The Last Laugh on the markets
Two British funnymen have it all sussed out:
The terrible thing is, none of this is an exaggeration, even just for comic value. It's all true.
October 4, 2008
Money as Debt
Okay, class, here's your weekend assignment:
Watch this 47-minute video. Don't mind the cheesy animation; pay attention to the very simple lessons contained therein. If you do, you might just end up understanding the whole US (and world) credit crisis that ended up costing the US taxpayers such a mint (literally) this Black Friday.
You may also end up understanding why I keep returning to such economic oddballs as Chavecito's ALBA, fair trade, and other non-monetarist harebrained schemes that just might work like gangbusters--literally.
(Thanks to Corey for the video link!)
October 3, 2008
The dirty truth about Human Rights Watch
James Petras, eminent social historian, has José Miguel Vivanco's number...and he calls it:
José Miguel Vivanco served as a diplomatic functionary under the bloody Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet between 1986-1989, serving no less as the butcher's rabid apologist before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. His behavior was particularly egregious during the regime's brutal repression of a mass popular uprising in the squatter settlements of Santiago in 1986-1987. With the return of electoral politics (democracy) in Chile, Vivanco took off to Washington where he set up his own NGO, the Center for Justice and International Law, disguising his right-wing affinities and passing himself off as a 'human rights' advocate.
Read the whole thing. You'll never be fooled by the words "human rights" in an organization's name again.
September 17, 2008
What the 4th Fleet is up against
Walter Martínez analyzes the recent flight of Russian TU-160 strategic bombers from Venezuela. The planes circled the Caribbean, then flew down the coast of Brazil before turning back to Venezuela. Total flight time was 6 hours. The planes invaded no one's airspace, flying over neutral waters only, but the message was clear: They can cover the entire area which, just by coincidence, happens to be where Dubya's newly resurrected 4th Fleet is to be patrolling. They can do this quite easily.
And the reason isn't hard to see: the TU-160, which has no equal in American technology, was designed during the Cold War era to patrol the entire Arctic. It can easily penetrate Canadian airspace without being detected on NORAD's pipsqueaky radars, and from there, it's just a short hop south to targets in--guess where.
What a lucky thing the Russians seem disinclined towards nuclear war nowadays, eh?
September 2, 2008
McCain tied to 9-11 via PNAC
Notice, too, how he doesn't answer the young man's question (which is highly pertinent) but bypasses it to tout his work (with Joe Lieberman) in establishing the 9-11 commission, instead.
And this is the man who would lead the US?
August 18, 2008
Jeremy Scahill has a YouTube channel!
If you ever wanted to know about US mercenaries and just how low they can go, this is the guy who wrote the book. It's called Blackwater, and it's not pretty, but it's one compelling read. It will wake you right up to the dangers of privatizing everything--including the worst of the worst, namely war. So far, Blackwater and all its false fronts have been immune from prosecution, but that could all change if the government of Iraq manages to cut enough of its puppet strings.
Let's hope so!
July 18, 2008
Al Gore, I love you!
Watch this, and in half an hour, I guarantee you'll be in love too:
Al Gore makes the case for a no-carbon energy economy. And in so doing, he kills a lot of crapitalist birds with one stone. It's a brilliantly simple, totally viable solution. All that's lacking is the collective will to make it happen. And if his speech doesn't motivate you to do your part, you must be dead from the neck up.
June 1, 2008
One more reason NOT to vote for Hillary
...just in case you needed one:
Yes, she WOULD bomb-bomb-bomb, bomb-bomb Iran. Just like John McInsane.
Clearly, none of them have learned anything since they deposed Mohammed Mossadegh to install that horrid Shah. Hey America, you HAD secular democracy in Iran, and you eated it! Now shut up, stay out, and keep your mitts off their oil!
PS: Need more reasons not to vote for her? How about her boogying with the Religious Reich? Really, there's not a dime's worth of difference between her and Hagee-hugger McCain on this one.
May 30, 2008
Bzzzzzzzzzzzz--STING!!!
Remember all those stories about mysteriously dying honeybee populations? Looks like we've got the cause of Colony Collapse Disorder all figured out, kiddies. Or at least, one very unsurprising chief suspect:
Germany has banned a family of pesticides that are blamed for the deaths of millions of honeybees. The German Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) has suspended the registration for eight pesticide seed treatment products used in rapeseed oil and sweetcorn.The move follows reports from German beekeepers in the Baden-Württemberg region that two thirds of their bees died earlier this month following the application of a pesticide called clothianidin.
"It's a real bee emergency," said Manfred Hederer, president of the German Professional Beekeepers' Association. "50-60% of the bees have died on average and some beekeepers have lost all their hives."
Tests on dead bees showed that 99% of those examined had a build-up of clothianidin. The chemical, produced by Bayer CropScience, a subsidiary of the German chemical giant Bayer, is sold in Europe under the trade name Poncho. It was applied to the seeds of sweetcorn planted along the Rhine this spring. The seeds are treated in advance of being planted or are sprayed while in the field.
May 24, 2008
The Pinky Show on immigration
So clear that even the mainstream media could understand it. Too bad they won't DEBATE it.
May 11, 2008
When they don't sign their names, what does it say about what they have to say?
The reason I ask that long-winded question is this "opinion", which is presented as if it were fact, in the National Pest, Canada's would-be paper of record:
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been accused of many things: squandering his country's oil income, suppressing opposition media, using his army to intimidate the citizenry. Now, documents recovered from computers belonging to FARC, the drug-funded Leninist insurgency based in Colombia, suggest Mr. Chavez may be actively undermining the sovereign government of its western neighbour. If so, the Western Hemisphere may be about to gain its first internationally designated state sponsor of terrorism.
Continue reading "When they don't sign their names, what does it say about what they have to say?" »
May 1, 2008
It must be 4:20 somewhere
Praise the lord and pass the brownies!
The largest study of its kind has unexpectedly concluded that smoking marijuana, even regularly and heavily, does not lead to lung cancer.The new findings "were against our expectations," said Donald Tashkin of the University of California at Los Angeles, a pulmonologist who has studied marijuana for 30 years.
"We hypothesized that there would be a positive association between marijuana use and lung cancer, and that the association would be more positive with heavier use," he said. "What we found instead was no association at all, and even a suggestion of some protective effect."
[...]
Earlier work established that marijuana does contain cancer-causing chemicals as potentially harmful as those in tobacco, he said. However, marijuana also contains the chemical THC, which he said may kill aging cells and keep them from becoming cancerous.
I don't know why, but reading that just made me laugh uncontrollably. Shit, I'm even starting to find science-wonky stuff like this entertaining.
Got anything for the munchies? I'm starving, man.
April 25, 2008
Ever been glad you couldn't afford something?
Then you probably know just what I'm feeling about LASIK after reading this...
Patients unhappy with their laser eye surgery urged U.S. health regulators to do more to limit poor results, saying complications from the LASIK procedure have taken a toll on their sight and emotions.Blurred vision, dry eyes, glare and double-vision have led to depression and in some cases suicide, several patients told a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel.
"Since LASIK, I am visually handicapped," said patient David Shell, adding that he has near constant eye pain and depression. "My eyes never feel comfortable... 10 years have passed and I still suffer from this problem."
And just think--you pay by the eye for this. Or should that be through the nose? Either way, I'm glad I still wear my glasses and contacts, even if they ARE inconvenient at times. It beats committing suicide because some butcher with a laser fucked up your eyes.
April 7, 2008
Cuba: Canary in the global coalmine
Cuban permaculturist Roberto Perez tells how his country adapted to economic and ecologic necessity thanks to the big US embargo aimed at starving the revolution out:
To outsiders, the Cuban system is frequently presented in the media as a failure; its successes (not to mention its fifty-plus years of sheer survival, which is its biggest success!) don't rate a mention. Just look at all the recent hoopla over cellphones and DVD players; only capitalistic "successes" make the news, and the fact that they don't remedy more pressing human needs is conveniently swept under the rug. Too bad that capitalism itself is still busy denying the obvious: that its own "grow or die" model has been an unmitigated disaster, responsible for everything from a rise in poverty and diseases, to global warming itself. In light of that, the Cuban model doesn't look so dumb.
April 3, 2008
God Loves Gays!
The Million Fag March came to Topeka, Kansas, to counteract the vile sermons of Fred Phelps with a message of love.
Looks like they did a terrific job.
March 31, 2008
Noam Chomsky states the obvious
Obvious to you, me, and Noam Chomsky, obviously. But to the hawkish disaster-capitalist types, maybe not so:
"Aggressors have no rights. Responsibilities, maybe, but no rights."
I wonder what PNAC, BushCo, Halliburton, etc. will all do when they find out that they have no right to be in Iraq. Something tells me they will only find it out the hardest possible way.
March 10, 2008
A former FBI interrogator on torture
Yes, Foreign Policy is a smelly rag with some pretty horrible biases and outright distortions. (Their blog also sucks because it can't keep the most basic facts straight, such as the identities of non-white supermodels.) But Jack Cloonan's words to them on the subject of torture are well worth hearing:
BTW, he totally shoots down the "24" scenario of the "ticking bomb" that can only be defused by a torture-obtained confession. He also points out that torture victims tend to become martyrs to their supporters, even if they are "the bad guys" to those on the other side. Not to mention that it really, REALLY makes the torturers look like shits.
March 4, 2008
Moses was trippin' on Mount Sinai!
Sorry--just thought I'd share.
February 20, 2008
Thanks, Uncle Jay!
This is the best overall explanation of the US government and how it works (or doesn't) that I've seen to date.
February 16, 2008
Bobby and Pap get Venezuela right
I love how Bobby Kennedy Jr. says that Hugo Chavez is the kind of leader his dad and JFK would have approved of. That says it all, really.
February 12, 2008
Iran: Lessons from history
Did you know Iran WAS once a democracy? And that the US is the reason it became a tyranny? And that Britain, too, had imperial ambitions over it? And that oil is the secret cause behind it all?
In just 6 minutes and 20 seconds, you can learn a lot.
February 5, 2008
Q. Why does Stormfront hate human rights?
A. Because Stormfront hates everything and everyone except their fellow neo-Nazi whackjobs, duh.
What's really funny is that they're now holding up two people they would otherwise look upon as sworn enemies as champions of their, uh, "right to free speech".
A Liberal MP is being hailed as a poster boy for free speech on a white supremacist website.Victoria MP Keith Martin was praised Friday on stormfront.org, a website that proudly displays the logo "White pride world wide" and links to radio addresses by former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.
Martin earned the dubious distinction after giving notice that he plans to introduce a private member's motion calling on the government to repeal Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act.
[...]
The extreme right adherents at Stormfront were clearly thrilled to find a member of the Liberal party, which introduced the act and prides itself as the party of the Charter of Rights, joining their crusade.
"The sordid Soviet-style reign of terror by the Canadian Human Rights Commission is now out in the open," declares Paul Fromm in a posting on the website.
"The CHRC reign of thought control looks like a drying pool of vomit on the dirty floor of some dingy dive. Yes, it stinks and good men are beginning to speak up."
Fromm, a controversial anti-immigration and free speech activist who has been linked to neo-Nazi groups in the past, predicts it "may be easier" for Conservative MPs to back the motion because it's being introduced by a Liberal of "white and Indian (India) parentage."
The website urges readers to join a campaign to pressure their MPs to support Martin's motion.
For Martin, receiving praise from a white-supremacist group was both unwelcome and ironic.
"I'm a brown guy," he quipped in an interview.
Wait a second, you say--that's just one of them. Who's the other?
Continue reading "Q. Why does Stormfront hate human rights?" »
January 29, 2008
More on the Argentine Briefcase Caper
Hmmm...I like the sound of that: Argentine Briefcase Caper. ABC for short. Gotta know your ABCs, so you can spell out what's really going on, as this Argentine journalist did:
"The operation (in which Guido Antonini Wilson carried a briefcase with $800,000 illegally into Argentina) was a CIA operation," says Argentine journalist Luis Bilbao, director of the magazine America XXI.During an interview on the VTV show En Confianza, Bilbao emphasized that in his investigation of the case, the first hypothesis he pursued about the event was that this operation was planned by the CIA.
"As soon as I began to follow my initial hunch, I knew that the operation was a CIA plan. I don't have the slightest doubt about it."
Another theory, one that also involves the CIA, is that Antonini Wilson might be a CIA agent, and that in the Argentine government there could be functionaries who also belong to the US agency, commented the journalist.
He added that there are many obscure facts that permit us to see the direct intervention of the CIA in the case, such as the way in which the events occurred, as well as the already noted friendship between Wilson and the former Venezuelan president Carlos Andres Perez, whose name appears among those listed by the CIA as a collaborator.
Regarding this point, Bilbao recalled that "everybody knows" that Carlos Andres Perez was a CIA asset in the 1970s, as confirmed by ex-CIA agent Philip Agee in his book, which listed "all the names of politicians and directors in Latin America who were with the CIA--and among them was that of Carlos Andres Perez."
The Argentine journalist denounced the briefcase operation and its consequences as a CIA conspiracy, one which sought deliberately to destroy the stability of the Venezuelan government and, as a secondary consequence, though no less important, that of the Argentine administration.
Regarding the supposed declarations of Moises Maionica in which he pleaded guilty in the case, Bilbao emphasized that these statments were very confused, since Maionica, after declaring himself innocent, "is now 'admitting his guilt' a month later".
Bilbao argued that surely the CIA was behind Maionica's supposed admission of guilt, and that it was very possible that during this past month, they may have tortured him, at least psychologically, in order to make him take back his initial declarations.
He also said that this is a case that must be studied in depth.
Remember that Argentine briefcase incident?
Yeah, I know...me neither. But apparently it's a big deal in Miami, where the hatred for all things Chavez knows no bounds, and neither do the plans to sabotage him. And yes, this is one of those. It supposedly casts doubt on the election of Cristina Fernandez, the president of Argentina--supposedly. I've long had a sneaking feeling it was all bullshit. And now, when nobody's looking, suddenly the truth comes out. And lo and behold, the truth is that it WAS all bullshit:
Jaime Bayly, the Peruvian writer who has never hidden his aversion to President Hugo Chavez, admitted in his column "Lost Papers" this 28th of January in the Correo del Peru that he met Guido Antonini Wilson in the beginning of 2002, the year of the coup d'etat.Wilson freely confessed to being friends with ex-president Carlos Andres Perez, and to being opposed to President Chavez, whose time in office, he asserted, would soon come to an end.
"Chavez won't last. He'll fall soon. We're going to topple him...he's going to end up in jail," Antonini told Bayly. A few months later, the April 2002 coup occurred, which removed President Chavez from power for 40 hours.
Antonini Wilson is the Venezuelan-American businessman who was arrested in August 2007 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, carrying a briefcase with some $800,000 US which he did not declare to customs authorities. Later, he escaped to Miami, where he is protected by US authorities.
Bayly's assertions are of interest, given that various sources have accused Antonini of working for the Venezuelan government, with the objective of handing over the money to the then-presidential candidate Cristina Fernandez.
Translation mine.
Of course, there is no way in Hades that Cristina Fernandez would have accepted that cash. A woman who denounces US imperialism in no uncertain terms would be rather reluctant to take any amount of Yanqui dinero, no?
Add to that the fact that this cash came directly from Miami, that the bearer was a friend of another Miamero fugitive, none other than the spectacularly crooked Carlos Andres Perez (who is most noteworthy for saying that Chavecito deserved to "die like a dog"), and bragged of being part of a conspiracy to bring Chavecito down some three months before the fact, and you have some pretty clear indicators that he was also planning to bring down a good friend and ally of said Chavecito, yes?
A translation of the full article by Bayly follows.
Continue reading "Remember that Argentine briefcase incident?" »
January 23, 2008
John Edwards on Letterman
And he's a sweetheart:
He broke up a catfight between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. He basically comes out and says Bill Oh-Really is a bullshitter. He even lets Dave mess his hair.
Really, what's NOT to love?
January 19, 2008
Gore Vidal on The Real News
A set of interviews with Gore Vidal, the shocking, provocative and painfully honest elder statesman of American literature.
January 16, 2008
Quotable: Naomi Klein on neoliberal bullshit
"What I dislike most about the trickle-down democracy argument is the dishonor it pays to all the people who fought, and fight still, for genuine democratic change in their countries, whether for the right to vote, or to have access to land, or to form unions. Democracy isn't the work of the market's invisible hand; it is the work of real hands....Real democracy--true decision-making power in the people's hands--is always demanded, never granted."
--Naomi Klein, Fences and Windows: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the Globalization Debate
January 7, 2008
How to scare Sean Hannity shitless
Tell him the truth, of course:
He's afraid of a bunch of Ron Paul supporters? But...but...but...aren't they REPUBLICANS???
January 2, 2008
I'm Jon Stewart and so can you!
If you take this quiz, that is.
(So, who are you?)
December 26, 2007
Quotable: Oskar Lafontaine on the neo-con world order
"The European Left has lost credibility. It has opened itself too much to neoliberalism, which spells destruction for the social order. If it reverts to its origins, it will make gains again."
--Oskar Lafontaine, German leftist politician, in an interview with Aporrea. Translation mine.
December 24, 2007
Jim Hightower's Gifts for a Happier New Year
May your days be merry and bright, and may you keep stickin' it to the right!
December 19, 2007
A quickie lesson in Saudi history
4 minutes from the movie "The Kingdom", taking us from Ibn Saud to 9-11.
And yes, it's all about oil.
December 7, 2007
No, they're not a bit fascist.
Mario Silva of La Hojilla points out the neo-Nazi skinheads amid the anti-Chavez hordes in Venezuela, along with their connections to the "Tradition, Family and Property" movement (gee, even the name sounds fascist!) led by a leading oppositionist (and according to two Italian sources, a bona fide nazified thug complete with antisemitism), Alejandro Pena Esclusa. You can see they're busy during one of their "nonviolent" demos, throwing rocks at the police.
This is that "peaceful anti-Chavez youth movement" we keep hearing so much about in the lamestream media up here, folks.
November 23, 2007
Quotable: Naomi Wolf on America's weakening democracy
Not convinced yet that creeping fascism is...well, on the creep? Listen to Naomi and think again.
November 19, 2007
The Warning
Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails fame) has created a powerful video that rings all the right alarm bells. Crank your speakers.
November 11, 2007
Noam Chomsky can't give soundbite for shit
Or so they say everytime they refuse to give him airtime.
"They", of course, being the lamestream media. Even PBS and NPR (supposedly the long-haired intellectuals of the US broadcasterati) are constantly begging off because, supposedly, Chomsky hasn't got "concision" (translation: soundbite-ability).
There's only one problem with that excuse: It's bullshit.
As you can see (in little more than three minutes!), Chomsky can so give good soundbite. The only problem with his soundbites is that they say things the lamestream media types don't want us to hear. They're not for the faint of heart (or feeble of mind.) If you're hard of thinking, they will force you to think hard.
Go on. Read Chomsky. Hear him talk. Get addicted. What have you got to lose but your phony comfort zone?
November 10, 2007
One less thing to lie awake about
What? No suitcase nukes? Damn, there goes my fantasy of blowing up the world by sneaking one through customs.
Members of Congress have warned about the dangers of suitcase nuclear weapons. Hollywood has made television shows and movies about them. Even the Federal Emergency Management Agency has alerted Americans to a threat - information the White House includes on its Web site.But government experts and intelligence officials say such a threat gets vastly more attention than it deserves. These officials said a true suitcase nuke would be highly complex to produce, require significant upkeep and cost a small fortune.
Counterproliferation authorities do not completely rule out the possibility that these portable devices once existed. But they do not think the threat remains.
"The suitcase nuke is an exciting topic that really lends itself to movies," said Vahid Majidi, the assistant director of the FBI's Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate. "No one has been able to truly identify the existence of these devices."
Kvetch, kvetch, kvetch!
Behold, the Complaints Choir of Helsinki:
"And the Finnish language is bloody difficult to learn!"
Happily, there could be a chapter starting near you--clicky here!
November 1, 2007
Stupid Sex Tricks: Please don't get off in flight!
Or we may have to get you off the plane.
Singapore Airlines has taken the unusual step of publicly asking passengers on its new Airbus A380 plane not to engage in any sexual activities.The potential problem has arisen because the first class area of its giant superjumbo contains 12 private suites complete with double beds.
Singapore, which is the first airline to start flying the A380, said the suites were not sound-proofed.
It said it did not want anyone to offend other travellers or crew.
Singapore added that while the suites were private, they were also not completely sealed.
Continue reading "Stupid Sex Tricks: Please don't get off in flight!" »
October 31, 2007
Oh those uppity Chilean women!
They dare to defy the Catholic church? And to order pharmacies to fill orders for the Morning-After Pill? What next, a female president?
Oh wait. They have one already. Never mind...
The Chilean government has warned pharmacies refusing to sell the morning-after contraceptive pill that they could face stiff fines or closure.Major pharmacy chains have not been selling the pill recently, arguing they could not buy stocks locally.
The government responded by importing supplies and said the stores now had no excuse for not selling the pill.
October 20, 2007
An election issue, you say?
It may be more than a year away, but Americans already think they know what the big issues of the 2008 presidential election will be.On the thousands of web pages, acres of newsprint and hours of airtime already devoted to the long race to the White House, two subjects get most attention: how and when to end the war in Iraq and how healthcare should be paid for.
But another issue is gaining prominence, one which is of much greater significance to the rest of the world.
Indeed, it is one that could have profound implications for the global economy.
The issue is free trade.
President Bush devoted his most recent weekly radio address to lauding the benefit America gets from free trade deals.
"Millions of American jobs depend on exports," he said.
"More exports support better and higher-paying jobs - and to keep our economy expanding, we need to keep expanding trade."
October 8, 2007
Larry Craig's strange habits, pegged
Really!
Floaters in space
Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield explains how space toilets work. Stick around till the end and you might learn something about, er, meteor showers.
September 30, 2007
The Shock Doctrine
Actually, this dovetails rather nicely with The Secret Government, don't you think?
September 29, 2007
Don't tase the penguin, bro!
Once again, I am in awe of Tom Tomorrow. He sure knows how to hit Alan "Ayn Rand's Little Disciple" Greenspan where it counts.
One question for you, Mr. G: Why did you not say it was all about oil back when something could still be done to stop this train wreck? Oh wait, I guess that would have something to do with the evils of regulating capitalism, which should just be free to run unfettered and roughshod all over fucking everything. I guess that ideology tied your First Amendment's tongue. In other words, a false and illusory freedom trumped a genuine one. Now it makes sense...
Actually, here's another, just for good measure: If you're so libertarian (and libertarians are, according to their own prattle, so individualistic), why did you sell your soul to the L. Ron Hubbard of political philosophy? Seems such a collectivist thing to do.
And, in light of the job you just left, rather dangerous to boot.
September 28, 2007
Hello, operator? I think I've been framed.
Could you please put me through to Dr. George Lakoff? I have a really bad case of brainwashing I'm trying to overcome.
New research confirms that repetition of "myths" and slogans helps lodge them in the minds of the public and that refuting them often leads only to the public remembering falsehoods better. Instead, they tell us that "education campaigns with an 'affirmative' message," even if it is a negative message, are far more effective in defeating an adversary's frame.University of Michigan social psychologist Norbert Schwarz has done experiments showing that people remember things they hear repeated often enough, regardless of its source, and even if it's from a single source.
"Hearing the same opinion from several sources is more influential than hearing it only once from one source. This is as it should be," he wrote in an email exchange with HarperIndex.ca. "But, as we showed in a recent paper, hearing it multiple times from the same source is nearly as influential. 'A repetitive voice sounds like a chorus.' So a single person or small group can create the impression of broad consensus through sheer repetition."
Continue reading "Hello, operator? I think I've been framed." »
August 13, 2007
Eat this and weep
Organic foods protect children from the toxins in pesticides, while foods grown using modern, intensive agricultural techniques contain fewer nutrients and minerals than they did 60 years ago, according to two new scientific studies.A US research team from Emory University in Atlanta analysed urine samples from children ages three to 11 who ate only organic foods and found that they contained virtually no metabolites of two common pesticides, malathion and chlorpyrifos.
However, once the children returned to eating conventionally grown foods, concentrations of these pesticide metabolites quickly climbed as high as 263 parts per billion, says the study published February 21.
July 29, 2007
The Peruvian tyrant apologizes
Although, if you ask me, I'd say his tears are of a distinctly crocodilian variety...
Peru's President Alan Garcia has said his government has not done enough to improve the lives of the poor.In a speech marking his first year in office, Mr Garcia - who has seen a sharp decline in his popularity - urged Peruvians to show patience.
He promised that increased investment would cut poverty before the end of his term in 2011.
Peru's economy is booming, but correspondents say the poor are yet to feel the benefits of its growth.
July 19, 2007
Lord? Ha, ha.
One more comedown for Conrad Black, coming right up: NDP member of Parliament, Charlie Angus, has moved that he be stripped of his Snowflake.
"Your felony tarnishes the reputation of the Order of Canada, so end of story," Angus said in an interview yesterday."We need to maintain the integrity of the office. People who are chosen for the Order of Canada represent the best and the most noblest of our aspirations," he said.
May 6, 2007
The Future of Food
A scary but utterly important film on the dangers of genetically modified foods and what we can do to stop their deadly encroachment on our tables, our fields and our lives. More information can be found at the filmmaker's website.
March 31, 2007
How to kick John Bolton's ass
A young anti-war Iraqi woman, Tony Benn and assorted others show how it's done.
Good show!
March 27, 2007
What's the frequency, Kenneth?
From the Department of Yeah, That'll Fly, a sour note on Better Living Through Crowd Control Technology:
The Mosquito - a crowd-control device emitting a pulsing sound that bugs teenagers but can't be heard by most adults - is creating a big buzz in Britain and may soon invade New York.So far, 50 of the $750 black-box gadgets marketed online at kidsbegone.com have been sold stateside - and one is set to be piloted in a New Jersey skate park, to stop large groups of teens from gathering after closing hours.
March 26, 2007
Hey Chuck Norris: Shut up and sing, dammit!
Grab your barf bags, folks. Chuck Norris has reared his weaselly little head, and given me one more reason to utterly despise him:
Continue reading "Hey Chuck Norris: Shut up and sing, dammit!" »
March 20, 2007
Who you callin' a chicken, bunnypants?
Just so's you know: in English you call cowards "chicken", but in German, it's Angsthase--literally, "scaredy-rabbit".
March 10, 2007
Praise the Goddess, and pass the hot chocolate!
A nutrient in cocoa called epicatechin appears to lower the risk of four common killer diseases, work suggests.Among the Kuna people of Panama, who can drink up to 40 cups of cocoa per week, rates of stroke, heart disease, cancer and diabetes are less than 10%.
The Kuna also appear to live longer than other Panama inhabitants and do not get dementia, a US scientist reports in Chemistry and Industry.
Continue reading "Praise the Goddess, and pass the hot chocolate!" »
February 27, 2007
El Caracazo: Today in 1989
February 18, 2007
Terror-Free Oil Slicks come out and play!
Oh, boy. I just caught a flying one from a big, brave, wannabe terror-free oilman, and I'm sooooooo scared. Take a gander at what landed in my comments section today.
The only thing that overshadows author's stupidity is his poor research skills.Article above: "embrace the economy car, the hybrid car, the fuel-cell car, and most importantly, the carpool."
TFO goals (http://www.terrorfreeoil.org/coalition.php):
- Educate consumers about alternative fuels (Ethanol, BioDiesel, etc.)
- Promote Hybrids & FFVs
- Promote public transportation
It might be worth researching the subject before providing your scholarly opinion. Will make you look less of a moron.
Bravo! You have finally come out from under your rock to insult me, reiterate your empty blurb, and give me an instant, depersonalized, internet sex change to boot. How courageous of you!
There's only one problem with your calling me a moron: it makes you look like an idiot.
Continue reading "Terror-Free Oil Slicks come out and play!" »
November 30, 2006
An orange alert
This appears in the comments on the entry below, but I'll repost it just so those who don't read comments will still know:
Venezuela's opposition is planning an "orange revolution". It is important that we get this circulated before Sunday's election. This link is to my Guardian column. It would be great if you could post it on your blog. Thanks.http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/calvin_tucker/2006/11/post_723.html
Anyone who wants any more info can contact me on calvintucker@hotmail.co.uk
Thanks, Calvin, for the heads-up.
October 26, 2006
Experimenting with YouTubes...
If you can see a CBC/The Fifth Estate video clip on Dick Cheney when you press Play, I've succeeded.
Enjoy!
September 27, 2006
Kudos to Clinton, bravo to Chavez...
...and as for Keith Olbermann, he's the latest on my yum-yum list, along with Chavecito, Evo, Big Dawg, Jon Stewart, George Clooney, and Stephen Colbert. That man is the next frickin' Edward R. Murrow, man.
What happened this past week? It seems that cojones are breaking out everywhere, and suddenly it's open season on BushCo. Is it something in the air? The water? Did the collective anesthesia wear off? What?
Whatever it is, I sense that a tipping point has been reached. Time for the gravitational acceleration to kick in!
July 28, 2006
Need any more proof that someone's living in a vacuum?
Check THIS out:
So much for that trite "We are all Israelis now" meme.
BTW, GriperBlade has an excellent post with a damning picture unto itself. Perhaps this is what's got the Israel-uber-alles crowd so...isolated?
July 27, 2006
Usually, I hate doggy clothes...
...but I'll happily make an exception for this:
Isn't that adorable? (And no, he's not my dog. Mine's a big black Lab/Husky cross with blue eyes and white paws.)
You can get what Homer's wearing at Bartcop.com.
May 1, 2006
Un dia sin...
...ropa???
Si, puede ser en Mexico:
Members of a movement from the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz called the 400 Villages, the protesters strip with regularity, their nakedness stressing demands that the government resolve a long-running land dispute."We are asking for justice," said Alfonsina Sandoval, 54, a leader of the women who disrobe. "Undressing ourselves is an act of desperation and helplessness. We don't know what else to do to get their attention."
April 13, 2006
Finally, a good use for camera-phone technology!
Fuck yeah! And not a minute too soon, either. I was getting so sick of hearing about all those slimewads who use them to photograph what's up women's skirts (a gross violation of privacy and personal space, BTW...and just one of the many reasons why I love my pants.) For that matter, I'm also sick of those slimewads posting bogus trackbacks to here...which of course, will net them no publicity as they're automatically junked.
Anyhow: If you haven't been there yet, you MUST see HollaBackNYC. Sure to become more than just a Noo Yawk thing very soon. It's a blog dedicated to, as the name implies, hollering back at the harassers and the look-at-her-ass-ers that seem to abound just about everywhere, and who exist, it seems, just to piss us off.
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