Socialization and Social Control in Postmodern America

UNDERNEWS: LOCAL HEROES: SEATTLE TEACHER SUSPENDED FOR REFUSING TO GIVE STANDARDIZED TEST

2008-04-24T20:04:00.000Z

UNDERNEWS: LOCAL HEROES: SEATTLE TEACHER SUSPENDED FOR REFUSING TO GIVE STANDARDIZED TEST: "PARENT EMPOWERMENT NETWORK Carl Chew, a 6th grade science teacher at Nathan Eckstein Middle School in the Seattle School District, last week defied federal, state, and district regulations that require teachers to administer the Washington Assessment of Student Learning to students.

'I have let my administration know that I will no longer give the WASL to my students. I have done this because of the personal moral and ethical conviction that the WASL is harmful to students, teachers, schools, and families,' wrote Chew in an email to national supporters."

France may make it illegal to promote extreme thinness - Yahoo! News

2008-04-15T19:23:00.000Z

France may make it illegal to promote extreme thinness - Yahoo! News: "PARIS - The French parliament's lower house adopted a groundbreaking bill Tuesday that would make it illegal for anyone — including fashion magazines, advertisers and Web sites — to publicly incite extreme thinness."

Book: AMERICAN WARS: Illusions & Realities

2008-03-11T19:47:00.001Z

When Americans hear that the US country may go to war against another nation, they generally believe there’s probably a good reason for it or that no viable alternatives exist—or they don’t think about it at all. They trust their leaders to represent them and defend their values. They accept their leaders’ claims that war is to ensure their safety when others wish to harm them. The media reassures them that the reasons for war are altruistic— that Americans wish to spread democracy and allow others to adopt their way of life. But is this the case? Well-known peace activists examine the realities of American wars—how American values are manipulated to gain support for initiatives contrary to their ideals and the well-being of their country.

ISBN: 13-digit: 978-0-932863-56-0 188 pages 24 illustrations $14.95

What Makes Finnish Kids So Smart? - WSJ.com

2008-03-03T20:45:00.000Z

What Makes Finnish Kids So Smart? - WSJ.com: "High-school students here rarely get more than a half-hour of homework a night. They have no school uniforms, no honor societies, no valedictorians, no tardy bells and no classes for the gifted. There is little standardized testing, few parents agonize over college and kids don't start school until age 7.

Yet by one international measure, Finnish teenagers are among the smartest in the world."

60 Minutes takes a dump on "millennials" - (37signals)

2008-02-24T17:07:00.001Z

60 Minutes takes a dump on "millennials" - (37signals): "60 Minutes takes a dump on 'millennials' Matt Nov 16

“Millennials” is the nickname for people born between 1980 and 1995. 60 minutes ran a very unflattering story about this generation n the workplace." See blog posting several previous to this one. Here are 132 comments in response to the 60 minutes segment.

Recently Popular Videos about ‘Satire’

2008-02-19T20:10:00.000Z

Recently Popular Videos about ‘Satire’: "Recently Popular Videos about ‘Satire’"

Go to: http://www.stumbleupon.com/video/satire/

Scroll down and click on "Civilization"

Happiness ...on 60 Minutes; Exclusive Video Only on Yahoo! News

2008-02-19T20:05:00.000Z

Happiness ...on 60 Minutes; Exclusive Video Only on Yahoo! News: "The Keys to Happiness

Which is the happiest country in the world? According to a scientific study by Leicester University in England, it's Denmark. And that's despite having one of the highest tax rates in the world! Morley Safer explores why it's so great to be a Dane, and talks with a Harvard psychology lecturer who has some tips on being happy, no matter where you live!"

Sadness may encourage more extravagance - Yahoo! News

2008-02-08T19:09:00.000Z

Sadness may encourage more extravagance - Yahoo! News: "BOSTON - If you're sad and shopping, watch your wallet: A new study shows people's spending judgment goes out the window when they're down, especially if they're a bit self-absorbed."

Boomer Discontent

2008-02-08T17:16:00.000Z

"We've managed to ignore the financial challenges associated with aging for a long time; until recently they've mostly been in our future. But for more and more of us the future is now, and the stress is starting to show. A Money Magazine survey found boomers less satisfied at this time in life than previous generations - with our finances, our careers, our health and even our marriages. We aren't just singing, 'I can't get no satisfaction.' We're living it."

The "Millennials" Are Coming, Morley Safer On The New Generation Of American Workers - CBS News

2007-11-12T19:32:00.000Z

The "Millennials" Are Coming, Morley Safer On The New Generation Of American Workers - CBS News: "Stand back all bosses! A new breed of American worker is about to attack everything you hold sacred: from giving orders, to your starched white shirt and tie. They are called, among other things, 'millennials.' There are about 80 million of them, born between 1980 and 1995, and they're rapidly taking over from the baby boomers who are now pushing 60. "

ABC News: Bernard Kerik: America's Cop Indicted

2007-11-09T14:35:00.000Z

ABC News: Bernard Kerik: America's Cop Indicted: "A federal grand jury has voted to indict former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik on charges stemming from the acceptance of free rent and apartment renovations, tax evasion and lying on his application for the job as head of the Department of Homeland Security, two federal sources and a source involved in the defense told ABC News."

Army official: Halliburton bilking taxpayers in Iraq - Jun. 28, 2005

2005-06-29T17:06:00.000Z

Army official: Halliburton bilking taxpayers in Iraq - Jun. 28, 2005: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top Army procurement official said Monday Halliburton's deals in Iraq were the worst example of contract abuse she had seen as Pentagon auditors flagged over $1 billion of potential overcharges by the Texas-based firm."

Open to the Public: Speaking out on "No Child Left Behind"

2005-06-27T18:44:00.000Z

Open to the Public: Speaking out on "No Child Left Behind"

Social Security scam - The Boston Globe - Boston.com - Editorials - News

2005-06-26T17:30:00.000Z

Social Security scam - The Boston Globe - Boston.com - Editorials - News: "REPUBLICANS IN Congress are getting desperate as their plans to privatize Social Security unravel from a dearth of public support. Their latest proposal would set up limited private accounts that would not generate much income for future retirees but would increase the budget deficit and threaten the solvency of the Social Security system."

Three Things About Iraq - New York Times

2005-06-26T17:27:00.000Z

Three Things About Iraq - New York Times: "To have the sober conversation about the war in Iraq that America badly needs, it is vital to acknowledge three facts:

The war has nothing to do with Sept. 11. Saddam Hussein was a sworn enemy of Washington, but there was no Iraq-Qaeda axis, no connection between Saddam Hussein and the terrorist attacks on the United States. Yet the president and his supporters continue to duck behind 9/11 whenever they feel pressure about what is happening in Iraq. The most cynical recent example was Karl Rove's absurd and offensive declaration this week that conservatives and liberals had different reactions to 9/11. Let's be clear: Americans of every political stripe were united in their outrage and grief, united in their determination to punish those who plotted the mass murder and united behind the war in Afghanistan, which was an assault on terrorists. Trying to pretend otherwise is the surest recipe for turning political dialogue into meaningless squabbling."

Concerns arise over Bush's pick for EPA job

2005-06-26T17:25:00.000Z

Concerns arise over Bush's pick for EPA job: "WASHINGTON -- President Bush has nominated Granta Nakayama, a partner in a law firm whose clients include W.R. Grace, BP, Dow Chemical and DuPont, to lead the Environmental Protection Agency's far-flung enforcement division.

Selecting a lawyer and an engineer with one of the nation's largest corporate law firms, whose clients have deep and occasionally controversial relations with the EPA, triggered concerns that Nakayama would not be able to aggressively enforce environmental laws."

US defense spending half of world total: Swedish report

2005-06-08T17:40:00.000Z

Xinhua - English: " STOCKHOLM, June 7 (Xinhuanet) -- The United States' defense expenditure in 2004 accounted for almost half of the global total and exceeded the 32 next most powerful nations combined, a prominent Swedish think tank said Tuesday."

Cracking down on employers who ignore wage laws | csmonitor.com

2005-06-08T15:42:00.000Z

Cracking down on employers who ignore wage laws | csmonitor.com: "NEW YORK – This week Ansoumana Faty, a former grocery deliveryman in New York City, will pick up a paycheck for $7,000. Meanwhile, in upstate New York, the waiters and waitresses at the New Delhi Diamond's Restaurant in Ithaca will share a cash payout of $10,000.

They are among hundreds of people in New York who are getting reimbursed back wages and unpaid overtime as a result of recent legal settlements. Many of the employees were paid as little as $2 an hour, in jobs they worked for 10 to 12 hours a day.
(Photograph)
WORKPLACE ISSUE: Restaurants, including fast-food establishments (above), often pay the minimum wage.
RICHARD B. LEVINE

In the Monitor
Wednesday, 06/08/05
In Mideast elections, militants gain
Dean fires up the base - on both sides
Women's softball scores a hit with US audiences
Remarriage after retirement
COMMENTARY: 25 mpg won't end US energy problem

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Across the country, a growing number of states, advocacy groups - and even individual workers - are fighting back against wage abuses in the workplace."

TomPaine.com - The President's Rap Sheet

2005-06-08T15:38:00.000Z

TomPaine.com - The President's Rap Sheet: "John Conyers and 87 other Democrats took the first step in demanding action following the revelations contained in the Downing Street Memo. Now, a 'coalition of veterans' groups, peace groups, and political activist groups' have launched a campaign to urge that the U.S. Congress to investigate whether President Bush has committed impeachable offenses in connection with the Iraq war. See more at AfterDowningStreet.org."

Bush Aide Softened Greenhouse Gas Links to Global Warming - New York Times

2005-06-08T15:36:00.000Z

Bush Aide Softened Greenhouse Gas Links to Global Warming - New York Times: "A White House official who once led the oil industry's fight against limits on greenhouse gases has repeatedly edited government climate reports in ways that play down links between such emissions and global warming, according to internal documents."

Orwell Rolls in his Grave - A Film by Robert Kane Pappas (DVD)

2005-05-13T12:28:00.000Z

Orwell Rolls in his Grave - A Film by Robert Kane Pappas (DVD) -- A BuzzFlash Premium: "A searingly insightful documentary on the political threat posed by a corporate media aligned with a radical right wing White House. "

United Airlines Gets OK to Dump Pension Plans

2005-05-11T14:11:00.000Z

Y! News: "United Airlines gained a significant financial victory with court approval to dump its four pension plans but faces a tough challenge to win back the support of angry employees.

While smoothing the path toward a targeted exit from Chapter 11 bankruptcy later this year, Tuesday's ruling in U.S. Bankruptcy Court inflamed United's unions, with some hinting at the possibility of strikes or other disruptive actions.

It also prompted a renewed warning from some members of Congress that taxpayers may someday have to bail out the deficit-riddled government pension agency, which now will assume an additional $5 billion in pension obligations from United."

The Cruelest Cuts: As Congress haggles over food stamp cuts, soup kitchens fear longer lines -- In These Times

2005-05-04T20:15:00.000Z

The Cruelest Cuts: As Congress haggles over food stamp cuts, soup kitchens fear longer lines -- In These Times: "As Congress haggles over food stamp cuts, soup kitchens fear longer lines"

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: 'What, Me Worry?'

2005-04-30T14:18:00.000Z

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: 'What, Me Worry?': "One of America's most important entrepreneurs recently gave a remarkable speech at a summit meeting of our nation's governors. Bill Gates minced no words. 'American high schools are obsolete,' he told the governors. 'By obsolete, I don't just mean that our high schools are broken, flawed and underfunded. ... By obsolete, I mean that our high schools - even when they are working exactly as designed - cannot teach our kids what they need to know today."

The New York Times > Opinion > Editorial: Energy Follies

2005-04-30T14:17:00.000Z

The New York Times > Opinion > Editorial: Energy Follies: "It was fascinating to watch President Bush lay out intelligent approaches to pressing problems at his news conference on Thursday night, and then urge Congress to pass bills that would do almost nothing to solve them. Social Security was one case in point, but another egregious example was energy, an issue that has moved to center stage in the White House because of public concern over high prices for oil and gasoline at the pump."

Experts Say New Data Shows Global Warming a Definite and Serious Problem

2005-04-29T17:17:00.000Z

ENN: Environmental News Network [[Today's News Full Story ]]: "Climate scientists armed with new data from deep in the ocean and far into space have found that Earth is absorbing much more heat than it is giving off, a conclusion they say validates projections of global warming.

Lead scientist James Hansen, a prominent NASA climatologist, described the findings on the planet's out-of-balance energy exchange as a 'smoking gun' that should dispel doubts about forecasts of climate change"

Congress Passes Budget that Cuts Medicaid

2005-04-29T17:16:00.000Z

The Associated Press: "WASHINGTON (AP) -- A $2.6 trillion budget outline barely approved by Congress will cut projected spending on Medicaid for the poor, lock in tax cuts and - Republicans claim - put the country on a path toward lower federal deficits.

Democrats unanimously opposed the spending outline passed late Thursday. They said the budget reflects the president's misplaced priorities by freezing or trimming health, education and agriculture programs while cutting taxes by as much as $106 billion over five years"

Light, Sweet-Talking And Crude: The Bush Energy Plan

2005-04-29T17:11:00.000Z

TomPaine.com - Light, Sweet-Talking And Crude: "Despite regurgitating all the focus-group mumbo-jumbo, the president offered no real plan to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Though praising the House-passed energy bill (loaded with tax breaks for big energy companies like ExxonMobil), he conceded it 'is certainly no quick fix' for higher gas prices. (The Energy Information Administration reported that an earlier, similar version of the legislation would actually increase gas prices.)"

TomPaine.com - Bush's Snake Oil Plan

2005-04-29T17:09:00.000Z

TomPaine.com - Bush's Snake Oil Plan: "President Bush’s staff signaled ahead of time that he would use his first prime-time news conference in ages to somehow give a shot in the arm to his floundering campaign for privatization. Instead, by giving a few more details about how specifically he would cut Social Security benefits, he managed to shoot himself in the foot—again.

With the president facing growing criticism over a troubled economy, increasing oil prices, continuing American deaths in Iraq, his embrace of Tom Delay’s corporate corruption, and the sinking popularity of his Social Security plan, Bush’s staff rolled out a proposal that only conservative Washington policy wonks could understand or love. And ironically, they put the president before the press to pose as a champion of the poor—which, translated from Bush-speak, means the cuts to retirement benefits for the poor will merely be less than the cuts he wants to make for “people who are better of"

THE LOOTING OF SOCIAL SECURITY TO BALANCE THE FEDERAL BUDGET

2005-04-29T16:57:00.000Z

For years, the federal government has been using the money set aside for social security to try to pay down the budget deficits that arise from spending far more than it takes it. See the link below for details.

THE LOOTING OF SOCIAL SECURITY TO BALANCE THE FEDERAL BUDGET

Bush Is Blowing Smoke on Energy

2005-04-29T16:55:00.000Z

Bush Is Blowing Smoke on Energy: "Hitting all the points in a noted GOP pollster's playbook, the President's plan is driven by politics not policy. Worse, it won't cut oil dependency"

Help stop college costs from soaring

2005-04-27T17:37:00.000Z

CAFAction Center: "College costs are soaring out of control and we can help put a stop to it. We need your help to preserve a $5 billion investment in higher education. We need you to tell Congress that every student deserves a chance to keep his/her college dream alive"

CNN's New Boss: Progressives "Don't Get Too Worked up About Anything"

2005-04-22T17:52:00.000Z

CNN's New Boss: Progressives "Don't Get Too Worked up About Anything": "Over the years, media owners and editors have come up with different explanations for the lack of left or progressive voices across the media landscape. We're told those ideas are unpopular with the public, for example, or that leftists aren't as engaging or likeable as, say, Sean Hannity.

The new CNN President Jonathan Klein offered another theory during an appearance on PBS's Charlie Rose Show on March 25: Progressives aren't angry enough. When Rose asked if there could ever be a successful progressive version of Fox News Channel, Klein thought not. He explained that while Fox was tapping into a brand of 'mostly angry white men' conservatism, 'a quote/unquote, 'progressive' or liberal network probably couldn't reach the same sort of an audience, because liberals tend to like to sample a lot of opinions"

Hey Congress: “Put a Cap on those Interest Rates, Now!

2005-04-22T17:31:00.000Z

Baltimore Independent Media Center: Hey Congress: “Put a Cap on those Interest Rates, Now!: "The Credit Cartel made a staggering $31.6 billion in profits last year. Rates as high as 29 percent are now legal. Americans are over $800 billion in debt to these predators. Meanwhile, Congress, which received $8 million in donations in 2004 from the Cartel has just passed a new Bankruptcy law to put the squeeze further on consumers. It’s time for Congress to put a reasonale cap on interest payments and to repeal that Bankruptcy law."

10 Seattle schools targeted for closure

2005-04-22T17:30:00.000Z

10 Seattle schools targeted for closure: "Faced with multimillion-dollar budget deficits, Seattle Public Schools administrators yesterday outlined a cost-cutting plan that would close 10 schools, eliminate a popular alternative program and create two middle schools.

Under the sweeping restructuring proposal, more than 3,500 students would be displaced -- a sobering fact that outraged many parents last night."

Are you ready of a world of corporate logos???

2005-04-21T19:29:00.000Z

A really scary view of the future! See the link

Worth1000.com | Photoshop Contests | Are you Worthy™ | contest

FBI Tells 911 Rescue Worker To 'Shut Up' Over Finding Airplane 'Black Boxes'

2005-04-19T16:35:00.000Z

FBI Tells 911 Rescue Worker To 'Shut Up' Over Finding Airplane 'Black Boxes': "Two ground zero workers go public about finding cockpit and flight data recorders from Flight 11 and 175. Government claims 'black boxes' from the doomed 911 flights were never found. 911 Commission ignores information and fails to interview rescue workers.

A 911 rescue worker said this week he was told by FBI agents to 'keep his mouth shut' about one of the 'black boxes' found at ground zero, contradicting the official story that none of the flight and cockpit data recorders were ever recovered in the WTC wreckage."

A Week of Student Labor Action

2005-04-15T23:43:00.000Z

AlterNet Mobile Edition

FDA Studies Show Aspartame Link to Brain Tumors

2005-04-15T23:30:00.000Z

FDA Studies Show Aspartame Link to Brain Tumors: "ATLANTA (PRWEB via PR Web Direct) April 12, 2005 -- Consumer rights advocacy group Mission Possible is leading a campaign to fill a product liability lawsuit with New York and New Jersey residents whose brain tumors may be linked to the consumption of the artificial sweetener aspartame (NutraSweet/Equal/Spoonful, etc.).

'Neither congressional hearings or repeated petitions calling for a ban have stopped aspartame manufacturers from exposing the public to this sweet poison. In fact, aspartame producers are reporting increased sales and boasting the marketplace addition of 'neotame,' a new aspartame product,' explained Mission Possible International Founder Betty Martini."

In Advance of Court Battle Over State Secrets, Experts Discuss the Government's Growing Use of Secrecy to Avoid Accountability

2005-04-15T16:51:00.000Z

In Advance of Court Battle Over State Secrets, Experts Discuss the Government's Growing Use of Secrecy to Avoid Accountability: "Washington, DC -- As a preview to the appellate argument in Sibel Edmonds' case, secrecy and legal experts will hold a press briefing on Wednesday, April 20th to address the far-reaching impact of Edmonds'case and the disturbing trend of excessive government secrecy aimed at avoiding accountability.

Edmonds, a former Middle Eastern language specialist hired by the FBI shortly after 9/11, was fired in 2002 after repeatedly reporting serious security breaches and misconduct. Edmonds challenged her retaliatory dismissal by filing a lawsuit in federal court, but her case was dismissed last July after Attorney General John Ashcroft invoked the so-called 'state secrets privilege,' and retroactively classified briefings to Congress related to her case."

The New York Times > AP > National > White House Said to Impede Education Probe

2005-04-15T16:50:00.000Z

The New York Times > AP > National > White House Said to Impede Education Probe: "WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration is impeding an investigation into the Education Department's hiring of commentator Armstrong Williams by refusing to allow key White House officials to be interviewed, a Democratic lawmaker briefed on the review said Thursday."

High School Dropout - A Crisis?

2005-04-15T16:49:00.000Z

The Black Commentator - Cover Story: Blacks Pushed Down and Out - Issue 134

Only half of African American youth (50.2%) graduate with a diploma from high school – 42.8% of males and 56.2% of females, according to an Urban Institute study, Losing Our Future: How Minority Youth are being Left Behind by the Graduation Rate Crisis. The report, released in February in collaboration with the Civil Rights Project at Harvard University and other organizations, reveals a national education reality far bleaker than the rosy upper middle class landscape projected for decades by corporate media. Although Black dropout rates are certainly a precursor of social disaster, only 76.8% of Asian/Pacific Islanders, the highest graduating ethnic category, pick up their diplomas at the end of the 12th grade. Whites are roughly 2 points behind.

Thus, the national educational self-image, in which only marginalized groups drop out of high school, and where college is the norm, is false for all of America.

What Ricin? - Newsweek World News - MSNBC.com

2005-04-15T16:47:00.000Z

What Ricin? - Newsweek World News - MSNBC.com

Colin Powell and British authorities pointed to a poison plot as justification for the war on Iraq. But a jury says the case didn’t add up.

Guardian Unlimited | Guardian daily comment | Don't be fooled by the spin on Iraq

2005-04-15T16:46:00.000Z

Guardian Unlimited | Guardian daily comment | Don't be fooled by the spin on Iraq: "Saddam Hussein's effigy was pulled down again in Baghdad's Firdos Square at the weekend. But unlike the made-for-TV event when US troops first entered the Iraqi capital, the toppling of Saddam on the occupation's second anniversary was different.

Instead of being done by US marines with a few dozen Iraqi bystanders, 300,000 Iraqis were on hand. They threw down effigies of Bush and Blair as well as the old dictator, at a rally that did not celebrate liberation but called for the immediate departure of foreign troops."

Study Finds Shortcoming inNo Child Left Behind

2005-04-13T14:16:00.000Z

The New York Times > National > Study Finds Shortcoming in New Law on Education: "The academic growth that students experience in a given school year has apparently slowed since the passage of No Child Left Behind, the education law that was intended to achieve just the opposite, a new study has found."

FDA Studies Show Aspartame Link to Brain Tumors

2005-04-13T14:15:00.000Z

Two-thirds of world's resources 'used up'

2005-04-02T15:58:00.001Z

Guardian Unlimited | Life | Two-thirds of world's resources 'used up': "The human race is living beyond its means. A report backed by 1,360 scientists from 95 countries - some of them world leaders in their fields - today warns that the almost two-thirds of the natural machinery that supports life on Earth is being degraded by human pressure.

The study contains what its authors call 'a stark warning' for the entire world. The wetlands, forests, savannahs, estuaries, coastal fisheries and other habitats that recycle air, water and nutrients for all living creatures are being irretrievably damaged. In effect, one species is now a hazard to the other 10 million or so on the planet, and to itself."

AlterNet: Old Women Out in the Cold

2005-04-02T15:58:00.000Z

AlterNet: Old Women Out in the Cold: "An army of economists and pundits have debunked the president's claims that Social Security is in 'crisis.' What they don't publicize, however, is that the president's plan for private accounts would deepen the crisis faced by vast numbers of elderly women."

Newsday.com: Judge refuses request for FBI records on 1996 Flight 800 crash

2005-04-02T15:55:00.000Z

Newsday.com: Judge refuses request for FBI records on 1996 Flight 800 crash: "SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) _ A federal judge has rejected a lawsuit seeking to force the FBI to release more records from its investigation into the crash of TWA Flight 800 off Long Island nearly a decade ago.

Judge Michael A. Ponsor ruled Tuesday in favor of the FBI in a lawsuit filed by a Massachusetts man who has questioned the government's account of the crash."

WorkingForChange-Energy insanity

2005-03-30T18:44:00.000Z

WorkingForChange-Energy insanity: "Energy insanity
Just when you thought it was impossible, Cheney energy schemes get even worse"

Bush Shows No Remorse for Fake Newscasts

2005-03-30T18:35:00.000Z

Bush Shows No Remorse for Fake Newscasts

Yahoo! News - Rice Alarms Reformist Arabs with Stability Remarks

2005-03-30T18:33:00.000Z

Yahoo! News - Rice Alarms Reformist Arabs with Stability Remarks: "CAIRO (Reuters) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has alarmed many reformist Arabs with comments suggesting a new U.S. approach that promotes rapid political change without regard for internal stability"

Business Sees Gain In GOP Takeover

2005-03-27T16:03:00.000Z

Y! News: "Fortune 500 companies that invested millions of dollars in electing Republicans are emerging as the earliest beneficiaries of a government controlled by President Bush and the largest GOP House and Senate majority in a half century."

Federal Court Rules Indiana Protester's Rights Violated During Cheney Visit

2005-03-27T16:02:00.000Z

American Civil Liberties Union : Federal Court Rules Indiana Protester's Rights Violated During Cheney Visit: "VANSVILLE, IN-In a victory for free speech rights and the Indiana Civil Liberties Union, a federal judge ruled today that Evansville police violated a protester's constitutional rights by restricting his movement and arresting him for disorderly conduct before a 2002 appearance by Vice President Dick Cheney.

In granting summary judgment on John Blair's claim that his First Amendment rights were violated, U.S. District Court Judge Larry J. McKinney directly addressed the recent trend of using security concerns as justification for limiting advocates to so-called 'protest zones' far away from official events.

'The restriction of protesters to an area 50"

TomPaine.com - State Of The News Media, 2005

2005-03-25T13:22:00.000Z

TomPaine.com - State Of The News Media, 2005

The past year was an interesting—and not altogether positive—one for the media. There was the rise of blogging, the Bush administration-produced "reports" during election season, the revelations that several reporters had been paid to tout government programs, and the continued move toward faster, flashier news coverage. In its second annual "State Of The News Media" report, the Project For Excellence In Journalism extensively reviewed the media's work and trends among newspapers, magazines, broadcast, online news and the ethnic press. Among the findings: verification in journalism has fallen off in favor of assertion; broadcast news is reaching a transition point; and we're not nearly as partisan in our news consumption as we've been led to believe.

Daily Kos :: Political Analysis and other daily rants on the state of the nation.

2005-03-25T13:12:00.000Z

Daily Kos :: Political Analysis and other daily rants on the state of the nation.

This guy (Gannon) was recently "outted" as a fake member of the White House Press corp. He was famous for interrupting embarassing questions put to the President during press conferences. Turns out he was a shill. Represented a basically fake news service. Had never had a background check by the FBI like all others in the press room. (Raising the question of who gave him permission to be there). Then he turned out to run Intenet sites for male military "escorts" (yeah, that kind of escort). He was supposed to be an ex-Marines (part of his hunky image?). Now he appears to have never served in the armed forces.

LA Weekly: News: Censor Alert

2005-03-25T13:02:00.000Z

LA Weekly: News: Censor Alert

Just as a TIME magazine poll out this week shows Americans want more TV censorship, a brace of Republican initiatives threatens to extend federal control of what you can see and hear and read to both cable TV and the Internet.

Hollywood better wake up. Remember the Hays Office, which imposed family-values censorship on the movies in the 1920s — a ham-fisted squelching of “indecency” that cramped and crippled scriptwriters and moviemakers for decades thereafter? Well, what one of the most powerful Republicans in the U.S. Senate is now talking about sounds very much like the same thing, except now it’s about cable TV and the Net.

roanoke.com - Commentary Stories -It's not easy to 'get a job' with a health plan

2005-03-25T12:57:00.000Z

roanoke.com - Commentary Stories -It's not easy to 'get a job' with a health plan

AlterNet Mobile Edition

2005-03-23T23:19:00.000Z

AlterNet Mobile Edition: "Many media outlets self-censored their reporting on the Iraq invasion because of concerns about public reaction to graphic images and content, according to a survey of more than 200 journalists by American University's School of Communications."

EPA Nominee Advocates Human Guinea Pigs :: Intervention Magazine :: War, Politics, Culture

2005-03-23T23:17:00.000Z

EPA Nominee Advocates Human Guinea Pigs :: Intervention Magazine :: War, Politics, Culture: " EPA Nominee Advocates Human Guinea Pigs

Stephen Johnson, Bush's nominee to run the EPA, advocates the testing of pesticides on humans -- even children -- for the benefit of large chemical companies. "

Homeschooled Kids Barred From Spelling Bee

2005-03-23T23:16:00.001Z

Homeschooled Kids Barred From Spelling Bee: "Homeschooled Kid
Barred From Major
Spelling Bee Competition!"

Democracy Now! | Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist Laurie Garrett Quits Newsday: "When You See News As a Product...It's Impossible To Really Serve Dem

2005-03-23T23:16:00.000Z

Democracy Now! | Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist Laurie Garrett Quits Newsday: "When You See News As a Product...It's Impossible To Really Serve Democracy"

"Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Laurie Garrett made headlines last week when she resigned from New York Newsday - where she had worked since 1988.

In a blistering memo to her colleagues at the paper, she ripped Newsday's parent company - the Tribune Company - for putting profit over quality journalism"

Bonnie M. Anderson Newsflash

2005-03-23T23:14:00.000Z

Bonnie M. Anderson Newsflash: "Bonnie M. Anderson Looks at the 'News'

Call me old school. Call me old fashioned or a dinosaur, but I think government should be about protecting the Bill of Rights. Government should be truthful to the American public, and not about trying to manipulate the public and, in this case, also manipulating the media.

Bonnie M. Anderson won 7 Emmy Awards and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize during her 27 year career as a print and broadcast journalist. Now, as author of News Flash: Journalism, Infotainment, and the Bottom-Line Business of Broadcast News, she turns a critical eye on what passes today as America's free press. In Newsflash, she details the decline of independence and truth in the media, which has gone hand in hand with the ever greater consolidation of the media in the hands of a few. She talks with BuzzFlash here about infotainment, journalistic ethics, preoccupation with the bottom line, ageism, and the politics of the news rooms."

Mary Mapes, CBS Producer in 'Rathergate,' Inks Big Book Deal

2005-03-23T23:07:00.000Z

NEW YORK Mary Mapes, the CBS News producer fired over "Rathergate,” has inked a deal to tell her side of the scandal, reportedly for a high six-figure sum.

The publisher, St. Martin's Press, beat out a reported half a dozen others. It announced today that the book would come out in the fall with a tentative title of “The Other Side of the Story.”

St. Martin's said that Mapes "will chronicle what really happened at CBS and reveal the corporate, political and ideological agendas that threaten the integrity of journalists and the news."

Mary Mapes, CBS Producer in 'Rathergate,' Inks Big Book Deal

Miscovering Anti-War Protests (Again)

2005-03-23T23:06:00.000Z

Miscovering Anti-War Protests (Again)

AlterNet Mobile Edition

2005-03-23T23:05:00.000Z

Paul Wolfowitz is Assistant Secretary of Defense. A couple of years ago he told Salon.com in an interview that he and several other "neocons" needed a reason to attack Iraq. They "decided that weapons of mass destruction would be the easiest 'sell' to the U. S. public -- among a list of others reasons they considered. Bush has just nominated him for head of the World Bank -- which is supposed to help less developed nations become self-sufficient.

AlterNet Mobile Edition

Internet Week > Internet Becomes A Major Political News Source > Internet Becomes A Major Political News Source > March 8, 2005

2005-03-09T17:23:00.000Z

Internet Week > Internet Becomes A Major Political News Source > Internet Becomes A Major Political News Source > March 8, 2005

Lobbyists so powerful in Legislature that they sometimes write bills themselves: South Florida Sun-Sentinel

2005-03-09T17:13:00.000Z

Lobbyists so powerful in Legislature that they sometimes write bills themselves: South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "Lobbyists so powerful in Legislature that they sometimes write bills themselves

By Linda Kleindienst
Tallahassee Bureau Chief
Posted March 8 2005

Tallahassee � They have been called the Third House and their ranks are rife with former legislators, political party powerhouses and former aides to legislative leaders and governors."

Beyond the Brain @ National Geographic Magazine

2005-03-09T17:11:00.000Z

Check out this truly fascinating article about the human brain that appears in a recent National Geographic.

Beyond the Brain @ National Geographic Magazine: "What goes on within the human skull is more complex and fantastic than anyone imagined. Now science is delving deeper into what we know of the mind."

AlterNet: What Jesus Wouldn't Do

2005-03-09T16:53:00.000Z

Excerpt: Much of the religious right's agenda is in direct contradiction to Christ's own teachings – and most devout Christians know it.

AlterNet: What Jesus Wouldn't Do

Can you read other people's faces???

2005-03-04T17:56:00.000Z

Do your part for science. Take a 15-minute survey to find out how well you read human facial expressions.

Survey2005@nationalgeographic.com

U.S. National Debt Clock

2005-03-04T17:05:00.000Z

I mentioned the other day that every man, woman, and child in the U. S. now owes about $20,000 on the national debtl Which is currently rising at about 2 billion dollars per day! Here's a link to check out the firgures:

U.S. National Debt Clock

The U. S. is Number One -- think again!

2005-03-04T14:25:00.000Z

Fascinating (if depressing) list of numberical facts and how the U. S. stacks up against the rest of the world.

City Pages - No. 1?

Consumer Debt -- ouch, ouch, ouch

2005-03-04T14:08:00.000Z

U.S. economic collapse looming for 2005 - Forums powered by Reason and Principle: "The American family is highly indebted, not just for their home. The Federal Reserve data show a total U.S. debt level now above $35 trillion, or some $ 450,000 for a typical family of four. Average consumer debt for credit cards, autos and such is at record highs. Car makers continue to offer car loans, with loans for up to six or even seven years. Many Americans owe more on their car than it is worth. "

Missing Pentagon Unobstructed Citgo Videos

2005-03-04T13:55:00.000Z

Remind anyone of the article re the TWA flight in Into the Buzzsaw?

Missing Pentagon Unobstructed Citgo Videos

New York's Premier Alternative Newspaper. Arts, Music, Food, Movies and Opinion

2005-02-23T14:24:00.000Z

Great discussion of the free-wheeling tossing around of political labels. Click on link just below.

New York's Premier Alternative Newspaper. Arts, Music, Food, Movies and Opinion

Ignorance and Illogic About Iraq - by Darrell Dow

2005-01-06T23:59:00.000Z

More on the the "Christian War" in that place, let's see -- what was it called? Of yes, Iraq. I'd almost forgotten after watching all those bowl games!

Ignorance and Illogic About Iraq - by Darrell Dow

CNN.com - Little agreed as climate�talks end - Dec 18, 2004

2004-12-18T14:37:00.000Z

Keep a really big fan handy!

CNN.com - Little agreed as climate�talks end - Dec 18, 2004

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | US rebuked over climate claims

2004-12-08T21:09:00.000Z

All those in favor of a really HOT Earth, hold up your hands!

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | US rebuked over climate claims

Blue States vs. Red States

2004-11-29T21:47:00.000Z

You gotta love this:

With the Blue States in hand, the Democrats have firm control of 80%
of the world's fresh water, over 90% of our pineapple and lettuce,
93% of the artichoke production, 95% of America's export quality
wines, 90% of all cheese production, most of the US low-sulfur coal,
all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven
Sister schools, plus Stanford, CalTech and MIT.

We can live simply but well.

The Red States, on the other hand, now have to cope with 88% of all
obese Americans (and their projected health care cost spike), 92% of
all US mosquitoes, 99% of all Southern Baptists, 100% of all
Televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the
University of Georgia.

Visiting a Very Strange Country by Fred Reed

2004-11-22T22:28:00.000Z

I can't decide whether to laugh riotious, or cry nonstop, when I read this. See link just below.

Visiting a Very Strange Country by Fred Reed

Bush Seeking to Squeeze School Loan Program

2004-11-21T16:10:00.000Z

Hmmm, your student loan just got transmuted into a "smart missle."

Bush Seeking to Squeeze School Loan Program

Guardian Unlimited | US elections 2004 | Televangelical tentacles

2004-11-20T20:01:00.000Z

Interesting article on the religious right in politics in the future

Guardian Unlimited | US elections 2004 | Televangelical tentacles

OpinionJournal - ELECTION 2004

2004-11-16T22:30:00.000Z

Good article re real reasons behind how Americans voted in the November election. Click link just below.

OpinionJournal - ELECTION 2004

Sojourners : Election 2004

2004-11-15T21:49:00.000Z

And now for an important word from the moderate Christians of the U. S.

"Confessing Christ in a World of Violence"

Click link just below for full article:

Sojourners : Election 2004

VegSource.com

2004-11-13T15:46:00.000Z

While GMF (genetically modified food) has huge potential to help with the world's hunger problems, there are some serious downsides too! Iraqi farmers may be forced to buy new GMF seeds every year rather than replanting as they have done for thousands of years. Click on the link just below for the full story

VegSource.com

BuzzFlash > News Alert > The Unexplained Exit Poll Discrepancy

2004-11-12T03:18:00.000Z

An academic article on how the chances of the exist polls in the recent election differing as much as they did from the actual vote is 250 million to one(!) if due to chance alone (rather than hacking):

http://www.buzzflash.com/alerts/04/11/ale04090.html

>BuzzFlash > News Alert > The Unexplained Exit Poll Discrepancy

Amazon.com: Books: The God Gene : How Faith is Hardwired into our Genes

2004-11-12T03:15:00.000Z

Amazon.com: Books: The God Gene : How Faith is Hardwired into our Genes

Technology Review: Technology and Democracy

2004-11-02T17:08:00.000Z

Good aricle on the current problems with the security of e-voting.

Technology Review: Technology and Democracy

The New York Times > Fashion & Style > Suffering the Pornographers

2004-11-02T16:53:00.000Z

Fascinating story about XXXChurch.com -- a site where Christians who can't stop watching pornography find "accountability partners" to monitor their viewing behavior:

The New York Times > Fashion & Style > Suffering the Pornographers

Witches Forgiven -- the witches think it a bit late!

2004-10-29T23:16:00.000Z

Check out this article re Halloween in one Scottish village. The witches must be very relieved to know that they are no longer in need of burning or hanging. See:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/10/29/britain.witches.ap/index.html

Town to officially pardon executed witches
3,500 women and children killed in witch hunts

PRESTONPANS, Scotland (AP) -- Accused witches -- and their cats -- executed during a wave of hysteria and religious ferment centuries ago will be pardoned on Halloween in this Scottish township.

"There'll be no witches' hats, dress-ups or that sort of thing -- it will be a fairly solemn occasion," Adele Conn, spokeswoman for the baronial court that granted the pardons, said by telephone interview Friday.

Sunday's ceremony will publicly declare pardons for 81 local people executed in the 16th and 17th centuries for being witches. The pardons have been granted under ancient feudal powers due to be abolished within weeks.

More than 3,500 Scots, mainly woman and children, and their cats were killed in witch hunts at a time of political intrigue and religious ferment. Many were condemned on flimsy evidence, such as owning a black cat or brewing homemade remedies.

Prestonpans region had recorded one of the largest numbers of witch executions in all of Scotland, said Conn, who is the "mountjoye," or official spokeswoman, for the Barons Courts of Prestoungrange & Dolphinstoun.

She said Gordon Prestoungrange, the 14th baron, granted the pardons for the convictions in the last session of his court, which is due to be abolished on November 28.

"'Most of those persons condemned for witchcraft within the jurisdiction of the Baron Courts of Prestoungrange and Dolphinstoun were convicted on the basis of spectral evidence -- that is to say, prosecuting witnesses declared that they felt the presence of evil sprits or heard spirit voices,"' the court said in its written findings.

"Such spectral evidence is impossible to prove or to disprove; nor is it possible for the accused to cross-examine the spirit concerned. One is convicted upon the very making of such charges without any possibility of offering a defense."

The court declared an absolute pardon to all those convicted, "as well as to the cats concerned."

Conn said 15 local descendants of executed witches had been invited to attend the ceremony and inaugural Witches' Remembrance Day, which will become an annual event in the township each Halloween.

"It's too late to apologize but it's a sort of symbolic recognition that these people were put to death for hysterical ignorance and paranoia," said local historian Roy Pugh, who presented evidence to the court in support of the pardons.

The last execution for witchcraft in Scotland was in 1727. Such cases were outlawed by the Witchcraft Act of 1735, which made it a crime only to pretend to be a witch.

Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.