Detroit won't budge

I'm calling for a Million Vega March on Washington.

(What the hell, no discrimination, Pintos and K-Cars invited too.)

Oops, sorry. They all rusted away.

so we can hang our belongings on the end of a stick like good hoe-boes. I don't want the other homeless people making fun of my untidy knots.

I think C A F E standards and gas taxes go a long way on fossil fuels. There should be a minimum percentage of zero emission or fossil fuel dependent production requirements so they get to work on introducing good plug in's and alternate renewable resource vehicles. I like the algae fuel solution because by definition you pull CO2 out of the atmosphere and you get to keep your big block muscle cars without introducing new CO2.

A Japanese company ( **Toyota**) and an American company (Ford Motors)
decided to have a canoe race on the **Missouri River**. Both teams
practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race.

On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile.

The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the
reason for the crushing defeat. A management team made up of senior
management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action.

Their conclusion was the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering,
while the American team had 7 people steering and 2 people rowing.

Feeling a deeper study was in order, American management hired a consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second opinion.

They advised, of course, that too many people were steering the boat, while
not enough people were rowing.

Not sure of how to utilize that information, but wanting to prevent another
loss to the Japanese, the rowing team's management structure was totally
reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 2 area steering superintendents and 1
assistant superintendent steering manager.

They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 2 people rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the 'Rowing Team Quality First Program,' with meetings, dinners and free pens for the rowers. There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes and other equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses. The pension
program was trimmed to 'equal the competition' and some of the resultant
savings were channeled into morale-boosting programs and teamwork posters.

The next year the Japanese won by two miles.

Humiliated, the American management laid off one rower, halted development of a new canoe, sold all the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment. The money saved was distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses.
*
*The next year, try as he might, the lone designated rower was unable to
even finish the race (having no paddles,) so he was laid off for
unacceptable performance, all canoe equipment was sold and the next year's
racing team was out-sourced to **India**.

Sadly, the End.

Here's something else to think about: Ford has spent the last thirty years
moving all its factories out of the **US**, claiming they can't make money
paying American wages.

**TOYOTA** **has spent the last thirty years building more than a dozen
plants inside the **US**. The last quarter's results:
**
**TOYOTA** makes 4 billion in profits while Ford racked up 9 billion in
losses.

Ford folks are still scratching their heads, and collecting bonuses... and
asking for a 'bail-out'...
**
**IF THIS WEREN'T SO TRUE IT MIGHT BE FUNNY*

long time no see..

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

Senate Democrats will pack plenty of muscle

Senate Democrats will pack plenty of muscle
By Thomas Ferraro Thomas Ferraro – 1 hr 44 mins ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Senate Democrats will be able to do plenty over the next two years -- despite falling just short of their goal of winning a majority big enough to end Republican procedural roadblocks.

Senate Democrats will have the muscle, with the help of a few moderate Republicans, to pass a crush of bills, including ones to stimulate the economy, ensure equal pay for women, ease global warming, lower prescription drug prices for the elderly and change course in the Iraq war.

Together these measures would provide new President Barack Obama a string of victories after he takes office on January 20.

~snip~
But Democrats will be able to reach 60 with the help of a handful of moderate Republicans willing to break ranks with their conservative leadership on certain issues.

"Democrats are going to have 60 votes a lot of the time," said Ethan Siegal of The Washington Exchange, a private firm that tracks Congress for institutional investors.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081203/pl_nm/us_usa_congress_democrats

...but in the DC metro area the gas prices are down to $1.75 in Maryland, and reported today by local news, people are still using mass transit. And the weather has been unusually cold for this time of year which I would think would motivate them back into their cars.

I also think people are taking climate change and the environmental concerns seriously. Seeing the foreign and domestic manipulation of oil prices and the expense of human life and limb to use it, and learning about alternative forms of energy that could provide relief, people are ripe for the change and the sooner the better.

Only the "dinosaurs" are holding on but their numbers are dwindling...thank goodness.

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=10944632&ch=...

Great. This is all I need. Deadly diseased cows chasing me down the fuckin' freeway..

Greg Saunders:

Saving Detroit

"When it comes to bailing out the auto industry, count me in the “let them starve” camp. The auto industry has been outsourcing American jobs for 25 years now with little regard for the devastated communities they’ve left in their wake (seriously, re-watch Roger & Me sometime). The big three have also used their lobbying might to oppose every environmental regulation in their sights. And on top of all of that, their cars suck. Bailing out the auto companies whose single-minded devotion to SUV’s made them blind to the hybrid revolution is like bailing out a record company that hasn’t had a hit since “The Macarena”. Screw them.

That said, I am sensitive to the fact that letting the big three go out of business would be a pretty serious blow to our already fragile economy. But if the solution to what ails automakers is an infusion of cash, wouldn’t it be better to get banks involved? If we’ve already set aside $700 billion to help bailout banks in the hopes that it will free up lending, wouldn’t it be a better idea to just have Congress mandate that banks participating in the bailout must offer debtor-in-possession loans to the big three. That way, if an auto manufacturer fails, they need to file for Chapter 11 like any other company whose poor business decisions lead to their downfall AND the banks free up some cash and start lending again.

Obviously this is probably an oversimplification, but there’s gotta be a better way of saving the auto industry than just writing another giant check."

of capital punishment.

My spine is still tingling after reading that blog. This is a scary country we live in.

Deadly Disease Research Centers in Tornado Alley &

Hurricane Alley !

It would be funny if it wasn't true ! Jeebus !

Who is The Total Moron who makes these decisions ?

Oh..My bad..Campaign Contributions ! I Should have known..

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

Really! Having been an election judge, this that they are now discovering is truly unbelievable!!!

What Maplewood giveth, Minneapolis taketh away.

Elections officials in Minnesota's largest city today discovered that one precinct came up 133 ballots short of election day totals, resulting in a net loss for Democratic challenger Al Franken of 44 votes.

The development wipes away what had been a boon for Franken in his bid to overtake Republican U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, after Ramsey County officials found an additional 37 votes for Franken from a Maplewood precinct on Tuesday.

Minneapolis elections director Cindy Reichert said she believes the error occurred when election judges at the precinct on election night mistakenly ran ballots with write-in candidates through a counting machine twice. There were 129 such ballots.

Reichert said although the numbers do not match exactly, she is confident that that's what happened and will report those numbers to the Secretary of State's Office. She also detailed a search for any potential missing envelopes that contain ballots, including opening the counting machine, talking to election judges and calling the church where the polling place was located.

http://www.twincities.com/politics/ci_11129187?nclick_check=1

WE have to match the number of ballots to the counter on the optical scanner and the computer to our own count. How could ballots be run twice without them knowing that night.
Something fishy? Or incompetent people as election workers?

We were checking the counts throughout the day to make sure they matched.

WE also set aside the ballots with write-ins afterward to count the legal write-ins. Those with wierd write-ins like Micky Mouse and Snow White were also counted and put on the ballot envelope in a seperate area.

I still think there is something fishy going in MN!

INDIANAPOLIS – Sixteen Indiana National Guard soldiers have filed a federal lawsuit against a defense contractor they say knowingly allowed them to be exposed to a toxic chemical in Iraq.

The suit filed Wednesday against KBR Inc. in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis claims the Guardsmen from a Tell City-based unit were exposed to a carcinogen while protecting an Iraqi water pumping plant shortly after the U.S. invasion in 2003.

The lawsuit says some of the Guardsmen now have respiratory system tumors.

The lawsuit says that officials of Houston-based KBR knew at least as early as May 2003 that the plant was contaminated with sodium dichromate, a known carcinogen, but concealed the danger from civilian workers and the soldiers.

The extent of KBR's knowledge of the hazard didn't become clear until congressional hearings this June, the suit states.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081203/ap_on_re_us/soldiers_chemical_exposu...

The country's economic picture has darkened further as Americans hunkered down heading into the holidays, forcing retailers to ring up fewer sales and factories to cut back on production.

The Federal Reserve's new snapshot of business conditions nationwide, released Wednesday, suggested the economy was sinking deeper into recession.

"Economic activity weakened across all Federal Reserve districts," the report concluded.

The Fed didn't use the word "recession," but just two days earlier the National Bureau of Economic Research declared what many Americans already knew in their bones: that the country had been suffering through one since last December.

To cushion the fallout, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Monday that the central bank is prepared to lower its key interest rate and to explore other ways to revive economic activity. Many economists predict the Fed will cut its rate — now near a historic low of 1 percent — at its last scheduled meeting this year on Dec. 16.

With jobs vanishing, shoppers cut back, causing retail sales to be "weak" or "down" in most of the Fed's 12 regions.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/12/03/national/w11...

Just in Time for Transition, Let Them Hear From You by Dec. 8th!...

From an EAC press release just issued today...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) Chair Rosemary E. Rodriguez invites the public to submit written testimony for the EAC's December 8th public meeting, which includes a panel discussion about the 2008 Election Day Survey and voting system performance. The meeting agenda is available at www.eac.gov.

"Public interest in voting system performance has not waned since the November election, which is why I think it is important to include this topic in the December public meeting," said Chair Rodriguez. "I would like to invite the public to provide written testimony on this topic or any others on the meeting agenda, and will direct EAC staff to post all testimony received at www.eac.gov.
...
Written testimony for the public meeting should be submitted by e-mail to HAVAinfo@eac.gov. Deadline for receiving testimony is Monday, December 8, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. To ensure your e-mail is directed appropriately, please include "December 8 public meeting testimony" in the subject line. For further assistance, contact the EAC toll-free at 1-866-747-1471.

Con't-BradBlog

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

David Costello, the activist leader of HOPE Builders, the group that helped build the huts, said a lawyer for the group would try to stop the eviction order. The homeless residents and HOPE volunteers nonetheless started to tear down one of the huts, but not before they voiced their dissatisfaction.

"What I'm saying to the city is 'Shame on you,' " Costello said. "Shame on you for ignoring this city's housing crisis."

Residents hauled bags of clothes and boxes out of the shacks and put them in the backs of pickup trucks. One wood-burning stove smoldered as several men removed it from a shack.

"They can bulldoze the rest of this thing," shouted one homeless man. "I hope they're happy."

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20081203/NEWS/812030381/1001

This could be rich - is it real or Onion?

Not Onion.

According to this Detroit Free Press story, Wagoner is about to hop into a protoype Chevy Volt for his Ride for Billion$!!

I can't believe this won't be shadowed by hundreds of citizen journos with cell phone cams - Last I checked, the Volt had a small fire issue with the LiON batteries (which are still being engineered as they rush to ship this thing.) But hey, GM has never minded a few smoking hulks...

Who the hell are their PR people, and what are they smoking? I want some.

If they can make people want to buy SUVs and Hummers and all kinds of other crap that is not based on logic, they can use those same marketing methods to sell cars that just so happen to be logically better. But that doesn't have to be how they sell them.

They can create this demand with the proper marketing campaign, plain and simple. Make them do it and they will be fine.

(16) Ind. soldiers sue (KBR) over chemical exposure in Iraq
Submitted by toniD on Wed, 12/03/2008 - 6:23pm.

*******

And,Underline This Part Too ! !

(The extent of KBR's knowledge of the hazard didn't become clear until congressional hearings this June, the suit states.)

**
Gee..I Wonder What We Could Have Learned Had We Had Some Congressional Impeachment Hearings ? ?

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1208/16119.html

Ick...

Family of man trampled at Wal-Mart sues retailer

The technique was used during the Cold War before it emerged that barbiturate sodium pentothal induced hallucinations, delusions and psychotic manifestations

???

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/38057

Obama gets his way.

Submitted by ghettodefender on Wed, 12/03/2008 - 2:38pm.

The Republicans have won a crucial election to deny president-elect Barack Obama and the Democrats the chance of a 60-seat "super-majority" in the Senate.

Obama, possibly wanting to avoid association with a defeat, did not go to Georgia to campaign for Martin.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/03/georgia-election-obama-senat...

Martin's defeat is exactly what Obama wanted. Now he has cover not to push a progressive agenda nor can he be muscled into doing so. At the same time, he avoids being associated with Martin's defeat. He is brilliant politician and a complete fraud.

Most everything Wardog has been lately is absolutely true-- if for the wrong reasons.

Yesterday, it was amazing-- Even Bill Press expressed alarm that Obama was a sellout. More moderate Republicans will like Obama more than liberal Democrats in six months.

I hope he does invade Pakistan. This might force him to step down in shame, like LBJ, in four years.

_______________________

Huh?

There's a good many that's been radicalized by eight years of Bush's unique blend of incuriosity, indifference, belligerence and malice. Yer one of the few I've encountered that seems to have been radicalized by the out-of-nowheres discovery that Obama is -- gasp! -- a politician.

Now, I'll concede there's a lotta potentially troubling aspects about Obama. I gotta long list myself, includin' the "personnel-is-policy" warnin' signs. But Jesus-fucking-Christ, guy, get a fucking grip.

Look, Obama ain't even preznit yet 'n already you're imputing malign motives w/absolute certainty, calling him (unequivocally) a fraud and hoping for -- whaaaat?

Yer hoping for a fucking invasion of Pakistan by Obama, so ... so you can be proved right? That he's a fraud? Is that what I'ma hearin'?

Isn't that kinda, oh, I dunno, selfish?

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Gov. Sarah Palin has added to her financial disclosure forms two free trips that she took nearly two years ago but failed to report. Palin, who was Republican presidential candidate John McCain's running mate, made the disclosures last month, but after Election Day when she and McCain lost to Barack Obama and Joe Biden. The trips were first revealed in a story by The Associated Press in October.

The free trips were taken in April and May of 2007 and should have been reported within 30 days under state ethics law. The Nov. 17 disclosure forms note that the reports were "not filed timely due to administrative error."

Bill McAllister, the governor's spokesman, said this week that the mistakes were made by travel support staff. He said he could not explain the timing of when and how they were caught, but that it was irrelevant because the error was corrected.

Palin, who has criticized state lawmakers for gifts they take, is not facing any sanctions for the late filings, according to Linda Perez, state administrative director. Perez said she was alerted to the matter by McCain's presidential campaign before the Oct. 14 AP story

Con't-AP

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

wasn't it strange that (in his infamous ad) Chamblis says, "I'm Saxon Chamblis and I approve this message' (his emphasis, not mine) and then grabs the little girl?

It is as if the message he approves is the groping?
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Kevin Norrish, the bank's commodities strategist, said the average fall in the price of copper, lead, and zinc has been roughly 60pc since the peak in July this year. All three metals were traded on the London Metal Exchange in the inter-war years so it is possible to make a comparison.

Prices for the three metals fell 40pc from their highs in 1929 before touching bottom in 1933, with the bulk of the fall in 1930 as the slump spread worldwide. "Lead and zinc have already lost more than they did in the 1930s," he said.

Copper was hit hardest during the Depression, despite the electrification drive in the US and the Soviet Union, falling 70pc at one stage before creeping back in the mid-1930s. The reason was an 85pc fall in US construction, then the biggest user of the metal.

Barclays Capital said the broader equity markets are already discounting the sorts of "savage declines" in corporate profits that were last seen in the Slump. It said (trailing) price to earnings ratios are actually lower now than they were the early 1930s, with moves in credit spreads that suggest investors are anticipating depression-era levels of economic contraction.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/industry/mining/3543370/...

Call me an apologist if you must, but I suspect Obama's kinda busy w/puttin' a team together -- one we can all deplore! -- and puzzlin' out the economic stimulus that he's gonna propose.

I also suspect, inna -- gasp! -- political consideration, Obama realized that a special run-off in Georgia -- fucking Georgia, mind -- ain't like to draw near the turn-out there was in the general. Bear in mind that special run-offs are a whole 'nuther amnimal than a general -- the base is where it's at -- i.e. there ain't but precious few "moderates" that shows up. It's the neanderthals vs. teh dirty-fuckin'-hippies (to drastically overgeneralize).

Now, you can argue, w/a fair amount of validity, that a body won't never know till a body tried whether Obama coulda regalvanized a lotta them Georgia peaches to counter the steady diet of Chambliss' Georgia crackers.

But you can also argue, w/a fair amount a validity, that Obama didn't wanna give our juvenile press corpse a "political failure to deliver" in Georgia inna race that Martin *prolly* wasn't gonna win anyways. Specially not inna "base" election. In Georgia.

Obama actively campaigning on Martin's behalf resulting inna (probable) loss would've demonstrated (at least to the children who populate our press corpse) "weakness" that certainly would've been exploited by righttards all across our fair land. Obama also would've been accused of political unseriousness for campaigning while the economy is in melt-down mode (not that that is a consideration for Republicans, but then, we all are aware of the IOKIYAR rule).

Now a body can argue that Obama needs to be yer progressive monkey alla time, 'n you can also wish in one hand 'n shit in the other, but one allus fills up a whole lot quicker. Whether you agree w/his priorities or not, I'ma guessin' Obama's playin' onna larger field of expectations and doesn't wanna spoil his chances of delivering big things by fighting Pyrrhic battles.

Is this the ol' sacrificing principle over politics?

Sure. Newsflash: Obama's not the savior. And he's not the devil neither! He's a politician!

It is what it is.

But to impute the motive, w/such certainty, that Obama *wanted* Martin to fail b/c it'll allow him to be a better bootlick is, well, sorta silly.

You might be havin' some buyer's remorse re: Obama, ghetto, and Obama might turn out to be a huge disappointment to you 'n me 'n ever'one that had high hopes for his potential, which is fine.

But some sense of perspective might be in order.

>>But some sense of perspective might be in order.

I will not be held hostage by such outrageous demands!
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

as President.

That is why I always said I am waiting till he gets in Office.

If he gets half of what he has said he wanted to do in office, that will be alot. Let's see how his agenda passes in Congress, even though there is a majority of Dems, many are more conservative Dems so we will see. If he starts by getting rid of the damaging signing statements I will be happy.

He is a politician, yes. So let's see how he handles his first year. There is alot to do just straightening out the Bush mess

I'm not a disciple of Obama, but I will wait so see what he does. It's better than McCain!

Submitted by Chubby Bubba on Wed, 12/03/2008 - 7:21pm.

>>But some sense of perspective might be in order.

I will not be held hostage by such outrageous demands!

______________

Ah, nothing satisfies like the perfect reply.

November job cuts jump 148% from November 2007
Chris in Paris · 12/03/2008 08:49:00 AM ET · Link
Make a comment · reddit · FARK · Digg It! · Stumble It! · facebook

This could not be imploding at a worse time. Obama has done a great job putting together his economic team (that is full of brainpower) but ultimately, there is only one President and he's about as unimpressive as ever. Until the baton is officially passed next month we will remain in a very delicate situation. Via CNBC.
November layoffs at U.S. firms surged to their highest monthly level in nearly seven years during November, led by the financial and auto sectors, according to separate reports released Wednesday.

Job cuts announced in November totaled 181,671, up 61 percent from October and 148 percent higher than November 2007, when job cuts totaled 73,140, outplacement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas said in a report released on Wednesday.

A separate report by ADP Employer Services put the November job cuts at 250,000 jobs.

The November planned layoffs was the largest monthly toll since January 2002, when employers announced a record 248,475 planned layoffs.

The most dramatic job cuts cited for November was Citigroup's plan to reduce its payroll by 52,000 employees.

Overall, financial sector layoffs announced totaled 91,356 in November, the report said.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/28030676

WASHINGTON -- President-elect Barack Obama gets soaring marks for his handling of the transition and his choices for the Cabinet, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, even at a time the public is downbeat over the economy.

More than three of four Americans, including a majority of Republicans, approve of the job Obama has done so far -- broad-based support he'll need as he faces tough decisions ahead.

By 69 percent-25 percent, those surveyed approve of his pick of New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, his former Democratic primary rival, as secretary of State.

By an even wider margin, 80 percent-14 percent, they favor his decision to ask President Bush's Pentagon chief, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, to stay on the job.

Americans are "projecting their hopes" for the new president, says Charles Franklin, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who studies polling, though they will expect concrete results to follow.

http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20081203/UPDATES01/812030425

Sorry, I'm not believing this poll. I don't think 80% approved of keeping Gates. Besides, it's a Gallup poll.

I wonder if temp positions are included in the lay-off numbers?

I seriously doubt it.
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Cleaning House

Wise move.

The incoming Obama administration has notified all politically-appointed ambassadors that they must vacate their posts as of Jan. 20, the day President-elect Barack Obama takes the oath of office, a State Department official said.

...

Political ambassadors sometimes are permitted to stay on briefly during a new administration, but the sweeping nature of the directive suggests that Obama has little interest in retaining any of Bush's ambassadorial appointees.

-Atrios 13:02

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/12/03/obama_gives_politi...

Media Default To John Bolton For Criticism Of Obama’s U.N. Pick»
Last Monday, President-elect Barack Obama announced the nomination of his campaign’s senior foreign policy adviser Susan Rice as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Obama added that he would restore Rice’s position to Cabinet-level rank, as it had been during the Clinton administration.

But in searching for an alternative perspective of this decision, it appears that some in the media got lazy. Instead of providing a thoughtful counterpoint from a respected and credible voice, the easy route seems to be just to quote U.N. basher John Bolton:

– The New York Times: [Bolton] said it was unwise to elevate the position to the cabinet again. “One, it overstates the role and importance the U.N. should have in U.S. foreign policy,” Mr. Bolton said. ”Second, you shouldn’t have two secretaries in the same department.”

– USA Today: [Bolton] said Cabinet rank creates the potential for bureaucratic conflict, especially with the State Department. Bolton also questioned whether the U.N. — whose culture he says is “impervious to change” — should be so central to U.S. foreign policy.

Naturally, Fox News gave Bolton air time, who, having once served as U.S. ambassador to the world body himself, offered Rice some advice: U.N. ambassadors “are not sent to New York to be platonic guardians with other ambassadors for the good of the world.” Watch it: at link

Of course Bolton thinks elevating Rice to a cabinet level position and refocusing U.S. foreign policy on greater international cooperation is a bad idea. He hates the United Nations. Bolton famously said “there is no such thing as the United Nations” and if the U.N. building in New York “lost ten stories, it wouldn’t make a bit of difference.” Not only that, but Bolton once boasted that he never took any international law classes while attending Yale.

In fact, Bolton’s credibility on issues of peace and cooperation are certainly suspect, as he has spent much of the past year calling for war with Iran. Even President Bush thinks Bolton is a fraud.

But that doesn’t seem to stop the media from continuing to quote him. After all, without much to do these days, perhaps Bolton is more than happy to sit by the phone.

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/12/03/media-bolton-rice/

there is an ad on the tee-vee, some sort of new vitamin featuring some sort of `SAM-e' thing...(pronounced `Sammy')they say it will improve your mood within 2 weeks.

I suppose it isn't uncommon for effects to take that long to occur, but 2 weeks is way more than enough time to forget what sort of mood I was in...
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

stealing his apples like that. I didn't know that loan shark side of Sam. I'm never going to ask him if I can borrow money because he'll eat my apples too.

And to kick Marc when he just got a divorce is tough too. It screws up with your finances and makes you wonder about all human relationships. Stealing his apples like that was abusive.

Quote of the Day
"For a bunch of small-government Republicans, these guys built a hell of an empire."

-- An Obama transition team member who worked in the Clinton White House, quoted by the New York Times, "who has now stepped back inside for the first time in eight years."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/02/us/politics/02web-sanger.html?_r=1

>>Stealing his apples like that was abusive.

I'm hoping this is just the tip of the iceberg.

I'd like to see Sam make Marc go double or nothing on a series of sucker bets.
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Blagojevich On Picking Obama Successor
Illinois Gov. Blagojevich (D), "in the most detailed interview to date on how he will fill the Senate seat formerly held by President-elect Barack Obama," told Lynn Sweet his replacement "does not have to be an African American and he is open to selecting someone who would serve only the two years left in the term."

However, the governor is aiming to replace Obama "before the new Senate is sworn in next month to give the new senator a leg up on seniority."

On Rep. Jesse Jackson's (D-IL) overt campaign to get the appointment, Blagojevich said, "He's got a right to do it, and he obviously believes in himself as a candidate for the United States Senate and his public campaign is, you know, something he obviously believes appropriate and helpful, and all power to him."

http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2008/12/exclusive_blagojevich_talks_ab.h...

I wonder if he can get him to invest in Lehman Bro's?

Pelosi Tightens Her Grip
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) moves since the November elections "have shaken up some of her colleagues, with some looking over their shoulders and others worried about how the Speaker will lead her expanded majority in 2009," according to The Hill.

Pelosi is "the unquestioned leader in the House whose enormous power seems to grow by the day..."

Example: "Few members clash publicly with Pelosi. Reps. John Dingell (D-MI) and Jane Harman (D-CA), who were at odds with Pelosi over the last few years, were stripped of their top committee posts."

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/anxiety-among-democrats-as-pelosi-ti...

Arias Shares Costa Rica's Initiatives On Environment

Costa Rica president, Oscar Arias, while visiting Singapore said he believes that the new US administration under president-elect Barack Obama may change its stance on the Kyoto Protocol.

And he hopes that the US will take part in an upcoming climate change conference in Copenhagen.

Arias, who is a champion of the environment and a Nobel Laureate, shared his views on preserving nature at a lecture organized by the Institute of Policy Studies.

Like Singapore, Costa Rica too plants trees, but in the millions - five million last year and seven million by the end of this year. The country also has environmental education in its elementary and high school program.

Arias has this advice for those out to destroy the environment: "Every forest we send to the ground brings us closer to massive waves of refugees displaced by climate change. Every stream we pollute brings us closer to struggles over the rare commodity of clean water, wars more vicious than any fought over gold or oil."

http://insidecostarica.com/dailynews/2008/december/03/nac03.htm

November job cuts jump 148%
new
Submitted by toniD on Wed, 12/03/2008 - 7:37pm.
*******
That's all I have to say..

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

by Jonathan Cook / December 3rd, 2008

A broad coalition of Jewish lobby groups has made a series of breakthroughs this year in its campaign to link the question of justice for millions of Palestinian refugees with justice for Jews who left Arab states in the wake of Israel’s establishment 60 years ago.

Referring to these Jews as the “forgotten refugees” and claiming that their plight is worse than that of exiled Palestinians, the campaign has scored political successes in recent months in Washington, London and Brussels.

Last week, the campaign received a major fillip when one of Israel’s largest political parties announced that restitution of property for Arab Jews was a central plank of its platform for the general election scheduled for February.

Shas, a religious fundamentalist party and the third biggest in the current parliament, said it will refuse to support any government that reaches a deal with the Palestinians unless it first forces the Arab states to compensate these Jewish emigrants.

Shas, which has a record of opposing peace agreements with the Palestinians, draws its support chiefly from Jews who migrated to Israel from Arab countries — known in Israel as the Mizrahim.
...

Good news and bad news in the last day.

The good news: Barack Obama has appointed a NAFTA critic, Rep. Xavier Becerra, as the next U.S. Trade Representative (more on that here). The bad news is this just off the Reuters wire:

CHICAGO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama is not planning to implement a windfall profit tax on oil companies because prices have dropped below $80 a barrel, an aide said on Tuesday...

Obama, who signaled early in his campaign for the White House that he would take an active approach to oil markets as president, had planned to use the revenue from a windfall profits tax to fund a tax rebate for low- and middle-income families struggling with high energy prices.

Between this move and the move to wait to repeal the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, it seems like the Obama team is buying into the right-wing frame that raising any taxes - even those on the richest citizens and wealthiest corporations - is bad for the economy. Of course, that frame is debunked by history. And while sure, it's OK to rack up deficits so as to spend our way out of the economic crisis, it's sorta silly to ignore the tax moves that could be implemented to limit those deficits where possible.

Oh, and one last thing - if oil prices are down and oil industry profits are truly down, what's the harm in passing a windfall profits tax? Even if you buy the right-wing nonsense about a windfall profits tax "hurting the industry" or "hurting the economy" when it is applied, if there really are no windfall profits to tax, then it won't be applied.

That's what a windfall profits tax really is - a safety valve regulation against profiteering, and one that can raise needed revenues when profiteering occurs. If there is supposedly no profiteering occurring, then what's the supposed harm? There is none even if you ignore history and believe taxing the wealthy/big corporations automatically hurts an economy. That is, unless you are ready to go down another right-wing rathole and argue that a windfall profits tax will somehow prevent energy companies from more energy exploration. But, then, if you are that far out on the fringe, then I guess your not interested in any facts whatsoever...

there is no way I'm going to be living anywhere near that evil piece of shit.

I wish these Moron Conservatives would just buy a boat & sail off,like The Pilgrims looking for a new world..

By RACHEL ZOLL, AP Religion Writer

NEW YORK – Theological conservatives upset by liberal views of U.S. Episcopalians and Canadian Anglicans formed a rival North American province Wednesday, in a long-developing rift over the Bible that erupted when Episcopalians consecrated the first openly gay bishop.

The announcement represents a new challenge to the already splintering, 77-million-member world Anglican fellowship and the authority of its spiritual leader, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.

The new North American Anglican province includes four breakaway Episcopal dioceses, many individual parishes in the U.S. and Canada, and splinter groups that left the Anglican family years, or in one case, more than a century ago

Con't

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

Aren't you relieved to know the next President prioritizes intelligence?

Dallas..Thx.. :)

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

-
In big d.

GWB buying house
new
Submitted by Fernando on Wed, 12/03/2008 - 8:56pm

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

I am scared living that close to him. Some people see him as evil and want revenge. I'm scared living that close to that threat.

Fern ?

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

just not far enough. I hope I can still retire.

Bushtard Groupies..

I'm the 4th comment..

Comments-UsWorldNews

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

http://www.balloon-juice.com/?p=14185#comment-1098381

THE TRAGEDY OF THE AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY: A Play in Three Acts

Dramatis Personae

BIG THREE, a manufacturer of automobiles
UAW, Big Three’s employee
MITT ROMNEY, an idiot

ACT ONE

BIG THREE: I have plans to build automobiles, but I need labor to do so!

UAW: I will labor for you if you will pay me $40 per hour.

BIG THREE: I will not pay you $40 per hour.

UAW: But I need to save for my inevitible retirement, and any health concerns that may arise.

BIG THREE: I will pay you $30 per hour, plus a generous pension of guaranteed payments and health care upon your retirement.

UAW: Then I agree to work for you!

ACT TWO

UAW: I am building cars for you, as I have promised to do!

BIG THREE: I am designing terrible cars that few people want to buy! Also, rather than save for UAW’s inevitible retirement when I will have to pay him the generous pension of guaranteed payments and health care that I promised, [instead] I am spending that money under the dubious assumption that my future revenues will be sufficient to meet those obligations.

ACT THREE

UAW: I have fulfilled my end of the deal by building the automobiles that you have asked me to build.

BIG THREE: Oh noes! I am undone! My automobiles are no longer competitive due to my years of poor planning and poor judgment!

MITT ROMNEY: This is all UAW’s fault!

___________________

fwiw, I don't know what the answer is to the auto-maker's woes, but I know what it ain't. 'N it ain't shoveling cash at idiot executives w/no strings attached on the promise that they're gonna pay it back.

(After all, that's how we solve melt-downs in the financial sector.)

Aren't you North of Dallas, Fern ?

Submitted by MMRules on Wed, 12/03/2008 - 9:09pm.

___________________

'Fore you know it, Bush'll be wantin' to clear brush on Fernando's North Dallas Forty.

dr.. :)

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

kicked butt on the auto bailout.

"Practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence, are usually the slaves of some defunct economist."

-- John Maynard Keynes

Just as defunct economists are oft slaves to pseudo-intellectual writers of bodice-rippin' libertarian-porn.

(I.e. Uncle Alan Greenspan's life-long schoolboy crush on Ayn "utopia of greed!" Rand.)

If only good ol' free-market-fundamentalist Milton Friedman were still alive to see what masterworks his gullibilities hath wrought.

yes he did.
(Will saying "ass" on tv make trouble for anyone?)

Now, Israeli activists such as Ben Gvir are embracing an even more confrontational strategy called the "Price Tag." Its concept is straightforward: If the Israeli government tries to forcibly remove any settlers from the West Bank, settlers should hit back. Hard.

It might come in the form of a pipe bomb planted at the doorstep of a left-wing Israeli activist or vandalizing Muslim graveyards by spray painting Stars of David on the headstones. It might entail throwing stones at Israeli soldiers trying to dismantle illegal West Bank outposts or beating Palestinian farmers in their fields.

"Our new tactic is: "We're not suckers,' " said Ben Gvir, who's at the forefront of a violent new showdown in Hebron, a West Bank city that's a magnet for radical settlers and that's now the scene of the first real test for the "Price Tag" strategy...

Since then, some settlers have rampaged through nearby Palestinian villages. They've vandalized the adjacent Muslim graveyard by spray-painting Stars of David on the headstones and written, "Mohammed is a Pig" on the side of a nearby mosque.

The volatile settler resistance has generated alarm among Israel's leaders. Yuval Diskin, the head of Israel's Shin Bet intelligence service, recently warned the nation's leaders that extremist settlers may be willing to use guns to fight the government.

Some Israelis took that as a warning that extremists might be plotting a political assassination like that of former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was killed in 1995 by a right-wing Orthodox Jew who opposed his signing an agreement with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/56995.html

I got all my thanksgiving videos posted...finally!

I'm really sorry to those kind folks who subscribed to my channel. I didn't mean to clog up your email boxes with dozens of video announcements these last few days.

I guess it was a bit much, I notice half of them are no longer subscribers.

but, the good news is the series is finished, numbered and can be viewed in order as a playlist.

PS: Thanks for indulging me! ;)

http://in.youtube.com/profile_play_list?user=CubbyBubba
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

is crackin me up ! Reefer ?

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

enjoyed the tour of Rocky's place )

what's the URL of the series?

Sup all, must admit, not happy with the Baracks picks.

another corporate schill.

anyhoo, youns allready know that

SJ, I made the youtubes mainly so that Marc won't feel bad about his video... ;)

http://in.youtube.com/profile_play_list?user=CubbyBubba
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Record number of Americans using food stamps: report
Wed Dec 3, 2008 6:22pm EST

By Roberta Rampton

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Food stamps, the main U.S. antihunger program which helps the needy buy food, set a record in September as more than 31.5 million Americans used the program -- up 17 percent from a year ago, according to government data.

The number of people using food stamps in September surpassed the previous peak of 29.85 million seen in November 2005 when victims of hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma received emergency benefits, said Jean Daniel of the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service.

September's tally -- the latest month available -- was also boosted by hurricane and flood aid, Daniel said on Wednesday.

But anti-hunger groups said the economic downturn is the main reason behind the higher figures.

"It's a disturbing trend," said Ellen Vollinger, legal director with the Food Research and Action Center. She said she expects more people will turn to food stamps as unemployment figures rise and the economy remains weak.

One in 10 Americans were participating in the food stamp program as of September, said Dottie Rosenbaum, analyst with Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a think tank.

That's approaching the all-time high of 10.5 percent of the population that used the program in 1994, and is similar to levels seen in the early 1980s, she said.

States that have seen a drop in job numbers and increase in home foreclosures such as Florida and Nevada also have seen a marked increase in food stamp use, Rosenbaum said.

Food banks are struggling to meet increased requests for food, said Maura Daly of Feeding America, a network of food banks.

"The tough economic time that our nation is facing is having a tremendous impact on the level of food assistance needed across the country," Daly said.

On average, people who used food stamps received $100 per month in benefits in September. That increased slightly in October to account for higher food prices, but hunger groups said the benefits still don't go far enough at a time of high food prices and home heating costs.

Last month, the USDA said 36.2 million Americans or 11 percent of households struggle to get enough food to eat, and one-third of them had to sometimes skip or cut back on meals.

Hunger groups want Congress and the new administration to increase food stamp benefits as part of an economic stimulus package they hope will come in early 2009.

The benefits go directly to people who spend it at local grocery stores, supporting businesses and jobs, said Vollinger of the Food Research and Action Center.

"They (the benefits) don't sit in a pocket," she said, pointing to USDA estimates that $5 in food stamp spending generates $9 in economic activity.

http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE4B28CB20081203?feedTy...

Eerie silence at Zimbabwe diamond mine

Godwin Muti was one of the first people to descend on Chiadzwa when word spread that diamonds had been discovered in the arid and impoverished part of Manicaland Province.

Mr Muti, 31, an unemployed father-of-two, was wallowing in poverty. He could hardly pay rent for a one-room house where he lodged in the old township of Sakubva in Mutare city.

When word reached him about the discovery of diamonds in Chiadzwa, Mr Muti joined thousands of other desperate miners in the rush to Chiadzwa, then an unknown and desolate place.

A few months later his life had been transformed.

Suddenly he living in the middle-class suburb of Dangamvura, the proud owner of a Sedan 323 car and a number of homes that had been beyond his wildest dreams.

The hospital said their mortuary is not working well and the piling of bodies is straining their facilities
Police spokesman

Once Mr Muti got the diamonds from the fields he could immediately sell them to buyers readily available close to the fields.

Dealers flocked from all over the world, including South Africa, Mozambique, Nigeria, Guinea, Mauritania, Lebanon, Iraq, Israel and Belgium.

They were prepared to part with as much as $200 (£134) per carat - a handsome price considering panners could sell stones up to 15 carats.

Mr Muti's only problem was the police and their dogs that would constantly chase him and his fellow miners from the fields.

But Mr Muti, and thousands of others, soon found a way round that obstacle - they formed syndicates with the police officers manning the fields.

Suddenly, poor police officers earning less than $10 (£7) a month were driving new cars too.

The authorities launched several operations to rid Chiadzwa of illegal miners but the hunt for precious gems continued unabated.

Then two weeks ago Mr Muti was surprised to see helicopters hovering over the diamond fields. Then heavily-armed soldiers arrived.

That was the beginning of a brutal campaign to remove illegal miners and the diamond-dealers once and for all.

It was dubbed Hakudzokwi kumunda, meaning "Operation you would never go back to the diamond fields".

Reports then began to filter through that bodies of dead panners were piling up at the mortuary in Mutare Provincial Hospital.

Earlier this week 20 decomposing bodies at the facility had not been claimed.

This prompted the police to make a public appeal to relatives with missing loved-ones to visit the mortuary.

Police spokesman in Manicaland, Inspector Brian Makomeke, said: "The hospital authorities have said their mortuary is not working well and the piling of bodies is straining their facilities.

"Some of the deceased panners might be foreigners and we are not sure because they had no form of identification."

An unknown number of bodies were scattered in the forests surrounding the fields. Several had died from gunshot wounds while others had succumbed to diseases like cholera.

About 20,000 illegal panners, who had come from all over Zimbabwe to make the diamond fields their permanent homes, fled in all directions.

Within a week of the operation there was not a single miner left in the diamonds fields.

Mr Muti was lucky to escape unhurt. But he says it was hell and vowed not to return to the fields as long as the soldiers are there.

"I thank my gods I escaped unhurt," he said. "It was hell on earth. The soldiers are shooting to kill."

Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition is calling for the alleged violations to be documented so the perpetrators can be brought to justice once normalcy returns to the country.

Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights accused the army of heavy-handed tactics to remove the illegal miners.

And the regional co-ordinator of ZimRights, Reverend Stephen Maengamhura, accused the authorities of "a wholesale violation of rights".

Mr Muti said: "I am not employed and this was my only means of survival. I may now be forced to sell what I bought when I was in Chiadzwa." (...)
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Obama Gives Bush Political Ambassadors Their Pink Slips

By Glenn Kessler | Posted at 10:04 AM ET on Dec 3, 2008

The incoming Obama administration has notified all politically-appointed ambassadors that they must vacate their posts as of Jan. 20, the day President-elect Barack Obama takes the oath of office, a State Department official said.

The clean slate will open up prime opportunities for the president-elect to reward political supporters with posts in London, Paris, Tokyo and the like. The notice to diplomatic posts was issued this week.

Political ambassadors sometimes are permitted to stay on briefly during a new administration, but the sweeping nature of the directive suggests that Obama has little interest in retaining any of Bush's ambassadorial appointees.

Most ambassadors, of course, are foreign service officers, but often the posts involving the most important bilateral relations (such as with Great Britain, Japan and India) or desirable locales (such as the Bahamas) are given to close friends and well-heeled contributors of the president.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/12/03/obama_gives_politi...

I'd hate to see domestic auto manufacturers go under. However, i have no interest in buying an American car until they:

• put some real effort into improving fuel efficiency, hybrids, electric technology, etc... just not the token PR gestures
• greatly improve quality and reliability
• actually start moving these jobs back to America (which might go a long way in addressing point #2)

I'd be for the bailout if these were part of the plan. But so far, i'm far from convinced.

(/rant)

the vids..did you remove me or something?

again. Funny as hell.

- On November 27, Pedro Castillo Aragon and Victor Hugo Martinez were removed from the Santa Maria Ixcotel prison in Oaxaca, separated, beaten, and returned to the prison at different times. Both are members of the APPO in Oaxaca and also adherents to the Other Campaign. Pedro Castillo has now begun a hunger strike, demanding his freedom and that of other political prisoners in Oaxaca. He was imprisoned in 2002 in retaliation for his work with the Citizens Defense Committee (Codeci) in support of Oaxaca’s indigenous peoples.

>>the vids..did you remove me or something?

no. but I am glad you weren't spammed every time posted a video.

What did you think of my sister's place? pretty funky, huh?
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

College tuitions increasingly out of reach in US
Chris in Paris · 12/03/2008 07:44:00 PM ET · Link

Yet another problem that is linked to the days of easy credit. When I was in college I worked 40+ hours per week and was tired, but at least it was possible. I remember getting nervous when tuition went up to $500 per quarter, wondering how I could afford that increase. Today, the numbers are quickly moving beyond reach for many Americans. Even overseas students are opting for other countries instead of the US due to the high costs, not to mention the immigration issues. Universities haven't helped families or students by enriching the CEO-Presidents with million dollar salaries nor have they helped with shady loan programs. Easy credit is gone, so what's next?
Over all, the report found, published college tuition and fees increased 439 percent from 1982 to 2007, adjusted for inflation, while median family income rose 147 percent. Student borrowing has more than doubled in the last decade, and students from lower-income families, on average, get smaller grants from the colleges they attend than students from more affluent families.

“If we go on this way for another 25 years, we won’t have an affordable system of higher education,” said Patrick M. Callan, president of the center, a nonpartisan organization that promotes access to higher education.

“When we come out of the recession,” Mr. Callan added, “we’re really going to be in jeopardy, because the educational gap between our work force and the rest of the world will make it very hard to be competitive. Already, we’re one of the few countries where 25- to 34-year-olds are less educated than older workers.”

Although college enrollment has continued to rise in recent years, Mr. Callan said, it is not clear how long that can continue.

“The middle class has been financing it through debt,” he said. “The scenario has been that families that have a history of sending kids to college will do whatever if takes, even if that means a huge amount of debt.”

But low-income students, he said, will be less able to afford college. Already, he said, the strains are clear.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/education/03college.html?_r=1&hp

President-Elect Obama announces Governor Bill Richardson as Commerce Secretary, Governor Richardson makes his remarks in English & Spanish and mentioned how great it will be to serve a President where diversity is valued as a strength.
_______________________________________________________________________

Gov. Bill Richardson as Commerce Secretary-designate, Wednesday, December 3, 2008

President-elect Barack Obama announced he has asked Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico to join his administration as Secretary of Commerce.

"With his breadth and depth of experience in public life, Governor Richardson is uniquely suited for this role as a leading economic diplomat for America," President-elect Obama said at the Chicago press conference announcing the appointment. He added later, "In the end, Bill Richardson is a leader who shares my values...I know that [he] will be an unyielding advocate for American business and American jobs, at home and around the world."

Read President-elect Obama's full remarks and see pictures and video from the press conference below:

http://change.gov/newsroom/entry/bill_richardson_as_commerce_secretary_d...

FL GOP Congresswoman hangs up on Obama...TWICE!
By SilentPatriot Wednesday Dec 03, 2008 7:00pm

What an interesting way to greet the incoming President.

Politico:

On Wednesday, the Republican congresswoman got a call from President-elect Barack Obama, didn't believe it was him, and hung up on him. Twice.

According to Ros-Lehtinen's flack Alex Cruz, the congresswoman received the call on her cell phone from a Chicago-based number and an aide informed her that Obama wanted to speak to her. When Obama introduced himself, Ros-Lehtinen cut him off and said, "I'm sorry but I think this is a joke from one of the South Florida radio stations known for these pranks." Then she hung up.

What's worse: Getting pranked (ala Sarah Palin) or hanging up on the soon-to-be most powerful man in the world?

http://crooksandliars.com/silentpatriot/fl-gop-congresswoman-hangs-obama...

Ros-Lehtinen hangs up on Obama. Twice.

Is Ileana Ros-Lehtinen a little paranoid?

Maybe.

On Wednesday, the Republican congresswoman got a call from President-elect Barack Obama, didn't believe it was him, and hung up on him. Twice.

According to Ros-Lehtinen's flack Alex Cruz, the congresswoman received the call on her cell phone from a Chicago-based number and an aide informed her that Obama wanted to speak to her. When Obama introduced himself, Ros-Lehtinen cut him off and said, "I'm sorry but I think this is a joke from one of the South Florida radio stations known for these pranks." Then she hung up.

Moments later, Obama tried again, this time through his soon-to-be chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel.

"Ileana, I cannot believe you hung up on the President-Elect," Emanuel said. And then--yes, you know what's coming--she hung up on Emanuel saying she "didn't believe the call was legitimate."

A short time later, Ros-Lehtinen received an urgent call from Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, who informed her that she indeed hung up on Obama.

So, Obama tried again and this time he was successful. (Phew!)

"It is very funny that you have twice hung up on me," Obama said. Ros Lehtinen responded by telling Obama that radio stations in South Florida always make these sorts of jokes. Obama said similar pranksters reside in Chi-town.

"You are either very gracious to reach out in such a bipartisan manner or had run out of folks to call if you are truly calling me and Saturday Night Live could use a good Obama impersonator like you," Ros-Lehtinen joked with the president-elect.

Ros-Lehtinen then congratulated Obama on his victory and pledged to work together on behalf of all Americans. She also asked Obama to call Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Rep. Albio Sire (D-NJ) to discuss Cuba policy.

Here's hoping they don't hang up on him.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/thecrypt/1208/RosLehtinen_hangs_up_on_Obam...

U.S. Money Undermining Independence of Venezuelan Elections.
by Justina
Wed Dec 03, 2008 at 05:38:39 PM PST
Eva Golinger, author of the book, "Bush vs. Chavez, Washington's War on Venezuela", reports today at www. venezuelanalysis.com on the U.S. influence on the recent opposition victories over Chavez's PSUV (United Socialist Party of Venezuela) in parts of Caracas as well as Zulia, Tachira, and Carabobo States in Venezuela. Chavez's PSUV won overwhelming in the 17 other states of the country and won in Caracas's most populous municipality, Libertador.

But Zulia Statge is perhaps the most critical loss, where the U.S. has been attempting to foment secession of that oil rich state,with on-the-ground para-military assistance from Colombia's Uribe.

In her article, "Foreign Intervention Won The Venezuelan Elections"
Eva Golinger writes:

Years of work penetrating communities and financing "democracy" programs and projects with an anti-socialist vision in the communities of Petare, Sucre Municipality of Miranda State, and Catia, Libertador Municipality in Caracas, and in other zones where the vast majority of the population of Caracas and Miranda is located, allowed the opposition to retake control of these areas.

Justina's diary :: ::
The opposition won mayoralties in two municipalities of Caracas, as well as the governorships of Tachira and Zulia, both of which share a border with Colombia. Since access to, and control of, Venezuela's oil, is the primary motivation for Bush-Cheney's interest in Venezuela, helping the opposition to take control, and even to secede from Venezuela, was very much on the U.S. agenda.

base of the Venezuelan opposition, who, beginning in 2004, began to set their sights on infiltrating communities supportive of Chavez as well as students. The strategic political consultation, with its separatist vision and in favor of the infiltration of paramilitaries in Zulia and Tachira, allowed these areas that are of such importance to the security of the Venezuelan state to be controlled by an opposition that is subordinate to the agenda of Washington and the objectives of Plan Colombia that plague the region.

It's not just the 4.7 million dollars invested in the opposition's campaign for the regional elections in 2008 by the United States Agency of International Development (USAID), the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), and their affiliated agencies, but also the 50 million dollars, along with expert political consultation, donated by the US and used since 2000...

Golinger is an expert on the infiltration of the U.S. into Venezuela's affairs. Her book, "Bush vs. Chavez", details the numerous purportedly "ïndependent" funding sources through which the U.S. provided Venezuela's upper classes with financial support to mount their failed coup in 2002 and their equally failure of an oil industry strike in 2002-2003.

Golinger documents, through details obtained through numerous Freedom of Information Act requests, at least some of the U.S. monies funneled, in the guise of "supporting democracy building" into the coffers of the very undemocratic opposition.

More here:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/12/3/192732/021/157/669047

Author: 'Henpecked' Fox owner is 'becoming something else'

David Edwards and Muriel Kane | Published: Wednesday December 3, 2008

The author of a new book about media mogul Rupert Murdoch, which asserts that the owner of Fox News "absolutely despises" top-rated host Bill O'Reilly, believes that Murdoch's negative feelings about Fox go far beyond a personal distaste for O'Reilly's bullying.

Michael Wolff, author of The Man Who Owns the News, told MSNBC's Keith Olbermann on Tuesday, "I would mention ... Bill O'Reilly [to Murdoch] and he would get this look which was like revulsion." Wolff added that "I started to see this around all of Murdoch's people. ... No one says, 'O'Reilly, we hate him' ... but everybody goes into a contortion."

According to Wolff, however, the real issue is that Murdoch has "come to like the liberals more than the conservatives -- and many of them have come to like him, too. ... His life is now largely spent around people for whom Fox News is a vulgarity and a joke."

"If he became utterly convinced," asked Olberman, "not only would a liberal network make you five times the money that Fox News makes you, but one will exist and it will put Fox News out of business, would he go down the street tomorrow, shut off Fox News, and put on a liberal version of it just for the money?"

"In a New York minute," Wolff replied.

"He saw a market niche," Wolff explained. "It was easy to get into, it was easy to service these people, it was cheaper to service these people, and he went for it. ... He saw a money-making formula."

Wolff believes that now Murdoch, "wants something else. ... He is becoming something else."

Wolff explained, "One of the interesting things about Murdoch is that he is -- how would we say this? -- henpecked." In the 1980's, Murdoch was influenced by his second wife, who was "classically, and in a doctrinaire way, a Catholic conservative." But "now he's with a woman 38 years his junior, quite young, quite liberal, quite open, and certainly engaged with all of the Hollywood people."

Wolff believes that Murdoch's dream is to be accepted as a serious newsman. He "runs a perfectly up-the-middle straight news operation in the UK" and has bought the Wall Street Journal, "that's known for its seriousness, its probity, its high journalistic standards."

Ultimately, Wolff thinks Murdoch has his sights set on the New York Times. "It's there, it's in front of him, he has been openly plotting with his people, 'How do I get this?" Wolff told Olbermann. When Olbermann scoffed at the possibility, Wolff noted that "$800 million is what you can buy the New York Times for today."

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Author_Many_Fox_employees_repulsed_by_1203...

This video is from MSNBC's Countdown, broadcast Dec. 2, 2008:

Ancient city discovered deep in Amazonian rainforest linked to the legendary white-skinned Cloud People

A lost city discovered deep in the Amazon rainforest could unlock the secrets of a legendary tribe.
Little is known about the Cloud People of Peru, an ancient, white-skinned civilisation wiped out by disease and war in the 16th century.

But now archaeologists have uncovered a fortified citadel in a remote mountainous area of Peru known for its isolated natural beauty.

It is thought this settlement may finally help historians unlock the secrets of the 'white warriors of the clouds'.
The tribe had white skin and blonde hair - features which intrigue historians, as there is no known European ancestry in the region, where most inhabitants are darker skinned.

The citadel is tucked away in one of the most far-flung areas of the Amazon. It sits at the edge of a chasm which the tribe may have used as a lookout to spy on enemies.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1091550/Ancient-city-d...

Little is known about the Chachapoya, except that they had been beaten into submission by the mighty Incas in 1475.

When in 1535 the Spanish Conquistadores arrived in Peru, they found willing allies in the Cloud People for their fight against the Incas.

Spanish texts from the era describe the Cloud People as ferocious fighters who mummified their dead.
They were eventually wiped out by small pox and other diseases brought by the Europeans.

The women of the Chachapoya were much prized by the Incas as they were tall and fair skinned. The Chronicler Pedro Cieza de León offers wrote of the Chachapoyas.

"They are the whitest and most handsome of all the people that I have seen in Indies, and their wives were so beautiful that because of their gentleness, many of them deserved to be the Incas' wives and to also be taken to the Sun Temple."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/peru/3545998/Lost...

or that Christmas Story is back on the tv.

She (eva golinger) is someone I think of as VERY informed on that subject...

- Mexico’s Energy Secretary, Georgina Kessel Martinez, announced this month that in 2009 Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) will solicit bids for oil drilling contracts in southeastern Mexico, including Chiapas. What was a bit surprising about her announcement was that she mentioned the Lacandon Jungle as one of the areas. After ecologists became alarmed, Kessel Martinez clarified that drilling would not take place in natural protected areas. As early as July/August 1996, Subcomandante Marcos asserted that a primary motive for the government’s counterinsurgency zeal had to do with oil and the fact that some of that oil was located right next door to the then Zapatista Aguascalientes (now a Zapatista Caracol) of La Garrucha, located in the canyons east of the city of Ocosingo, not a natural protected area. Another Zapatista area thought to contain oil is Amador Hernandez, deeper in the jungle and right on the edge of the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve. Sometime toward the end of 2009 the bidding process will begin for oil exploration contracts. It will be interesting to see if Halliburton will try to expand its operations in Chiapas.

You have to get her book now.

Eva Golinger, author of the book, "Bush vs. Chavez, Washington's War on Venezuela"

The war on Christmas...

what's going on in my town, Seattle.

1. Police sweep the neighborhood for Christmas trees, wreaths and swags. It is not uncommon for families to wake up in the middle of the night to the sounds of SWAT teams kicking the door in, They stand huddled and watch as police forces confiscate presents and ornaments alike.
2. Legislation is hurried through state congresses, making possession of bows, ribbons and wrapping paper a misdemeanor offense punishable up to one your in jail and/or $2500 fine.
3. Frankincense, Myrrh are added to the controlled substance list, as well a holly, poinsettias and mistletoe.
4. Evergreen trees are outlawed and removed from all public and private land. Evergreen eradication programs run year round.
5. Churches are boarded shut for the month of December.
6. The jails are filled with Christmas offenders giving rise to new gangs with such names as `Wisemen',`Santas' and`Saint Nicks'.

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"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Great insightful story by Matt Taibbi. Highly Recommended!
_________________________________________________________

Requiem for a Maverick

John McCain ran one of the most incompetent, schizo campaigns in history — and for that we owe him big-time

MATT TAIBBI | Posted Nov 27, 2008 10:42 AM

Election night at the Biltmore in Arizona is a hilariously dismal scene, like a funeral for a family member nobody liked, who died owing everyone money. The rats here are already bailing off the ship with lightning speed, like L.A. Dodgers fans leaving a playoff game to catch the latest episode of Entourage. The exodus, in fact, begins about eight seconds into John McCain's concession speech, which incidentally starts off on the classiest of notes: with the remaining crowd cursing the name of the new president.

"A little while ago, I had the honor of calling Sen. Barack Obama," McCain begins.

"Boooooo!" bellows the crowd. Outside the hotel, a wine-drunk young woman in a fluffy white ball gown probably last worn at a Liberty University frat mixer angrily flings a would-be celebratory pompom she has been clutching into my face. "I can't listen to this shit!" she yells, scooting away.

I peel the plastic pompom bits off my face and stick them in my bag, where they are soon joined by a McCain-Palin "Victory 2008" Election Night T-shirt — bought for gloating purposes at a rapidly plummeting discount. Republican-souvenir prices haven't been this low since Watergate.

By the time McCain finishes his short, commendably gracious speech a few minutes later, almost all the Republican revelers have begun to flee the premises. The few who stick around are trying to suck the last value out of the meals and cocktails they so willingly overpaid for earlier in the night, when there was still a chance they'd end up with something to celebrate. At the hotel exit, a pair of Arizona State students are grumbling about the food.

"We paid, like, 10 bucks for a burger," says 18-year-old Emily Zizzo.

"We were outraged," agrees her 20-year-old friend Dori Jaffess.

I ask them why they think McCain lost. Dori says a big reason is that "a lot of big movie stars came out for Obama." I ask her which ones.

"Um, Puff Daddy?" she says. "Although I don't know if Puff Daddy came out for Obama."

"There's Oprah," adds Emily.

"Yeah, Oprah," says Dori.

A few yards away, a pair of thirtysomething women in an advanced wine slog have gotten into a screaming match with a Hispanic cameraman. One of them, 33-year-old Kristen McEntire, is already spinning out a conspiracy theory to explain McCain's defeat, suggesting that the media called the election in some key states before the polls closed, tricking hordes of would-be McCain voters into staying home. Obama, she assures me, is a "novelty" who will "go away within the next couple of years."

STORY CONTINUES:

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/24375710/requiem_for_a_maveri...

Obama tells auto makers to present 'realistic' plan

President-elect Barack Obama Wednesday warned struggling automakers that they had to present a realistic plan to lawmakers in their bid to secure a massive government bailout.

"We should maintain a viable auto industry. But we should also make sure that any government assistance ... is based on realistic assessments of what the auto market is going to be and a realistic plan for how we're going to make these companies viable over the long term," Obama told a press conference.

The bosses of the country's Big Three automakers are to appear at congressional hearings on Thursday and Friday to discuss plans for a radical restructuring of their companies, including shedding thousands of jobs and cutting unwieldy brands.

Obama said he wanted to study the plans before saying whether he supported a bailout for the struggling carmakers which were turned away empty-handed by Congress last month.

"I think Congress did the right thing when the big three automakers came before them a couple weeks ago. They were not offering a clear plan for viability over the long term," Obama said.

"I think Congress was right to say that the taxpayers expect and deserve better than that before they are stepping up to the plate for any kind of bailout."

http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Obama_tells_auto_makers_to_present__1203200...

would sit on the shelf...I read Subcom Marcos's book last year - the novel one..But still have this giant one called Ya Basta to read...No way can I read as much as I want to...Hoping that during this time off in Dec I can catch up on reading books...Do you get any time off from work?

-Eva Golinger, author of the book, "Bush vs. Chavez, Washington's War on Venezuela"-

They really reamed Chavez on Frontline...

Probe: Paulose Retaliated Against Whistleblower
An Office Of Special Counsel investigation released Wednesday concludes that Assistant U.S. Attorney John Marti -- who will receive payment from the DOJ as part of a settlement -- was retaliated against when he was demoted by former MN U.S. Attorney Rachel Paulose.

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/12/probe_finds_ex-us_atto...

--Frankincense, Myrrh are added to the controlled substance list, as well a holly, poinsettias and mistletoe.--

Now why am I not being emailed your youtubes? I finally got the page to load and I don't see where I can change an option or something...Oh you know..I'll bet there is a direct feed to your page maybe..I will check..I like to bring the www to me....

Former maid breaks 70-year silence to tell how Hitler was the 'perfect boss' and how she heard him weeping over dead lover

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1091768/Former-maid-breaks-70-ye...

History has condemned him as the megalomaniac who brought death and misery to millions.

But for one woman, the name Adolf Hitler evokes a smile not a shudder.

She is Rosa Mitterer, who worked as a maid for the Fuhrer at his mountain retreat in Bavaria in the 1930s.

Rosa is 91 and until now has kept a vow of silence about her experiences. She has chosen to break it after realising she is the last survivor of the circle who served the tyrant in the years before he launched the Second World War.

And her verdict on her former master: 'He was a charming man, someone who was only ever nice to me, a great boss to work for. You can say what you like, but he was a good man to us.'

Rosa's remembrances of life at the court of the tyrant make gripping reading. She saw leading Nazis come and go. Himmler, the evil party secretary; Bormann, whom she described as a 'dirty pig'; and the club-footed, sexually-obsessed propaganda minister Goebbels.

Rosa went into Hitler's service at the age of 15 in 1932 when she was Rosa Krautenbacher. Her sister Anni had worked as a cook at Hitler's Berchtesgaden retreat since the late 1920s.

'She said he needed a housemaid and I would fit the bill,' Rosa recalled. 'I remember so clearly the first day I spoke to him in the kitchen. I said I was Anni's sister and that made him smile, because Anni was his favourite. I only ever knew Hitler as a kindly man who was good to me.'

His former housekeeper was Geli Raubal, with whom it was rumoured he had a love affair. 'She shot herself in September 1931 and I was told as soon as I went to work for him that he was not to be approached on the anniversary of that day,' said Rosa.

'My sister and I shared a room that was directly over Hitler's. We could hear him crying.'

For a long time she and Anni were the only servants in the home, known as Berghof.

Recalling her first direct request from her master, she said she was drying some porcelain cups when he came down the stairs.

'Hello,' he said softly. 'Sorry to trouble you, but could you make me some coffee and bring some gingerbread biscuits to my study?'

Coming into such close proximity to Hitler made her feel faint, she said, but she soon became accustomed to life at Berghof.

'I rose at 6am every day and put on a red-green dirndl with a white apron. My first task was to feed his dogs - he had three German shepherds at the beginning called Wolf, Muck and Blondi.

'In those days, Hitler slept in his study. In it was an iron bed, one wardrobe, one table, two chairs and a shoebox. It was very modestly furnished. Beside the bed hung a picture of his mother.'

She added: 'I didn't have to be a Nazi party member or anything. After a while I relaxed a bit. Apparently it was Hitler's orders that Anni and I be taken to church every Sunday because he thought this would be "good for us".

'Another time he came into the kitchen, saw me and said, "Ahh, I see our little one has grown a little plumper!".'

Part of her duties involved sorting out the fan letters and presents that were delivered in their thousands to the house.

'There were cigars, jars of jam, flowers, pictures,' she recalled. 'We gave most of them away to poorer peasant families nearby on Hitler's orders.'

Her time in service also allowed her to see at close quarters the woman Hitler kept secret from his people throughout his rule - Eva Braun. 'She was not so pretty close up,' Rosa recalled.

'Himmler was always there too, thinner than what he looked like in the photos, and Goebbels.

'And Bormann, I didn't like him at all. He was a dirty pig.' By the end of 1934, the house was surrounded by minefields and SS checkpoints. Rosa said. 'I felt like a prisoner instead of an employee.'

In 1935 she fell in love with local businessman Josef Amorts and handed in her notice. She was told she could leave immediately..

'I only met Hitler once more, on December 10, 1936, when Anni married Herbert Doehring, manager of the Berghof. He came to the wedding and was nice to me, saying he missed me.'

Rosa married in 1939 and had three daughters. She later remarried. A great-grandmother, she now lives in Munich. After the war she had to confront the reality of the man for whom she had worked so willingly. And in particular the reality of the Holocaust.

'That he had ordered such terrible things, I just couldn't believe it,' she said. 'Even now, I prefer to remember the charming facets of his personality.'
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"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

>>Now why am I not being emailed your youtubes?

I see you as a subscriber. you don't have to do anything further. why didn't you get any emails? I don't know, but they have been doing maintenance (whatever that really means) on their servers the last couple nights. I bet it will be better soon.
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"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

I hope everyone was up for a light-hearted holiday Hitler post.

but...I wonder what W's administration's help would say about them?

That article showed Hitler to be remarkably good natured to work for, perhaps because of his working class upbringing?

I can't imagine the Bushies having anything but barely veiled contempt for their help.

Imagine if you got Cheney's drink wrong. You could be waterboaded.

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"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

German soldiers are 'too fat to fight' Taliban because they drink so much (while our boys go dry)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1091559/German-soldier...

The statistics only add to the embarrassment of the country's federal army, Bundeswehr, after a report earlier this year found troops to be too fat, smoked too much and didn't exercise enough.

It showed they lived on beer and sausages while shunning fruit and vegetables.

The parliamentary report claimed that some 40 per cent of all German army personnel are overweight - a higher percentage than in the civilian population.

At the time Reinhold Robbe, the parliamentary commissioner for the armed forces, stated: 'Plainly put, the soldiers are too fat, exercise too little, and take little care of their diet.'

The Times also reported the damning allegation from a senior officer that Germany is failing in its main mission to train the Afghan police. He descibed the efforts as 'a miserable failure'.

Since 2001, 28 German soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan.

They drink too much and they're too fat to fight, that's the damning conclusion of German parliamentary reports into the country's 3,500 troops stationed in Afghanistan.

While British and U.S. troops in the country face a strict ban on alcohol, their German comrades are allowed two pints a day.

The stunning statistics reveal that in 2007 German forces in northern Afghanistan drank 1.7million pints of beer and 90,000 bottles of wine.

The troops also downed 896,000 pints of beer in the first six months of this year, the Times reported.

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"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

At the grand age of 127 (that's 27 in human years), is Mischief the world's oldest cat?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1091541/At-grand-age-127-thats-2...

Maybe he's not very curious. Or perhaps he had more than nine lives.

Whatever the reason, at the age of 27, Mischief is one old cat.

A whisker away from officially entering the record books as the UK's longest living domestic feline, he is still purring along nicely.

Mischief - with an age of 127 in cat years - is almost certainly the oldest living cat in Britain, and quite possibly the oldest in the world.

His owners put his longevity down to pure laziness.

'People ask what we're feeding him to keep him going so long - they think it must be a diet of vitamins or something,' Donna Thorne, 33, said.

'But we don't do anything special, he is just a greedy and lazy boy who will eat anything that he can get his paws on.

'When he was younger he was fairly active, but now he doesn't move much unless food is involved. I suppose his laziness has ultimately preserved him.'

She added: 'Every year we think he might slip away but he just keeps going on and on.'

Mischief is fed dry cat food every day and pouches of meat every other day.

He sleeps for at least 16 hours a day and no longer ventures outside of the family's home in St Austell, Cornwall.

Mrs Thorne, a housekeeper, said Mischief was still a 'huge part' of their family and is adored by their 20-month-old daughter, Skye.

Her husband Chris, 51, has owned Mischief since he was 24.

He said: 'I can't imagine what it would be like without having the old thing around.'

A spokesman for Guinness World Records said the oldest cat in Britain was previously Willow, 26, from Shrewsbury.

The oldest cat in the world was Creme Puff of Austin, Texas, who made it to 38.

Calculating how old a cat is in human years is not an exact science.

According to pet food makers Purina, their first two years are roughly equal to the first 25 of a human.

Each additional year equals around four 'cat years'.
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"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

get a job, willya?

>>get a job, willya?

Huh?
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"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

I loved it. It made me feel like a true voyeur! But darling you need to quit smoking....

Chubby Bubba at the doctor's office:

"Doc I'm having trouble with my 'YouTubes'"

"What kind of symptoms have you been having?"

"I'm having trouble downloading my video blogwads via the internets"

"My tests show that you have 'Plug-In's' that are clogging your 'YouTubes'

"What can you do to make my YouTube's work properly again?"

"I'm prescribing a big flush diuretic of all of the Microsoft Bloatage followed by a large dose of Google Fiber to really clean you out. Just remember to stay close to the bathroom until it's all out."

;)

Carly Zucker an emotional wreck in Australia after I'm A Celebrity chiefs refuse to allow her to fly home

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/celebrity/article-1091572/Carly-Zuc...

When Carly Zucker was told she was leaving the jungle the homesick WAG couldn't have been happier.

But to her dismay she has yet to be reunited with fiancé Joe Cole after show bosses refused her pleas to return home.

The I'm A Celebrity contestant's contract precludes her from leaving before the show's finale - which will involve all the celebrities. Instead she must stay in her plush six-star luxury apartment until filming ends on Friday.

Carly, who has some friends and family in Australia with her, is desperate to see Joe. But he cannot leave Britain because of his sporting commitments.

Carly told the Mirror: 'I've had enough. I don't want to be here anymore.

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"and you thought YOU had problems..."

thank you Michelle.

and, yes. I know...
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"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

To paraphrase: "If you believe our advertising, it's your own damn fault."

http://gizmodo.com/5101110/apple-no-reasonable-person-should-trust-their...

>>To paraphrase: "If you believe our advertising, it's your own damn fault."

yeah. good old Madison Avenue and their `truth in advertising'...did you know that advertising has a different measure of free speech than journalism?

But for Apple to say their ad's claims wouldn't be believed by `reasonable people'!?!

No wonder FOXnews and Rush get away with their rubbish...a reasonable person wouldn't believe them?
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"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Surgeon saves boy's life by text

A British doctor volunteering in DR Congo used text message instructions from a colleague to perform a life-saving amputation on a boy.

Vascular surgeon David Nott helped the 16-year-old while working 24-hour shifts with medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) in Rutshuru.

The boy's left arm had been ripped off and was badly infected and gangrenous.

Mr Nott, 52, from London, had never performed the operation but followed instructions from a colleague who had.

The surgeon, who is based at Charing Cross Hospital in west London, said: "He was dying. He had about two or three days to live when I saw him."

It is not clear how the boy was injured. It was suggested that he had been bitten by a hippopotamus while fishing, but Mr Nott also heard that he had been caught in crossfire between government and rebel forces.

There were just 6in (15cm) of the boy's arm remaining, much of the surrounding muscle had died and there was little skin to fold over the wound.

Mr Nott knew he needed to perform a forequarter amputation, requiring removal of the collar bone and shoulder blade.

He contacted Professor Meirion Thomas, from London's Royal Marsden Hospital, who had performed the operation before.

"I texted him and he texted back step by step instructions on how to do it," he said.

"Even then I had to think long and hard about whether it was right to leave a young boy with only one arm in the middle of this fighting.

"But in the end he would have died without it so I took a deep breath and followed the instructions to the letter.
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"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Tea Cheers {as soon as I brew some more}...
Boo ;
teehee -- just to scare the "crap" out of you :D ,,,mwah haha
;) "a wee poof*

German soldiers are 'too fat
Submitted by Chubby Bubba on Thu, 12/04/2008 - 12:22am.
------

The Daily Mail is a conservative publication that was sympathetic to fascists. It is like Murdoch's tabloid paper- the Sun. It has also been sued for libel.

U.S. not among signers of cluster bomb treaty

By RICH HEFFERN and THOMAS C. FOX | Published: December 3, 2008

Cluster bombs in an olive grove in southern Lebanon. (Phooto by Simon Conway, courtesy Cluster Munition Coalition)Cluster bombs in an olive grove in southern Lebanon. (Phooto by Simon Conway, courtesy Cluster Munition Coalition)Some 100 nations signed a major anti-cluster bomb treaty, the Convention on Cluster Munitions, during a conference that began Dec. 3 in Oslo, Norway. It is a move that supporters hope will shame the United States, Russia, China, Israel and other non-signers into abandoning weapons blamed for maiming and killing thousands of innocent civilians.

Norway was first to sign, followed by Laos and Lebanon, both hard-hit by the weapons.

The drive to ban cluster bombs gathered momentum after Israel’s war with Hezbollah in 2006, when it scattered some 4 million bomblets over Lebanon.

Supporters call it the most significant disarmament and humanitarian treaty of the decade, banning the use, production and stockpiling of cluster munitions and obligating user nations to provide victim assistance and to clear contaminated land.

Signatories include many of the world’s producers, stockpilers and past users.

“This treaty shows what can be achieved when states act together,” said Co-Chair of the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) Grethe Østern of Norwegian People’s Aid. “The real winners are the thousands of people who will not have to lose life or limbs in the future. This effort has been driven by cluster bomb survivors in nations affected by them. Because of this the treaty has the strongest provisions to assist victims that have ever been laid down in international law.”

Like chemical, biological and land mine conventions before, the treaty bans an entire category of weapons. For over 40 years, cluster bombs have killed and injured civilians during and after conflicts.

Innocent civilians should not be the majority of people killed and that’s what this weapon does. Humanity has gone beyond this,” said Lynn Bradach, whose son Travis, a Marine, was killed in Iraq in 2003 while on a team disarming unexploded ordnance.

On average, a quarter of all cluster bomb victims are children. The treaty will help ensure that survivors, their families and communities receive measurable assistance, including meeting physical and psychosocial needs, rights and national action plans.

“Since 1997, there’s been a de facto ban on land mines. We think that will happen again with cluster bombs,” said Thomas Nash, CMC coordinator. “The moral stigma is going to be so powerful, we think cluster bombs also will quickly become a thing of the past.”

The Holy See not only signed the treaty but ratified it. The Vatican said by ratifying the treaty on the same day it was signed, it wanted “to give a strong political signal.” Pope Benedict XVI voiced support for the treaty effort in mid-May.

The United States has refused to sign the treaty, and earlier this year it boycotted the negotiations leading up to the treaty, claiming the cluster bombs are needed for military purposes in some instances.

Brooke Anderson, President-elect Barack Obama’s chief national security spokesperson, said on Dec. 3: “As president, Barack Obama will carefully review the new treaty and work closely with other countries to ensure that the United States is doing everything feasible to promote protection of civilians in conflict.”

As a senator, Obama supported a proposed amendment to a Defense Department appropriations bill in 2006 that would have banned funds for cluster munitions. The amendment was defeated.

Cluster bombs, which can be dropped from a variety of airplanes, each contain about 200 bomblets, according to Handicap International, which cofounded the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. Handicap International won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997.

Each bomblet is the size of a soft drink can and, depending on the flight of the bomb, can be scattered over wide areas. It is the equivalent of dropping, as one description put it, “a shower of tiny hand grenades,” all capable of exploding and sending lethal shrapnel flying.

A survivor described the weapons in action: “You cannot understand their sickly consequences. They look like sweets scattered from the sky. You don’t realize what they are until they touch you. You know it when they make you bleed. They massacre people in minutes.”

One particularly insidious characteristic of the weapon, critics maintain, is that many don’t explode when first deployed, and they can appear to the unaware as toys or other benign devices. Because they stay deployed over large stretches of land, they have become deadly to thousands of civilians long after hostilities cease. Agricultural lands have been rendered useless because of cluster bomb infestations.

The United States insists that these weapons remain a necessary part of the 21st-century arsenal, putting it in league with China, Iran, Syria and Russia, among others. With China and Russia, the United States is one of the principal manufacturers and exporters of the weapons.

The treaty must be officially ratified by 30 countries before it takes effect.

http://ncronline3.org/drupal/?q=node/2733

just finished watching your movie, can't believe i stayed up late and watched it all - i was almost falling asleep on the ferry i must say, but as soon as you got to the house i was wide awake! interesting place, very warm and personal, looks like they put a lot of work into it and it shows. I would like to have a place like that some day. Thanks for sharing, i know it must have been a lot of work to upload all those clips; i noticed for the first time that you can click on the high quality option - never seen that before, and it really makes a difference.

now i really gotta try and get some sleep, been up since 4:30am

just finished watching your movie, can't believe i stayed up late and watched it all - i was almost falling asleep on the ferry i must say, but as soon as you got to the house i was wide awake! interesting place, very warm and personal, looks like they put a lot of work into it and it shows. I would like to have a place like that some day. Thanks for sharing, i know it must have been a lot of work to upload all those clips; i noticed for the first time that you can click on the high quality option - never seen that before, and it really makes a difference.

now i really gotta try and get some sleep, been up since 4:30am

The Daily Mail is a conservative publication that was sympathetic to fascists. It is like Murdoch's tabloid paper- the Sun. It has also been sued for libel.

I don't know, don't want to judge them too harshly...f'rinstence, I found their coverage of the world's oldest cat and Brittney Spear's low-cut dress quite even-handed.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1091541/At-grand-age-127-thats-2...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1091544/Birthday-girl-Britn...

and...if they really are "sympathetic to fascists", like you say, why the article about Hitler's housekeeper? Hmmmm? ;)
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"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Thanks for watching, Mire. I hope people find it interesting because it really isn't all that well made. It is what it is, and that's enough, I suppose. It humbles me somewhat, to consider what ragged quality I put out while people like Sam and Marc produce such great stuff with no apparent effortless...
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"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

oh...I was just looking at my youtube page and I am embarrassed to say I was wrong about losing subscribers...I was looking at my two subscriptions (both subscribe to mine)
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"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

But when they're ne'er-do-well leeches like the car companies, it's a them-or-us problem.

Incubus has it right at the top of this thread: If the competing store on the next block is outselling yours because it has better (and lower-priced) widgets, get a bunch of that kind of widget in your own inventory. Duh!

We shouldn't have to give anyone a big pile of money we don't have to induce them to do what's obvious.

>>U.S. not among signers of cluster bomb treaty

`World leader', my ass!
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"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

>>We shouldn't have to give anyone a big pile of money we don't have to induce them to do what's obvious.

I think the biggest piece of this puzzle is the CEO-centric thinking that has gotten us to this point. The idea that a corporate officer is worth 100s times more than the worker is ludicrous and can't be sustained.

How do you tell these people the gravy train is over?
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"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Atheist billboard in Capitol stirs a storm

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/390542_capitoldisplay05.html?source=...

OLYMPIA -- An anti-religion billboard in the Washington state Capitol has started a firestorm on national television.

Fox News' Bill O'Reilly had an eight-minute segment on his show Tuesday night decrying the inclusion of the atheistic billboard along with a holiday tree and a Christian nativity scene.

Conservative TV personality O'Reilly urged viewers to call Gov. Chris Gregoire's office.

Gregoire spokesman Pearse Edwards says the office has been getting about 200 calls an hour, as well as e-mails.

The Capitol has had a holiday tree, provided by the Association of Washington Business, for 19 years. In 2006, it was joined by a menorah sponsored by a Seattle Jewish group.

That prompted a lawmaker from Spokane to stage a protest at the Capitol, demanding the holiday tree be called a "Christmas tree." It also led a local real estate agent to sue the state to allow the nativity display depicting the birth of Jesus.

Gregoire, a Democrat, and Republican Attorney General Rob McKenna put out a joint statement Wednesday noting that the federal case led the state to create an inclusive policy:

"The U.S. Supreme Court has been consistent and clear that, under the Constitution's First Amendment, once government admits one religious display or viewpoint onto public property, it may not discriminate against the content of other displays, including the viewpoints of nonbelievers."
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"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Gregoire phones ringing after FOX attack on holiday displays

http://www.theolympian.com/118/story/685284.html

The phone lines were lit up over at the state Department of General Administration and the Governor's Office today. Blame Bill O'Reilly, the FOX News commentator who has declared war on what he thinks is a cultural war against Christmas.

He's blaming Gov. Chris Gregoire — inaccurately — for an atheists' display on the Capitol’s third floor. The atheists’ plaque, which talks about the winter solstice and declares there are no gods or devils or angels, is placed near a Nativity set that features a baby Jesus.

The Nativity set and plaque both are allowed under a state policy that resulted from a legal settlement reached by the state and an Arizona-based religious-rights group one year ago over whether to even allow the Nativity, or crèche, in a secular building. The suit followed the lighting of a Jewish menorah in the Capitol in 2006, which Gregoire had attended.

O’Reilly got on the airwaves last night and urged listeners to call Gregoire, and he called her a few names in his telecast, titled"The Culture War Erupts Over Christmas."’

In response to the phone calls, the Democratic governor issued a joint statement with Republican Attorney General Rob McKenna this afternoon:

"Last year, after a federal lawsuit was filed against the state of Washington by the Alliance Defense Fund, the state’s Department of General Administration set forth a policy allowing individuals or groups to sponsor a display regardless of that individual’s or group’s views.

"The Legislative Building belongs to all citizens of Washington state, and houses the state Legislature, as well as the offices of several state-elected executives, including the governor. The U.S. Supreme Court has been consistent and clear that, under the Constitution’s First Amendment, once government admits one religious display or viewpoint onto public property, it may not discriminate against the content of other displays, including the viewpoints of non-believers."

O’Reilly called it "one incredible situation in Washington state" and "political correctness gone mad." Apparently oblivious to legal issues at hand, he said it was inappropriate and out of context to allow the plaque next to the Nativity.

He said "the buck stops with Gov. Gregoire" and added: "She is a weak, confused leader who is allowing a small fanatical group parity in Christmas displays. How crazy is that?" O’Reilly said. "What’s next? An atheist’s display next to the ‘Welcome to Corpus Christi, Texas’ sign?"

"We are getting 200+ calls an hour," Gregoire spokesman Pearse Edwards said in an email. "Most appear to be from people who live out of state; most of the callers want us to remove the signs; some wishing us a Merry Christmas; some of the comments aren't suitable for publication. Unfortunately, the calls are taking significant time away from our regular workload."

An Olympian micro-poll survey shows more readers favored the display — 52 percent — than oppose it, 48 percent, as of 5 p.m. today. More opposition was from out of state.

*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

I thought I'd be clever and see if OpenSecrets.org could match up the GM Board of Directors on their lists. HAH! No such luck - they probably direct their "donations" to PACs and make donations with the names of their housekeepers and estate caretakers hired help.

BUT

Check out the charts on Automotive: Long-Term Contribution Trends
(can't post the charts - they're flash images)
DO click on all the tabs too!

It's pretty obvious who that industry spent HUGE money on: the SAME PEOPLE that have driven us into this abyss and put the auto industry on the brink of implosion.

And now The Big Three come crying to a DEM Congress for help and Harry "milquetoast" Reid deadpans (from his stock 3"x5" response card) "I don't think we have the votes" while THE VERY PEOPLE THE BIG THREE HELP ELECT TO OFFICE is leaving them high and dry (mostly, i think, to break the UAW).

Who gets stuck? NOT the members of The Board is a hint.

Read the exciting conclusions with a Special Comment from Noted Lefty Ben Stein @
Big Three and the Vichy Dems

(If ya want I can copy the entire post here to an Open Mic for comments for those that don't have a blogger account that want to comment. Or just beef about it on this thread. Vote now!)

Atheist group posts “there is no God” display next to nativity

http://www.counton2.com/cbd/news/national/article/atheist_group_posts_th...

An atheist group has unveiled an anti-religion placard in the Washington state Capitol, joining a Christian Nativity scene and “holiday tree” on display during December.

The placard reads: “At this season of the Winter Solstice may reason prevail. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.“

The foundation’s co-president, Dan Barker, said it was important for atheists to offer their viewpoint alongside the overtly religious Nativity scene and Christmas-style holiday tree.

“Our members want equal time,“ Barker said. “Not to muscle, not to coerce, but just to have a place at the table.“

The three displays, all privately sponsored, were granted permits from state groundskeepers to be placed in the Capitol’s grand marble hallways.

On Monday, the Nativity scene and atheist sign were installed alongside each other in a hallway between the state Senate and House chambers, separated by a large bust of the state’s namesake, George Washington.

For now, the atheist sign is a stand-in.

A metal plaque meant for display was delayed by a shipping error, Barker said.

It will be two-sided, with a lengthy message on the main side, and “Keep State/Church Separate” on the back.

The state says the display is free speech and passed certain criteria, and can’t be seen as state endorsement.

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*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

>>What I find ironic is when Atheist individuals and or organizations litigate for the “separation of church and state” and then demand that the courts and the laws uphold their “belief” that there is no god.

no they didn't...
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

MAY REASON PREVAIL

http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/

Postmodern God
Yeah, ChBub,
In concept, just as, among other binaries, night is an affirmation of day, shadow is an affirmation of light, black is an affirmation of white, "no" is an affirmation of "yes," and yin is an affirmation of yang - atheism is an affirmation of god and as such has no place in our Article 3 branch of self-governance, thanks to the brilliant Amendment #1.

>>thanks to the brilliant Amendment #1.

very well put.

and thank Jesus for the first amendment. too bad Jesus doesn't give it to everyone.

Maybe free speech should be reserved for those who praise God?
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

F Rich,
Yeah! Let's party & celebrate that the days stop getting depressingly dark and that maybe we get to live just a little while longer. But let's not get all over-sensitive mob-zealous about it.
We're going down to the Tropic of Cancer on Christmas day!
How jolly!

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.."
-FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION

Many have argued that the belief of an absence of a "god" is a "religion" unto itself.

So define "religion". Legally.

See Freedom From Religion Foundation
http://www.ffrf.org/purposes/

>>So define "religion". Legally.

Right after I come up with a practical definition of God.

It really isn't an easy concept to nail down.

I remember having my nephew tell me he didn't believe that big man with a long grey beard who lives in the sky and therefore did not believe in God.

Sure he was in his late teens, but still. Who said god had to be that?
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

http://www.thegodmovie.com/

ELLWORT! Have a great time!

A scuba friend of mine spends every New Year's (for as long as I can remember) in The Keys! They go to the SAME BAR every New Year's Eve and THIS YEAR I'm gonna try hook up with him!

(No I don't scuba, snorkeling and drinking mostly - haha!)

Okay The Keys is a couple of degrees NORTH of the Tropic of Cancer, but it will be WARM!

What island? Or just floating in a boat on that latitude?
Arrrrrgggghh!

Spunk., I saw your comment on my video.

You would not believe what they've done w/the place. when they started to rent it, it had been empty for 10 or 20 years. the prior owner died and the county took over. My sister and Brother in law were offered the place because he was contracting on the Islands and needed a place. I don't know how they made the arrangement, but they rented it for $150 a month and could trade work and materials! This was the early 80s, but still, it was an incredible deal.

Micheal used rough cedar mill scraps to panel most of the house. and you can see what Rocky has done with the interior decorating and landscaping.

The cast iron cooking stove is the center piece of the house. they found it in the nickle want ads. Roclky's been cooking on it for over 2 decades and has pretty much mastered it. Did you know that when cooking a thanksgiving turkey you need to turn the bird around every hour or so? other wise it will over cook on the side closest to the fire box.

Anyway, I really look forward to holidays over there.
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

But really a Fictitious Character. And in the guise of Yahweh (from the Torah ammunition dump of fundamentalists) a real prick.

FilthyR -
Treebu and I are going to Baja Sur in Mexico. We managed to invest US funds (before they really plunged) in a cone of earth near the Pacific.

Been to the Keys and watched the dolphins at sunset from Sarasota too. Fucking beautiful, yes.
Thanks.

Have yourself a merry little (relative) axis-tilt.

Don't know if you saw this in Rolling Stone

The War Next Door
As drug cartels battle the government, Mexico descends into chaos

Watch yer a$$, gringo.

Man uses candy cane to subdue attacker with knife

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1120ap_odd_candy_cane_defense.htm...

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A man using a candy cane lawn ornament fended off a knife-wielding neighbor who had been attacking holiday guests at a Sacramento home. Police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said the man used the two-foot-tall plastic ornament to subdue the attacker until officers arrived.

He said the 49-year-old suspect became intoxicated, went over to a neighbor's home on Thanksgiving and began waving a kitchen knife at people gathered on the lawn.

He cut several peoples' clothing before one of them decided to fight back.

Police said the man with the knife was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. The guest who took up the candy cane was not arrested because police determined he acted in self-defense.
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Thanks, man -
Yeah, at all times. It IS a little worrisome that that shit may have crept at times a bit southward from the US border, where it's really boiling.
Things will bubble up pretty uncomfortably right here in the USA when the tortured Muslims inevitably come calling. Are you comfortable with the prospect of benevolent protection from Cheney's private army - e.g., Blackwater?

ChBub -
Love the candy cane ninja story.
Almost makes ya wanna believe in the Corn Syrup Jee-sus!

Whats a happenin? Hows you

By Juan Cole

There is a danger in India as we speak of mob action against Muslims, which will ineluctably drag the country into communal violence. Continue

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article21370.htm

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

I am very uncomfortable with Baracks cabinet. However He has seen poverty, so as he said "The Change will come from me"

We'll see

I feel great :)

By AlterNet

There is a torrent of information and analysis on the recent attacks in Mumbai, but much of the story is nowhere to be seen in the American mainstream media. Here's a guide to what you might have missed. Continue

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article21378.htm

Viewpoints: Where now for capitalism?
Noam Chomsky
BBC News, September 19, 2008

http://chomsky.info/articles/20080919.htm

+++++++++++++++++++

· Noam Chomsky interviewed by Paul Jay. Real News Network. October 20, 2008.

Audio

http://therealnews.com/t/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&It...

____________________________

· Authors@Google: Noam Chomsky. Authors@Google. April 25, 2008.

Audio

http://youtube.com/watch?v=rnLWSC5p1XE

((((((((((((((((((((((((((

· How will the changing global powers impact the Israel-Palestine conflict?. BigThink.com. March 25, 2008.

http://www.bigthink.com/the-world/the-middle-east/9119

?

i know over in northern caintucky that cities have a property tax on cars for residents that amounts to several hundred to a thousand or more every year.

i do think one of the comments on reichs blog is correct and that is to start letting sugar based ethanol into the country. fuck adm adn the other agriconglomerates stuffing our money in their pockets.

there ought to be a way to build a electric / hybrid / more efficient car without forcing people to drive in something the size of a shoebox. its not that people don't want efficient cars, they want comfortable safe cars.

i drive a ford explorer because its comfortable and knock on wood, the quality is decent.

which were agreements made in the past, then why can't we go back and seize the obscene profits these frauds called ceo's have stolen from the public?

Bush Administration Weakened Lending Rules Before Crash MATT APUZZO | December 1, 2008 04:26 PM EST

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration backed off proposed crackdowns on no-money-down, interest-only mortgages years before the economy collapsed, buckling to pressure from some of the same banks that have now failed. It ignored remarkably prescient warnings that foretold the financial meltdown, according to an Associated Press review of regulatory documents.

"Expect fallout, expect foreclosures, expect horror stories," California mortgage lender Paris Welch wrote to U.S. regulators in January 2006, about one year before the housing implosion cost her a job.

Bowing to aggressive lobbying _ along with assurances from banks that the troubled mortgages were OK _ regulators delayed action for nearly one year. By the time new rules were released late in 2006, the toughest of the proposed provisions were gone and the meltdown was under way.

"These mortgages have been considered more safe and sound for portfolio lenders than many fixed rate mortgages," David Schneider, home loan president of Washington Mutual, told federal regulators in early 2006. Two years later, WaMu became the largest bank failure in U.S. history.

The administration's blind eye to the impending crisis is emblematic of a philosophy that trusted market forces and discounted the need for government intervention in the economy. Its belief ironically has ushered in the most massive government intervention since the 1930s.

-more-
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/01/bush-administration-weake_n_147...

(Sorry if this is a re-post but worth repeating.)

LOL

why Malloy deserves his number one spot on the LTR yearly poll of best liberal talk show host!

LOL, re last week's obama meeting with the governors of cash-strapped states where he obama pledged his help so that they can meet their financial obligations, that's where his experience as a state legislator and community organizer concerned about poverty comes in handy...

malloy proposes the brilliant theory that all these red states that voted republican, and particularly the ones where joe the "dork" and the "ho from wasilla" campaigned hard against socialist obama and ridiculed him to no end about his wealth redistribution comment, all these states should be excluded from this "redistribution" program, pull yourselves up by your bootstraps, georgia and alaska and louisiana since you voted against these socialist ideas ya'll

but, since obama is not gonna indulge this malloy fantasy, the least these red states should do is to refuse the handout, dont'ya think?

don't know why nobody else in media that i'm aware of has pointed this out, let alone doing it with that amazingly catchy malloy flair.

Dog Saves Other Injured Dog Lying On A Highway (VIDEO)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/03/dog-saves-other-injured-d_n_148...

I am taking my mom to the
hospital this am for tests before her angiogram tomorrow. She is very nervous...

let us know how it goes

It's a dreary day in my part of Sederville.

But what the hey, how's everybody?

Israel preparing options for Iran strike - The Jerusalem Post

haven't run down the original yet.

Mossad implicated in a coup plot in Turkey, a NATO country; CIA fingerprints also found on attempt
By Wayne Madsen
Online Journal Contributing Writer

Dec 4, 2008, 00:20

(WMR) -- Fresh from revelations, reported by WMR, that Israel’s Mossad and Chabad House-based criminal syndicates were targets in a criminal gangland retribution attack by a notorious Muslim gang in Mumbai, comes word that Mossad has, once again, been implicated in an intelligence and criminal network, this time in Turkey.

What makes this latest example of Israel’s failure to stem the criminal activities of its intelligence service and criminal syndicates worse is that Turkey, unlike Israel, is a NATO ally of the United States and, therefore, the United States is bound by treaty to protect NATO allies from aggression by non-NATO states, including Israel.

con't

http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_4087.shtml

Source: Reuters

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is expected on Thursday to take the unprecedented step of seeking the suspension of Parliament so he can avoid defeat at the hands of the opposition.

Harper's extreme gambit is the latest development in a constitutional crisis that erupted last week after he tried to cut public financing for political parties, a move that would have hit the opposition particularly hard.

Harper's Conservatives won a strengthened minority in an Oct. 14 election but now face a confidence vote in Parliament on Monday they are likely to lose. The left-leaning Liberals and New Democrats signed a deal to defeat Harper and form a coalition government. They are backed by the Bloc Quebecois, which wants independence for French-speaking Quebec.

The opposition -- which accuses Harper of running away from his responsibilities -- says it is also angry that a recent government fiscal update contained few measures to help a Canadian economy hurt by the global meltdown. Harper now has no choice but to visit Governor General Michaelle Jean -- the representative of Queen Elizabeth, Canada's head of state -- and ask her to suspend Parliament until he can deliver a budget on Jan. 27.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN0437510...

Amelia and Magazine is very close to my house. I'm near Magazine and Washington. I will be leaving town on Sunday (Feb 22 I believe it is), coming back on the Thursday so I'll be missing it. Will be travelling to a work meeting, (no Europe) so at least my escapism won't cost me this time :)

gotta run, am late for work again

i'll catch your post later

Support grows for proposals to boycott Israel--

"Petition to: Boycott, Divest & Sanction Israel!"

Posted by: BirchBricker

On the Web at:

http://www.edhtelegraph.com/detail/100061.html

Sure it sounds good on paper...
Chris in Paris · 12/04/2008 05:27:00 AM ET · Link

But these things always have a catch

I will be back some day for something, though.

My La. friends ruled the Cajun and Zydeco Grammy nominations and Dr. John got one, too!

AT&T to eliminate 12,000 jobs

By Jeffry Bartash, MarketWatch
Last update: 9:46 a.m. EST Dec. 4, 2008WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- AT&T Inc. on Thursday said it would cut 12,000 jobs, or 4% of its workforce, and spend less on new equipment in 2009 in response to a weakening economy.

The Dallas-based phone giant, which had 303,000 employees at the end of the third quarter, becomes the latest U.S. bellwether to announce major layoffs. Separately, DuPont
DD) also announced job cuts on Thursday.
Aside from a poor economy, AT&T cited streamlining efforts and a "changing business mix" as reasons for the reductions. The company noted that it's still hiring in its stronger businesses such as wireless, video and high-speed Internet.

"There's an ongoing industry shift from wireline to wireless and broadband," AT&T spokesman Walt Sharp said.
Most of the job losses will take place in AT&T's older and declining local and long-distance segments. The reductions will begin in December and continue into 2009, the company said.

AT&T plans to book a onetime expense of $600 million in the fourth quarter to pay for severance and related costs.
With the economy now in recession, AT&T also said it expects to devote less money to capital expenses in 2009 than it's spending in the current fiscal year. AT&T is on track to spend roughly $17.8 billion or somewhat less on network expenses in 2008.

The carrier said it will give more details when AT&T issues fourth-quarter results in late January.

AT&T and other phone companies have been scaling back capital expenditures for months and pushing projects further out, according to executives at firms that make networking equipment.

Just last month, Sprint Nextel Corp. Chief Executive Dan Hesse said in an interview that that's exactly what phone companies are doing.

"I think the input from the suppliers is very accurate," Hesse said. "Carriers will begin to slow down or delay projects."

In November, Sprint initiated a buyout program for some employees.

The slowdown is sure to put more pressure on already-battered vendors such as Nortel Networks Corp. (NTNortel Networks Corporation, Alcatel-Lucent and Tellabs Inc.

LINK

Calls for $1 Trillion Stimulus Package Grow Louder as U.S. Economy Tumbles The one thing that isn’t shrinking in the U.S. economy these days is the size of the stimulus package that financial experts say is needed to turn it around.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=afWnxP9Dzv0M&refer=n...

Dubai Speculators Quit as Lending Drought Bursts Desert Property Bubble
The classified ads in Dubai read like an obituary for a real-estate market that until a few months ago seemed immune from the global credit crisis.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=a2jrSPqYhVzY&refer=n...

Somali Pirates Flourish After U.S. Ousted Islamists Who Had Shut Them Down
International patrols at sea have done little to stop pirates from menacing ships off the coast of Somalia. Even less is being done to thwart them on land -- and for that the brigands may want to thank an unintended consequence of the U.S.’s war on terror.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=atERt0ckMiJ4&refer=n...

http://www.samsedershow.com/node/4149

Bankers Smoke Auto CEOs in Bailout Grand Prix: Margaret Carlson

Dec. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Honk if you’re a bank and haven’t been bailed out.

More than $3 trillion has been laid out to shore up the sinking financial system since Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson did little more than doodle on the back of a napkin (or three) two months ago to get the first $700 billion from Congress.

On Tuesday, the first audit of that outlay was in from the Government Accountability Office, the nonpartisan investigative arm of Congress. The 66-page report doesn’t actually use “seat of the pants” to describe the Bush administration’s operation, but in its delicate bureaucratic style, it comes close:

“There is heightened risk that the interests of the government and taxpayers may not be adequately protected and that the program objectives may not be achieved in an efficient and effective manner,” the GAO wrote.

Which brings us to the $34 billion request from the auto industry. Unlike the bankers, the carmakers are having to prostrate themselves before Congress, confess their sins, beg forgiveness, do penance and take a vow of poverty.

I’m all for it. Put them in stocks in the village square if you want. But do the same to chief executive officers at financial institutions. I’ve seen no groveling by those folks, some of whom, like Citigroup Inc. director Robert Rubin, were responsible for the deregulation that caused the current catastrophe.

It’s striking how bankers have gotten the moral upper hand as compared with the Big Three. No applications for money from the Treasury’s Troubled Asset Relief Program have been refused, and Paulson says he’s reviewing hundreds of new requests for funds.

Outsized Salaries

Many bankers are still drawing outsized salaries. The GAO says the TARP program doesn’t have the teeth to force banks to curtail executive compensation.

And it’s not just the salaries but the continuing perks. Midtown Manhattan streets are still lined with climate-controlled limos to whisk bankers about town. American International Group Inc. bigwigs, who have had two bites of the TARP apple, for a $150 billion package, went on two junkets since the cash infusion, one to an oceanside resort and the other to England for a partridge hunt.

Contrast that with the carmakers. Suddenly President George W. Bush and Paulson are like parents who won’t give an allowance unless chores are done, A’s earned and hair shirts donned.

Sunday Drives

One reason for the disparity is that it’s easier to understand how the auto industry blew it than the bankers. What the carmakers did to their product is surely no worse than what banks did to the financial system, but who ever loved a credit default swap the way they loved their first car?

My parents used to take all of us on Sunday drives in their Chevy Impala, and we piled in as if we were taking Sputnik into orbit. By the time I bought my first car, I chose a Volkswagen Beetle because it got such good gas mileage. I picked my most recent car, a 1998 Honda Civic, because of its excellent rate-of- repair record, sunroof and cupholder, although not in that order.

By the ‘70s, even my parents gave up buying American. When General Motors Corp. lost the Bresnahans, it should have woken up.

A 1980 report to Congress warned that the domestic auto industry faced ruin if it didn’t wise up. The industry was given funds to come up with a new generation of vehicles capable of competing with the Japanese. Instead they kept producing the equivalent of cars with tail fins in the face of foreign competitors pioneering ever more fuel-efficient cars.

Biggest Mistake

Late in the game, GM chief Rick Wagoner acknowledged that “axing the EVI,” the company’s electric car, was the biggest mistake he ever made. It was hardly a surprising decision in a company where Vice Chairman Robert Lutz called global warming “a total crock.” GM also purchased the rights to Hummer, a vehicle that gets 10 miles a gallon on a flat, dry road if you’re lucky and protects you from sniper fire should you find yourself driving in Kabul.

The auto industry executives looked foolish two weeks ago when they arrived in Washington by private jet and with no plans for the money they were seeking. For their encore this week, they drove themselves in hybrids and submitted reforms that would kill product lines (so long, Pontiac), sell their aircraft, pursue fuel efficiency, and give them $1 salaries. That last was a real concession for Ford CEO Alan Mulally, who earlier told Congress: “I think I’m OK where I am.” He was at $22 million.

More here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&refer=columnist_carlson&...

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