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4/16/08
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China finds dynamite and guns in 11 monasteries: Xinhua
BEIJING (Reuters)
- Police have found guns, dynamite, bullets and satellite receivers hidden in 11
Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in
China's
northeastern Gansu province, state media reported on Wednesday.
China SAYS that’s
what they’ve found. I have a hard time seeing Buddhist monks as violent
revolutionaries. Have they been fooling me all these years, with their talk
about finding inner peace?
The World
Airstrike kills 4 in Basra, 2 die in Sadr City clashes
BAGHDAD - An
unmanned U.S. drone fired two Hellfire missiles at militants attacking Iraqi
soldiers in a Shiite militia stronghold in the southern city of
Basra
on Wednesday, killing four of the gunmen, the military said.
Bombs kill at least 60 in Iraq as fears mount of more to come
BAGHDAD — A spate
of explosions across Iraq killed at least 60 people Tuesday and resurrected
fears that the security gains that the U.S. has been touting are now unraveling.
Iraqi Unit Flees Post, Despite American's Plea
A company of
Iraqi soldiers abandoned their positions on Tuesday night in Sadr City, defying
American soldiers who implored them to hold the line against Shiite militias.
Capt. Logan Veath, a company commander in the 25th Infantry Division, pleaded
with the Iraqi major who was leading his troops away from the Sadr City fight,
urging him to return to the front.
Iraq leader confident of defeating al-Qaida in Iraq
BRUSSELS, Belgium
- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Wednesday he's more confident than
ever his government will defeat al-Qaida in Iraq and that confrontation with
militia fighters will help achieve political stability.
Hamas says Carter will meet two of its leaders
GAZA (Reuters) -
Hamas said on Wednesday that former U.S. President Jimmy Carter would meet two
of its leaders from Gaza in Egypt, in further defiance of Israeli leaders, who
have shunned him over his contacts with the Islamist group.
Iran would 'eliminate Israel' if attacked: army general
Iran
would "eliminate Israel from the global arena" if it was attacked by the Jewish
state, the deputy commander of the army warned on Tuesday, amid an intensifying
war of words between the two foes. "We are not worried by Israeli manoeuvres,
but if Israel takes such action against the Islamic Republic of Iran, we will
eliminate it from the global arena," Mohammad Reza Ashtiani was quoted as saying
by the Mehr news agency.
Iran nuclear talks end in China without resolution
SHANGHAI
(Reuters) - Six-nation talks about Iran's nuclear program on Wednesday failed to
secure full agreement on a new package aimed a restarting negotiations with
Tehran, but the Iranian president said the country was open for discussions.
Busy in Iraq, U.S. faces surging violence in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON —
While America's attention remains focused on Iraq, violence is escalating in
Afghanistan, worrying senior U.S. defense officials and commanders who're
struggling to find some 7,000 more American and European troops to combat
resurgent Taliban and al Qaida forces.
As Olympics protests mount, China blasts its foreign critics
BEIJING —
Bristling at criticism in the run-up to the Summer Olympics, China is lashing
back at its foreign critics — by name.
UN warns of looming NKorea food crisis
SEOUL (AFP) -
Time is running out to avert a humanitarian tragedy in North Korea due to acute
and worsening food shortages, a United Nations agency warned Wednesday.
Rebels deny planning to assassinate ETimor leaders
SYDNEY (AFP) -
Rebel East Timor soldiers denied trying to assassinate the country's top leaders
in February and insisted they were fired upon first, in interviews with
Australian television to be aired Wednesday.
Australia to probe medical testing claim
CANBERRA,
Australia - Advocates for indigenous Australians alleged that Aboriginal
children were used as test subjects for leprosy treatments in the 1920s and
1930s, sparking a government investigation.
HQ of Conservative Party raided
OTTAWA (Reuters)
- Elections Canada investigators, backed by police, raided the Ottawa
headquarters of the ruling Conservative Party on Tuesday, in a probe of its
financing practices during the 2006 federal election campaign.
Brazil soldiers hand out food in Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE,
Haiti - After days of violent protests, Brazilian soldiers took advantage of a
calm Tuesday to hand out food in a Haitian slum. But some recipients said the
gifts would not sustain their families for long.
86-year-old charged with Nazi-era killings in Netherlands
BERLIN - An
86-year-old man who acted as a hit man for a Nazi death squad that executed
Dutch civilians during World War II has been charged with three counts of
murder, a prosecutor said Wednesday.
CIA transited three terror suspects through Germany: report
An independent
report has cleared
Berlin of knowing
that the CIA transited three Egyptian terror suspects through Germany between
2001 and 2003, a newspaper report said Tuesday. The report by Joachim Jacob,
rapporteur for a BND (German intelligence agency) commission of enquiry into
German collusion into the US's extraordinary renditions programme, said that two
flights passed through Germany, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung said.
Berlusconi "wants EU to regain global influence"
ROME (Reuters) -
Italian prime minister-elect Silvio Berlusconi said on Wednesday he would help
the European Union regain some of the influence in international affairs that he
said it had lost since he was last in power.
Whites under siege hunker down in Zimbabwe election crisis
HARARE, Zimbabwe
- With his 28-year grip on power slipping, President Robert Mugabe's government
has again lashed out at Zimbabwe's white community, calling his black opponents
tools of former colonial master Britain and stoking anger against the nation's
whites.
Zimbabwe doctors say 157 beaten in post-election violence
HARARE (AFP) - A
coalition of Zimbabwean doctors said Wednesday that its members had seen and
treated 157 people who had been beaten and tortured in political violence since
the elections at the end of March.
The Nation
Bush, big White House crowd to greet pope on his birthday
WASHINGTON -
President Bush has quite a birthday present for Pope Benedict XVI: at least
9,000 excited guests gathered on the White House's South Lawn for a 21-gun
salute, a famed soprano's rendition of "The Lord's Prayer" and an emotional
presidential welcome.
A 21-gun salute?
For the representative of the Prince of Peace?
Bush plans target to stop greenhouse gas emission growth
WASHINGTON
- Revising his stance on global warming, President Bush will propose a new
target for stopping the growth of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions by 2025.
Dallas VA hospital closes pysch ward after 4th vet suicide. (Think
Progress)
The Dallas Morning News reports that city’s VA Medical Center officially closed
its psychiatric wing after the fourth mentally-ill veteran committed suicide
this year. The hospital was rated the nation’s worst VA facility in a 1995
study, though a spokeswoman said that “more than $250,000 has been spent during
the last six months to eliminate suicide risks” there. In November, CBS reported
that “at least 6,256 US veterans committed suicide in 2005 — an average of 17 a
day.”
State Dept. warns of compulsory Iraq duty
WASHINGTON (AP) —
The Associated Press has learned that the State Department is warning diplomats
they may be forced to serve in Iraq next year and will soon identify prime
candidates for upcoming vacancies in Baghdad and outlying provinces… A similar
forced call-up threat last year caused a revolt among foreign service officers,
although enough volunteers were found in the end.
Risk of Nuclear Attack on Rise
Concerned that
not enough attention is being paid to the risk of a nuclear attack, a Senate
committee yesterday looked at the consequences of such a terrorist strike in
Washington. A hearing, called by the Committee on Homeland Security and
Government Affairs, featured charts showing the horrific effects of a small
nuclear device detonating near the White House.
Lawmakers move to ensure 'sole survivors' get same benefits as other veterans
WASHINGTON — The
Army honorably discharged Jason Hubbard after both his brothers died in Iraq.
Then the Army demanded its money back.
Lawmakers seek to keep cell phones grounded
WASHINGTON
— The campaign against disruptive cell-phone conversations is spreading to the
skies.
Black Caucus calls for aid to Haiti amid food crisis
WASHINGTON
— Lawmakers on Tuesday demanded immediate debt relief for
Haiti and the release
millions of dollars in food aid as the
Caribbean
nation struggles with soaring food prices.
D.C. Madam: Guilty
A federal jury
found the so-called "D.C. Madam" guilty Tuesday on four felony charges stemming
from her Washington-area prostitution business. Jurors deliberated for less
than a day before reaching their verdict, after listening to four days of sad
testimony from more than a dozen former prostitutes and three clients. Deborah
Jeane Palfrey had maintained that she ran a "sexual fantasy services" outcall
escort firm which prohibited illegal activity by the women who worked for it.
She said she was unaware of sex between her clients and the women who worked for
her.
Canadian detainee asks US court to intervene in terror case
Lawyers for a
Canadian prisoner asked a civilian appeals court Tuesday to intervene in his
terrorism case. If the court agrees, it would provide new judicial oversight on
the Bush regime's terrorism prosecution system. But the chief judge of the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit questioned whether it had
the authority to get involved. The case was brought by Omar Khadr, who is
accused -- when he was 15-years-old -- of killing a U.S. soldier during a
firefight in Afghanistan in 2002.
Let me say it
again, this kid has fantastic lawyers.
Lawsuit against former Bolivian president moved to Florida
WASHINGTON
— A federal judge on Tuesday moved a civil lawsuit against a former Bolivian
president over dozens of deaths there from political strife from
Maryland
to Florida
to avoid duplication and "potentially inconsistent rulings." Six law firms and
human rights groups filed the suit against former Bolivian President Gonzalo
Sanchez de Lozada in federal court in
Maryland,
where Sanchez de Lozada lives, demanding compensation for relatives of the
estimated 67 people killed during the 2003 protests that forced him into U.S.
exile. They've filed a similar case in Miami against former Bolivian Defense
Minister Jose Carlos Sanchez Berzain.
Court rules in favor of prosecutors in cocaine case
WASHINGTON
- The Supreme Court on Wednesday sorted out unclear language in a federal
anti-drug law in favor of prosecutors, ruling against a man who faces a 13-year
prison term in a cocaine case.
Supreme Court upholds Kentucky's use of lethal injections
WASHINGTON
- The Supreme Court has upheld
Kentucky's use of lethal
injections for executions.
Court rules DUI does not count as violent felony
WASHINGTON
- The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that convictions for drunk driving do not
count as violent felonies for enhancing prison sentences.
US senator Arlen Specter's cancer returns
WASHINGTON (AFP)
- US Senator Arlen Specter announced Tuesday that he had a recurrence of cancer
which he had fought in 2005 but said he would still campaign for re-election in
November.
Lieberman willing to star at Republican convention
Sen. Joe
Lieberman (I-Conn.), is leaving open the possibility of giving a keynote address
on behalf of Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) at the Republican National Convention in
September.
Idaho lt. governor leads in money race to replace Craig
WASHINGTON — Lt.
Gov. Jim Risch has raised nearly $1 million so far in his bid to replace Larry
Craig in the U.S. Senate, a fundraising firestorm that could spark the most
expensive election season in Idaho history.
Democrats outraised GOP incumbents in 3 Florida races
WASHINGTON —
Democratic challengers in three critical House races to unseat South Florida
Republicans raised more money than the incumbents during the first three months
of the year, campaign finance reports show.
NYPD settles suit claiming abuses at 2003 anti-war protest
Police have
agreed to rein in mounted patrols and adopt other new policies protecting the
rights of demonstrators in order to settle a lawsuit brought by anti-war
protesters, the New York Civil Liberties Union said Tuesday.
Innocent Texas Man to Be Freed After 23 Years
(by Jeralyn at TalkLeft)
At a hearing in Texas today, Thomas McGowan will be freed from a Dallas prison
after serving 23 years for a rape and burglary DNA has proven he didn't commit.
McGowan will be the 25th person in Texas to have been convicted of a crime based
on faulty eyewitness testimony and later exonerated by DNA testing.
Economy & Finance
Blue-chip earnings fuel Wall Street gains
NEW YORK
(Reuters) - Stocks rose on Wednesday after Intel Corp, JPMorgan Chase & Co and
other blue chips posted quarterly results that reassured investors after a
string of disappointments last week.
March consumer prices up despite big drop in clothing costs
WASHINGTON
- Consumer prices pushed higher last month as increases in energy, food and
airline tickets overwhelmed the biggest drop in clothing prices in nearly a
decade.
Foreclosures jump 57% in last 12 months
Home foreclosure
filings surged 57% in the 12 month-period ended in March and bank repossessions
soared 129% from a year ago, as homeowners struggled to make mortgage payments,
real estate data firm RealtyTrac said.
U.S. and Britain shift the blame for high oil prices
Britain
and the United States blame OPEC for record high oil prices that have
exacerbated a global economic slowdown, but some analysts believe the cause for
oil's run-up may lie closer to home: a battered dollar, weakened by a
U.S.
housing marke
Oil numbers
(by Paul Krugman)
[W]e’ve got rapidly growing demand due to industrialization in Asia colliding
with stagnant supply, basically because oil is getting hard to find… This is
what peak oil is supposed to look like — not Oh My God We’ve Just Run Out Of
Oil, but steady pressure on the economy and the way we live from rising energy
prices and their consequences. And it doesn’t matter much whether we’re
literally at the peak, or whether production can rise by a few million more
barrels a day; unless there are big sources of oil out there, we’ll be feeling
peakish for the foreseeable future.
Treasury outlines toothless hedge-fund rules
WASHINGTON
— With an eye toward shoring up shaky financial markets, Treasury Department
officials unveiled a plan Tuesday to provide greater transparency and management
of risk in hedge funds.
Big Tax Breaks for Businesses in Housing Bill
The tax
provisions of the Foreclosure Prevention Act, which consumer groups and labor
leaders say amount to government handouts to big business, show how the credit
crisis, while rattling the housing and financial markets, has created
beneficiaries in the power corridors of Washington. "The Senate legislation gave
corporations and Wall Street billions in tax breaks," Terence M. O’Sullivan, the
president of the Laborers International Union of North America, said at a news
conference on Tuesday to denounce the bill. "If anything, this
multibillion-dollar windfall will make things worse," he continued.
Battle flares over Fla. tomato pickers' wages, living conditions
WASHINGTON —
Delivering a victory to farmworker groups that complain of paltry wages on
Florida farms, senators said Tuesday they'll ask federal investigators to
determine whether migrant farm workers are being paid as much as the tomato
industry claims.
Media
Permanent link to MTA daily media news
McCain Gets Least Coverage But Best Media Narrative
(Project for Excellence in Journalism)
Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama attracted more attention from the press than
John McCain last week. But the two Democrats were often engaged in serious
damage control while the GOP's candidate was basking in some pretty positive
coverage.
THEIR MASTER’S VOICE:
(by Bob Somerby at the Daily Howler)
Good grief! In the midst of his standard snark, Dana Milbank gives us a
portrait [Tuesday] of the press corps in its full glory. [Monday], Candidates
McCain and Obama addressed the annual meeting of the American Society of
Newspaper Editors. In this passage, Milbank describes what happened just before
McCain spoke: “MILBANK (4/15/08): McCain's moderators, the AP's Ron Fournier and
Liz Sidoti, greeted McCain with a box of Dunkin' Donuts. ‘We spend quite a bit
of time with you on the back of the Straight Talk Express asking you questions,
and what we've decided to do today was invite everyone else along on the ride,’
Sidoti explained. ‘We even brought you your favorite treat.’”
Just before
George Bush took office in 2001, some major news outlet ran a story about how
great it was that the White House press corps would be made up of people who had
been on the campaign trail with him, because they were friends with Bush and he
had pet nicknames for them. I wrote at the time that it was a reason to fire
them all. Some of them have yet to wake up from their stupor.
The Bloom Is Off The Rose
(by Steve Soto at The Left Coaster)
[B]oth Obama and McCain went before the nation's newspaper editors [Monday] at
an event hosted by the Associated Press. While McCain was treated to the usual
lovefest by the allegedly objective and not-in-the-tank Fourth Estate, Obama got
a chillier and inquisitorial reception several hours later. Yes, it was just
several months ago that
Clinton
supporters like me at the time whined about Obama's kindly treatment from these
same media, while we also suspected that the media would eventually turn their
knives against him. Don't blame Hillary for this, because the media was always
going to choose their crush McCain, regardless of whether or not Clinton ran a
demolition derby against Obama. What this demonstrates is that Democrats have
little room for error in a race against the media's darling.
But there’s a
serious problem here. Obama supporters who refused to stand up against the
attacks on Hillary Clinton will have no standing whatsoever to complain about
the medias differential treatment of McCain and Obama. They will have no
credibility at all.
Faux News Reporting
(by Jeralyn at TalkLeft)
I caught the intro to Countdown with Keith Olbermann announcing that Obama's
ahead in Indiana and Hillary's lead is gone in PA. I changed the channel. Is it
too much to ask that cable news and talk show hosts like Olbermann at least
fairly report the news before they put their spin on it? How could he not
mention the multiple dueling polls? Starting yesterday, Big Tent Democrat and I
catalogued every poll (other than daily trackers) in the states yet to vote
regardless of results… We didn't cherry pick and report only those we agree with
or that favor one candidate or the other. Examples:
The LA Times/Bloomberg Poll on PA, Indiana and NC (Hillary by 5, Obama by 5, Obama by 13 respectively)
Survey USA: KY (Clinton up by 36)
Survey USA PA: Clinton Up By 14
Quinnipiac and Rasmussen PA: Clinton Up By 6 and 9, respectively.
Survey USA Indiana: Clinton up by 16
Public Policy Polling NC: Obama Up by 18.
Rasmussen on Bitter-Gate: 56% Disagree With Obama's Remarks
Susquehanna Univ. PA: (pre Bittergate): Clinton up by 3.
American Research Group PA: Clinton Up by 20
That a cable news network can't do the same -- even on an opinionated news/talk show -- is pathetic.
There Goes Florida
(by Taylor Marsh)
McCain takes out Obama in a general election Florida match up. “The latest
Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in Florida shows McCain attracting 53% of the
vote while Obama earns 38%.” Oh, and speaking of Florida, you know that rumor
about Al Gore allegedly pairing with Jimmy Carter to resolve the primary fight?
Pure rubbish. I heard it from Gore's communication's director Kalee D.
Kreider today via email….As for Clinton v. McCain in Florida, it's a toss-up:
“If McCain is matched against Hillary Clinton, the race is a toss-up—Clinton 45%
McCain 44%.” Lord knows what other swing states we'll lose once the 527s get
involved. Combine Wright and Bitter-gate, and you've got quite a gift. [Emphasis
added.]
50, No 48, No 47 . . . State Strategy?
(by Big Tent Democrat at TalkLeft)
Got to have a little fun with our friends at daily kos who now tell us some
states do not actually matter: “There's never been any reason to expect Obama to
do well in Appalachia, so even if Clinton hangs around through Kentucky, a big
win there won't mean much either in delegates gained or in creating a perception
of momentum.”… For the record, I do not think any Dem has a chance in Kentucky
or MS, GA, AL, AZ, TX, ID, UT, WY, ND, etc. But I do find it rich that the Big
Orange now tells us it is ok to say some states do not matter.
Woe Is He (by
John B. Judis, The New Republic)
To win in November, a Democratic presidential candidate has to carry most of the
industrial heartland states that stretch from Pennsylvania to Missouri. That
becomes even more imperative if a Democrat can't carry
Florida--and
because of his relative weakness in South Florida, Obama is unlikely to do so
against McCain. Ruy Teixeira and I have calculated that in the heartland states,
a Democratic presidential candidate has to win from 45 to 48 percent of the
white working class vote. In some states, like West Virginia and Kentucky, the
percentage is well over a majority.
The Democratic Debacle of 2008
(by John: south of Melrose at Liberal Rapture)
An ongoing fascination I have with the Snob-gate story is the ongoing
cluelessness of the Obamites. None of them seem to understand why Obama's
remarks in San
Francisco are so
offensive to so many people. They truly don't get it: including the man himself.
Obama did not say he was wrong, merely that he did not say it very well. What he
said was, in essence, Marxist. The masses are stupid but needed. If they were
not stupid they would not use guns and religion as an opiate. Obama has yet to
refute this sentiment. His supporters are befuddled that everyone can't see the
inherent wisdom of Saint Obama's remarks.
A Living Lie
(by Thomas Sowell at Real Clear Politics)
Obama's election year image is that of a man who can bring the country together,
overcoming differences of party or race, as well as solving our international
problems by talking with Iran and other countries with which we are at odds, and
performing other miscellaneous miracles as needed. There is, of course, not a
speck of evidence that Obama has ever transcended party differences in the
United States Senate. Voting records analyzed by the National Journal show him
to be the farthest left of anyone in the Senate. Nor has he sponsored any
significant bipartisan legislation -- nor any other significant legislation, for
that matter. Senator Obama is all talk -- glib talk, exciting talk, confident
talk, but still just talk.
That National
Journal analysis is flawed, I believe. Obama’s voting record isn’t much
different from Clinton’s—or Joe Lieberman’s, for that matter.
Tavis Smiley Seeks Relief from Crazed Obamites
(by Glen Ford at the Black Agenda Report)
Tavis Smiley never wanted to pick a fight with Barack Obama. In point of fact,
it is not in the media entrepreneur’s nature to pick fights with persons of
power or popularity. But Obama’s zealots do not accept anything less than
abject, unqualified loyalty to their leader, whom they treat more as a messiah
than a Chicago
politician with close ties to Wall Street. Smiley suddenly found himself branded
as “a hater, sellout and traitor" for questioning Obama’s failure to appear on
Smiley’s “State of the Black Union” event. Finally, as syndicated radio host Tom
Joyner put it, Smiley ended his 12-year association with Joyner’s show because
of “the hate he’s been getting” from Joyner’s audience. If they’ll run Tavis
Smiley out of Black radio, these are fanatics, indeed.
From a media professor (a
real professor) who is on my mailing list, via email:
Carolyn, I have
been impressed with how well you have restrained yourself in your criticism of
Obama. I suspect your desire to have a Democrat win is trumping your anger at
the treatment Hillary is getting from the media. I sort of like politics as a
blood sport. I am looking for a website that supports Clinton and attacks Obama
will complete gusto, even if it means Obama could not get elected dogcatcher.
Can you recommend any?
Harty har har,
professor. But can it really be your position that Democrats voting in a
primary should not have all the information possible about a candidate who is
being sold to them in the same way as a get-rich-quick scheme? That they should
be surprised, and only know the downside about him when it’s brought out against
him in the general election, AFTER he becomes the nominee? Barack Obama has
been a huge disappointment to me as my senator, and he would be a huge
disappointment to all but the most ardent supporters if he is the Democratic
nominee, and even if he manages to become president, which I doubt he can do.
So am I supposed to stand by and let Democrats lose this election in November,
just because a lot of people have allowed themselves to be fooled by Obama’s PR
campaign?
Paul Lukasiak, responding to a comment on a post of his at Firedoglake (thanks to Marsha at the HillarysVoice message group):
Commenter: I agree that Clinton’s negative image was built on a myth UNTIL she started sounding like a Repub, trashing Obama and seems to be going for a scorched policy - that she is going to take Obama out and damn the consequences. I was an Edwards backer because I liked his policies. When he dropped out, I decided that I would probably support Clinton. Now, however, I cannot.
Lukasiak: Is it a timing thing? Because all the Democrats, including Obama, did whatever they could to “scorch earth” Hillary’s chances starting in September. I don’t know if people just forget about it, or don’t think it matters, but Hillary Clinton was running a relentlessly positive, issue oriented campaign through las[t] September — in fact all the candidates were up until that point. But no one was getting any real traction — Hillary’s numbers went up all summer, and Obama’s went down, Edwards couldn’t get media and laguished in third place, and there were another half -dozen “WHO?” candidates.
Running positive against Clinton wasn’t working, so everyone, including Obama (except for Richardson) went negative on her — attacking her relentlessly to drive up her negatives so they would have a shot.
So is it just the timing? Or have people forgotten about that.
And, when it comes to “scorched earth” campaign tactics, nothing beats the “swift-boating” of the Clinton[s] on the race issue in South Carolina by the Obama campaign and its supporters. And it was “swift-boating”, it was a big fat lie that Clinton was running a racist campaign, and the accusation made no sense; given the demographics of South Carolina, why would Clinton choose to start running racist then?
so again, I ask, have people just forgotten how we got where we are, or is it a question of timing? Is it okay to pull sh*t early in a primary season, but not later because of the potential impact it will have on the general election?
New Obama ad in PA features jeers at Clinton
(On Politics, USA Today)
Democrat Barack Obama has seized on some jeering of rival Hillary Clinton
yesterday to create a new TV ad starting today in Pennsylvania. It's a response
to what his campaign calls a Clinton attack ad, and reflects a return to his
core message of "getting past the politics of division and distraction" to get
things done.
Obama has been
jeering at Clinton since he announced his presidential candidacy.
Signs of Bush Tactics & Hypocrisy in Another Obama Campaign Email
(by D. Cupples at No Quarter)
In March, I objected to a fund-raising email (signed by Barack Obama), which
claimed that Hillary Clinton was attacking Obama’s supporters. The implication:
she’s coming after you, personally, the way Darth Vader went after Luke.
Fostering a bellicose, with-us-or-against-us mentality worked for President Bush
after 9/11, and Obama’s use of that tactic is as factually questionable as it is
divisive. Yesterday, I found another Obama campaign email (signed by David
Plouffe), a double whammy that includes: 1) a similar line about Hillary’s
so-called "attacks" on Obama’s supporters; and 2) the oft-repeated — and highly
hypocritical — message that Hillary and McCain have taken special-interest
money, while Obama hasn’t.
As
MakeThemAccountable readers know, Obama does take donations from friends and
family of special interests.
The Feminist Reawakening
(by Amanda Fortini, New York Magazine)
Not so long ago, it was possıble for women, particularly young women, to share
in the popular illusion that we were living in a postfeminist moment… Then
Hillary Clinton declared her candidacy… It was hardly a revelation to learn that
sexism lived in the minds and hearts of right-wing crackpots and Internet
nut-jobs, but it was something of a surprise to discover it flourished among
members of the news media… Many women, whatever their particular feelings about
Hillary Clinton (love her, loathe her, voting for her regardless), began to feel
a general sense of unease at what they were witnessing. The mask had been pulled
off—or, perhaps more apt, the makeup wiped off—and the old gender wounds and
scars and blemishes, rather than having healed in the past three decades, had,
to the surprise of many of us, been festering all along.
And the very
worst part was to learn how much sexism exists in the so-called progressive
media. Click through to read more of this long but quite illuminating article.
In some of the message groups I belong to, we’re talking about starting a new
feminist movement. That’s how serious this ridiculous situation is.
McCain Proposes Special Summer Tax Break for Exxon
(by Dean Baker)
That is what the headlines on Senator McCain's proposal to remove the gas tax
for the summer driving season should have read, since that would be the
predicted effect of his plan… According to the oil industry, they have their
refineries running flat out, producing all the gas they can. This means that the
price is determined on the demand side. We have a fixed amount of gas entering
the market, the question is simply what price clears the market. In this
context, if we reduce or eliminate the gas tax, the price doesn't change, the
lower tax will simply allow Exxon and other oil companies to keep more profits
(unless of course they were lying about running their refineries at capacity).
Since most people do not have much familiarity with economics, the media should
be informing the public about the impact of Senator McCain's proposal.
Fox News anchor’s son asks why Hillary is ‘hitting the sauce.’
(Think Progress)
During MSNBC’s Hardball today on the campus of Villanova University, a
questioner asked John McCain why Hillary Clinton recently took a shot of
whiskey. Asking a slanted question worthy of Fox News, the student said, “Do you
think she’s finally resorted to hitting the sauce just because of some
unfavorable polling?”… Politico’s Jonathan Martin reports that the questioner
was Peter Doocy, the son of Fox & Friends anchor Steve Doocy. Martin writes,
“Peter Doocy…is a junior here and a spitting image of his father.” Spitting
image in more ways than one it seems.
Click through to
watch the video.
Why We Don't Watch Movies About Iraq
(by James Rocchi, Huffington Post. posted at AlterNet)
If you haven't been asked to pay for a war with money or blood, why would you
pay at the box office for the simulation of it?
The Three Trillion Dollar Shopping Spree
The occupation of
Iraq will cost $3 trillion, America's most expensive conflict since WWII. Can
YOU spend that money better? Here's your chance to go on a virtual $3 trillion
shopping spree!
Colbert Report: Senator Chris Matthews in 2010!?!
(by SilentPatriot at Crooks and Liars)
Stephen tries his very hardest to coax Chris Matthews into announcing his
intention to take a run at Arlen Specter’s Senate seat in 2010. Perhaps more
interestingly, Tweety doesn’t seem like he’s ruled it out. In fact, he tells
Stephen his childhood dream was to be a Senator.
Click through to
watch the video.
Daily Show: Play the “George-Bush-Can-Predict-the-Future” Game
(by SilentPatriot at Crooks and Liars)
Although we’re never told exactly what “success” would look like in Iraq, the
administration and its apologists are always quick to predict what the
consequences of “failure” would be. While dissecting one of Bush’s regular
propaganda speeches Monday night, Jon Stewart realized that if you add the words
“what would happen if we invaded Iraq…” before every prediction the President
now makes, it’s like he can predict the future, or as Jon Stewart put it, “see
into the present.”
The Daily Show is
back on its game. This was a great bit. Click through to watch the video.
Media Matters for America headlines
• Limbaugh asserted that "the Islamofascists are actually campaigning for the election of Democrats"
• Matthews to McCain: "[Y]ou've been a maverick and a lot of people like you because of that"
• Savage on Obama: "He's an Afro-Leninist, and I know he's dangerous"
• Which Chris Matthews will interview McCain?
China Demands CNN Apologize for Commentary
China
has been intensifying its criticism of the foreign news media’s coverage of the
Tibetan crisis.
Kidnapped CBS News freelancer found by Iraqis during raid
Richard Butler, a
British journalist who was on assignment for "60 Minutes" when he was kidnapped
in February, says: "The Iraqi army stormed the house and overcame my guards, and
they burst through the door. ...I'm looking forward to a decent meal and getting
back to my family and my friends at CBS."
Award-Winning Iranian Journalist Returns To Jail
(AFP) An
award-winning Iranian journalist and rights activist was due to return to prison
on Tuesday after being allowed three months' leave because of illness, his
lawyer said.
Le Monde Workers Strike Over Job Cuts
(Financial Times)
Readers of the lunchtime daily went without their paper as staff protested
against a restructuring in only the second strike in the paper's 54-year-old
history.
Publishers Sue Georgia State on Digital Reading Matter
Three prominent academic publishers are suing Georgia State University,
contending that the school is violating copyright laws.
Oops!: Boston Herald runs Borowitz satire as straight news
The Boston Herald
reported humorist Andy Borowitz's item about Dick Cheney challenging Hillary
Clinton to a hunting contest as a real story. "We were bamboozled," says
publisher Kevin Convey. The paper has posted a correction.
Meet some teenagers who are passionate about journalism
The stars of
MTV's The Paper reality show, which debuts tonight, "are ambitious, passionate
about journalism and as serious as Woodward and Bernstein," writes Tom Jicha.
Aspiring humor columnist Dan Surgan -- a big Dave Barry fan -- says the
eight-part series is "a good representation, pretty much who we are. I love
everything about the show. I hope it brings a greater awareness of journalism."
Editors Suggest Some Colleagues Really Want to Quit Biz
Among the gossip
and trends swirling at the Capital Conference/combined media convention in D.C.
is the reality that more and more editors are wishing they could get out of the
newsroom earlier in their careers.
High-Profile Buyouts Won't Save The New York Times From Newsroom Layoffs: Memo
(Paid Content)
Unless there's a last-minute rush to the exit, the high-profile departures of
Supreme Court reporter Linda Greenhouse and others won't prevent layoffs at The
New York Times. The paper offered buyouts six weeks ago in the hopes of trimming
the newsroom by about 100 jobs without layoffs; the deadline is April 21 for
eligible exempt employees and April 22 for Guild members. But in a memo obtained
by the NY Observer, AME Bill Schmidt writes: "While we will not know the hard
count until that time, every effort to handicap the outcome suggests that we are
almost certain to fall short of the number of volunteers we will need. If that
is indeed the case, as we expect it will be, we will—regrettably—be forced (to)
resort to some limited number of layoffs within the core newsroom."
It's time to get some fresh blood in newspaper board rooms
Ken Doctor's list
of nominees includes Stephen Colbert, Craigslist's Craig Newmark, ex-NPR chief
Ken Stern, Steve Jobs and some other interesting people. "Unless there's a law
out there I don't know about, would be criminal to have board members under the
age of 50?" he asks.
Rupert Murdoch, Sam Zell Appointed To AP Board Of Directors
(AP) Rupert
Murdoch and Sam Zell are among four new members joining the board of directors
of The Associated Press.
Sun-Times: We're quite a steal for a would-be media mogul
Phil Rosenthal
got his hands on a confidental document intended to whet the appetite of
potential bidders for the Chicago Sun-Times. "The rarity of such a prestigious
asset offers a purchaser the chance to step into one of America's largest and
most attractive markets and capitalize on a highly visible brand to further
expand throughout the region," says the memo. Rosenthal notes that no mention is
made of the fact that Sun-Times Media faces a looming US tax bill.
WSJ.com In For a Major Redesign; Starts With Some Sections
(by Rafat Ali at Paid Content)
WSJ.com is on for a major redesign and relaunch soon, and some elements of it
are being rolled out now on the site, and some would view it as the Murdoch
effect of adding on newer areas into the coverage… What we have learned that
WSJ.com is in for a major relaunch sometime in the next few weeks. The company
has been working with a major design agency in New York City, and according to
someone who knows, spent millions on it, and has developed, among other things,
an umbrella design, a network navigational element that will go over all the
sites in whole WSJ Digital Network.
Business mags, newsweeklies report a tough first quarter
Ad pages for
BusinessWeek tumbled 19.4% in the first quarter while rival Forbes dipped 13.2%,
reports Keith J. Kelly. Fortune had only a 1% drop. Newsweek's ad pages dropped
13.9% in the quarter, Time was down 17.8% and U.S News & World Report plummeted
37.5%.
VF, Conde Nast have only "talked green" in their articles
Frank Locantore
scolds Vanity Fair for not using recycled paper for its "green issue." "Who
within Conde Nast and Vanity Fair are pointing out that they themselves should
be making an effort to reduce climate change, solid waste, deforestation and
water and air pollution?" he asks. "Do they make any mention of their
environmental practices in the magazine? No. Is there information about their
commitment to sustainability on their website? No. Are they at least using
recycled paper? No, not even a smidgeon."
Is the Taxman Eyeing ITunes?
This week, a
controversial proposal in the California State Assembly that would have extended
the state's sales tax to include digital downloads of media such as books,
movies, and music was narrowly defeated in a hearing of that body's budget
committee... While the bill's demise shelves such plans for now, there's no
guarantee that the issue won't return in the future. With the steady rise of
digital media consumption, the taxation of such material is an area that many
states have had to consider.
Reclaiming Radio
(by Michelle Chen at the Black Agenda Report)
Activists across the nation have devised a number of strategies to combat the
“white noise” of corporate commercial radio. From organized shout-outs by prison
inmates to the folks back in the ‘hood, to open civil rights organizing on the
airwaves, to grassroots “training to demystify the workings of media,” the
battle to “take back the airwaves” is well underway. “We need to build
alternative institutions, but we also need to fight where we are,” says one
activist. “We need to hold these mainstream institutions accountable because
they hold influence in our communities."
CBS Launches Citizen Journalism Site For Mobile
(Paid Content)
CBS News has quietly launched a citizen journalism site, where users can upload
photos and videos directly from their mobile phone, for everyone to see. Last
week the site at Cbseyemobile.com, was featuring a video someone took at
Seattle's airport, where someone reported that a long line was forming after a
lockdown went into effect because of a security breach. We heard the site
launched last week during CTIA, but CBS is expected to promote it more heavily
starting as soon as this week.
Lifetime Re-brands With an Airplane and a 'Runway'
Hot on the heels of its much-publicized acquisition of "Project Runway,"
Lifetime made the first move today with an upfront presentation to members of
the press in New York…
[Andrea] Wong, Lifetime's CEO, detailed her plans to make Lifetime a broader
destination for women's entertainment that goes beyond its signature made-for-TV
movies and top-rated new drama, "Army Wives." "Runway" will be the fulcrum of
that new positioning… [I]t's clear Lifetime has its sights set on re-creating
other elements of the Bravo brand to lure a younger, more influential audience.
A companion series to "Runway," "Models of the Runway," (also produced by the
Weinstein Company), will launch in November, while "Project Pygmalion" (think
"Runway" as a makeover competition) is in development for 2009. Coming this
summer, half-hour reality series "How to Look Good Naked," hosted by former
Bravo star Carson Kressley, will expand to an hour and will eventually be paired
with a stylist competition series called "Total Knockout," billed by Ms. Daniels
as "'Top Chef' meets 'What Not to Wear.'"
Exploring Fantasy Life and Finding a $4 Billion Franchise
Sims has become one of the world’s most famous game franchises, because it has
heralded the evolution of video games into mainstream entertainment.
Motley Crue to release single on Rock Band game
LOS ANGELES
(Reuters) - In a nod to the ascendancy of video games, rock 'n' roll bad boys
Motley Crue will become the first group to release a new single through Rock
Band, the developer of the wildly popular game said on Monday.
Boyfriend proposes in game. And she said ...
Bernie Peng reprogrammed Tammy Li's favorite video game, "Bejeweled," so a ring
and a marriage proposal would show up on the screen when she reached a certain
score. Li reached the needed score — and said yes.
Angry wife tries divorce-by-YouTube tactic
We're the YouTube Generation, living in the YouTube Era, in a YouTube World. And
now we apparently have a YouTube Divorce.
Philippine medics risk the sack for YouTube posting
MANILA (Reuters)
- Philippine medical staff who allegedly videoed a man having an operation to
remove a perfume canister from his anus and then posted it on the Internet risk
the sack, a Department of Health official said on Wednesday.
Disney's SOAPnet Adds To The Ad Net Glut
(Paid Content)
Another day, another media company forms an ad network… Disney's SOAPnet is the
latest to start its own vertical ad net. Disney plans to announce Wednesday
that the companion site for cable net SOAPnet has deals with 45 smaller, similar
sites, which will run SOAPnet's videos and news and allow it to sell ads for
them as well, according to WSJ, which uses the news to highlight the ad net
glut.
E-mail carriers deliver gifts of nifty features to lure, keep users
Advertisers spend
more marketing to e-mail customers than anywhere else on the Web after search
advertising, according to market tracker Nielsen Online.
Madison Ave. Charts Some Progress in Meeting Diversity Hiring Goals
The 15
advertising agencies that agreed to be monitored for three years on their
minority hiring practices met 24 of the 30 goals they set for themselves in
2007.
Consumer groups urge 'do not track' registry
Two consumer groups asked the Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday to create a
"do not track list" that would allow computer users to bar advertisers from
collecting information about them.
Comcast wants 'bill of rights' for file-sharers and ISPs
NEW YORK (AP) - Comcast Corp., under federal investigation for interfering with
the traffic of its Internet subscribers, said Tuesday it wants to develop a
"Bill of Rights and Responsibilities" for file sharing.
ISPs meddled with their customers' Web traffic
San Francisco
- About one percent of the Web pages being delivered on the Internet are being
changed in transit, sometimes in a harmful way, according to researchers at the
University
of Washington.
Technology & Science
Florida moving closer to Canada? Tiny measurements yield big discoveries
WASHINGTON
— As scientists learn how to make more exact measurements, they're finding some
astonishing surprises: The enthusiastic stomping of soccer fans after a goal
creates a "footquake" on earthquake gauges 30 or more miles away.
Florida
is getting closer to Canada by about 1 inch every 36 years.
Click
through for more interesting facts.
Malicious microprocessor opens new doors for attack
San Francisco
- For years, hackers have focused on finding bugs in computer software that give
them unauthorized access to computer systems, but now there's another way to
break in: Hack the microprocessor.
World risks 'scientific apartheid', says top African scientist
[ALEXANDRIA] The
world risks "scientific apartheid" between rich and poor countries unless
research and technology is better used to benefit the poor, says one of Africa's
leading science experts.
Key Vioxx Research Was Written by Merck, Documents Allege
Reports say
academics paid to lend their names to ghost-written studies that exaggerated
painkiller's safety.
World's First Thermal Nanomotor Propelled By Changes In Temperature
ScienceDaily
(Apr. 16, 2008) — Researchers from the
UAB
Research
Park
have created the first nanomotor that is propelled by changes in temperature. A
carbon nanotube is capable of transporting cargo and rotating like a
conventional motor, but is a million times smaller than the head of a needle.
This research opens the door to the creation of new nanometric devices designed
to carry out mechanical tasks and which could be applied to the fields of
biomedicine or new materials.
Wireless EEG System Self-powered By Body Heat And Light
ScienceDaily
(Apr. 16, 2008) — The Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre, affiliated with
the Holst Centre, has developed a battery-free wireless 2-channel EEG* system
powered by a hybrid power supply using body heat and ambient light which could
be used to monitor brain waves after a head injury.
Pill Reduces Relapses in MS Patients
First oral drug
could benefit many with the autoimmune disease, researchers say
Experimental Cancer Vaccines Show Promise
They target
malignancies of the cervix, prostate and breast, among others
Effective Colon Cancer Prevention Treatment Discovered
ScienceDaily
(Apr. 16, 2008) — Using a combination of a targeted cancer-fighting agent called
DFMO and a low dose of an anti-inflammatory drug, UC Irvine researchers have
reduced the risk of reoccurring colorectal polyps, an early sign of colon
cancer, by as much as 95 percent with fewer toxic side effects.
Drug Proves Effective in Slowing Melanomas
Riluzole, used to
treat Lou Gehrig's disease, inhibits aggressive growth, study finds
Smoking, Drinking, Cholesterol May Be Alzheimer's Risk Factors
Behaviors in
midlife can have an impact decades later, studies suggest.
Most Early-Onset Dementia Not Alzheimer's
Other
neurodegenerative, autoimmune diseases are more often cause, study finds
Exercise Could Cut Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment
It may produce
chemicals that protect the brain, study suggests
Fittest Males Don't Always Get The Girl
There is more to
mating than beating up the competition, according to a new study. Female fruit
flies sometimes choose males who win fights, sometimes choose males who do not
fight, and sometimes choose males for no obvious reason, say biologists from the
University
of Southern
California; Cal State
University, Sacramento; and the University of California, Davis. The findings
help explain the large variation in aggressiveness in most species, including
humans.
I guess it
depends on what “fit” is. Obviously, male aggression isn’t the only indication
of fitness. And thank goodness, too.
Neanderthals speak again after 30,000 years
LONDON (Reuters)
- Neanderthals have spoken out for the first time in 30,000 years, with the help
of scientists who have simulated their voices using fossil evidence and a
computer synthesizer.
Next Space Tourist to Take Custom Snapshots of Earth
Space
tourist-to-be Richard Garriott is taking requests for what may be the ultimate
orbital postcards from the International Space Station (ISS).
Electric Solar Wind Sail Could Power Future Space Travel In Solar System
ScienceDaily
(Apr. 16, 2008) — The electric solar wind sail developed at the Finnish
Meteorological Institute two years ago has moved rapidly from invention towards
implementation. Electric sail propulsion might have a large impact on space
research and space travel throughout the solar system.
NASA extends Saturn mission for another 2 years
PASADENA, Calif.
(AP) - NASA says it is extending the international Cassini mission that is
touring Saturn and its moons for another two years. The space agency announced
the extension Tuesday.
Ghosts Of Galaxies: Lingering Star Streams Skirt Two Nearby Spiral Galaxies
ScienceDaily (Apr. 16, 2008) — An international team of astronomers has
identified huge star streams in the outskirts of two nearby spiral galaxies. For
the first time, they have obtained a panoramic overview of an example of
galactic cannibalism similar to that involving the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy in
the vicinity of the Milky Way.
Environment
Agriculture - The Need for Change
Washington/London/Nairobi/Delhi,
15 April 2008
- The way the world grows its food will have to change radically to better serve
the poor and hungry if the world is to cope with a growing population and
climate change while avoiding social breakdown and environmental collapse. That
is the message from the report of the International Assessment of Agricultural
Science and Technology for Development, a major new report by over 400
scientists which is launched today.
Americans Trust Green Claims, But Support Government Oversight: Survey
BOSTON, April 16,
2008 - The 2008 Green Gap Survey found that while about half of U.S. residents
think companies are being truthful in their green messages, even more would
support increased government regulation of green claims.
Inexpensive residential wind turbine
Don’t look now
but it appears residential renewable energy systems and wind power technology
are getting cheaper.
California based
Freetricity’s E2D Windmaster is a roof-mounted small residential wind turbine
that comes with an affordable price tag. Though it sports a small propeller that
could prove hazardous to hummingbirds and the like (though its size and roof
mounting will reduce bird and animal interactions) and doesn’t look like it
could withstand hurricane-force winds, the price and benefits may make it worth
exploring.
Director of Spanish nuclear plant sacked after radioactive leak
Barcelona, Spain
- The administrative board of a north- eastern Spanish nuclear plant has sacked
its director and protection chief after it was revealed that radioactive
particles leaked from there in November, the Asco I nuclear plant said Wednesday
Responsible Car Care Includes Recycling Used Motor Oil
Wayne,
N.J.—Changing your car’s motor oil is an important part of maintaining engine
protection and performance. However, Earth911.com states most people do not
realize that what is done after the oil change is just as important. With
National Car Care month and Earth Week approaching in April, Castrol and
Earth911.com are making sure the potential environmental impact of automotive
maintenance is top of mind for car owners nationwide.
Don't buy a house too close to the beach, experts warn - Feature
Vienna - Global
sea levels are likely to rise faster than predicted by the United Nations
climate panel, possibly endangering millions in developing countries, scientists
said in Vienna Thursday.
Melting mountains a water 'time bomb'
Glaciers and
mountain snow are melting earlier than usual, meaning the water has already gone
when millions of people need it during the summer, scientists warned on Monday.
Thousands Flee Colombia Volcano Eruption
Colombia's
Nevado del Huila volcano erupted in a shower of hot ash, prompting thousands of
people to leave their homes on Tuesday.
At Indian Preserves, Tigers Remain King as People Are Coaxed Out
Efforts to
convince people to leave forests raise the question of the price to pay to save
the forests and for whom — humans or animals.
Illegal cod fishing in Arctic threatening fisheries: WWF
GENEVA (AFP) -
Illegal fishing of cod and pollock in the Arctic is a transnational crime that
is putting the health of fisheries at risk, a report published Wednesday by
conservation group WWF shows.
Canada Likely to Label Plastic Ingredient ‘Toxic’
The Canadian
government is said to be ready to declare as toxic the compound bisphenol-a, a
chemical widely used in plastics for baby bottles, beverage and food containers.
