Psyllium acts as a bulk laxative and provides moisture to areas commonly chapped due to digestive acids. Psyllium has soothing properties and is used to treat stomach ulcers and hemorrhoids.
4) Bentonite (clay) - Aluminium Phyllosilicate (Montmorillonite)
Bentonite clay is available in two forms: sodium bentonite and calcium bentonite. Bentonite clay is a form of volcanic ash that has the ability to physically remove 25 times its weight in impurities from the body through a process called adsorbtion. Bentonite has laxative properties and contains high levels of iron, magnesium and silicon. Bentonite is used in cement, ceramics, acne medication, facial clay, cat litter and to clarify wine.
5) Burdock (root) - Arctium lappa (Compositae)
You are likely to have once found Burdock burrs stuck to your clothing after walking through a field. A potent blood purifier, burdock root removes heavy metals such as Mercury and Aluminum along with other toxins. Containing up to 45% inulin along with arctiopicrin, arctiin, tannins and volatile oil, burdock is used to treat skin conditions such as acne. Burdock helps to purify the liver and is used as a natural cancer treatment. Burdock has antibacterial, anti-fungal and anti-tumor properties.
6) Licorice (root) - Glycyrrhiza glabra (Leguminosae)
Licorice contains glycyrrhizic acid which is 50 times sweeter than sugar. Licorice is used to treat discomfort and arthritis. Licorice is an expectorant, demulcent, adrenal agent, and has powerful anti-inflammatory properties. Note that some black licorice candy still contains real licorice extract.
7) Yellow Dock (root) - Rumex crispus (Polygonaceae)
A powerful cleansing herb and safe laxative, yellow dock is a bitter herb that contains anthraquinones. While the leaves of yellow dock contain oxalates (which can cause kidney stones in high doses), the oxalate level in the root is safe for consumption. Yellow dock is used to treat many conditions of toxicity including acne, eczema, constipation and arthritis. Yellow dock is a bile stimulant that has purgative effects on the colon.
8) Sarsparilla (root) - Similax (Liliaceae)
Sarsparilla contains 1-3% steroidal saponins, phytosterols, and starch. Sarsparilla has anti-inflammatory and cleansing properties. Sarsparilla is used to relieve skin problems such as eczema, psoriasis, rheumatism, and gout. An aphrodisiac, sarsparilla helps produce testosterone and increases muscle mass. Used to treat impotence as well as premenstrual problems and menopause, sarsparilla is a natural antidepressant and a key component of (real) Root Beer.
9) Dandelion (leaves and root) - Taraxacum officinale (Compositae)
A bitter herb with diuretic properties, dandelion contains sequiterpene, lacotones, coumarins, taraxacoside, potassium and calcium. Dandelion is used to alleviate fasting symptoms such as headaches, and to treat hangovers, high blood pressure, coughing, constipation, and gallbladder problems. Most consider it to be a weed, but dandelion greens can be added to salad and are best picked before they flower.
10) Blue Green Algae (cyanobacteria) - Anabaena sphaerica (Cyanophata)
Blue green algae contain chlorophyll, a deep green antioxidant. "Bad" bacteria such as Fecal Coli cannot coexist with chlorophyll, which helps keep fresh water clear. Algae not only contain nearly every required vitamin and mineral, but also have the effect of increasing oxygen while reducing nitrogen and carbon.
Summary
While these natural products have powerful effects they rarely cause unpleasant side effects. Some are available in seed form, and many can be found growing in the wild. Most are recommended to relieve the symptoms of (or provide an alternative to) chemotherapy. Herbal supplements are highly concentrated, have a long shelf life, and most will provide several months worth of doses in one container.
Kirk Patrick has studied natural medicine for over a decade and has helped many people heal themselves.
The Top Ten Products to Use for Fasting and Detoxification
Thursday, May 14, 2009 by: Kirk Patrick, citizen journalist
Key concepts: Burdock, Milk thistle and Fasting
(NaturalNews) Spring has traditionally been the season for detoxification and cleansing. Throughout the ages, humans and animals have emerged from their winter dormancy to find themselves malnourished. Having gone months without any vegetables they needed to seek remedies provided by nature, many of which blossom in spring. Certain plants and compounds greatly increase the productivity of the internal organs and thus help to restore optimal health. This article will summarize the top 10 products that assist the body`s natural healing processes.
The Top Ten
1) Milk Thistle (seed) - Silybum marianum (Compositae)
Milk Thistle is a thorny, purple flower that is commonly found growing by the roadside. Used as a liver tonic for centuries, milk thistle seeds contain the active ingredient Silymarin. By exerting a protective effect on the liver, silymarin prevents damage from compounds that are normally highly toxic such as Poison Death Cap Mushrooms. Milk thistle flowers can be boiled and eaten like artichokes. A mild laxative and natural antidepressant, milk thistle is used to treat cirrhosis and hepatitis. Milk thistle both increases breast milk production and stimulates bile production.
2) Cascara Sagrada (bark) - Rhamnus purshiana (Rhamnacea)
Cascara sagrada is one of the safest laxatives and normally induces peristaltic action within 8-12 hours. The "sacred bark" has been used for over 1000 years. During a fast, cascara sagrada is essential as it assists detoxification by helping the body to remove large amounts of impurities from the intestine and colon.
3) Psyllium (seed husks) - Plantago (Plantaginaceae)
Psyllium seed husks contain fiber and can absorb remarkable amounts of water. One Tablespoon of psyllium will make a cup of water become as thick as pudding within one minute. Psyllium acts as a bulk laxative and provides moisture to areas commonly chapped due to digestive acids. Psyllium has soothing properties and is used to treat stomach ulcers and hemorrhoids.
4) Bentonite (clay) - Aluminium Phyllosilicate (Montmorillonite)
Bentonite clay is available in two forms: sodium bentonite and calcium bentonite. Bentonite clay is a form of volcanic ash that has the ability to physically remove 25 times its weight in impurities from the body through a process called adsorbtion. Bentonite has laxative properties and contains high levels of iron, magnesium and silicon. Bentonite is used in cement, ceramics, acne medication, facial clay, cat litter and to clarify wine.
5) Burdock (root) - Arctium lappa (Compositae)
You are likely to have once found Burdock burrs stuck to your clothing after walking through a field. A potent blood purifier, burdock root removes heavy metals such as Mercury and Aluminum along with other toxins. Containing up to 45% inulin along with arctiopicrin, arctiin, tannins and volatile oil, burdock is used to treat skin conditions such as acne. Burdock helps to purify the liver and is used as a natural cancer treatment. Burdock has antibacterial, anti-fungal and anti-tumor properties.
6) Licorice (root) - Glycyrrhiza glabra (Leguminosae)
Licorice contains glycyrrhizic acid which is 50 times sweeter than sugar. Licorice is used to treat discomfort and arthritis. Licorice is an expectorant, demulcent, adrenal agent, and has powerful anti-inflammatory properties. Note that some black licorice candy still contains real licorice extract.
7) Yellow Dock (root) - Rumex crispus (Polygonaceae)
A powerful cleansing herb and safe laxative, yellow dock is a bitter herb that contains anthraquinones. While the leaves of yellow dock contain oxalates (which can cause kidney stones in high doses), the oxalate level in the root is safe for consumption. Yellow dock is used to treat many conditions of toxicity including acne, eczema, constipation and arthritis. Yellow dock is a bile stimulant that has purgative effects on the colon.
8) Sarsparilla (root) - Similax (Liliaceae)
Sarsparilla contains 1-3% steroidal saponins, phytosterols, and starch. Sarsparilla has anti-inflammatory and cleansing properties. Sarsparilla is used to relieve skin problems such as eczema, psoriasis, rheumatism, and gout. An aphrodisiac, sarsparilla helps produce testosterone and increases muscle mass. Used to treat impotence as well as premenstrual problems and menopause, sarsparilla is a natural antidepressant and a key component of (real) Root Beer.
9) Dandelion (leaves and root) - Taraxacum officinale (Compositae)
A bitter herb with diuretic properties, dandelion contains sequiterpene, lacotones, coumarins, taraxacoside, potassium and calcium. Dandelion is used to alleviate fasting symptoms such as headaches, and to treat hangovers, high blood pressure, coughing, constipation, and gallbladder problems. Most consider it to be a weed, but dandelion greens can be added to salad and are best picked before they flower.
10) Blue Green Algae (cyanobacteria) - Anabaena sphaerica (Cyanophata)
Blue green algae contain chlorophyll, a deep green antioxidant. "Bad" bacteria such as Fecal Coli cannot coexist with chlorophyll, which helps keep fresh water clear. Algae not only contain nearly every required vitamin and mineral, but also have the effect of increasing oxygen while reducing nitrogen and carbon.
Summary
While these natural products have powerful effects they rarely cause unpleasant side effects. Some are available in seed form, and many can be found growing in the wild. Most are recommended to relieve the symptoms of (or provide an alternative to) chemotherapy. Herbal supplements are highly concentrated, have a long shelf life, and most will provide several months worth of doses in one container.
Kirk Patrick has studied natural medicine for over a decade and has helped many people heal themselves.
Guacamole Delivers Concentrated Nutrition
http://www.naturalnews.com/026246.html
Guacamole Delivers Concentrated Nutrition
Monday, May 11, 2009 by: Kirk Patrick, citizen journalist
Key concepts: Guacamole, Cilantro and Salt
(NaturalNews) Finally some positive news: Guacamole is good for you. While avocado has a bad reputation as being high in fat, the truth is that it ranks among the healthiest types of vegetable oil. Also, the other ingredients in Guacamole are highly alkalizing, loaded with phytonutrients and feature over 100 known health benefits. It`s essential to make Guacamole fresh however as the many prefabricated mixes (often what restaurants serve) contain no real Avocado! This article will break down each component of Guacamole and provide a recipe at the end.
________________________
Guacamole Ingredients
Most of the following twelve foods can be grown in the home garden.
* Tomato - Solanum Lycopersicum (Solanaceae)
Tomato contains Lycophene, a powerful antioxidant and phytonutrient. Tomato contains vitamins A, C and K along with Niacin and Calcium. Tomato helps purify the blood and improves skin clarity while reducing cholesterol and gallstones. Tomato relieves liver congestion and promotes a healthy cardiovascular system. Tomato has unique benefits in raw versus cooked form. Tomato has antiseptic properties.
* Pepper - Capsicum (Solanaceae)
Pepper contains the antioxidant Capsaicin, an alkaloid that relieves allergies and reduces pain. Peppers help treat ulcers, headaches and congestion and also reduce cholesterol, blood clotting and strokes. While, increasing metabolism Peppers also have antibacterial properties.
* Garlic - Allium Sativum (Liliaceae)
Garlic contains the antioxidant Allicin, which is formed from alliin and allinase when the cloves are crushed. Garlic helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol while cleansing the liver. Offering unique health benefits when consumed in raw versus cooked or aged, Garlic kills parasites and has antiviral, antibacterial, antimicrobial and antifungal properties.
* Onion - Allium Cepa (Liliaceae)
Onion contains the antioxidant Quercetin along with vitamin C, vitamin E, Potassium and Folic Acid. Onion relieves allergy symptoms and congestion along with helping reduce cholesterol. Onion can treat and prevent cataracts, atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease and helps remove heavy metals from the body. Onion has antimicrobial properties.
* Cilantro - Coriandrum Sativum (Umbelliferae)
Cilantro contains several antioxidants including camphor, carvone, elemol, geraniol and limonene. A natural deodorizer, Cilantro relieves nausea, indigestion and bloating along with urinary tract infections. Consuming cilantro (whose seeds are called Coriander) helps reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Cilantro kills Salmonella and removes heavy metals such as Mercury from the body. Cilantro has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.
* Cumin - Cuminum (Umbelliferae)
Cumin is available in both seed and powder form and contains Iron. A powerful antioxidant, Cumin helps improve digestion, strengthens the immune system and has antibacterial properties. Cumin is one of the primary flavors in many Ethnic cuisines, especially Mexican.
* Lemon Juice - Citrus Limon (Rutaceae)
Fresh lemon juice contains vitamin C and has an alkalizing effect on the system. Lemon relieves stomach discomfort and removes gallstones when combined with olive oil. Lemons help prevent osteoarthritis, atherosclerosis, diabetes and kidney stones. Lemon has antibacterial, antiseptic, and antimicrobial properties.
* Apple Cider Vinegar - Malus Domestica (Rosaceae)
Raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar contains an enzyme chain long regarded as a cure-all called Mother. Taken by Hippocrates himself, Apple cider vinegar helps relieve gout, acid reflux and arthritis. Apple cider vinegar helps reduce cholesterol, calcium deposits, allergies, acne and even muscle fatigue. Cider vinegar improves stamina and metabolism, soothes a sore throat and strengthens the immune system. Cider vinegar is also a powerful cleaning agent and kills fleas while being safe for pets.
* Olive Oil - Olea Europaea (Oleaceae)
Olive Oil contains oleic acid, a healthy, monounsaturated fatty acid. Olive oil is found in the Mediterranean diet and helps reduce blood pressure, asthma and arthritis. Olive oil helps prevent and treat diabetes and increases metabolism. Choose extra virgin oil as "pure" is normally processed with solvents including Hexane.
* Avocado - Persea Americana (Lauraceae)
Avocado contains Lutein, a carotenoid along with vitamin E, monounsaturated fat and Magnesium. Avocado helps improve the absorption of the nutrients from other foods and improves skin tone and clarity.
* Lime Juice - Citrus Aurantifolia (Rutaceae)
Lime juice contains potassium and helps purify the blood and liver. Lime juice strengthens the immune system and also has antibacterial, antimicrobial and antiseptic properties.
* Sea Salt - Sodium Chloride
Sea salt (versus strip mined salt) contains many trace minerals, especially gray and pink salt. Sea salt stabilizes the heartbeat and blood sugar levels while helping the body to generate hydroelectric energy. Sea salt improves absorption and nerve cell communication while relieving the lungs and sinuses.
________________________
Salsa Recipe
The following salsa mixture is a prerequisite for Guacamole and can be used in many other recipes or enjoyed straight.
Ingredients
*4 heirloom tomatoes
*2 peppers
*2 garlic cloves
*1 onion
*1/2 cup fresh cilantro
*1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
*1 Tbsp olive oil
*1 Tbsp lemon juice
*1 tsp coriander
*1 tsp cumin
Preparation
*Using mortar and pestle, mash garlic, cilantro, cumin and coriander
*Add olive oil, lemon and vinegar
*Dice tomato, pepper and onion
*Blend ingredients together with potato masher
________________________
Guacamole Recipe
Next, simply stir salsa with fresh avocado, lime and salt for fast guacamole. Mixing the other ingredients together independently is something most restaurants miss (especially those serving "table side" Guacamole). Instead they serve diced vegetables suspended in Avocado. Be careful not to over-mix (green and red make brown). Storing the Avocado seeds in the mixture keeps the guacamole green longer. Refrigerate and consume within 24 hours.
Ingredients
*4 ripe avocados
*1/4 cup salsa
*1 Tbsp lime juice
*1/2 tsp Sea salt
Preparation
*Stir together avocado and salsa
*Add lime juice and salt
________________________
Other Serving Suggestions: Substitute mango for avocado for fast mango salsa (or try peach, banana or blueberry). Fresh salsa can be mixed with ground meat and beans to make fast chili, tomato puree to make fast pasta sauce, black beans to make fast nacho dip, and Basmati rice for a fast vegetarian meal.
Kirk Patrick has studied natural medicine for over a decade and has helped many people heal themselves.
Guacamole Delivers Concentrated Nutrition
Monday, May 11, 2009 by: Kirk Patrick, citizen journalist
Key concepts: Guacamole, Cilantro and Salt
(NaturalNews) Finally some positive news: Guacamole is good for you. While avocado has a bad reputation as being high in fat, the truth is that it ranks among the healthiest types of vegetable oil. Also, the other ingredients in Guacamole are highly alkalizing, loaded with phytonutrients and feature over 100 known health benefits. It`s essential to make Guacamole fresh however as the many prefabricated mixes (often what restaurants serve) contain no real Avocado! This article will break down each component of Guacamole and provide a recipe at the end.
________________________
Guacamole Ingredients
Most of the following twelve foods can be grown in the home garden.
* Tomato - Solanum Lycopersicum (Solanaceae)
Tomato contains Lycophene, a powerful antioxidant and phytonutrient. Tomato contains vitamins A, C and K along with Niacin and Calcium. Tomato helps purify the blood and improves skin clarity while reducing cholesterol and gallstones. Tomato relieves liver congestion and promotes a healthy cardiovascular system. Tomato has unique benefits in raw versus cooked form. Tomato has antiseptic properties.
* Pepper - Capsicum (Solanaceae)
Pepper contains the antioxidant Capsaicin, an alkaloid that relieves allergies and reduces pain. Peppers help treat ulcers, headaches and congestion and also reduce cholesterol, blood clotting and strokes. While, increasing metabolism Peppers also have antibacterial properties.
* Garlic - Allium Sativum (Liliaceae)
Garlic contains the antioxidant Allicin, which is formed from alliin and allinase when the cloves are crushed. Garlic helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol while cleansing the liver. Offering unique health benefits when consumed in raw versus cooked or aged, Garlic kills parasites and has antiviral, antibacterial, antimicrobial and antifungal properties.
* Onion - Allium Cepa (Liliaceae)
Onion contains the antioxidant Quercetin along with vitamin C, vitamin E, Potassium and Folic Acid. Onion relieves allergy symptoms and congestion along with helping reduce cholesterol. Onion can treat and prevent cataracts, atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease and helps remove heavy metals from the body. Onion has antimicrobial properties.
* Cilantro - Coriandrum Sativum (Umbelliferae)
Cilantro contains several antioxidants including camphor, carvone, elemol, geraniol and limonene. A natural deodorizer, Cilantro relieves nausea, indigestion and bloating along with urinary tract infections. Consuming cilantro (whose seeds are called Coriander) helps reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Cilantro kills Salmonella and removes heavy metals such as Mercury from the body. Cilantro has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.
* Cumin - Cuminum (Umbelliferae)
Cumin is available in both seed and powder form and contains Iron. A powerful antioxidant, Cumin helps improve digestion, strengthens the immune system and has antibacterial properties. Cumin is one of the primary flavors in many Ethnic cuisines, especially Mexican.
* Lemon Juice - Citrus Limon (Rutaceae)
Fresh lemon juice contains vitamin C and has an alkalizing effect on the system. Lemon relieves stomach discomfort and removes gallstones when combined with olive oil. Lemons help prevent osteoarthritis, atherosclerosis, diabetes and kidney stones. Lemon has antibacterial, antiseptic, and antimicrobial properties.
* Apple Cider Vinegar - Malus Domestica (Rosaceae)
Raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar contains an enzyme chain long regarded as a cure-all called Mother. Taken by Hippocrates himself, Apple cider vinegar helps relieve gout, acid reflux and arthritis. Apple cider vinegar helps reduce cholesterol, calcium deposits, allergies, acne and even muscle fatigue. Cider vinegar improves stamina and metabolism, soothes a sore throat and strengthens the immune system. Cider vinegar is also a powerful cleaning agent and kills fleas while being safe for pets.
* Olive Oil - Olea Europaea (Oleaceae)
Olive Oil contains oleic acid, a healthy, monounsaturated fatty acid. Olive oil is found in the Mediterranean diet and helps reduce blood pressure, asthma and arthritis. Olive oil helps prevent and treat diabetes and increases metabolism. Choose extra virgin oil as "pure" is normally processed with solvents including Hexane.
* Avocado - Persea Americana (Lauraceae)
Avocado contains Lutein, a carotenoid along with vitamin E, monounsaturated fat and Magnesium. Avocado helps improve the absorption of the nutrients from other foods and improves skin tone and clarity.
* Lime Juice - Citrus Aurantifolia (Rutaceae)
Lime juice contains potassium and helps purify the blood and liver. Lime juice strengthens the immune system and also has antibacterial, antimicrobial and antiseptic properties.
* Sea Salt - Sodium Chloride
Sea salt (versus strip mined salt) contains many trace minerals, especially gray and pink salt. Sea salt stabilizes the heartbeat and blood sugar levels while helping the body to generate hydroelectric energy. Sea salt improves absorption and nerve cell communication while relieving the lungs and sinuses.
________________________
Salsa Recipe
The following salsa mixture is a prerequisite for Guacamole and can be used in many other recipes or enjoyed straight.
Ingredients
*4 heirloom tomatoes
*2 peppers
*2 garlic cloves
*1 onion
*1/2 cup fresh cilantro
*1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
*1 Tbsp olive oil
*1 Tbsp lemon juice
*1 tsp coriander
*1 tsp cumin
Preparation
*Using mortar and pestle, mash garlic, cilantro, cumin and coriander
*Add olive oil, lemon and vinegar
*Dice tomato, pepper and onion
*Blend ingredients together with potato masher
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Guacamole Recipe
Next, simply stir salsa with fresh avocado, lime and salt for fast guacamole. Mixing the other ingredients together independently is something most restaurants miss (especially those serving "table side" Guacamole). Instead they serve diced vegetables suspended in Avocado. Be careful not to over-mix (green and red make brown). Storing the Avocado seeds in the mixture keeps the guacamole green longer. Refrigerate and consume within 24 hours.
Ingredients
*4 ripe avocados
*1/4 cup salsa
*1 Tbsp lime juice
*1/2 tsp Sea salt
Preparation
*Stir together avocado and salsa
*Add lime juice and salt
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Other Serving Suggestions: Substitute mango for avocado for fast mango salsa (or try peach, banana or blueberry). Fresh salsa can be mixed with ground meat and beans to make fast chili, tomato puree to make fast pasta sauce, black beans to make fast nacho dip, and Basmati rice for a fast vegetarian meal.
Kirk Patrick has studied natural medicine for over a decade and has helped many people heal themselves.
Acupuncture Beats Western Medicine
http://www.naturalnews.com/026249.html
Acupuncture Beats Western Medicine for Treating Low Back Pain
Monday, May 11, 2009
S. L. Baker, features writer
Key concepts: Acupuncture, Medicine and Health
(NaturalNews) The results of the largest randomized back pain trial of its kind shows acupuncture clearly helps people with chronic low back pain more than standard medical care. But the results of the SPINE (Stimulating Points to Investigate Needling Efficacy) study, just published in the May 11, 2009 Archives of Internal Medicine, has some researchers scratching their heads over the remarkable findings. The reason the study's results are so intriguing? Not just one but three different forms of acupuncture beat out western medicine in helping relieve low back pain.
The SPINE trial included 638 adults with chronic low back pain who were patients at two nonprofit health plans, Group Health Cooperative in Seattle, Washington, and Northern California Kaiser Permanente in Oakland. All the research subjects ranked their pain as a minimum of three on a scale of zero to 10 of "bothersome" discomfort.
None of the participants had ever experienced acupuncture before participating in the study. They were randomly put into one of four groups for different kinds of treatment. All received standard medical care but three groups of patients also were treated with varying forms of acupuncture -- needle puncture at points individualized for each case, standardized acupuncture that used a single prescription of needle punctures at points on the back and back of the legs and what the researchers called "simulated acupuncture" that involved pressing on points with a toothpick without penetrating the skin.
All the research subjects in the three acupuncture groups were treated twice a week for three weeks and then had weekly treatments for another month. At eight weeks, six months and 12 months, the researchers retested back-related dysfunction and measured improvements in the patients' symptoms.
The SPINE investigators found that at eight weeks all three acupuncture groups were functioning far better with less pain than the group getting only standard medical care. What's more, additional follow-ups found the benefits of acupuncture lasted for a year for many of these people.
"We found that simulated acupuncture, without penetrating the skin, produced as much benefit as needle acupuncture -- and that raises questions about how acupuncture works," SPINE trial leader Daniel C. Cherkin, PhD, a senior investigator at Group Health Center for Health Studies in Seattle, said in a statement to the media.
However, the idea the non-skin penetrating acupuncture was not the real deal, and was, instead, "simulated acupuncture" is disingenuous. Here's why: while most forms of acupuncture studied by Western researchers do involve piercing the skin, the ancient healing therapy also includes non-piercing types of acupuncture. In fact, the web site for the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), part of the National Institutes of Health, which funded the SPINE trial, notes that acupuncture "describes a family of procedures involving the stimulation of anatomical points on the body using a variety of techniques." And "stimulation" does not necessarily equal "skin piercing."
Cherkin's co-author, Karen J. Sherman, PhD, MPH, a senior investigator at Group Health Center for Health Studies, specifically pointed this out in the media statement: "Historically, some types of acupuncture have used non-penetrating needles. Such treatments may involve physiological effects that make a clinical difference."
Josephine P. Briggs, MD, director of NCCAM, noted that SPINE "..adds to the growing body of evidence that something meaningful is taking place during acupuncture treatments outside of actual needling. Future research is needed to delve deeper into what is evoking these responses."
Acupuncture Beats Western Medicine for Treating Low Back Pain
Monday, May 11, 2009
S. L. Baker, features writer
Key concepts: Acupuncture, Medicine and Health
(NaturalNews) The results of the largest randomized back pain trial of its kind shows acupuncture clearly helps people with chronic low back pain more than standard medical care. But the results of the SPINE (Stimulating Points to Investigate Needling Efficacy) study, just published in the May 11, 2009 Archives of Internal Medicine, has some researchers scratching their heads over the remarkable findings. The reason the study's results are so intriguing? Not just one but three different forms of acupuncture beat out western medicine in helping relieve low back pain.
The SPINE trial included 638 adults with chronic low back pain who were patients at two nonprofit health plans, Group Health Cooperative in Seattle, Washington, and Northern California Kaiser Permanente in Oakland. All the research subjects ranked their pain as a minimum of three on a scale of zero to 10 of "bothersome" discomfort.
None of the participants had ever experienced acupuncture before participating in the study. They were randomly put into one of four groups for different kinds of treatment. All received standard medical care but three groups of patients also were treated with varying forms of acupuncture -- needle puncture at points individualized for each case, standardized acupuncture that used a single prescription of needle punctures at points on the back and back of the legs and what the researchers called "simulated acupuncture" that involved pressing on points with a toothpick without penetrating the skin.
All the research subjects in the three acupuncture groups were treated twice a week for three weeks and then had weekly treatments for another month. At eight weeks, six months and 12 months, the researchers retested back-related dysfunction and measured improvements in the patients' symptoms.
The SPINE investigators found that at eight weeks all three acupuncture groups were functioning far better with less pain than the group getting only standard medical care. What's more, additional follow-ups found the benefits of acupuncture lasted for a year for many of these people.
"We found that simulated acupuncture, without penetrating the skin, produced as much benefit as needle acupuncture -- and that raises questions about how acupuncture works," SPINE trial leader Daniel C. Cherkin, PhD, a senior investigator at Group Health Center for Health Studies in Seattle, said in a statement to the media.
However, the idea the non-skin penetrating acupuncture was not the real deal, and was, instead, "simulated acupuncture" is disingenuous. Here's why: while most forms of acupuncture studied by Western researchers do involve piercing the skin, the ancient healing therapy also includes non-piercing types of acupuncture. In fact, the web site for the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), part of the National Institutes of Health, which funded the SPINE trial, notes that acupuncture "describes a family of procedures involving the stimulation of anatomical points on the body using a variety of techniques." And "stimulation" does not necessarily equal "skin piercing."
Cherkin's co-author, Karen J. Sherman, PhD, MPH, a senior investigator at Group Health Center for Health Studies, specifically pointed this out in the media statement: "Historically, some types of acupuncture have used non-penetrating needles. Such treatments may involve physiological effects that make a clinical difference."
Josephine P. Briggs, MD, director of NCCAM, noted that SPINE "..adds to the growing body of evidence that something meaningful is taking place during acupuncture treatments outside of actual needling. Future research is needed to delve deeper into what is evoking these responses."
Lady Gaga: the new queen of pop
Photos of Gaga in pink sequinned catsuit courtesy of DailyMail.co.uk
Lady Gaga: How the world went crazy for the new queen of popShe's pop's newest princess and the paparazzi's latest plaything. But it is Lady Gaga who is calling the shots
By Fiona Sturges
Saturday, 16 May 2009
Lady Gaga walks into the room carrying a teacup. Nothing unusual there, you might think. But this isn't just any old teacup. Since an unfortunate incident a few weeks ago when it was briefly separated from its owner, the cup is, on the fame stakes, up there with Gaga herself. It might even have eclipsed her. I wouldn't be at all surprised if has its own book deal.The saga began when Gaga took the teacup, a pretty purple number with flowers on the outside, on to Jonathan Ross's TV chat show. Hours later she was snapped by the paparazzi still carrying it. And the following evening she took the cup with her to a restaurant where, after a few cocktails, she accidentally left it behind. As it was subsequently reported, Gaga "kicked up a stink" and demanded that a taxi be sent back to the restaurant to retrieve it.
The following morning, Gaga's publicist, who was in the midst of spring-cleaning his bathroom, found himself fielding calls from showbiz journalists about the alleged hissy fit. Meanwhile, staff at her hotel were besieged by reporters looking for witnesses. On Monday the red-tops all carried articles on "Lady Gaga's Teacup Tantrum" and, inevitably, the "Storm in a Teacup". On Google, there were 50,000 related stories, including earnest blogs pondering the merits of the teacup as fashion accessory.
For Gaga it's all grist to the mill in the weird world of pop stardom, a ridiculous moment of unpredictability in her otherwise regimented existence. While it's still unclear whether a tantrum actually took place, she certainly doesn't seem like the kind of person who would easily lose her cool. Despite spending her every waking hour in the eye of a publicity storm, she is a remarkably composed presence. "This is what I have chosen, or rather it has chosen me," she states huskily, settling down on a sofa. "This is what fame is."
We meet at a recording studio just off London's Oxford Street. Outside in the reception, Gaga's retinue of stylists, personal assistants, publicists, pluggers and managers sit staring at their Blackberrys, all plotting her next move. It's 10.30 in the morning. She has already put in appearances on BBC Breakfast news and Radio 1. Later she is due at Capital Radio where she will play songs in front of a select audience of fans. Then it's straight on a plane and back to her native New York where the whole merry-go-round will start over again.
With the record industry suffering from the combined effects of an internet revolution and global recession, there's a sense that Gaga is the goose that laid the golden egg. Apparently it's not enough that she has reached number one in 20 countries with her single "Poker Face", or been nominated for a Grammy for the song "Just Dance", or sold 1.9 million copies of her debut album, The Fame. The more impressive the statistics, it seems, the more intense the schedule.
But if it's hard work being an über-cool, multi-million-selling post-modern pop icon, Gaga isn't going to be caught grumbling. I spend a good 10 minutes trying to get her to admit that the interviews, the television appearances, the costume changes, the rictus smiles, are beginning to wear her down. After all, nobody spends years trying to make it as an artist in order to be quizzed about a teacup on breakfast telly, do they?
"You know, I have such an appreciation for where I am in my life because I've struggled and because I couldn't get signed, and because I couldn't get played on the radio," she says serenely. "There are times when it can be a lot to deal with but always when I get up in the morning I try to find that very joyful place that reminds me that I would die if someone took it all away. If someone did that I wouldn't be a person anymore."
Gaga is 23, though with her white hair, radioactive tan and pale-pink frosted lipstick, she appears oddly ageless, as if she's been cryogenically frozen and is still in the process of defrosting. Today she is wearing a white shoulder-padded jacket, black leggings, vertiginous platform sandals and a huge harlequin-style hat. And let's not forget her trademark: the false eyelashes, so heavy-duty that her eyes don't seem to open properly.
Gaga is notorious for her outré appearance, of course. On the Brit Awards she performed with the Pet Shop Boys in a porcelain bikini, while on her recent tour she appeared on stage in a clear plastic bubble dress. On Friday Night With Jonathan Ross she rocked a toga-style number made entirely of red vinyl Post-It notes. Gaga claims she would look like this whether she was famous or not. The eyelashes hardly ever come off; she even sleeps in them. "Whenever I have a lover I leave them in their apartment on the pillow," she coos. "Kind of like a keepsake."
Gaga, who took her name from the Queen song "Radio Gaga", has a steeliness and ambition that is at once impressive and terrifying. Not for nothing has she been compared to that other hugely successful mistress of provocation, Madonna. But the difference is that Gaga has created a persona that is so strong it has overwhelmed her entirely.
"Right now the only thing that I am concerned with in my life is being an artist," she states. "I had to suppress it for so many years in high school because I was made fun of but now I'm completely insulated in my box of insanity and I can do whatever I like."
As Gaga sees it, she's is a living subversion of the modern pop diva. She talks loftily about her art. Her stage designs are not sets, they're installations. She is not a pop star, she's a performance artist. Her idols are those who have blurred the boundaries between popular art forms, from Piet Mondrian and Andy Warhol to David Bowie and David LaChapelle.
"My ideas about fame and art are not brand new," she says. "We could watch Paris is Burning [Jennie Livingston's 1990 documentary about New York drag artists], we could read The Warhol Diaries, we could go to a party in New York in 1973 and these same things would be being talked about. I guess you could say that I'm a bit of a Warholian copycat. Some people say everything [in music and fashion] has been done before, and to an extent they are right. I think the trick is to honour your vision and reference and put together things that have never been put together before. I like to be unpredictable, and I think it's very unpredictable to promote pop music as a highbrow medium."
Gaga's articulation of her position is certainly rare. This is not, one imagines, the kind of conversation you would get from Britney Spears. But listening to her album The Fame, a disco-tinged, sexually charged critique of modern pop culture, it's hard to distinguish Lady Gaga's sound from that of her chart-friendly contemporaries, from Pink to Christina Aguilera. Her songs are undoubtedly catchy but there is a gulf between how she perceives them and what the rest of us actually hear.
What really sets Gaga apart from her contemporaries is that she is responsible for every part of her act. She directs her own shows, designs the sets, chooses the clothes and writes the songs. She never, ever lip-synchs. Despite her coterie of creatives back home, whom she calls the "Haus of Gaga", she retains complete control over everything. If Gaga has spent the past two years fending off suggestions that she is nothing more than the product of a record-company brainstorm, she is not offended: "It's exactly the kind of discussion that I want to start."
But in deconstructing the cliché that is the modern pop star while enjoying all the benefits that the role affords, isn't there a sense, I ask, that she has had her cake and eaten it?
"It's not parody, it's commentary," Gaga replies coolly. "To use the words 'have your cake and eat it' implies something devious. For me, I just think I'm very good at what I do."
Still, there are moments when Gaga's conceptualising can be a little hard to follow. "I don't ever want to be grounded in reality," she explains when I ask if her persona is really sustainable 24 hours a day. "In my show I announce, 'People say Lady Gaga is a lie, and they are right. I am a lie. And every day I kill to make it true.' It's the dream of my vision, it's the lie that I tell, whether it's an umbrella or it's a hat or it's the way that I shape my lipstick. And then eventually it becomes a reality. My hair bow was a lie and now it's true."
Quite. What is clear is that Gaga is a very modern artist, not just in her sound and look, but also in how she courts the media. If her every moment is a performance, then the paparazzi are her enablers, instantly beaming images of her around the world. Since her rise to fame, barely a day has passed without Gaga appearing in the papers buying fish'n'chips in a fluorescent leotard or stepping out for the night in her PVC catsuit. Gaga lets out a little sigh at the mention of the photographers who are currently loitering around the front door. Put on a baggy sweater and you could lose them, I say. She looks at me aghast.
"That's a very dangerous precedent, and it's not fair to my fans. They don't want to see me that way just like I don't want to see Bowie in a tracksuit. He never let anyone see him that way. The outlet for my work is not just the music and the videos, it's every breathing moment of my life. I'm always saying something about art and music and fame. That's why you don't ever catch me in sweatpants."
The eldest daughter of an internet entrepreneur and his business-partner wife, Gaga – born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta – was brought up in New York. She was a proficient pianist at five; by the time she was 11 she was all set to go to the prestigious Julliard School in Manhattan, though she decided it wasn't for her. Instead she went to the Convent of the Sacred Heart, also attended by Paris and Nicky Hilton. She was, she says, "focused, determined. I was always in a band, or in a musical. I didn't really fit in but I had friends because I'm a nice girl and fun to party with."
From the age of 14 Gaga was playing at New York clubs, which I note must be illegal until she tells me that she was chaperoned by her mother. Really?
"These were jazz bars not sex clubs," she explains. "They would have open mic nights so my mother would take me along and say, 'My daughter's very young but she's very talented. I'll sit with her as she plays.' "
An A-grade student, Gaga got a place at NYU's Tisch School of Arts a year early at 17. But she abandoned it after one year in favour of what she saw as a more honest education, plying her trade on the Lower East Side club scene. Immersing herself in the seamier side of life, she dabbled in drugs and worked as a burlesque singer. During performances she would frequently set light to cans of hairspray. But she never stopped playing gigs.
"There was this one night where I had had a couple of drinks," she remembers. "I had new material and I had on this amazing outfit. So I sat down, cleared my throat and waited for everyone to go quiet. It was a bunch of frat kids from the West Village and I couldn't get them to shut up. I didn't want to start singing while they were talking, so I got undressed. There I was sitting at the piano in my underwear. So they shut up."
It was then, she says, that Lady Gaga was born. "That's when I made a real decision about the kind of pop artist that I wanted to be. Because it was a performance art moment there and then." She pauses and thinks. "You see, you can write about it now and it will sound ridiculous. But the truth is that unless you were in the audience in that very spontaneous moment, it doesn't mean anything. It's, like, she took her clothes off, so sex sells, right? But in the context of that moment, in that neighbourhood, in front of that audience, I was doing something radical."
Gaga's pop ascendancy began in earnest a year later when the R&B star Akon heard her music and asked her to help him write some songs.
"I was like the weird girl who dressed like a zoo animal, the trash glamour in a roomful of urban hip-hop cats," she smiles. "They'd be, like, 'Gaga, what do you think of this lyric?' and I'd twist it all up and all of a sudden it was edgy."
Overnight she became a pop writer for hire, producing songs for the likes of Britney Spears, the Pussycat Dolls and New Kids on the Block. Was it frustrating, writing for other people when were trying to make it as a singer yourself?
"Honestly no, I loved it," she replies. "I got real joy from hearing Britney Spears sing my melodies. As much as I can sit here and talk about art, there's still something quite remarkable about writing a song when you're 20 and hearing a pop superstar sing it."
All the while, Gaga was putting together her own album. She had been signed by Def Jam records but was dropped shortly after. Next she signed with Interscope, though this time it was the radio stations that were proving resistant.
"They would say, 'This is too racy, too dance-oriented, too underground. It's not marketable.' And I would say, 'My name is Lady Gaga, I've been on the music scene for years, and I'm telling you, this is what's next.' And look," – she gestures grandly around her – "I was right."
It's getting on for midday and our time is up. Gaga is due a half-hour break before going to Capital Radio. Time for a power nap, I ask? "No, I'm going to work on my songs," she says sunnily and, picking up her teacup, teeters out of the room.
When it's time to leave, Gaga puts on her shades, opens her umbrella and, flanked by her security men, climbs into a people carrier. The publicist and I hop in a car behind. As we set off a photographer appears from nowhere on a scooter, and dices with death as he tries to stay close. There are at least 20 more paparazzi waiting outside the radio station, all of whom look desolate when the people carrier disappears, Gaga and all, into the tradesman's entrance.
Ten minutes later, Gaga is settled at the keyboards in the studio. The audience files in and the retinue return to their Blackberrys. Gaga performs three songs, including a classical version of her hit "Poker Face", during which she hoists a leg on to the keyboard and plays piano with her heels, and "Paparazzi" which she dedicates to "those buggers outside". It's a witty, stylish performance that easily proves her worth as a performer. But watching as the mostly teenage fans mouth along to every word, I wonder to what extent the performance-art concept is really appreciated.
"I have found that my work has to be both deep and shallow," said Gaga when I put this to her earlier. "All of my songs have meaning, all of my clothing has iconography buried into it. But by the same token, it's just as special if you look at it in its shallowest form. A quick moment of melody, a beautiful dress. People think, 'Gaga's so sweet', or 'Gaga sucks'. The point is that it's memorable. For commercial art to be taken seriously as fine art is a very unusual and difficult task. I think that a lot of people don't get it and a lot of people don't know what to make of me. And, you know what? I'm OK with that."
Lady Gaga's album, 'The Fame', is out now on Polydor. Her new single, 'Paparazzi', will be released in June. She will be playing Manchester Academy on 29 June, Oasis in Swindon on 6 July and 02 Academy in Brixton on 14 July. For tickets call 08444 775775
'Angels & Demons' tour illuminates Rome
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2009-05-14-rome-angels-and-demons-tour_N.htm
'Angels & Demons' tour illuminates the charms of RomeBy Chris Gray Faust, USA TODAY
5-14-9
VATICAN CITY — The faithful stream into St. Peter's Square on Christianity's holiest day, engulfing the Egyptian obelisk that centers the piazza so carefully planned by 17th-century sculptor and architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Stern despite their colorful striped uniforms, members of the Swiss Guards direct those in the Easter crowd fortunate enough to procure free tickets to chairs, while others stand, waiting for a glimpse of papal pomp.
It's a scene that could be taken straight out of Angels & Demons, author Dan Brown's best-selling prequel to the hugely successful — and highly controversial — novel The Da Vinci Code. Just like that book, Angels & Demons has been made into a movie starring Tom Hanks as symbologist Robert Langdon, which opens today around the world.
Set in Vatican City and Rome, Angels & Demons pits Langdon (paired with an intelligent and attractive female sidekick, Vittoria Vetra) against a modern incarnation of an ancient foe of the Roman Catholic Church, the Illuminati. In the book, Catholics fill St. Peter's Square, awaiting the announcement of Il Conclave, the assembly of cardinals charged with selecting a new pope. Little do they know they are sitting atop a time bomb — and that four cardinals in line for the job are being murdered at sites around Rome.
It's not a tale you'd expect the Catholic Church to embrace. And indeed, several prominent religious leaders — including Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights president Bill Donohue— have come out against the film (although the church itself has not issued a boycott call).
No matter. Catholic indignation did nothing to stop The Da Vinci Code movie from grossing more than $758 million in 2006.
And it did nothing to stop Sony Pictures from shooting key scenes of the movie in Rome, which will only enhance the city's allure for Angels & Demons fans. Among the sites from the book that will be seen on film: the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Castel Sant'Angelo and its Pasetto di Borga, the secret passageway that connects the fortress with the Vatican.
The Vatican itself is not on film, nor are the interiors of two churches prominently featured in the book, Santa Maria del Popolo or Santa Maria della Vittoria; the Rome diocese said last summer that it had banned filming there because of the movie's themes. Reggia di Caserta, an 18th-century royal palace outside Naples and south of Rome, stood in for the Vatican in some scenes (and an elaborate replica was built on a Los Angeles studio lot).
Executive producer Todd Hallowell says the production didn't bother asking permission to film at the Vatican, as the church never grants it. He promises that viewers will feel as if they are within the Vatican, even if the church itself wasn't crazy about the filming.
Says Hallowell: "Given the fact that The Da Vinci Code was perhaps not their favorite movie, the concept of a sequel being shot in their backyard was not the best news they had all week."
Mapping out the book
On the steps outside Santa Maria del Popolo — the site of the book's first element-themed murder, Earth— about 30 people gather for Angels & Demons guided tours. While the operating company, Angelsanddemons.it, bills it as "the official Angels & Demons tour," several tour operators in Rome offer a similar version.
The group is split, and guide Graham Hannaford, 26, passes out a map of Rome, a replica of the one from Angels & Demons. Fewer than half the people on Hannaford's tour have read the book, but he carries it with him for reference (and occasionally, to debunk the poetic license that Brown sometimes took with Roman geography).
The first stop on the "Path of Illumination" that Brown has devised through Rome is the Chigi Chapel inside the church. Designed by Renaissance master Raphael and filled with sculptures by Bernini — the baroque wunderkind whom Brown cheekily portrays as a secret Illuminati mastermind — the Chapel is an artistic masterpiece, albeit one that might fall lower on a typical tourist itinerary.
Subsequent stops in the four-hour tour call at Roman sites both familiar and off-the-beaten-track: St. Peter's Square, the gloriously elaborate Santa Maria della Vittoria and the always-hopping Piazza Navona, sites of the book's Air, Fire and Water murders, respectively. It concludes at the imposing Castel Sant'Angelo, where the Hassassin in Brown's book keeps Vittoria captive in an alleged ancient Illuminati lair.
Jennifer Carroll, 32, of French Settlement, La., takes pictures at nearly every stop.
"My book club will kill me if I don't," she says.
Carroll and her husband, Basil, attended the papal Easter Mass and bought rosaries for family at the Vatican, including one for their daughter to use at her First Communion. Carroll had some friends who felt The Da Vinci Code was anti-Catholic and others who felt the murders in Angels & Demons were too violent. But the controversy has been overblown, she says.
"It's fiction, it's OK," she says. "You could get offended by just about anything if you wanted to."
Hannaford calls for a coffee break next to the Pantheon. With Roman tourism down, the Napa, Calif., native had questioned returning after Christmas, but he figured the release of Angels & Demons could trigger the same bump in visitors that Paris received from The Da Vinci Code.
The tour is not the company's best seller — visitors tend to hire guides to the immense Vatican Museum more often, Hannaford says. But he thinks that Angels & Demons provides a good road map to Rome's charms.
"The book does capture the spirit of Rome," he says. "There are a lot of chaotic things going on, but it all pulls together."
Seeing the story
Of course, visitors don't have to take a guided tour to see the parts of Rome explored in Angels & Demons. But some sites do require planning ahead.
Such is the case with the Vatican Scavi, the necropolis under St. Peter's Basilica said to contain the grave of Peter, the founder of the Christian church. In the book, Langdon chases the camerlengo (played by Ewan McGregor in the film) through the subterranean passages to find the hidden canister of dangerous antimatter.
In real life, the Vatican Excavations Office carefully controls the number of people allowed to walk through the Scavi. Only 12 people are allowed through at a time, with a limit of 250 visitors a day. Travel agents and tour guides are not allowed to buy tickets; visitors must petition through e-mail or fax months ahead of time to secure a spot.
The machinations are well worth it. Undertaken in 1939 through 1950, the excavations unearthed pagan and early Christian tombs from a cemetery that existed on the site before Constantine built the original St. Peter's Basilica around 322. The corridors between the tombs are narrow and uneven, and the air is slightly dank. But what you'll see are remarkably well-preserved frescoes and mosaics that provide a glimpse into the time when Christianity was a religious newcomer.
Back above ground, a Vatican trip is not complete without visiting the Sistine Chapel, although doing so requires negotiating the crowded Vatican Museums. With the masses of people snapping photos of Michelangelo's famed ceiling, it's hard to imagine the Sistine Chapel as a quiet place of deliberation. But this is where Il Conclave chooses papal succession, broadcasting their results through smoke from a chimney brought in for the occasion.
A better job of crowd control takes place at the Galleria Borghese, where visitors are limited to two-hour time blocks. While the museum — set amid leafy Villa Borghese, Rome's version of Central Park— is not referenced in Angels & Demons, it's a must-stop for readers who are curious about Bernini's other works. Some of his most famous pieces are here, including The Rape of Proserpina, his determined David and Truth Unveiled by Time, created for himself.
The latter sculpture was composed when Bernini — a papal darling who not only designed the colonnades of St. Peter's Square but also came up with the idea for the 10 angels guarding Ponte Sant'Angelo, the bridge between Rome and Vatican City — was out of favor. Could it be that during this time, as Brown suggests, Bernini joined disgruntled intellectuals such as Galileo in the Illuminati ranks?
Vatican tour guide Joseph Mancinelli dismisses such speculation. "It is just a story, it has nothing to do with Christianity," he says of Angels & Demons. "You must believe what is true, not what people say in a story."
Follow Chris Gray Faust at twitter.com/CAroundTheWorld.
IF YOU GO
Getting there: Rome's main airport, Leonardo da Vinci, is known by its old name, Fiumicino. The Leonardo Express runs shuttles to Rome's Termini rail station every 30 minutes ($15, trenitalia.com). Taxis or car service to and from the airport costs about $60.
Lodging: The Westin Excelsior Rome is offering a two-night Angels & Demons package that includes a private or group movie tour, as well as 20% off at the hotel's restaurants and bars. The promotion starts at $444 a night and runs through 2010 (westin.com/angelsanddemons.com). The venerable Hotel Hassler at the top of the Spanish Steps also has a three-night package that includes a tour starting at $2,323 (hotelhassler.com). Or live like the fictional Robert Langdon, who stayed at Hotel Bernini on Plaza Barberini (Bernini's Triton fountain is right in front). Rates start at $395 (berninibristol.com).
Generally, a cheaper way to stay in Rome is to rent an apartment through a service such as venere.com. The Beehive, with dorm beds starting at $34 and private rooms at $109, is the No. 1-ranked budget hotel on Trip Advisor (the-beehive.com).
Dining: Rome's better restaurants are in alleys away from main tourist streets. Near the Pantheon, try the pasta at Osteria del Sostegno (primi, $8-$11, secondi, $12-$20). Osteria dell'Angelo, about 10 minutes from the Vatican on Via G. Bettolo, has an outstanding version of the Roman classic spaghetti carbonara at similar prices. Do as the Romans do and enjoy an evening gelato; Gelataria della Palma, also near the Pantheon, has 100-plus flavors.
Tours: The "Official Angels & Demons Tour" is four hours and includes some bus transport, $76 (angelsanddemons.it). To book tickets to the Vatican Scavi, e-mail the Excavations Office several months in advance; the visit costs $14 (scavi@fsp.va). Advance tickets to Vatican Museums can be purchased online for $19 (mv.vatican.va); private companies such as Context Rome also have tours with art historians (contexttravel.com/rome). The Galleria Borghese requires advance reservations for its two-hour blocks for $12 (ticketeria.it).
Information: en.turismoroma.it
Suu Kyi Lawyers protest innocence as trial begins
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6312579.ece
May 18, 2009
Lawyers for Aung San Suu Kyi protest innocence as trial begins
Richard Lloyd Parry, Asia Editor
Lawyers for Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese democracy leader, said that she was innocent of any crime as the country’s military dictatorship put her on trial for allowing an eccentric American intruder to stay in her house.
Protesters marched outside Burma’s embassies across the world and European foreign ministers debated imposing new sanctions as Ms Suu Kyi appeared in the closed court room in the grounds of Insein Prison in Rangoon. A delegation of senior foreign diplomats, including Britain’s ambassador to Burma, was turned back by soldiers after attempting to observe the trial.
According to her lawyers Ms Suu Kyi appeared healthy and calm at the hearing in the prison compound where she has been held since her arrest last week. Appearing alongside her were her two friends and housekeepers, a mother and daughter named Khin Khin Win and Win Ma Ma, and John Yettaw, the 53-year-old American who swam across a lake to gain access to her heavily guarded house this month.
Her lawyer, Kyi Win, said that she denied committing a crime. “She just felt sorry for this man as he had leg cramps after he swam across the lake,” he said. “That’s why she allowed him to stay. She did not want anybody to get into trouble because of her.”
“She looked quite well,” said Nyan Win, a spokesman for Ms Suu Kyi’s political party, the National League for Democracy (NLD). “She said she was OK. If things go according to the law, we surely will win this case.”
But Burmese courts almost never find in favour of opponents of the Government in political trials. An application by lawyers for Ms Suu Kyi for a public trial was rejected by the judges.
The prosecution called the first of 22 witnesses, Police Colonel Zaw Min Aung, who filed the formal complaint against Ms Suu Kyi. “Madam Aung San Suu Kyi allowed him to stay at her residence until the night of May 5, 2009, spoke with him, and provided him food and drinks,” the charge sheet read. “We found that Khin Khin Win and Win Ma Ma also helped Madam Aung San Suu Kyi’s treatment of Mr Yettaw.”
Mr Yettaw, described by his family in the United States as a well-meaning eccentric, is to be charged with trespass and immigration offences.
Mark Canning, the British ambassador to Burma, along with the ambassadors of France, Germany and Italy, and an Australian diplomat, were turned away without explanation at the military cordon that has been set up around the prison. The charges against Ms Suu Kyi have been denounced as a travesty by Western governments and international human rights organisations.
“There was never any expectation of getting through, but we were making a point,” Mr Canning told The Times by telephone from Rangoon.
“The point is that this whole process should not be going on. The debate over the terms of the house arrest is irrelevant, because she should never have been under house arrest in the first place. This is the only country in the world where someone can break into your home, and you end up being charged.”
The trial, which is taking place behind closed doors in a courthouse inside the Insein Prison compound, could last between a few days and a few weeks.
About 200 members of Ms Suu Kyi’s political party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), staged a protest outside the prison, under surveillance by armed and plain-clothes police. One man, a leader of the NLD youth wing, was reported to have been arrested.
Squads of pro-government militia were brought into the area around Insein over the weekend, and local shops were ordered to close, as the authorities acted to pre-empt public anger before the trial.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, said that additional sanctions should be brought against Burma as foreign ministers gathered in Brussels. But the proposal will provoke debate about the effectiveness of European and US sanctions against a country that is being eagerly courted by China and India.
“I don’t think additional sanctions will help because you have seen they have not helped,” the EU’s External Relations Commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, said. “We have to reinforce dialogue with Burma’s neighbours. I think that is the way forward. it should always be a subject of discussion with China, India and others.”
May 18, 2009
Lawyers for Aung San Suu Kyi protest innocence as trial begins
Richard Lloyd Parry, Asia Editor
Lawyers for Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese democracy leader, said that she was innocent of any crime as the country’s military dictatorship put her on trial for allowing an eccentric American intruder to stay in her house.
Protesters marched outside Burma’s embassies across the world and European foreign ministers debated imposing new sanctions as Ms Suu Kyi appeared in the closed court room in the grounds of Insein Prison in Rangoon. A delegation of senior foreign diplomats, including Britain’s ambassador to Burma, was turned back by soldiers after attempting to observe the trial.
According to her lawyers Ms Suu Kyi appeared healthy and calm at the hearing in the prison compound where she has been held since her arrest last week. Appearing alongside her were her two friends and housekeepers, a mother and daughter named Khin Khin Win and Win Ma Ma, and John Yettaw, the 53-year-old American who swam across a lake to gain access to her heavily guarded house this month.
Her lawyer, Kyi Win, said that she denied committing a crime. “She just felt sorry for this man as he had leg cramps after he swam across the lake,” he said. “That’s why she allowed him to stay. She did not want anybody to get into trouble because of her.”
“She looked quite well,” said Nyan Win, a spokesman for Ms Suu Kyi’s political party, the National League for Democracy (NLD). “She said she was OK. If things go according to the law, we surely will win this case.”
But Burmese courts almost never find in favour of opponents of the Government in political trials. An application by lawyers for Ms Suu Kyi for a public trial was rejected by the judges.
The prosecution called the first of 22 witnesses, Police Colonel Zaw Min Aung, who filed the formal complaint against Ms Suu Kyi. “Madam Aung San Suu Kyi allowed him to stay at her residence until the night of May 5, 2009, spoke with him, and provided him food and drinks,” the charge sheet read. “We found that Khin Khin Win and Win Ma Ma also helped Madam Aung San Suu Kyi’s treatment of Mr Yettaw.”
Mr Yettaw, described by his family in the United States as a well-meaning eccentric, is to be charged with trespass and immigration offences.
Mark Canning, the British ambassador to Burma, along with the ambassadors of France, Germany and Italy, and an Australian diplomat, were turned away without explanation at the military cordon that has been set up around the prison. The charges against Ms Suu Kyi have been denounced as a travesty by Western governments and international human rights organisations.
“There was never any expectation of getting through, but we were making a point,” Mr Canning told The Times by telephone from Rangoon.
“The point is that this whole process should not be going on. The debate over the terms of the house arrest is irrelevant, because she should never have been under house arrest in the first place. This is the only country in the world where someone can break into your home, and you end up being charged.”
The trial, which is taking place behind closed doors in a courthouse inside the Insein Prison compound, could last between a few days and a few weeks.
About 200 members of Ms Suu Kyi’s political party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), staged a protest outside the prison, under surveillance by armed and plain-clothes police. One man, a leader of the NLD youth wing, was reported to have been arrested.
Squads of pro-government militia were brought into the area around Insein over the weekend, and local shops were ordered to close, as the authorities acted to pre-empt public anger before the trial.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, said that additional sanctions should be brought against Burma as foreign ministers gathered in Brussels. But the proposal will provoke debate about the effectiveness of European and US sanctions against a country that is being eagerly courted by China and India.
“I don’t think additional sanctions will help because you have seen they have not helped,” the EU’s External Relations Commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, said. “We have to reinforce dialogue with Burma’s neighbours. I think that is the way forward. it should always be a subject of discussion with China, India and others.”
Yuan 'set to usurp US dollar' as reserve currency
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/financialcrisis/5325805/Chinas-yuan-set-to-usurp-US-dollar-as-worlds-reserve-currency.html
China's yuan 'set to usurp US dollar' as world's reserve currency
The Chinese yuan is preparing to overtake the US dollar as the world's reserve currency, economist Nouriel Roubini has warned.
By James Quinn, Wall Street Correspondent
15 May 2009
Professor Roubini, of New York University's Stern business school, believes that while such a major change is some way off, the Chinese government is laying the ground for the yuan's ascendance.
Known as "Dr Doom" for his negative stance, Prof Roubini argues that China is better placed than the US to provide a reserve currency for the 21st century because it has a large current account surplus, focused government and few of the economic worries the US faces.
In a column in the New York Times, Prof Roubini warns that with the proposal for a new international reserve currency via the International Monetary Fund, Beijing has already begun to take steps to usurp the greenback.
China will soon want to see the yuan included in the International Monetary Fund's special drawing rights "basket", he warns, as well as seeing it "used as a means of payment in bilateral trade."
Prof Roubini's warning followed the US government's latest economic data that showed producer prices in April experienced their biggest year-on-year drop since 1950, falling 3.7pc.
The number of Americans claiming unemployment benefit for the first time rose by 32,000 to 637,000 in the week to May 9. The increase meant the total number of people claiming benefits stood at to 6.56m, a record high for the 15th consecutive week in a row.
But neither the gloomy data, nor Prof Roubini's verdict on the greenback's future, held back the markets. The Dow Jones traded up 59.89 at 8344.78 in lunchtime trading.
China's yuan 'set to usurp US dollar' as world's reserve currency
The Chinese yuan is preparing to overtake the US dollar as the world's reserve currency, economist Nouriel Roubini has warned.
By James Quinn, Wall Street Correspondent
15 May 2009
Professor Roubini, of New York University's Stern business school, believes that while such a major change is some way off, the Chinese government is laying the ground for the yuan's ascendance.
Known as "Dr Doom" for his negative stance, Prof Roubini argues that China is better placed than the US to provide a reserve currency for the 21st century because it has a large current account surplus, focused government and few of the economic worries the US faces.
In a column in the New York Times, Prof Roubini warns that with the proposal for a new international reserve currency via the International Monetary Fund, Beijing has already begun to take steps to usurp the greenback.
China will soon want to see the yuan included in the International Monetary Fund's special drawing rights "basket", he warns, as well as seeing it "used as a means of payment in bilateral trade."
Prof Roubini's warning followed the US government's latest economic data that showed producer prices in April experienced their biggest year-on-year drop since 1950, falling 3.7pc.
The number of Americans claiming unemployment benefit for the first time rose by 32,000 to 637,000 in the week to May 9. The increase meant the total number of people claiming benefits stood at to 6.56m, a record high for the 15th consecutive week in a row.
But neither the gloomy data, nor Prof Roubini's verdict on the greenback's future, held back the markets. The Dow Jones traded up 59.89 at 8344.78 in lunchtime trading.
Military tribunals still seen as flawed
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-military-commissions16-2009may16,0,975101.story
Military tribunals still seen as flawed
President Obama has outlined rule changes designed to bolster defendants' rights, but the commissions to try suspected terrorists will still suffer an image problem, experts predict.
By Carol J. Williams and Julian E. Barnes
May 16, 2009
Reporting from Washington and Los Angeles -- President Obama's decision Friday to revive military tribunals to try suspected terrorists will likely fail to erase the taint of illegitimacy over the courts despite efforts at reform, civilian and military legal experts said.
Obama outlined five rule changes aimed at bolstering defendants' rights, including strict limits on the use of coerced evidence, tougher restrictions on the use of hearsay evidence and more latitude for defendants to choose their own lawyers.
Still, experts said the tribunals, also known as military commissions, are seen as so flawed that no amount of improvement will be able to dispel impressions that they are rigged to deliver convictions.
"I believe that the rules and procedures can be fixed so as to provide an actual fair proceeding. But what I don't think they can salvage is the perception that the commissions are an illegitimate and unfair process," said Air Force Maj. David Frakt, a Western State University law professor who represents two prisoners held at the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
During the presidential campaign, Obama himself criticized the commissions as an "enormous failure" and said he would prefer to try detainees in federal courts or in traditional military courts.
His turnaround has surprised some experts, given the years of discussions over how hard it would be to fix the system.
"To make the commissions truly fair and equitable, they would have to be so fundamentally reconfigured that I just don't really understand how they can go forward," said Amos N. Guiora, a national security law professor at the University of Utah.
Administration officials said they are still mulling over other reforms to the tribunal system, although White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs declined to detail them.
Gibbs defended the administration's decision to resume the tribunals, saying that "first and foremost, the president of the United States is going to do what he believes is in the best security interests of the people of the United States."
White House Counsel Greg Craig held a conference call with human rights leaders to explain the decision, but opponents said they remain concerned.
"I came away unconvinced that the case has been made for military commissions," said Elisa Massimino, executive director of Human Rights First, noting that the case-by-case evaluation Obama ordered on the 240 Guantanamo detainees has yet to be completed.
Obama has so far omitted any mention of where the resumed tribunals might take place. He has ordered the Guantanamo detention facility closed by Jan. 22, 2010, and the detainees who can be put on trial moved to U.S. locations. Those for whom there is no case must be released to their home countries or other states willing to receive them.
John B. Bellinger III, State Department legal advisor under President George W. Bush, said federal requirements for speedy trials, Miranda warnings and access to counsel probably prompted Obama to keep the military tribunals.
With the tribunals, "defendants have fewer rights, and it's easier to get convictions," Frakt said.
Despite that, the system has actually failed to produce many convictions. Persistent court challenges to the system have meant that only three cases were tried at Guantanamo Bay, while U.S. civilian courts have convicted more than 100 accused terrorists.
In the most high-profile terrorism cases, civilian courts have delivered guilty pleas, convictions and long sentences for defendants, including onetime accused "dirty bomb" plotter Jose Padilla, thwarted hijacker Zacarias Moussaoui and Al Qaeda agent Ali Saleh Kahlah Marri.
"In practice, the military and civilian systems have been converging anyway because military judges have been trying to prove they can be fair, and civilian judges and juries are trying to prove they can be tough," said Tom Malinowski, Washington advocacy director for Human Rights Watch.
Cmdr. Glenn M. Sulmasy, a national security law professor at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, suspected that the new tribunals are only a stopgap to get some trials going while work continues on creating a new court designed to try suspected members of terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda.
"The best solution would be to create a unique system. I think they will at least be considering it" while reworking the commissions process, said Sulmasy, author of "The National Security Court System: A Natural Evolution of Justice in an Age of Terror."
carol.williams@latimes.com
julian.barnes@latimes.com
Military tribunals still seen as flawed
President Obama has outlined rule changes designed to bolster defendants' rights, but the commissions to try suspected terrorists will still suffer an image problem, experts predict.
By Carol J. Williams and Julian E. Barnes
May 16, 2009
Reporting from Washington and Los Angeles -- President Obama's decision Friday to revive military tribunals to try suspected terrorists will likely fail to erase the taint of illegitimacy over the courts despite efforts at reform, civilian and military legal experts said.
Obama outlined five rule changes aimed at bolstering defendants' rights, including strict limits on the use of coerced evidence, tougher restrictions on the use of hearsay evidence and more latitude for defendants to choose their own lawyers.
Still, experts said the tribunals, also known as military commissions, are seen as so flawed that no amount of improvement will be able to dispel impressions that they are rigged to deliver convictions.
"I believe that the rules and procedures can be fixed so as to provide an actual fair proceeding. But what I don't think they can salvage is the perception that the commissions are an illegitimate and unfair process," said Air Force Maj. David Frakt, a Western State University law professor who represents two prisoners held at the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
During the presidential campaign, Obama himself criticized the commissions as an "enormous failure" and said he would prefer to try detainees in federal courts or in traditional military courts.
His turnaround has surprised some experts, given the years of discussions over how hard it would be to fix the system.
"To make the commissions truly fair and equitable, they would have to be so fundamentally reconfigured that I just don't really understand how they can go forward," said Amos N. Guiora, a national security law professor at the University of Utah.
Administration officials said they are still mulling over other reforms to the tribunal system, although White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs declined to detail them.
Gibbs defended the administration's decision to resume the tribunals, saying that "first and foremost, the president of the United States is going to do what he believes is in the best security interests of the people of the United States."
White House Counsel Greg Craig held a conference call with human rights leaders to explain the decision, but opponents said they remain concerned.
"I came away unconvinced that the case has been made for military commissions," said Elisa Massimino, executive director of Human Rights First, noting that the case-by-case evaluation Obama ordered on the 240 Guantanamo detainees has yet to be completed.
Obama has so far omitted any mention of where the resumed tribunals might take place. He has ordered the Guantanamo detention facility closed by Jan. 22, 2010, and the detainees who can be put on trial moved to U.S. locations. Those for whom there is no case must be released to their home countries or other states willing to receive them.
John B. Bellinger III, State Department legal advisor under President George W. Bush, said federal requirements for speedy trials, Miranda warnings and access to counsel probably prompted Obama to keep the military tribunals.
With the tribunals, "defendants have fewer rights, and it's easier to get convictions," Frakt said.
Despite that, the system has actually failed to produce many convictions. Persistent court challenges to the system have meant that only three cases were tried at Guantanamo Bay, while U.S. civilian courts have convicted more than 100 accused terrorists.
In the most high-profile terrorism cases, civilian courts have delivered guilty pleas, convictions and long sentences for defendants, including onetime accused "dirty bomb" plotter Jose Padilla, thwarted hijacker Zacarias Moussaoui and Al Qaeda agent Ali Saleh Kahlah Marri.
"In practice, the military and civilian systems have been converging anyway because military judges have been trying to prove they can be fair, and civilian judges and juries are trying to prove they can be tough," said Tom Malinowski, Washington advocacy director for Human Rights Watch.
Cmdr. Glenn M. Sulmasy, a national security law professor at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, suspected that the new tribunals are only a stopgap to get some trials going while work continues on creating a new court designed to try suspected members of terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda.
"The best solution would be to create a unique system. I think they will at least be considering it" while reworking the commissions process, said Sulmasy, author of "The National Security Court System: A Natural Evolution of Justice in an Age of Terror."
carol.williams@latimes.com
julian.barnes@latimes.com
Panetta fires back at Pelosi on interrogations
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-pelosi16-2009may16,0,7605785.story
Panetta fires back at Pelosi on interrogations
The CIA director says agency records show that officials truthfully briefed the House speaker in 2002. He also urges CIA employees to tune out the uproar.
By Greg Miller
May 16, 2009
Reporting from Washington -- CIA Director Leon E. Panetta on Friday fired back at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, saying agency records showed officials had briefed her truthfully about its interrogation program. He also urged the CIA workforce to ignore the political rancor consuming Capitol Hill.
Panetta's assertions came one day after Pelosi accused the agency of misleading Congress by failing to inform her during a fall 2002 briefing that the CIA had used waterboarding and other severe methods on an Al Qaeda suspect.
Panetta's written statement, which was directed to CIA employees but released publicly, marked a rare instance in which the secretive agency's leadership has chosen to publicly challenge a high-ranking lawmaker.
"Let me be clear: It is not our policy or practice to mislead Congress," said Panetta, a former member of the House of Representatives from Monterey. "That is against our laws and our values."
The statement is likely to keep Pelosi at the center of a roiling controversy over CIA interrogation methods that President Obama banned during his first week in office. As it has evolved, it now pits Pelosi against Panetta, another prominent California Democrat.
Republicans have accused Pelosi of hypocrisy for being a vocal critic of the CIA's interrogation operations even though she appears to have made little attempt to alter the program when she first learned about it more than six years ago.
CIA records indicate that Pelosi attended a briefing in September 2002 during which she was told about agency interrogation techniques that had been used. The records do not indicate with certainty that waterboarding was covered.
A month earlier, the CIA had used the simulated drowning method on Al Qaeda suspect Abu Zubaydah at least 83 times.
Pelosi has maintained that she was not told that waterboarding was being used, only that it was a method under consideration. But on Thursday she raised the stakes by accusing the CIA of deliberately concealing the truth.
"The only mention of waterboarding at that briefing was that it was not being employed," she said Thursday. She acknowledged that five months later she was informed by a senior aide that waterboarding was being used.
The Obama administration has sought to avoid being drawn into the controversy, but Panetta emerged Friday to defend the agency. Panetta did not directly say that Pelosi was wrong in her assertion, citing agency records.
"Our contemporaneous records from September 2002 indicate that CIA officers briefed truthfully on the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah, describing 'the enhanced techniques that had been employed.' "
In his statement, Panetta also asked agency employees to overlook the controversy.
"My advice -- indeed, my direction -- to you is straightforward," Panetta told employees. "Ignore the noise and stay focused on your mission. . . . Our task is to tell it like it is -- even if that's not what people always want to hear."
greg.miller@latimes.com
Panetta fires back at Pelosi on interrogations
The CIA director says agency records show that officials truthfully briefed the House speaker in 2002. He also urges CIA employees to tune out the uproar.
By Greg Miller
May 16, 2009
Reporting from Washington -- CIA Director Leon E. Panetta on Friday fired back at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, saying agency records showed officials had briefed her truthfully about its interrogation program. He also urged the CIA workforce to ignore the political rancor consuming Capitol Hill.
Panetta's assertions came one day after Pelosi accused the agency of misleading Congress by failing to inform her during a fall 2002 briefing that the CIA had used waterboarding and other severe methods on an Al Qaeda suspect.
Panetta's written statement, which was directed to CIA employees but released publicly, marked a rare instance in which the secretive agency's leadership has chosen to publicly challenge a high-ranking lawmaker.
"Let me be clear: It is not our policy or practice to mislead Congress," said Panetta, a former member of the House of Representatives from Monterey. "That is against our laws and our values."
The statement is likely to keep Pelosi at the center of a roiling controversy over CIA interrogation methods that President Obama banned during his first week in office. As it has evolved, it now pits Pelosi against Panetta, another prominent California Democrat.
Republicans have accused Pelosi of hypocrisy for being a vocal critic of the CIA's interrogation operations even though she appears to have made little attempt to alter the program when she first learned about it more than six years ago.
CIA records indicate that Pelosi attended a briefing in September 2002 during which she was told about agency interrogation techniques that had been used. The records do not indicate with certainty that waterboarding was covered.
A month earlier, the CIA had used the simulated drowning method on Al Qaeda suspect Abu Zubaydah at least 83 times.
Pelosi has maintained that she was not told that waterboarding was being used, only that it was a method under consideration. But on Thursday she raised the stakes by accusing the CIA of deliberately concealing the truth.
"The only mention of waterboarding at that briefing was that it was not being employed," she said Thursday. She acknowledged that five months later she was informed by a senior aide that waterboarding was being used.
The Obama administration has sought to avoid being drawn into the controversy, but Panetta emerged Friday to defend the agency. Panetta did not directly say that Pelosi was wrong in her assertion, citing agency records.
"Our contemporaneous records from September 2002 indicate that CIA officers briefed truthfully on the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah, describing 'the enhanced techniques that had been employed.' "
In his statement, Panetta also asked agency employees to overlook the controversy.
"My advice -- indeed, my direction -- to you is straightforward," Panetta told employees. "Ignore the noise and stay focused on your mission. . . . Our task is to tell it like it is -- even if that's not what people always want to hear."
greg.miller@latimes.com
'Farrah's Story'
http://watching-tv.ew.com/2009/05/farrahs-story-f.html'Farrah's Story': Farrah Fawcett describes 'my own private war'
May 16, 2009
by Ken Tucker
Categories: Television
The two-hour Farrah's Story was a kind of home-movie diary of Farrah Fawcett's life covering roughly the past two years of living with cancer. Much of the time, the camera was handled by her friend Alana Stewart, sometimes by Fawcett herself; some sequences -- interviews with Ryan O'Neal, as well as a few of her doctors -- looked as though they were filmed in a TV studio. It all cohered as a long, sad story that was sometimes almost unbearable, sometimes fascinating.
Anyone who has experienced or been in contact with someone diagnosed with cancer knows the outline of Farrah's "story": the doctor consultations and hospital visits, the often-painful treatments (Fawcett undergoes them in both California and Germany), the moments of happiness and despair. I was struck by how curious about the disease Fawcett has been, eager for information from her care-givers, giving good, hard stares at pictures of the spread or remission of her diagnosed anal and liver cancer. In those moments, she was most like the sturdy young woman so many people have long admired.
Because the TV special used the format of a journal from which Fawcett reads sections in voiceover, there was a lot of positive-thinking asserted, and the inevitable phrases one falls back on to try and make sense of an unimaginable death sentence: cancer as "my own private war" and "it's seriously time for a miracle."
In the middle of Farrah's Story there was a chunk of time spent inveighing against the tabloids for reporting things that aren't true and photographers who crowd her in public places to snap pictures of her in a weakened condition. Fawcett referred to The National Enquirer as being "as invasive and malignant as cancer." This anger, as it was expressed by both her and Stewart, is a little baffling: After being the subject of tabloid reporting for decades, she could have expected this, and isn't the reporting on her condition the least of her worries? Then again, however, no one can know what brings emotional pain to another person.
Her son Redmond, freed from prison for a three-hour visit in leg-chains, is a sight the heavily-sedated and in-pain Fawcett seemed to have been mostly unaware of, and that was a small mercy. It was nauseating to see Redmond, serving time for felony drug possession, give a leering smile to the camera.
Because of Fawcett's eagerness to film so much of the past two years, the cameras caught interesting moments beyond the engulfing grievousness of her condition. Two stood out for me: a German doctor, trying to take her mind off the pain Fawcett was enduring, asked her to name her "best films." Fawcett said, "Oh, Extremities or Burning Bed or Small Sacrifices." And there was also one remarkable phrase she uttered in describing herself now: "a blonde nothingness." Sad, yes, but also startlingly poetic.
ScottWorld Blog
I moved my blog to Wordpress:
http://scottworldblog.wordpress.com/
--
Scott Rose
(323) 954-1978
President, ScottWorld
Certified FileMaker & Mac Experts. Since 1992.
http://www.scottworld.com
Contributing Editor, MacLife Magazine
http://www.maclife.com
My blog about life + technology:
http://scottworldblog.wordpress.com/
http://scottworldblog.wordpress.com/
--
Scott Rose
(323) 954-1978
President, ScottWorld
Certified FileMaker & Mac Experts. Since 1992.
http://www.scottworld.com
Contributing Editor, MacLife Magazine
http://www.maclife.com
My blog about life + technology:
http://scottworldblog.wordpress.com/
Tillman Family is McChrystal-Clear
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090525/zirin2
Tillman Family is McChrystal-Clear
By Dave Zirin
When NFL player-turned-Army Ranger Pat Tillman died at the hands of US troops in a case of "friendly fire," the spin machine at the Pentagon went into overdrive. Rumsfeld and company couldn't have their most high-profile soldier dying in such an inelegant fashion, especially with the release of those pesky photos from Abu Ghraib hitting the airwaves. So an obscene lie was told to Tillman's family, his friends and the American public. The chicken-hawks in charge, whose only exposure to war was watching John Wayne movies, claimed that he died charging a hill and was cut down by the radical Islamic enemies of freedom. In the weeks preceding his death, Tillman was beginning to question what exactly he was fighting for, telling friends that he believed the war in Iraq was " [expletive] illegal." He may not have known what he was fighting for, but it's now clear what he died for: public relations. Today, after five years, six investigations and two Congressional hearings, questions still linger about how Tillman died and why it was covered up.
Now the man who greased the chain of command that orchestrated this great deception is prepared to assume total control of US operations in Afghanistan: Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal. It was McChrystal who approved Tillman's posthumous Silver Star, a medal given explicitly for combat, even though he later testified that he "suspected" friendly fire.
Yet despite this, both Democrats and Republicans are rushing to heap praise on McChrystal, including Sen. John McCain. It was McCain who rushed to speak at Tillman's funeral and then, when the cover-up became known, pledged to help the Tillman family expose the truth. McCain later turned his back on the Tillmans when they raised the volume and demanded answers. As Pat's mother, Mary Tillman, said last year, "He definitely eased out of the situation. He didn't blatantly say he wouldn't help us, it's just that it became clear that he kind of drifted away."
And now the Tillman family, amidst bipartisan praise for Obama's new general, must once again raise the inconvenient truth.
Pat's father, Pat Tillman Sr., told the Associated Press, "I do believe that guy participated in a falsified homicide investigation."
Mary Tillman, who excoriated McChrystal in her book, Boots on the Ground by Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman, said, "It is imperative that Lt. Gen. McChrystal be scrutinized carefully during the Senate hearings."
Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said in response:
We feel terrible for what the Tillman family went through, but this matter has been investigated thoroughly by the Pentagon, by the Congress, by outside experts, and all of them have come to the same conclusion: that there was no wrongdoing by Gen. McChrystal.
Morrell's statement has more spin than a washing machine powered by a V-8 engine. McChrystal has never explained why the early reports of Tillman's death were covered up, why his clothes and field journal were burned and destroyed on the scene or why Pat's brother Kevin, serving alongside him in the Rangers, was lied to on the spot. Even the cover-up was covered up. This should be a cause for dismissal--or indictment--not promotion.
What particularly rankles about Obama's choice of McChrystal, whose background is in the nefarious and shadowy world of "black ops," is that his actions in the Tillman cover-up feel emblematic instead of exceptional.
When an anonymous Army interrogator "at great personal risk" blew the whistle to Esquire in August 2006 on an extensive torture enterprise at Camp Nama, he described the then unknown McChrystal as being an overseer who knew the ugly truth. Torture at Camp Nama included using ice water to induce hypothermia. It was not a rogue operation unless we consider Generals like McChrystal "rogues." As Esquire reported:
Once, somebody brought it up with the colonel. "Will [the Red Cross] ever be allowed in here?" And he said absolutely not. He had this directly from General McChrystal and the Pentagon that there's no way that the Red Cross could get in--they won't have access and they never will. This facility was completely closed off to anybody investigating, even Army investigators.
Later in the piece, when asked where the colonel was getting his orders from the interrogator said, "I believe it was a two-star general. I believe his name was General McChrystal. I saw him there a couple of times."
Clearly President Obama is trying to "own" the war in Afghanistan: upping the troop levels, making it his "central front" in the battle against terrorism and now placing his own general in charge. But the president is also disappointing a generation of antiwar activists who voted for him expecting an end to imperial adventures and torture sanctioned by the executive branch. Now a man who should perhaps be on trial at the Hague is in charge of Afghanistan. Obama needs to know it's not just the Tillmans who are enraged by this terrible choice.
Dave Zirin is the author of “A People’s History of Sports in the United States” (The New Press) Receive his column every week by emailing dave@edgeofsports.com. Contact him at edgeofsports@gmail.com.
Tillman Family is McChrystal-Clear
By Dave Zirin
When NFL player-turned-Army Ranger Pat Tillman died at the hands of US troops in a case of "friendly fire," the spin machine at the Pentagon went into overdrive. Rumsfeld and company couldn't have their most high-profile soldier dying in such an inelegant fashion, especially with the release of those pesky photos from Abu Ghraib hitting the airwaves. So an obscene lie was told to Tillman's family, his friends and the American public. The chicken-hawks in charge, whose only exposure to war was watching John Wayne movies, claimed that he died charging a hill and was cut down by the radical Islamic enemies of freedom. In the weeks preceding his death, Tillman was beginning to question what exactly he was fighting for, telling friends that he believed the war in Iraq was " [expletive] illegal." He may not have known what he was fighting for, but it's now clear what he died for: public relations. Today, after five years, six investigations and two Congressional hearings, questions still linger about how Tillman died and why it was covered up.
Now the man who greased the chain of command that orchestrated this great deception is prepared to assume total control of US operations in Afghanistan: Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal. It was McChrystal who approved Tillman's posthumous Silver Star, a medal given explicitly for combat, even though he later testified that he "suspected" friendly fire.
Yet despite this, both Democrats and Republicans are rushing to heap praise on McChrystal, including Sen. John McCain. It was McCain who rushed to speak at Tillman's funeral and then, when the cover-up became known, pledged to help the Tillman family expose the truth. McCain later turned his back on the Tillmans when they raised the volume and demanded answers. As Pat's mother, Mary Tillman, said last year, "He definitely eased out of the situation. He didn't blatantly say he wouldn't help us, it's just that it became clear that he kind of drifted away."
And now the Tillman family, amidst bipartisan praise for Obama's new general, must once again raise the inconvenient truth.
Pat's father, Pat Tillman Sr., told the Associated Press, "I do believe that guy participated in a falsified homicide investigation."
Mary Tillman, who excoriated McChrystal in her book, Boots on the Ground by Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman, said, "It is imperative that Lt. Gen. McChrystal be scrutinized carefully during the Senate hearings."
Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said in response:
We feel terrible for what the Tillman family went through, but this matter has been investigated thoroughly by the Pentagon, by the Congress, by outside experts, and all of them have come to the same conclusion: that there was no wrongdoing by Gen. McChrystal.
Morrell's statement has more spin than a washing machine powered by a V-8 engine. McChrystal has never explained why the early reports of Tillman's death were covered up, why his clothes and field journal were burned and destroyed on the scene or why Pat's brother Kevin, serving alongside him in the Rangers, was lied to on the spot. Even the cover-up was covered up. This should be a cause for dismissal--or indictment--not promotion.
What particularly rankles about Obama's choice of McChrystal, whose background is in the nefarious and shadowy world of "black ops," is that his actions in the Tillman cover-up feel emblematic instead of exceptional.
When an anonymous Army interrogator "at great personal risk" blew the whistle to Esquire in August 2006 on an extensive torture enterprise at Camp Nama, he described the then unknown McChrystal as being an overseer who knew the ugly truth. Torture at Camp Nama included using ice water to induce hypothermia. It was not a rogue operation unless we consider Generals like McChrystal "rogues." As Esquire reported:
Once, somebody brought it up with the colonel. "Will [the Red Cross] ever be allowed in here?" And he said absolutely not. He had this directly from General McChrystal and the Pentagon that there's no way that the Red Cross could get in--they won't have access and they never will. This facility was completely closed off to anybody investigating, even Army investigators.
Later in the piece, when asked where the colonel was getting his orders from the interrogator said, "I believe it was a two-star general. I believe his name was General McChrystal. I saw him there a couple of times."
Clearly President Obama is trying to "own" the war in Afghanistan: upping the troop levels, making it his "central front" in the battle against terrorism and now placing his own general in charge. But the president is also disappointing a generation of antiwar activists who voted for him expecting an end to imperial adventures and torture sanctioned by the executive branch. Now a man who should perhaps be on trial at the Hague is in charge of Afghanistan. Obama needs to know it's not just the Tillmans who are enraged by this terrible choice.
Dave Zirin is the author of “A People’s History of Sports in the United States” (The New Press) Receive his column every week by emailing dave@edgeofsports.com. Contact him at edgeofsports@gmail.com.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Cuts in Social Security, Medicare
http://wsws.org/articles/2009/may2009/ssmd-m14.shtml
US: Cuts in Social Security, Medicare to pay for bank bailouts
By Tom Eley
14 May 2009
A government report made public Tuesday indicates that Social Security and Medicare will deplete their trust funds more quickly than previously forecast. This has sparked new demands from within the US financial elite for substantial cuts in the two entitlement programs, which pay retirement and medical benefits for tens of millions of working class Americans.
The report was issued by the programs’ trustees, a group of four Obama administration officials headed by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. Because regressive payroll taxes on workers’ earnings fund the two programs, mounting unemployment has worsened the projections. Since December 2007, 5.7 million jobs have been lost, and the official unemployment rate now approaches 9 percent.
The slump has slowed the rate of inflation to below the level required by law to trigger a cost-of-living raise for Social Security recipients. As a result, the trustees project that in 2010 and 2011, for the first time since automatic cost-of-living raises were incorporated into Social Security in the 1970s, there will be no increase in retirement benefits, and only a minuscule 1.4 percent rise in 2012.
Since the trustees base their projections of the fiscal state of both programs by estimating future economic growth, the current slump has moved forward the projected point at which each program will begin to run a deficit. Social Security currently operates at a surplus, which the report anticipates will end in 2016, when the program would finally have to begin withdrawing from its own fund—potentially cutting into the other areas where the federal government currently funnels the money. The effective freeze in retirement benefits will be combined with substantially higher monthly premiums for many Medicare recipients.
Even by its alarmist critics’ own admission, Social Security is not about to collapse under its own weight. It would deplete its funds by 2045, thirty years from now, according to the trustees’ report. For years, Social Security funds have been used to pay directly or indirectly for reactionary federal budget priorities—including tax cuts for the rich, bank bailouts, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Obama administration has shelled out hundreds of billions, no strings attached, to the biggest financial institutions, under the false rationale that this would “kick-start” lending and generate jobs. All told, between direct cash infusions, loans, and guarantees on debt, Washington has handed over around $10 trillion to Wall Street in less than a year. In comparison, Medicare would need $13 trillion and Social Security $5 trillion over the next 75 years to remain solvent, according to the report. In other words, retirement benefits and healthcare benefits for several generations of the elderly could be secured at the cost of one year’s bailout of the financial aristocracy.
But the vast payouts to Wall Street and the imperialist wars abroad require the plundering of Social Security and Medicare. After giving hundreds of billions to the banks and setting a new record for military spending, Obama has no other credible target for “fiscal discipline.” Yesterday the White House revised upwards its budget deficit estimate by 5 percent from February to $1.84 trillion.
Secretary Geithner’s dual role as Wall Street frontman and “trustee” of the retirement and health care for the working class underscores the duplicitous nature of the Obama administration. Disregarding the trillions he has handed over to the banks, Geithner claimed yesterday that “there is no more important long-term fiscal measure than gaining control of the growth of Medicare costs.”
The first target for cuts will be Medicare, followed by Social Security. Geithner explained: “After we have passed health-care reform that puts our nation on a path to lower growth in health-care costs and expanded affordable coverage, this president will work to build a bipartisan consensus to ensure the long-term solvency of Social Security.”
Geithner’s reference to “bipartisan consensus” is Washington code for the sort of reform that can bring the most far-right, pro-market forces aboard. To make sure the significance of this was not lost, Geithner reiterated that Obama “explicitly rejects the notion that Social Security is untouchable politically.” Republican lawmakers reacted favorably.
Thus, after only four months, the historical significance of the Obama administration’s “domestic agenda” has come into focus. As it took a Democratic president, Bill Clinton to undo welfare, it will be a Democrat in the White House who takes the axe to Medicare and that last vestige of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal, Social Security.
The freeze in cost of living increases for Social Security and increased user payments for Medicare are only the beginning. The Obama administration used the release of the new data to amp up its demands for what it calls a “major overhaul” of health care in the US.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, also a trustee of the two programs, called the report “a wake-up call for anyone concerned about Medicare. ... it’s another sign that we can’t wait for real, comprehensive health care reform.”
In fact, the revelations on Social Security and Medicare only served to underline that Obama’s health care “reform” will be predicated on a sharp curtailment of the provision of medical services to the working class. The entire effort will take as its starting and ending point the defense of the profit margins of the various “players” in the health care industry—the insurance corporations, the HMOs and the pharmaceuticals.
Earlier this week, Obama gained pledges from representatives of five health industry trade groups and the Service Employees International Union that they would “try” to rein in costs by 1.5 percent per year for the coming decade. There will be no penalties for non-compliance and Congress is likely to authorize generous tax incentives to pay for cooperation. Obama claims that the voluntary pledges could result in an increase in annual health care costs of 5.5 percent compared to the currently forecast 7 percent for the coming years. In other words, even in the best-case scenario, the health care burden on workers would increase only slightly less rapidly.
The industry players have been tempted to cooperate with potentially lucrative promises from the Obama administration. “Groups like the insurance industry hope that cuts to their payments would be offset by new rules that would require all Americans” to pay for private insurance plans, the Wall Street Journal reports. Other groups “want to head off regulations that could pose new burdens or curb their profits.” (“Health-Care Providers Pledge to Try to Curb Costs.”)
Frozen out of Obama’s discussion on health care reform are advocates of government-run or “single-payer” health insurance schemes, such as those that prevail—and are being rolled back—in Canada and Western Europe.
On Tuesday, police removed about thirty nurses and doctors from Senate Finance Committee hearings convened to consider financing changes to the health care system. The health care workers had launched a protest against the exclusion of single-payer advocates from the discussion.
Any new health care bill will be funded by cuts in other social programs and taxes on workers. On Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that a health reform bill would be on the House floor by July 31. According to an analysis by the Associated Press, “the final financing package is likely to include a mix of tax increases and spending cuts in federal health programs. Among the possibilities are tax increases on alcoholic beverages, tobacco products and sugary soft drinks, and restrictions on other health care-related tax breaks, such as flexible spending accounts.”
An article in Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal, “Idea on Hill: Taxing Health Benefits,” pointed to a growing consensus among lawmakers and Obama administration officials that workers’ health care benefits should be taxed to pay for any reform.
Ensuring the best health care and a secure retirement for all is not a technical, but a political question. The looming attack on Social Security and the transparent bankruptcy of Obama’s health care “reform” are dictated by powerful financial interests who believe that workers should work until they can work no longer, and that thereafter they should expect little or nothing in the way of public assistance or medical care to maintain themselves. That is considered too costly.
There is no resolution outside of a struggle against this financial aristocracy. The medical industry must be wrested from the hands of the insurers, pharmaceuticals and for-profit hospital chains and placed under the democratic control of its doctors, nurses and health care workers, who will determine how medicine’s enormous potential can be best deployed to meet human needs, ensuring long and healthy retirements.
US: Cuts in Social Security, Medicare to pay for bank bailouts
By Tom Eley
14 May 2009
A government report made public Tuesday indicates that Social Security and Medicare will deplete their trust funds more quickly than previously forecast. This has sparked new demands from within the US financial elite for substantial cuts in the two entitlement programs, which pay retirement and medical benefits for tens of millions of working class Americans.
The report was issued by the programs’ trustees, a group of four Obama administration officials headed by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. Because regressive payroll taxes on workers’ earnings fund the two programs, mounting unemployment has worsened the projections. Since December 2007, 5.7 million jobs have been lost, and the official unemployment rate now approaches 9 percent.
The slump has slowed the rate of inflation to below the level required by law to trigger a cost-of-living raise for Social Security recipients. As a result, the trustees project that in 2010 and 2011, for the first time since automatic cost-of-living raises were incorporated into Social Security in the 1970s, there will be no increase in retirement benefits, and only a minuscule 1.4 percent rise in 2012.
Since the trustees base their projections of the fiscal state of both programs by estimating future economic growth, the current slump has moved forward the projected point at which each program will begin to run a deficit. Social Security currently operates at a surplus, which the report anticipates will end in 2016, when the program would finally have to begin withdrawing from its own fund—potentially cutting into the other areas where the federal government currently funnels the money. The effective freeze in retirement benefits will be combined with substantially higher monthly premiums for many Medicare recipients.
Even by its alarmist critics’ own admission, Social Security is not about to collapse under its own weight. It would deplete its funds by 2045, thirty years from now, according to the trustees’ report. For years, Social Security funds have been used to pay directly or indirectly for reactionary federal budget priorities—including tax cuts for the rich, bank bailouts, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Obama administration has shelled out hundreds of billions, no strings attached, to the biggest financial institutions, under the false rationale that this would “kick-start” lending and generate jobs. All told, between direct cash infusions, loans, and guarantees on debt, Washington has handed over around $10 trillion to Wall Street in less than a year. In comparison, Medicare would need $13 trillion and Social Security $5 trillion over the next 75 years to remain solvent, according to the report. In other words, retirement benefits and healthcare benefits for several generations of the elderly could be secured at the cost of one year’s bailout of the financial aristocracy.
But the vast payouts to Wall Street and the imperialist wars abroad require the plundering of Social Security and Medicare. After giving hundreds of billions to the banks and setting a new record for military spending, Obama has no other credible target for “fiscal discipline.” Yesterday the White House revised upwards its budget deficit estimate by 5 percent from February to $1.84 trillion.
Secretary Geithner’s dual role as Wall Street frontman and “trustee” of the retirement and health care for the working class underscores the duplicitous nature of the Obama administration. Disregarding the trillions he has handed over to the banks, Geithner claimed yesterday that “there is no more important long-term fiscal measure than gaining control of the growth of Medicare costs.”
The first target for cuts will be Medicare, followed by Social Security. Geithner explained: “After we have passed health-care reform that puts our nation on a path to lower growth in health-care costs and expanded affordable coverage, this president will work to build a bipartisan consensus to ensure the long-term solvency of Social Security.”
Geithner’s reference to “bipartisan consensus” is Washington code for the sort of reform that can bring the most far-right, pro-market forces aboard. To make sure the significance of this was not lost, Geithner reiterated that Obama “explicitly rejects the notion that Social Security is untouchable politically.” Republican lawmakers reacted favorably.
Thus, after only four months, the historical significance of the Obama administration’s “domestic agenda” has come into focus. As it took a Democratic president, Bill Clinton to undo welfare, it will be a Democrat in the White House who takes the axe to Medicare and that last vestige of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal, Social Security.
The freeze in cost of living increases for Social Security and increased user payments for Medicare are only the beginning. The Obama administration used the release of the new data to amp up its demands for what it calls a “major overhaul” of health care in the US.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, also a trustee of the two programs, called the report “a wake-up call for anyone concerned about Medicare. ... it’s another sign that we can’t wait for real, comprehensive health care reform.”
In fact, the revelations on Social Security and Medicare only served to underline that Obama’s health care “reform” will be predicated on a sharp curtailment of the provision of medical services to the working class. The entire effort will take as its starting and ending point the defense of the profit margins of the various “players” in the health care industry—the insurance corporations, the HMOs and the pharmaceuticals.
Earlier this week, Obama gained pledges from representatives of five health industry trade groups and the Service Employees International Union that they would “try” to rein in costs by 1.5 percent per year for the coming decade. There will be no penalties for non-compliance and Congress is likely to authorize generous tax incentives to pay for cooperation. Obama claims that the voluntary pledges could result in an increase in annual health care costs of 5.5 percent compared to the currently forecast 7 percent for the coming years. In other words, even in the best-case scenario, the health care burden on workers would increase only slightly less rapidly.
The industry players have been tempted to cooperate with potentially lucrative promises from the Obama administration. “Groups like the insurance industry hope that cuts to their payments would be offset by new rules that would require all Americans” to pay for private insurance plans, the Wall Street Journal reports. Other groups “want to head off regulations that could pose new burdens or curb their profits.” (“Health-Care Providers Pledge to Try to Curb Costs.”)
Frozen out of Obama’s discussion on health care reform are advocates of government-run or “single-payer” health insurance schemes, such as those that prevail—and are being rolled back—in Canada and Western Europe.
On Tuesday, police removed about thirty nurses and doctors from Senate Finance Committee hearings convened to consider financing changes to the health care system. The health care workers had launched a protest against the exclusion of single-payer advocates from the discussion.
Any new health care bill will be funded by cuts in other social programs and taxes on workers. On Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that a health reform bill would be on the House floor by July 31. According to an analysis by the Associated Press, “the final financing package is likely to include a mix of tax increases and spending cuts in federal health programs. Among the possibilities are tax increases on alcoholic beverages, tobacco products and sugary soft drinks, and restrictions on other health care-related tax breaks, such as flexible spending accounts.”
An article in Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal, “Idea on Hill: Taxing Health Benefits,” pointed to a growing consensus among lawmakers and Obama administration officials that workers’ health care benefits should be taxed to pay for any reform.
Ensuring the best health care and a secure retirement for all is not a technical, but a political question. The looming attack on Social Security and the transparent bankruptcy of Obama’s health care “reform” are dictated by powerful financial interests who believe that workers should work until they can work no longer, and that thereafter they should expect little or nothing in the way of public assistance or medical care to maintain themselves. That is considered too costly.
There is no resolution outside of a struggle against this financial aristocracy. The medical industry must be wrested from the hands of the insurers, pharmaceuticals and for-profit hospital chains and placed under the democratic control of its doctors, nurses and health care workers, who will determine how medicine’s enormous potential can be best deployed to meet human needs, ensuring long and healthy retirements.
The Truth About Angels, Demons and Antimatter
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,520193,00.html
The Truth About Angels, Demons and Antimatter
Thursday, May 14, 2009
By Jeremy Hsu
An antimatter explosion threatens to level the Vatican in the movie adaptation of the thriller "Angels and Demons," but real-world physicists are unfazed by this plot.
The story features "Da Vinci Code" hero Robert Langdon racing to recover an antimatter capsule stolen from the CERN particle physics facility in Switzerland. Researchers first figured out how to create and trap antimatter particles at CERN, which gave author Dan Brown the inspiration for his story.
One physicist doesn't find CERN's unexpected publicity from the story upsetting. On the contrary, he's rather pleased.
"I always say that what Dan Brown did for the Roman Catholic Church in 'The Da Vinci Code,' he did for me and my research with 'Angels and Demons,'" said Gerald Gabrielse, a Harvard physicist who currently leads an international research team at CERN.
Antimatter is real, but it still represents a baffling presence in the universe – sub-atomic particles that are the opposite of normal matter. When a particle and antiparticle meet, they mutually annihilate each other and release their entire mass as energy.
This bizarre but intriguing reality has prompted plenty of science fiction writers to dream of antimatter engines powering future civilizations or starships, such as Star Trek's U.S.S. Enterprise.
"Angels and Demons" twists that dream of untapped energy into more of a nightmarish scenario, by suggesting what might happen if a relatively large amount of antimatter annihilated itself with matter all at once. A quarter of a gram of antimatter threatens to unleash the power of 5,000 tons of TNT and destroy everything within a half-mile radius – or so goes the fictional story.
The reality is that physicists can only wish they had so much of the stuff.
"If you take all the antimatter produced in the history of the world and annihilated it all at once, you wouldn't have enough energy to boil a cup of tea," Gabrielse told LiveScience.
Antimatter represents a rare entity in a universe dominated by matter, and scientists still struggle to understand why. What they do know is that creating antimatter requires tremendous effort, such as using particle accelerators at CERN to smash together particles at nearly the speed of light.
An occasional antimatter particle may arise naturally when a cosmic ray strikes Earth's upper atmosphere. But collecting man-made antimatter particles is much more practical for research.
Physicists have only slowed and trapped a small fraction of all the produced particles, in this case known as antiprotons. They use antimatter traps somewhat similar in concept to what "Angels and Demons" describes, with magnetic fields keeping the antimatter particles in a vacuum away from any matter.
"You need a container with no walls, that's the idea," Gabrielse noted. His former project, known as TRAP, successfully created and held charged antiprotons for months.
Now physicists face the more daunting challenge of capturing neutral antihydrogen atoms. The newer international effort, called ATRAP, has put together an antihydrogen trap and is working on a second.
"We are trying right now to trap neutral antihydrogen atoms which we have produced, but no one has succeeded in proving that they've been trapped yet," Gabrielse said.
Such neutral antihydrogen atoms could theoretically be clumped together, whereas charged antiprotons are repelled by each other. Whether an antimatter clump would annihilate with all the power of a small nuke without blowing itself apart remains an open question – and that still assumes physicists can create and collect anything close to a quarter of a gram of antimatter.
One part of "Angels and Demons" may have come true, although unrelated to antimatter. The fictional plot includes retinal scanners guarding a CERN lab, and the real-life CERN happened to adopt such eyeball security after the book came out, Gabrielse explained.
So the plot of "Angels and Demons" doesn't quite annihilate upon contact with reality, but the real-life mystery of antimatter may still trump fiction.
"Why the universe is made out of more matter than antimatter? We don't know the answer to that question at all," Gabrielse said.
The Truth About Angels, Demons and Antimatter
Thursday, May 14, 2009
By Jeremy Hsu
An antimatter explosion threatens to level the Vatican in the movie adaptation of the thriller "Angels and Demons," but real-world physicists are unfazed by this plot.
The story features "Da Vinci Code" hero Robert Langdon racing to recover an antimatter capsule stolen from the CERN particle physics facility in Switzerland. Researchers first figured out how to create and trap antimatter particles at CERN, which gave author Dan Brown the inspiration for his story.
One physicist doesn't find CERN's unexpected publicity from the story upsetting. On the contrary, he's rather pleased.
"I always say that what Dan Brown did for the Roman Catholic Church in 'The Da Vinci Code,' he did for me and my research with 'Angels and Demons,'" said Gerald Gabrielse, a Harvard physicist who currently leads an international research team at CERN.
Antimatter is real, but it still represents a baffling presence in the universe – sub-atomic particles that are the opposite of normal matter. When a particle and antiparticle meet, they mutually annihilate each other and release their entire mass as energy.
This bizarre but intriguing reality has prompted plenty of science fiction writers to dream of antimatter engines powering future civilizations or starships, such as Star Trek's U.S.S. Enterprise.
"Angels and Demons" twists that dream of untapped energy into more of a nightmarish scenario, by suggesting what might happen if a relatively large amount of antimatter annihilated itself with matter all at once. A quarter of a gram of antimatter threatens to unleash the power of 5,000 tons of TNT and destroy everything within a half-mile radius – or so goes the fictional story.
The reality is that physicists can only wish they had so much of the stuff.
"If you take all the antimatter produced in the history of the world and annihilated it all at once, you wouldn't have enough energy to boil a cup of tea," Gabrielse told LiveScience.
Antimatter represents a rare entity in a universe dominated by matter, and scientists still struggle to understand why. What they do know is that creating antimatter requires tremendous effort, such as using particle accelerators at CERN to smash together particles at nearly the speed of light.
An occasional antimatter particle may arise naturally when a cosmic ray strikes Earth's upper atmosphere. But collecting man-made antimatter particles is much more practical for research.
Physicists have only slowed and trapped a small fraction of all the produced particles, in this case known as antiprotons. They use antimatter traps somewhat similar in concept to what "Angels and Demons" describes, with magnetic fields keeping the antimatter particles in a vacuum away from any matter.
"You need a container with no walls, that's the idea," Gabrielse noted. His former project, known as TRAP, successfully created and held charged antiprotons for months.
Now physicists face the more daunting challenge of capturing neutral antihydrogen atoms. The newer international effort, called ATRAP, has put together an antihydrogen trap and is working on a second.
"We are trying right now to trap neutral antihydrogen atoms which we have produced, but no one has succeeded in proving that they've been trapped yet," Gabrielse said.
Such neutral antihydrogen atoms could theoretically be clumped together, whereas charged antiprotons are repelled by each other. Whether an antimatter clump would annihilate with all the power of a small nuke without blowing itself apart remains an open question – and that still assumes physicists can create and collect anything close to a quarter of a gram of antimatter.
One part of "Angels and Demons" may have come true, although unrelated to antimatter. The fictional plot includes retinal scanners guarding a CERN lab, and the real-life CERN happened to adopt such eyeball security after the book came out, Gabrielse explained.
So the plot of "Angels and Demons" doesn't quite annihilate upon contact with reality, but the real-life mystery of antimatter may still trump fiction.
"Why the universe is made out of more matter than antimatter? We don't know the answer to that question at all," Gabrielse said.
Pixar's journey to Cannes acclaim
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8048334.stm
Wednesday, 13 May 2009Pixar's journey to Cannes acclaim
By Neil Smith
Entertainment reporter, BBC News
Pixar's invitation to launch this year's Cannes Film Festival with their 3D feature Up marks the latest coup for the US computer animation powerhouse.
It is testament to how the company behind Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Wall-E and Monsters, Inc. has balanced commercial kudos with critical acclaim.
Winner of more than 20 Academy Awards, the company's own proprietary software has placed it at the vanguard of the computer-generated imagery revolution.
But according to its website, Pixar attributes its success to "memorable characters and heart-warming stories that appeal to audiences of all ages."
Pixar's driving force is John Lasseter, a former Disney employee whose formative experiments in computer animation were rejected by the so-called House of Mouse.
Having had his contract terminated, Lasseter ended up making his first short, The Adventures of Andre and Wally B, for a division of George Lucas's LucasFilm.
Technology
When that subsidiary company was bought by Apple founder Steve Jobs in 1986, Pixar was born.
Around this time, computers were often used to fashion special effects in live-action films and to create backgrounds in animated ones.
Lasseter's colleague Ed Catmull, though, challenged him to use the fledgling technology to make characters as well - traditionally the domain of hand-drawn animation.
John's animated shorts impressed Disney so much his old employer agreed to finance his debut feature, 1995's Toy Story.
The first fully computer-animated feature film, it became that year's highest-grossing movie with global box-office takings of $362 million (£238.7 million).
Disney continued to co-produce and distribute Pixar's films, with 1998's A Bug's Life becoming another sizeable hit.
Relations were strained, however, by Disney's contention that Toy Story 2 - a straight-to-video title considered strong enough to warrant a theatrical release - was not covered by their three-picture deal.
Outside the boardroom, Pixar continued to generate a string of blockbuster successes - 2001's Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo (2003)and The Incredibles a year later.
Its shorts, meanwhile, continued to nurture new talent while providing useful testing grounds for the company's latest innovations.
Differences behind the scenes, though, suggested Pixar and Disney's profit-sharing agreement was unsustainable in the long term.
Ambitious
So many were surprised when the companies decided to merge in a 2006 deal which saw Lasseter become Disney/Pixar's overall creative director.
The new arrangement led to the 52-year-old maintain his role at Pixar while taking a supervisory role over Disney's animated product.
Last year Disney/Pixar unveiled an ambitious slate of animated features that will include a third instalment in the Toy Story franchise and a sequel to its 2006 film Cars.
Pixar's other future projects include Newt, a comedy about two bickering salamanders, and The Bear and the Bow, an action adventure set in ancient Scotland.
Since 2000, Pixar have been located at a purpose-built facility in Emeryville, California, a small town close to San Francisco.
Earlier this year, it announced it was opening a second studio in Vancouver, Canada to handle its non-feature projects.
The Pixar team's presence at Cannes begins a lengthy roll-out for Up that will take Lasseter and his colleagues around the world.
Later this year he and his fellow Pixar feature directors will receive a special award at the Venice Film Festival in recognition of their body of work.
Early reactions to Up have been positive, with Variety's critic calling it "a captivating odd-couple adventure that becomes funnier and more exciting as it flies along".
Screen International's reviewer agrees, describing Pete Docter's film - out in the UK in October - as "a marvel of a movie which will enchant cinema-goers around the world".
Find Out Who Topped Maxim's 2009 "Hot 100" List!
http://omg.yahoo.com/news/find-out-who-topped-maxims-2009-hot-100-list/22462
Find Out Who Topped Maxim's 2009 "Hot 100" List!
Find Out Who Topped Maxim's 2009 "Hot 100" List!
Us Magazine
5-13-9
Maxim has unveiled its "2009 Hot 100," the lad magazine's definitive list of the worlds most beautiful women.
Topping the list: House's Olivia Wilde, whom Maxim editors say they can't stop "drooling over."
For the first time, a First Lady makes the cut: Michelle Obama debuts at No. 93. Says Maxim, "[President Obama] may be dealing with two wars, an economic meltdown, and a rapidly graying dome, but at least our Commander-in-Chief gets to come home to the hottest First Lady in the history of these United States."
5-13-9
Maxim has unveiled its "2009 Hot 100," the lad magazine's definitive list of the worlds most beautiful women.
Topping the list: House's Olivia Wilde, whom Maxim editors say they can't stop "drooling over."
For the first time, a First Lady makes the cut: Michelle Obama debuts at No. 93. Says Maxim, "[President Obama] may be dealing with two wars, an economic meltdown, and a rapidly graying dome, but at least our Commander-in-Chief gets to come home to the hottest First Lady in the history of these United States."
The top 10 most beautiful women (according to Maxim):
1. Olivia Wilde: "We may not know a McDreamy from a McNugget, but when it comes to TV doctors, there is only one who makes our body temperatures rise. We were drooling over the NYC native long before she was injected into Fox's hit medical drama (House)."
2. Megan Fox: "Seriously, do women get more painfully hot than this? Megan Fox has the face of an angel, a body so perfect that God may have carved it out of soap and sex appeal that could melt a unicorn's horn. Plus, we hear she smells like clouds."
3. Bar Refaeli: "If there's any evidence that the Middle East is a land of beauty and wonder Bar is it. The 24-year-old Israeli supermodel with the brain blowing body scorched the cover of the famed Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition."
4. Malin Akerman: "In the dark world of Watchmen, Malin was tasked with one tough mission ... Watchmen wasn't the first time we've seen Malin and it won't be the last. She's got four new flicks on her busy schedule."
5. Mila Kunis: "Mila's combination of exotic beauty and gal-next-door charm would make any sane man forget his ex in three seconds flat."
6. Eliza Dushku: "On-screen in Fox's Dollhouse, she's a lethal hottie who can negotiate a hostage release or recover stolen art for the Greek government. Off-screen she's the show's producer. Eliza, you've delivered a round house kick to our heartstrings."
7. Adriana Lima: "With apologies to Mrs. Tom Brady [Gisele], it's Adriana who epitomizes the Brazilian bombshell; her killer curves, ridiculous sexiness, and adorable accent make this supermodel the hottest native of a country stupid with smoking hot women."
8. Rihanna: "Pop's reigning princess has had a year of wild highs and lows. Rumor has it, she's in the studio recording her fourth album. We're dancing already."
9. Jordana Brewster: "This breathtaking daughter of a Brazilian swimsuit model and granddaughter of a Yale University president is the real reason the entire world went to see Fast & Furious."
10. Jennifer Love Hewitt: "Ever since she uttered her first 'Bailey!' on Party of Five, Love has been the object of many a man's obsession. She left us high and dry for a bit, but her return to the tube on Ghost Whisperer gives us our weekly fix of Love... and needy dead people."
1. Olivia Wilde: "We may not know a McDreamy from a McNugget, but when it comes to TV doctors, there is only one who makes our body temperatures rise. We were drooling over the NYC native long before she was injected into Fox's hit medical drama (House)."
2. Megan Fox: "Seriously, do women get more painfully hot than this? Megan Fox has the face of an angel, a body so perfect that God may have carved it out of soap and sex appeal that could melt a unicorn's horn. Plus, we hear she smells like clouds."
3. Bar Refaeli: "If there's any evidence that the Middle East is a land of beauty and wonder Bar is it. The 24-year-old Israeli supermodel with the brain blowing body scorched the cover of the famed Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition."
4. Malin Akerman: "In the dark world of Watchmen, Malin was tasked with one tough mission ... Watchmen wasn't the first time we've seen Malin and it won't be the last. She's got four new flicks on her busy schedule."
5. Mila Kunis: "Mila's combination of exotic beauty and gal-next-door charm would make any sane man forget his ex in three seconds flat."
6. Eliza Dushku: "On-screen in Fox's Dollhouse, she's a lethal hottie who can negotiate a hostage release or recover stolen art for the Greek government. Off-screen she's the show's producer. Eliza, you've delivered a round house kick to our heartstrings."
7. Adriana Lima: "With apologies to Mrs. Tom Brady [Gisele], it's Adriana who epitomizes the Brazilian bombshell; her killer curves, ridiculous sexiness, and adorable accent make this supermodel the hottest native of a country stupid with smoking hot women."
8. Rihanna: "Pop's reigning princess has had a year of wild highs and lows. Rumor has it, she's in the studio recording her fourth album. We're dancing already."
9. Jordana Brewster: "This breathtaking daughter of a Brazilian swimsuit model and granddaughter of a Yale University president is the real reason the entire world went to see Fast & Furious."
10. Jennifer Love Hewitt: "Ever since she uttered her first 'Bailey!' on Party of Five, Love has been the object of many a man's obsession. She left us high and dry for a bit, but her return to the tube on Ghost Whisperer gives us our weekly fix of Love... and needy dead people."
American Icon
From Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/American-Icon-Clemens-Steroids-Americas/dp/0307271803/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242132392&sr=8-1
American Icon: The Fall of Roger Clemens and the Rise of Steroids in America's Pastime (Hardcover)
by Teri Thompson (Author), Nathaniel Vinton (Author), Michael O'Keeffe (Author), Christian Red (Author)
List Price: $26.95
It was an epic downfall. In twenty-four seasons pitcher Roger Clemens put together one of the greatest careers baseball has ever seen. Seven Cy Young Awards, two World Series championships, and 354 victories made him a lock for the Hall of Fame. But on December 13, 2007, the Mitchell Report laid waste to all that. Accusations that Clemens relied on steroids and human growth hormone provided and administered by his former trainer, Brian McNamee, have put Clemens in the crosshairs of a Justice Department investigation.
Why did this happen? How did it happen? Who made the decisions that altered some lives and ruined others? How did a devastating culture of drugs, lies, sex, and cheating fester and grow throughout Major League Baseball's clubhouses? The answers are in these extraordinary pages.
American Icon: The Fall of Roger Clemens and the Rise of Steroids in America’s Pastime is about much more than the downfall of a superstar. While the fascinating portrait of Clemens is certainly at the center of the action, the book takes us outside the white lines and inside the lives and dealings of sports executives, trainers, congressmen, lawyers, drug dealers, groupies, a porn star, and even a murderer—all of whom have ties to this saga. Four superb investigative journalists have spent years uncovering the truth, and at the heart of their investigation is a behind-the-scenes portrait of the maneuvering and strategies in the legal war between Clemens and his accuser, McNamee.
This compelling story is the strongest examination yet of the rise of illegal drugs in America’s favorite sport, the gym-rat culture in Texas that has played such an important role in spreading those drugs, and the way Congress has dealt with the entire issue. Andy Pettitte, Jose Canseco, Alex Rodriguez, and Chuck Knoblauch are just a few of the other players whose moving and sometimes disturbing stories are illuminated here as well. The New York Daily News Sports Investigative Team has written the definitive book on corruption and the steroids era in Major League Baseball. In doing so, they have managed to dig beneath the disillusion and disappointment to give us a stirring look at heroes who all too often live unheroic shadow lives.
About the Author
Michael O’Keeffe, Christian Red, Teri Thompson, and Nathaniel Vinton (shown left to right) are the New York Daily News Sports Investigative Team, which has been at the forefront of the issue of performance-enhancing drugs since the team’s inception in 2000. One of the only investigative units of its kind in American sports journalism, the I-Team has won more than a dozen major awards for its work.
Hardcover: 464 pages
Publisher: Knopf (May 12, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0307271803
ISBN-13: 978-0307271808
Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
Gagamania Update: Gaga & Rihanna on "Silly Boy"
Robalini's Note: I swear I didn't know about this song before I wrote about Gaga or mentioned the Rihanna photos with hoop nipple rings. Though record executives representing both now claim "Silly Boy" isn't them, this song seems just too good to be a fake. The voice purported to be Rihanna's has her same icy robotic charm, and lyrically and sonically this sounds like another Gaga-penned gem. So if it is a fake, whoever is behind it should be signed to a record contract.
My guess is they're trying to keep this song under wraps until Rihanna's album is release later this year. A Rihanna-Gaga team-up on a "You're a jerk" song is perfect timing. Right up there with "You're So Vain" and "You Oughtta Now", it's a great song that will likely be even more appreciated by any woman who has pissed off at a guy for being an asshole - which means this song has a target audience of 3 billion by my estimates. (Some of them by me...)
http://blogs.nypost.com/popwrap/archives/2009/05/rihannas_gaga_song_chris_brown.html
Rihanna Slams Chris Brown in New Song!!
Another day, another Rihanna and Chris Brown update. This time, with audio accompaniment!
Rihanna and the unstoppable Lady GaGa -- I'm convinced there are five of her running around -- are teaming up on Chris Brown. And guess who's getting the word out ... Kanye West.
Kanye posted a new collaboration track by RiRi and GaGa (hehe, funny) called "Silly Boy" on his blog last night and boy are the lyrics awfully revealing. I'm not sure if this song is a direct jab at the accused gal beater Chris Brown or just a downright coincidence ... wait, I'm pretty sure it's a jab.
A key verse on the track is "'cause you had a good girl, good girl, girl /That's a keeper /You had a good girl, good girl /but didn't know how to treat her." Yep, sounds like she is talking to Mr. Brown. "Game's over, you lose," she says. Look who finally found her pair of smarty pants and got a clue.
My favorite part of this little nugget of info isn't the actual song, but the fact that Kanye posted it, and for free to download. It looks like he wants us all to have a hot summer track -- not only to dance to but as a reminded that we should dislike Chris "Black&Blue" Brown.
To hear the song:
http://www.kanyeuniversecity.com/blog/?em3106=231629_-1__0_~0_-1_5_2008_0_0&em3161=&em3281
"Silly Boy"
Rihanna - Lady Gaga
You're callin' me more than ever now that we're done
Two keys back to my place, we were having no fun
But you're not ok, tellin' me you miss my face
I remember when you would say you hate my waist
I said I'm not coming back, it's it
You fooled me once but you can't have that ego turning
Just too bad for you, that when you had me
Didn't know what to do, She's over you
Cause you had a good girl, good girl, girl
That's a keeper, k-k-k-k-keeper
You had a good girl, good girl but
Didn't know how to treat her, t-t-t-t-treat her (treat her)
So silly boy get out my face (my face)
Why do you like the way regrets taste?
So silly boy get out my hair my hair (get outta here)
No, I don't want you no more (get outta here)
Silly boy (silly boy)
Why you acting silly boy?
Silly boy boy (boy boy)
Acting acting silly boy?
You comin with those corny lines, can't live without me
I'll get some flowers for the day that you are buried
No, people make mistakes, but I just think your ass is fake
Only thing I want from you, is for you to (stay away)
I said I'm not coming back, it's it
You fooled me once but you can't have that ego turning
Just too bad for you, that when you had me
Didn't know what to do, she's over you
Cause you had a good girl, good girl, girl
That's a keeper, k-k-k-k-keeper
You had a good girl, good girl but
Didn't know how to treat her, t-t-t-t-treat her (treat her)
So silly boy get out my face (my face)
Why do you like the way regrets taste?
So silly boy get out my hair my hair (get outta here)
No I don't want you no more (get outta here)
No more, no more, no more (nooo ooohhh)
(Oooh)
Silly boy (silly boy)
Why you acting silly boy?
Silly boy boy (boyboy)
Acting acting silly boy?
Silly boy (silly boy)
Why you acting silly boy?
Silly boy boy (boy boy)
Acting acting silly boy?
(Yeahhh)
So silly boy get out my face (my face)
Why do you like the way regrets taste?
So silly boy get out my hair my hair (Get outta here)
No I don't want you no more (get outta here)
Silly boy (silly boy)
Why you acting silly boy?
Silly boy boy (boy boy)
Acting acting silly boy?
My guess is they're trying to keep this song under wraps until Rihanna's album is release later this year. A Rihanna-Gaga team-up on a "You're a jerk" song is perfect timing. Right up there with "You're So Vain" and "You Oughtta Now", it's a great song that will likely be even more appreciated by any woman who has pissed off at a guy for being an asshole - which means this song has a target audience of 3 billion by my estimates. (Some of them by me...)
http://blogs.nypost.com/popwrap/archives/2009/05/rihannas_gaga_song_chris_brown.html
Rihanna Slams Chris Brown in New Song!!
Another day, another Rihanna and Chris Brown update. This time, with audio accompaniment!
Rihanna and the unstoppable Lady GaGa -- I'm convinced there are five of her running around -- are teaming up on Chris Brown. And guess who's getting the word out ... Kanye West.
Kanye posted a new collaboration track by RiRi and GaGa (hehe, funny) called "Silly Boy" on his blog last night and boy are the lyrics awfully revealing. I'm not sure if this song is a direct jab at the accused gal beater Chris Brown or just a downright coincidence ... wait, I'm pretty sure it's a jab.
A key verse on the track is "'cause you had a good girl, good girl, girl /That's a keeper /You had a good girl, good girl /but didn't know how to treat her." Yep, sounds like she is talking to Mr. Brown. "Game's over, you lose," she says. Look who finally found her pair of smarty pants and got a clue.
My favorite part of this little nugget of info isn't the actual song, but the fact that Kanye posted it, and for free to download. It looks like he wants us all to have a hot summer track -- not only to dance to but as a reminded that we should dislike Chris "Black&Blue" Brown.
To hear the song:
http://www.kanyeuniversecity.com/blog/?em3106=231629_-1__0_~0_-1_5_2008_0_0&em3161=&em3281
"Silly Boy"
Rihanna - Lady Gaga
You're callin' me more than ever now that we're done
Two keys back to my place, we were having no fun
But you're not ok, tellin' me you miss my face
I remember when you would say you hate my waist
I said I'm not coming back, it's it
You fooled me once but you can't have that ego turning
Just too bad for you, that when you had me
Didn't know what to do, She's over you
Cause you had a good girl, good girl, girl
That's a keeper, k-k-k-k-keeper
You had a good girl, good girl but
Didn't know how to treat her, t-t-t-t-treat her (treat her)
So silly boy get out my face (my face)
Why do you like the way regrets taste?
So silly boy get out my hair my hair (get outta here)
No, I don't want you no more (get outta here)
Silly boy (silly boy)
Why you acting silly boy?
Silly boy boy (boy boy)
Acting acting silly boy?
You comin with those corny lines, can't live without me
I'll get some flowers for the day that you are buried
No, people make mistakes, but I just think your ass is fake
Only thing I want from you, is for you to (stay away)
I said I'm not coming back, it's it
You fooled me once but you can't have that ego turning
Just too bad for you, that when you had me
Didn't know what to do, she's over you
Cause you had a good girl, good girl, girl
That's a keeper, k-k-k-k-keeper
You had a good girl, good girl but
Didn't know how to treat her, t-t-t-t-treat her (treat her)
So silly boy get out my face (my face)
Why do you like the way regrets taste?
So silly boy get out my hair my hair (get outta here)
No I don't want you no more (get outta here)
No more, no more, no more (nooo ooohhh)
(Oooh)
Silly boy (silly boy)
Why you acting silly boy?
Silly boy boy (boyboy)
Acting acting silly boy?
Silly boy (silly boy)
Why you acting silly boy?
Silly boy boy (boy boy)
Acting acting silly boy?
(Yeahhh)
So silly boy get out my face (my face)
Why do you like the way regrets taste?
So silly boy get out my hair my hair (Get outta here)
No I don't want you no more (get outta here)
Silly boy (silly boy)
Why you acting silly boy?
Silly boy boy (boy boy)
Acting acting silly boy?
The "Bailout Bubble"
The "Bailout Bubble" -- The Bubble to End All Bubbles
KINGSTON, NY, 13 May 2009 -- The biggest financial bubble in history is being inflated in plain sight, said Gerald Celente, Director of The Trends Research Institute. "This is the Mother of All Bubbles, and when it explodes," Celente warns, "it will signal the end to the boom/bust cycle that has characterized economic activity throughout the developed world."
Either unwilling or unable to call the bubble by its proper name, the media, Washington and Wall Street describe the stupendous government expenditures on rescue packages, stimulus plans, buyouts and takeovers as emergency measures needed to salvage the severely damaged economy.
"All of this terminology is econo-jargon," said Celente. "It's like calling torture 'enhanced interrogation techniques.' Washington is inflating the biggest bubble ever: the 'Bailout Bubble.' "This is much bigger than the Dot-com and Real Estate bubbles which hit speculators, investors and financiers the hardest. However destructive the effects of these busts on employment, savings and productivity, the Free Market Capitalist framework was left intact. But when the 'Bailout Bubble' explodes, the system goes with it."
The economic framework of the United States has been restructured. Federal interventionist policies have given the government equity stakes, executive powers and management control of what was once private enterprise. To finance these buyouts, rescue and stimulus packages -- instead of letting failed businesses fail and bankrupt banks and bandit brokerages go bankrupt -- trillions of dollars are being injected into the stricken economy.
Phantom dollars, printed out of thin air, backed by nothing ... and producing next to nothing ... defines the "Bailout Bubble." Just as with the other bubbles, so too will this one burst. But unlike Dot-com and Real Estate, when the "Bailout Bubble" pops, neither the President nor the Federal Reserve will have the fiscal fixes or monetary policies available to inflate another.
With no more massive economic bubbles left to blow up, they'll set their sights on bigger targets. "Given the pattern of governments to parlay egregious failures into mega-failures, the classic trend they follow, when all else fails, is to take their nation to war," observed Celente.
Since the "Bailout Bubble" is neither called nor recognized as a bubble, its sudden and spectacular explosion will create chaos. A panicked public will readily accept any Washington/Wall Street/Main Stream Media alibi that shifts the blame for the catastrophe away from the policy makers and onto some scapegoat.
"At this time we are not forecasting a war. However, the trends in play are ominous," Celente concluded. "While we cannot pinpoint precisely when the 'Bailout Bubble' will burst, we are certain it will. When it does, it should be understood that a major war could follow."
To schedule an interview with Trends Research Institute Director, Gerald Celente, please contact:
Laura Martin
The Trends Research Institute
lmartin@trendsresearch.com
www.trendsresearch.com
845.331.3500 Ext. 1
© MMIX The Trends Research Institute®
The Trends Research Institute P.O. Box 3476 Kingston, NY 12401
KINGSTON, NY, 13 May 2009 -- The biggest financial bubble in history is being inflated in plain sight, said Gerald Celente, Director of The Trends Research Institute. "This is the Mother of All Bubbles, and when it explodes," Celente warns, "it will signal the end to the boom/bust cycle that has characterized economic activity throughout the developed world."
Either unwilling or unable to call the bubble by its proper name, the media, Washington and Wall Street describe the stupendous government expenditures on rescue packages, stimulus plans, buyouts and takeovers as emergency measures needed to salvage the severely damaged economy.
"All of this terminology is econo-jargon," said Celente. "It's like calling torture 'enhanced interrogation techniques.' Washington is inflating the biggest bubble ever: the 'Bailout Bubble.' "This is much bigger than the Dot-com and Real Estate bubbles which hit speculators, investors and financiers the hardest. However destructive the effects of these busts on employment, savings and productivity, the Free Market Capitalist framework was left intact. But when the 'Bailout Bubble' explodes, the system goes with it."
The economic framework of the United States has been restructured. Federal interventionist policies have given the government equity stakes, executive powers and management control of what was once private enterprise. To finance these buyouts, rescue and stimulus packages -- instead of letting failed businesses fail and bankrupt banks and bandit brokerages go bankrupt -- trillions of dollars are being injected into the stricken economy.
Phantom dollars, printed out of thin air, backed by nothing ... and producing next to nothing ... defines the "Bailout Bubble." Just as with the other bubbles, so too will this one burst. But unlike Dot-com and Real Estate, when the "Bailout Bubble" pops, neither the President nor the Federal Reserve will have the fiscal fixes or monetary policies available to inflate another.
With no more massive economic bubbles left to blow up, they'll set their sights on bigger targets. "Given the pattern of governments to parlay egregious failures into mega-failures, the classic trend they follow, when all else fails, is to take their nation to war," observed Celente.
Since the "Bailout Bubble" is neither called nor recognized as a bubble, its sudden and spectacular explosion will create chaos. A panicked public will readily accept any Washington/Wall Street/Main Stream Media alibi that shifts the blame for the catastrophe away from the policy makers and onto some scapegoat.
"At this time we are not forecasting a war. However, the trends in play are ominous," Celente concluded. "While we cannot pinpoint precisely when the 'Bailout Bubble' will burst, we are certain it will. When it does, it should be understood that a major war could follow."
To schedule an interview with Trends Research Institute Director, Gerald Celente, please contact:
Laura Martin
The Trends Research Institute
lmartin@trendsresearch.com
www.trendsresearch.com
845.331.3500 Ext. 1
© MMIX The Trends Research Institute®
The Trends Research Institute P.O. Box 3476 Kingston, NY 12401
From 8-Mile to the Amazon — Palast Investigates
From 8-Mile to the Amazon — Palast Investigates — The Story Without The Censors
Last week, you may have caught the story on "60 Minutes" about Chevron crapping all over the Amazon in Ecuador, poisoning the Indians who live there.
The Palast team is thrilled that a big commercial US Network is picking up our reports from BBC Television and Democracy Now! But if you watched the CBS report, you haven't seen the WHOLE story.
If you want the real thing, the original reports — uncut, uncensored — pick up our new film, Palast Investigates: From 8-Mile to the Amazon — On the Trail of the Financial Marauders.
Donate $40 or more to the Palast Investigative Fund (tax deductible) and I'll send you, with gratitude, a signed copy of the DVD.
The Chicago Tribune says, "these stories bite." Here's what we've sunk our teeth into for this DVD — our 3 latest, biggest stories, for BBC Newsnight:
Investigation #1 — The Vultures
For BBC TV we hunt for the man known as 'Goldfinger' — a vulture "investor" who, through pay-offs and political trickery, was able to pocket foreign aid meant to pay for AIDS medication. Nice guy.
The story takes us from a boutique in Switzerland, where Zambia's President used his booty to buy hundreds of shirts, suits and 72 pairs of "elevator" shoes with extra high heels; then on to Jack Abramoff's former lobbying firm, then right into the Oval Office.
"60 Minutes" asked if they can repeat that story as well. Great! But why wait, when you can get the full Monty right now?
Investigation #2 — Rumble in the Jungle
Here's the Chevron Oil story, no holds barred. CBS re-filmed almost every frame of our original BBC report — but what they left out is the confidential document from inside the oil company ordering field workers to destroy evidence of oil dumping. And they left out the crucial connection of Condi Rice to Chevron. We leave out nothing.
Investigation #3 — Steal back your Vote
Yes, they did monkey with the vote in 2008.
In this report we expose how it was done. If every ballot had been counted, Obama would have had an additional 6 million votes in his column.
It didn't make a difference this time but it sure will when future elections are close.
The report also features my Rolling Stone magazine co-writer, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
"60 Minutes" wanted to repeat that story too. Some day. We've already done it for BBC and Democracy Now! and it's all on this DVD.
For a donation of at least $20 you can download the uncensored hour-long film right now.
Palast Investigates features music by Willie Nelson and Foo Fighters Chris Shiflett.
Donate for the signed DVD and get the bonus material not available on the download version. There's an astonishing interview with the President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, the "new Chavez" of Latin America. Plus, my tour of our cheap-rent office, a real journalism boiler room, on New York's Lower East Side.
The Chicago Tribune also said, "Palast's stories are so relevant, they threaten to alter history."
Thanks to your support, we already are "altering history." Just last week, citing our report for BBC Newsnight, Britain's Parliament is about to pass a law to clip the wings of financial vultures like Goldfinger. Congressman John Conyers is preparing to do the same in the USA.
But we cannot alter history without your help. We've got to replace that microphone I dropped in the Amazon river. (To get to their village, the Cofan Indians provided me a dug-out log with a hand-carved paddle. No kidding. Well, I had to get the story, but the microphone dove over the side while I was trying to get my balance and hold onto the $%@^ paddle.)
That's why we turn to your donations to the non-profit, non-partisan foundation, the Palast Investigative Fund.
If you truly believe our work is worthwhile, consider making a donation of $1,000 or more to the foundation and I will be proud to add you to our circle of Producers credited on the film in the next edition of Palast Investigates.
This is ...
Greg Palast, reporting.
GregPalast.com
Last week, you may have caught the story on "60 Minutes" about Chevron crapping all over the Amazon in Ecuador, poisoning the Indians who live there.
The Palast team is thrilled that a big commercial US Network is picking up our reports from BBC Television and Democracy Now! But if you watched the CBS report, you haven't seen the WHOLE story.
If you want the real thing, the original reports — uncut, uncensored — pick up our new film, Palast Investigates: From 8-Mile to the Amazon — On the Trail of the Financial Marauders.
Donate $40 or more to the Palast Investigative Fund (tax deductible) and I'll send you, with gratitude, a signed copy of the DVD.
The Chicago Tribune says, "these stories bite." Here's what we've sunk our teeth into for this DVD — our 3 latest, biggest stories, for BBC Newsnight:
Investigation #1 — The Vultures
For BBC TV we hunt for the man known as 'Goldfinger' — a vulture "investor" who, through pay-offs and political trickery, was able to pocket foreign aid meant to pay for AIDS medication. Nice guy.
The story takes us from a boutique in Switzerland, where Zambia's President used his booty to buy hundreds of shirts, suits and 72 pairs of "elevator" shoes with extra high heels; then on to Jack Abramoff's former lobbying firm, then right into the Oval Office.
"60 Minutes" asked if they can repeat that story as well. Great! But why wait, when you can get the full Monty right now?
Investigation #2 — Rumble in the Jungle
Here's the Chevron Oil story, no holds barred. CBS re-filmed almost every frame of our original BBC report — but what they left out is the confidential document from inside the oil company ordering field workers to destroy evidence of oil dumping. And they left out the crucial connection of Condi Rice to Chevron. We leave out nothing.
Investigation #3 — Steal back your Vote
Yes, they did monkey with the vote in 2008.
In this report we expose how it was done. If every ballot had been counted, Obama would have had an additional 6 million votes in his column.
It didn't make a difference this time but it sure will when future elections are close.
The report also features my Rolling Stone magazine co-writer, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
"60 Minutes" wanted to repeat that story too. Some day. We've already done it for BBC and Democracy Now! and it's all on this DVD.
For a donation of at least $20 you can download the uncensored hour-long film right now.
Palast Investigates features music by Willie Nelson and Foo Fighters Chris Shiflett.
Donate for the signed DVD and get the bonus material not available on the download version. There's an astonishing interview with the President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, the "new Chavez" of Latin America. Plus, my tour of our cheap-rent office, a real journalism boiler room, on New York's Lower East Side.
The Chicago Tribune also said, "Palast's stories are so relevant, they threaten to alter history."
Thanks to your support, we already are "altering history." Just last week, citing our report for BBC Newsnight, Britain's Parliament is about to pass a law to clip the wings of financial vultures like Goldfinger. Congressman John Conyers is preparing to do the same in the USA.
But we cannot alter history without your help. We've got to replace that microphone I dropped in the Amazon river. (To get to their village, the Cofan Indians provided me a dug-out log with a hand-carved paddle. No kidding. Well, I had to get the story, but the microphone dove over the side while I was trying to get my balance and hold onto the $%@^ paddle.)
That's why we turn to your donations to the non-profit, non-partisan foundation, the Palast Investigative Fund.
If you truly believe our work is worthwhile, consider making a donation of $1,000 or more to the foundation and I will be proud to add you to our circle of Producers credited on the film in the next edition of Palast Investigates.
This is ...
Greg Palast, reporting.
GregPalast.com
The Hobbit: Out of Africa
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1892606,00.htmlThe Hobbit: Out of Africa
By Jennifer Pinkowski
Tuesday, Apr. 21, 2009
A very small human ancestor made a very big splash back in 2004, when researchers discovered the remains of Homo floresiensis, a 3-ft., prehuman "hobbit," in a cave on the Indonesian island of Flores. The origin of the species and the route it took to Flores have been much discussed since then. Earlier this month, researchers presented work at the annual meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, in Chicago, suggesting that H. floresiensis may have left Africa a full million years earlier than any other hominids were thought to have ventured out from the home continent.
The new theory comes from recent analyses of the interior of the skull of Flo — as some call the 18,000-year-old fossil remains. A young female, Flo exhibits features that bear an uncanny resemblance to skulls from the hominid genus Australopithecus, which lived in Africa from roughly 4 million to 1.5 million years ago. The best-known australopithecene fossils are the 3.2 million–year-old A. afarensis Lucy, discovered in Ethiopia, and the 3 million–year-old A. africanus Taung Child, unearthed in South Africa. (See pictures of South Africa, fifteen years on.)
The problem is, the only early hominids found outside Africa are Homo erectus, the earliest of which date to 1.9 million years ago — about a million years after Lucy, Taung and their ilk. If Flo so closely resembles Lucy and Taung, her ancestors may have emigrated from Africa back when those famous kin were still around.
Florida State University skull-morphology specialist Dean Falk and an international team of researchers compared Flo's skull not only to skulls of other prehuman species, but also to those of modern humans, some with normal development and others with microcephaly, an abnormal smallness of the head. That last comparison was critical, since some researchers have suggested that H. floresiensis represents not a separate species but is instead a modern human stricken with microcephaly or similar illnesses. But the "sick hobbit" hypothesis has been unable to gain much traction.
Falk and the others identified seven specific features of Flo's brain that seem to be more-evolved versions of key characteristics of the much older A. africanus brain. "Over the entire cerebral cortex, there are advanced features that make it look like a very fancy brain," says Falk. "H. floresiensis was clearly there a long time, because it developed its own features."
Overall, Flo's brain shows the global neural reorganization that's a mark of advancing intelligence. What's striking about this relative sophistication is that it developed in such a small brain case. A prime indicator of increasing human intelligence has long been thought to be increasing brain size. However, Falk says, the hobbit's skull is a bit of a mishmash of characteristics in terms of who it resembles. "Its brain sorts with africanus, yet its outside skull features look like Homo erectus," she says.
But William Jungers, one of the primary hobbit researchers, says the similarities to erectus seem to end at the neck. Analysis of various anatomical features suggests that the new species has an overall body plan that looks more ancient than that. "It's not identical to Australopithecus," Jungers says, "but it resembles it in limb proportions, the shape of the bony pelvis, the hands." Adds paleoanthropologist Donald Johansen, who discovered the Australopithecus Lucy: "It is a possibility they got out of Africa earlier than we ever thought. If they were isolated on an island and didn't have gene flow from other populations, it would make sense that they retained ancient features like small stature and small heads."
Upcoming excavations of Flores spearheaded by Mike Morwood, the lead researcher of the Australian-Indonesian team that first unearthed the bones, may help answer the essential question, as Falk puts it, "When did the first [hobbit ancestors] get to the island, and what did they look like?"
Aide told Pelosi waterboarding had been used
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/12/pelosi.waterboarding/
Source: Aide told Pelosi waterboarding had been used
Story Highlights
Source says Nancy Pelosi was told by intelligence officer of waterboarding
The source also said because she wasn't personally briefed, Pelosi didn't object
She did support letter voicing concern about waterboarding, source says
Pelosi has been previously adamant she didn't know waterboarding was used
Tue May 12, 2009
From Deirdre Walsh
CNN Congressional Producer
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A source close to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi now confirms that Pelosi was told in February 2003 by her intelligence aide, Michael Sheehy, that waterboarding was actually used on CIA detainee Abu Zubaydah.
Source says Nancy Pelosi didn't object about waterboard usage because she wasn't personally briefed about it.
This appears to contradict Pelosi's account that she was never told waterboarding actually happened, only that the administration was considering using it.
Sheehy attended a briefing in which waterboarding was discussed in February 2003, with Rep. Jane Harman, D-California, who took over Pelosi's spot as the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.
This source says Pelosi didn't object when she learned that waterboarding was being used because she had not been personally briefed about it -- only her aide had been told.
The source said Pelosi supported a letter that Harman sent to the administration at the time raising concerns. The source asked not to be identified because of the sensitive nature of matters discussed in classified intelligence briefings.
Pelosi admits attending one briefing in September 2002, but at a news conference last month, she was adamant that she did not know waterboarding was used.
"At that or any other briefing, and that was the only briefing that I was briefed on in that regard, we were not -- I repeat, we were not -- told that waterboarding or any of these other enhanced interrogation methods were used, " Pelosi said on April 23.
Some Republicans have called for Pelosi to testify at congressional hearings.
The number two House Democrat -- Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland -- said Tuesday, "I think the facts need to get out" regarding what members of Congress had been told about harsh interrogations.
But when asked whether Pelosi testifying would be appropriate, Hoyer did not directly answer the question, saying, "The issue is what was done. If you don't have the facts pounded on the table, they (Republicans) are pounding on the table, or they are pounding on Speaker Pelosi. Take your pick. But they are doing so as a distraction, as a distraction from what was done in this case."
Source: Aide told Pelosi waterboarding had been used
Story Highlights
Source says Nancy Pelosi was told by intelligence officer of waterboarding
The source also said because she wasn't personally briefed, Pelosi didn't object
She did support letter voicing concern about waterboarding, source says
Pelosi has been previously adamant she didn't know waterboarding was used
Tue May 12, 2009
From Deirdre Walsh
CNN Congressional Producer
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A source close to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi now confirms that Pelosi was told in February 2003 by her intelligence aide, Michael Sheehy, that waterboarding was actually used on CIA detainee Abu Zubaydah.
Source says Nancy Pelosi didn't object about waterboard usage because she wasn't personally briefed about it.
This appears to contradict Pelosi's account that she was never told waterboarding actually happened, only that the administration was considering using it.
Sheehy attended a briefing in which waterboarding was discussed in February 2003, with Rep. Jane Harman, D-California, who took over Pelosi's spot as the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.
This source says Pelosi didn't object when she learned that waterboarding was being used because she had not been personally briefed about it -- only her aide had been told.
The source said Pelosi supported a letter that Harman sent to the administration at the time raising concerns. The source asked not to be identified because of the sensitive nature of matters discussed in classified intelligence briefings.
Pelosi admits attending one briefing in September 2002, but at a news conference last month, she was adamant that she did not know waterboarding was used.
"At that or any other briefing, and that was the only briefing that I was briefed on in that regard, we were not -- I repeat, we were not -- told that waterboarding or any of these other enhanced interrogation methods were used, " Pelosi said on April 23.
Some Republicans have called for Pelosi to testify at congressional hearings.
The number two House Democrat -- Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland -- said Tuesday, "I think the facts need to get out" regarding what members of Congress had been told about harsh interrogations.
But when asked whether Pelosi testifying would be appropriate, Hoyer did not directly answer the question, saying, "The issue is what was done. If you don't have the facts pounded on the table, they (Republicans) are pounding on the table, or they are pounding on Speaker Pelosi. Take your pick. But they are doing so as a distraction, as a distraction from what was done in this case."
Ventura: "Coleman's always been a hypocrite"
http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2009/05/jesse_ventura_c.phpJesse Ventura: "Coleman's always been a hypocrite"
By Emily Kaiser
Tuesday, May. 12 2009
Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura appeared on CNN's Larry King Live to talk about President Obama, the GOP, and the Minnesota U.S. Senate race.
No surprise: Ventura didn't hold back on anything, calling Coleman a hypocrite, George W. Bush the worst president of his lifetime and then offering to waterboard Dick Cheney. He even made a pitch to be appointed ambassador to Cuba.
King asked Ventura if he was ashamed of his state's recount process, but Ventura was quick to point the blame at Coleman for continuing to drag out the election. Ventura beat Coleman in his race for governor in 1998.
"He never does what he says. He said on Election Night when he won that Franken should drop out and he should be the senator. Well, the same should hold true after the recount."
King also discusses interrogation techniques with Ventura. The former guv says he has been waterboarded as part of his military training and called it torture.
"It's drowning. It gives you the complete sensation that you are drowning... I'll put it to you this way: You give me a waterboard, Dick Cheney and one hour, and I'll have him confess to the Sharon Tate murders."
Jesus as the Sun throughout History
Surprise, surprise!I've been secretly working on a new project - interrupting others - to bring you the best data on the subject of "Jesus as the Sun throughout History." Here's a brand-new, hot-off-the-presses article for your enjoyment:
http://stellarhousepublishing.com/jesussunexcerpt.html
As I say in this lengthy, fully-illustrated article, there has been much confusion as to when Jesus Christ was first identified with the sun. Suffice it to say that the equation has been from the beginning of the Christian era and has continued throughout history. Hence, the title of my newest ebook "Jesus as the Sun throughout History."
The article is indeed an excerpt from a brand-new ebook! I will be turning this ebook into a paperback, hopefully by the end of the year - with your help! Here's the link to the ebook:
http://stellarhousepublishing.com/jesusasthesun.html
I am asking for donations for the ebook, so please do get yourself a copy, because it will be so helpful to me to continue my work.
In the past, many fine folks have helped me so that I could bring you the great info found in previous books - thanks for getting me through some rough spots! I can ALWAYS use the help, especially at this time of the year.
Please go to the link, get yourself this hot new ebook, and give me a hand - even the minimum of $5 will be very helpful!
http://stellarhousepublishing.com/jesusasthesun.html
Enjoy the article!
Acharya S/D.M. Murdock
Author, "The Christ Conspiracy," "Suns of God," "Who Was Jesus?" and "Christ in Egypt"
http://TruthBeKnown.com
http://StellarHousePublishing.com
http://TBKNews.blogspot.com
http://FreethoughtNation.com/
P.S. If you would like to hear from me more often, please join my regular mailing list!
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FeedBack: Gaga & John Walker Lindh
Herbert Barry Woodrose on "Gaga 4 Gaga":
This was like reading the in-between-murder parts of American Psycho. But at least I can say I know a lot more about Lady Gaga. Considering I'd never heard of her before this, and have now seen 5 of her videos and a backstage romp video.
What's intriguing about her for me is how odd she looks. She's thick bodied, which almost never happens. She has really strange features. And all at the same time she exudes NYC art-show. This isn't really for me, but I'm curious now whether this is going to pan out as you say.
A really long time ago I was doing extra work on The Bold and the Beautiful, and there was a special guest star one of the days I was on. This short, lightweight no-talent was in the middle of a push, of which Bold and Beautiful was one piece, to fabricate a presence on the charts. I was just sooo sure this lightweight was a nothing, a loser; it was really irritating that the female stars of the show were really starry eyed around him, and walking around absent-mindedly - but full-throatedly - singing his song while getting coffee, or peeing.
I mean, this guy had nothing. NOTHING! No charm, no special talent, no great voice, no charisma. I wasn't even sure he was fully awake. I'm still not, frankly.
I remember coming home and saying "Puh-lease. Even the name is retarded. What the hell is so exciting about an Usher?"
Herbert Barry Woodrose on Free John Walker Lindh:
I remember this guy back when the bullshit around occupying Afghanistan got started. At the time I was one of those firm believers that "if it was true certainly we'd see at least a hint of it on CNN." I was scandalized, like much of my countrymen, at this American who had switched over to the modern version of the Nazis and had actually fired weapons on "our boys".
I feel like such an asshole right now reading this.
This was like reading the in-between-murder parts of American Psycho. But at least I can say I know a lot more about Lady Gaga. Considering I'd never heard of her before this, and have now seen 5 of her videos and a backstage romp video.
What's intriguing about her for me is how odd she looks. She's thick bodied, which almost never happens. She has really strange features. And all at the same time she exudes NYC art-show. This isn't really for me, but I'm curious now whether this is going to pan out as you say.
A really long time ago I was doing extra work on The Bold and the Beautiful, and there was a special guest star one of the days I was on. This short, lightweight no-talent was in the middle of a push, of which Bold and Beautiful was one piece, to fabricate a presence on the charts. I was just sooo sure this lightweight was a nothing, a loser; it was really irritating that the female stars of the show were really starry eyed around him, and walking around absent-mindedly - but full-throatedly - singing his song while getting coffee, or peeing.
I mean, this guy had nothing. NOTHING! No charm, no special talent, no great voice, no charisma. I wasn't even sure he was fully awake. I'm still not, frankly.
I remember coming home and saying "Puh-lease. Even the name is retarded. What the hell is so exciting about an Usher?"
Herbert Barry Woodrose on Free John Walker Lindh:
I remember this guy back when the bullshit around occupying Afghanistan got started. At the time I was one of those firm believers that "if it was true certainly we'd see at least a hint of it on CNN." I was scandalized, like much of my countrymen, at this American who had switched over to the modern version of the Nazis and had actually fired weapons on "our boys".
I feel like such an asshole right now reading this.
Obama will seek to delay photos release
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30725189/
Obama will seek to delay photos release
Pictures reportedly depict the abuse of prisoners by U.S. military in Iraq
5-13-9
WASHINGTON - In a reversal, the White House says President Barack Obama is fighting the release of photos showing abuse of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan because he believes their release poses a national security threat.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters Wednesday that the argument had not been made before in the courts. He also said that the president believes the release could discourage the investigation of any abuses.
Obama's decision to challenge the court-ordered release came after the top military commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan told the president they feared the release of the photos could endanger their troops.
Defense and military officials tell NBC News that President Obama will seek to delay the release of hundreds of photos that reportedly depict the abuse of prisoners by U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs is expected to announce Obama's decision.
The Pentagon has said it will release the pictures this month.
Obama decided he "did not feel comfortable" with the release and last week instructed his legal team to fight it in court, said an official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the president's decision had not yet been made public.
Obama has instructed administration lawyers to make the case that "the national security implications of such a release have not been fully presented to the court," the official said.
"The president strongly believes that the release of these photos, particularly at this time, would only serve the purpose of inflaming the theaters of war, jeopardizing U.S. forces, and making our job more difficult in places like Iraq and Afghanistan," the official said.
The official said that Obama believes the actions depicted in the photos should not be excused and fully supports the investigations, prison sentences, discharges and other punitive measures that have resulted from them. But, the official said, the president does not believe that publicizing the actions in such a graphic way would be helpful.
Military agreement
Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq met with Obama at the White House Tuesday to ask the administration not to release the photos. Defense officials say Odierno is "vehemently opposed" to the release because he fears it could create a widespread "backlash" against military forces in both war zones.
According to one official, "It would put a bull's-eye on the backs of our forces."
Gen. David Petraeus, senior commander for both wars, had also weighed in, as had Gen. David McKiernan, the top general in Afghanistan. Gates fired McKiernan on Monday for unrelated reasons.
Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said military "commanders are concerned about the impact the release of these photos would have for the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq," and Defense Secretary Robert Gates shares their concerns.
In Afghanistan, release of the pictures this month would coincide with the spring thaw, which usually heralds the year's toughest fighting. Morrell also noted the release as scheduled would come as thousands of new U.S. troops flow into Afghanistan's volatile south.
According to military officials many of the photos are similar to the infamous prisoner abuse photos out of Abu Ghraib prison, but some of these photos reportedly include mug shots of prisoners who appear to have been badly beaten during their capture or interrogation.
Freedom of information
The photos were gathered in the course of dozens of military investigations of prisoner abuse between 2001 and 2006. Pentagon officials say 400 individual servicemembers have faced disciplinary action, either criminal convictions or non-judicial punishment as a result of the investigations.
The American Civil Liberties Union has sought the release of the photos and won a lawsuit against the U.S. government before the federal appeals court in New York. The only legal option left to the government was to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court. Instead the Obama administration had earlier made the decision to end the appeals and release the photos.
Through an arrangement with the court, the Pentagon was preparing to release, by May 28, two batches of photos, one of 21 images and another 23. The government also had told the judge it was "processing for release a substantial number of other images."
The ACLU criticized the decision.
"The decision to suppress the photos is profoundly inconsistent with the promise of transparency that President Obama has made time after time," ACLU lawyer Jameel Jaffer said.
NBC's John Yang and Jim Miklaszewski contributed to this story.
Obama will seek to delay photos release
Pictures reportedly depict the abuse of prisoners by U.S. military in Iraq
5-13-9
WASHINGTON - In a reversal, the White House says President Barack Obama is fighting the release of photos showing abuse of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan because he believes their release poses a national security threat.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters Wednesday that the argument had not been made before in the courts. He also said that the president believes the release could discourage the investigation of any abuses.
Obama's decision to challenge the court-ordered release came after the top military commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan told the president they feared the release of the photos could endanger their troops.
Defense and military officials tell NBC News that President Obama will seek to delay the release of hundreds of photos that reportedly depict the abuse of prisoners by U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs is expected to announce Obama's decision.
The Pentagon has said it will release the pictures this month.
Obama decided he "did not feel comfortable" with the release and last week instructed his legal team to fight it in court, said an official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the president's decision had not yet been made public.
Obama has instructed administration lawyers to make the case that "the national security implications of such a release have not been fully presented to the court," the official said.
"The president strongly believes that the release of these photos, particularly at this time, would only serve the purpose of inflaming the theaters of war, jeopardizing U.S. forces, and making our job more difficult in places like Iraq and Afghanistan," the official said.
The official said that Obama believes the actions depicted in the photos should not be excused and fully supports the investigations, prison sentences, discharges and other punitive measures that have resulted from them. But, the official said, the president does not believe that publicizing the actions in such a graphic way would be helpful.
Military agreement
Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq met with Obama at the White House Tuesday to ask the administration not to release the photos. Defense officials say Odierno is "vehemently opposed" to the release because he fears it could create a widespread "backlash" against military forces in both war zones.
According to one official, "It would put a bull's-eye on the backs of our forces."
Gen. David Petraeus, senior commander for both wars, had also weighed in, as had Gen. David McKiernan, the top general in Afghanistan. Gates fired McKiernan on Monday for unrelated reasons.
Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said military "commanders are concerned about the impact the release of these photos would have for the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq," and Defense Secretary Robert Gates shares their concerns.
In Afghanistan, release of the pictures this month would coincide with the spring thaw, which usually heralds the year's toughest fighting. Morrell also noted the release as scheduled would come as thousands of new U.S. troops flow into Afghanistan's volatile south.
According to military officials many of the photos are similar to the infamous prisoner abuse photos out of Abu Ghraib prison, but some of these photos reportedly include mug shots of prisoners who appear to have been badly beaten during their capture or interrogation.
Freedom of information
The photos were gathered in the course of dozens of military investigations of prisoner abuse between 2001 and 2006. Pentagon officials say 400 individual servicemembers have faced disciplinary action, either criminal convictions or non-judicial punishment as a result of the investigations.
The American Civil Liberties Union has sought the release of the photos and won a lawsuit against the U.S. government before the federal appeals court in New York. The only legal option left to the government was to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court. Instead the Obama administration had earlier made the decision to end the appeals and release the photos.
Through an arrangement with the court, the Pentagon was preparing to release, by May 28, two batches of photos, one of 21 images and another 23. The government also had told the judge it was "processing for release a substantial number of other images."
The ACLU criticized the decision.
"The decision to suppress the photos is profoundly inconsistent with the promise of transparency that President Obama has made time after time," ACLU lawyer Jameel Jaffer said.
NBC's John Yang and Jim Miklaszewski contributed to this story.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Home Runs and Hypocrisy
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090525/zirin
Home Runs and Hypocrisy: The Shaming of Manny Ramirez
By Dave Zirin
You would think that Manny Ramirez was caught fighting pit bulls alongside Martha Stewart.
ESPN's Bill Simmons says that he is "confronting my worst nightmare." Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports believes that it is time to talk about "lifetime bans." Boston Globe writer Tony Massarotti says, "everyone is guilty until proven innocent."
The sports radio and comment boards have been cesspools of racism. It's always easy to hate, especially someone who plays a game for a living and makes millions of dollars.
All I know is this: thanks to Major League Baseball's hypocritical, idiotic and altogether morally bankrupt steroid policy, the sport will be without one of its premier attractions for fifty games, someone I would pay to watch at batting practice. Yes, Manny Ramirez, the finest right-handed hitter of his generation, has been sent to the showers and forced to surrender $7.7 million in salary after testing positive for what was initially called a "performance-enhancing substance."
The decision ends a stretch where the former World Series MVP was reviving baseball in Los Angeles, leading the Dodgers to a 21-8 start and a record thirteen straight wins at home to open the season. Los Angeles, a town built on artifice and home to hordes of performance-enhanced entertainers, not to mention led by a performance-enhanced governor, now demands purity of its athletes. This is not a column that aims to "defend" Manny Ramirez, but condemn Major League Baseball's steroid idiocy. Besides, the quizzically quirky Ramirez is not at this point defending himself. Ramirez will not appeal the suspension and apologized, issuing a brief statement, which read in part: "I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was okay to give me." But MLB, in a typically classy move, has leaked to the press that Ramirez tested positive for the female fertility drug HCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin. Steroid specialists have fanned out across the airwaves explaining that HCG is used to increase testosterone levels, usually after a heavy steroid cycle.
Former AL MVP, author of Juiced, and admitted steroid user Jose Canseco, who pleaded guilty last November to a misdemeanor of trying to bring HCG across the Mexican border illegally, also weighed in: "It could be that a player used it because he used steroids and went cold-turkey and needed HCG to get his [testoterone] levels back to normal."
The use of a "female fertility drug" also has sports radio hosts in a pubescent tizzy asking if "Manny is a mommy" and ESPN's Jayson Stark making an "octo-mom" joke.
From the juvenile to the pious, President Obama's press flack Robert Gibbs took time out from explaining why torturers are above the law to tell us, "It's a tragedy, it's a shame." There is a tragedy and a shame afoot, but it is not rooted in the choices of one player. It's in a baseball culture that continues to think embarrassing individual players and feeding on the resentment of fans is the best path to cleaning up the sport. Manny has now joined Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and many others as permanently stained with a scarlet S. No Hall of Fame, no old timers' games and a life as a cautionary tale.
Meanwhile we all get taken to the cleaners. We have billionaire owners making scapegoats of millionaire players to soothe our anxieties about the game and our lives. Meanwhile these same owners sit like pashas in a baseball palace that could be called the House That Steroids Built.
The man who wrote Juiced knows when a cycle has run its course. Canseco said that he believes the coverage on steroids in baseball has become "overkill" and the spotlight should now be on MLB and the players association. He called it "a complete conspiracy." He's absolutely correct. Baseball owners love conspiracies. For more than twenty years they have conspired to attain public funds for ballparks. In 2008, they collectively conspired not to sign the best hitter in the game, Barry Bonds. Now they are committed to the project of keeping the focus on the players, and off of themselves. We shouldn't let them. If Manny Ramirez is guilty of anything, it's being caught in between baseball's clubhouse culture and public sanctimony.
During the baseball's Summer of Love in 1998, when Mark McGwire hit 70 home runs and Sammy Sosa smacked 66, the money came pouring in. No one cared that McGwire and Sosa looked like a pair of defensive tackles. Soon publicly funded stadiums were included in budgets for Washington, DC, New York City and Minnesota. The home run became the most marketable baseball item since peanuts and crackerjacks and no one wanted to look behind the curtain. It was sports. It was entertainment. It was an escape. Then came 2001, when Barry Bonds hit 73, and all of a sudden we were supposed to be collectively sick at the thought of a home run. As baseball writer Adrian Burgos (Playing America's Game: Baseball, Latinos, and the Color Line) said, "What continues to fascinate me is how MLB leadership is willing to allow individual players to take the full brunt of the collective failure of leadership. Today, pundits have ranted in at times rabid tones about the players who make millions for their role while those who make the hundred of millions (and even have billion- dollar stadiums constructed for them on the public dole) continue to profit. How many stadiums have been built since then and at what cost? All the wealth that has been accumulated at that level is in my mind just as, if not more, offensive, since the owners act as if they were not enablers and co-dependents as their players shot up, ingested and otherwise partook in performance-enhancing drugs."
We should always remember that former Texas Rangers owner George W. Bush made steroid persecution a recurring theme of his time in office, as long as owners were spared the spotlight. The hypocrisy should shame owners toward contrition--but they will happily crack some golden eggs, as long as it means that the goose that laid them lives. Even though come contract time, it's all about the numbers on your stat page, and not the number of clean tests. As baseball fan and poet Martin Espada told me, "Baseball is the Main Street of sports. (Think Cooperstown.) It's full of history and nostalgia, and paved with the bricks of hypocrisy. Now it's the rhetoric of the 'Drug War,' handed down from the Nixon White House forty years ago to MLB and ESPN today."
He is absolutely correct. We are supposed to tsk-tsk at players who are supposed to "just say no" to their addictions to fitness and monster stats, when their success at the park is our addiction as well. We also have yet to truly take owners to task for their addictions to public money and send them to detox.
Dave Zirin is the author of “A People’s History of Sports in the United States” (The New Press) Receive his column every week by emailing dave@edgeofsports.com. Contact him at edgeofsports@gmail.com.
Home Runs and Hypocrisy: The Shaming of Manny Ramirez
By Dave Zirin
You would think that Manny Ramirez was caught fighting pit bulls alongside Martha Stewart.
ESPN's Bill Simmons says that he is "confronting my worst nightmare." Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports believes that it is time to talk about "lifetime bans." Boston Globe writer Tony Massarotti says, "everyone is guilty until proven innocent."
The sports radio and comment boards have been cesspools of racism. It's always easy to hate, especially someone who plays a game for a living and makes millions of dollars.
All I know is this: thanks to Major League Baseball's hypocritical, idiotic and altogether morally bankrupt steroid policy, the sport will be without one of its premier attractions for fifty games, someone I would pay to watch at batting practice. Yes, Manny Ramirez, the finest right-handed hitter of his generation, has been sent to the showers and forced to surrender $7.7 million in salary after testing positive for what was initially called a "performance-enhancing substance."
The decision ends a stretch where the former World Series MVP was reviving baseball in Los Angeles, leading the Dodgers to a 21-8 start and a record thirteen straight wins at home to open the season. Los Angeles, a town built on artifice and home to hordes of performance-enhanced entertainers, not to mention led by a performance-enhanced governor, now demands purity of its athletes. This is not a column that aims to "defend" Manny Ramirez, but condemn Major League Baseball's steroid idiocy. Besides, the quizzically quirky Ramirez is not at this point defending himself. Ramirez will not appeal the suspension and apologized, issuing a brief statement, which read in part: "I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was okay to give me." But MLB, in a typically classy move, has leaked to the press that Ramirez tested positive for the female fertility drug HCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin. Steroid specialists have fanned out across the airwaves explaining that HCG is used to increase testosterone levels, usually after a heavy steroid cycle.
Former AL MVP, author of Juiced, and admitted steroid user Jose Canseco, who pleaded guilty last November to a misdemeanor of trying to bring HCG across the Mexican border illegally, also weighed in: "It could be that a player used it because he used steroids and went cold-turkey and needed HCG to get his [testoterone] levels back to normal."
The use of a "female fertility drug" also has sports radio hosts in a pubescent tizzy asking if "Manny is a mommy" and ESPN's Jayson Stark making an "octo-mom" joke.
From the juvenile to the pious, President Obama's press flack Robert Gibbs took time out from explaining why torturers are above the law to tell us, "It's a tragedy, it's a shame." There is a tragedy and a shame afoot, but it is not rooted in the choices of one player. It's in a baseball culture that continues to think embarrassing individual players and feeding on the resentment of fans is the best path to cleaning up the sport. Manny has now joined Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and many others as permanently stained with a scarlet S. No Hall of Fame, no old timers' games and a life as a cautionary tale.
Meanwhile we all get taken to the cleaners. We have billionaire owners making scapegoats of millionaire players to soothe our anxieties about the game and our lives. Meanwhile these same owners sit like pashas in a baseball palace that could be called the House That Steroids Built.
The man who wrote Juiced knows when a cycle has run its course. Canseco said that he believes the coverage on steroids in baseball has become "overkill" and the spotlight should now be on MLB and the players association. He called it "a complete conspiracy." He's absolutely correct. Baseball owners love conspiracies. For more than twenty years they have conspired to attain public funds for ballparks. In 2008, they collectively conspired not to sign the best hitter in the game, Barry Bonds. Now they are committed to the project of keeping the focus on the players, and off of themselves. We shouldn't let them. If Manny Ramirez is guilty of anything, it's being caught in between baseball's clubhouse culture and public sanctimony.
During the baseball's Summer of Love in 1998, when Mark McGwire hit 70 home runs and Sammy Sosa smacked 66, the money came pouring in. No one cared that McGwire and Sosa looked like a pair of defensive tackles. Soon publicly funded stadiums were included in budgets for Washington, DC, New York City and Minnesota. The home run became the most marketable baseball item since peanuts and crackerjacks and no one wanted to look behind the curtain. It was sports. It was entertainment. It was an escape. Then came 2001, when Barry Bonds hit 73, and all of a sudden we were supposed to be collectively sick at the thought of a home run. As baseball writer Adrian Burgos (Playing America's Game: Baseball, Latinos, and the Color Line) said, "What continues to fascinate me is how MLB leadership is willing to allow individual players to take the full brunt of the collective failure of leadership. Today, pundits have ranted in at times rabid tones about the players who make millions for their role while those who make the hundred of millions (and even have billion- dollar stadiums constructed for them on the public dole) continue to profit. How many stadiums have been built since then and at what cost? All the wealth that has been accumulated at that level is in my mind just as, if not more, offensive, since the owners act as if they were not enablers and co-dependents as their players shot up, ingested and otherwise partook in performance-enhancing drugs."
We should always remember that former Texas Rangers owner George W. Bush made steroid persecution a recurring theme of his time in office, as long as owners were spared the spotlight. The hypocrisy should shame owners toward contrition--but they will happily crack some golden eggs, as long as it means that the goose that laid them lives. Even though come contract time, it's all about the numbers on your stat page, and not the number of clean tests. As baseball fan and poet Martin Espada told me, "Baseball is the Main Street of sports. (Think Cooperstown.) It's full of history and nostalgia, and paved with the bricks of hypocrisy. Now it's the rhetoric of the 'Drug War,' handed down from the Nixon White House forty years ago to MLB and ESPN today."
He is absolutely correct. We are supposed to tsk-tsk at players who are supposed to "just say no" to their addictions to fitness and monster stats, when their success at the park is our addiction as well. We also have yet to truly take owners to task for their addictions to public money and send them to detox.
Dave Zirin is the author of “A People’s History of Sports in the United States” (The New Press) Receive his column every week by emailing dave@edgeofsports.com. Contact him at edgeofsports@gmail.com.
Ramirez blindsided everyone but Jose Canseco
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-spw-streeter-manny8-2009may08,0,5943246.story
KURT STREETER
Manny Ramirez blindsided everyone but Jose Canseco
Canseco voiced his doubts about Ramirez being drug-free. The admitted drug cheat and eternal conspiracy theorist was right -- again. Maybe next time we'll listen more closely.
May 7, 2009
On a day when we've been blindsided, a day we've found yet another hero has feet of clay, the great sage Jose Canseco strikes again.
Last month I sat in an auditorium at USC and listened to Canseco dish his doubts about baseball, drug use and Manny Ramirez.
There's something fishy about Ramirez, Canseco concluded. Why, he wondered, had it taken so long this off-season to sign one of baseball's premier power hitters? And why was the contract Ramirez signed so short: two years, with an option to leave after one.
In Canseco's mind -- the mind of an admitted drug cheat, the mind of a skeptical conspiracy theorist who happens to have been proven right time and again -- the powers that be in baseball either knew Ramirez was using, or they strongly suspected it. Otherwise, this off-season, someone would have quickly signed a supreme force like No. 99 to a bigger contract, no matter the economy, no matter the "Mannywood" flakiness.
It was a conclusion that came from his gut. Canseco lacked hard proof, but he stated Ramirez "is most likely, 90%" on the list of 104 players that failed a drug test in 2003; a test that was supposed to be anonymous but that snared Alex Rodriguez when his name was leaked.
Right now, with so little information from baseball, the Dodgers, or their left-fielder, we don't know if Ramirez was on that particular list. Could well be. Nobody can argue otherwise. Maybe a positive result in 2003 made baseball's drug testers zero-in on Ramirez. Maybe he was on the list and when he came up dirty more recently, Bud Selig and his crew, long guilty of skirting around the issue of drugs, figured even they'd had enough: The mega-star in baseball's second biggest market must walk the plank.
No matter the exact truth, we have to give Canseco credit. He stuck his head out and was willing to go where so many fear. Not that I needed more proof, but after today, every time Canseco says anything about drugs, I'm listening with serious intent.
He was certainly a lot more candid than Ramirez. Last month, when I went to Ramirez with Canseco's allegation, he sat in front of his locker and gave me a deer-in-the-headlights gaze, a sly laugh, and a calm evasion. "I got no comment," he said. "Nothing to say about that. What can I say? I don't even know the guy."
I wanted to believe. Just as I want to believe all of our great performers. We all do.
But we can't be ignorant anymore. Derek Jeter? Lance Armstrong? Rafael Nadal? Tom Brady? Kobe? All of the hockey players we're seeing in the NHL playoffs, a league that doesn't test for drugs except during the regular season? They might all be clean. Then again, they might not. A year ago, baseball sages were heralding Alex Rodriguez as the last great, unsullied power-hitter of his generation. What a scam. I'm sorry, but nobody is beyond reproach anymore.
It's pretty simple, and pretty sad. If we want to see things straight we need to be like Canseco: willing, like a skeptical conspiracy theorist, to put hard pieces of the puzzle together. Willing to come up with answers we don't want to hear. Willing to hold at least a small level of doubt about everyone.
Either that or we get blindsided, again and again, just like we've been blindsided today.
kurt.streeter@latimes.com
KURT STREETER
Manny Ramirez blindsided everyone but Jose Canseco
Canseco voiced his doubts about Ramirez being drug-free. The admitted drug cheat and eternal conspiracy theorist was right -- again. Maybe next time we'll listen more closely.
May 7, 2009
On a day when we've been blindsided, a day we've found yet another hero has feet of clay, the great sage Jose Canseco strikes again.
Last month I sat in an auditorium at USC and listened to Canseco dish his doubts about baseball, drug use and Manny Ramirez.
There's something fishy about Ramirez, Canseco concluded. Why, he wondered, had it taken so long this off-season to sign one of baseball's premier power hitters? And why was the contract Ramirez signed so short: two years, with an option to leave after one.
In Canseco's mind -- the mind of an admitted drug cheat, the mind of a skeptical conspiracy theorist who happens to have been proven right time and again -- the powers that be in baseball either knew Ramirez was using, or they strongly suspected it. Otherwise, this off-season, someone would have quickly signed a supreme force like No. 99 to a bigger contract, no matter the economy, no matter the "Mannywood" flakiness.
It was a conclusion that came from his gut. Canseco lacked hard proof, but he stated Ramirez "is most likely, 90%" on the list of 104 players that failed a drug test in 2003; a test that was supposed to be anonymous but that snared Alex Rodriguez when his name was leaked.
Right now, with so little information from baseball, the Dodgers, or their left-fielder, we don't know if Ramirez was on that particular list. Could well be. Nobody can argue otherwise. Maybe a positive result in 2003 made baseball's drug testers zero-in on Ramirez. Maybe he was on the list and when he came up dirty more recently, Bud Selig and his crew, long guilty of skirting around the issue of drugs, figured even they'd had enough: The mega-star in baseball's second biggest market must walk the plank.
No matter the exact truth, we have to give Canseco credit. He stuck his head out and was willing to go where so many fear. Not that I needed more proof, but after today, every time Canseco says anything about drugs, I'm listening with serious intent.
He was certainly a lot more candid than Ramirez. Last month, when I went to Ramirez with Canseco's allegation, he sat in front of his locker and gave me a deer-in-the-headlights gaze, a sly laugh, and a calm evasion. "I got no comment," he said. "Nothing to say about that. What can I say? I don't even know the guy."
I wanted to believe. Just as I want to believe all of our great performers. We all do.
But we can't be ignorant anymore. Derek Jeter? Lance Armstrong? Rafael Nadal? Tom Brady? Kobe? All of the hockey players we're seeing in the NHL playoffs, a league that doesn't test for drugs except during the regular season? They might all be clean. Then again, they might not. A year ago, baseball sages were heralding Alex Rodriguez as the last great, unsullied power-hitter of his generation. What a scam. I'm sorry, but nobody is beyond reproach anymore.
It's pretty simple, and pretty sad. If we want to see things straight we need to be like Canseco: willing, like a skeptical conspiracy theorist, to put hard pieces of the puzzle together. Willing to come up with answers we don't want to hear. Willing to hold at least a small level of doubt about everyone.
Either that or we get blindsided, again and again, just like we've been blindsided today.
kurt.streeter@latimes.com
Is Jose Canseco Ever Wrong?
http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/04/06/jose-canseco-says-90-chance-manny-ramirez-is-on-steroids-list/
Jose Canseco Says '90 Percent Chance' Manny Ramirez Is on 'The List'
Posted Apr 06, 2009
By Will Brinson
Filed Under: Dodgers, MLB Media Watch, MLB Rumors
Jose Canseco is well past the "naming names" stage of his steroid accusations. However, as ridiculous and irresponsible as Canseco seems with his chatter about this player and that player, he has, for the most part, been correct.
And the latest player that's the target of Canseco's pseudo-slanderous steroid chatter is Manny Ramirez, which is a most shocking revelation (although no more shocking than when Canseco accused Alex Rodriguez).
Canseco spoke to at the Brovard Auditorium on the USC campus recently and the Los Angeles Times' Kurt Streeter caught up with him afterwards, specifically interested about why Canseco stated that Ramirez's "name is most likely, 90 percent" on the list of players who used steroids.
Canseco asked questions as to the status of Ramirez receiving a long-term contract and why owners were so hesitant to sign him as "evidence" as to why Ramirez used steroids, but admitted he had "no way of knowing" whether Ramirez was guilty of using PEDs.
And that, in my mind, makes this allegation seem pretty silly: Ramirez didn't get a long-term deal because there was no chance of receiving the money he wanted over the course of a long-term contract. Additionally, he's 36, so it's not like every team out there should have been scrambling to lock him up in a 12-year uber-deal anyway. Oh, and perhaps Canseco missed it, but the economy collapsed while Ramirez was trying to get paid.
Manny, by the way, laughed off Canseco's allegations when Streeter followed up on the discussion, stating that, ""I got no comment, nothing to say about that. What can I say? I don't even know the guy."
In other words: Yes, Canseco has been right before, and plenty of times. Yes, he broke open the steroid scandal. But in this case, it just seems like he's in the same desperate corner of his, swinging wildly with names in the hopes that another name in a sea full of guilty players manages to stick on the wall and he can score a tiny extension on his 15 minutes in the spotlight.
Jose Canseco Says '90 Percent Chance' Manny Ramirez Is on 'The List'
Posted Apr 06, 2009
By Will Brinson
Filed Under: Dodgers, MLB Media Watch, MLB Rumors
Jose Canseco is well past the "naming names" stage of his steroid accusations. However, as ridiculous and irresponsible as Canseco seems with his chatter about this player and that player, he has, for the most part, been correct.
And the latest player that's the target of Canseco's pseudo-slanderous steroid chatter is Manny Ramirez, which is a most shocking revelation (although no more shocking than when Canseco accused Alex Rodriguez).
Canseco spoke to at the Brovard Auditorium on the USC campus recently and the Los Angeles Times' Kurt Streeter caught up with him afterwards, specifically interested about why Canseco stated that Ramirez's "name is most likely, 90 percent" on the list of players who used steroids.
Canseco asked questions as to the status of Ramirez receiving a long-term contract and why owners were so hesitant to sign him as "evidence" as to why Ramirez used steroids, but admitted he had "no way of knowing" whether Ramirez was guilty of using PEDs.
And that, in my mind, makes this allegation seem pretty silly: Ramirez didn't get a long-term deal because there was no chance of receiving the money he wanted over the course of a long-term contract. Additionally, he's 36, so it's not like every team out there should have been scrambling to lock him up in a 12-year uber-deal anyway. Oh, and perhaps Canseco missed it, but the economy collapsed while Ramirez was trying to get paid.
Manny, by the way, laughed off Canseco's allegations when Streeter followed up on the discussion, stating that, ""I got no comment, nothing to say about that. What can I say? I don't even know the guy."
In other words: Yes, Canseco has been right before, and plenty of times. Yes, he broke open the steroid scandal. But in this case, it just seems like he's in the same desperate corner of his, swinging wildly with names in the hopes that another name in a sea full of guilty players manages to stick on the wall and he can score a tiny extension on his 15 minutes in the spotlight.
Ramirez suspended 50 games for drug violation
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AozPbdpnRxDcG.ttoQ3gr6URvLYF?slug=ap-dodgers-ramirez-drugs
Ramirez suspended 50 games for drug violation
By BETH HARRIS and RONALD BLUM, AP Sports Writers
5-7-9
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Manny Ramirez joined a growing lineup of All-Stars linked to drugs Thursday, with the dreadlocked slugger banished for 50 games by a sport that cannot shake free from scandal.
The Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder was suspended by Major League Baseball for a drug violation, adding a further stamp to what will forever be known as the Steroids Era.
“It’s a dark day for baseball and certainly for this organization,” Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti told reporters on the field at Dodger Stadium. “This organization will never condone anything that isn’t clean.”
Ramirez said he did not take steroids and was given medication by a doctor that contained a banned substance. A person familiar with the details of the suspension said Ramirez used the female fertility drug HCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the banned substance wasn’t announced.
“As tough as it is for us, it’s pretty tough for Manny, too,” Dodgers manager Joe Torre said. “I know he’s the one that did the wrong thing and nobody is trying to cover that up, but it’s still something that I know he’s sorry about.”
HCG is popular among steroid users because it can mitigate the side effects of ending a cycle of the drugs. The body may stop producing testosterone when users go off steroids, which can cause sperm counts to decrease and testicles to shrink.
Ramirez’s suspension was based not on a spring training urine test result but rather evidence obtained afterward, a second person familiar with the suspension said, speaking on condition of anonymity because those details were not released. MLB had concluded the spring test was positive, but the person said the players’ association would have challenged the result because of “testing issues.”
Ranked 17th on the career home run list with 533, Ramirez became the most prominent baseball player to be penalized for drugs. His ban came three months after Alex Rodriguez admitted using steroids, and at a time when Barry Bonds is under federal indictment and Roger Clemens is being investigated by a federal grand jury to determine whether he lied when he told Congress he never used steroids or human growth hormone. And Miguel Tejada was sentenced in March to one year of probation after pleading guilty in federal court to misleading Congress about the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
No matter which way baseball turns, the legitimacy of many of its recent home run and pitching records is being questioned. Sluggers Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa have been tainted by steroid allegations, Rafael Palmeiro tested positive for a banned drug and Jose Canseco said he used them.
In every case, players once believed to be locks for the Hall of Fame may now be locked out.
“You can’t have arguably the greatest pitcher of our era, arguably the two greatest players of our era and now another very, very good player be under this cloud of suspicion and not feel like it has ruined it for everybody,” Atlanta star Chipper Jones said.
“But what are you going to do? You can’t be born in a different era. It is the Steroid Era,” he said.
Colletti and Torre said they found out about Ramirez’s suspension during an early morning phone call from team owner Frank McCourt. Both said they were surprised and saddened at the news.
Torre spoke to the rest of the team during a closed-door meeting before batting practice.
“The mood was sad in the clubhouse,” he said. “You can’t have someone who’s as much of an impact player and personality as Manny missing without it affecting people.”
The 36-year-old Ramirez tried to make amends right away, telling the Dodgers and fans he was sorry for “this whole situation.”
“Recently, I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was OK to give me,” Ramirez said in a statement issued by the players’ union.
“Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now. I do want to say one other thing; I’ve taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons.”
Baseball added HCG to its list of banned substances last year.
His suspension was first reported by the Los Angeles Times on its Web site.
While Ramirez had little to say, Canseco was quick to explain why someone might use HCG.
“It could be that a player used it because he used steroids and went cold-turkey and needed HCG to get his levels back to normal. I had to use it when I quit steroids cold-turkey,” Canseco, who pleaded guilty last November to a misdemeanor of trying to bring HCG across the Mexican border into the United States illegally, told the AP. “I had to go to a doctor to get it and get my levels back.”
Because MLB imposed the suspension as required by the drug agreement, the Dodgers cannot further discipline Ramirez. He is allowed to work out with the Dodgers but must be out of uniform when the stadium gates open for games.
Ramirez was not mentioned in the Mitchell Report, MLB’s official report on drug use, and there had not been whispers that he was among the sport’s juiced players.
“It’s kind of shocking that he got caught up in anything, honestly. Manny likes to play stupid, but he’s a pretty bright guy. And he’s definitely aware of a lot of things that he tries to act like he’s completely oblivious to,” said Cincinnati pitcher Bronson Arroyo, Ramirez’s former Boston teammate.
Ramirez’s agent, Scott Boras, and the players’ association had gathered materials for a possible appeal to an arbitrator, but Ramirez decided not to file one because he didn’t want to risk missing significant time in the second half of the season, the person familiar with details of the suspension said. The union said merely that he waived his right to contest the suspension.
Reaction to Ramirez’s ban came swiftly, from major league clubhouses to the White House.
“It’s a tragedy. It’s a shame. My sense is, it’s a great embarrassment on Major League Baseball,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said.
The penalty left the best team in the majors without its driving force and free spirit for nearly one-third of the season.
Ramirez’s suspension began Thursday, a day after the Dodgers broke the modern major league record for a home winning streak, opening the season 13-0. Barring any postponements, he will be able to return to the Dodgers for the July 3 game at San Diego. Ramirez will lose $7,650,273 of his $25 million salary.
Rodriguez and Ramirez are the two highest-paid players in the majors. With this suspension, six of the top 17 home run hitters in history now have been covered by the cloud of performance-enhancing drugs.
Baseball commissioner Bud Selig couldn’t comment on the suspension because of provisions of the management-union drug agreement, spokesman Rich Levin said.
Ramirez became the fourth player suspended this year under the major league program, following Philadelphia reliever J.C. Romero, Yankees pitcher Sergio Mitre and San Francisco pitcher Kelvin Pichardo.
The Dodgers began the 50-game stretch without Ramirez on Thursday night against Washington. Juan Pierre received loud applause when he was introduced as Ramirez’s replacement in the starting lineup, but there were scattered boos when he came to the plate for the first time.
Losing Ramirez to suspension could be a huge blow financially for the Dodgers. The slugger has been single-handedly responsible for increasing attendance, merchandise sales and interest in the team, besides helping it win the NL West after his late-season arrival in 2008.
Los Angeles even renamed a section of seats in left field at Dodger Stadium “Mannywood” in his honor. Hours after the suspension, the team removed a reference to those seats from its Web site.
Torre, however, insisted Ramirez is welcome anytime.
“The thing that was toughest for Manny is how he disappointed everybody,” he said. “He loved it here, and he loves how the fans get turned on by him. He was devastated.”
Associated Press Baseball Writer Ron Blum reported from New York, with AP Sports Writer Beth Harris in Los Angeles. AP Sports Writers Dan Gelston in Philadelphia, Joe Kay in Cincinnati, R.B. Fallstrom in St. Louis, Stephen Wilson in London and Steve Wine in Miami, National Writer Ben Walker in New York and AP Writer Donna Cassata contributed to this report.
Ramirez suspended 50 games for drug violation
By BETH HARRIS and RONALD BLUM, AP Sports Writers
5-7-9
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Manny Ramirez joined a growing lineup of All-Stars linked to drugs Thursday, with the dreadlocked slugger banished for 50 games by a sport that cannot shake free from scandal.
The Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder was suspended by Major League Baseball for a drug violation, adding a further stamp to what will forever be known as the Steroids Era.
“It’s a dark day for baseball and certainly for this organization,” Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti told reporters on the field at Dodger Stadium. “This organization will never condone anything that isn’t clean.”
Ramirez said he did not take steroids and was given medication by a doctor that contained a banned substance. A person familiar with the details of the suspension said Ramirez used the female fertility drug HCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the banned substance wasn’t announced.
“As tough as it is for us, it’s pretty tough for Manny, too,” Dodgers manager Joe Torre said. “I know he’s the one that did the wrong thing and nobody is trying to cover that up, but it’s still something that I know he’s sorry about.”
HCG is popular among steroid users because it can mitigate the side effects of ending a cycle of the drugs. The body may stop producing testosterone when users go off steroids, which can cause sperm counts to decrease and testicles to shrink.
Ramirez’s suspension was based not on a spring training urine test result but rather evidence obtained afterward, a second person familiar with the suspension said, speaking on condition of anonymity because those details were not released. MLB had concluded the spring test was positive, but the person said the players’ association would have challenged the result because of “testing issues.”
Ranked 17th on the career home run list with 533, Ramirez became the most prominent baseball player to be penalized for drugs. His ban came three months after Alex Rodriguez admitted using steroids, and at a time when Barry Bonds is under federal indictment and Roger Clemens is being investigated by a federal grand jury to determine whether he lied when he told Congress he never used steroids or human growth hormone. And Miguel Tejada was sentenced in March to one year of probation after pleading guilty in federal court to misleading Congress about the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
No matter which way baseball turns, the legitimacy of many of its recent home run and pitching records is being questioned. Sluggers Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa have been tainted by steroid allegations, Rafael Palmeiro tested positive for a banned drug and Jose Canseco said he used them.
In every case, players once believed to be locks for the Hall of Fame may now be locked out.
“You can’t have arguably the greatest pitcher of our era, arguably the two greatest players of our era and now another very, very good player be under this cloud of suspicion and not feel like it has ruined it for everybody,” Atlanta star Chipper Jones said.
“But what are you going to do? You can’t be born in a different era. It is the Steroid Era,” he said.
Colletti and Torre said they found out about Ramirez’s suspension during an early morning phone call from team owner Frank McCourt. Both said they were surprised and saddened at the news.
Torre spoke to the rest of the team during a closed-door meeting before batting practice.
“The mood was sad in the clubhouse,” he said. “You can’t have someone who’s as much of an impact player and personality as Manny missing without it affecting people.”
The 36-year-old Ramirez tried to make amends right away, telling the Dodgers and fans he was sorry for “this whole situation.”
“Recently, I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was OK to give me,” Ramirez said in a statement issued by the players’ union.
“Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now. I do want to say one other thing; I’ve taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons.”
Baseball added HCG to its list of banned substances last year.
His suspension was first reported by the Los Angeles Times on its Web site.
While Ramirez had little to say, Canseco was quick to explain why someone might use HCG.
“It could be that a player used it because he used steroids and went cold-turkey and needed HCG to get his levels back to normal. I had to use it when I quit steroids cold-turkey,” Canseco, who pleaded guilty last November to a misdemeanor of trying to bring HCG across the Mexican border into the United States illegally, told the AP. “I had to go to a doctor to get it and get my levels back.”
Because MLB imposed the suspension as required by the drug agreement, the Dodgers cannot further discipline Ramirez. He is allowed to work out with the Dodgers but must be out of uniform when the stadium gates open for games.
Ramirez was not mentioned in the Mitchell Report, MLB’s official report on drug use, and there had not been whispers that he was among the sport’s juiced players.
“It’s kind of shocking that he got caught up in anything, honestly. Manny likes to play stupid, but he’s a pretty bright guy. And he’s definitely aware of a lot of things that he tries to act like he’s completely oblivious to,” said Cincinnati pitcher Bronson Arroyo, Ramirez’s former Boston teammate.
Ramirez’s agent, Scott Boras, and the players’ association had gathered materials for a possible appeal to an arbitrator, but Ramirez decided not to file one because he didn’t want to risk missing significant time in the second half of the season, the person familiar with details of the suspension said. The union said merely that he waived his right to contest the suspension.
Reaction to Ramirez’s ban came swiftly, from major league clubhouses to the White House.
“It’s a tragedy. It’s a shame. My sense is, it’s a great embarrassment on Major League Baseball,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said.
The penalty left the best team in the majors without its driving force and free spirit for nearly one-third of the season.
Ramirez’s suspension began Thursday, a day after the Dodgers broke the modern major league record for a home winning streak, opening the season 13-0. Barring any postponements, he will be able to return to the Dodgers for the July 3 game at San Diego. Ramirez will lose $7,650,273 of his $25 million salary.
Rodriguez and Ramirez are the two highest-paid players in the majors. With this suspension, six of the top 17 home run hitters in history now have been covered by the cloud of performance-enhancing drugs.
Baseball commissioner Bud Selig couldn’t comment on the suspension because of provisions of the management-union drug agreement, spokesman Rich Levin said.
Ramirez became the fourth player suspended this year under the major league program, following Philadelphia reliever J.C. Romero, Yankees pitcher Sergio Mitre and San Francisco pitcher Kelvin Pichardo.
The Dodgers began the 50-game stretch without Ramirez on Thursday night against Washington. Juan Pierre received loud applause when he was introduced as Ramirez’s replacement in the starting lineup, but there were scattered boos when he came to the plate for the first time.
Losing Ramirez to suspension could be a huge blow financially for the Dodgers. The slugger has been single-handedly responsible for increasing attendance, merchandise sales and interest in the team, besides helping it win the NL West after his late-season arrival in 2008.
Los Angeles even renamed a section of seats in left field at Dodger Stadium “Mannywood” in his honor. Hours after the suspension, the team removed a reference to those seats from its Web site.
Torre, however, insisted Ramirez is welcome anytime.
“The thing that was toughest for Manny is how he disappointed everybody,” he said. “He loved it here, and he loves how the fans get turned on by him. He was devastated.”
Associated Press Baseball Writer Ron Blum reported from New York, with AP Sports Writer Beth Harris in Los Angeles. AP Sports Writers Dan Gelston in Philadelphia, Joe Kay in Cincinnati, R.B. Fallstrom in St. Louis, Stephen Wilson in London and Steve Wine in Miami, National Writer Ben Walker in New York and AP Writer Donna Cassata contributed to this report.
RIP! A Remix Manifesto
From Disinfo.com:Can you find Girl Talk on iTunes? You can if you watch...
RIP! A Remix Manifesto
An "Open Source" Documentary About Copyright and Remix Culture
Filmmaker Brett Gaylor explores issues of copyright in the information age, mashing up the media landscape of the 20th century and shattering the wall between users and producers. The film's central protagonist is Girl Talk, a mash-up musician topping the charts with his sample-based songs. But is Girl Talk a paragon of people power or the Pied Piper of piracy?
Which side of the ideas war are you on?
US jobless at 26-year high
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/economics/article6251918.ece
May 9, 2009
US jobless at 26-year high but President Obama hopeful
Christine Seib
President Obama said that America was showing signs of economic recovery, even as the country's unemployment rate hit a near-26-year high.
Employers made 539,000 workers redundant in April, according to US Labour Department statistics - the fewest job cuts in six months and far better than the 620,000 reduction that economists had expected.
Mr Obama said that there was a “long way to go before we can put this recession behind us”, but added: “The gears of our economic engine do seem to be slowly turning once again.”
The figures were boosted by a spate of hiring by the Government, which took on 66,000 part-time workers to conduct next year's census.
However, the newly unemployed continued to struggle to find new jobs, pushing the unemployment rate from 8.5 per cent to 8.9 per cent, the highest level since late 1983.
When the number of job-seekers who gave up their search for work or took part-time jobs was included, the unemployment rate hit 15.8 per cent.
About 5.7 million Americans have lost their jobs since the recession started in December 2007.
Ben Bernanke, the US Federal Reserve Chairman, said this week that he expected the country to emerge from recession by the end of this year, but warned that the job market would remain sluggish because employers would take time to regain confidence and resume hiring.
Paul Ashworth, senior US economist at Capital Economics, had reservations about the figures because job-loss estimates earlier in the year have since been revised upwards.
In March, companies made 699,000 workers redundant, a figure that had been revised up from 663,000, while 681,000 workers lost their jobs in February, up from a previous estimate of 651,000. “Revisions to previous months increased the net job losses in February and March by a total of 66,000,” he said. “April's decline could eventually turn out to have been much bigger than it looks now.”
May 9, 2009
US jobless at 26-year high but President Obama hopeful
Christine Seib
President Obama said that America was showing signs of economic recovery, even as the country's unemployment rate hit a near-26-year high.
Employers made 539,000 workers redundant in April, according to US Labour Department statistics - the fewest job cuts in six months and far better than the 620,000 reduction that economists had expected.
Mr Obama said that there was a “long way to go before we can put this recession behind us”, but added: “The gears of our economic engine do seem to be slowly turning once again.”
The figures were boosted by a spate of hiring by the Government, which took on 66,000 part-time workers to conduct next year's census.
However, the newly unemployed continued to struggle to find new jobs, pushing the unemployment rate from 8.5 per cent to 8.9 per cent, the highest level since late 1983.
When the number of job-seekers who gave up their search for work or took part-time jobs was included, the unemployment rate hit 15.8 per cent.
About 5.7 million Americans have lost their jobs since the recession started in December 2007.
Ben Bernanke, the US Federal Reserve Chairman, said this week that he expected the country to emerge from recession by the end of this year, but warned that the job market would remain sluggish because employers would take time to regain confidence and resume hiring.
Paul Ashworth, senior US economist at Capital Economics, had reservations about the figures because job-loss estimates earlier in the year have since been revised upwards.
In March, companies made 699,000 workers redundant, a figure that had been revised up from 663,000, while 681,000 workers lost their jobs in February, up from a previous estimate of 651,000. “Revisions to previous months increased the net job losses in February and March by a total of 66,000,” he said. “April's decline could eventually turn out to have been much bigger than it looks now.”
Governor says he's open to debate on legal pot
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/06/MNO617F929.DTL
Governor says he's open to debate on legal pot
Wyatt Buchanan, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Sacramento - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Tuesday that the time is right to debate legalizing marijuana for recreational use in California.
The governor's comments were made as support grows nationwide for relaxing pot laws and only days after a poll found that for the first time a majority of California voters back legal marijuana. Also, a San Francisco legislator has proposed regulating and taxing marijuana to bring the state as much as $1.3 billion a year in extra revenue.
Schwarzenegger was cautious when answering a reporter's question Tuesday about whether the state should regulate and tax the substance, saying it is not time to go that far.
But, he said: "I think it's time for debate. I think all of those ideas of creating extra revenues - I'm always for an open debate on it."
The governor said California should look to the experiences of other nations around the world in relaxing laws on marijuana.
Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, has introduced a bill to regulate marijuana like alcohol, with people over 21 years old allowed to grow, buy, sell and possess cannabis - all of which are barred by federal law.
California voters in 1996 legalized marijuana for medical use with permission from a physician.
Ammiano said he was pleased the governor is "open-minded" on the issue and added that he was sure the two could "hash it out."
Under Ammiano's proposal, the state would impose a $50-an-ounce levy on sales of marijuana, which would boost state revenues by about $1.3 billion a year, according to an analysis by the State Board of Equalization. Betty Yee of San Francisco, who chairs the Board of Equalization, supports the measure.
"This has never just been about money," said Ammiano, who has long supported reforming marijuana laws. "It's also about the failure of the war on drugs and implementing a more enlightened policy. I've always anticipated that there could be a perfect storm of political will and public support, and obviously the federal policies are leaning more toward states' rights."
An ABC News/Washington Post poll last week found that 46 percent of Americans favored legalization of small amounts of pot for personal use, double the number who supported that a decade ago. A Field Poll also released last week found that 56 percent of California voters supported legalizing and taxing marijuana.
In March, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said the federal government would take a softer stance on medical marijuana dispensaries, with drug enforcement agents targeting only those who violate state and federal law. California is one of 13 states that allow marijuana use with a doctor's recommendation.
Many law enforcement organizations oppose changes in marijuana laws. The California Police Chiefs Association, in a report last month, concluded that marijuana dispensaries constitute "a clear violation of federal and state law; they invite more crime; and they compromise the health and welfare of law-abiding citizens."
But the head of that association said he, too, is open to a debate on legalizing pot.
"We keep walking around the 5,000-pound elephant in the room, which is should marijuana be legal?" said Bernard Melekian, president of the association and chief of police in Pasadena.
The Board of Equalization analysis predicts that legalization would drop the street value of marijuana by 50 percent and increase consumption by 40 percent.
Bruce Mirken, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, which advocates legalization, said the governor's comments about marijuana are part of a "tectonic shift" in attitudes toward the issue.
"I think, frankly, the public is going to drag the politicians into doing what is right," he said.
Chronicle staff writer Matthew Yi contributed to this report. E-mail Wyatt Buchanan at wbuchanan@sfchronicle.com.
This article appeared on page A - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Governor says he's open to debate on legal pot
Wyatt Buchanan, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Sacramento - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Tuesday that the time is right to debate legalizing marijuana for recreational use in California.
The governor's comments were made as support grows nationwide for relaxing pot laws and only days after a poll found that for the first time a majority of California voters back legal marijuana. Also, a San Francisco legislator has proposed regulating and taxing marijuana to bring the state as much as $1.3 billion a year in extra revenue.
Schwarzenegger was cautious when answering a reporter's question Tuesday about whether the state should regulate and tax the substance, saying it is not time to go that far.
But, he said: "I think it's time for debate. I think all of those ideas of creating extra revenues - I'm always for an open debate on it."
The governor said California should look to the experiences of other nations around the world in relaxing laws on marijuana.
Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, has introduced a bill to regulate marijuana like alcohol, with people over 21 years old allowed to grow, buy, sell and possess cannabis - all of which are barred by federal law.
California voters in 1996 legalized marijuana for medical use with permission from a physician.
Ammiano said he was pleased the governor is "open-minded" on the issue and added that he was sure the two could "hash it out."
Under Ammiano's proposal, the state would impose a $50-an-ounce levy on sales of marijuana, which would boost state revenues by about $1.3 billion a year, according to an analysis by the State Board of Equalization. Betty Yee of San Francisco, who chairs the Board of Equalization, supports the measure.
"This has never just been about money," said Ammiano, who has long supported reforming marijuana laws. "It's also about the failure of the war on drugs and implementing a more enlightened policy. I've always anticipated that there could be a perfect storm of political will and public support, and obviously the federal policies are leaning more toward states' rights."
An ABC News/Washington Post poll last week found that 46 percent of Americans favored legalization of small amounts of pot for personal use, double the number who supported that a decade ago. A Field Poll also released last week found that 56 percent of California voters supported legalizing and taxing marijuana.
In March, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said the federal government would take a softer stance on medical marijuana dispensaries, with drug enforcement agents targeting only those who violate state and federal law. California is one of 13 states that allow marijuana use with a doctor's recommendation.
Many law enforcement organizations oppose changes in marijuana laws. The California Police Chiefs Association, in a report last month, concluded that marijuana dispensaries constitute "a clear violation of federal and state law; they invite more crime; and they compromise the health and welfare of law-abiding citizens."
But the head of that association said he, too, is open to a debate on legalizing pot.
"We keep walking around the 5,000-pound elephant in the room, which is should marijuana be legal?" said Bernard Melekian, president of the association and chief of police in Pasadena.
The Board of Equalization analysis predicts that legalization would drop the street value of marijuana by 50 percent and increase consumption by 40 percent.
Bruce Mirken, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, which advocates legalization, said the governor's comments about marijuana are part of a "tectonic shift" in attitudes toward the issue.
"I think, frankly, the public is going to drag the politicians into doing what is right," he said.
Chronicle staff writer Matthew Yi contributed to this report. E-mail Wyatt Buchanan at wbuchanan@sfchronicle.com.
This article appeared on page A - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Majority of Americans support legalizing marijuana
http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/05/07/poll-majority-of-americans-support-legalizing-marijuana/
Poll: Majority of Americans support legalizing marijuana
By John Byrne
May 7, 2009
Fifty two percent of Americans support legalizing, taxing and regulating marijuana, according to a new Zogby poll released late Wednesday.
3,937 voters were asked: “Scarce law enforcement and prison resources, a desire to neutralize drug cartels and the need for new sources of revenue have resurrected the topic of legalizing marijuana. Proponents say it makes sense to tax and regulate the drug while opponents say that legalization would lead marijuana users to use other illegal drugs. Would you favor or oppose the government’s effort to legalize marijuana?”
52 percent came out in favor, with 37 percent against. The poll was commissioned by the conservative-leaning O’Leary report.
“The survey, published as a full-page ad in [Wednesday's] issue of the political newspaper The Hill, polled a sample of 3,937 voters weighted to match the 2008 presidential outcome — 54 percent Obama voters and 46 percent McCain supporters,” Salem News reported.
The results are “slightly higher than the 46 percent support reported in an ABC News/Washington Post poll released at the end of April.”
Poll: Majority of Americans support legalizing marijuana
By John Byrne
May 7, 2009
Fifty two percent of Americans support legalizing, taxing and regulating marijuana, according to a new Zogby poll released late Wednesday.
3,937 voters were asked: “Scarce law enforcement and prison resources, a desire to neutralize drug cartels and the need for new sources of revenue have resurrected the topic of legalizing marijuana. Proponents say it makes sense to tax and regulate the drug while opponents say that legalization would lead marijuana users to use other illegal drugs. Would you favor or oppose the government’s effort to legalize marijuana?”
52 percent came out in favor, with 37 percent against. The poll was commissioned by the conservative-leaning O’Leary report.
“The survey, published as a full-page ad in [Wednesday's] issue of the political newspaper The Hill, polled a sample of 3,937 voters weighted to match the 2008 presidential outcome — 54 percent Obama voters and 46 percent McCain supporters,” Salem News reported.
The results are “slightly higher than the 46 percent support reported in an ABC News/Washington Post poll released at the end of April.”
"The Greatest Boondoggle in History":
http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/article/244222/%22The-Greatest-Boondoggle-in-History%22-Banks-Buoyed-at-Taxpayers%27-Expense
"The Greatest Boondoggle in History": Banks Buoyed at Taxpayers' Expense
Posted May 08, 2009
by Aaron Task
Bank stocks soared Friday, including Wells Fargo and Morgan Stanley, which sold shares a discounts of more than 10% below Thursday's close.
The ability of banks to raise capital is certainly positive but the idea of shares rallying amid the capital raising and dilution is "counterintuitive," Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis said on CNBC this morning.
BofA shares were also rallying even as the government said it needs to raise an industry-leading $33.9 billion. Citigroup stock was also a big winner after the government's curious declaration that it "only" needs to raise $5 billion.
While much of the focus is on the stress tests and banks' efforts to raise cash, the real story is Geithner's Public-Private Investment Program (PPIP), says William Black, an Associate Professor of Economics and Law at the University of Missouri - Kansas City.
The PPIP is the "greatest boondoggle in the history of the world," says Black, a former bank regulator who was counsel to the Federal Home Loan Bank Board during the S&L crisis. As occurred during the S&L era, Black says the PPIP will allow banks to exchange "trash for cash" and turn "real losses into faulty gains."
If the goal of Tim Geithner and other regulators was "to rip off the American taxpayer for the benefit of the least-deserving wealthiest people you can imagine, well - mission accomplished," Black says.
"The Greatest Boondoggle in History": Banks Buoyed at Taxpayers' Expense
Posted May 08, 2009
by Aaron Task
Bank stocks soared Friday, including Wells Fargo and Morgan Stanley, which sold shares a discounts of more than 10% below Thursday's close.
The ability of banks to raise capital is certainly positive but the idea of shares rallying amid the capital raising and dilution is "counterintuitive," Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis said on CNBC this morning.
BofA shares were also rallying even as the government said it needs to raise an industry-leading $33.9 billion. Citigroup stock was also a big winner after the government's curious declaration that it "only" needs to raise $5 billion.
While much of the focus is on the stress tests and banks' efforts to raise cash, the real story is Geithner's Public-Private Investment Program (PPIP), says William Black, an Associate Professor of Economics and Law at the University of Missouri - Kansas City.
The PPIP is the "greatest boondoggle in the history of the world," says Black, a former bank regulator who was counsel to the Federal Home Loan Bank Board during the S&L crisis. As occurred during the S&L era, Black says the PPIP will allow banks to exchange "trash for cash" and turn "real losses into faulty gains."
If the goal of Tim Geithner and other regulators was "to rip off the American taxpayer for the benefit of the least-deserving wealthiest people you can imagine, well - mission accomplished," Black says.
'Who Knew' singer Pink: I'm NOT bisexual
http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/05/03/2009-05-03_pink_im_bisexual.html 'Who Knew' singer Pink: I'm NOT bisexual
Monday, May 4th 2009
Singer Pink is pretty peeved that she was quoted as saying she's bisexual.
After years of denials, the married "Who Knew" singer reportedly confirmed she has a thing for the ladies. But she says it was all made up.
"I'm not embarrassed about being bisexual. This is who I am," Pink (nee Alecia Moore) is quoted as telling Britain's News of the World.
Pink reportedly added that she would be "just as happy with a new women" if things with hubby Carey Hart went south.
"I'm not complicated," she says. "I sing about love in all its shapes, forms and colors."
But Pink's rep tells the Daily News that the interview was "entirely fabricated."
The singer was cagey about the story on her Twitter page, writing, "I just read that I'm bisexual. So 1991. Good thing people write articles about me so I can get my facts [straight]."
Pink has previously insisted that she wasn't into the idea of having a same-sex romance.
"I'm not gay so I guess I would not try a relationship with a woman," she told NOW magazine last year. "I didn't say I haven't experimented, but I love men too much to make it a permanent thing."
The 29-year-old's alleged revelation comes on the heels of Hart's announcement that the estranged couple are reconciling.
"We're rebuilding," her hubby told People magazine in April. "Sometimes you have to take a couple of steps backwards to move forward."
Uranium Mining just outside the Grand Canyon
When the Bush administration was pushing for uranium mining just outside the Grand Canyon, far sighted folks in Congress moved quickly to protect the land - placing one million acres around the canyon off limits.
Uranium mining would severely jeopardize the ecology of the canyon. Between the blasting to build the mine and the toxic waste being dumped into the waterways, it would wreck one of the earth's greatest environmental treasures.
What's shocking is that Sec. of the Interior Ken Salazar is allowing the Bureau of Land Management to move forward with Bush-era plans to mine just outside the canyon.
Take a minute right now, and tell Sec. Salazar to put the breaks on this plan:
http://www.environmental-action.org/no-mining-near-grand-canyon? id4=ES
In this new Administration based on hope and change, and where the President has pledge to be a friend to the environment, we're shocked to see the new Sec. of the Interior clinging to the ways of the past.
We believe with a loud enough voice, we can help stop this plan, so please send Salazar a message today asking him to halt this move and keep the Grand Canyon pristine:
http://www.environmental-action.org/no-mining-near-grand-canyon? id4=ES
Then help out further by passing this message along to your friends and family - and thanks for your work!
Sincerely,
Dan Stafford
Environmental Action Organizer
DanS@environmental-action.org
http://www.environmental-action.org
Uranium mining would severely jeopardize the ecology of the canyon. Between the blasting to build the mine and the toxic waste being dumped into the waterways, it would wreck one of the earth's greatest environmental treasures.
What's shocking is that Sec. of the Interior Ken Salazar is allowing the Bureau of Land Management to move forward with Bush-era plans to mine just outside the canyon.
Take a minute right now, and tell Sec. Salazar to put the breaks on this plan:
http://www.environmental-action.org/no-mining-near-grand-canyon? id4=ES
In this new Administration based on hope and change, and where the President has pledge to be a friend to the environment, we're shocked to see the new Sec. of the Interior clinging to the ways of the past.
We believe with a loud enough voice, we can help stop this plan, so please send Salazar a message today asking him to halt this move and keep the Grand Canyon pristine:
http://www.environmental-action.org/no-mining-near-grand-canyon? id4=ES
Then help out further by passing this message along to your friends and family - and thanks for your work!
Sincerely,
Dan Stafford
Environmental Action Organizer
DanS@environmental-action.org
http://www.environmental-action.org
Rupert Murdoch: “Internet Will Soon Be Over”
http://www.prisonplanet.com/rupert-murdoch-internet-will-soon-be-over.html
Rupert Murdoch: “Internet Will Soon Be Over”
Corporate media forced to charged dwindling readership for news content as establishment propaganda organs wither and die while alternative media soars
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch gave a strange response when asked about plans for mainstream news websites to charge for content, declaring, “The current days of the internet will soon be over.”
He was making reference to the fact that corporate media websites cannot continue to survive under their current failing business model.
The establishment media is dying and advertising revenue has plummeted as people turn to blogs and the alternative media for their news in an environment of corporate lies and spin.
This has forced sectors of the corporate media to charge the dwindling number of loyal readers they have left for news content, a practice which is set to become widespread according to Murdoch. This will only send more people over to the alternative media as the old organs of de facto state-controlled propaganda wither and die.
“Asked whether he envisaged fees at his British papers such as the Times, the Sunday Times, the Sun and the News of the World, (Murdoch) replied: “We’re absolutely looking at that,” reports the Guardian. “Taking questions on a conference call with reporters and analysts, he said that moves could begin “within the next 12 months‚” adding: “The current days of the internet will soon be over.”
Murdoch’s newspapers and TV networks, which include Fox News and the Asian Star Network, have seen profits plummet from $216m to just $7m year-on-year. MySpace.com is also floundering despite a recent move to replace the company’s entire management staff.
It was all but over for the Boston Globe this week, following a threat to close the 137-year-old publication after net losses of $85 million this year alone. Only a last minute cost-cutting agreement on behalf of its owner, The New York Times Company, and The Boston Newspaper Guild, saved the newspaper.
But it’s not just establishment newspapers that are struggling to survive - social networking websites like Twitter and corporate online video giant You Tube are also deep in the red. Apparently, paying out millions in server fees for half the population of the planet to watch clips of cute puppies isn’t a sustainable business model.
This is why You Tube is being forced to pursue lucrative partnerships with giant production studios and broadcasters, at the expense of user generated content which has been relegated to a sub-section of its website, taking the “You” out of You Tube altogether. Content that may be deemed harmful to You Tube’s corporate agenda and its multi-million dollar partnership deals, like The Alex Jones Channel, is being systematically erased from You Tube’s website under the pretext of flimsy copyright infringement claims.
The jig is up for the corporate media. If they continue to allow free access to their content they will go out of business because there’s not enough advertising revenue coming in, whereas if they charge for content they will lose a huge chunk of their audience and their influence in shaping the news agenda will wane completely.
This is the price the corporate media has paid for lying, spinning and obfuscating on behalf of the virulently corrupt power elite and expecting the population to eat it up without question.
The corporate media monopoly has terminal cancer and they are losing their power, which is why they are aggressively supporting moves to phase out the old Internet altogether and replace it with “Internet 2,” a highly regulated and controlled electronic Berlin wall, where alternative voices will be silenced and giant corporate propaganda organs will dominate once again.
This what Murdoch is really getting at when he assures us that, “The Internet will soon be over” and it’s down to us to stop that agenda from being realized.
Rupert Murdoch: “Internet Will Soon Be Over”
Corporate media forced to charged dwindling readership for news content as establishment propaganda organs wither and die while alternative media soars
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch gave a strange response when asked about plans for mainstream news websites to charge for content, declaring, “The current days of the internet will soon be over.”
He was making reference to the fact that corporate media websites cannot continue to survive under their current failing business model.
The establishment media is dying and advertising revenue has plummeted as people turn to blogs and the alternative media for their news in an environment of corporate lies and spin.
This has forced sectors of the corporate media to charge the dwindling number of loyal readers they have left for news content, a practice which is set to become widespread according to Murdoch. This will only send more people over to the alternative media as the old organs of de facto state-controlled propaganda wither and die.
“Asked whether he envisaged fees at his British papers such as the Times, the Sunday Times, the Sun and the News of the World, (Murdoch) replied: “We’re absolutely looking at that,” reports the Guardian. “Taking questions on a conference call with reporters and analysts, he said that moves could begin “within the next 12 months‚” adding: “The current days of the internet will soon be over.”
Murdoch’s newspapers and TV networks, which include Fox News and the Asian Star Network, have seen profits plummet from $216m to just $7m year-on-year. MySpace.com is also floundering despite a recent move to replace the company’s entire management staff.
It was all but over for the Boston Globe this week, following a threat to close the 137-year-old publication after net losses of $85 million this year alone. Only a last minute cost-cutting agreement on behalf of its owner, The New York Times Company, and The Boston Newspaper Guild, saved the newspaper.
But it’s not just establishment newspapers that are struggling to survive - social networking websites like Twitter and corporate online video giant You Tube are also deep in the red. Apparently, paying out millions in server fees for half the population of the planet to watch clips of cute puppies isn’t a sustainable business model.
This is why You Tube is being forced to pursue lucrative partnerships with giant production studios and broadcasters, at the expense of user generated content which has been relegated to a sub-section of its website, taking the “You” out of You Tube altogether. Content that may be deemed harmful to You Tube’s corporate agenda and its multi-million dollar partnership deals, like The Alex Jones Channel, is being systematically erased from You Tube’s website under the pretext of flimsy copyright infringement claims.
The jig is up for the corporate media. If they continue to allow free access to their content they will go out of business because there’s not enough advertising revenue coming in, whereas if they charge for content they will lose a huge chunk of their audience and their influence in shaping the news agenda will wane completely.
This is the price the corporate media has paid for lying, spinning and obfuscating on behalf of the virulently corrupt power elite and expecting the population to eat it up without question.
The corporate media monopoly has terminal cancer and they are losing their power, which is why they are aggressively supporting moves to phase out the old Internet altogether and replace it with “Internet 2,” a highly regulated and controlled electronic Berlin wall, where alternative voices will be silenced and giant corporate propaganda organs will dominate once again.
This what Murdoch is really getting at when he assures us that, “The Internet will soon be over” and it’s down to us to stop that agenda from being realized.
Great Quotes from Hugh Hefner
When Playmate Barbi Benton first started dating Hugh Hefner, she was 18 and he was 42. On the first date she told him she was nervous, explaining: "I've never gone out with anyone older than 24."
Hugh Hefner replied: "That's all right. Neither have I."
Hugh Hefner replied: "That's all right. Neither have I."
Green Shoots or Greatest Depression?
Kingston, NY, 7 May 2009 -- The financial fields replete with sprouting "green shoots" should be viewed with suspicion, if not alarm, warns Gerald Celente, The Trends Research Institute Director. "They are not a mirage, but they are ephemeral."
Field Marshall Ben Bernanke and his Green Shoot Brigade have fertilized the economic landscape with trillions of sweat equity dollars extorted from today's public and the public of generations to come. Regardless of how depleted the land, heavy doses of dollars spread so thickly over the financial and government territories, will force "green shoots" to grow. But the fundamentals of the economy remain unsound. They will not be corrected by forced fertilizing barren acreage.
"'Green shoots' may sprout," said Celente, "but they will not flower. The economy cannot be coerced back into growth with tons of money manure." As the ancient parable puts it:
"A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." -- Luke 8:4-8
Now here this: it is inconceivable that the "green shoots" are signs of sustained economic recovery.
Celente said no one could have forecast that the government would not only intervene in the markets by pouring unprecedented trillions into bailout schemes, but that they would commandeer the whole free enterprise system.
"The 800-pound gorilla has ridden the elephant into the Oval Office, and are there for all to see. But few will call a spade a spade," declared Celente. "Benito Mussolini described Fascism as 'The merger of state and corporate power.' He suggested that, more appropriately, it should be called 'Corporatism.' By whatever name, Corporatism or Fascism, what it's not is Free Market Capitalism, much less Democracy," Celente said.
"Green shoots" can only be brought to harvest through real productivity. Pumping gigantic sums of money into too-big-to-fail financial institutions to jump-start the lending/borrowing cycle is to perpetuate a failed economic model. (See "The Greatest Depression," Trends Journal, Winter 2009.)
"We can extrapolate creatively from data, but cannot prophesize wild cards, such as acts of God, acts of nature, or acts of man that can only be described as 'schemes undreamed of.' While there have been warnings since the founding of the United States, no one, but no one, could have predicted the mega-merger of Wall Street and Washington that is now a fait accompli," said The Trends Research Institute Director.
Trendpost: With so much money being dumped into the system, there will be money to made ... and lost. The agile and the knowledgeable may be able to reap "green shoots" while they're sprouted. But beware!
"The Greatest Depression" -- that we forecast would begin to set in by the end of this year -- may have been postponed, but it has not been averted. When it does set in, it will do so with enhanced intensity and at a pace accelerated by complex financial finagling ... all under the guise of nation-saving action. Rather than let the failing industries fail and the failed banks go bankrupt, the government is deliberately bankrupting the nation.
The lesson to be learned from the financial crisis that began in the summer of 2007, is that nothing succeeds like failure. The greater their failure, the bolder they become. The more they lose, the more they take. The greater the chaos, the more control they exact. The bigger they fail, the harder we fall.
No act is too unthinkable or measure too draconian for the Washington-Wall Street Mob to concoct in order to maintain power, make money and cover their losses. While it is impossible to second-guess what the government will do next, it is absolutely certain that they will stop at nothing.
The "green shoots" will wither and conditions will deteriorate. Those who are prepared for the worst will not have been taken by surprise.
To schedule an interview with Trends Research Institute Director, Gerald Celente, please contact:
Laura Martin
The Trends Research Institute
lmartin@trendsresearch.com
www.trendsresearch.com
845.331.3500 Ext. 1
© MMIX The Trends Research Institute®
The Trends Research Institute P.O. Box 3476 Kingston, NY 12401
Field Marshall Ben Bernanke and his Green Shoot Brigade have fertilized the economic landscape with trillions of sweat equity dollars extorted from today's public and the public of generations to come. Regardless of how depleted the land, heavy doses of dollars spread so thickly over the financial and government territories, will force "green shoots" to grow. But the fundamentals of the economy remain unsound. They will not be corrected by forced fertilizing barren acreage.
"'Green shoots' may sprout," said Celente, "but they will not flower. The economy cannot be coerced back into growth with tons of money manure." As the ancient parable puts it:
"A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." -- Luke 8:4-8
Now here this: it is inconceivable that the "green shoots" are signs of sustained economic recovery.
Celente said no one could have forecast that the government would not only intervene in the markets by pouring unprecedented trillions into bailout schemes, but that they would commandeer the whole free enterprise system.
"The 800-pound gorilla has ridden the elephant into the Oval Office, and are there for all to see. But few will call a spade a spade," declared Celente. "Benito Mussolini described Fascism as 'The merger of state and corporate power.' He suggested that, more appropriately, it should be called 'Corporatism.' By whatever name, Corporatism or Fascism, what it's not is Free Market Capitalism, much less Democracy," Celente said.
"Green shoots" can only be brought to harvest through real productivity. Pumping gigantic sums of money into too-big-to-fail financial institutions to jump-start the lending/borrowing cycle is to perpetuate a failed economic model. (See "The Greatest Depression," Trends Journal, Winter 2009.)
"We can extrapolate creatively from data, but cannot prophesize wild cards, such as acts of God, acts of nature, or acts of man that can only be described as 'schemes undreamed of.' While there have been warnings since the founding of the United States, no one, but no one, could have predicted the mega-merger of Wall Street and Washington that is now a fait accompli," said The Trends Research Institute Director.
Trendpost: With so much money being dumped into the system, there will be money to made ... and lost. The agile and the knowledgeable may be able to reap "green shoots" while they're sprouted. But beware!
"The Greatest Depression" -- that we forecast would begin to set in by the end of this year -- may have been postponed, but it has not been averted. When it does set in, it will do so with enhanced intensity and at a pace accelerated by complex financial finagling ... all under the guise of nation-saving action. Rather than let the failing industries fail and the failed banks go bankrupt, the government is deliberately bankrupting the nation.
The lesson to be learned from the financial crisis that began in the summer of 2007, is that nothing succeeds like failure. The greater their failure, the bolder they become. The more they lose, the more they take. The greater the chaos, the more control they exact. The bigger they fail, the harder we fall.
No act is too unthinkable or measure too draconian for the Washington-Wall Street Mob to concoct in order to maintain power, make money and cover their losses. While it is impossible to second-guess what the government will do next, it is absolutely certain that they will stop at nothing.
The "green shoots" will wither and conditions will deteriorate. Those who are prepared for the worst will not have been taken by surprise.
To schedule an interview with Trends Research Institute Director, Gerald Celente, please contact:
Laura Martin
The Trends Research Institute
lmartin@trendsresearch.com
www.trendsresearch.com
845.331.3500 Ext. 1
© MMIX The Trends Research Institute®
The Trends Research Institute P.O. Box 3476 Kingston, NY 12401
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Clayton 'i-house' is giant leap from trailer park
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090506/ap_on_re_us/us_clayton_i_houseClayton 'i-house' is giant leap from trailer park
By DUNCAN MANSFIELD, Associated Press Writer
Wed May 6, 2009
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – From its bamboo floors to its rooftop deck, Clayton Homes' new industrial-chic "i-house" is about as far removed from a mobile home as an iPod from a record player.
Architects at the country's largest manufactured home company embraced the basic rectangular form of what began as housing on wheels and gave it a postmodern turn with a distinctive v-shaped roofline, energy efficiency and luxury appointments.
Stylistically, the "i-house" might be more at home in the pages of a cutting-edge architectural magazine like Dwell — an inspirational source — than among the Cape Cods and ranchers in the suburbs.
The layout of the long main "core" house and a separate box-shaped guestroom-office "flex room" resemble the letter "i" and its dot. Yet Clayton CEO and President Kevin Clayton said "i-house" stands for more than its footprint.
With a nod to the iPod and iPhone, Clayton said, "We love what it represents. We are fans of Apple and all that they have done. But the 'I' stands for innovation, inspiration, intelligence and integration."
Clayton's "i-house" was conceived as a moderately priced "plug and play" dwelling for environmentally conscious homebuyers. It went on sale nationwide Saturday with its presentation at the annual shareholders' meeting of investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire-Hathaway Inc. in Omaha, Neb.
"This innovative 'green' home, featuring solar panels and numerous other energy-saving products, is truly a home of the future," Buffett wrote his shareholders. "Estimated costs for electricity and heating total only about $1 per day when the home is sited in an area like Omaha."
Maryville, Tenn.-based Clayton Homes, acquired by Berkshire-Hathaway in a $1.7 billion buyout in 2003, delivered 27,499 mobile or manufactured homes last year, a third of the industry total. Kevin Clayton thinks the "i-house" very quickly could represent more than 10 percent of its business.
"I think in 12 to 18 months it is possible," he told The Associated Press. "That is a lofty goal, but it is very possible. Retailers are saying they want the home on their lots tomorrow. I know the demand is there. How fast we capture it is really just determined by how affordable we can make it."
Clayton Homes plans to price the "i-house" at $100 to $130 a square foot, depending on amenities and add-ons, such as additional bedrooms. A stick-built house with similar features could range from $200 to $300 a square foot to start, said Chris Nicely, Clayton marketing vice president.
The key cost difference is from the savings Clayton achieves by building homes in volume in green standardized factories with very little waste. Clayton has four plants in Oregon, Tennessee, California and New Mexico geared up for "i-house" production.
A 1,000-square-foot prototype unveiled at a Clayton show in Knoxville a few months ago was priced at around $140,000. It came furnished, with a master bedroom, full bath, open kitchen and living room with Ikea cabinetry, two ground-level deck areas and a separate "flex room" with a second full bath and a second-story deck covered by a sail-like canopy.
"It does not look like your typical manufactured home," said Thayer Long with the Manufactured Housing Institute, a Washington-based group representing 370 manufactured and modular home-building companies.
And shattering those mobile home stereotypes is a good thing, he said. "I think the 'i-house' is just more proof that the industry is capable of delivering homes that are highly customizable at an affordable price."
The "i-house's" metal v-shaped roof — inspired by a gas-station awning — combines design with function. The roof provides a rain water catchment system for recycling, supports flush-mounted solar panels and vaults interior ceilings at each end to 10 1/2 feet for an added feeling of openness.
The Energy Star-rated design features heavy insulation, six-inch thick exterior walls, cement board and corrugated metal siding, energy efficient appliances, a tankless water heater, dual-flush toilets and lots of "low-e" glazed windows.
The company said the prototype at roughly 52,000 pounds may be the heaviest home it's ever built.
The final product will come in different exterior colors and will allow buyers to design online, adding another bedroom to the core house, a second bedroom to the flex room or rearranging the footprint to resemble an "L" instead of an "I."
"We thought of this a little like a kit of parts, where you have all these parts that can go together in different ways," said Andy Hutsell, one of the architects.
Susan Connolly, a 60-year-old accountant who works from her conventional Knoxville home, hopes to be one of the first buyers. She's seen the prototype and has been talking to the company.
"I have been interested in green construction and the environment in my own personal life," she said. "It is nice to have a group of people that have thought of everything. Where you don't have to shop around and go to different places ... to find the products you want."
"I think it is smart. It is fresh. It is kind of hip for a new generation of green-thinking homebuyers," said Stacey Epperson, president and CEO of Frontier Housing, a Morehead, Ky.-based regional nonprofit group that supplies site-built homes and manufactured housing, including Clayton products, to low- and moderate-income homebuyers.
"You know a lot of people don't see themselves living in manufactured (housing), but a lot of those people would see themselves living in an 'i-house.' I could live in an 'i-house,'" she said.
"Are we repositioning to go after a new market?" Nicely said. "I would think we are maintaining our value to our existing market and expanding the market to include other buyers that previously wouldn't have considered our housing product."
The company sees the "i-house" as a primary residence — three developers already have inquired about building mini-developments with them — that also could appeal to vacation home buyers.
Brian McKinley, president of Atlantis Homes of Smyrna, Del., a manufactured-home dealer that sells Clayton and other brands, said the "i-house" resembles high-end custom homes he sees along the Delaware-Maryland shore.
It represents a "new direction and an innovative application for what our industry can do," he said.
"I think there is a market," McKinley said. "The challenge is to find that market and then will they visit this home at one of our traditional factory-built home centers. I think they (Clayton) want to find that out, too."
___
Clayton Homes "i-house" tour: http://www.clayton-media.com/ihouse/
Chrysler's Plan?
http://www.blackagendareport.com/?q=content/chryslers-plan-send-pay-retirement-benefits-and-standards-down-drain
Mon, 05/04/2009
The same fearless, insightful news media that misrepresents Wall Street's raid on the U.S. Treasury as somehow necessary to save the economy has a story to tell about how the harm to hundreds of thousands of current and retired auto workers will be minimized by incorruptible public officials and knowledgable bankruptcy judges. Only it's not true. The wages of auto workers will be permanently cut, their hours lengthened, their benefits cut. And those who worked 25 or 30 years on the line, counting on lifetime medical care and a dignified retirement have already been sold out.
Chrysler's Plan? Send Pay, Retirement Benefits and Standards Down the Drain
originally published in Labor Notes
by Larry Christensen
The media consensus is that union auto workers escaped the government-imposed restructuring of their industry basically unharmed, exchanging a few dings for control of the companies. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Chrysler retirees—like me—were assured in 2007 that our retiree health care benefits, funded through the Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association trust, would last 80 years.
Now we lose all dental and vision coverage as of July 1, and an independent analyst says the VEBA, our entire health coverage, will last only six years.
We are supposed to be reassured by the fact that the VEBA will own 55 percent of the equity in Chrysler. But what good is owning a company after the value has been taken out? Chrysler’s former owner Daimler has already written its 20 percent stake in Chrysler down to zero on its own books.
PUNISHING WORK
The turnaround plan will bring union auto workers much closer to the level of non-union workers. It will widen the two-tier wage structure introduced in the 2007 contract, guaranteeing that auto plants will fill up with second-class, disposable jobs. All workers hired for the next six years will start at $14 an hour and remain there at least until 2015. If that wasn’t bad enough, the rules limiting use of temporary part-time workers are relaxed.
The company will keep pushing out higher-wage workers, and those with less than 20 years’ seniority will receive lesser and lesser amounts of supplemental unemployment pay. It will become harder to refuse reassignment to a distant plant.
The deal will make life on the assembly line worse. Active workers, already working at punishing speeds, will see their relief time cut back. After two hours of work they will get 13 minutes break instead of 16; after another 1.5 hours another 13 minutes rather than 16. Their attendance procedure will be more strict. Their seniority right to bid on individual jobs is canceled, replaced by only the right to change work teams.
The dates of two of their vacation weeks will be dictated by the company. No overtime premiums will be paid until the 41st hour worked in a week—in other words, 12-hour days at straight time will soon prevail, especially for skilled-trades workers.
It gets worse. The deal includes a wage freeze through 2015 and the loss of all supplemental pay such as cost-of-living adjustments, Christmas bonuses, and productivity bonuses. All of these were substitutes for what used to be, in the dim distant past, yearly 3 percent base pay raises.
Chrysler also achieved its long-sought goal of completely collapsing skilled-trades classifications into electrical and mechanical only.
FAREWELL TO THE BALLOT
But the most hateful item in the deal cancels workers’ right to decide on their own contracts until September 2015.
The 2011 contract will be decided by top-level negotiations and then, if necessary, by binding arbitration—where the arbitrator is directed to take into account the labor costs of the non-union transplant car companies in the U.S., such as Toyota.
It is an awesome thing to watch a Democratic president enforce such terms on us, while having unconditionally bailed out undeserving banks with hundreds of billions of dollars.
As Canadian Chrysler workers have said, the active workers must vote with “a cannon to their heads” thanks to the collusion of the government, companies, and banks—and a UAW leadership that leads us ever farther from the militant attitudes of those who built our union under far more difficult circumstances.
Mon, 05/04/2009
The same fearless, insightful news media that misrepresents Wall Street's raid on the U.S. Treasury as somehow necessary to save the economy has a story to tell about how the harm to hundreds of thousands of current and retired auto workers will be minimized by incorruptible public officials and knowledgable bankruptcy judges. Only it's not true. The wages of auto workers will be permanently cut, their hours lengthened, their benefits cut. And those who worked 25 or 30 years on the line, counting on lifetime medical care and a dignified retirement have already been sold out.
Chrysler's Plan? Send Pay, Retirement Benefits and Standards Down the Drain
originally published in Labor Notes
by Larry Christensen
The media consensus is that union auto workers escaped the government-imposed restructuring of their industry basically unharmed, exchanging a few dings for control of the companies. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Chrysler retirees—like me—were assured in 2007 that our retiree health care benefits, funded through the Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association trust, would last 80 years.
Now we lose all dental and vision coverage as of July 1, and an independent analyst says the VEBA, our entire health coverage, will last only six years.
We are supposed to be reassured by the fact that the VEBA will own 55 percent of the equity in Chrysler. But what good is owning a company after the value has been taken out? Chrysler’s former owner Daimler has already written its 20 percent stake in Chrysler down to zero on its own books.
PUNISHING WORK
The turnaround plan will bring union auto workers much closer to the level of non-union workers. It will widen the two-tier wage structure introduced in the 2007 contract, guaranteeing that auto plants will fill up with second-class, disposable jobs. All workers hired for the next six years will start at $14 an hour and remain there at least until 2015. If that wasn’t bad enough, the rules limiting use of temporary part-time workers are relaxed.
The company will keep pushing out higher-wage workers, and those with less than 20 years’ seniority will receive lesser and lesser amounts of supplemental unemployment pay. It will become harder to refuse reassignment to a distant plant.
The deal will make life on the assembly line worse. Active workers, already working at punishing speeds, will see their relief time cut back. After two hours of work they will get 13 minutes break instead of 16; after another 1.5 hours another 13 minutes rather than 16. Their attendance procedure will be more strict. Their seniority right to bid on individual jobs is canceled, replaced by only the right to change work teams.
The dates of two of their vacation weeks will be dictated by the company. No overtime premiums will be paid until the 41st hour worked in a week—in other words, 12-hour days at straight time will soon prevail, especially for skilled-trades workers.
It gets worse. The deal includes a wage freeze through 2015 and the loss of all supplemental pay such as cost-of-living adjustments, Christmas bonuses, and productivity bonuses. All of these were substitutes for what used to be, in the dim distant past, yearly 3 percent base pay raises.
Chrysler also achieved its long-sought goal of completely collapsing skilled-trades classifications into electrical and mechanical only.
FAREWELL TO THE BALLOT
But the most hateful item in the deal cancels workers’ right to decide on their own contracts until September 2015.
The 2011 contract will be decided by top-level negotiations and then, if necessary, by binding arbitration—where the arbitrator is directed to take into account the labor costs of the non-union transplant car companies in the U.S., such as Toyota.
It is an awesome thing to watch a Democratic president enforce such terms on us, while having unconditionally bailed out undeserving banks with hundreds of billions of dollars.
As Canadian Chrysler workers have said, the active workers must vote with “a cannon to their heads” thanks to the collusion of the government, companies, and banks—and a UAW leadership that leads us ever farther from the militant attitudes of those who built our union under far more difficult circumstances.
Van Gogh's ear was cut off by friend Gauguin
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-news/5274073/Van-Goghs-ear-was-cut-off-by-friend-Gauguin-with-a-sword.htmlVan Gogh's ear 'was cut off by friend Gauguin with a sword'
By Henry Samuel in Paris
05 May 2009
He is known as the tortured genius who cut off his own ear as he struggled with mental illness after the breakdown of his friendship with a fellow artist.
But a new study claims Vincent Van Gogh may have made up the story to protect painter Paul Gauguin who actually lopped it off with a sword during an argument.
German art historians say the true version of events never surfaced as the two men both kept a "pact of silence" – Gauguin to avoid prosecution and Van Gogh in a vain attempt to keep a friend with whom he was hopelessly infatuated.
In Van Gogh's Ear: Paul Gauguin and the Pact of Silence, Hans Kaufmann and Rita Wildegans claim it was the sword attack, not Van Gogh's madness, that led him to commit suicide two years later.
The prevailing theory is that the Dutchman, who painted Sunflowers and the Potato Eaters, almost bled to death after slashing his own ear with a razor in a fit of lunacy on the night of December 23, 1888.
He is said to have wrapped it in cloth and handed it to a prostitute in a nearby brothel.
However, the new work from experts in Hamburg offers a very different version.
Gauguin, an excellent fencer, was planning to leave Van Gogh's "Yellow House" in Arles, southwestern France, after an unhappy stay.
He had walked out of the house with his baggage and his trusty épée in hand, but was followed by the troubled Van Gogh, who had earlier thrown a glass at him.
As the pair approached a bordello, their row intensified, and Gauguin cut off Van Gogh's left earlobe with his sword – either in anger or self-defence.
He then threw the weapon in the Rhône. Van Gogh delivered the ear to the prostitute and staggered home, where police discovered him the following day, the new account claims.
Gauguin had undoubtedly been staying with Van Gogh, but most experts think he had disappeared before the ear incident.
Although the historians provide no "smoking gun" to back up their claims, they argue theirs is the most logical interpretation, and explains why in his final recorded words to Gauguin, Van Gogh writes: "You are quiet, I will be, too".
They cite correspondence between Vincent and his brother, Theo, in which the painter hints at what happened without directly breaking the "pact of silence" made with his estranged friend.
He mentions Gauguin's request to recover his fencing mask and gloves from Arles, but not the épée.
Mr Kaufmann told the Daily Telegraph: "He writes that it's lucky Gauguin doesn't have a machine gun or other firearms, that he's stronger than him and that his 'passions' are stronger."
He makes reference to a French novel in which the narrator thinks he has killed his friend by cutting the climbing rope linking them.
"Afterwards, he says to himself: 'nobody has seen me commit my crime, and nothing can prevent me from inventing a story which would hide the truth'," said Mr Kaufmann. "This was a message to his brother."
He also pointed to one of Van Gogh's sketches of an ear, with the word "ictus" – the Latin term used in fencing to mean a hit. The authors believe that curious zigzags above the ear represent Gauguin's Zoro-like sword-stroke.
The historians also contend that, while Van Gogh clearly suffered from seizures, he had not gone mad at this stage.
"That was propaganda and all part of Gauguin's self-defence strategy," said Mr Kaufmann. "But it was a shock from which Vincent never recovered, led to the aggravation of his disease and paved the way to his suicide," he said.
Other Van Gogh experts, including those at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, disagree with the authors' claims. However, Nina Zimmer, the curator of a major Van Gogh exhibition in Basel, was less sure: "Perhaps they're right, but all the hypotheses are valid given the lack of material," she told Le Figaro.
Comic actor Dom DeLuise
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/05/MNG017F5NQ.DTLComic actor Dom DeLuise
Dennis McLellan, Los Angeles Times
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Los Angeles - Dom DeLuise, the mirthful, moon-faced comic actor who was a regular on Dean Martin's television variety show in the 1970s and provided frequent comedic support in movies starring Mel Brooks and Burt Reynolds, has died. He was 75.
Mr. DeLuise died Monday evening at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, said his agent, Robert Malcolm. Mr. DeLuise's wife and three sons were with him when he died. The family did not release the cause of death.
Brooks said his good friend "created so much joy and laughter on the set that you couldn't get your work done. So every time I made a movie with Dom, I would plan another two days on the schedule just for laughter.
"It's a sad day. It's hard to think of this life and this world without him."
Reynolds said in a statement: "As you get older and start to lose people you love, you think about it more, and I was dreading this moment. Dom always made you feel better when he was around, and there will never be another like him."
The Brooklyn-born entertainer, who got his start on stage and in children's television in the 1950s, emerged on TV variety shows in the 1960s.
The same decade, he launched his film career, including early roles in comedies such as "The Glass Bottom Boat." But he was best known for his movie work with Brooks and Reynolds.
Beginning with playing a greedy family priest in Brooks' "The Twelve Chairs" in 1970, Mr. DeLuise went on to appear in Brooks' "Blazing Saddles," "Silent Movie," "History of the World: Part I" and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights." He also played the mozzarella-oozing Pizza the Hutt in Brooks' "Star Wars" parody, "Spaceballs."
With Reynolds, Mr. DeLuise appeared in "Smokey and the Bandit II," "The Cannonball Run," "Cannonball Run II," "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" and "The End."
Until the 1970s, Mr. DeLuise was known primarily as a television personality.
While appearing in Meredith Willson's 1963-64 Broadway musical "Here's Love," Mr. DeLuise did a comedy routine as an inept magician, Dominick the Great, on Garry Moore's popular variety show.
That appearance helped pave the way for his becoming a regular on "The Entertainers," a short-lived variety show starring Carol Burnett, Caterina Valente and Bob Newhart that ran on CBS in 1964 and 1965. In 1966, Mr. DeLuise was a regular on "The Dean Martin Summer Show."
Two years later, he hosted "The Dom DeLuise Show," his own comedy-variety summer series on CBS. His wife, Carol Arthur, a Broadway actress whom he married in 1965, was one of the regulars.
In the early '70s, Mr. DeLuise was a staple on "The Dean Martin Show." But he didn't fare as well as the star of his own TV series. "Lotsa Luck," a sitcom in which he played a bachelor New York City bus company's lost-and-found department custodian, ran on NBC in 1973 and 1974.
He also starred in the 1987-88 syndicated sitcom "The Dom DeLuise Show," in which he played a Hollywood barber and widowed single father of a 10-year-old daughter. In 1991, he hosted the short-lived syndicated return of the classic comedy-reality show "Candid Camera."
Over the years, Mr. DeLuise appeared on Broadway a number of times. He even occasionally performed with opera companies, including appearing in the Los Angeles Opera Company's "Orpheus in the Underworld."
The son of Italian immigrants - his father was a city garbage collector, his mother a full-time homemaker - he was born Dominick DeLuise in Brooklyn on Aug. 1, 1933.
The third of three children, Mr. DeLuise developed an interest in acting after playing Scrooge in a junior high school production of "A Christmas Carol" and went on to graduate from the High School of Performing Arts in New York.
He spent summers at the Cleveland Playhouse, where he appeared in productions as varied as "Guys and Dolls" and "Hamlet."
In the early '60s, he was a semiregular on NBC's "The Shari Lewis Show," a Saturday morning children's show in which he played a bumbling private detective.
Mr. DeLuise, whose girth grew greater over the years, was a man who loved to eat. In the late '80s, he wrote a cookbook containing his favorite recipes, "Eat This: It'll Make You Feel Better," which was followed by "Eat This Too!"
Mr. DeLuise also wrote a number of children's books, including "Charlie the Caterpillar" and "The Pouch Potato."
In addition to his wife, Mr. DeLuise is survived by their three sons, Peter, Michael and David; his sister, Anne; and three grandchildren.
This article appeared on page A - 9 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Quote of the Week
"Boys in their twenties are a waste of time. They have nothing to offer conversationally; they're immature. I feel like I have a better shot with someone in his thirties."Megan Fox in Elle Magazine
Indian Point
Last week there was a 'mishap' at the Indian Point nuclear power plant forty miles north of New York City. Turns out an underground pipe leaked 100,000 gallons of water that would be used to cool the reactor in case it overheated.
Back in March, Indian Point was given the fifth consecutive top safety rating by federal regulators. If the safest nuke plant our country has is leaking 100,000 gallons of cooling water, it's time to move on from this ridiculous energy source.
I'm asking you today to join me in calling on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to reject a proposal to keep Indian Point open for another twenty years:
http://www.environmental-action.org/no-more-indian-point?id4=ES
This incident reminded me of my first experience with environmental activism. I was fourteen, and New York State proposed a nuclear waste storage facility eight miles from my high school. My friends and teachers and I went to town hall meetings, protests, and wrote letters. Eventually we won, and the proposal was shelved. But it was a hollow victory.
I realized the waste would have to go somewhere. If not my town then someone else's. Outside of the potential of a meltdown and the safety systems to fail (thanks to one small hole in one pipe), there's the reality that nuclear waste is toxic for tens of thousands of years.
Please join me in calling on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and tell them no more Indian Power Plant.
http://www.environmental-action.org/no-more-indian-point?id4=ES
After you've sent your email, help further by forwarding this along to your friends and family - and thanks for your work.
Sincerely,
Dan Stafford
Environmental Action Organizer
DanS@environmental-action.org
http://www.environmental-action.org
Back in March, Indian Point was given the fifth consecutive top safety rating by federal regulators. If the safest nuke plant our country has is leaking 100,000 gallons of cooling water, it's time to move on from this ridiculous energy source.
I'm asking you today to join me in calling on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to reject a proposal to keep Indian Point open for another twenty years:
http://www.environmental-action.org/no-more-indian-point?id4=ES
This incident reminded me of my first experience with environmental activism. I was fourteen, and New York State proposed a nuclear waste storage facility eight miles from my high school. My friends and teachers and I went to town hall meetings, protests, and wrote letters. Eventually we won, and the proposal was shelved. But it was a hollow victory.
I realized the waste would have to go somewhere. If not my town then someone else's. Outside of the potential of a meltdown and the safety systems to fail (thanks to one small hole in one pipe), there's the reality that nuclear waste is toxic for tens of thousands of years.
Please join me in calling on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and tell them no more Indian Power Plant.
http://www.environmental-action.org/no-more-indian-point?id4=ES
After you've sent your email, help further by forwarding this along to your friends and family - and thanks for your work.
Sincerely,
Dan Stafford
Environmental Action Organizer
DanS@environmental-action.org
http://www.environmental-action.org
Rihanna's Nipples Have Hoop Rings!!!
As a break from more frivolous news, here's the news story of the month:
http://konformist.com/2009/rihanna-nude.jpg
Photo is courtesy of www.Egotastic.com
A foreign FM magazine cover featuring the Barbados babe...
Another shot, courtesy of TheHollywoodGossip.com...
Best Use of a Tux...
And while we're at it, two photos of Cassie, courtesy of PopCrunch.com:
http://konformist.com/2009/rihanna-nude.jpg
Photo is courtesy of www.Egotastic.com
A foreign FM magazine cover featuring the Barbados babe...
Another shot, courtesy of TheHollywoodGossip.com...
Best Use of a Tux...
And while we're at it, two photos of Cassie, courtesy of PopCrunch.com:
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Gaga 4 Gaga
I remember the first time I saw Britney Spears sing quite vividly. I was shopping for electronics with a pal of mine at a West L.A. Best Buy in October of 1998. And there I was, in front of a bunch of large screen televisions, when she appeared, shaking her nubile, flexible body to the beat of "Baby One More Time" while clad in a schoolgirl uniform. When the song was finished, I turned to my friend and gave this simple review: "You know what? I have a new favorite female singer."Little did I know that three months later, little Brit would have the number one single and album on the Billboard Charts, and would be on her way to becoming the biggest pop star on the planet. To my credit, I grasped how a then only sixteen-year-old Spears (something I didn't realize at the time of viewing, but the later revelation of which strangely didn't detract from her appeal) had already mastered the manipulation of video for mass consumption like few others. (Indeed, the entire video concept for the song reputedly came from Spears alone.) But in many ways, I (and others) clearly underestimated her musical talents. True, she rarely has written her own songs, and her voice isn't the most dynamic, but even if you want to dismiss her as pure product, the product she has put out over the last ten years holds up amazingly well. (I would even argue her music has stood the test of time far better than Eminem, who never quite fulfilled the potential of his skills.) And nowhere does that become more evident than when listening to "Baby One More Time" again, as it is one of those perfectly crafted pop songs where the success seems almost obvious in retrospect.
Thinks about it: has anyone changed pop music like Britney did since she hit the scene? For better or for worse, she is the one artist who has defined this decade in pop music. And while some may snicker at that opinion, there's a reason why even after quickie Vegas weddings, Fahrenheit 9/11 cameos, K-Fed, limo beaver shots and VMA meltdowns, the public still forgives her and hungrily laps up every new album of hers like it's an event. The 2003 kiss she shared with Madonna on MTV became a sensation in part because it was the passing of the baton, with even Madonna symbolically acknowledging, after twenty years, she had lost the crown as the Queen of Pop. No artist, male or female, has yet to come even close to ending her royal reign.
Of course, to some degree, she has won the title be default. In rock music, for example, even if you're a fan of Coldplay or Nickleback (and I'm not) it's not like their music caused any shocking shift in the music landscape. There's been no Nirvana and grunge, nor even a Nine Inch Nails and industrial rock. Even a band like Radiohead, who probably would make the best alternative case to Ms. Spears for artist of the zeroes, is more a unique quirk in the machine rather than a gamechanger.
For most of the decade, hip hop picked up some of the slack. It's remarkable that the gangsta sound could, so improbably, become the definition of pop music ten years after Straight Outta Compton. Unfortunately, rap music has become lazy, self-satisfied and derivative, aided in no small part by the devolution from NWA's authentic nihilistic social commentary to shallow celebration of thuggery and crass commercialism. My general reaction to rap music in recent years: okay, so you're bad ass, drive a Bentley and drink Cristal, when you have something else to say, let me know. (Indeed, the main reason behind the popularity of Kanye West is, for all the jokes of his raging ego, he's still more interested in sonic experimentation than repetitive boasts.) The declining sales of hip hop the last five years indicate there are millions who apparently agree. Maybe rap won't face a cultural massacre like hair metal did in the early nineties, but it definitely deserves to.
Meanwhile, the one bright light over the past decade has been female pop, rock and soul: Beyonce (either solo or in Destiny's Child), Gwen Stefani (either solo or in No Doubt), Pink, Alicia Keys, Nelly Furtado, Christina Aguilera, M.I.A., Fiona Apple, Mariah Carey, Norah Jones, Amy Winehouse, Rihanna, Katy Perry. I'm certainly forgetting deserved names here, and that's the point: females really have dominated the musical landscape. And though she's never been given the credit she deserves, Ms. Britney really is the key player in this battle of the sexes by making females the more marketable commodity.
Still, there appears to be a huge vacuum in the pop music landscape that needs to be filled, and I'm not the only one who's been grumbling about it. (I suspect the empty void in pop music is a large part of the YouTube craze caused by the UK's Susan Boyle, and yes, I admit it: I too sobbed like a little girl when I saw her sing.) Even if you give Britney her due, it still would be ten years since a real Next Big Thing has hit the musical scene. Napster didn't even exist back then. With no radical movement in rock or rap since, there's a real mass hunger for a new sound, and a new face, to change the face of pop.
At this point, Lady Gaga isn't exactly an obscure name in pop music: indeed, she already has two number one hits in "Just Dance" and "Poker Face" while her album The Fame has gone top five. Still, if you don't pay her too close attention, she could appear to be just another marketable pretty face, perhaps a bit more talented than average, and certainly a lot more attention-getting with her outrageous fashions, but nothing particularly remarkable.
To some degree, that's how I viewed her, at least at first. It didn't help that I usually caught her music in the background while doing something else, most often at my gym while working out. Despite this, I soon could tell she was fairly attractive and charismatic, had a good voice and had heard she was an amazing live performer. And while her musical style, usually described as elctropop or disco, may not be the favorite of an old hard rock fan like me, she certainly delivered it well, and I liked what I heard. All in all, she reminded me of Pink on her underrated first album, a promising talent who may just turn into something great with material that matched her gifts. Considering that I think Pink is one of the few real bright lights of the last decade, this was quite a positive assessment.
Cut to two weeks ago, and I'm driving around Las Vegas. A basketball game on ESPN AM radio is becoming a blowout, so I turn it to the FM, which I have set on a hard rock station. What I hear is a hard techno beat, and soon a sweet female voice cooing a quasi-rap. I have to admit, the song is a bit unusual for hard rock, but I like it. I mean, really like it. The closest thing I can compare it to is "Hella Good" by No Doubt, one of my favorite songs this decade. And as I continue listening, I get pissed that more rock bands don't try to do something a little more original like this one. And twenty-four seconds into it, that's when I hear it: "Can't read my, can't read my, no he can't read my poker face..."
As you can guess, the song was indeed "Poker Face" - a Grace Jones-esque number by Ms. Gaga. As it turns out, I picked up the song at the 2:18 mark of her video below, which is the only area of the hit I wouldn't immediately recognize. You can see and hear the whole video and song here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAoPJxTvZOQ
It also turns out I wasn't listening to a hard rock station: someone I had been driving with last had left it on a Top 40 station. But "Poker Face" booms so hard, I didn't even notice, and for twenty-four seconds, a disco queen rocked harder than Fall Out Boy, John Mayer and Maroon 5 ever have combined.
This shouldn't be too surprising in retrospect. Lady Gaga's stage name comes from the Queen song "Radio Gaga" and The Fame album title is clearly a nod to the classic David Bowie song. While her major influences include Madonna and Cyndi Lauper, you can also hear the sound of GNR, Motley Crue and Def Leppard in her work. Tellingly, her often partner in crime, Lady Starlight (named after the 70s glam rock song by Sweet) is a DJ who specializes in hard rock like AC/DC and Iron Maiden.
Intrigued, I decided to check out more of her work. And sure enough, she has one particularly tasty rock song on her album titled "Beautiful Dirty Rich". She has another great piano song, so far unreleased but easy to find on YouTube, titled "Honest Eyes" that is worthy of being a single in its own right. The rest of the stuff found on The Fame, however, though having rock influences, is pretty much a blend of Europop, disco and dance music with a few more conventional pop songs in the mix, a combination that isn't my usual tastes. Likewise, lyrically, The Fame is nearly a concept album about the celebrity lifestyle and the search for fame. Some may find it a celebration of the celebrity game, others a satirical critique: my guess is that she means it as both. In either case, though she is quite witty, the subject is not something I find particularly interesting.
So with these caveats indicating I may not be the best audience for her work, let me give my opinion of it: if The Fame isn't the best album at least since Outkast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, and I think it is, it's definitely the most ambitious.
And really, wanting it is over half the battle in success. Take Alicia Keys, for example. Keys is a woman with a ridiculously amazing voice, jaw-dropping knockout looks, and an extremely gifted songwriter to top it off. In a more just universe, I suppose I would have written an article about her in 2007 when she released her last album, which was indeed incredible. But for all her gifts, there is nothing in her work that changes the face of pop music, it merely makes it better. Gaga, in contrast, wants to be the gamechanger, and she is.
The proof that she is a gamechanger is I don't even like her main musical style. I am not a fan of disco, dance or even what goes under the "electropop" label - a term you'll likely soon hear thrown around like "grunge", "alternative" and "gangsta" were in the nineties.
Of course, this reminds me of a funny story: one of my friends is a gay guy who enjoys having affairs with married straight men. (To each his own hobby.) At some point during these affairs, the other guy always tries to insist that he's not gay at all and is still straight. My friend always replies to this one with the same response: "Well, if you're not gay, why is my dick in your asshole?" The point here is I may continue to insist that I don't like electropop, but it's going to sound increasingly unconvincing with Gaga's musical dick up my ass.
I'm not going to pseudo-intellectualize why The Fame is a great album, I'm just going to say that since I listened to it, I can't get the addictively catchy tunes out of my head. That may be the simplest, and most honest, definition of what great music is, and in this case, it seems shrewdly by design. The album is almost as much "pop" as "electropop" in style, different enough to sound decidedly unique, yet familiar enough to be certified for mass appeal, and dabbling enough in as many genres to make everyone an eventual fan. The last time I heard an album so cynically crafted for blockbuster status was when Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones teamed up on Thriller. Frankly, if I didn't believe that Gaga really was the album's main songwriter, I'd suspect The Fame was cooked up in some secret laboratory by a group of evil scientists plotting to take over pop music.
Strangely, despite the obviously sinister plans behind the whole Lady Gaga scheme, others have been even slower than I to catch on. Her album has scored a 71 on Metacritic.com, an impressive number but nothing particularly amazing. Likewise, her album has done well, but has yet to sell a million copies after nine months. It isn't by a lack of effort by Interscope, which has already backed the disc with six videos. (They certainly believed in "Just Dance" enough to push it so the bubbly party tune turned into a deserved number one single.) It seems at this point, the only person who really believes that Gaga will be the biggest star on the planet is Gaga herself. You can see it in her confident strut as she strides through the "Poker Face" video like she's the hottest woman on the planet. (The last time I saw an outrageously dressed, leather-clad blonde prance through a video with such narcissistic arrogance was David Lee Roth in "Yankee Rose".) Living in Vegas, I see too many women walk with that same attitude, and find it to be totally unappealing. But in the case of Gaga, it works, because, by all evidence, she is the hottest woman on the planet.
And that's why, even if Gaga is the only one who believes she's the Next Big Thing, that's more than enough for me. So mark it down, I want to be on record so when it happens, I can smirk with the same self-satisfaction Jose Canseco gets every time one of his outrageous claims about steroids in baseball is found to be completely true. Here is my prediction: at some point before the end of the year, Gagamania is going to hit hyperspace, and she will become the biggest pop star on the planet. And by big, I don't mean merely the hottest pop star of the moment big, I mean so huge the entire music industry has to react to the phenomenon and transform.
This is a done deal. If Lady Gaga was a stock, I'd be raving like Jim Cramer in 2007 to buy. And I say this because I can see the dam is about to burst. Thanks to her over-the-top fashion sense (a bizarre combination of burlesque and tranny stylings, which have lead to opposing rumors that she's a former stripper and that she's actually a man) she's beginning to turn into a tabloid stable just over her outfits alone. Other musicians are dropping her name as the artist they admire (Madonna and Katy Perry are among her fans) and doing cover tributes to her work. (Kanye West and Common teamed up for an interesting rap version of "Poker Face" on YouTube.) Perhaps most important, she gave an audience of over 20 million American Idol viewers a taste of her Warholian live shows last month thanks to a stunning guest performance on the blockbuster bourgeois brain rot. She's just finished the first leg of her first solo tour, and no doubt by the end of the year, she will have seen a million faces and rocked them all. These are the kind of things that happen just as a pop culture hysteria blows up.
But the real reason I know it's going to happen is because I also know the only thing that has stopped her so far. Electropop, or whatever you want to call it, is basically disco, and while it is popular among women and gay males, heterosexual males are pretty resistant to it. An audience of women and homosexuals is enough to top the radio charts, but straight males still won't be buying the albums. Only a few artists (Madonna, Britney, Mariah Carey and the Pussycat Dolls come to mind) have managed to have disco hits popular among guys, and in those cases the women were sex symbols merely dabbling as part of a pop-music sampler plate. So it seems that Gaga's biggest roadblock right now is turning men into fans of her music.
That's why I suspect that once her latest single "LoveGame" begins dominating the radio waves, the battle will be over. The cut is even better than "Poker Face" and plays like it was ripped off the Midnight Express soundtrack. Gaga herself appears to know this is her home run, as in her opening verse, she boasts via lyrics that no doubt will soon be part of the pop culture lexicon: "Let's have some fun, this beat is sick, I wanna take a ride on your disco stick."
"LoveGame" is one of those rare sonic assaults that on first listening, it was though I had heard it both never before and a million times at once. I don't think I'm the only one who will react this way to it. Meanwhile, when it comes to figuring out what appeals to straight men in music, a few questions usually answer this question pretty conclusively:
1) Can you picture this song being played in a strip club as you are getting a lapdance?
2) Can you picture this song being played on ESPN in the background on a Sunday evening while NFL highlights are being shown?
3) Can you picture this song being played on the radio while in an awesome car chase with cops in any version of Grand Theft Auto?
Based on this simple acid test, "LoveGame" passes with flying colors, even more so than "Poker Face" or "Just Dance" does.
But as great as the song "LoveGame" is, the video may be even better. With everything from hot choreography to lesbian kissing, it's the kind of video they used to make back in the ancient days when MTV actually showed music videos rather than really bad reality shows. The YouTube link is below, and I think it speaks for itself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5-ZiNwv6kI
But let me just add the obvious here: the video's greatest asset is Ms. Gaga herself. As I've noted before, she's an attractive woman, albeit there's an oddball charm to her. I suspect if I were a nitpicker, I wouldn't label her a natural beauty like Beyonce or Christina Aguilera. Then again, I'm not a nitpicker, but even if I was, I'd say she uses what she's got better than anyone else. In "LoveGame" she uses it better than ever, and gives a sensual video performance that can only be compared to, you guessed it, Madonna and Britney Spears at their peak. Lady Gaga in "LoveGame" is Jessica Alba on a stripper pole sexy, Ursula Andress rising from the ocean in a bikini sexy. Needless to say, once this video is unleashed on the masses, I don't think she's going to have any trouble converting heterosexual males into fans.
Of course, I could be wrong. Maybe the cheery pop ballad "Eh Eh" (with a title seemingly inspired by the unforgettable hook line to Rihanna's sultry hit "Umbrella") will do the trick, especially with her pinup girl charm in yet another great video. Maybe it'll come from another song that hasn't yet sucked me in yet, but eventually will. The point is, she's got so many weapons off this album at her disposal, it's only a matter of time, and it's gonna happen sooner rather than later.
So what do I think is going to happen by the end of the year? The same frenzy I have seen many times before. She will be the biggest pop star on the planet, with nobody even close. The days of albums selling 10 million copies or more appear to be over, but even that figure doesn't seem implausible. Meanwhile, every record label is going to be trying to copy the Lady Gaga sound, and Top 40 radio will become overloaded with electropop. Perhaps even more important, eventually there'll be some rock and rap artists so disgusted by the fad and their own irrelevance, they'll go out and record something really different in their own right. On this last count, I can only hope.
As for the future of Gaga, a quick fall is certainly a possibility. The rock era of music is notoriously ruthless for eating up its own, quickly chewing them up and spitting them out. Only the artist who can continuously reinvent themselves seem to last. But I wouldn't bet against her at this point. I suspect she may be holding the Queen of Pop title for quite awhile. This is why if I was to give her any unsolicited advice, I’d tell her to trust her instincts, because they clearly are working well for her. Oh, and one other thing, Gaga: buy some lipstick. You're gonna need it pretty soon when you get a big wet kiss from Britney...
Art student's car vanishing act
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/lancashire/8030766.stmSaturday, 2 May 2009
Art student's car vanishing act
Sara Watson took three weeks to transform the car
A design student made a battered old Skoda "disappear" by painting it to merge with the surrounding car park.
Sara Watson, who is studying drawing at the University of Central Lancashire (Uclan), took three weeks to transform the car's appearance.
She created the illusion in the car park outside her studio at Uclan's Hanover Building in Preston.
The car is now being used for advertising by the local recycling firm that donated the vehicle.
'Just amazing'
Ms Watson, a second year student, said: "I was experimenting with the whole concept of illusion but needed something a bit more physical to make a real impact."
She was given the Skoda Fabia from the breaker's yard at local firm Recycling Lives.
Owner Steve Jackson described her work as "amazing".
"When I first saw the photos I was convinced it was something which had been done on the computer," said Mr Jackson.
"But when you look more closely you see the effort and attention to detail she has put into it. It is just amazing."
The Kentucky Derby: Seabiscuit Meets Syriana
By Dave Zirin
Some folks think the Kentucky Derby is one of the sports world's signature events, where horses are athletes to be appreciated for their power and beauty. Others consider the so-called sport of kings ostentatious nonsense, cruel to the animals and one more occasion for the super-rich to throw their money around. And then there are the little people--fewer and fewer as time goes by--the racetrack touts, the little old ladies and assorted winners and losers lined up at the OTB, making $2 bets and hoping to catch a break.
Each of those constituencies found something to believe in at the 2009 Kentucky Derby. This was an underhorse story of cinematic proportions: one part Syriana and two parts Seabiscuit, as the unknown gelding Mine That Bird came out of nowhere to win the Run for the Roses by eight lengths, overcoming greater odds than any horse in six decades. Competing against Hall-of-Fame trainers, the Sultan of Dubai and horses that are catered to like Texas debutantes, Mine That Bird was the tough and tiny horse that could.
Coming out of the gate, the diminutive gelding was squeezed by two larger horses and soon pushed so far to the the rail that he could barely be seen by the 153,000 in attendance. But jockey Calvin Borel used that inside track to his advantage, hugging the rail so closely there were practically sparks between the horse and the edge and rode to victory on the soggy track.
Before the race, the only press Mine That Bird received was for his journey to Kentucky, not his prospects. The horse from Roswell, New Mexico didn't land via flying saucer. He came 1,700 miles in a trailer hitched to the back of trainer Bennie "Chip" Woolley Jr.'s forty-year-old pickup truck. Woolley, a former bareback jockey, had driven the horse to the Derby despite having broken his leg several weeks earlier in a motorcycle accident. Wooley's crutches, black cowboy attire and camera-unfriendly dark glasses stood in stark contrast to the ostentatiously hatted Derby crowd.
And to the media who didn't know what to make of him before the race, the laconic Woolley broke out a smile beneath his broad, black Stetson. "They'll know me now, won't they?''
In an unscripted moment as he encountered Borel after the race, Woolley literally cast his crutches away to embrace the horse and jockey. "To be honest, I didn't have any real feeling that I could win the Derby. All I knew is that we'd be more competitive than anybody thought we would.'' In a sport where trainers have egos that would rival heavyweight-boxing champions, such an admission is more than remarkable: it's cinematic.
Such was the emotion of the race, Borel broke down in tears after crossing the finish line, recounting the recent death of his mother. "You got a hole, you got a shot,'' Borel said, of the way he skillfully guided Mine That Bird through the gaps between horses. "I rode him like a good horse.''
All of this cinematic drama unspooled against a backdrop of recession that saw the lowest attendance at Churchill Downs since 2004. Purel was flowing as fast as mint juleps as health officials issued assurances that swine flu would not impact the race.
Just as Seabiscuit thrilled Depression-era crowds in the 1930s, recession-plagued America now has its own thoroughbred. But while the humble, injured trainer, the volatile jockey, and little horse from nowhere all may all seem to be from central casting, one of the guys who owns Mine the Bird is more connected to central booking.
Mine that Bird is the property of Mark Allen, who, with a partner, bought the horse for $400,000. According to the Anchorage Daily News, Allen bought the horse with proceeds from the sale of VECO, his father's Alaskan oil business. His father, Bill Allen, was a central player in the Sen. Ted Stevens corruption trial and pleaded guilty in 2007 to bribing Alaska politicians. Part of his plea agreement was immunity for his son. Once Bill had Mark in the free and clear, he testified that the Mind That Bird owner was his personal bagman, paying off Alaskan legislators.
Part of Stevens's 2008 conviction--since voided because of prosecutorial misconduct--was failure to disclose gifts given to him by Bill Allen. (Stevens also once co-owned a piece of another Mark Allen horse, So Long Birdie.) Yikes. But as long as Mark Allen wasn't riding Mine That Bird to the payoff spots, the memories of a remarkable day will probably remain intact.
Dave Zirin is the author of “A People’s History of Sports in the United States” (The New Press) Receive his column every week by emailing dave@edgeofsports.com. Contact him at edgeofsports@gmail.com.
Some folks think the Kentucky Derby is one of the sports world's signature events, where horses are athletes to be appreciated for their power and beauty. Others consider the so-called sport of kings ostentatious nonsense, cruel to the animals and one more occasion for the super-rich to throw their money around. And then there are the little people--fewer and fewer as time goes by--the racetrack touts, the little old ladies and assorted winners and losers lined up at the OTB, making $2 bets and hoping to catch a break.
Each of those constituencies found something to believe in at the 2009 Kentucky Derby. This was an underhorse story of cinematic proportions: one part Syriana and two parts Seabiscuit, as the unknown gelding Mine That Bird came out of nowhere to win the Run for the Roses by eight lengths, overcoming greater odds than any horse in six decades. Competing against Hall-of-Fame trainers, the Sultan of Dubai and horses that are catered to like Texas debutantes, Mine That Bird was the tough and tiny horse that could.
Coming out of the gate, the diminutive gelding was squeezed by two larger horses and soon pushed so far to the the rail that he could barely be seen by the 153,000 in attendance. But jockey Calvin Borel used that inside track to his advantage, hugging the rail so closely there were practically sparks between the horse and the edge and rode to victory on the soggy track.
Before the race, the only press Mine That Bird received was for his journey to Kentucky, not his prospects. The horse from Roswell, New Mexico didn't land via flying saucer. He came 1,700 miles in a trailer hitched to the back of trainer Bennie "Chip" Woolley Jr.'s forty-year-old pickup truck. Woolley, a former bareback jockey, had driven the horse to the Derby despite having broken his leg several weeks earlier in a motorcycle accident. Wooley's crutches, black cowboy attire and camera-unfriendly dark glasses stood in stark contrast to the ostentatiously hatted Derby crowd.
And to the media who didn't know what to make of him before the race, the laconic Woolley broke out a smile beneath his broad, black Stetson. "They'll know me now, won't they?''
In an unscripted moment as he encountered Borel after the race, Woolley literally cast his crutches away to embrace the horse and jockey. "To be honest, I didn't have any real feeling that I could win the Derby. All I knew is that we'd be more competitive than anybody thought we would.'' In a sport where trainers have egos that would rival heavyweight-boxing champions, such an admission is more than remarkable: it's cinematic.
Such was the emotion of the race, Borel broke down in tears after crossing the finish line, recounting the recent death of his mother. "You got a hole, you got a shot,'' Borel said, of the way he skillfully guided Mine That Bird through the gaps between horses. "I rode him like a good horse.''
All of this cinematic drama unspooled against a backdrop of recession that saw the lowest attendance at Churchill Downs since 2004. Purel was flowing as fast as mint juleps as health officials issued assurances that swine flu would not impact the race.
Just as Seabiscuit thrilled Depression-era crowds in the 1930s, recession-plagued America now has its own thoroughbred. But while the humble, injured trainer, the volatile jockey, and little horse from nowhere all may all seem to be from central casting, one of the guys who owns Mine the Bird is more connected to central booking.
Mine that Bird is the property of Mark Allen, who, with a partner, bought the horse for $400,000. According to the Anchorage Daily News, Allen bought the horse with proceeds from the sale of VECO, his father's Alaskan oil business. His father, Bill Allen, was a central player in the Sen. Ted Stevens corruption trial and pleaded guilty in 2007 to bribing Alaska politicians. Part of his plea agreement was immunity for his son. Once Bill had Mark in the free and clear, he testified that the Mind That Bird owner was his personal bagman, paying off Alaskan legislators.
Part of Stevens's 2008 conviction--since voided because of prosecutorial misconduct--was failure to disclose gifts given to him by Bill Allen. (Stevens also once co-owned a piece of another Mark Allen horse, So Long Birdie.) Yikes. But as long as Mark Allen wasn't riding Mine That Bird to the payoff spots, the memories of a remarkable day will probably remain intact.
Dave Zirin is the author of “A People’s History of Sports in the United States” (The New Press) Receive his column every week by emailing dave@edgeofsports.com. Contact him at edgeofsports@gmail.com.
Republican VP candidate, congressman Kemp dies
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/02/kemp.obit/
Former Republican VP candidate, congressman Kemp dies
Story Highlights
Jack Kemp, former congressman and vice presidential candidate, dies at 73
Kemp announced in January he was battling cancer
Before politics, Kemp was a professional football quarterback
Kemp also served as secretary of housing and urban development (1989-1993)
5-2-9
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former congressman and Republican vice presidential candidate Jack Kemp died Saturday at age 73 after a battle with cancer, his family announced.
Jack Kemp, a former congressman from New York, was the GOP's vice presidential candidate in 1996.
A onetime professional football player, Kemp served nine terms in Congress as a representative from New York and was former Sen. Bob Dole's running mate in 1996. He was a leading advocate of "supply-side" tax cuts, advancing the argument that cutting taxes would boost economic growth and yield more revenue for the federal government.
"The only way to oppose a bad idea is to replace it with a good idea, and I like to think that I have spent my life trying to promote good ideas," he told CNN in a 1996 interview.
Kemp "passed peacefully into the presence of the Lord" Sunday evening, a family statement said. He disclosed his illness in January.
"During the treatment of his cancer, Jack expressed his gratitude for the thoughts and prayers of so many friends, a gratitude which the Kemp family shares," the family said.
Kemp quarterbacked the Buffalo Bills to back-to-back American Football League championships in 1964 and 1965, before the merger that created the modern NFL. When he retired in 1970 after 13 seasons, the California native ran for Congress and represented the Buffalo area for 18 years in the House of Representatives. View photos of Jack Kemp's life »
"He championed free-market principles that improved the lives of millions of Americans and helped unleash an entrepreneurial spirit that all of us still benefit from today," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, said in a statement issued late Saturday.
The 1981 tax cuts signed into law by Ronald Reagan, which cut marginal tax rates from 70 percent to 50 percent, bore Kemp's name as a co-sponsor. Critics mocked the policy as "trickle-down" economics and pointed to the decade's growing budget deficits as evidence that supply-side theories didn't work, but it has been GOP orthodoxy ever since.
Kemp mounted an unsuccessful presidential bid in 1988, losing the Republican primaries to George H.W. Bush. But once in office, Bush made Kemp his secretary of housing and urban development -- a post Kemp used to promote what he called an "empowerment" agenda of tax breaks for urban businesses and expanded home ownership.
Unlike many of the other conservatives of his era, Kemp actively courted African-American support. In 1992, he told CNN's "Larry King Live" that the GOP "could be a Lincoln party in terms of attracting black and brown and men and women of color and low-income status and immigrant status who want a shot at the American dream for their children."
Former Republican VP candidate, congressman Kemp dies
Story Highlights
Jack Kemp, former congressman and vice presidential candidate, dies at 73
Kemp announced in January he was battling cancer
Before politics, Kemp was a professional football quarterback
Kemp also served as secretary of housing and urban development (1989-1993)
5-2-9
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former congressman and Republican vice presidential candidate Jack Kemp died Saturday at age 73 after a battle with cancer, his family announced.
Jack Kemp, a former congressman from New York, was the GOP's vice presidential candidate in 1996.
A onetime professional football player, Kemp served nine terms in Congress as a representative from New York and was former Sen. Bob Dole's running mate in 1996. He was a leading advocate of "supply-side" tax cuts, advancing the argument that cutting taxes would boost economic growth and yield more revenue for the federal government.
"The only way to oppose a bad idea is to replace it with a good idea, and I like to think that I have spent my life trying to promote good ideas," he told CNN in a 1996 interview.
Kemp "passed peacefully into the presence of the Lord" Sunday evening, a family statement said. He disclosed his illness in January.
"During the treatment of his cancer, Jack expressed his gratitude for the thoughts and prayers of so many friends, a gratitude which the Kemp family shares," the family said.
Kemp quarterbacked the Buffalo Bills to back-to-back American Football League championships in 1964 and 1965, before the merger that created the modern NFL. When he retired in 1970 after 13 seasons, the California native ran for Congress and represented the Buffalo area for 18 years in the House of Representatives. View photos of Jack Kemp's life »
"He championed free-market principles that improved the lives of millions of Americans and helped unleash an entrepreneurial spirit that all of us still benefit from today," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, said in a statement issued late Saturday.
The 1981 tax cuts signed into law by Ronald Reagan, which cut marginal tax rates from 70 percent to 50 percent, bore Kemp's name as a co-sponsor. Critics mocked the policy as "trickle-down" economics and pointed to the decade's growing budget deficits as evidence that supply-side theories didn't work, but it has been GOP orthodoxy ever since.
Kemp mounted an unsuccessful presidential bid in 1988, losing the Republican primaries to George H.W. Bush. But once in office, Bush made Kemp his secretary of housing and urban development -- a post Kemp used to promote what he called an "empowerment" agenda of tax breaks for urban businesses and expanded home ownership.
Unlike many of the other conservatives of his era, Kemp actively courted African-American support. In 1992, he told CNN's "Larry King Live" that the GOP "could be a Lincoln party in terms of attracting black and brown and men and women of color and low-income status and immigrant status who want a shot at the American dream for their children."
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Konformist Klassic Komic Strip of the Month
Konformist Klassic Komic Strip of the Month: Captain Easyhttp://www.toonopedia.com/easy.htm
CAPTAIN EASY
Medium: Newspaper comics
Distributed by: Newspaper Enterprise Association
First Appeared: 1929
Creator: Roy Crane
Captain Easy is another of those characters like Nancy, Snuffy Smith and Popeye — he started out as a supporting player, and wound up taking over the strip.
The daily Wash Tubbs strip had been running five years before Easy made the scene — in fact, it was the very first successful straight adventure strip in American newspapers. During that time, it had become well established that Wash was an adventurous little guy, but not much good in a fight. Cartoonist Roy Crane, Wash's creator, tried out a couple of bigger guys as Wash's sidekicks, but they didn't quite click. On May 6, 1929, he introduced Captain Easy — and before long, Easy was the hero and Wash was the sidekick.
Taciturn and tough, Easy was a vagabond adventurer with a mysterious background. For his first three years, all that was known about him was that he hailed from the South — and that, mainly by his habit of addressing others as "Suh". In 1932, Wash tailed him on his first visit home, and got to meet his family — and his fiance. With Easy apparently on the verge of marrying and settling down, Wash took to the road. But Easy caught up months later, and rejoined him. All Easy would ever say about the incident was that there was not going to be any marriage.
In 1933, Easy got a series of his own. Captain Easy, Soldier of Fortune, started Sunday, June 11, 1933, and dealt with Easy's adventures from before he hooked up with Wash. Like Winsor McCay, whose Little Nemo in Slumberland featured dazzlingly innovative design work, Crane reveled in crafting stunning layouts for his Sunday page. He treated the entire page as a work of art in itself rather than just a collection of panels.
But in 1937, his syndicate, Newspaper Enterprise Association (which also handled Alley Oop, Our Boarding House and other venerable strips), demanded that all Sunday strips be laid out according to strict guidelines, so they could be cut up and rearranged into different formats. This modular construction of Sunday comics has been the norm ever since, only one cartoonist, Bill Watterson of Calvin & Hobbes, having succeeded in breaking free of it. Crane turned the Easy strip over to his assistant and long-time friend, Les Turner, and concentrated on the dailies. (He later said it had been a mistake for him to take on the work of doing both a daily and a Sunday.)
Meanwhile, over in the daily strip, Easy was quickly becoming the star, a process that was pretty much complete by the beginning of World War II. Easy enlisted in the U.S. Army, while Wash got married and settled down. After the war, Easy became a private detective, and had only occasional adventures with Wash.
By that time, Crane was no longer doing the strip — he'd passed the daily, as well, on to Turner in 1943, while he went over to King Features and created Buz Sawyer. The reason was ownership of his creation — NEA was the legal owner of the Tubbs/Easy strip, but King would allow him equity in his work. (A few years later, Milton Caniff would make the same career move, leaving Terry & the Pirates to create Steve Canyon.)
During the 1940s, the daily and Sunday strips merged, continuing to tell separate stories but both set in the present and both featuring Easy as the star and Wash as an inconstant sidekick. In 1949, both were retitled simply Captain Easy, although for years, many papers continued to use Wash Tubbs as the title of the daily.
Walt Scott (The Little People, Disney animation) drew Easy on Sundays, as Turner's assistant, during the 1940s and '50s. Mel Graff (Adventures of Patsy, Secret Agent X-9) began ghosting the Sunday strip in 1960. Turner retired in 1969, turning the operation over to his assistant, Bill Crooks. The strip ended in 1988.
During its six-plus decades, the Tubbs/Easy strip rarely got off the newspaper page, appearing in only a handful of Big Little Books and comic books. But even as it was ending its days in newspapers, it was picked up in reprint form by Flying Buttress Press, an imprint of NBM, which put out an 18-volume edition of the strip's Crane years. Several of those volumes are still in print, giving a new generation the chance to enjoy one of adventure comics' rip-snortin'est classics.
How to identify political parties
This little old lady calls 911. When the dispatcher answers she yells "Help, send the police to my house right away! There's a doggone Democrat on my front porch and he's playing with himself!":
"What?" the dispatcher exclaims.
"I said, there's a daggone Democrat on my front porch playing with himself and he's weird. I don't know him and I'm afraid. Please send the police!" the little old lady repeated.
"Well now, how do you know he's a Democrat?"
"Because, you dang fool, if he was a Republican, he'd be screwing somebody!"
"What?" the dispatcher exclaims.
"I said, there's a daggone Democrat on my front porch playing with himself and he's weird. I don't know him and I'm afraid. Please send the police!" the little old lady repeated.
"Well now, how do you know he's a Democrat?"
"Because, you dang fool, if he was a Republican, he'd be screwing somebody!"
You Tube In Egregious Censorship Of Alex Jones
http://www.prisonplanet.com/you-tube-in-egregious-censorship-of-alex-jones-channel.html
You Tube In Egregious Censorship Of Alex Jones Channel
Corporate gatekeeper claims that showing a print out of an article on live TV, something which happens on every mainstream TV news network every day, equates to copyright violation
Paul Joseph Watson & Kurt Nimmo
Prison Planet.com
Monday, May 4, 2009
You Tube has once again proven itself to be a corporate gatekeeper working to destroy free speech and the alternative media after it suspended the popular ‘Alex Jones Channel’ - primarily because Alex Jones showed a print out of a news article during a live show.
The Alex Jones Channel, started by a fan but since embraced as the “official” Alex Jones micro-site on You Tube, has routinely featured in the website’s most popular ranking charts and has collectively attracted millions of views for videos painstakingly catalogued and uploaded over the past two years.
Those videos are now completely gone after You Tube bosses deleted the channel, primarily because the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette complained that Alex Jones had shown a computer print out of one of their articles about the Poplawski cop killer incident last month.
To claim that showing a print out of an article is a violation of copyright is of course completely insane - not a day goes by without TV news anchors showing newspaper stories on live television. Indeed, C-Span’s popular Washington Journal program almost entirely consists of the host showing clippings of newspaper stories every morning.
The real reason for the deletion in undoubtedly the fact that Alex Jones has been on the forefront of exposing stories that have later become major national scandals, such as the MIAC report. Our coverage of the swine flu hoax has again propelled us to the top of the video ranking charts and this no doubt had You Tube’s corporate owners Google running scared. As we have previously documented - Google has intimate ties with the CIA and the military-industrial complex.
To counter such egregious censorship, we are encouraging everyone to subscribe to and bookmark the new Infowarrior channel and alert people to the fact that this will be the new home for Alex Jones on You Tube (at least until they invent a reason to pull that one too).
YouTube is engaged in a hunting expedition against Alex Jones and other truth tellers. Truth is no longer acceptable on the site as it transforms itself into a pale reflection of Hulu, a site owned and operated by NBC Universal (GE) and Fox Entertainment Group (News Corp), that is to say a joint venture by a corporation owned by a death merchant (GE manufactures attack helicopters and jet engines) and a disinformation platform owned by a notorious neocon, Rupert Murdoch.
In the Hulu-ized universe, there is no room for truth or alternative media — all channels will contain the same schlock and mindless pablum already available on cable and broadcast television.
YouTube, the emerging Hulu-ized version, has no use for Alex Jones and has specifically targeted him because his videos invariably draw a large (in the millions) number of people. His message is not welcome in a commercial space dominated by Wall Street bankers and the “entertainment” transnational corporations they own, operate, and use to disseminate their opiated propaganda.
YouTube is owned by Google, the mega-internet corporation that has as its motto “Don’t be evil.” Of course, for Google evil is a relative matter, especially when it comes to the corporation’s removal or omission of information from its services, especially in the totalitarian gulag of China.
Google is infamous for its politically motivated removal of information. In February 2003, Google stopped showing the adverts of Oceana, a non-profit organization protesting a major cruise ship operation’s sewage treatment practices. In October 2007, Google banned advertisements from Maine U.S. Senator Susan Collins’ reelection campaign because she criticized the Soros operation MoveOn.org. In April 2008, Google refused to run ads for a UK Christian group opposed to abortion.
In addition to taking down Alex Jones videos, YouTube has blocked videos produced by Wael Abbas, an activist who posted videos of police brutality, and the American Life League which is critical of Planned Parenthood.
YouTube has its agenda… and it fits in snugly with the agenda of the New World Order.
You Tube In Egregious Censorship Of Alex Jones Channel
Corporate gatekeeper claims that showing a print out of an article on live TV, something which happens on every mainstream TV news network every day, equates to copyright violation
Paul Joseph Watson & Kurt Nimmo
Prison Planet.com
Monday, May 4, 2009
You Tube has once again proven itself to be a corporate gatekeeper working to destroy free speech and the alternative media after it suspended the popular ‘Alex Jones Channel’ - primarily because Alex Jones showed a print out of a news article during a live show.
The Alex Jones Channel, started by a fan but since embraced as the “official” Alex Jones micro-site on You Tube, has routinely featured in the website’s most popular ranking charts and has collectively attracted millions of views for videos painstakingly catalogued and uploaded over the past two years.
Those videos are now completely gone after You Tube bosses deleted the channel, primarily because the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette complained that Alex Jones had shown a computer print out of one of their articles about the Poplawski cop killer incident last month.
To claim that showing a print out of an article is a violation of copyright is of course completely insane - not a day goes by without TV news anchors showing newspaper stories on live television. Indeed, C-Span’s popular Washington Journal program almost entirely consists of the host showing clippings of newspaper stories every morning.
The real reason for the deletion in undoubtedly the fact that Alex Jones has been on the forefront of exposing stories that have later become major national scandals, such as the MIAC report. Our coverage of the swine flu hoax has again propelled us to the top of the video ranking charts and this no doubt had You Tube’s corporate owners Google running scared. As we have previously documented - Google has intimate ties with the CIA and the military-industrial complex.
To counter such egregious censorship, we are encouraging everyone to subscribe to and bookmark the new Infowarrior channel and alert people to the fact that this will be the new home for Alex Jones on You Tube (at least until they invent a reason to pull that one too).
YouTube is engaged in a hunting expedition against Alex Jones and other truth tellers. Truth is no longer acceptable on the site as it transforms itself into a pale reflection of Hulu, a site owned and operated by NBC Universal (GE) and Fox Entertainment Group (News Corp), that is to say a joint venture by a corporation owned by a death merchant (GE manufactures attack helicopters and jet engines) and a disinformation platform owned by a notorious neocon, Rupert Murdoch.
In the Hulu-ized universe, there is no room for truth or alternative media — all channels will contain the same schlock and mindless pablum already available on cable and broadcast television.
YouTube, the emerging Hulu-ized version, has no use for Alex Jones and has specifically targeted him because his videos invariably draw a large (in the millions) number of people. His message is not welcome in a commercial space dominated by Wall Street bankers and the “entertainment” transnational corporations they own, operate, and use to disseminate their opiated propaganda.
YouTube is owned by Google, the mega-internet corporation that has as its motto “Don’t be evil.” Of course, for Google evil is a relative matter, especially when it comes to the corporation’s removal or omission of information from its services, especially in the totalitarian gulag of China.
Google is infamous for its politically motivated removal of information. In February 2003, Google stopped showing the adverts of Oceana, a non-profit organization protesting a major cruise ship operation’s sewage treatment practices. In October 2007, Google banned advertisements from Maine U.S. Senator Susan Collins’ reelection campaign because she criticized the Soros operation MoveOn.org. In April 2008, Google refused to run ads for a UK Christian group opposed to abortion.
In addition to taking down Alex Jones videos, YouTube has blocked videos produced by Wael Abbas, an activist who posted videos of police brutality, and the American Life League which is critical of Planned Parenthood.
YouTube has its agenda… and it fits in snugly with the agenda of the New World Order.
Swine Flu Crazies
By Jon Rappoport
www.nomorefakenews.com
MAY 3, 2009. The Swine Flu mess continues to evolve. And a mess it is.
Suppose you were a researcher in a lab, and on the first day of the media explosion about “possible Swine Flu,” you received a few swab samples from patients’ doctors in Mexico City. Your job was to find out what was there in those samples. Something new? Something important? Something ordinary?
THAT’S YOUR JOB.
Of course, in a sense, you’re just a cog in a machine. Why? Because you follow certain test procedures. You don’t question whether those procedures are useful or valid. Oh, maybe in the past you had doubts, but you buried those doubts. After all, you have a job to protect. You can’t start making waves.
Now, let’s freeze the frame right there. Are you, the lab researcher, perpetrating a deception if you employ procedures that don’t work, that turn up wrong answers? Are you just making a mistake? Are you being a robot? Are you committing a crime? Are you simply in denial? Are you, like millions of other people around the world, in their jobs, just a cog in a machine? Does it matter?
I’M JUST INTERESTED IN ONE THING. IF YOU SCREW UP, WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES?
OH, LET’S SEE. THE WORLD, DRIVEN BY THE MEDIA AND BY MEDICAL BUREAUCRATS, WILL START JAMMING UP THE AIRWAVES WITH FALSE PRONOUNCEMENTS ABOUT A NEW DISEASE. SCHOOLS WILL CLOSE. EVENTS WILL BE CANCELLED. PEOPLE WILL ENTER A STATE OF FEAR. SOME PEOPLE WILL BE QUARANTINED. OTHER PEOPLE, WHO AREN’T VERY SICK AT ALL AND WOULD ORDINARILY RECOVER ON THEIR OWN, WILL BE GIVEN HIGHLY TOXIC MEDICINES. THESE MEDICINES ON THEIR OWN WILL CAUSE FURTHER ILLNESS. YOU’LL ALSO BE CONTRIBUTING TO A STATE OF AFFAIRS IN WHICH THE SHEEP OF MANY NATIONS WILL MOVE ONE STEP CLOSER TO ACCEPTING THE ORDERS AND COMMANDS OF MEDICAL BIGSHOTS WITHOUT THINKING. AT ANY TIME. FOR ANY REASON. AND, ON TOP OF THAT, YOU’LL ALSO BE HELPING PEOPLE TO CONVINCE THEMSELVES THAT THEY’RE GETTING SICK WHEN THEY AREN’T, BECAUSE SUGGESTIONS OF ILLNESS-FEAR ARE IN THE AIR.
But you, in your lab, don’t really think about all that. You HAVE A JOB TO DO. You test the samples from the patients. Your test is a scientific sham. Somewhere down the line in the past, this test (called a PCR) was brought on board as a way to detect illness. It was never really designed to do that, but it was imported and employed anyway. A misleading test---and you’re using it. THAT’S YOUR JOB.
You analyze the samples and you find what? Tiny amounts of what can only be called genetic debris from the body. It’s there all the time. In this case, you find little gene sequences that suggest pieces of pig virus and bird virus and human virus---and you conclude that you have evidence of a NEW WHOLE VIRUS---A SINGULAR PIG-BIRD-HUMAN FLU VIRUS---and you (or your betters) give it a name. AH1N1. You’re utterly wrong. You have no evidence for your conclusion. But you draw that conclusion.
And now, the wheels really turn. Everybody thinks there is a new virus that is attacking people all over the planet.
Of course, as I say, there is no evidence for that. But who cares?
YOU DID YOUR JOB.
BUT THE TESTS ARE WRONG, INAPPLICABLE, USELESS, AND MISLEADING.
Then why are people using them?
Ask them.
I could give you another 20 pages on the whys and wherefores of it. But for now, I don’t care. I only care that it’s happening with “Swine Flu” before our eyes.
There are people out there who can only think in terms of “it’s a conspiracy” or “it couldn’t be a conspiracy.” They filter everything through one of those channels. They need to think, with clarity, about what is FALSE and what is TRUE first. Why? Because that paints the picture of what is going on. Then they can make up their minds about whether it’s conspiratorial or not.
For example, there are people who hear about a pig-bird-human combo virus that is brand new, and immediately they assume it’s been created in a lab. They assume it’s a biowar germ that’s gotten loose or was let loose on purpose.
BUT IS THERE A VIRUS IN THE FIRST PLACE?
WAS IT EVER REALLY FOUND IN A HUMAN? OR WAS THIS WHOLE FANTASY, AS I’VE DESCRIBED, THE RESULT OF A USELESS TEST AND A USELESS AND FALSE INTERPRETATION OF THE TEST?
Back in the mists of time, there was once the widely-held scientific notion that, in order to know a group of people had a certain disease caused by a certain germ, you had to find the actual whole germ in every one of those patients. It’s almost a truism, isn’t it? And then, on top of that, there was the notion that you had to find A LOT of that germ in each and every patient, because illness comes about when millions of a particular germ are doing their work in the body.
But now those two pillars have been toppled and hauled away. It doesn’t matter anymore. Now, if you do a PCR test on a patient, and you get hints of tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny, TINY amounts of gene fragments, you can write script to your heart’s content. You can say people coughing in Malaysia are suffering from a pig-bird-cow-sheep-ox jumbo combo virus that is new, has never been seen before, and is dangerous, and needs to be treated with TOXIC PHARMACEUTICALS.
Drug companies, by the way, like that sort of script writing. It allows them to sell lots of meds.
JON RAPPOPORT
www.nomorefakenews.com
Jon Rappoport
116 Pleasant Street
Suite 328
Easthampton, MA 01027
Our telephone:
413.282.1000
Add us to your address book
www.nomorefakenews.com
MAY 3, 2009. The Swine Flu mess continues to evolve. And a mess it is.
Suppose you were a researcher in a lab, and on the first day of the media explosion about “possible Swine Flu,” you received a few swab samples from patients’ doctors in Mexico City. Your job was to find out what was there in those samples. Something new? Something important? Something ordinary?
THAT’S YOUR JOB.
Of course, in a sense, you’re just a cog in a machine. Why? Because you follow certain test procedures. You don’t question whether those procedures are useful or valid. Oh, maybe in the past you had doubts, but you buried those doubts. After all, you have a job to protect. You can’t start making waves.
Now, let’s freeze the frame right there. Are you, the lab researcher, perpetrating a deception if you employ procedures that don’t work, that turn up wrong answers? Are you just making a mistake? Are you being a robot? Are you committing a crime? Are you simply in denial? Are you, like millions of other people around the world, in their jobs, just a cog in a machine? Does it matter?
I’M JUST INTERESTED IN ONE THING. IF YOU SCREW UP, WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES?
OH, LET’S SEE. THE WORLD, DRIVEN BY THE MEDIA AND BY MEDICAL BUREAUCRATS, WILL START JAMMING UP THE AIRWAVES WITH FALSE PRONOUNCEMENTS ABOUT A NEW DISEASE. SCHOOLS WILL CLOSE. EVENTS WILL BE CANCELLED. PEOPLE WILL ENTER A STATE OF FEAR. SOME PEOPLE WILL BE QUARANTINED. OTHER PEOPLE, WHO AREN’T VERY SICK AT ALL AND WOULD ORDINARILY RECOVER ON THEIR OWN, WILL BE GIVEN HIGHLY TOXIC MEDICINES. THESE MEDICINES ON THEIR OWN WILL CAUSE FURTHER ILLNESS. YOU’LL ALSO BE CONTRIBUTING TO A STATE OF AFFAIRS IN WHICH THE SHEEP OF MANY NATIONS WILL MOVE ONE STEP CLOSER TO ACCEPTING THE ORDERS AND COMMANDS OF MEDICAL BIGSHOTS WITHOUT THINKING. AT ANY TIME. FOR ANY REASON. AND, ON TOP OF THAT, YOU’LL ALSO BE HELPING PEOPLE TO CONVINCE THEMSELVES THAT THEY’RE GETTING SICK WHEN THEY AREN’T, BECAUSE SUGGESTIONS OF ILLNESS-FEAR ARE IN THE AIR.
But you, in your lab, don’t really think about all that. You HAVE A JOB TO DO. You test the samples from the patients. Your test is a scientific sham. Somewhere down the line in the past, this test (called a PCR) was brought on board as a way to detect illness. It was never really designed to do that, but it was imported and employed anyway. A misleading test---and you’re using it. THAT’S YOUR JOB.
You analyze the samples and you find what? Tiny amounts of what can only be called genetic debris from the body. It’s there all the time. In this case, you find little gene sequences that suggest pieces of pig virus and bird virus and human virus---and you conclude that you have evidence of a NEW WHOLE VIRUS---A SINGULAR PIG-BIRD-HUMAN FLU VIRUS---and you (or your betters) give it a name. AH1N1. You’re utterly wrong. You have no evidence for your conclusion. But you draw that conclusion.
And now, the wheels really turn. Everybody thinks there is a new virus that is attacking people all over the planet.
Of course, as I say, there is no evidence for that. But who cares?
YOU DID YOUR JOB.
BUT THE TESTS ARE WRONG, INAPPLICABLE, USELESS, AND MISLEADING.
Then why are people using them?
Ask them.
I could give you another 20 pages on the whys and wherefores of it. But for now, I don’t care. I only care that it’s happening with “Swine Flu” before our eyes.
There are people out there who can only think in terms of “it’s a conspiracy” or “it couldn’t be a conspiracy.” They filter everything through one of those channels. They need to think, with clarity, about what is FALSE and what is TRUE first. Why? Because that paints the picture of what is going on. Then they can make up their minds about whether it’s conspiratorial or not.
For example, there are people who hear about a pig-bird-human combo virus that is brand new, and immediately they assume it’s been created in a lab. They assume it’s a biowar germ that’s gotten loose or was let loose on purpose.
BUT IS THERE A VIRUS IN THE FIRST PLACE?
WAS IT EVER REALLY FOUND IN A HUMAN? OR WAS THIS WHOLE FANTASY, AS I’VE DESCRIBED, THE RESULT OF A USELESS TEST AND A USELESS AND FALSE INTERPRETATION OF THE TEST?
Back in the mists of time, there was once the widely-held scientific notion that, in order to know a group of people had a certain disease caused by a certain germ, you had to find the actual whole germ in every one of those patients. It’s almost a truism, isn’t it? And then, on top of that, there was the notion that you had to find A LOT of that germ in each and every patient, because illness comes about when millions of a particular germ are doing their work in the body.
But now those two pillars have been toppled and hauled away. It doesn’t matter anymore. Now, if you do a PCR test on a patient, and you get hints of tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny, TINY amounts of gene fragments, you can write script to your heart’s content. You can say people coughing in Malaysia are suffering from a pig-bird-cow-sheep-ox jumbo combo virus that is new, has never been seen before, and is dangerous, and needs to be treated with TOXIC PHARMACEUTICALS.
Drug companies, by the way, like that sort of script writing. It allows them to sell lots of meds.
JON RAPPOPORT
www.nomorefakenews.com
Jon Rappoport
116 Pleasant Street
Suite 328
Easthampton, MA 01027
Our telephone:
413.282.1000
Add us to your address book
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Stop using Hydroxycut products, FDA says
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/05/01/hydroxycut.fda.recall/
Stop using Hydroxycut products, FDA says
Story Highlights
FDA recalls Hydroxycut products after 23 liver injuries and one death
Hydroxycut products used as popular dietary supplement for weight loss
Damage from product: liver failure, jaundice, seizures, cardiovascular problems
By Saundra Young
5-1-9
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Hydroxycut products, popular dietary supplements used for weight loss, have been linked to liver damage and are being recalled, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday.
The FDA has received 23 reports of serious liver injuries, including a death, linked to Hydroxycut products.
The FDA said it has received 23 reports of serious liver injuries linked to Hydroxycut products, which are also used as energy enhancers and as fat burners.
The reports include the 2007 death of a 19-year-old male living in the Southwest, which was just reported to the FDA in March. Other serious liver problems reported included liver damage that resulted in a transplant in 2002, liver failure, jaundice, seizures and cardiovascular problems.
The FDA is warning consumers to immediately stop using 14 Hydroxycut products manufactured by Iovate Health Sciences Inc. of Oakville, Ontario, and distributed by Iovate Health Sciences USA Inc. of Blasdell, New York.
The company is voluntarily recalling the following products: Hydroxycut Regular Rapid Release Caplets, Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Rapid Release Caplets, Hydroxycut Hardcore Liquid Caplets, Hydroxycut Max Liquid Caplets, Hydroxycut Regular Drink Packets, Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Drink Packets, Hydroxycut Hardcore Drink Packets (Ignition Stix), Hydroxycut Max Drink Packets, Hydroxycut Liquid Shots, Hydroxycut Hardcore RTDs (Ready-to-Drink), Hydroxycut Max Aqua Shed, Hydroxycut 24, Hydroxycut Carb Control and Hydroxycut Natural.
According to the FDA, last year, Iovate sold more than 9 million units of Hydroxycut products, which were distributed widely to grocery stores, health food stores and pharmacies.
"The FDA urges consumers to discontinue use of Hydroxycut products in order to avoid any undue risks. Adverse events are rare, but exist. Consumers should consult a physician or other health care professional if they experience symptoms possibly associated with these products," said Dr. Linda Katz, interim chief medical officer of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
Liver damage is rare, but patients who experienced problems were taking doses recommended on the product label, the FDA said. Symptoms include brown urine, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, stomach pain, itching and light-colored stools.
The FDA has not yet determined what specific ingredients are responsible for the problems, because the products contain a variety of overlapping ingredients and herbal extracts.
Dietary supplements sold before October 1994 are not required to undergo any FDA review before going to market. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA) required manufacturers to ensure a supplement to be safe before marketing. But manufacturers still don't need to register a product with the FDA or get approval before selling a supplement.
The agency can take action against an unsafe supplement once it's on the market. Since December 2007, any serious adverse event reported to the manufacturer must now be reported to the FDA within 15 days.
Stop using Hydroxycut products, FDA says
Story Highlights
FDA recalls Hydroxycut products after 23 liver injuries and one death
Hydroxycut products used as popular dietary supplement for weight loss
Damage from product: liver failure, jaundice, seizures, cardiovascular problems
By Saundra Young
5-1-9
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Hydroxycut products, popular dietary supplements used for weight loss, have been linked to liver damage and are being recalled, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday.
The FDA has received 23 reports of serious liver injuries, including a death, linked to Hydroxycut products.
The FDA said it has received 23 reports of serious liver injuries linked to Hydroxycut products, which are also used as energy enhancers and as fat burners.
The reports include the 2007 death of a 19-year-old male living in the Southwest, which was just reported to the FDA in March. Other serious liver problems reported included liver damage that resulted in a transplant in 2002, liver failure, jaundice, seizures and cardiovascular problems.
The FDA is warning consumers to immediately stop using 14 Hydroxycut products manufactured by Iovate Health Sciences Inc. of Oakville, Ontario, and distributed by Iovate Health Sciences USA Inc. of Blasdell, New York.
The company is voluntarily recalling the following products: Hydroxycut Regular Rapid Release Caplets, Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Rapid Release Caplets, Hydroxycut Hardcore Liquid Caplets, Hydroxycut Max Liquid Caplets, Hydroxycut Regular Drink Packets, Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Drink Packets, Hydroxycut Hardcore Drink Packets (Ignition Stix), Hydroxycut Max Drink Packets, Hydroxycut Liquid Shots, Hydroxycut Hardcore RTDs (Ready-to-Drink), Hydroxycut Max Aqua Shed, Hydroxycut 24, Hydroxycut Carb Control and Hydroxycut Natural.
According to the FDA, last year, Iovate sold more than 9 million units of Hydroxycut products, which were distributed widely to grocery stores, health food stores and pharmacies.
"The FDA urges consumers to discontinue use of Hydroxycut products in order to avoid any undue risks. Adverse events are rare, but exist. Consumers should consult a physician or other health care professional if they experience symptoms possibly associated with these products," said Dr. Linda Katz, interim chief medical officer of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
Liver damage is rare, but patients who experienced problems were taking doses recommended on the product label, the FDA said. Symptoms include brown urine, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, stomach pain, itching and light-colored stools.
The FDA has not yet determined what specific ingredients are responsible for the problems, because the products contain a variety of overlapping ingredients and herbal extracts.
Dietary supplements sold before October 1994 are not required to undergo any FDA review before going to market. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA) required manufacturers to ensure a supplement to be safe before marketing. But manufacturers still don't need to register a product with the FDA or get approval before selling a supplement.
The agency can take action against an unsafe supplement once it's on the market. Since December 2007, any serious adverse event reported to the manufacturer must now be reported to the FDA within 15 days.
Justice David Souter to retire from Supreme Court
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/30/justice.souter.retiring/
Justice David Souter to retire from Supreme Court, source says
Story Highlights
Souter will leave after the current court term recesses in June, source says
Souter's replacement would be President Obama's first Supreme Court appointment
Souter, 69, was tapped by President George H.W. Bush, disappointed conservatives
Souter's departure will leave the two oldest justices still on the bench
4-30-9
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- After more than 18 years on the nation's highest court, Supreme Court Justice David Souter is retiring, a source close to Souter told CNN Thursday.
David Souter has served more than 18 years on the Supreme Court.
Souter will leave after the current court term recesses in June, the source said.
Filling Souter's seat would be President Barack Obama's first Supreme Court appointment -- and the first since George W. Bush's picks of Samuel Alito in 2006 and Chief Justice John Roberts in 2005.
Souter, 69, was tapped for the court by President George H.W. Bush in 1990, but disappointed many conservatives when he turned out to be a typical old-fashioned Yankee Republican -- a moderate, with an independent, even quirky streak.
Souter's departure will leave the two oldest justices -- and the most liberal -- still on the bench. Retirements for John Paul Stevens, 89, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 76, have been rumored for years, with many expecting that one or the other would be the first to give a new Democratic president a Supreme Court vacancy.
Souter's decision came as something of a surprise, although he has long been known to prefer the quiet of his New Hampshire farmhouse to the bustle of the nation's capital.
Justice David Souter to retire from Supreme Court, source says
Story Highlights
Souter will leave after the current court term recesses in June, source says
Souter's replacement would be President Obama's first Supreme Court appointment
Souter, 69, was tapped by President George H.W. Bush, disappointed conservatives
Souter's departure will leave the two oldest justices still on the bench
4-30-9
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- After more than 18 years on the nation's highest court, Supreme Court Justice David Souter is retiring, a source close to Souter told CNN Thursday.
David Souter has served more than 18 years on the Supreme Court.
Souter will leave after the current court term recesses in June, the source said.
Filling Souter's seat would be President Barack Obama's first Supreme Court appointment -- and the first since George W. Bush's picks of Samuel Alito in 2006 and Chief Justice John Roberts in 2005.
Souter, 69, was tapped for the court by President George H.W. Bush in 1990, but disappointed many conservatives when he turned out to be a typical old-fashioned Yankee Republican -- a moderate, with an independent, even quirky streak.
Souter's departure will leave the two oldest justices -- and the most liberal -- still on the bench. Retirements for John Paul Stevens, 89, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 76, have been rumored for years, with many expecting that one or the other would be the first to give a new Democratic president a Supreme Court vacancy.
Souter's decision came as something of a surprise, although he has long been known to prefer the quiet of his New Hampshire farmhouse to the bustle of the nation's capital.
Details on A-Rod's alleged pitch-tipping scheme
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/mlb/04/30/roberts.qa/
Thursday April 30, 2009
Details on A-Rod's alleged pitch-tipping scheme in Texas
Story Highlights
Roberts: Rangers people noticed Alex doing obvious signs to opposing hitters
Roberts: He'd tip a buddy on the other team and the player would return the favor
According to Roberts, some Rangers were aware of A-Rod's pitch-tipping
Alex Rodriguez allegedly made movements with his glove and leaned different ways to indicate pitch and location.
A report in the New York Daily News alleged that in a new book on Alex Rodriguez to be published this Monday by Harper Collins, the star tipped pitches when he was with the Texas Rangers, essentially signaling to friendly opponents what pitch was coming. SI senior writer Selena Roberts, who along with David Epstein broke the story in February about A-Rod's use of performance enhancing drugs, wrote the book and talked to SI.com about the allegations.
SI.com: The book claims that A-Rod tipped opposing players to pitches in the late innings of blowouts, an affront not only to teammates but also to the integrity of the game. How often was this practice performed and how does this affect his standing with his peers?
Selena Roberts: The pitch-tipping was often enough over three years to become a pattern noticeable by the ex-Rangers sources that I spoke to. Only a small number of Rangers knew about the quid pro quo that Alex was involved in and did not want it to spread around the clubhouse because it would have been devastating to the team.
SI.com: How did this pitch-tipping originate?
Selena Roberts: I don't know the history of how it has worked in the major leagues, but from my reporting and the people I spoke with on the Rangers, what they noticed was a pattern of behavior by Alex over a pretty lengthy period of time, two or three years, where it just became more noticeable that his mannerisms on the field were different in games that were already over, its 10-2, something like that. When games were already decided, they noticed this behavior with Alex where he would do very obvious signs, presumably to an opposing hitter who would be a middle infielder on an opposing team, where they believed that he would tip the signs.
SI.com: Why was he doing this?
Roberts: What this was all part of was a quid pro quo, according to the people I spoke with. Alex would tip his middle infielder buddy on the other team and the player on the other team would in turn tip Alex. What it was was slump insurance. You could count on your buddy to help you break out of your slump, if you're 0 for 3 or you've had a bad week. There was no intent to throw a game or change the outcome.
SI.com: How would he tip the pitches?
Roberts: If it was a changeup, sources say, he would twist his glove hand. To indicate a slider, he would allegedly sweep the dirt in front of him, and he would bend in the direction of where the pitch was going to be, inside or outside. I don't know that it's easy to decode. You're talking about people who see a player on an every-day basis, day after day, year after year. I don't know that it would be at all obvious to people who are watching or to a television audience. These are people who would know how to detect when things don't feel right. If it happened once or twice, people might say, Let's give him the benefit of the doubt, maybe we didn't see what we thought we saw. But according to the people that I spoke with, this was a pattern of behavior.
SI.com: So if teammates noticed it, how did they handle it?
Roberts: At least one teammate in a very gentle way did say, "Hey, you might be tipping a little too soon out there." What would usually happen would be for Alex to signal the pitch to his teammates as the pitcher was in the windup; that way the batter is focused on the pitcher and not able to see the sign. However, these signs Alex would flash came before the windup and that made it more noticeable. This is the critical difference between signaling your infield as quarterback and giving away the pitch to the hitter: when you flash the sign. This was done to give the batter plenty of time to see it and figure out what to do about it.
But one player trying to be diplomatic told me that he said, "I think you're tipping a little too soon," and the response from Alex was, "What are you talking about?" I don't think Alex was irritated at the player; I think he felt that he had been scrutinized too closely, that someone else was trying to tell him how to do his job. These people who knew about it or witnessed it knew how it would play in the clubhouse if it became an issue. These were all reasons why it didn't become a bigger deal than it was, because people wanted to keep it under wraps.
SI.com: How many people knew about this?
Roberts: I think it was kept to a very small group of people. The people that are noticing this, it's not something that you want to tell anybody else. You want to keep it to yourself until it becomes something you can't ignore anymore. If this had been a situation where it was determining the outcome of a game, obviously it would have been a much different story.
Thursday April 30, 2009
Details on A-Rod's alleged pitch-tipping scheme in Texas
Story Highlights
Roberts: Rangers people noticed Alex doing obvious signs to opposing hitters
Roberts: He'd tip a buddy on the other team and the player would return the favor
According to Roberts, some Rangers were aware of A-Rod's pitch-tipping
Alex Rodriguez allegedly made movements with his glove and leaned different ways to indicate pitch and location.
A report in the New York Daily News alleged that in a new book on Alex Rodriguez to be published this Monday by Harper Collins, the star tipped pitches when he was with the Texas Rangers, essentially signaling to friendly opponents what pitch was coming. SI senior writer Selena Roberts, who along with David Epstein broke the story in February about A-Rod's use of performance enhancing drugs, wrote the book and talked to SI.com about the allegations.
SI.com: The book claims that A-Rod tipped opposing players to pitches in the late innings of blowouts, an affront not only to teammates but also to the integrity of the game. How often was this practice performed and how does this affect his standing with his peers?
Selena Roberts: The pitch-tipping was often enough over three years to become a pattern noticeable by the ex-Rangers sources that I spoke to. Only a small number of Rangers knew about the quid pro quo that Alex was involved in and did not want it to spread around the clubhouse because it would have been devastating to the team.
SI.com: How did this pitch-tipping originate?
Selena Roberts: I don't know the history of how it has worked in the major leagues, but from my reporting and the people I spoke with on the Rangers, what they noticed was a pattern of behavior by Alex over a pretty lengthy period of time, two or three years, where it just became more noticeable that his mannerisms on the field were different in games that were already over, its 10-2, something like that. When games were already decided, they noticed this behavior with Alex where he would do very obvious signs, presumably to an opposing hitter who would be a middle infielder on an opposing team, where they believed that he would tip the signs.
SI.com: Why was he doing this?
Roberts: What this was all part of was a quid pro quo, according to the people I spoke with. Alex would tip his middle infielder buddy on the other team and the player on the other team would in turn tip Alex. What it was was slump insurance. You could count on your buddy to help you break out of your slump, if you're 0 for 3 or you've had a bad week. There was no intent to throw a game or change the outcome.
SI.com: How would he tip the pitches?
Roberts: If it was a changeup, sources say, he would twist his glove hand. To indicate a slider, he would allegedly sweep the dirt in front of him, and he would bend in the direction of where the pitch was going to be, inside or outside. I don't know that it's easy to decode. You're talking about people who see a player on an every-day basis, day after day, year after year. I don't know that it would be at all obvious to people who are watching or to a television audience. These are people who would know how to detect when things don't feel right. If it happened once or twice, people might say, Let's give him the benefit of the doubt, maybe we didn't see what we thought we saw. But according to the people that I spoke with, this was a pattern of behavior.
SI.com: So if teammates noticed it, how did they handle it?
Roberts: At least one teammate in a very gentle way did say, "Hey, you might be tipping a little too soon out there." What would usually happen would be for Alex to signal the pitch to his teammates as the pitcher was in the windup; that way the batter is focused on the pitcher and not able to see the sign. However, these signs Alex would flash came before the windup and that made it more noticeable. This is the critical difference between signaling your infield as quarterback and giving away the pitch to the hitter: when you flash the sign. This was done to give the batter plenty of time to see it and figure out what to do about it.
But one player trying to be diplomatic told me that he said, "I think you're tipping a little too soon," and the response from Alex was, "What are you talking about?" I don't think Alex was irritated at the player; I think he felt that he had been scrutinized too closely, that someone else was trying to tell him how to do his job. These people who knew about it or witnessed it knew how it would play in the clubhouse if it became an issue. These were all reasons why it didn't become a bigger deal than it was, because people wanted to keep it under wraps.
SI.com: How many people knew about this?
Roberts: I think it was kept to a very small group of people. The people that are noticing this, it's not something that you want to tell anybody else. You want to keep it to yourself until it becomes something you can't ignore anymore. If this had been a situation where it was determining the outcome of a game, obviously it would have been a much different story.
A-Rod mum on claims he used steroids in H.S.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gDyhPDBjnfHf9yHdoOLA9DsFnGAAD97T02G81
A-Rod mum on claims he used steroids while in H.S.
4-30-9
NEW YORK (AP) — Alex Rodriguez refused to address allegations that he used steroids when he was a highly touted high school player and with the New York Yankees. Rodriguez admitted in February to using performance-enhancing drugs while with the Texas Rangers but insisted he stopped before he was traded to the Yankees in 2004.
He brushed off a question Thursday about some details from Sports Illustrated writer Selena Roberts' upcoming book "A-Rod" that cast doubt on his earlier statements.
"I'm not going there," he said after homering in an extended spring training intrasquad game in Tampa, Fla. "I'm just so excited about being back on the field and playing baseball. My team has won two games (in a row) up there and hopefully I can come back and help them win some more."
The Daily News reported in Thursday's edition that Roberts' book offers an unflattering portrait of the MVP slugger as a needy personality who wanted his ego stroked constantly.
The paper doesn't say how it obtained a copy of the Harper Collins book, scheduled to be released on Monday.
A high school teammate of A-Rod's told Roberts that the future No. 1 draft pick was on steroids as a prep player and his coach knew it — an allegation the coach, Rich Hofman, denied.
Rodriguez said he wasn't worried that the steroids issue was being brought up again.
"No. Not really," he said. "I'm in a good place. I think more importantly physically I feel like I'm getting better everyday. We've had a great week here. We've worked extremely hard, and I'm just very anxious to do what God put me on this earth to do, to play baseball."
In the book, an unnamed major leaguer is quoted as saying A-Rod and former Yankees pitcher Kevin Brown, who was named in the Mitchell Report, were seen together with human growth hormone — or HGH — in 2004.
The book also goes on to say that two anonymous Yankees said they believed A-Rod was using banned substances based on visual side effects, and that a clubhouse staffer said management had a suspicion that that the third baseman may have been juicing.
Rodriguez, in Florida rehabbing his surgically repaired hip, went 1-for-6 with two walks in the extended spring game. He had a long homer to left center in his sixth plate appearance.
He will play in another extended spring game Friday against Pirates minor leaguers at Pittsburgh's complex in Bradenton, Fla.
Rodriguez said he needs to run the bases at full speed and is still on target to return to the Yankees in May.
"I think the last thing I'm going to do here before I leave is sliding," he said. "I think sliding is probably the thing I have the most reservation about because you have to get on your hip and bounce on it a little bit. Everything else seems so far on schedule."
A-Rod mum on claims he used steroids while in H.S.
4-30-9
NEW YORK (AP) — Alex Rodriguez refused to address allegations that he used steroids when he was a highly touted high school player and with the New York Yankees. Rodriguez admitted in February to using performance-enhancing drugs while with the Texas Rangers but insisted he stopped before he was traded to the Yankees in 2004.
He brushed off a question Thursday about some details from Sports Illustrated writer Selena Roberts' upcoming book "A-Rod" that cast doubt on his earlier statements.
"I'm not going there," he said after homering in an extended spring training intrasquad game in Tampa, Fla. "I'm just so excited about being back on the field and playing baseball. My team has won two games (in a row) up there and hopefully I can come back and help them win some more."
The Daily News reported in Thursday's edition that Roberts' book offers an unflattering portrait of the MVP slugger as a needy personality who wanted his ego stroked constantly.
The paper doesn't say how it obtained a copy of the Harper Collins book, scheduled to be released on Monday.
A high school teammate of A-Rod's told Roberts that the future No. 1 draft pick was on steroids as a prep player and his coach knew it — an allegation the coach, Rich Hofman, denied.
Rodriguez said he wasn't worried that the steroids issue was being brought up again.
"No. Not really," he said. "I'm in a good place. I think more importantly physically I feel like I'm getting better everyday. We've had a great week here. We've worked extremely hard, and I'm just very anxious to do what God put me on this earth to do, to play baseball."
In the book, an unnamed major leaguer is quoted as saying A-Rod and former Yankees pitcher Kevin Brown, who was named in the Mitchell Report, were seen together with human growth hormone — or HGH — in 2004.
The book also goes on to say that two anonymous Yankees said they believed A-Rod was using banned substances based on visual side effects, and that a clubhouse staffer said management had a suspicion that that the third baseman may have been juicing.
Rodriguez, in Florida rehabbing his surgically repaired hip, went 1-for-6 with two walks in the extended spring game. He had a long homer to left center in his sixth plate appearance.
He will play in another extended spring game Friday against Pirates minor leaguers at Pittsburgh's complex in Bradenton, Fla.
Rodriguez said he needs to run the bases at full speed and is still on target to return to the Yankees in May.
"I think the last thing I'm going to do here before I leave is sliding," he said. "I think sliding is probably the thing I have the most reservation about because you have to get on your hip and bounce on it a little bit. Everything else seems so far on schedule."
Konformist Babe of the Week: Susan von Seggern
(Even if she's off the market...)It's been a few years since The Konformist staff has seen Susan Mainzer, a publicist formerly of Green Galactic. Turns out, she is now married happily and doing well. Congrats Susan von Seggern, even if there's one less available babe in the USA...
http://www.greensceneusa.com/my-green-scene/Susan-Mainzer-m-80.html
Susan von Seggern
City: Los Angeles, California
Age: 40
Gender: Female
Status: married
Kids: none yet!
Pets: dog - Cooper
Place of Work: Freelance
Occupation: Publicist
Schools: New York University '90
General Interests: reading, saving the planet, music, yoga, meditation
About Me
I am an typical gen Xer, just turned 40, who realized that things were wrong on planet earth in my 80s punk rock teens. I started recycling in NYC in college - you had to take the papers to the recycling center then! It was also around that time when I realized that all of our decisions impact our world. When I moved to Los Angeles my first new car was a Geo Metro convertible, which in addition to being cute, also got 35/50 mpg. It only had an 8 gallon tank! I have worked at home for the last five years so no commuting! My fiance bikes to work. I have done PR for almost 20 years and am now working for various corporate, cause and cultural clients. Additionally my husband and I and some friends have have just started an organic gardening consulting service called Mulchmeister.
Green Passions
recycling, organic gardening - we grow peppers, tomatoes and herbs, we also have a tangarine tree, cooking organic, going to the farmer's market to buy local and organic, reading about ways to be more green, supporting politicians who understand the difficult future we face.
Favorite Green Places
Hollywood Farmers Market, all Thai vegan places in LA especially California Vegan since I can walk there, Griffith Park, Hollywood Reservoir, Runyon Canyon,
Favorite Green Products
all 7th Gen stuff, Ralphs (Kroger) Private Selection Organic (let's encourage the mainstream grocery stores to go green!), Earth Friendly Products Everyday Stain & Odor remover (seriously red wine and pet stains, no problem!), Britta pitcher, House Organic Tofu, very excited about my client Rock Row, the 1st LEED certified subdivision in LA! www.leangreenlivingmachine.com
THE SHADOW OVER SANTA SUSANA
http://www.creationbooks.com/creation-titles/SANTASUSANA.htmlTHE SHADOW OVER SANTA SUSANA
BLACK MAGIC, MIND CONTROL, AND THE MANSON FAMILY MYTHOS
from acid sex to satanic slaughter
40 years after the infamous Tate-LaBianca murder case of August 1969,
Creation Books presents a definitive account of those killings
and their perpetrators, the Charles Manson Family.
In this revised and updated edition of THE SHADOW OVER SANTA SUSANA, investigative journalist Adam Gorightly takes his readers on a black magic carpet ride from the Hollywood "Beautiful People" scene of the late 60's through to the vast desert landscapes of a Death Valley gone mad - with all the love-ins and murderous creepy-crawls that happened along the way. He also investigates a number of conspiracy theories, both old and original, about the Manson case. The result is the most complete document published to date on Manson and his “Love and Terror Cult”, an illustrated kill-bible for the coffee-tables of all self-respecting true crime buffs, counter-culture freaks and aspiring teenage satanists.
Includes over 200 photographic illustrations.
“The single greatest book about crazy Charlie and his hippie chicks!”
–Michael Marinacci, author of Mysterious California
Size: 7 X 10 inches, 192 pages. $19.95.
PUBLISHED AUGUST 8 2009: PRE-ORDER NOW!
SPECIAL DISCOUNT PRICE $14.95 + SHIPPING
The first 100 pre-orders will receive a free music CD by author Adam Gorightly's band Good News For Modern Man, featuring 2 Manson-inspired tracks "Leave Something Witchy" and "Flowers And Blood"
ALSO AVAILABLE:
STRICTLY LIMITED HARDBACK EDITION
A collector's edition of 69 copies only.The limited hardback collector's edition of SHADOW OVER SANTA SUSANA includes an additonal 64 pages of rare bonus material, including interviews, testimonies and letters by Charles Manson, Tex Watson, Bobby Beausoleil, and Susan Atkins. The books are bound in blood-red cloth with black gloss stamping, and black endpapers. Each copy is also individually numbered and signed by the author.
LIMITED HARDBACK: $69.00 plus shipping ($5 in the USA, $15 outside the USA).
Published: July 1, 2009
Only available at creationbooks.com
"Bernie Madoff, Scapegoat" by Michael Moore
"Bernie Madoff, Scapegoat" by Michael Moore (for Time magazine)
Fri, 01 May 2009
Michael Moore
maillist@michaelmoore.com>
The following piece written by Michael Moore appears in this week's Time magazine (and in full at Time.com) as part of their annual "Time 100" issue highlighting their choices for "The World's Most Influential People."
Elie Wiesel called him a "God." His investors called him a "genius." But, proving correct that old adage from the country and western song, you never really know what goes on behind closed doors.
Bernie Madoff, for at least 20 years, ran a Ponzi scheme on thousands of clients, among them the people you and I would consider the best and brightest. Business leaders, celebrities, charities, even some of his own relatives and his defense attorney were taken for a ride (this has to be the first time a lawyer was hosed by the client).
We're clearly in one of those historic, game changing years: up is down, red is blue and black is President. Aside from Obama himself, no person will provide a more iconic face of this end-of-capitalism-as-we-know-it year than Bernard Lawrence Madoff.
Which is too bad. Yes, he stole $65 billion from some already quite wealthy people. I know that's upsetting to them because rich guys like Bernie are not supposed to be stealing from their own kind. Crime, thievery, looting — that's what happens on the other side of town. The rules of the money game on Park Avenue and Wall Street are comprised of things like charging the public 29% credit card interest, tricking people into taking out a second mortgage they can't afford, and concocting a student loan system that has graduates in hock for the next 20 years. Now that's smart business! And it's legal. That's where Bernie went wrong — his scheming, his trickery was an outrage both because it was illegal and because he preyed on his side of the tracks.
Had Mr. Madoff just followed the example of his fellow top one-percenters, there were many ways he could have legally multiplied his wealth many times over. Here's how it's done. First, threaten your workers that you'll move their jobs offshore if they don't agree to reduce their pay and benefits. Then move those jobs offshore. Then place that income on the shores of the Cayman Islands and pay no taxes. Don't put the money back into your company. Put it into your pocket and the pockets of your shareholders. There! Done! Legal!
But Bernie wanted to play X-games Capitalism, run by the mantra that's at the core of all capitalistic endeavors: Enough Is Never Enough. You have the right to make as much as you can, and if people are too stupid to read the fine print of their health insurance policy or their GM "100,000-mile warranty," well, tough luck, losers. Buyers beware!
It would be too easy — and the wrong lesson learned — to put Bernie on TIME's list all by himself. If Ponzi schemes are such a bad thing, then why have we allowed all of our top banks to deal in credit default swaps and other make-believe rackets? Why did we allow those same banks to create the scam of a sub-prime mortgage? And instead of putting the people responsible in the cell block in Lower Manhattan, where Bernie now resides, why did we give them huge sums of our hard-earned tax dollars to bail them out of their self-inflicted troubles? Bernard Madoff is nothing more than the scab on the wound. He's also a most-needed and convenient distraction. Where's the photo on this list of the ex-chairmen of AIG, Merrill Lynch and Citigroup? Where's the mug shot of Phil Gramm, the senator who wrote the bill to strip the system of its regulations, or of the President who signed that bill? And how 'bout those who ran the fake numbers at the ratings agencies, the lobbyists who succeeded in making sleazy accounting a lawful practice, or the stock market itself — an institution that's treated like the Holy Sepulchre instead of the casino that it is (and, like all other casinos, the house eventually wins).
And what of Madoff's clients themselves? What did they think was going on to guarantee them incredible returns on their investments every single year — when no one else on planet Earth was getting anything like that? Some have admitted they did have an inkling "something was up," but no one really wanted to ask what it was that was making their money grow on trees. They were afraid they might find out it had nothing to do with gardening. Many of Madoff's victims have told investigators that, over the years, they have made much more than the original investment they gave Bernie. If I buy a stolen car from the guy down the street, the police will take that car from me regardless of whether I knew it was stolen. If I knew it was stolen, then I go to jail for receiving stolen property. Will these "victims" give back their gains that were fraudulently obtained? Will the head of Goldman Sachs reveal what he was doing at the meetings with the Fed chairman and the Treasury secretary before the bailout? Will Bank of America please tell us what they've spent $45 billion of our TARP money on?
That's probably going too far. Better that we just put Bernie on this list.
Moore's new documentary on the wonders of capitalism will be in movie theaters this fall.
Fri, 01 May 2009
Michael Moore
maillist@michaelmoore.com>
The following piece written by Michael Moore appears in this week's Time magazine (and in full at Time.com) as part of their annual "Time 100" issue highlighting their choices for "The World's Most Influential People."
Elie Wiesel called him a "God." His investors called him a "genius." But, proving correct that old adage from the country and western song, you never really know what goes on behind closed doors.
Bernie Madoff, for at least 20 years, ran a Ponzi scheme on thousands of clients, among them the people you and I would consider the best and brightest. Business leaders, celebrities, charities, even some of his own relatives and his defense attorney were taken for a ride (this has to be the first time a lawyer was hosed by the client).
We're clearly in one of those historic, game changing years: up is down, red is blue and black is President. Aside from Obama himself, no person will provide a more iconic face of this end-of-capitalism-as-we-know-it year than Bernard Lawrence Madoff.
Which is too bad. Yes, he stole $65 billion from some already quite wealthy people. I know that's upsetting to them because rich guys like Bernie are not supposed to be stealing from their own kind. Crime, thievery, looting — that's what happens on the other side of town. The rules of the money game on Park Avenue and Wall Street are comprised of things like charging the public 29% credit card interest, tricking people into taking out a second mortgage they can't afford, and concocting a student loan system that has graduates in hock for the next 20 years. Now that's smart business! And it's legal. That's where Bernie went wrong — his scheming, his trickery was an outrage both because it was illegal and because he preyed on his side of the tracks.
Had Mr. Madoff just followed the example of his fellow top one-percenters, there were many ways he could have legally multiplied his wealth many times over. Here's how it's done. First, threaten your workers that you'll move their jobs offshore if they don't agree to reduce their pay and benefits. Then move those jobs offshore. Then place that income on the shores of the Cayman Islands and pay no taxes. Don't put the money back into your company. Put it into your pocket and the pockets of your shareholders. There! Done! Legal!
But Bernie wanted to play X-games Capitalism, run by the mantra that's at the core of all capitalistic endeavors: Enough Is Never Enough. You have the right to make as much as you can, and if people are too stupid to read the fine print of their health insurance policy or their GM "100,000-mile warranty," well, tough luck, losers. Buyers beware!
It would be too easy — and the wrong lesson learned — to put Bernie on TIME's list all by himself. If Ponzi schemes are such a bad thing, then why have we allowed all of our top banks to deal in credit default swaps and other make-believe rackets? Why did we allow those same banks to create the scam of a sub-prime mortgage? And instead of putting the people responsible in the cell block in Lower Manhattan, where Bernie now resides, why did we give them huge sums of our hard-earned tax dollars to bail them out of their self-inflicted troubles? Bernard Madoff is nothing more than the scab on the wound. He's also a most-needed and convenient distraction. Where's the photo on this list of the ex-chairmen of AIG, Merrill Lynch and Citigroup? Where's the mug shot of Phil Gramm, the senator who wrote the bill to strip the system of its regulations, or of the President who signed that bill? And how 'bout those who ran the fake numbers at the ratings agencies, the lobbyists who succeeded in making sleazy accounting a lawful practice, or the stock market itself — an institution that's treated like the Holy Sepulchre instead of the casino that it is (and, like all other casinos, the house eventually wins).
And what of Madoff's clients themselves? What did they think was going on to guarantee them incredible returns on their investments every single year — when no one else on planet Earth was getting anything like that? Some have admitted they did have an inkling "something was up," but no one really wanted to ask what it was that was making their money grow on trees. They were afraid they might find out it had nothing to do with gardening. Many of Madoff's victims have told investigators that, over the years, they have made much more than the original investment they gave Bernie. If I buy a stolen car from the guy down the street, the police will take that car from me regardless of whether I knew it was stolen. If I knew it was stolen, then I go to jail for receiving stolen property. Will these "victims" give back their gains that were fraudulently obtained? Will the head of Goldman Sachs reveal what he was doing at the meetings with the Fed chairman and the Treasury secretary before the bailout? Will Bank of America please tell us what they've spent $45 billion of our TARP money on?
That's probably going too far. Better that we just put Bernie on this list.
Moore's new documentary on the wonders of capitalism will be in movie theaters this fall.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Time Magazine Preps For Mandatory Vaccinations
http://www.prisonplanet.com/time-magazine-preps-americans-for-mandatory-vaccinations.html
Time Magazine Preps Americans For Mandatory Vaccinations
Says public should “trust” government when it institutes draconian measures to deal with pandemic
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Time Magazine's coverage of the swine flu scare has a noticeable subplot - preparing Americans for draconian measures to combat a future pandemic as well as forcing them to accept the idea of mandatory vaccinations.
In an article entitled How to Deal with Swine Flu: Heeding the Mistakes of 1976, the piece discusses how dozens died and hundreds were injured from vaccines as a result of the 1976 swine flu fiasco, when the Ford administration attempted to use the infection of soldiers at Fort Dix as a pretext for a mass vaccination of the entire country.
Despite acknowledging that the 1976 farce was an example of “how not to handle a flu outbreak,” the article still introduces the notion that officials “may soon have to consider whether to institute draconian measures to combat the disease.”
Later we discover exactly what this will entail, namely “when to institute mass vaccination programs,” according to Howard Markel, director of the Center for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan and a historical consultant to the CDC on flu pandemics.
Markel notes that the less politically combustible situation in America today compared to the post-Watergate era of Ford would make such draconian measures more achievable.
“Even so, he says, citizens still need to trust that the government is working for the greater good,” adds the article. “The American public has to be forgiving and patient and do [their] part too,” according to Markel.
Americans would indeed have to be very trustworthy and ultimately forgiving in taking a vaccine by government decree manufactured by a company that was been caught red-handed contaminating their vaccines with far deadlier viruses than swine flu.
As we reported yesterday, Baxter International confirmed over the weekend that it is working with the World Health Organization on a potential vaccine to curb the deadly swine flu virus that is blamed for scores of deaths in Mexico and has emerged as a threat in the U.S., reports the Chicago Tribune.
As reported by multiple sources last month, including the Times of India, vaccines contaminated with deadly live H5N1 avian flu virus were distributed to 18 countries last December by a lab at an Austrian branch of Baxter.
Since the probability of mixing a live virus biological weapon with vaccine material by accident is virtually impossible, this leaves no other explanation than that the contamination was a deliberate attempt to weaponize the H5N1 virus to its most potent extreme and distribute it via conventional flu vaccines to the population who would then infect others to a devastating degree as the disease went airborne.
These are the people we are supposed to “trust” and “forgive” according to Time Magazine and Markel when the federal government breaks down our door, guns drawn and dripping needle in hand.
Time Magazine Preps Americans For Mandatory Vaccinations
Says public should “trust” government when it institutes draconian measures to deal with pandemic
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Time Magazine's coverage of the swine flu scare has a noticeable subplot - preparing Americans for draconian measures to combat a future pandemic as well as forcing them to accept the idea of mandatory vaccinations.
In an article entitled How to Deal with Swine Flu: Heeding the Mistakes of 1976, the piece discusses how dozens died and hundreds were injured from vaccines as a result of the 1976 swine flu fiasco, when the Ford administration attempted to use the infection of soldiers at Fort Dix as a pretext for a mass vaccination of the entire country.
Despite acknowledging that the 1976 farce was an example of “how not to handle a flu outbreak,” the article still introduces the notion that officials “may soon have to consider whether to institute draconian measures to combat the disease.”
Later we discover exactly what this will entail, namely “when to institute mass vaccination programs,” according to Howard Markel, director of the Center for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan and a historical consultant to the CDC on flu pandemics.
Markel notes that the less politically combustible situation in America today compared to the post-Watergate era of Ford would make such draconian measures more achievable.
“Even so, he says, citizens still need to trust that the government is working for the greater good,” adds the article. “The American public has to be forgiving and patient and do [their] part too,” according to Markel.
Americans would indeed have to be very trustworthy and ultimately forgiving in taking a vaccine by government decree manufactured by a company that was been caught red-handed contaminating their vaccines with far deadlier viruses than swine flu.
As we reported yesterday, Baxter International confirmed over the weekend that it is working with the World Health Organization on a potential vaccine to curb the deadly swine flu virus that is blamed for scores of deaths in Mexico and has emerged as a threat in the U.S., reports the Chicago Tribune.
As reported by multiple sources last month, including the Times of India, vaccines contaminated with deadly live H5N1 avian flu virus were distributed to 18 countries last December by a lab at an Austrian branch of Baxter.
Since the probability of mixing a live virus biological weapon with vaccine material by accident is virtually impossible, this leaves no other explanation than that the contamination was a deliberate attempt to weaponize the H5N1 virus to its most potent extreme and distribute it via conventional flu vaccines to the population who would then infect others to a devastating degree as the disease went airborne.
These are the people we are supposed to “trust” and “forgive” according to Time Magazine and Markel when the federal government breaks down our door, guns drawn and dripping needle in hand.
Swine Flu Vaccines: Dr. Ron Paul In 1976
http://www.prisonplanet.com/swine-flu-vaccines-dr-ron-paul-in-1976.html
Swine Flu Vaccines: Dr. Ron Paul In 1976
Dr. Paul in 1976: “An evil political maneuver … blatant advertising efforts to panic people into
taking swine flu shots”
Robert Allison
Prison Planet.com
Monday, April 27, 2009
In the book Swine Flu Expose, a book by Eleanora I. McBean, Ph.D., N.D., from 1976, Dr. Ron Paul calls the Swine Flu Vaccination Program (which was a deadly failure), “a shocking misuse of funds …and an evil political maneuver”. Dr. Paul continues “blatant advertising efforts to panic the people into taking Swine Flu shots will fail.”
(Excerpt of ‘Swine Flu Expose’)
A FEW CONGRESSMEN BLAST THE SWINE FLU HOAX
Not all of our Congressmen are hopeless. Some are actually on our side. Congressman Ron Paul of Texas is also a doctor and is able to see both sides of the swine flu question. Most doctors have tunnel vision and see only one side — the side with the dollar mark.
Congressman Paul, in an interview with the Enquirer (Dec. 21, 76) said: “I am outraged by this program. It has been a shocking misuse of funds … and an evil political maneuver. There are people whose careers are in question because of this program. And I predict these blatant advertising efforts to panic the people into taking swine flu shots will fail.
“I think Congress has wasted more than one hundred million dollars. The swine flu program should be brought back to Congress and discontinued at once. The program should be stopped, and those who were responsible should be held morally accountable to the American public.”
Congressman Larry McDonald of Georgia, also a medical doctor, said: “I think the swine flu program is a tailor-made hoax that finds its roots in frightening the American people . . . I believe that a full investigation of those in charge should be launched . . . and if it turns out to be a dishonest promotion, everyone responsible should be removed from their jobs.”
It’s heartening to find that all our Congressmen are not corrupt. But where were they, the good ones, when the vote was being taken to endorse and finance this mass poisoning program?
Swine Flu Vaccines: Dr. Ron Paul In 1976
Dr. Paul in 1976: “An evil political maneuver … blatant advertising efforts to panic people into
taking swine flu shots”
Robert Allison
Prison Planet.com
Monday, April 27, 2009
In the book Swine Flu Expose, a book by Eleanora I. McBean, Ph.D., N.D., from 1976, Dr. Ron Paul calls the Swine Flu Vaccination Program (which was a deadly failure), “a shocking misuse of funds …and an evil political maneuver”. Dr. Paul continues “blatant advertising efforts to panic the people into taking Swine Flu shots will fail.”
(Excerpt of ‘Swine Flu Expose’)
A FEW CONGRESSMEN BLAST THE SWINE FLU HOAX
Not all of our Congressmen are hopeless. Some are actually on our side. Congressman Ron Paul of Texas is also a doctor and is able to see both sides of the swine flu question. Most doctors have tunnel vision and see only one side — the side with the dollar mark.
Congressman Paul, in an interview with the Enquirer (Dec. 21, 76) said: “I am outraged by this program. It has been a shocking misuse of funds … and an evil political maneuver. There are people whose careers are in question because of this program. And I predict these blatant advertising efforts to panic the people into taking swine flu shots will fail.
“I think Congress has wasted more than one hundred million dollars. The swine flu program should be brought back to Congress and discontinued at once. The program should be stopped, and those who were responsible should be held morally accountable to the American public.”
Congressman Larry McDonald of Georgia, also a medical doctor, said: “I think the swine flu program is a tailor-made hoax that finds its roots in frightening the American people . . . I believe that a full investigation of those in charge should be launched . . . and if it turns out to be a dishonest promotion, everyone responsible should be removed from their jobs.”
It’s heartening to find that all our Congressmen are not corrupt. But where were they, the good ones, when the vote was being taken to endorse and finance this mass poisoning program?
Is Swine Flu A Biological Weapon?
http://www.prisonplanet.com/is-swine-flu-a-biological-weapon.html
Is Swine Flu A Biological Weapon?
Or are relatively limited number of deaths an indication that the panic is worse than the actual threat?
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
Monday, April 27, 2009
There are some factors that suggest the swine flu killing people in Mexico may be a biological weapon, but obviously no such conclusion can be drawn at this time. The World Health Organization and the U.S. government have been quick to deny such claims.
The swine flu virus is described as a completely new strain, an intercontinental mixture of human, avian and swine viruses. Tellingly, there have been no reported A-H1N1 infections of pigs.
According to a source known to former NSA official Wayne Madsen, “A top scientist for the United Nations, who has examined the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in Africa, as well as HIV/AIDS victims, concluded that H1N1 possesses certain transmission “vectors” that suggest that the new flu strain has been genetically-manufactured as a military biological warfare weapon.
Madsen claims that his source, and another in Indonesia, “Are convinced that the current outbreak of a new strain of swine flu in Mexico and some parts of the United States is the result of the introduction of a human-engineered pathogen that could result in a widespread global pandemic, with potentially catastrophic consequences for domestic and international travel and commerce.”
However, it’s important to stress that it is far too early to make this assumption. We have to bear in mind that the number of victims has been comparatively low when one considers the fact that hundreds of thousands in Mexico contract infectious diseases every year related to poverty like tuberculosis and malaria.
Fort Detrick, the U.S. Army Medical Command installation that was the source of the 2001 anthrax attacks, is again attracting suspicion in light of the swine flu panic after it was revealed that criminal investigators are probing whether virus samples recently went missing from its biolabs.
“Chad Jones, spokesman for Fort Meade, said CID is investigating the possibility of missing virus samples from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases,” reports The Frederick News.
In February, USAMRIID halted their work when virus samples were discovered that were not listed in its inventory. Criminal investigators from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division unit at Fort Meade are now probing whether virus samples are missing from the Army’s top biolab, which also studies pathogens including ebola, anthrax and plague.
Obviously, in light of the current swine flu scare, and the new strain’s possible synthetic origin, the fact that virus samples may have gone missing from the same Army research lab from which the 2001 anthrax strain was released is extremely disturbing.
A 2008 FBI and DOJ investigation concluded that Bruce Edwards Irvins, a microbiologist, vaccinologist, and senior biodefense researcher at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) in Fort Detrick, Maryland, was responsible for mailing anthrax to members of Congress and the media in September and October 2001.
The fact that Irvins apparently committed suicide shortly before the announcement led many to suspect that he was a patsy in a wider plot. Despite the suspicious circumstances, no autopsy was carried out on Irvins’ body. His attorney was certain that Irvins, who had cooperated with the 6-year investigation, was innocent of the five anthrax deaths.
The Department of Justice initially considered Dr. Steven Jay Hatfill to be a strong suspect in the anthrax attacks, but he later sued the government and won $5.8 million in damages. A New York Times piece on Irvins’ suicide asked the hypothetical question: “What if Dr. Hatfill had committed suicide in 2002, as friends feared he might? Would the investigators have released their evidence and announced that the perpetrator was dead?”
Fears that a mass pandemic was being readied as a biological attack have rumbled on in the conspiracy community ever since 9/11. Investigators point to the highly unusual number of deaths of top microbiologists to suggest that people with knowledge of the program are being eliminated.
Is Swine Flu A Biological Weapon?
Or are relatively limited number of deaths an indication that the panic is worse than the actual threat?
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
Monday, April 27, 2009
There are some factors that suggest the swine flu killing people in Mexico may be a biological weapon, but obviously no such conclusion can be drawn at this time. The World Health Organization and the U.S. government have been quick to deny such claims.
The swine flu virus is described as a completely new strain, an intercontinental mixture of human, avian and swine viruses. Tellingly, there have been no reported A-H1N1 infections of pigs.
According to a source known to former NSA official Wayne Madsen, “A top scientist for the United Nations, who has examined the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in Africa, as well as HIV/AIDS victims, concluded that H1N1 possesses certain transmission “vectors” that suggest that the new flu strain has been genetically-manufactured as a military biological warfare weapon.
Madsen claims that his source, and another in Indonesia, “Are convinced that the current outbreak of a new strain of swine flu in Mexico and some parts of the United States is the result of the introduction of a human-engineered pathogen that could result in a widespread global pandemic, with potentially catastrophic consequences for domestic and international travel and commerce.”
However, it’s important to stress that it is far too early to make this assumption. We have to bear in mind that the number of victims has been comparatively low when one considers the fact that hundreds of thousands in Mexico contract infectious diseases every year related to poverty like tuberculosis and malaria.
Fort Detrick, the U.S. Army Medical Command installation that was the source of the 2001 anthrax attacks, is again attracting suspicion in light of the swine flu panic after it was revealed that criminal investigators are probing whether virus samples recently went missing from its biolabs.
“Chad Jones, spokesman for Fort Meade, said CID is investigating the possibility of missing virus samples from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases,” reports The Frederick News.
In February, USAMRIID halted their work when virus samples were discovered that were not listed in its inventory. Criminal investigators from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division unit at Fort Meade are now probing whether virus samples are missing from the Army’s top biolab, which also studies pathogens including ebola, anthrax and plague.
Obviously, in light of the current swine flu scare, and the new strain’s possible synthetic origin, the fact that virus samples may have gone missing from the same Army research lab from which the 2001 anthrax strain was released is extremely disturbing.
A 2008 FBI and DOJ investigation concluded that Bruce Edwards Irvins, a microbiologist, vaccinologist, and senior biodefense researcher at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) in Fort Detrick, Maryland, was responsible for mailing anthrax to members of Congress and the media in September and October 2001.
The fact that Irvins apparently committed suicide shortly before the announcement led many to suspect that he was a patsy in a wider plot. Despite the suspicious circumstances, no autopsy was carried out on Irvins’ body. His attorney was certain that Irvins, who had cooperated with the 6-year investigation, was innocent of the five anthrax deaths.
The Department of Justice initially considered Dr. Steven Jay Hatfill to be a strong suspect in the anthrax attacks, but he later sued the government and won $5.8 million in damages. A New York Times piece on Irvins’ suicide asked the hypothetical question: “What if Dr. Hatfill had committed suicide in 2002, as friends feared he might? Would the investigators have released their evidence and announced that the perpetrator was dead?”
Fears that a mass pandemic was being readied as a biological attack have rumbled on in the conspiracy community ever since 9/11. Investigators point to the highly unusual number of deaths of top microbiologists to suggest that people with knowledge of the program are being eliminated.
Flu Pandemic Hype
http://www.prisonplanet.com/flu-pandemic-hype-another-pretext-for-world-government.html
Flu Pandemic Hype: Another Pretext for World Government
Kurt Nimmo
Prison Planet.com
Monday, April 27, 2009
During the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) Summit in Montebello, Canada in 2005, the “three amigos” (Bush, Harper and Calderon) released “North American Plan for Avian and Pandemic Influenza,” described as a “collaborative North American approach that recognizes that controlling the spread of avian influenza or a novel strain of human influenza, with minimal economic disruption, is in the best interest of all three countries.” The plan outlines how “Canada, Mexico and the United States intend to work together to prepare for and manage avian and pandemic influenza.”
Ban Ki-moon said the Mexican flu outbreak is the “first test” of the “pandemic preparedness work undertaken by the international community over the past three years.”
It was hardly a coincidence that at the same time the U.S. Northern Command, or NORTHCOM, created a webpage dedicated to avian flu and subsequently ran exercises in preparation for the possible use of U.S. military forces in a continental domestic emergency involving avian flu or pandemic influenza.
In 2006, NORTHCOM held an international exercise with more than 40 international, federal, and state agencies “designed to provoke discussion and determine what governmental actions, including military support, would be necessary in the event of an influenza pandemic in the United States.” In addition, NORTHCOM participated in a nationwide Joint Chiefs of Staff-directed exercise code-named Exercise Ardent Sentry 06 to rehearse cooperation between Department of Defense and local, state, federal agencies, and the Canadian government.
In 2005, then president Bush shifted U.S. policy on avian flu and pandemic influenza and placed the U.S. under international guidelines. “The policy shift was formalized Sept. 14, 2005, when Bush announced a new International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza to a High-Level Plenary Meeting of the U.N. General Assembly, in New York,” Jerome Corsi wrote in September, 2007. “The new International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza was designed to supersede an earlier November 2005 Homeland Security report that called for a U.S. national strategy that would be coordinated by the Departments of Homeland Security, Health and Agriculture.”
In other words, any U.S. response to an avian flu pandemic would be directed under WHO, WTO, U.N. and NAFTA directives. Congress and U.S. agencies would be cut out of the picture. “The U.N.-WHO-WTO-NAFTA plan advanced by SPP features a prominent role for the U.N. system influenza coordinator as a central international director in the case of a North American avian flu or pandemic influenza outbreak,” Corsi adds.
Dr. David Nabarro, WHO executive director of sustainable development and health environments, was appointed the first U.N. system influenza coordinator. In 2005, Nabarro said during a press conference that his number one priority was to prepare for the H5N1 virus, known as the avian flu. Nabarro played into the global fear that an epidemic was inevitable.
“I’m not, at the moment at liberty to give you a prediction on numbers, but I just want to stress, that, let’s say, the range of deaths could be anything from 5 to 150 million,” said Nabarro. On March 8, 2006, during a U.N. press conference Nabarro predicted an outbreak of the H5N1 virus would “reach the Americas within the next six to 12 months.”
On Monday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stoked the fear of a global flu pandemic. He said the Mexican flu outbreak is the “first test” of the “pandemic preparedness work undertaken by the international community over the past three years.” Ban Ki-moon said if “we are indeed facing a pandemic, we need to demonstrate global solidarity. In our interconnected world, no nation can deal with threats of such dimension on its own.”
For Ki-moon and the global elite, “global solidarity” in “our interconnected world” translates into yet another push for world government. Ki-moon’s dire warning falls on the heels of the G20 summit where plans were announced for implementing the creation of a new global currency to replace the U.S. dollar’s role as the world reserve currency. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and others repeatedly called for “global governance” and a “New World Order.”
The current flu pandemic hype serves as punctuation mark between the G20 held in London and the upcoming one to be held in Italy in June. “The G20 summit has agreed to try to kick start stalled Doha trade liberalization talks at the next G8 meeting,” Reuters reported on April 2. So-called “trade liberalization” is code for the neoliberal plan to “privatize” public and private industries around the world, impose “flexibilization” of labor markets (create massive unemployment), “deregulate” consumer and financial markets, and foster foreign buyouts, layoffs, wage cuts, transient employment, higher prices, and potentially destabilizing capital flows.
As noted by the Eagle Forum in October, 2007, the SPP’s North American Plan for Avian and Pandemic Influenza “is not only about combating a flu epidemic but is far-reaching in seeking control over U.S. citizens and public policy during an epidemic.” The Plan would give authority to international bureaucrats “beyond the health sector to include a coordinated approach to critical infrastructure protection,” including “border and transportation issues.”
On April 26, Infowars covered the Department of Defense’s “Implementation Plan for Pandemic Influenza” that proposes nothing less than the militarization of health care, military augmentation of civilian law enforcement, and the mass vaccination of the population as directed by the government.
Ki-moon, the United Nations, and the globalists, with the participation of the globalist-dominated corporate media and the ruling elite in Mexico, are hyping the flu outbreak as a possible pandemic in order to sell us their scheme for world government.
It is an ongoing process.
Flu Pandemic Hype: Another Pretext for World Government
Kurt Nimmo
Prison Planet.com
Monday, April 27, 2009
During the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) Summit in Montebello, Canada in 2005, the “three amigos” (Bush, Harper and Calderon) released “North American Plan for Avian and Pandemic Influenza,” described as a “collaborative North American approach that recognizes that controlling the spread of avian influenza or a novel strain of human influenza, with minimal economic disruption, is in the best interest of all three countries.” The plan outlines how “Canada, Mexico and the United States intend to work together to prepare for and manage avian and pandemic influenza.”
Ban Ki-moon said the Mexican flu outbreak is the “first test” of the “pandemic preparedness work undertaken by the international community over the past three years.”
It was hardly a coincidence that at the same time the U.S. Northern Command, or NORTHCOM, created a webpage dedicated to avian flu and subsequently ran exercises in preparation for the possible use of U.S. military forces in a continental domestic emergency involving avian flu or pandemic influenza.
In 2006, NORTHCOM held an international exercise with more than 40 international, federal, and state agencies “designed to provoke discussion and determine what governmental actions, including military support, would be necessary in the event of an influenza pandemic in the United States.” In addition, NORTHCOM participated in a nationwide Joint Chiefs of Staff-directed exercise code-named Exercise Ardent Sentry 06 to rehearse cooperation between Department of Defense and local, state, federal agencies, and the Canadian government.
In 2005, then president Bush shifted U.S. policy on avian flu and pandemic influenza and placed the U.S. under international guidelines. “The policy shift was formalized Sept. 14, 2005, when Bush announced a new International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza to a High-Level Plenary Meeting of the U.N. General Assembly, in New York,” Jerome Corsi wrote in September, 2007. “The new International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza was designed to supersede an earlier November 2005 Homeland Security report that called for a U.S. national strategy that would be coordinated by the Departments of Homeland Security, Health and Agriculture.”
In other words, any U.S. response to an avian flu pandemic would be directed under WHO, WTO, U.N. and NAFTA directives. Congress and U.S. agencies would be cut out of the picture. “The U.N.-WHO-WTO-NAFTA plan advanced by SPP features a prominent role for the U.N. system influenza coordinator as a central international director in the case of a North American avian flu or pandemic influenza outbreak,” Corsi adds.
Dr. David Nabarro, WHO executive director of sustainable development and health environments, was appointed the first U.N. system influenza coordinator. In 2005, Nabarro said during a press conference that his number one priority was to prepare for the H5N1 virus, known as the avian flu. Nabarro played into the global fear that an epidemic was inevitable.
“I’m not, at the moment at liberty to give you a prediction on numbers, but I just want to stress, that, let’s say, the range of deaths could be anything from 5 to 150 million,” said Nabarro. On March 8, 2006, during a U.N. press conference Nabarro predicted an outbreak of the H5N1 virus would “reach the Americas within the next six to 12 months.”
On Monday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stoked the fear of a global flu pandemic. He said the Mexican flu outbreak is the “first test” of the “pandemic preparedness work undertaken by the international community over the past three years.” Ban Ki-moon said if “we are indeed facing a pandemic, we need to demonstrate global solidarity. In our interconnected world, no nation can deal with threats of such dimension on its own.”
For Ki-moon and the global elite, “global solidarity” in “our interconnected world” translates into yet another push for world government. Ki-moon’s dire warning falls on the heels of the G20 summit where plans were announced for implementing the creation of a new global currency to replace the U.S. dollar’s role as the world reserve currency. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and others repeatedly called for “global governance” and a “New World Order.”
The current flu pandemic hype serves as punctuation mark between the G20 held in London and the upcoming one to be held in Italy in June. “The G20 summit has agreed to try to kick start stalled Doha trade liberalization talks at the next G8 meeting,” Reuters reported on April 2. So-called “trade liberalization” is code for the neoliberal plan to “privatize” public and private industries around the world, impose “flexibilization” of labor markets (create massive unemployment), “deregulate” consumer and financial markets, and foster foreign buyouts, layoffs, wage cuts, transient employment, higher prices, and potentially destabilizing capital flows.
As noted by the Eagle Forum in October, 2007, the SPP’s North American Plan for Avian and Pandemic Influenza “is not only about combating a flu epidemic but is far-reaching in seeking control over U.S. citizens and public policy during an epidemic.” The Plan would give authority to international bureaucrats “beyond the health sector to include a coordinated approach to critical infrastructure protection,” including “border and transportation issues.”
On April 26, Infowars covered the Department of Defense’s “Implementation Plan for Pandemic Influenza” that proposes nothing less than the militarization of health care, military augmentation of civilian law enforcement, and the mass vaccination of the population as directed by the government.
Ki-moon, the United Nations, and the globalists, with the participation of the globalist-dominated corporate media and the ruling elite in Mexico, are hyping the flu outbreak as a possible pandemic in order to sell us their scheme for world government.
It is an ongoing process.
Mexico confirms swine flu toll rises to 159
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article6189805.ece
April 29, 2009
Mexico confirms swine flu toll rises to 159
Chris Ayres in Mexico City
The number of suspected swine flu deaths in Mexico rose again last night to 159, with 2,498 more people thought to be infected, although the numbers showed signs of stabilising as the country imposed a dramatic lockdown on restaurants, gyms, and tourist attractions.
Jose Cordova, Mexico’s Health Secretary, said at a press conference last night that the number of deaths had remained more of less stable since Monday, when the official death toll stood at 152 with 2,000 thought to be infected.
Of those thought to have contracted the disease, about half have been treated and sent home to recover.
Mr Cordova said that since the weekend the authorities had put in place rapid testing procedures to rule out other types of flu and accelerate anti-viral treatment in cases of swine flu. However, the tests to diagnose swine flu remain time-consuming.
Officials in Mexico City have ordered all restaurants, bars and cinemas to close as they take increasingly radical measures to fight the outbreak. Establishments offering food are prohibited from serving sit-down customers, but are allowed to accept take-away orders.
The measure applies only to the central zone of Mexico City that is home to eight million of the 20 million people who live in the now almost deserted metropolis.
The Government also closed all its archaeological sites.
Cuba became yesterday the first country to ban flights to and from Mexico.
Argentina followed and ordered 60,000 visitors who have arrived from Canada, Mexico and US in the past 20 days to report to the Health Ministry.
April 29, 2009
Mexico confirms swine flu toll rises to 159
Chris Ayres in Mexico City
The number of suspected swine flu deaths in Mexico rose again last night to 159, with 2,498 more people thought to be infected, although the numbers showed signs of stabilising as the country imposed a dramatic lockdown on restaurants, gyms, and tourist attractions.
Jose Cordova, Mexico’s Health Secretary, said at a press conference last night that the number of deaths had remained more of less stable since Monday, when the official death toll stood at 152 with 2,000 thought to be infected.
Of those thought to have contracted the disease, about half have been treated and sent home to recover.
Mr Cordova said that since the weekend the authorities had put in place rapid testing procedures to rule out other types of flu and accelerate anti-viral treatment in cases of swine flu. However, the tests to diagnose swine flu remain time-consuming.
Officials in Mexico City have ordered all restaurants, bars and cinemas to close as they take increasingly radical measures to fight the outbreak. Establishments offering food are prohibited from serving sit-down customers, but are allowed to accept take-away orders.
The measure applies only to the central zone of Mexico City that is home to eight million of the 20 million people who live in the now almost deserted metropolis.
The Government also closed all its archaeological sites.
Cuba became yesterday the first country to ban flights to and from Mexico.
Argentina followed and ordered 60,000 visitors who have arrived from Canada, Mexico and US in the past 20 days to report to the Health Ministry.
Regular flu has killed thousands since January
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/28/regular.flu/index.html
Regular flu has killed thousands since January
Story Highlights
Swine flu getting focus, but so far it's not deadly in United States
Since January, more than 13,000 have died of complications from seasonal flu
Worldwide annual death from the flu estimated between 250,000 and 500,000
About 9 out of 10 flu deaths are among people older than 65
Tue April 28, 2009
By Doug Gross
(CNN) -- There had been no confirmed deaths in the United States related to swine flu as of Tuesday afternoon. But another virus had killed thousands of people since January and is expected to keep killing hundreds of people every week for the rest of the year.
People are nervous about swine flu, but the regular flu kills 36,000 people a year in the United States.
That one? The regular flu.
An outbreak of swine flu that is suspected in more than 150 deaths in Mexico and has sickened dozens of people in the United States and elsewhere has grabbed the attention of a nervous public and of medical officials worried the strain will continue to mutate and spread.
Experts are nervous that, as a new strain, the swine flu will be harder to stop because there aren't any vaccines to fight it.
But even if there are swine-flu deaths outside Mexico -- and medical experts say there very well may be -- the virus would have a long way to go to match the roughly 36,000 deaths that seasonal influenza causes in the United States each year.
"That happens on an annual basis," Dr. Brian Currie said Tuesday. Currie is vice president and medical director at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York.
Since January, more than 13,000 people have died of complications from seasonal flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's weekly report on the causes of death in the nation.
No fewer than 800 flu-related deaths were reported in any week between January 1 and April 18, the most recent week for which figures were available.
The report looks at deaths in the 122 largest cities in the United States.
Worldwide, the annual death toll from the flu is estimated to be between 250,000 and 500,000.
About 9 out of 10 of those deaths are among people older than 65, Currie said. Most times, they already have health problems that the flu makes worse, he said.
"Regular influenza can be taxing," he said. "It causes their underlying disease to decompensate and then they don't have the reserves to get through it.
"While it may not be the direct cause listed on the death certificate, it certainly contributed."
One of the reasons medical experts are nervous about the swine flu outbreak is that many of the people who have died in Mexico have been young and otherwise healthy. The strains found in the United States have so far been weaker.
But even the regular flu is sometimes fatal for younger victims.
"It's not unheard of. It happens, either directly from influenza or they get a bacterial superinfection" like staph, said Currie.
While researchers haven't developed a vaccine to fight the new swine flu, it can be treated with antiviral drugs Tamiflu and Relenza, the same drugs used on the regular flu.
Many times, seasonal flu itself is tough to prevent because it has mutated to a form different than it was when the vaccine was made.
Seeking to put the swine flu outbreak in perspective Tuesday, Los Angeles County public health officer Dr. Jonathan Fielding echoed other public officials calling it "cause for concern, but not for alarm."
"Given the size of L.A. County, given the traffic between here and Mexico, it would be very surprising if we didn't have any cases," Fielding said.
He said the county, where the CDC had confirmed 10 cases of swine flu by Tuesday, sees more than 1,000 flu-related deaths every year.
"So it would also not be surprising if there were deaths with swine flu -- even if it had the pattern of seasonal flu," he said. "Thus far, the pattern we see in the United States is very similar to that of seasonal flu -- relatively mild to moderate cases."
CNN's Samira Simone and KC Wildmoon contributed to this report.
Regular flu has killed thousands since January
Story Highlights
Swine flu getting focus, but so far it's not deadly in United States
Since January, more than 13,000 have died of complications from seasonal flu
Worldwide annual death from the flu estimated between 250,000 and 500,000
About 9 out of 10 flu deaths are among people older than 65
Tue April 28, 2009
By Doug Gross
(CNN) -- There had been no confirmed deaths in the United States related to swine flu as of Tuesday afternoon. But another virus had killed thousands of people since January and is expected to keep killing hundreds of people every week for the rest of the year.
People are nervous about swine flu, but the regular flu kills 36,000 people a year in the United States.
That one? The regular flu.
An outbreak of swine flu that is suspected in more than 150 deaths in Mexico and has sickened dozens of people in the United States and elsewhere has grabbed the attention of a nervous public and of medical officials worried the strain will continue to mutate and spread.
Experts are nervous that, as a new strain, the swine flu will be harder to stop because there aren't any vaccines to fight it.
But even if there are swine-flu deaths outside Mexico -- and medical experts say there very well may be -- the virus would have a long way to go to match the roughly 36,000 deaths that seasonal influenza causes in the United States each year.
"That happens on an annual basis," Dr. Brian Currie said Tuesday. Currie is vice president and medical director at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York.
Since January, more than 13,000 people have died of complications from seasonal flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's weekly report on the causes of death in the nation.
No fewer than 800 flu-related deaths were reported in any week between January 1 and April 18, the most recent week for which figures were available.
The report looks at deaths in the 122 largest cities in the United States.
Worldwide, the annual death toll from the flu is estimated to be between 250,000 and 500,000.
About 9 out of 10 of those deaths are among people older than 65, Currie said. Most times, they already have health problems that the flu makes worse, he said.
"Regular influenza can be taxing," he said. "It causes their underlying disease to decompensate and then they don't have the reserves to get through it.
"While it may not be the direct cause listed on the death certificate, it certainly contributed."
One of the reasons medical experts are nervous about the swine flu outbreak is that many of the people who have died in Mexico have been young and otherwise healthy. The strains found in the United States have so far been weaker.
But even the regular flu is sometimes fatal for younger victims.
"It's not unheard of. It happens, either directly from influenza or they get a bacterial superinfection" like staph, said Currie.
While researchers haven't developed a vaccine to fight the new swine flu, it can be treated with antiviral drugs Tamiflu and Relenza, the same drugs used on the regular flu.
Many times, seasonal flu itself is tough to prevent because it has mutated to a form different than it was when the vaccine was made.
Seeking to put the swine flu outbreak in perspective Tuesday, Los Angeles County public health officer Dr. Jonathan Fielding echoed other public officials calling it "cause for concern, but not for alarm."
"Given the size of L.A. County, given the traffic between here and Mexico, it would be very surprising if we didn't have any cases," Fielding said.
He said the county, where the CDC had confirmed 10 cases of swine flu by Tuesday, sees more than 1,000 flu-related deaths every year.
"So it would also not be surprising if there were deaths with swine flu -- even if it had the pattern of seasonal flu," he said. "Thus far, the pattern we see in the United States is very similar to that of seasonal flu -- relatively mild to moderate cases."
CNN's Samira Simone and KC Wildmoon contributed to this report.
Swine Flu Smoking Gun?
http://www.naturalnews.com/026159.html
Swine Flu Smoking Gun? CDC was Combining Flu Viruses in 2004
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Sherry Baker, Health Sciences Editor
(NaturalNews) Last week, when what is now called a "swine flu" was first reported to be infecting and killing some people in Mexico, health officials noted it was a strain of flu never before seen. In fact, it is technically incorrect to call this simply a "swine" flu. Analyses showed it's a mixture of swine, human and avian viruses, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Moreover, it is genetically different from the fully human H1N1 seasonal influenza virus that has been circulating globally for the past few years. Bottom line: the new flu virus contains DNA from avian, swine viruses (including elements from European and Asian viruses) and human viruses.
So did this curious mixture just develop naturally, out of the blue? Is it the result of inhumane farming practices, as the Humane Society of the United States (http://www.hsus.org/) has suggested, that exposes immune-compromised pigs to all sorts of animal and human feces?
Well, maybe. But let's go back and look at the facts to see if any other scenario could be possible.
First of all, there's the troublesome detail that the virus has elements that come from multiple continents. Then there's the fact that true swine flu is only rarely transmissible to humans -- this flu is spreading human-to-human, most likely because it contains DNA from human flu.
Could someone have deliberately mixed these viruses together? Is that possible? Absolutely.
Was this virus mixing being done artificially in the lab, or had it already been done? Yes.
Who was blending potentially viruses in labs? Were those horrible generic boogie men known to Americans far and wide as "terrorists" doing it? There's no proof of bioterrorism at work here yet. However, there is evidence the United States government has been working on concocting new flu virus blends.
So could the hysteria-provoking, new swine flu have escaped from a lab? Or was it deliberately released as some kind of test? When these kinds of questions are asked, the knee-jerk reaction of the mainstream media (MSM) is to giggle and talk about "conspiracy theories" and to joke about wearing tinfoil hats.
But here's the potential smoking gun, the facts that suggest a potential source of the pandemic could be CDC labs. And at the very least, this possibility deserves thoughtful examination and research.
The University of Minnesota Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) is hardly a place most Americans have heard about and, apparently, the Center's web site has news the MSM isn't familiar with, either. But information they published years ago has now taken on an urgent importance. CIDRAP, along with the Canadian newspaper Canadian Press (CP), revealed back in 2004 that the CDC was launching experiments designed to mix the H5N1 (avian) virus and human flu viruses. The goal was to find out how likely it was such a "reassortant" virus would emerge and just how dangerous it might be. Of course, it's logical to wonder if they also worked with the addition of a swine flu virus, too.
Here's some background from the five-year-old report by the University of Minnesota research center: "One of the worst fears of infectious disease experts is that the H5N1 avian influenza virus now circulating in parts of Asia will combine with a human-adapted flu virus to create a deadly new flu virus that could spread around the world. That could happen, scientists predict, if someone who is already infected with an ordinary flu virus contracts the avian virus at the same time. The avian virus has already caused at least 48 confirmed human illness cases in Asia, of which 35 have been fatal. The virus has shown little ability to spread from person to person, but the fear is that a hybrid could combine the killing power of the avian virus with the transmissibility of human flu viruses. Now, rather than waiting to see if nature spawns such a hybrid, US scientists are planning to try to breed one themselves -- in the name of preparedness."
And CDC officials actually confirmed the government had plans for the research. The CIDRAP News folks did a great job covering this important issue, which was apparently mostly ignored by the MSM back in 2004, and CIDRAP News wrote to the CDC for information. This e-mail produced an answer from CDC spokesman David Daigle who admitted the CDC was working on the project in two ways. "One is to infect cells in a laboratory tissue culture with H5N1 and human flu viruses at the same time and then watch to see if they mix. For the human virus, investigators will use A (H3N2), the strain that has caused most human flu cases in recent years," the CIDRAP story stated. This co-infection approach was described as slow and labor-intensive. However, it was a way to produce a new virus that appeared to be closer to what develops in nature.
There was another, faster way CDC scientists could create the mix, too. Called reverse genetics, it involves piecing together a new virus with genes from the H5N1 and H3N2 viruses. Reverse genetics had already been used successfully to create H5N1 candidate vaccines in several laboratories, the CDC's Daigle wrote. "Any viable viruses that emerge from these processes will be seeded into animals that are considered good models for testing how flu viruses behave in humans... The aim will be to observe whether the animals get sick and whether infected animals can infect others," he revealed in his e-mail.
What's more, the CP reported the CDC had already made hybrid viruses with H5N1 samples isolated from patients in Hong Kong in 1997, when there was the first outbreak of that virus, dubbed the "Hong Kong flu". It is not clear if the results of that research were ever published. Back in 2004, Dr. Nancy Cox, then head of the CDC's influenza branch, would tell the CP only: "Some gene combinations could be produced and others could not."
The CP's report noted that the World Health Organization (WHO) had been "pleading" for laboratories to do this blending-of-viruses research. The reason? If successful, these flu mixes would back up WHO's warnings about the possibility of a flu pandemic. In fact, Klaus Stohr, head of the WHO's global flu program at the time, told the CP that if the experiments were successful in producing highly transmissible and pathogenic viruses, the agency would be even more worried -- but if labs couldn't create these mixed flu viruses, then the agency might have to ratchet down its level of concern.
The 2004 CIDRAP News report addressed the obvious risks of manufacturing viruses in labs that, if released, could potentially spark a pandemic. However, the CDC's Daigle assured the Minnesota research group the virus melding would be done in a biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) laboratory. "We recognize that there is concern by some over this type of work. This concern may be heightened by reports of recent lab exposures in other lab facilities," he told CIDRAP. "But CDC has an incredible record in lab safety and is taking very strict precautions."
Five years later, we must ask more questions. Were those safety measures enough? Was the CDC creating or testing any of these virus mixes in or near Mexico? What other potentially deadly virus combinations has the US government created? Don't US citizens, as taxpayers who funded these experiments, have a right to know? And for all the residents of planet earth faced with a potentially deadly global epidemic, isn't it time for the truth?
Swine Flu Smoking Gun? CDC was Combining Flu Viruses in 2004
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Sherry Baker, Health Sciences Editor
(NaturalNews) Last week, when what is now called a "swine flu" was first reported to be infecting and killing some people in Mexico, health officials noted it was a strain of flu never before seen. In fact, it is technically incorrect to call this simply a "swine" flu. Analyses showed it's a mixture of swine, human and avian viruses, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Moreover, it is genetically different from the fully human H1N1 seasonal influenza virus that has been circulating globally for the past few years. Bottom line: the new flu virus contains DNA from avian, swine viruses (including elements from European and Asian viruses) and human viruses.
So did this curious mixture just develop naturally, out of the blue? Is it the result of inhumane farming practices, as the Humane Society of the United States (http://www.hsus.org/) has suggested, that exposes immune-compromised pigs to all sorts of animal and human feces?
Well, maybe. But let's go back and look at the facts to see if any other scenario could be possible.
First of all, there's the troublesome detail that the virus has elements that come from multiple continents. Then there's the fact that true swine flu is only rarely transmissible to humans -- this flu is spreading human-to-human, most likely because it contains DNA from human flu.
Could someone have deliberately mixed these viruses together? Is that possible? Absolutely.
Was this virus mixing being done artificially in the lab, or had it already been done? Yes.
Who was blending potentially viruses in labs? Were those horrible generic boogie men known to Americans far and wide as "terrorists" doing it? There's no proof of bioterrorism at work here yet. However, there is evidence the United States government has been working on concocting new flu virus blends.
So could the hysteria-provoking, new swine flu have escaped from a lab? Or was it deliberately released as some kind of test? When these kinds of questions are asked, the knee-jerk reaction of the mainstream media (MSM) is to giggle and talk about "conspiracy theories" and to joke about wearing tinfoil hats.
But here's the potential smoking gun, the facts that suggest a potential source of the pandemic could be CDC labs. And at the very least, this possibility deserves thoughtful examination and research.
The University of Minnesota Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) is hardly a place most Americans have heard about and, apparently, the Center's web site has news the MSM isn't familiar with, either. But information they published years ago has now taken on an urgent importance. CIDRAP, along with the Canadian newspaper Canadian Press (CP), revealed back in 2004 that the CDC was launching experiments designed to mix the H5N1 (avian) virus and human flu viruses. The goal was to find out how likely it was such a "reassortant" virus would emerge and just how dangerous it might be. Of course, it's logical to wonder if they also worked with the addition of a swine flu virus, too.
Here's some background from the five-year-old report by the University of Minnesota research center: "One of the worst fears of infectious disease experts is that the H5N1 avian influenza virus now circulating in parts of Asia will combine with a human-adapted flu virus to create a deadly new flu virus that could spread around the world. That could happen, scientists predict, if someone who is already infected with an ordinary flu virus contracts the avian virus at the same time. The avian virus has already caused at least 48 confirmed human illness cases in Asia, of which 35 have been fatal. The virus has shown little ability to spread from person to person, but the fear is that a hybrid could combine the killing power of the avian virus with the transmissibility of human flu viruses. Now, rather than waiting to see if nature spawns such a hybrid, US scientists are planning to try to breed one themselves -- in the name of preparedness."
And CDC officials actually confirmed the government had plans for the research. The CIDRAP News folks did a great job covering this important issue, which was apparently mostly ignored by the MSM back in 2004, and CIDRAP News wrote to the CDC for information. This e-mail produced an answer from CDC spokesman David Daigle who admitted the CDC was working on the project in two ways. "One is to infect cells in a laboratory tissue culture with H5N1 and human flu viruses at the same time and then watch to see if they mix. For the human virus, investigators will use A (H3N2), the strain that has caused most human flu cases in recent years," the CIDRAP story stated. This co-infection approach was described as slow and labor-intensive. However, it was a way to produce a new virus that appeared to be closer to what develops in nature.
There was another, faster way CDC scientists could create the mix, too. Called reverse genetics, it involves piecing together a new virus with genes from the H5N1 and H3N2 viruses. Reverse genetics had already been used successfully to create H5N1 candidate vaccines in several laboratories, the CDC's Daigle wrote. "Any viable viruses that emerge from these processes will be seeded into animals that are considered good models for testing how flu viruses behave in humans... The aim will be to observe whether the animals get sick and whether infected animals can infect others," he revealed in his e-mail.
What's more, the CP reported the CDC had already made hybrid viruses with H5N1 samples isolated from patients in Hong Kong in 1997, when there was the first outbreak of that virus, dubbed the "Hong Kong flu". It is not clear if the results of that research were ever published. Back in 2004, Dr. Nancy Cox, then head of the CDC's influenza branch, would tell the CP only: "Some gene combinations could be produced and others could not."
The CP's report noted that the World Health Organization (WHO) had been "pleading" for laboratories to do this blending-of-viruses research. The reason? If successful, these flu mixes would back up WHO's warnings about the possibility of a flu pandemic. In fact, Klaus Stohr, head of the WHO's global flu program at the time, told the CP that if the experiments were successful in producing highly transmissible and pathogenic viruses, the agency would be even more worried -- but if labs couldn't create these mixed flu viruses, then the agency might have to ratchet down its level of concern.
The 2004 CIDRAP News report addressed the obvious risks of manufacturing viruses in labs that, if released, could potentially spark a pandemic. However, the CDC's Daigle assured the Minnesota research group the virus melding would be done in a biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) laboratory. "We recognize that there is concern by some over this type of work. This concern may be heightened by reports of recent lab exposures in other lab facilities," he told CIDRAP. "But CDC has an incredible record in lab safety and is taking very strict precautions."
Five years later, we must ask more questions. Were those safety measures enough? Was the CDC creating or testing any of these virus mixes in or near Mexico? What other potentially deadly virus combinations has the US government created? Don't US citizens, as taxpayers who funded these experiments, have a right to know? And for all the residents of planet earth faced with a potentially deadly global epidemic, isn't it time for the truth?
Swine Flu Psy Op
http://aangirfan.blogspot.com/2009/04/swine-flu-psy-op.html
Monday, April 27, 2009
Swine Flu Psy Op
aangirfan
The Swine Flu story sounds like a psy-op:
1. Millions die in Mexico each year from diseases such as TB, typhoid and malaria.
But we don't hear much about that.
Due to high levels of poverty in Mexico, there is a tendency for outbreaks of flu to kill large numbers of people.
2. In the USA and Canada, flu symptoms have been described as mild.
"Several students experienced flu symptoms after they returned but they were so mild that they didn't raise any concerns." (Swine flu hits Canada)
This swine flu's a "relative lightweight" (Swine flu's a relative lightweight.)
The first reports of swine infections in Mexico came in mid-March.
The current swine flu strain still has fewer than 1,000 reported cases.
So, why is publicity for the flu coming now?
3. The Flu Kills The Torture Memos
4. And, certain fascist swine are hoping to make lots of money from selling vaccines.
"On March 20, 2009, this researcher outlined a peculiar PANDEMIC VACCINE TRAINING exercise in Texas scheduled to occur on Saturday, May 2, 2009." (http://www.rense.com/general85/dsd2.htm)
"There was a Swine Flu outbreak in 1976. President Gerald Ford asked that all Americans be innoculated.
"As it turned out, the disease only killed one person but the vaccine harmed hundreds and may have killed some." (This article addresses that question.)
5. And maybe the latest swine flu is meant to target certain groups?
Monday, April 27, 2009
Swine Flu Psy Op
aangirfan
The Swine Flu story sounds like a psy-op:
1. Millions die in Mexico each year from diseases such as TB, typhoid and malaria.
But we don't hear much about that.
Due to high levels of poverty in Mexico, there is a tendency for outbreaks of flu to kill large numbers of people.
2. In the USA and Canada, flu symptoms have been described as mild.
"Several students experienced flu symptoms after they returned but they were so mild that they didn't raise any concerns." (Swine flu hits Canada)
This swine flu's a "relative lightweight" (Swine flu's a relative lightweight.)
The first reports of swine infections in Mexico came in mid-March.
The current swine flu strain still has fewer than 1,000 reported cases.
So, why is publicity for the flu coming now?
3. The Flu Kills The Torture Memos
4. And, certain fascist swine are hoping to make lots of money from selling vaccines.
"On March 20, 2009, this researcher outlined a peculiar PANDEMIC VACCINE TRAINING exercise in Texas scheduled to occur on Saturday, May 2, 2009." (http://www.rense.com/general85/dsd2.htm)
"There was a Swine Flu outbreak in 1976. President Gerald Ford asked that all Americans be innoculated.
"As it turned out, the disease only killed one person but the vaccine harmed hundreds and may have killed some." (This article addresses that question.)
5. And maybe the latest swine flu is meant to target certain groups?
Flu Bug
http://jollyrogerrevolution.blogspot.com/2009/04/if-you-sell-crack-join-gang-or-rob-mob.html
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Flu Bug
If you sell crack, join a gang, or rob the mob you can expect to die a violent death, but if you listen to your mother, eat all the right foods, and study hard in college to become a microbiologist, you should expect to live to a ripe old age and die peacefully.
That being the case, a few eyebrows were raised when five microbiologists either disappeared or died mysteriously violent deaths in 2001. A short time later the number rose to 19, and then 29.
They were found stabbed to death in the trunks of cars, thrown off bridges, or they wrapped their cars around trees after their brake fluid disappeared. Once again, this is the stuff of Hollywood spy stories, and not the way you would expect a microbiologist to give up the ghost.
By 2005, we lost 40 micro-biologists in less than 4 years, all under suspicious circumstances, and during this time someone discovered that they were all working for the government, or government contractors, on projects related to bio-terrorism, flu pandemics, or anthrax. Obviously they weren’t trying to find a cure for anything, or there would be no need to silence them.
Then it was discovered that our government was involved in strange experiments that involve exhuming bodies of people that were killed by the 1918 Spanish flu, and genetically engineered flu viruses, all the while the media is preparing the public with stories of bird flu wiping out thousands of chickens (acid test?) and even a few people here and there.
People who are becoming accustomed to the practices and motives of our criminal government tried to warn you of an impending flu pandemic, but your TV training taught you to dismiss them all as "crazy conspiracy theorists," and you naturally associated all their warnings with stories of Bigfoot and UFO abductions, just as you were trained to do.
The good folks of FEMA predicted a need for a few million plastic coffins, which are now spread out across the country, but despite this revelation, most of America still thinks their biggest concern is a toss up between the Super Bowl and American Idol.
Well it seems as if the crazy conspiracy theorists were right again, because the world-wide flu pandemic they were warning you about has been unleashed, and it will dominate the headlines until millions, if not billions of people are dead. It won’t be stopped becaus
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Flu Bug
If you sell crack, join a gang, or rob the mob you can expect to die a violent death, but if you listen to your mother, eat all the right foods, and study hard in college to become a microbiologist, you should expect to live to a ripe old age and die peacefully.
That being the case, a few eyebrows were raised when five microbiologists either disappeared or died mysteriously violent deaths in 2001. A short time later the number rose to 19, and then 29.
They were found stabbed to death in the trunks of cars, thrown off bridges, or they wrapped their cars around trees after their brake fluid disappeared. Once again, this is the stuff of Hollywood spy stories, and not the way you would expect a microbiologist to give up the ghost.
By 2005, we lost 40 micro-biologists in less than 4 years, all under suspicious circumstances, and during this time someone discovered that they were all working for the government, or government contractors, on projects related to bio-terrorism, flu pandemics, or anthrax. Obviously they weren’t trying to find a cure for anything, or there would be no need to silence them.
Then it was discovered that our government was involved in strange experiments that involve exhuming bodies of people that were killed by the 1918 Spanish flu, and genetically engineered flu viruses, all the while the media is preparing the public with stories of bird flu wiping out thousands of chickens (acid test?) and even a few people here and there.
People who are becoming accustomed to the practices and motives of our criminal government tried to warn you of an impending flu pandemic, but your TV training taught you to dismiss them all as "crazy conspiracy theorists," and you naturally associated all their warnings with stories of Bigfoot and UFO abductions, just as you were trained to do.
The good folks of FEMA predicted a need for a few million plastic coffins, which are now spread out across the country, but despite this revelation, most of America still thinks their biggest concern is a toss up between the Super Bowl and American Idol.
Well it seems as if the crazy conspiracy theorists were right again, because the world-wide flu pandemic they were warning you about has been unleashed, and it will dominate the headlines until millions, if not billions of people are dead. It won’t be stopped becaus