Barbarism on the Rise – Civilization on the Wane
by Siv O'Neall
Democracy has become an empty word that the world leaders kick around like an inflated balloon when it serves their interests. What is of importance to the Corporatocracy that is running the planet is very much the opposite of democracy. What the leaders are depending on for the continuation of the current misrule of the world is centralized power and dumbed-down, apathetic and poverty-stricken masses who pose no danger to the status quo.
Democracy doesn't promote the interests of the ruling plutocrats. Their goal is to concentrate all the money and power in the tiny elite that hold the strings of the dancing puppets who are politicians. Government and business are all one and the same. Or different parts of the same monster. Some hold the strings of power, others do the kicking and dancing.
What is the difference between a totalitarian state which controls all the means of production and one where the owners of the means of production control the state? A different brand of totalitarianism but the contempt for the people could not be more deadly.
To make the control game possible, the people have to be drugged, muzzled and rendered powerless. Also, the means of running the show have to be deprived of all transparency. Propaganda, biased or filtered media news coverage, violent punishment of 'disobedient' individuals, all clouded in a web of secrecy – these are the tools for running this show of the most flagrant in-egalitarian state of the world that has ever existed. The former lords of money empires pale in comparison to the multi-billionaires of today's distorted world.
Laws have to be ignored or annulled. People who might possibly become a threat to the puppeteers have to be rendered harmless. By any means possible. There are no more any legal limits to what can be done to individuals who are arbitrarily declared to be terrorists or aiding and abetting the 'enemy'. Since international and national laws have become irrelevant, it is no more a big deal to get rid of undesirable persons.
There is also a general tendency to destroy what are considered superfluous masses of people through calculated starvation, wars and well planned genocide. Added to this, there is a carefully staged neglect of the lower classes – with more and more of the so-called middle classes falling into the category of the working poor.
LINK
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Carlyle + 300 Bush Cronies control 50% of ALL "bear shares" on US markets -- using offshore accounts
Tip of the hat to kickysnana:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...
http://www.almartinraw.com/public/column335.html
"Indeed, of the short interest in domestic equity markets, if one looks at all exchanges – NYSE, Amex, OTC, etc. – here’s a startling statistic -- half of all of the short interest is controlled by eight offshore funds, all managed by Carlyle Group or its subsidiaries, trusts, limited partnerships and other such vehicles. I heard this last Wednesday. In these 8 funds, there are only 300 investors common to all 8 funds. They are, in fact, the top 300 members of the Bush Cabal.
Most hold interest through offshore blind trusts, ranging from the Cayman Islands to Panama. But they are all Bush-Cabal-aligned interests. They are the top 300 members of the Cabal that, for lack of a better definition, control the short side of domestic equity markets."
The author interprets this as evidence that only the neocon investors (Bush cronies) think the market will recover, and are hoping to reap a windfall, Hudsucker-style.
Given what happened on 9/11, I see something far more sinister at work here.
(For those of you who dismiss such alarming statistics about trust ownership as conspiracy-buzz, consider this factoid: 80% of all new development in the country -- the towns you inhabit, the roads you drive on, the McMansions you admire as evidence someone has attained the American Dream -- is designed, built, financed and sold by five -- count 'em five -- firms, several of whom are privately owned. Some of these firms are involved in projects like the Freedom Tower and other redevelopments of Manhattan that involve concentrations of capital so intense, the owners of the resulting skyscrapers have absolute power over the operation of the resulting business districts and the average citizen commuting in for work is nothing more than ants to them... Due to limitations on the inflationary economic system, which requires endless population growth and white flight out of older neighborhoods, 90% of all new construction is designed, built and financed for the upper income brackets.)
Tip of the hat to kickysnana:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...
http://www.almartinraw.com/public/column335.html
"Indeed, of the short interest in domestic equity markets, if one looks at all exchanges – NYSE, Amex, OTC, etc. – here’s a startling statistic -- half of all of the short interest is controlled by eight offshore funds, all managed by Carlyle Group or its subsidiaries, trusts, limited partnerships and other such vehicles. I heard this last Wednesday. In these 8 funds, there are only 300 investors common to all 8 funds. They are, in fact, the top 300 members of the Bush Cabal.
Most hold interest through offshore blind trusts, ranging from the Cayman Islands to Panama. But they are all Bush-Cabal-aligned interests. They are the top 300 members of the Cabal that, for lack of a better definition, control the short side of domestic equity markets."
The author interprets this as evidence that only the neocon investors (Bush cronies) think the market will recover, and are hoping to reap a windfall, Hudsucker-style.
Given what happened on 9/11, I see something far more sinister at work here.
(For those of you who dismiss such alarming statistics about trust ownership as conspiracy-buzz, consider this factoid: 80% of all new development in the country -- the towns you inhabit, the roads you drive on, the McMansions you admire as evidence someone has attained the American Dream -- is designed, built, financed and sold by five -- count 'em five -- firms, several of whom are privately owned. Some of these firms are involved in projects like the Freedom Tower and other redevelopments of Manhattan that involve concentrations of capital so intense, the owners of the resulting skyscrapers have absolute power over the operation of the resulting business districts and the average citizen commuting in for work is nothing more than ants to them... Due to limitations on the inflationary economic system, which requires endless population growth and white flight out of older neighborhoods, 90% of all new construction is designed, built and financed for the upper income brackets.)
Who ARE You People?
Posted by NanceGreggs in General Discussion
Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for accommodating religious and cultural differences, acknowledging that not everyone has exactly the same perspective on every issue, even making life a bit clearer for the common-sense-impaired.
But when it comes down to coddling the abjectly stupid, or those who seem to spend every waking hour looking for something to be offended about, I have to stand back and yell, “What the f*ck!”
Who are you people who think shopping mall Santas should refrain from saying “ho, ho, ho” because it might be construed by female passers-by as an insult to their sexual activities? Shouldn’t such people be kept out of the malls because stupidity might be contagious, and we’ve already got enough of that going around?
Who are you people who report to parents of pre-schoolers that their children’s tendency to nuzzle against your chest is a blatant sexual advance? Shouldn’t such alleged ‘adults’ be kept as far away from innocent children as possible? Just how repressed/sexually confused do you have to be before someone decides that maybe the ‘problem’ lies not with the kids, but with you?
LINK
Posted by NanceGreggs in General Discussion
Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for accommodating religious and cultural differences, acknowledging that not everyone has exactly the same perspective on every issue, even making life a bit clearer for the common-sense-impaired.
But when it comes down to coddling the abjectly stupid, or those who seem to spend every waking hour looking for something to be offended about, I have to stand back and yell, “What the f*ck!”
Who are you people who think shopping mall Santas should refrain from saying “ho, ho, ho” because it might be construed by female passers-by as an insult to their sexual activities? Shouldn’t such people be kept out of the malls because stupidity might be contagious, and we’ve already got enough of that going around?
Who are you people who report to parents of pre-schoolers that their children’s tendency to nuzzle against your chest is a blatant sexual advance? Shouldn’t such alleged ‘adults’ be kept as far away from innocent children as possible? Just how repressed/sexually confused do you have to be before someone decides that maybe the ‘problem’ lies not with the kids, but with you?
LINK
Monday, November 26, 2007
(Great Energy plan Bush, now small farmers and poor people get fucked over once again)
Ethanol proves to be the big letdown of 2007
By Joe Carroll and Mario Parker
Bloomberg News
Ethanol, the centerpiece of President Bush's plan to wean the U.S. from oil, is 2007's worst energy investment.
The corn-based fuel tumbled 57 percent from last year's record of $4.33 a gallon and drove crop prices to a 10-year high. Production in the U.S. tripled after Morgan Stanley, hedge fund firm D.E. Shaw & Co. and venture capitalist Vinod Khosla helped finance a building boom.
Even worse for investors and the Bush administration, energy experts contend ethanol isn't reducing oil demand. Scientists at Cornell University say making the fuel uses more energy than it creates, while the National Research Council warns ethanol production threatens scarce water supplies.
As oil nears $100 a barrel, ethanol markets are so depressed that distilleries are shutting from Iowa to Germany. An investor who put $10 million into ethanol on Dec. 31 now has $7.5 million, a loss of 25 percent. Florida and Georgia have banned sales during the summer, when the fuel may evaporate and create smog.
''I don't anticipate any sort of immediate rebound,'' says Barry Frazier, the 50-year-old president of Center Ethanol LLC in suburban St. Louis. ''It's going to take 12 to 24 months before the market is able to absorb the large amount of new capacity.'' LINK
Ethanol proves to be the big letdown of 2007
By Joe Carroll and Mario Parker
Bloomberg News
Ethanol, the centerpiece of President Bush's plan to wean the U.S. from oil, is 2007's worst energy investment.
The corn-based fuel tumbled 57 percent from last year's record of $4.33 a gallon and drove crop prices to a 10-year high. Production in the U.S. tripled after Morgan Stanley, hedge fund firm D.E. Shaw & Co. and venture capitalist Vinod Khosla helped finance a building boom.
Even worse for investors and the Bush administration, energy experts contend ethanol isn't reducing oil demand. Scientists at Cornell University say making the fuel uses more energy than it creates, while the National Research Council warns ethanol production threatens scarce water supplies.
As oil nears $100 a barrel, ethanol markets are so depressed that distilleries are shutting from Iowa to Germany. An investor who put $10 million into ethanol on Dec. 31 now has $7.5 million, a loss of 25 percent. Florida and Georgia have banned sales during the summer, when the fuel may evaporate and create smog.
''I don't anticipate any sort of immediate rebound,'' says Barry Frazier, the 50-year-old president of Center Ethanol LLC in suburban St. Louis. ''It's going to take 12 to 24 months before the market is able to absorb the large amount of new capacity.'' LINK
In Miles of Alleys, Chicago Finds Its Next Environmental Frontier
By SUSAN SAULNY
CHICAGO, Nov. 25 — If this were any other city, perhaps it would not matter what kind of roadway was underfoot in the back alleys around town. But with nearly 2,000 miles of small service streets bisecting blocks from the North Side to the South Side, Chicago is the alley capital of America. In its alleys, city officials say, it has the paved equivalent of five midsize airports.
Part of the landscape since the city began, the alleys, mostly home to garbage bins and garages, make for cleaner and less congested main streets. But Chicago’s distinction is not without disadvantages: Imagine having a duplicate set of streets, in miniature, to maintain that are prone to flooding and to dumping runoff into a strained sewer system.
What is an old, alley-laden city to do?
Chicago has decided to retrofit its alleys with environmentally sustainable road-building materials under its Green Alley initiative, something experts say is among the most ambitious public street makeover plans in the country. In a larger sense, the city is rethinking the way it paves things.
LINK
By SUSAN SAULNY
CHICAGO, Nov. 25 — If this were any other city, perhaps it would not matter what kind of roadway was underfoot in the back alleys around town. But with nearly 2,000 miles of small service streets bisecting blocks from the North Side to the South Side, Chicago is the alley capital of America. In its alleys, city officials say, it has the paved equivalent of five midsize airports.
Part of the landscape since the city began, the alleys, mostly home to garbage bins and garages, make for cleaner and less congested main streets. But Chicago’s distinction is not without disadvantages: Imagine having a duplicate set of streets, in miniature, to maintain that are prone to flooding and to dumping runoff into a strained sewer system.
What is an old, alley-laden city to do?
Chicago has decided to retrofit its alleys with environmentally sustainable road-building materials under its Green Alley initiative, something experts say is among the most ambitious public street makeover plans in the country. In a larger sense, the city is rethinking the way it paves things.
LINK
Unthanksgiving
By Joel Hirschhorn
Most Americans have succumbed to tradition and advertising and stuffed their bellies with unhealthy food and stuffed their shopping carts with unnecessary stuff. Now, here are some tough facts about the sad state of the American economy from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, as revealed recently by the Economic Mobility Project.
Anyone who still gives thanks for the classic American dream of rising from poverty to riches is not facing reality. Research has documented that only 6 percent of children born to parents with family income in the bottom fifth of the income spectrum move to the top fifth. The rags to riches story is garbage. Meanwhile, an amazing 42 percent of children born into that lowest fraction remain stuck in that lowly economic class, not even making into middle class status. At the other end, four out of 10 children born to rich parents stay rich.
Looking more generally at economic mobility this is reality: 34 percent of Americans make more than their parents' family income and move up at least one rung on the economic ladder. But more experience downward mobility, with 38 percent moving down the economic ladder.
What about black Americans?
LINK
By Joel Hirschhorn
Most Americans have succumbed to tradition and advertising and stuffed their bellies with unhealthy food and stuffed their shopping carts with unnecessary stuff. Now, here are some tough facts about the sad state of the American economy from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, as revealed recently by the Economic Mobility Project.
Anyone who still gives thanks for the classic American dream of rising from poverty to riches is not facing reality. Research has documented that only 6 percent of children born to parents with family income in the bottom fifth of the income spectrum move to the top fifth. The rags to riches story is garbage. Meanwhile, an amazing 42 percent of children born into that lowest fraction remain stuck in that lowly economic class, not even making into middle class status. At the other end, four out of 10 children born to rich parents stay rich.
Looking more generally at economic mobility this is reality: 34 percent of Americans make more than their parents' family income and move up at least one rung on the economic ladder. But more experience downward mobility, with 38 percent moving down the economic ladder.
What about black Americans?
LINK
Bush Admin: What You Don't Know Can't Hurt Us, 2007 Version
By Paul Kiel
Another year has almost passed under the Bush Administration, and so it's time to review how much less we know.
Last year, we launched the insanely ambitious project of recording every significant instance of this administration stifling government information. As we said then, "they've discontinued annual reports, classified normally public data, de-funded studies, quieted underlings, and generally done whatever was necessary to keep bad information under wraps." To be sure, the list will continue to grow through January, 2008.
TPMm research hounds Adrianne Jeffries and Peter Sheehy set to updating our already extensive tally, and those items have been added below (don't miss our new section on global warming!). But TPMm readers made the list what it is, so if you see something else that should be on there, let us know, and we'll update it accordingly.
LINK
By Paul Kiel
Another year has almost passed under the Bush Administration, and so it's time to review how much less we know.
Last year, we launched the insanely ambitious project of recording every significant instance of this administration stifling government information. As we said then, "they've discontinued annual reports, classified normally public data, de-funded studies, quieted underlings, and generally done whatever was necessary to keep bad information under wraps." To be sure, the list will continue to grow through January, 2008.
TPMm research hounds Adrianne Jeffries and Peter Sheehy set to updating our already extensive tally, and those items have been added below (don't miss our new section on global warming!). But TPMm readers made the list what it is, so if you see something else that should be on there, let us know, and we'll update it accordingly.
LINK
Impeachment: If not now, when?
Lawmakers need to stand up for the Constitution and support impeachment
By LINDA BOYD
GUEST COLUMNIST
The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors. -- Article II, Section 4
On Nov. 6, Rep. Dennis Kucinich introduced articles of impeachment against Vice President Dick Cheney on the floor of the House of Representatives. For one shining moment the will of the majority of Americans and the promise of this nation's founders were truly represented.
The detailed charges were solemnly read from the House podium and televised on C-Span. House Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer made a motion to table the bill. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi lobbied hard for votes to table.
In a stunning turnaround, House Republicans changed strategy and voted decisively to prevent tabling the impeachment resolution.
LINK
Lawmakers need to stand up for the Constitution and support impeachment
By LINDA BOYD
GUEST COLUMNIST
The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors. -- Article II, Section 4
On Nov. 6, Rep. Dennis Kucinich introduced articles of impeachment against Vice President Dick Cheney on the floor of the House of Representatives. For one shining moment the will of the majority of Americans and the promise of this nation's founders were truly represented.
The detailed charges were solemnly read from the House podium and televised on C-Span. House Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer made a motion to table the bill. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi lobbied hard for votes to table.
In a stunning turnaround, House Republicans changed strategy and voted decisively to prevent tabling the impeachment resolution.
LINK
Saturday, November 24, 2007
A History of the Wine
The Wine....
Ok so this story begins with the lovely thought of purchasing some wine to send back to the states for personal use and for presents, sounds easy, not so fast my friend. The purchase and shipment went very smoothly and quickly without any flaws which led me to believe that all was ok. But two days later I got "the call" from my mom letting me know that the wine was not going to make it. I got declined because I do not have a import/export license (this is a license that you get basically for paying the government a shit load of money, fucking capitalism) and because I was trying to send to a private address (I tried to fix this by sending it to a winery but this did not work either). Some how 12 bottles of medium prized wine does not make me think that I am going to flood the American market with black-market Rioja from Spain, but evidently they think else wise. I am thinking that I might attempt to send 6 bottles to the US via the vineyard. What do you think, worth a shot?...probably not but what the fuck! I just would really like to bring some back because it will be impossible or nor wise to try and take them to Tanzania. I still do not understand what happened. The Spanish blame it on the US and US blames it on Spain....must be easy to never admit you’re at fault!!
Such as life either way but it really pisses me off and adds to my growing frustration with all. I understand living day to day and just being happy but it ekes me to think of the current and future of this world. To think that we will eventually crumble away on this tiny dot in the universe, not ever knowing what the endless universe beholds. I guess a person can get lost searching for answers to the endless but I find myself trying to answer questions to many things that seem impossible to answer or fix. But I go on trying to make a difference little by little, person to person, and enjoy the great experiences and people I meet along the road.
I am still combating my cold through ridiculous amounts of vitamin C....4,000 mg a day and some odd Spanish sinus medicine powder that dissolves in water.
I have been hanging out a lot more with the Italian/Argentina/American girl. She has begun to mean the world to me, not only with an attraction physically but with her personality as well. I am sure that I will break another heart when I move on....and this I am sorry for because I do not want this. I really like her as well but I guess I am pretty used to moving on....and I have promised not only myself but other people that I will finish my thesis this Spring. But I warned her that I had to leave....maybe and hopefully a different place and different time are paths will cross in this small world....who knows, only the future.
I am hoping my cold lets up so that I can get some last ditch exercise in for the coming assent in Africa. School continues as is it....learning some but more frustrating then anything. Had two interviews this week, looking like one on Sunday and another on Monday....that makes seven....not to bad but 10 would be nice. Well Love to ALL and do not forget to check out Dennis Kucinich who is running for president.....he has great plans...if only people would listen!!
PAZ Y AMOR
TY
The Wine....
Ok so this story begins with the lovely thought of purchasing some wine to send back to the states for personal use and for presents, sounds easy, not so fast my friend. The purchase and shipment went very smoothly and quickly without any flaws which led me to believe that all was ok. But two days later I got "the call" from my mom letting me know that the wine was not going to make it. I got declined because I do not have a import/export license (this is a license that you get basically for paying the government a shit load of money, fucking capitalism) and because I was trying to send to a private address (I tried to fix this by sending it to a winery but this did not work either). Some how 12 bottles of medium prized wine does not make me think that I am going to flood the American market with black-market Rioja from Spain, but evidently they think else wise. I am thinking that I might attempt to send 6 bottles to the US via the vineyard. What do you think, worth a shot?...probably not but what the fuck! I just would really like to bring some back because it will be impossible or nor wise to try and take them to Tanzania. I still do not understand what happened. The Spanish blame it on the US and US blames it on Spain....must be easy to never admit you’re at fault!!
Such as life either way but it really pisses me off and adds to my growing frustration with all. I understand living day to day and just being happy but it ekes me to think of the current and future of this world. To think that we will eventually crumble away on this tiny dot in the universe, not ever knowing what the endless universe beholds. I guess a person can get lost searching for answers to the endless but I find myself trying to answer questions to many things that seem impossible to answer or fix. But I go on trying to make a difference little by little, person to person, and enjoy the great experiences and people I meet along the road.
I am still combating my cold through ridiculous amounts of vitamin C....4,000 mg a day and some odd Spanish sinus medicine powder that dissolves in water.
I have been hanging out a lot more with the Italian/Argentina/American girl. She has begun to mean the world to me, not only with an attraction physically but with her personality as well. I am sure that I will break another heart when I move on....and this I am sorry for because I do not want this. I really like her as well but I guess I am pretty used to moving on....and I have promised not only myself but other people that I will finish my thesis this Spring. But I warned her that I had to leave....maybe and hopefully a different place and different time are paths will cross in this small world....who knows, only the future.
I am hoping my cold lets up so that I can get some last ditch exercise in for the coming assent in Africa. School continues as is it....learning some but more frustrating then anything. Had two interviews this week, looking like one on Sunday and another on Monday....that makes seven....not to bad but 10 would be nice. Well Love to ALL and do not forget to check out Dennis Kucinich who is running for president.....he has great plans...if only people would listen!!
PAZ Y AMOR
TY
Friday, November 23, 2007
(Great article on Kucinich)
The Heroics of Dennis J. Kucinich
by Maryann Mann
Consider five major points:
1.) Dennis Kucinich was right on Iraq. The Congressman stood up to ideological war hawks, refusing to submit to the constitutional calamity of preemptive invasion. 2.) He was right on the Patriot Act. Kucinich lambasted the serpentine piece of legislation which acts as a gateway to eroding our cherished civil liberties. 3.) The Congressman is right on health care. Unlike slipshod “universal coverage” plans proposed by Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama (all of which attempt to incurably fix a broken, private system by virtually mandating that every American buy into it) Kucinich knows first hand that the only morally and economically satisfying version of health care is the one beginning with the words: not-for-profit. 4.) Strength through Peace: The hallmark of the Congressman’s presidential campaign would end using war as an instrument of policy. Haters call him a peacenik devoid of reality. I submit that the intellectually curious might see a president who would embody unparalleled leadership in nuclear non-proliferation and in tackling global warming (mother nature’s WMD) to bridge frayed international alliances, combat climate change and, in effect, revive the plummeting dollar. 5.) Kucinich is right on impeachment. Dennis, as it currently stands – along with 22 courageous signatories – has been the only Congressman brave enough to officially propose articles of impeachment against the dangerously dark Vice President Richard B. Cheney. And on this, he hits the bull’s eye too.
LINK
The Heroics of Dennis J. Kucinich
by Maryann Mann
Consider five major points:
1.) Dennis Kucinich was right on Iraq. The Congressman stood up to ideological war hawks, refusing to submit to the constitutional calamity of preemptive invasion. 2.) He was right on the Patriot Act. Kucinich lambasted the serpentine piece of legislation which acts as a gateway to eroding our cherished civil liberties. 3.) The Congressman is right on health care. Unlike slipshod “universal coverage” plans proposed by Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama (all of which attempt to incurably fix a broken, private system by virtually mandating that every American buy into it) Kucinich knows first hand that the only morally and economically satisfying version of health care is the one beginning with the words: not-for-profit. 4.) Strength through Peace: The hallmark of the Congressman’s presidential campaign would end using war as an instrument of policy. Haters call him a peacenik devoid of reality. I submit that the intellectually curious might see a president who would embody unparalleled leadership in nuclear non-proliferation and in tackling global warming (mother nature’s WMD) to bridge frayed international alliances, combat climate change and, in effect, revive the plummeting dollar. 5.) Kucinich is right on impeachment. Dennis, as it currently stands – along with 22 courageous signatories – has been the only Congressman brave enough to officially propose articles of impeachment against the dangerously dark Vice President Richard B. Cheney. And on this, he hits the bull’s eye too.
LINK
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
What Would Jesus Buy?
By Amy Goodman
"Black Friday” is the name retailers have given to the day after Thanksgiving in their attempt to make Christmas synonymous with shopping. On Black Friday, Americans are expected to flock to the malls and shopping centers, eager for discounts, armed with plastic. Business analysts fill the airwaves with predictions on how the fickle consumer will perform, how fuel prices and the subprime mortgage crisis will impact holiday shopping. Black Friday is followed by “Cyber Monday,” a name coined by the retail industry to hype online shopping. Listening to the business news, one would conclude that the future not only of the U.S. economy but of humanity itself depends on mass, frenzied shopping for the holidays.
Rev. Billy is the street preacher played by Bill Talen, a New York City-based anti-consumerism activist who is the subject of a new feature-length documentary hitting theaters this week, “What Would Jesus Buy?” The film is produced by Morgan Spurlock, who gained fame with his documentary “Super Size Me,” in which he showed his physical and emotional decline while eating only McDonald’s food for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a month.
LINK
By Amy Goodman
"Black Friday” is the name retailers have given to the day after Thanksgiving in their attempt to make Christmas synonymous with shopping. On Black Friday, Americans are expected to flock to the malls and shopping centers, eager for discounts, armed with plastic. Business analysts fill the airwaves with predictions on how the fickle consumer will perform, how fuel prices and the subprime mortgage crisis will impact holiday shopping. Black Friday is followed by “Cyber Monday,” a name coined by the retail industry to hype online shopping. Listening to the business news, one would conclude that the future not only of the U.S. economy but of humanity itself depends on mass, frenzied shopping for the holidays.
Rev. Billy is the street preacher played by Bill Talen, a New York City-based anti-consumerism activist who is the subject of a new feature-length documentary hitting theaters this week, “What Would Jesus Buy?” The film is produced by Morgan Spurlock, who gained fame with his documentary “Super Size Me,” in which he showed his physical and emotional decline while eating only McDonald’s food for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a month.
LINK
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
First Woman, First Black, First Latino, or First Honest President?
Most Dishonest Politicians Have a Better Chance of Winning
By Joel Hirschhorn
The phrase honest politician has become an oxymoron. We should not be impressed by the prospect of having the first woman, first black or first Latino president. What would be far more radical would be to have the first honest president, if not ever, certainly in a very long time.
Presidents in recent memory have been excellent liars, contributing mightily to our culture of dishonesty. Bill Clinton had the audacity to look right into the TV camera and blatantly lie to the American public. George W. Bush has probably set a record for official lying, though it might take many decades to fully document them. Carl M. Cannon saw the bigger truth: "posterity will judge [George W. Bush] not so much by whether he told the truth but whether he recognized what the truth actually was."
Things have gotten so bad that hardly anyone can even imagine an honest president. But if we don't expect an honest president, how can we expect to trust government?
LINK
Most Dishonest Politicians Have a Better Chance of Winning
By Joel Hirschhorn
The phrase honest politician has become an oxymoron. We should not be impressed by the prospect of having the first woman, first black or first Latino president. What would be far more radical would be to have the first honest president, if not ever, certainly in a very long time.
Presidents in recent memory have been excellent liars, contributing mightily to our culture of dishonesty. Bill Clinton had the audacity to look right into the TV camera and blatantly lie to the American public. George W. Bush has probably set a record for official lying, though it might take many decades to fully document them. Carl M. Cannon saw the bigger truth: "posterity will judge [George W. Bush] not so much by whether he told the truth but whether he recognized what the truth actually was."
Things have gotten so bad that hardly anyone can even imagine an honest president. But if we don't expect an honest president, how can we expect to trust government?
LINK
(Wow, seems like are money could go to something better. Kind of big brother as well, tracking what we do through are waste)
Flushing Out a Record of Local Drug Use
Researchers have perfected a method of taking a small sample of incoming sewage at a water treatment plant and extracting the record of local drug use
By David Biello
In the latest attempt to crack down on illegal drug use, scientists say they can determine the extent and pattern of illicit drug use—from marijuana to heroin to cocaine—by sampling sewage and extracting the telltale by-products.
For example, cocaine is snorted, does its brain-altering business and then passes through the liver and the kidneys on its way out of the body. It emerges in urine as benzoylecgonine and, as that urine travels from toilet to treatment plant, it mixes with a host of other by-products of human activity.
Environmental analytical chemist Jennifer Field of Oregon State University and her colleagues, using an automated system they developed, test small samples automatically collected at wastewater treatment plants over a 24-hour period. Solids are centrifuged out and the sewage sample then travels at high pressure through a machine that chemically separates the various compounds of interest chemically, such as benzoylecgonine. By measuring the relative mass of the various residual chemicals, the chemists can then identify what specific drugs have been recently used in that community.
LINK
Flushing Out a Record of Local Drug Use
Researchers have perfected a method of taking a small sample of incoming sewage at a water treatment plant and extracting the record of local drug use
By David Biello
In the latest attempt to crack down on illegal drug use, scientists say they can determine the extent and pattern of illicit drug use—from marijuana to heroin to cocaine—by sampling sewage and extracting the telltale by-products.
For example, cocaine is snorted, does its brain-altering business and then passes through the liver and the kidneys on its way out of the body. It emerges in urine as benzoylecgonine and, as that urine travels from toilet to treatment plant, it mixes with a host of other by-products of human activity.
Environmental analytical chemist Jennifer Field of Oregon State University and her colleagues, using an automated system they developed, test small samples automatically collected at wastewater treatment plants over a 24-hour period. Solids are centrifuged out and the sewage sample then travels at high pressure through a machine that chemically separates the various compounds of interest chemically, such as benzoylecgonine. By measuring the relative mass of the various residual chemicals, the chemists can then identify what specific drugs have been recently used in that community.
LINK
Monday, November 19, 2007
The Weekend Report from the one, the only and perhaps reigning champ....Ty
Well if you are one of the three or four people that actually read by blog and check out my pictures online you might have a general feel for how the weekend went for me. All my pictures are uploaded on http://picasaweb.google.com/tywolosin in case you did not know. This was another great weekend of taking advantage of the higher than normal (for me, not Almeria) temperatures that Almeria is known for. As the northern countries pass into the cold winter, the flocks of RVers appear out of nowhere to claim their parking spot for the winter. They are easy to pick out normally because of the sandals with socks, shorts and abnormally pale skin.
So Saturday was a day of hiking in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Spain. These are the mountains that begin in Granada and stretch to the east into Almeria and South towards El Ejido (another town in Almeria...where the majority of the greenhouses are) and the Mediterranean. It is in these mountains where the majority of the moisture is sucked out of the air to leave Almeria with little moisture. All three of my amigas came along and we met bright in early Saturday morning to catch the bus. Immediately I realized the first fault of the hiking trip, 27 people!!! Way too much for this Soltero. Anyhow I figured I would make the best of getting out of the city and into the mountains....
We were planning on doing a hike on a ridge line but after stopping for about 20 minutes we were told that the hike was a no go. This was due to the danger of Javelin pigs that were spotted in the area. Although I doubt seriously that they would attack a large group I understand that the University and the group have to take precautions. So back into the bus we went and 30 minutes later arrived at are new hiking destination. The hike started out like the kind of hiking I like to do, leg burner straight up the mountain but of course we had to take stops for the group to recover (not the whole group but older people, smokers, etc.). The trail made its way along the side of a mountain following a old Aqueduct that was used to power a small hydroelectric plant. The path/aqueduct passed through a few caves, and around some deep drop offs, finally ending in a beautiful little river and our lunch spot. On the way back we just followed the road....not to exciting but hey it is like the old man says, a loop is always better.
On Sunday I went bouldering with two of my rock climbing friends. We went about an hour away from Almeria in the Parke Natural Cabo de Gata. It was a lot of fun until my hands started to deteriorate into something that resembled a dog toy. I put too much chalk on my hands....which along with volcanic rock worked to rip off a good bit of my skin on the finger tips (dedos). After two hours the other two were not in much better shape so we decided to take off and come better prepared next week (tape for my fingers, food for other friend, and climbing shoes for the third). We went to the nearby pueblo and ate at an excellent Italian restaurant.
Well that is a general rundown of the weekend...
Three interviews planned for this week, so I should have plenty to talk about at the end of the week. Stay Tuned.
PAZ AND AMOR
TY
Well if you are one of the three or four people that actually read by blog and check out my pictures online you might have a general feel for how the weekend went for me. All my pictures are uploaded on http://picasaweb.google.com/tywolosin in case you did not know. This was another great weekend of taking advantage of the higher than normal (for me, not Almeria) temperatures that Almeria is known for. As the northern countries pass into the cold winter, the flocks of RVers appear out of nowhere to claim their parking spot for the winter. They are easy to pick out normally because of the sandals with socks, shorts and abnormally pale skin.
So Saturday was a day of hiking in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Spain. These are the mountains that begin in Granada and stretch to the east into Almeria and South towards El Ejido (another town in Almeria...where the majority of the greenhouses are) and the Mediterranean. It is in these mountains where the majority of the moisture is sucked out of the air to leave Almeria with little moisture. All three of my amigas came along and we met bright in early Saturday morning to catch the bus. Immediately I realized the first fault of the hiking trip, 27 people!!! Way too much for this Soltero. Anyhow I figured I would make the best of getting out of the city and into the mountains....
We were planning on doing a hike on a ridge line but after stopping for about 20 minutes we were told that the hike was a no go. This was due to the danger of Javelin pigs that were spotted in the area. Although I doubt seriously that they would attack a large group I understand that the University and the group have to take precautions. So back into the bus we went and 30 minutes later arrived at are new hiking destination. The hike started out like the kind of hiking I like to do, leg burner straight up the mountain but of course we had to take stops for the group to recover (not the whole group but older people, smokers, etc.). The trail made its way along the side of a mountain following a old Aqueduct that was used to power a small hydroelectric plant. The path/aqueduct passed through a few caves, and around some deep drop offs, finally ending in a beautiful little river and our lunch spot. On the way back we just followed the road....not to exciting but hey it is like the old man says, a loop is always better.
On Sunday I went bouldering with two of my rock climbing friends. We went about an hour away from Almeria in the Parke Natural Cabo de Gata. It was a lot of fun until my hands started to deteriorate into something that resembled a dog toy. I put too much chalk on my hands....which along with volcanic rock worked to rip off a good bit of my skin on the finger tips (dedos). After two hours the other two were not in much better shape so we decided to take off and come better prepared next week (tape for my fingers, food for other friend, and climbing shoes for the third). We went to the nearby pueblo and ate at an excellent Italian restaurant.
Well that is a general rundown of the weekend...
Three interviews planned for this week, so I should have plenty to talk about at the end of the week. Stay Tuned.
PAZ AND AMOR
TY
Friday, November 16, 2007
The Pharmaceutical Industry: Creating Mental Illness for Profit
by max blunt
....On September 4, 2007, the New York Times reported, "The number of American children and adolescents treated for bipolar disorder increased 40-fold from 1994 to 2003 ... Drug makers and company-sponsored psychiatrists have been encouraging doctors to look for the disorder."
Not too long ago, a child who was irritable, moody, and distractible and who at times sounded grandiose or acted without regard for consequences was considered a "handful."
In the U.S. by the 1980s, that child was labeled with a "behavioral disorder" and today that child is being diagnosed as "bipolar" and "psychotic" -- and prescribed expensive antipsychotic drugs.
Bloomberg News, also on September 4, 2007, reported, "The expanded use of bipolar as a pediatric diagnosis has made children the fastest-growing part of the $11.5 billion U.S. market for anti-psychotic drugs." ..... LINK
by max blunt
....On September 4, 2007, the New York Times reported, "The number of American children and adolescents treated for bipolar disorder increased 40-fold from 1994 to 2003 ... Drug makers and company-sponsored psychiatrists have been encouraging doctors to look for the disorder."
Not too long ago, a child who was irritable, moody, and distractible and who at times sounded grandiose or acted without regard for consequences was considered a "handful."
In the U.S. by the 1980s, that child was labeled with a "behavioral disorder" and today that child is being diagnosed as "bipolar" and "psychotic" -- and prescribed expensive antipsychotic drugs.
Bloomberg News, also on September 4, 2007, reported, "The expanded use of bipolar as a pediatric diagnosis has made children the fastest-growing part of the $11.5 billion U.S. market for anti-psychotic drugs." ..... LINK
It’s Treason: Dems Stay Silent on Bush White House Crimes
By Richard W. Behan, AlterNet.
Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort.
--Article III, Section 3, United States Constitution (emphasis added)
The mainstream Democrats -- represented, say, by Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards, Joe Biden, and Christopher Dodd -- have not levied war against the United States. Their treason lies instead in committing the second offense: They adhere to enemies of the country, giving them aid and comfort.
The enemies are President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard Cheney. Like no other president and vice president in history, these men attacked their country.
It was not our geography George Bush and Richard Cheney invaded. Instead they abandoned and subverted the bedrock institution of our constitutional democracy: the rule of law. By word and deed, Mr. Bush repeatedly and arrogantly sets himself above the law, claiming obedience to be a matter of presidential choice. Mr. Cheney orchestrates, coaches, applauds and iterates....... LINK
By Richard W. Behan, AlterNet.
Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort.
--Article III, Section 3, United States Constitution (emphasis added)
The mainstream Democrats -- represented, say, by Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards, Joe Biden, and Christopher Dodd -- have not levied war against the United States. Their treason lies instead in committing the second offense: They adhere to enemies of the country, giving them aid and comfort.
The enemies are President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard Cheney. Like no other president and vice president in history, these men attacked their country.
It was not our geography George Bush and Richard Cheney invaded. Instead they abandoned and subverted the bedrock institution of our constitutional democracy: the rule of law. By word and deed, Mr. Bush repeatedly and arrogantly sets himself above the law, claiming obedience to be a matter of presidential choice. Mr. Cheney orchestrates, coaches, applauds and iterates....... LINK
Week report from the confused soltero
This week of school brought me back to the usual frustrated confused state of being with the introduction of the indirect verb usage. Not only is this a torture to learn in Spanish but as well in English. The problem arises in the fact that to tell someone what was said by someone else, normally we shorten it because we do not remember all of what was said. This normally gets the point across and the person can hopefully use some of their brain to put together the rest. However in class we have to repeat word for word what the person said and change the verb tense to what best suits the sentence. Really I am confused just writing about it....needless to say this week was like being shot in the stomach, rolling in pain for about two hours, then fixed up, and finally shot again the next day to endure the same process again.
On a somewhat lighter note I did get to play soccer on Monday night. Being that Almeria is a desert, the only grass fields are for the professional teams and instead the people play on clay courts. Basically it’s playing indoor soccer, outside....a bit of an oxymoron but you get the point. If rock-climbing had not already completely liquefied my muscles, indoor soccer put on the final touch....putting me in a hobbled state for the next couple of days. In addition, I took a direct shot to the shin with the soccer ball which I think might have realigned my entire face...not really but that is how I felt. No hard food for 12hours but now its fine!!! I guess I am bitching a lot but that kind of how the week went.
After this week with not interviews......Next week I have two interviews planned and possibly a third.
This weekend I am going hiking on Saturday and Bouldering on Sunday. I am looking forward to both although for hiking, a 8am start will come early but I guess it is a good reason not to go out drinking. I should have pictures and stories by Sunday afternoon....so stay tuned. Well that is all for now
.......
Peace and Love
Ty
This week of school brought me back to the usual frustrated confused state of being with the introduction of the indirect verb usage. Not only is this a torture to learn in Spanish but as well in English. The problem arises in the fact that to tell someone what was said by someone else, normally we shorten it because we do not remember all of what was said. This normally gets the point across and the person can hopefully use some of their brain to put together the rest. However in class we have to repeat word for word what the person said and change the verb tense to what best suits the sentence. Really I am confused just writing about it....needless to say this week was like being shot in the stomach, rolling in pain for about two hours, then fixed up, and finally shot again the next day to endure the same process again.
On a somewhat lighter note I did get to play soccer on Monday night. Being that Almeria is a desert, the only grass fields are for the professional teams and instead the people play on clay courts. Basically it’s playing indoor soccer, outside....a bit of an oxymoron but you get the point. If rock-climbing had not already completely liquefied my muscles, indoor soccer put on the final touch....putting me in a hobbled state for the next couple of days. In addition, I took a direct shot to the shin with the soccer ball which I think might have realigned my entire face...not really but that is how I felt. No hard food for 12hours but now its fine!!! I guess I am bitching a lot but that kind of how the week went.
After this week with not interviews......Next week I have two interviews planned and possibly a third.
This weekend I am going hiking on Saturday and Bouldering on Sunday. I am looking forward to both although for hiking, a 8am start will come early but I guess it is a good reason not to go out drinking. I should have pictures and stories by Sunday afternoon....so stay tuned. Well that is all for now
.......
Peace and Love
Ty
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Sane Bush Hatred
by Joel S. Hirschhorn
The Wall Street Journal gave the top half of its opinion page yesterday to a long essay by Peter Berkowitz titled “The Insanity of Bush Hatred.” If anything, it deserves a gold medal for political propaganda – make that political lies. What caught my attention immediately was the frequent use of the word “progressive” to describe the people Berkowitz was attacking. It was used ten times. In other words, progressives were attacked for hating Bush.
There is a major lie of omission. No mention was made of the vast number of Americans that certainly do not call themselves progressives that hate Bush. Surely there are many millions of sane independents, moderates, libertarians, conservatives and liberals that rightfully hate Bush. To ignore all these Americans betrays the intellectual legitimacy of the article and its arguments.......
There is some truth to the opening statement: Hating the president is almost as old as the republic itself. But the growing consensus that George W. Bush will go down in history as the nation’s worst president is a much larger truth. It is perfectly reasonable for ALL Americans to hate Bush for squandering the lives of the many people in our armed forces, for squandering the nation’s wealth, and for squandering our nation’s good name and reputation. Bush is a national embarrassment and disgrace, and for that he deserves to be hated..... LINK
by Joel S. Hirschhorn
The Wall Street Journal gave the top half of its opinion page yesterday to a long essay by Peter Berkowitz titled “The Insanity of Bush Hatred.” If anything, it deserves a gold medal for political propaganda – make that political lies. What caught my attention immediately was the frequent use of the word “progressive” to describe the people Berkowitz was attacking. It was used ten times. In other words, progressives were attacked for hating Bush.
There is a major lie of omission. No mention was made of the vast number of Americans that certainly do not call themselves progressives that hate Bush. Surely there are many millions of sane independents, moderates, libertarians, conservatives and liberals that rightfully hate Bush. To ignore all these Americans betrays the intellectual legitimacy of the article and its arguments.......
There is some truth to the opening statement: Hating the president is almost as old as the republic itself. But the growing consensus that George W. Bush will go down in history as the nation’s worst president is a much larger truth. It is perfectly reasonable for ALL Americans to hate Bush for squandering the lives of the many people in our armed forces, for squandering the nation’s wealth, and for squandering our nation’s good name and reputation. Bush is a national embarrassment and disgrace, and for that he deserves to be hated..... LINK
Monday, November 12, 2007
Weekend update from the mysterious soltero
Well what a weekend, perhaps the best yet, not in the productive sense thesis wise but in pure enjoyment definitely. Friday I woke up in anticipation for my normal Friday filled with being pumped full of new Spanish verb tenses that seem to have no end. About twenty minutes before departure on my lovely bike ride to campus I received a SMS (text message) from the professora saying that she was not going to be in class and asked that I pass the message along to my roommates. So usually a person would be ecstatic of such news but with a double espresso in the blood stream going back to sleep seemed as likely as walking on water. So instead I met up with two of my classmates and one of their friends who had just arrived that morning. He (the friend) has been traveling Europe (and next Central America) after losing his job and receiving a nice severance pay.
We had the plan to show him a few of the sights around town but the first few were closed because it was too early and the third one we had to leave early because the girls needed to go. Needless to say it was a nice walk but not to productive. In the afternoon I agreed to go with one my friends to the beach to exercise. The plan was that she would ride my bike while I ran because she has some serious shin splint problems. All was well until on the way back the cassette on the back wheel broke. So this means that the bike is unrideable, so we walked back to her house because it was the closest of the two and parked it in the garage. To finish up this story I will summarize what has happened this weekend. A friend knows the owner of the store I bought the bike at so he took my bike to the store....now there are two possibilities: 1) they fix it for free because it has only been a month since I bought it or 2) me and the girl split the cost of the repairs if it is a reasonable price. So this weekend I felt a little lost without my bike but my roommates broken old bike at least gave me a little faster way then walking to get around.
Friday night I made my way to campus for my rock-climbing class. The first class was pretty intimidating and reminded me of the first day of high school. Such anticipation and the knowledge of not being able to speak the language makes you question what the hell you are doing walking into the unknown. Somehow I was put in the "professional" group which made me even more nervous since it was only me and two other people. But it turned out it was great because the other two were extranjeros (foreigners) as well...France and Germany. Class was pretty cool and I got a course on the basic equipment to climbing as well as the double eight knot.
Saturday and Sunday were the climbing days. We were about 15 minutes outside Almeria and a dry canyon with plenty of rock to be climbed. In total I did eight climbs, seven different and one repeal. It was a great time and I think I have found a new sport to practice at least occasionally. I really liked the rush of being on the side of a rock face and the feeling you get when you make it to the top. Plus the other people in the class all (pretty much) seemed pretty cool and most the people I know in Missoula do at least a little bit of climbing. Today I am pretty sore but not too bad. Next Sunday I am going with three of the climbers to boulder (a type of climbing without a rope....but not high or dangerous) on the beach about 40 minutes from Almeria. It should be a good time and I look forward to it. On this Thursday night I am meeting up with some of the group to go for tapas and beer or at least I think that is why we are meeting.
No partying but I did cook for friends on Saturday night.
Well that is a general rundown of the weekend. This week I am hoping to get one to two interviews...we shall see. O and tonight I am playing indoor soccer so that should be interesting.
The days seem to be getting shorter and shorter and I can feel my time line here be squeezed. Only a month and I will be gone!!! Wow I would love to stay here longer but I really want to finish my thesis and just be done with school!!
Paz and AMor
Ty
Well what a weekend, perhaps the best yet, not in the productive sense thesis wise but in pure enjoyment definitely. Friday I woke up in anticipation for my normal Friday filled with being pumped full of new Spanish verb tenses that seem to have no end. About twenty minutes before departure on my lovely bike ride to campus I received a SMS (text message) from the professora saying that she was not going to be in class and asked that I pass the message along to my roommates. So usually a person would be ecstatic of such news but with a double espresso in the blood stream going back to sleep seemed as likely as walking on water. So instead I met up with two of my classmates and one of their friends who had just arrived that morning. He (the friend) has been traveling Europe (and next Central America) after losing his job and receiving a nice severance pay.
We had the plan to show him a few of the sights around town but the first few were closed because it was too early and the third one we had to leave early because the girls needed to go. Needless to say it was a nice walk but not to productive. In the afternoon I agreed to go with one my friends to the beach to exercise. The plan was that she would ride my bike while I ran because she has some serious shin splint problems. All was well until on the way back the cassette on the back wheel broke. So this means that the bike is unrideable, so we walked back to her house because it was the closest of the two and parked it in the garage. To finish up this story I will summarize what has happened this weekend. A friend knows the owner of the store I bought the bike at so he took my bike to the store....now there are two possibilities: 1) they fix it for free because it has only been a month since I bought it or 2) me and the girl split the cost of the repairs if it is a reasonable price. So this weekend I felt a little lost without my bike but my roommates broken old bike at least gave me a little faster way then walking to get around.
Friday night I made my way to campus for my rock-climbing class. The first class was pretty intimidating and reminded me of the first day of high school. Such anticipation and the knowledge of not being able to speak the language makes you question what the hell you are doing walking into the unknown. Somehow I was put in the "professional" group which made me even more nervous since it was only me and two other people. But it turned out it was great because the other two were extranjeros (foreigners) as well...France and Germany. Class was pretty cool and I got a course on the basic equipment to climbing as well as the double eight knot.
Saturday and Sunday were the climbing days. We were about 15 minutes outside Almeria and a dry canyon with plenty of rock to be climbed. In total I did eight climbs, seven different and one repeal. It was a great time and I think I have found a new sport to practice at least occasionally. I really liked the rush of being on the side of a rock face and the feeling you get when you make it to the top. Plus the other people in the class all (pretty much) seemed pretty cool and most the people I know in Missoula do at least a little bit of climbing. Today I am pretty sore but not too bad. Next Sunday I am going with three of the climbers to boulder (a type of climbing without a rope....but not high or dangerous) on the beach about 40 minutes from Almeria. It should be a good time and I look forward to it. On this Thursday night I am meeting up with some of the group to go for tapas and beer or at least I think that is why we are meeting.
No partying but I did cook for friends on Saturday night.
Well that is a general rundown of the weekend. This week I am hoping to get one to two interviews...we shall see. O and tonight I am playing indoor soccer so that should be interesting.
The days seem to be getting shorter and shorter and I can feel my time line here be squeezed. Only a month and I will be gone!!! Wow I would love to stay here longer but I really want to finish my thesis and just be done with school!!
Paz and AMor
Ty
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