http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/4/30/4285432/sacramento-kings-sale-chris-hansen-seattle
No NBA means no NHL, at least for now. Maybe the ciy can still swing it, but it seems doubtful.
2013-04-29
THE 'Greatest Uncontrolled Experiment Ever Launched'?
http://truth-out.org/news/item/16052-how-americans-became-exposed-to-biohazards-in-the-greatest-uncontrolled-experiment-ever-launched
When I first saw this headline, I was convinced Monsanto was somewhere in it ...
... well ...
When I first saw this headline, I was convinced Monsanto was somewhere in it ...
... well ...
These synthetic materials are just a few of the thousands now firmly embedded in our lives and our bodies. Most have been deployed in our world and put in our air, water, homes, and fields without being studied at all for potential health risks, nor has much attention been given to how they interact in the environments in which we live, let alone our bodies. The groups that produce these miracle substances -- like the petrochemical, plastics, and rubber industries, including major companies like Exxon, Dow, and Monsanto -- argue that, until we can definitively prove the chemical products slowly leaching into our bodies are dangerous, we have no “right,” and they have no obligation, to remove them from our homes and workplaces. The idea that they should prove their products safe before exposing the entire population to them seems to be a foreign concept.
Should I be excited?
Habs take division title (by happenstance really) and are in the playoffs -
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/feature/?id=9283
My hopes and wishes are with Price.
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/feature/?id=9283
My hopes and wishes are with Price.
2013-04-25
It's too true.
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/25/the-fake-skills-shortage/
As someone who was one of the indentured servants described in the comments, I can vouch for the accuracy of the entry.
Some telling comments about class from 'mobocracy'-
"Missing from this is the cultural component to this. My wife is a senior marketing manager at a company whose products and services involve geotechnical engineering.
We got into a debate about H1B workers and the "shortage" of qualified engineers. I asked her why they didn't pay more to hire the engineers available and she said they were "too expensive". When I asked her why they didn't cut her salary to balance to cost of engineers, she gave me a pretty shocking answer -- executives and marketing personnel "always" need to be paid more than engineers because they are intrinsically more valuable.
In my opinion this explains a lot, and it seems cultural. Even though the products and services DEPEND on engineers, there's some kind of ceiling on their value relative to managers and marketing personnel. I think this attitude also explains the death of manufacturing -- these people and those jobs are less valuable in the same way that a commoner is less valuable than an aristocrat. It's class driven."
And this one by THR -
"An H1-B employee and their family can be forced to leave the country within 2 weeks of losing the job the H1-B relies on, even if the person has been here for several years. Houses, cars, furniture must be sold at fire sale prices if they lose their visa. If an H1-B worker wishes to acquire a green card, they can be required by their contracting company to use the company's immigration attorneys. An Indian friend of mine got his green card after 5 years of effort and $25,000 in expenditures.
The result of these conditions is a workforce that NEVER expects a raise and never complains because the cost of dismissal is so high."
I've lived through the latter, and observed the former way too often.
As someone who was one of the indentured servants described in the comments, I can vouch for the accuracy of the entry.
Some telling comments about class from 'mobocracy'-
"Missing from this is the cultural component to this. My wife is a senior marketing manager at a company whose products and services involve geotechnical engineering.
We got into a debate about H1B workers and the "shortage" of qualified engineers. I asked her why they didn't pay more to hire the engineers available and she said they were "too expensive". When I asked her why they didn't cut her salary to balance to cost of engineers, she gave me a pretty shocking answer -- executives and marketing personnel "always" need to be paid more than engineers because they are intrinsically more valuable.
In my opinion this explains a lot, and it seems cultural. Even though the products and services DEPEND on engineers, there's some kind of ceiling on their value relative to managers and marketing personnel. I think this attitude also explains the death of manufacturing -- these people and those jobs are less valuable in the same way that a commoner is less valuable than an aristocrat. It's class driven."
And this one by THR -
"An H1-B employee and their family can be forced to leave the country within 2 weeks of losing the job the H1-B relies on, even if the person has been here for several years. Houses, cars, furniture must be sold at fire sale prices if they lose their visa. If an H1-B worker wishes to acquire a green card, they can be required by their contracting company to use the company's immigration attorneys. An Indian friend of mine got his green card after 5 years of effort and $25,000 in expenditures.
The result of these conditions is a workforce that NEVER expects a raise and never complains because the cost of dismissal is so high."
I've lived through the latter, and observed the former way too often.
It certainly fucked up my life for sure.
http://www.thenation.com/blog/174040/how-honor-roll-cheats-students-and-divides-schools
For me, growing up in an environment being a boy, and a visible minority speaking a primary language that itself was a minority within a larger majority, there was this pervasive feeling all the time: everything you did was being watched. If you stumbled or fought (or worse, were shown to be wrong by saying something considered stupid), if you didn't keep yourself cleaner, if you didn't run faster, didn't climb higher, and so on, you were scrutinized and brutalized and shamed and embarrased and pushed around and mocked by every grown-up around you, and the kids in school would ostracize you. In this environment, people thought with their eyes - they judged you first by what color you were, and because that color wasn't their's, you were instantly on edge and on alert.
The only defense in that regard; the only way to rise above this was to get better grades. This was a way to define oneself away from all that. For the longest time, I tried and succeeded because I found things like homework and so on easy. But after awhile, I couldn't do it any more, and when you've got nothing else to fall back on, you become a social pariah. That's how high school ended up for me, as did college, and university.
Now let's be clear - I have no one to blame but myself for this. My perception of things was skewed, only I didn't realize it.
How many times do I recall my parents telling me about some other brown kid in another school who was able to succeed when I couldn't even though I tried my best? And of course they were usually girls, so naturally I felt worse.
But the central message I got from that wasn't to motivate me to try harder in school because I had to. For me it was interpreted as - you cannot do better so accept that your life will be miserable.
I can't help but think that kind of life goes on for many kids like me - who could do well enough to survive if I was the same color and judged equally, but that was never enough. You had to do better than everyone else because your skin color and gender will always be used against you.
So for me, being on the honor roll was the only metric I was measured by, and how I measured myself because I wasn't an athelete, I wasn't popular or witty, I wasn't a musician, I wasn't an actor, and so on. And when I lost the ability to focus and concentrate, when things got too hard, rather than find ways to aid myself and continue, I got lazy.
For me, growing up in an environment being a boy, and a visible minority speaking a primary language that itself was a minority within a larger majority, there was this pervasive feeling all the time: everything you did was being watched. If you stumbled or fought (or worse, were shown to be wrong by saying something considered stupid), if you didn't keep yourself cleaner, if you didn't run faster, didn't climb higher, and so on, you were scrutinized and brutalized and shamed and embarrased and pushed around and mocked by every grown-up around you, and the kids in school would ostracize you. In this environment, people thought with their eyes - they judged you first by what color you were, and because that color wasn't their's, you were instantly on edge and on alert.
The only defense in that regard; the only way to rise above this was to get better grades. This was a way to define oneself away from all that. For the longest time, I tried and succeeded because I found things like homework and so on easy. But after awhile, I couldn't do it any more, and when you've got nothing else to fall back on, you become a social pariah. That's how high school ended up for me, as did college, and university.
Now let's be clear - I have no one to blame but myself for this. My perception of things was skewed, only I didn't realize it.
How many times do I recall my parents telling me about some other brown kid in another school who was able to succeed when I couldn't even though I tried my best? And of course they were usually girls, so naturally I felt worse.
But the central message I got from that wasn't to motivate me to try harder in school because I had to. For me it was interpreted as - you cannot do better so accept that your life will be miserable.
I can't help but think that kind of life goes on for many kids like me - who could do well enough to survive if I was the same color and judged equally, but that was never enough. You had to do better than everyone else because your skin color and gender will always be used against you.
So for me, being on the honor roll was the only metric I was measured by, and how I measured myself because I wasn't an athelete, I wasn't popular or witty, I wasn't a musician, I wasn't an actor, and so on. And when I lost the ability to focus and concentrate, when things got too hard, rather than find ways to aid myself and continue, I got lazy.
2013-04-22
Earth Day 2013
Seriously, I feel as though no one really cares about what the day is supposed to be about.
Now it feels more like a marketing event, rather than a time to reflect on the fact that the planet simply cannot hold us all and our mad corporate-driven consumer society. The planet's atmosphere is slowing warming up, we're burning more fossil fuels than ever, and more than ever than I recall, no one really seems to be doing constructive anything about it. Each subsequent generation seems to care less about the problem; yet they will be impacted the most.
The Arctic and Antarctic Ice Packs are melting faster than ever. The oceans are acidifying faster than ever.
Our food stocks are being exhausted, and the agricompanies are finding new ways to poison the remaining food supply with frankenfood whenever and where ever our governments and inaction allow it.
Corporations have more rights than individual people do, and they pay less tax. The only innovations I ever see are in the how we find new ways to kill each other, which is only trumped by new ways to distract us.
How else can I say it - we're slowing killing the human race. There isn't going to be an Internet around to bitch about it (and anyways, even if there were, we'd all be monitored here in the US, thanks to CISPA) as the entire planet will be covered with polluted water.
Am I the only one who sees this anymore?
Now it feels more like a marketing event, rather than a time to reflect on the fact that the planet simply cannot hold us all and our mad corporate-driven consumer society. The planet's atmosphere is slowing warming up, we're burning more fossil fuels than ever, and more than ever than I recall, no one really seems to be doing constructive anything about it. Each subsequent generation seems to care less about the problem; yet they will be impacted the most.
The Arctic and Antarctic Ice Packs are melting faster than ever. The oceans are acidifying faster than ever.
Our food stocks are being exhausted, and the agricompanies are finding new ways to poison the remaining food supply with frankenfood whenever and where ever our governments and inaction allow it.
Corporations have more rights than individual people do, and they pay less tax. The only innovations I ever see are in the how we find new ways to kill each other, which is only trumped by new ways to distract us.
How else can I say it - we're slowing killing the human race. There isn't going to be an Internet around to bitch about it (and anyways, even if there were, we'd all be monitored here in the US, thanks to CISPA) as the entire planet will be covered with polluted water.
Am I the only one who sees this anymore?
The explosion no one cares about.
No not the one in Boston. I'm referring the one that killed 14 people in Texas -
"It seems this manufacturer was willfully off the grid," Rep. Bennie Thompson, (D-MS), ranking member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said in a statement. "This facility was known to have chemicals well above the threshold amount to be regulated under the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards Act (CFATS), yet we understand that DHS did not even know the plant existed until it blew up."
Texas fertilizer company didn't heed disclosure rules before blast
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/20/us-usa-explosion-regulation-idUSBRE93J09N20130420"It seems this manufacturer was willfully off the grid," Rep. Bennie Thompson, (D-MS), ranking member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said in a statement. "This facility was known to have chemicals well above the threshold amount to be regulated under the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards Act (CFATS), yet we understand that DHS did not even know the plant existed until it blew up."
2013-04-19
Overclass: The enemy of democracy.
"Two major social engineering projects were underway: one, the manufacture of ideology, largely the initiative of philanthropic foundations (and the social sciences), and the other, public relations as a modern form of propaganda. Both of these social engineering projects were designed to ensure social control through social engineering, and both were to have a profound impact upon both the definition and function of modern “democracies.”
Through the educational system, the social sciences, philanthropic foundations, public relations, advertising, marketing, and the media, America and the industrialized states of the world developed a unique and complex system of social control and propaganda for the 20th century and into the 21st. It is imperative to recognize and understand this complex system if we are to challenge and change it."
http://truth-out.org/news/item/15784-the-propaganda-system-that-has-helped-create-a-permanent-overclass-is-over-a-century-in-the-making
Through the educational system, the social sciences, philanthropic foundations, public relations, advertising, marketing, and the media, America and the industrialized states of the world developed a unique and complex system of social control and propaganda for the 20th century and into the 21st. It is imperative to recognize and understand this complex system if we are to challenge and change it."
http://truth-out.org/news/item/15784-the-propaganda-system-that-has-helped-create-a-permanent-overclass-is-over-a-century-in-the-making
2013-04-18
4th Amendment out the window?
http://www.businessinsider.com/congress-passes-cispa-cybersecurity-bill-2013-4
Will the President veto it?
Will the President veto it?
2013-04-16
2013-04-14
For all the idiots out there.
Next time you see some idiot laughing at a guy getting kicked in the crotch, send them here -
You know, when I saw this, I wasn't laughing at all. That woman is in immense pain and you can see it. Yet it seems there's a whole generation of people out there who think that laughing at a man getting hurt either accidentally or otherwise is empowering, or funny, or justice or retribution or some other stupidity ...
And no, don't tell me to get over or grow up it or some other shit like that. Since when is someone getting hurt remotely amusing?
I know why most people laugh - if they're women likely it's getting off on their own moral superiority and seeing a man and his manhood in dire straits is somehow uplifting to them; if it's men laughing it's because they simply don't have a pair to really understand what it's like. Can't help but notice the stench of hatred and disgust behind that now.
But either way it's bullshit.
And don't call me misogynist. I don't post that video because I somehow like to see people hurt. I post it because it's my hope when people see it, they react as I did - with empathy - and begin to wonder why this sort of thing was ever amusing to them to begin with. And perhaps, the next time they see a man in a similar circumstance, they'll react the same way with empathy instead of ridicule.
Getting hurt is getting hurt, regardless of the gender. And people who feel empathy for one gender and not the other are a bunch of hypocrites, and certainly not something future generations should pay attention to.
You know, when I saw this, I wasn't laughing at all. That woman is in immense pain and you can see it. Yet it seems there's a whole generation of people out there who think that laughing at a man getting hurt either accidentally or otherwise is empowering, or funny, or justice or retribution or some other stupidity ...
And no, don't tell me to get over or grow up it or some other shit like that. Since when is someone getting hurt remotely amusing?
I know why most people laugh - if they're women likely it's getting off on their own moral superiority and seeing a man and his manhood in dire straits is somehow uplifting to them; if it's men laughing it's because they simply don't have a pair to really understand what it's like. Can't help but notice the stench of hatred and disgust behind that now.
But either way it's bullshit.
And don't call me misogynist. I don't post that video because I somehow like to see people hurt. I post it because it's my hope when people see it, they react as I did - with empathy - and begin to wonder why this sort of thing was ever amusing to them to begin with. And perhaps, the next time they see a man in a similar circumstance, they'll react the same way with empathy instead of ridicule.
Getting hurt is getting hurt, regardless of the gender. And people who feel empathy for one gender and not the other are a bunch of hypocrites, and certainly not something future generations should pay attention to.
Stunning is a fucking understatement.
http://www.naturalnews.com/039864_GMO_corn_nutrients_minerals.html
"A breakthrough report on the nutritional density of genetically-modified (GM) corn crops demolishes all existing claims that GMOs are "substantially equivalent" to non-GMOs. Entitled 2012 Nutritional Analysis: Comparison of GMO Corn versus Non-GMO Corn, the paper reveals not only that GMO corn is greatly lacking in vitamins and minerals compared to non-GMO corn, but also that it is highly toxic and filled with deadly crop chemicals like glyphosate (Roundup)."
http://www.momsacrossamerica.com/stunning_corn_comparison_gmo_versus_non_gmo
"The important thing to note in these deficiencies is that these are exactly the deficiencies in a human being that lead to susceptibility to sickness, disorders and cancer. People who have osteoporosis are low in calcium and magnesium, people who have cancer are low in Magnesium. The list goes on and on.
GMO Corn has 14 ppm of Calcium and NON GMO corn has 6130 ppm. 437 X more.
GMO corn has 2 ppm of Magnesium and NON GMO corn has 113ppm. 56 X more.
GMO corn has 2 ppm of Manganese and NON GMO corn has 14ppm. 7X more.
Look at the levels of Formaldehyde and Glyphosate IN the corn! The EPA standards for Glyphosate in water in America is .7ppm. In Europe it is .2 ppm. Tests showed organ damage to animals at .1ppm of Glyphosate in water. This corn has 13 ppm! "
But wait, there's more!
http://www.momsacrossamerica.com/more_info_on_2012_corn_comparison_report
"There have also been many comments that this report is not true. I wish it weren't true. The people who say it is not true, however are people who work in the Genetic Engineering field and want to protect their science. I get that. If you question it, please request that Monsanto runs an independent study or show their own data. We suspect they have this data already, as they pressured the EPA to raise the EPA standard of Glyphosate from 6.2 to 13ppm the year before this report came out. They also had the Monsanto Protection Act rider passed in the nick of time from when this information was posted. We believe they knew harm could come from their GMO corn and had the protection act passed to pre-empt lawsuits. "
"A breakthrough report on the nutritional density of genetically-modified (GM) corn crops demolishes all existing claims that GMOs are "substantially equivalent" to non-GMOs. Entitled 2012 Nutritional Analysis: Comparison of GMO Corn versus Non-GMO Corn, the paper reveals not only that GMO corn is greatly lacking in vitamins and minerals compared to non-GMO corn, but also that it is highly toxic and filled with deadly crop chemicals like glyphosate (Roundup)."
http://www.momsacrossamerica.com/stunning_corn_comparison_gmo_versus_non_gmo
"The important thing to note in these deficiencies is that these are exactly the deficiencies in a human being that lead to susceptibility to sickness, disorders and cancer. People who have osteoporosis are low in calcium and magnesium, people who have cancer are low in Magnesium. The list goes on and on.
GMO Corn has 14 ppm of Calcium and NON GMO corn has 6130 ppm. 437 X more.
GMO corn has 2 ppm of Magnesium and NON GMO corn has 113ppm. 56 X more.
GMO corn has 2 ppm of Manganese and NON GMO corn has 14ppm. 7X more.
Look at the levels of Formaldehyde and Glyphosate IN the corn! The EPA standards for Glyphosate in water in America is .7ppm. In Europe it is .2 ppm. Tests showed organ damage to animals at .1ppm of Glyphosate in water. This corn has 13 ppm! "
But wait, there's more!
http://www.momsacrossamerica.com/more_info_on_2012_corn_comparison_report
"There have also been many comments that this report is not true. I wish it weren't true. The people who say it is not true, however are people who work in the Genetic Engineering field and want to protect their science. I get that. If you question it, please request that Monsanto runs an independent study or show their own data. We suspect they have this data already, as they pressured the EPA to raise the EPA standard of Glyphosate from 6.2 to 13ppm the year before this report came out. They also had the Monsanto Protection Act rider passed in the nick of time from when this information was posted. We believe they knew harm could come from their GMO corn and had the protection act passed to pre-empt lawsuits. "
2013-04-13
2013-04-11
Liberalish II
http://consortiumnews.com/2013/04/10/the-madness-of-nyts-tom-friedman/
I'm sure if I ever met Tom Friedman, he'd probably refer to me as a 'squish-brain'.
But see? That's the point of these people. Folks like Friedman and the like, pretend that they are liberal or progressive because it sells them as brand to the media establishment. They become a convenient tool for the establishment to continue their right-wing influence and dominance on their consumers, all the while pretending they are 'balanced' with a fake liberal.
I'm sure if I ever met Tom Friedman, he'd probably refer to me as a 'squish-brain'.
But see? That's the point of these people. Folks like Friedman and the like, pretend that they are liberal or progressive because it sells them as brand to the media establishment. They become a convenient tool for the establishment to continue their right-wing influence and dominance on their consumers, all the while pretending they are 'balanced' with a fake liberal.
Do you ever have one of those days ...
... where it seems everyone in your life is fighting to maintain an orderly line to come up to you and stick their fingers in every hole in your existence and repeatedly twist it?
For me, it seems like it's been that way for me for a very long time. In fact I cannot recall the last time I really felt like I had control or influence in a lot of anything good in what goes on.
For me, it seems like it's been that way for me for a very long time. In fact I cannot recall the last time I really felt like I had control or influence in a lot of anything good in what goes on.
2013-04-10
Watches and umbrellas.
I seem to have had bad luck with keeping watches and umbrellas. It must be me.
I mean, when it comes to watches, I think I've had easily over a 100 different ones since I started wearing them when I was going into high school. And it's not that all of them were cheap, no. Some of them were really good watches - over $100. Admittedly some lasted more than a couple of years, but others don't last more than a few months.
And it's always something - batteries going dead, straps breaking or cracking, cuffs ripping, the glass fracturing, or the watch simply stops working period. Looking at that, one could swear I spend all day throwing the things around at walls or off buses. But no. I simply wear them on my wrist, and the same one every day.
The Mrs. proposed that it could be because I wear them, even at night, that the heat from my skin causes them to wear out faster than normal. But see the thing is, as a man, I'd not feel right without one on (obviously the exception is in the shower or bath). It goes back to what I've watched. In pretty much every TV show or movie bedroom scene I see, the woman even when unclothed always has on jewelery or nail polish or something; while the man, is naked. I never liked that. I always felt that there was a sense of inequality to that, and so whenever I've been in bed with a woman, I always felt somewhat less naked with a watch on.
Ok - I know. More information that you'd care to read. Well leave then.
Maybe I've seen too many 007 movies where Sean Connery or Roger Moore would have on a swanky Rolex or Seiko watch after banging some fluzzy-de-jour, such that I equate that with being a man.
But anyways, watches should not be so fragile. I expect they should be made of better stuff, and last longer. Perhaps one day I'll plunk down some real cash and get something nice.
Then there's umbrellas.
I've gotten and tried just about every kind over the last 10 years. The always rip, the structure always crack whether they're metal or fiberglass, they never stay clean, they are either too tall to fit in a back pack when not in use, or they're too small to cover my large head and keep it dry. And it doesn't help that in the Pacific Northwest, it doesn't really rain as it's more windy and misty all the fucking time. So I look like a fucking tourist because I use one (I've never been keen on raincoat because I don't like hoods. Plus I wear glasses.).
The ideal umbrella should be sturdy - it should be able to not blow up in a strong wind.
It should be wide - I should be able to keep most of my upper body dry.
It should be able to fit in a back pack - you'd be amazed how many times I've been caught out on what turned out to be a dry day and walking around like a bigger idiot than normal holding an umbrella.
And it should be black. I'm not sure if there's any scientific or business reason why black seems to work, except that it looks a lot better than pretty much everything else.
What is the alternative then?
I mean, when it comes to watches, I think I've had easily over a 100 different ones since I started wearing them when I was going into high school. And it's not that all of them were cheap, no. Some of them were really good watches - over $100. Admittedly some lasted more than a couple of years, but others don't last more than a few months.
And it's always something - batteries going dead, straps breaking or cracking, cuffs ripping, the glass fracturing, or the watch simply stops working period. Looking at that, one could swear I spend all day throwing the things around at walls or off buses. But no. I simply wear them on my wrist, and the same one every day.
The Mrs. proposed that it could be because I wear them, even at night, that the heat from my skin causes them to wear out faster than normal. But see the thing is, as a man, I'd not feel right without one on (obviously the exception is in the shower or bath). It goes back to what I've watched. In pretty much every TV show or movie bedroom scene I see, the woman even when unclothed always has on jewelery or nail polish or something; while the man, is naked. I never liked that. I always felt that there was a sense of inequality to that, and so whenever I've been in bed with a woman, I always felt somewhat less naked with a watch on.
Ok - I know. More information that you'd care to read. Well leave then.
Maybe I've seen too many 007 movies where Sean Connery or Roger Moore would have on a swanky Rolex or Seiko watch after banging some fluzzy-de-jour, such that I equate that with being a man.
But anyways, watches should not be so fragile. I expect they should be made of better stuff, and last longer. Perhaps one day I'll plunk down some real cash and get something nice.
Then there's umbrellas.
I've gotten and tried just about every kind over the last 10 years. The always rip, the structure always crack whether they're metal or fiberglass, they never stay clean, they are either too tall to fit in a back pack when not in use, or they're too small to cover my large head and keep it dry. And it doesn't help that in the Pacific Northwest, it doesn't really rain as it's more windy and misty all the fucking time. So I look like a fucking tourist because I use one (I've never been keen on raincoat because I don't like hoods. Plus I wear glasses.).
The ideal umbrella should be sturdy - it should be able to not blow up in a strong wind.
It should be wide - I should be able to keep most of my upper body dry.
It should be able to fit in a back pack - you'd be amazed how many times I've been caught out on what turned out to be a dry day and walking around like a bigger idiot than normal holding an umbrella.
And it should be black. I'm not sure if there's any scientific or business reason why black seems to work, except that it looks a lot better than pretty much everything else.
What is the alternative then?
2013-04-07
Sirhan - just like Oswald, Ray?
Both the latter two were deemed 'lone gunman', but claimed there was a larger conspiracy at work behind the crimes they were accused of committing.
Wonder if it's the same here -
http://whowhatwhy.com/2013/04/05/rfk-assassination-legal-case-update/
You think I'm conspiracy nut? It's kind of hard to argue with facts, isn't it?
"Inadvertantly [sic], the Report begins by actually supporting Petitioner’s claim of actual innocence. It states: “As Senator Kennedy stopped to shake hands with hotel employees, Petitioner walked toward him extending his arm. Instead of shaking Senator Kennedy’s hand, Petitioner shot him.”(CD 199 at p.1)
This recitation of the activity leading up to the shooting is a virtual admission of Petitioner’s innocence since Senator Kennedy was hit by three bullets, fired in an upward angle (indicating that the shooter may have been kneeling behind the Senator) from behind him, by a weapon pressed up against his back with the fatal shot fired about an inch behind his right ear. All shots left powder burns on the back of his jacket and on his skin behind his right ear.
The Report explicitly acknowledges, along with the statements of twelve eye witnesses, that Petitioner was, at all times, in front of the Senator, where, as the Report confirms, the Petitioner could have shaken hands with him.
Petitioner questions whether further comment is necessary in light of this embarrassingly absurd factual foundation for the recommendation that the Petition be dismissed."
Wonder if it's the same here -
http://whowhatwhy.com/2013/04/05/rfk-assassination-legal-case-update/
You think I'm conspiracy nut? It's kind of hard to argue with facts, isn't it?
"Inadvertantly [sic], the Report begins by actually supporting Petitioner’s claim of actual innocence. It states: “As Senator Kennedy stopped to shake hands with hotel employees, Petitioner walked toward him extending his arm. Instead of shaking Senator Kennedy’s hand, Petitioner shot him.”(CD 199 at p.1)
This recitation of the activity leading up to the shooting is a virtual admission of Petitioner’s innocence since Senator Kennedy was hit by three bullets, fired in an upward angle (indicating that the shooter may have been kneeling behind the Senator) from behind him, by a weapon pressed up against his back with the fatal shot fired about an inch behind his right ear. All shots left powder burns on the back of his jacket and on his skin behind his right ear.
The Report explicitly acknowledges, along with the statements of twelve eye witnesses, that Petitioner was, at all times, in front of the Senator, where, as the Report confirms, the Petitioner could have shaken hands with him.
Petitioner questions whether further comment is necessary in light of this embarrassingly absurd factual foundation for the recommendation that the Petition be dismissed."
The Blue Gang, eh?
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2013/04/05/montreal-anti-police-brutality-protest.html
"The demonstrators were speaking out against municipal bylaw P-6, which allows police to declare protests illegal if organizers fail to provide authorities with an itinerary."
That bylaw doesn't seem very democratic to more than just me now, does it? Certainly seems against the law is these are demonstrations, are neither riots nor expressions of hatred; which most democratic societies place restrictions on free speech and assembly on -
"Le Pacte international relatif aux droits civils et politiques, dont le Canada est signataire, énonce non seulement le droit à la liberté d’expression, mais aussi les limites légales des restrictions à ce droit :
Merci M. Robert.
It shocks, but doesn't surprise me.
"The demonstrators were speaking out against municipal bylaw P-6, which allows police to declare protests illegal if organizers fail to provide authorities with an itinerary."
That bylaw doesn't seem very democratic to more than just me now, does it? Certainly seems against the law is these are demonstrations, are neither riots nor expressions of hatred; which most democratic societies place restrictions on free speech and assembly on -
"Le Pacte international relatif aux droits civils et politiques, dont le Canada est signataire, énonce non seulement le droit à la liberté d’expression, mais aussi les limites légales des restrictions à ce droit :
1. Nul ne peut être inquiété pour ses opinions.
2. Toute personne a droit à la liberté d’expression; ce droit comprend la liberté de rechercher, de recevoir et de répandre des informations et des idées de toute espèce, sans considération de frontières, sous une forme orale, écrite, imprimée ou artistique, ou par tout autre moyen de son choix.
3. L’exercice des libertés prévues au paragraphe 2 du présent article comporte des devoirs spéciaux et des responsabilités spéciales. Il peut en conséquence être soumis à certaines restrictions qui doivent toutefois être expressément fixées par la loi et qui sont nécessaires:
a) Au respect des droits ou de la réputation d’autrui;
b) A la sauvegarde de la sécurité nationale, de l’ordre public, de la santé ou de la moralité publiques.
Une loi, un règlement d’un État signataire, peut donc restreindre le droit à l’expression et le droit à la réunion pacifique, pour autant que la restriction soit nécessaire pour assurer la sécurité de la nation.
Ce type de restriction est d’usage, et normal, dans une société libre et démocratique. Au Canada, une telle restriction prend place à l’article premier de la Charte. L’exemple le plus facile à comprendre est celui de la propagande haineuse. La liberté d’expression, oui, mais pas au point de protéger le droit à l’expression de la haine publique dangereuse. C’est ainsi que les dispositions qui criminalisent la propagande haineuse sont des restrictions raisonnables au droit à la liberté d’expression.
Il est évident que la participation active à une émeute ne fait l’objet d’aucune protection constitutionnelle. Il en va autrement de la participation à une manifestation."
Merci M. Robert.
It shocks, but doesn't surprise me.
2013-04-06
Monsanto - everything you ever wanted to know.
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/reports/monsanto-a-corporate-profile/
Download the full report (http://documents.foodandwaterwatch.org/doc/MonsantoReport.pdf) and read it.
It's an excellent summary of a company that represents the pinnacle of what unfettered capitalism and global corporate influence and unaccountable power does to a democratic society.
Download the full report (http://documents.foodandwaterwatch.org/doc/MonsantoReport.pdf) and read it.
It's an excellent summary of a company that represents the pinnacle of what unfettered capitalism and global corporate influence and unaccountable power does to a democratic society.
2013-04-04
What an ugly set of pictures.
Well now, I've often said that Americans don't care about anything outside their backyards. I bet these folks sure care now, I know I sure would.
But wait - there's more!
The company that caused it - ExxonMobil - has a no-fly zone over the spill site through the federal government to stop images of this expanding disaster from being made public. Perhaps they don't want Keystone XL to be stopped?
UPDATE: More here.
Even if I loved using and owning guns in the US, this is why I would never ever trust NRA.
VIDEO: NRA instructor couldn’t be at protest because– oops!– he shot himself in the foot
To me it's like pretty much any right-wing organizaton and why I don't trust them.
2013-04-03
Influence peddling and lobbying? No not here.
I'm not a lawyer or legal scholar, but it's hard to see this as anything other than what it appears to be.
http://www.publicintegrity.org/2013/03/28/12368/corporations-pro-business-nonprofits-foot-bill-judicial-seminars
"EPA loses case
In April 2009, for example, Jolly traveled to Northwestern University to attend the “Criminalization of Corporate Conduct” seminar sponsored by the American Petroleum Institute, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and 13 other funders.
Last August, Jolly wrote the majority 2-1 opinion declaring that the Environmental Protection Agency broke the law when it rejected a Texas emissions cap generally supported by the fossil fuels industry.
Jolly, who did not respond to requests for comment, sided with two of the petitioners in the suit — the American Petroleum Institute and the U.S. Chamber."
Conflict of interest, no?
No influencing due to the time elapsed, yes?
Legal? I cannot say.
If this is what capitalism truly is, then I don't see how it helps the public.
http://www.publicintegrity.org/2013/03/28/12368/corporations-pro-business-nonprofits-foot-bill-judicial-seminars
"EPA loses case
In April 2009, for example, Jolly traveled to Northwestern University to attend the “Criminalization of Corporate Conduct” seminar sponsored by the American Petroleum Institute, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and 13 other funders.
Last August, Jolly wrote the majority 2-1 opinion declaring that the Environmental Protection Agency broke the law when it rejected a Texas emissions cap generally supported by the fossil fuels industry.
Jolly, who did not respond to requests for comment, sided with two of the petitioners in the suit — the American Petroleum Institute and the U.S. Chamber."
Conflict of interest, no?
No influencing due to the time elapsed, yes?
Legal? I cannot say.
If this is what capitalism truly is, then I don't see how it helps the public.
2013-04-02
No longer restricted by the Establishment, James Hansen can truly help the cause that will destroy us if not dealt with.
http://grist.org/news/james-hansen-to-quit-nasa-become-full-time-climate-activist/?utm_campaign=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter
Let's hope we all listen.
James Hansen to quit NASA, become full-time climate activist
Let's hope we all listen.
2013-04-01
Sadly it's no joke.
We're all fools to let this one go by unnoticed or unchallenged -
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2013/04/01/technology-scientist-muzzling-information-commissioner.html
"Canada's information commissioner has confirmed that her office will investigate allegations that the federal government is muzzling its scientists."
Further information - http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2013/02/20/science-muzzled-scientists-information-commissioner.html
Hmm ... silencing the communicating of scientific knowledge is a tool of the right-wing. Much like cutting off information to the public works in the interests of the global confederation in maintaining control in a capitialist society.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2013/04/01/technology-scientist-muzzling-information-commissioner.html
"Canada's information commissioner has confirmed that her office will investigate allegations that the federal government is muzzling its scientists."
Further information - http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2013/02/20/science-muzzled-scientists-information-commissioner.html
Hmm ... silencing the communicating of scientific knowledge is a tool of the right-wing. Much like cutting off information to the public works in the interests of the global confederation in maintaining control in a capitialist society.
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