Sin nombre (2009)
Here is a little bit more about the movie, and the making of it.
Ignore the title of the article, MS-13 isn't just a Mexican gang, it was started in LA by Salvadoran immigrants fleeing the civil war there, something the US should have stayed away from, but didn't. . They are all over the Americas now and probably coming to a country near you.
Anyway, the article says the director liked the gang members that he ended up working with but I hope I never have to deal with any of those guys. Just the sight of the ones with the tattooed faces is repulsive to me, not that some of the most dangerous criminals don't even have tattoos, but I almost turned the movie off in the first ten minutes. I'm not fond of tattoos. I'm glad I stuck it out because it's not a bad movie.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Gordon points us to Palast to explain the AZ immigration law kerfluffle
Gordon
Greg Palast
I knew somebody would get to the bottom of this crap. It's not about being an illegal alien, it's about proof of citizenship (not a easy as you'd think if you're really poor, but definitely legal) and voting for Democrats.
Greg Palast
I knew somebody would get to the bottom of this crap. It's not about being an illegal alien, it's about proof of citizenship (not a easy as you'd think if you're really poor, but definitely legal) and voting for Democrats.
Yes, sometimes I do still think
Suzan's post yesterday made me wonder what has been happening over at The Oil Drum . And what Matthew Simmons has been up to recently.
Are policymakers, economists and peak oilists starting to speak the same language?
April 21, 2010 2:00pm
by Kate Mackenzie
Are policymakers, economists and peak oilists starting to speak the same language?
April 21, 2010 2:00pm
by Kate Mackenzie
Monday, April 26, 2010
Dinner and a movie
After 2 weeks worth of being sick I finally left the house and bought food.
For myself.
That I didn't have to cook.
I didn't think the old man would try the goat curry, chicken tikka masala and mango milkshake anyway. The only thing I wouldn't get again is the goat curry, especially after looking online and finding a few links to "goat curry" that take me to a mutton curry recipe. I probably wouldn't know goat meat from mutton in a curry anyway, it's too spicy. I don't like this particular recipe, or the bones, or what looks like three bay leaves in one serving of it. Besides, she just smiled when I asked where you get goat meat around here.
Come to think of it, there is NO meat raised commercially in San Diego, not even eggs or chickens or a dairy anymore, everything is trucked in frozen, or refrigerated. The water is so expensive, not too many crops are grown here either. Betcha locavores are far and few between here.
For myself.
That I didn't have to cook.
I didn't think the old man would try the goat curry, chicken tikka masala and mango milkshake anyway. The only thing I wouldn't get again is the goat curry, especially after looking online and finding a few links to "goat curry" that take me to a mutton curry recipe. I probably wouldn't know goat meat from mutton in a curry anyway, it's too spicy. I don't like this particular recipe, or the bones, or what looks like three bay leaves in one serving of it. Besides, she just smiled when I asked where you get goat meat around here.
Come to think of it, there is NO meat raised commercially in San Diego, not even eggs or chickens or a dairy anymore, everything is trucked in frozen, or refrigerated. The water is so expensive, not too many crops are grown here either. Betcha locavores are far and few between here.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Why We Won’t Leave Afghanistan or Iraq
Tom Engelhardt
Right. That article not depressing enough? Here's another.
US threatens to nuke Iran; blame victim’s “intentions;” beware false flag attack to pull trigger
April 15, 8:59 AMLA County Nonpartisan Examiner Carl Herman
Need more? Bosnia is a mess again.
* Posted on Friday, April 23, 2010
As U.S. shrugs, Bosnia lurches toward disaster again
Yeesh. I think I'll go back to watching my silly TV crime dramas. The bad guys eventually get caught and stopped on TV, and Netflix doesn't bother me with a million advertisements.
Right. That article not depressing enough? Here's another.
US threatens to nuke Iran; blame victim’s “intentions;” beware false flag attack to pull trigger
April 15, 8:59 AMLA County Nonpartisan Examiner Carl Herman
Need more? Bosnia is a mess again.
* Posted on Friday, April 23, 2010
As U.S. shrugs, Bosnia lurches toward disaster again
Yeesh. I think I'll go back to watching my silly TV crime dramas. The bad guys eventually get caught and stopped on TV, and Netflix doesn't bother me with a million advertisements.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Arizona immigration law
Arizona governor signs immigration bill, reopening national debate
By Anne E. Kornblut and Spencer S. Hsu
Saturday, April 24, 2010; A01
...Joining Obama at the Rose Garden event was Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who vetoed similar bills repeatedly during two terms as Arizona's Democratic governor. She said she did so because "they would have diverted critical law enforcement resources from the most serious threats to public safety."
Arizona's immigration law may spur a showdown
Gov. Jan Brewer signs a bill that opponents say encourages racial profiling. President Obama calls the measure 'misguided.' A federal review is underway.
April 23, 2010|By Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times
Some truckers plan boycott over Arizona immigration law
* Posted on Friday, April 23, 2010
* April 23, 2010, 6:34 PM ET
Law Profs On Arizona Immigration Bill: It’s Unconstitutional
WSJ Blogs
(Law Blog WSJ on the cases, trends and personalities of interest to the business community.)
I don't live or work in Arizona so I've got nothing to say. I'm starting to wonder if I'm in the minority in thinking that Arizona should sort out it's own border mess.
By Anne E. Kornblut and Spencer S. Hsu
Saturday, April 24, 2010; A01
...Joining Obama at the Rose Garden event was Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who vetoed similar bills repeatedly during two terms as Arizona's Democratic governor. She said she did so because "they would have diverted critical law enforcement resources from the most serious threats to public safety."
Arizona's immigration law may spur a showdown
Gov. Jan Brewer signs a bill that opponents say encourages racial profiling. President Obama calls the measure 'misguided.' A federal review is underway.
April 23, 2010|By Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times
Some truckers plan boycott over Arizona immigration law
* Posted on Friday, April 23, 2010
* April 23, 2010, 6:34 PM ET
Law Profs On Arizona Immigration Bill: It’s Unconstitutional
WSJ Blogs
(Law Blog WSJ on the cases, trends and personalities of interest to the business community.)
I don't live or work in Arizona so I've got nothing to say. I'm starting to wonder if I'm in the minority in thinking that Arizona should sort out it's own border mess.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Happy 40th Earth Day?
Update 12:22 PM 4/24/2010
Missed this yesterday:
Published on Friday, April 23, 2010 by The Nation
A New Climate Movement in Bolivia
by Naomi Klein Cochabamba, Bolivia
"...explained US climate negotiator Jonathan Pershing. (Anyone wondering why activists from the global South reject the idea of "climate aid" and are instead demanding repayment of "climate debts" has their answer here.) Pershing's message was chilling: if you are poor, you don't have the right to prioritize your own survival..."
April 22, 2010 7:00 AM
Earth Day Poll: Many Think Environment Will Get Worse
Posted by Brian Montopoli
Has Earth Day Become Corporate Greenwash Day?
Rebecca Tarbotton
Executive Director of Rainforest Action Network
Posted: April 22, 2010 01:22 PM
A Brief History of Greenwash
by Joshua Karliner, CorpWatch
March 22nd, 2001
Honoring Gaylord Nelson
By Elizabeth DiNovella, April 23, 2010.
...Condoms for Climate Change?...
Missed this yesterday:
Published on Friday, April 23, 2010 by The Nation
A New Climate Movement in Bolivia
by Naomi Klein Cochabamba, Bolivia
"...explained US climate negotiator Jonathan Pershing. (Anyone wondering why activists from the global South reject the idea of "climate aid" and are instead demanding repayment of "climate debts" has their answer here.) Pershing's message was chilling: if you are poor, you don't have the right to prioritize your own survival..."
April 22, 2010 7:00 AM
Earth Day Poll: Many Think Environment Will Get Worse
Posted by Brian Montopoli
Has Earth Day Become Corporate Greenwash Day?
Rebecca Tarbotton
Executive Director of Rainforest Action Network
Posted: April 22, 2010 01:22 PM
A Brief History of Greenwash
by Joshua Karliner, CorpWatch
March 22nd, 2001
Honoring Gaylord Nelson
By Elizabeth DiNovella, April 23, 2010.
...Condoms for Climate Change?...
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Greenwald last week on Democracy Now on Supreme Court nominations
April 13, 2010
Glenn Greenwald on Why Elena Kagan Would Shift the Supreme Court to the Right and the Death of Dawn Johnsen’s OLC Nomination
Kagan-johnsen
On Capitol Hill, speculation is growing over who President Obama will nominate to replace the retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens. Speculation has centered on three top contenders: Solicitor General Elena Kagan, US Appeals Court Judge Merrick Garland and US Appeals Court Judge Diane Wood. But the White House says about ten candidates remain under serious consideration. Salon.com blogger Glenn Greenwald joins us to talk about some of the contenders, in particular Elena Kagan.
And completely unrelated, but worth reading...no, nevermind, you will be so bored you might not be able to plod to the part worth reading:
"...The argument that some people in the poorer half of the country are not contributing to fund the government is, therefore, simply incoherent once it is broken down and analyzed in depth. The government makes it possible for a modern economy to function. Some of our citizens work, yet end up paying no net taxes (at least as we currently label them). However, their work contributes to the profits and incomes of those higher up the ladder. These citizens might not write the checks, but they surely contribute as much as – if not more than – the rich, who are supposedly over-burdened by government.
In the end, what truly matters is the ability to pay. If it really turned out that we could fund the government by not collecting taxes from some large fraction of the people with modest incomes, then we should do so. Those who supposedly "pay for" the government would still be doing very well."
Yeah, we already know that, but the wealthy class who has never had to work don't have a fucking clue.
Glenn Greenwald on Why Elena Kagan Would Shift the Supreme Court to the Right and the Death of Dawn Johnsen’s OLC Nomination
Kagan-johnsen
On Capitol Hill, speculation is growing over who President Obama will nominate to replace the retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens. Speculation has centered on three top contenders: Solicitor General Elena Kagan, US Appeals Court Judge Merrick Garland and US Appeals Court Judge Diane Wood. But the White House says about ten candidates remain under serious consideration. Salon.com blogger Glenn Greenwald joins us to talk about some of the contenders, in particular Elena Kagan.
And completely unrelated, but worth reading...no, nevermind, you will be so bored you might not be able to plod to the part worth reading:
"...The argument that some people in the poorer half of the country are not contributing to fund the government is, therefore, simply incoherent once it is broken down and analyzed in depth. The government makes it possible for a modern economy to function. Some of our citizens work, yet end up paying no net taxes (at least as we currently label them). However, their work contributes to the profits and incomes of those higher up the ladder. These citizens might not write the checks, but they surely contribute as much as – if not more than – the rich, who are supposedly over-burdened by government.
In the end, what truly matters is the ability to pay. If it really turned out that we could fund the government by not collecting taxes from some large fraction of the people with modest incomes, then we should do so. Those who supposedly "pay for" the government would still be doing very well."
Yeah, we already know that, but the wealthy class who has never had to work don't have a fucking clue.
Better late than never, I suppose
The Audit — April 22, 2010 02:07 PM
Reuters’s Beefed-Up Enterprise Reporting Is Paying Off
By Ryan Chittum
Hopefully they won't be weighing in on this:
April 22, 2010 11:38 AM
Sue Lowden Stands by Chicken Health Care Barter Plan
Posted by Brian Montopoli
This is where I have been going for health care news:
PR Watch.org
Reuters’s Beefed-Up Enterprise Reporting Is Paying Off
By Ryan Chittum
Hopefully they won't be weighing in on this:
April 22, 2010 11:38 AM
Sue Lowden Stands by Chicken Health Care Barter Plan
Posted by Brian Montopoli
This is where I have been going for health care news:
PR Watch.org
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Attorney For Birther Army Doc Hints At Using Discovery To Further Birther Cause
Justin Elliott | April 20, 2010, 10:56AM (TPM)
"Appearing on the G. Gordon Liddy radio show today, the attorney for Lt. Col. Terrence Lakin, the Birther Army doctor who is said to be facing a court martial for refusing orders, suggested that if his client is court-martialled, he will use discovery to try to further the Birther crusade.
One week ago, the military announced that Lakin is under investigation after he refused to report for a second tour in Afghanistan. Lakin believes that President Obama may not be a natural-born citizen, and therefore that military orders are invalid..."
(mouth hanging open in stunned silence)
"Appearing on the G. Gordon Liddy radio show today, the attorney for Lt. Col. Terrence Lakin, the Birther Army doctor who is said to be facing a court martial for refusing orders, suggested that if his client is court-martialled, he will use discovery to try to further the Birther crusade.
One week ago, the military announced that Lakin is under investigation after he refused to report for a second tour in Afghanistan. Lakin believes that President Obama may not be a natural-born citizen, and therefore that military orders are invalid..."
(mouth hanging open in stunned silence)
Monday, April 19, 2010
Some days I just want to weep
for my country.
Oklahoma City marks 15 years since bombing
By TIM TALLEY (AP) – 44 minutes ago
The Oklahoma City Bombing Anniversary and Home-Grown Terrorism
Jim Wallis
Posted: April 19, 2010 11:53 AM
Could Tea Party Rhetoric Lead to Another Oklahoma City?
April 19, 2010 3:01 PM
Noam Chomsky Has ‘Never Seen Anything Like This’
Posted on Apr 19, 2010
By Chris Hedges
FDIC Closes Six Banks: 48 Shut Down In 2010
TIM PARADIS and MARCY GORDON | 04/16/10 10:10 PM | AP
Go to Article from The New York Times »
Oklahoma City marks 15 years since bombing
By TIM TALLEY (AP) – 44 minutes ago
The Oklahoma City Bombing Anniversary and Home-Grown Terrorism
Jim Wallis
Posted: April 19, 2010 11:53 AM
Could Tea Party Rhetoric Lead to Another Oklahoma City?
April 19, 2010 3:01 PM
Noam Chomsky Has ‘Never Seen Anything Like This’
Posted on Apr 19, 2010
By Chris Hedges
FDIC Closes Six Banks: 48 Shut Down In 2010
TIM PARADIS and MARCY GORDON | 04/16/10 10:10 PM | AP
Investment Banking
Krugman: Looters in Loafers
Last October, I saw a cartoon by Mike Peters in which a teacher asks a student to create a sentence that uses the verb “sacks,” as in looting and pillaging. The student replies, “Goldman Sachs.”
Sure enough, last week the Securities and Exchange Commission accused the Gucci-loafer guys at Goldman Sachs of engaging in what amounts to white-collar looting, The New York Time’s Paul Krugman writes in his most recent op-ed.
I’m using the term looting in the sense defined by the economists George Akerlof and Paul Romer in a 1993 paper titled “Looting: The Economic Underworld of Bankruptcy for Profit,” Mr. Krugman writes. That paper, written in the aftermath of the savings-and-loan crisis of the Reagan years, argued that many of the losses in that crisis were the result of deliberate fraud.
Was the same true of the current financial crisis?
Most discussion of the role of fraud in the crisis has focused on two forms of deception: predatory lending and misrepresentation of risks. Clearly, some borrowers were lured into taking out complex, expensive loans they didn’t understand — a process facilitated by Bush-era federal regulators, who failed to curb abusive lending and prevented states from taking action on their own.Go to Article from The New York Times »
Friday, April 16, 2010
Swift justice
DA says deal with Gardner 'best possible outcome'
By Matthew T. Hall, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Steve Schmidt, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Friday, April 16, 2010 at 5:21 p.m.
SAN DIEGO — District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, joined by the parents of Amber Dubois and Chelsea King, said seeking the death penalty for John Albert Gardner III would have forced the families to relive the murders “over and over again.”
And there she is right out in front looking so humanitarian, our very own Bah-ston transplant Bonnie. Bonnie Dumanis is a show boater, if there is national publicity to be twisted to make her look good, she's on it.
..Dubois vanished in February 2009...
...Chelsea King's body was discovered March 2 (2010) in a shallow lakeside grave after a massive search. Prosecutors said Gardner was linked to the crime by DNA found on her clothing...
...The bones of Dubois were discovered March 6 (2010) in a rugged, in a rugged, remote area north of San Diego, a day after Gardner led authorities there. She vanished with a $200 check to purchase a lamb she was going to raise for Future Farmers of America. The check was never cashed....
...In a surprising turn, Gardner admitted Friday to kidnapping, raping and stabbing Dubois. He also admitted dragging King to a remote area where he raped, strangled and buried her....
Gardner offered to plead guilty to both murders if prosecutors agreed to not seek the death penalty.
By Matthew T. Hall, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Steve Schmidt, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Friday, April 16, 2010 at 5:21 p.m.
SAN DIEGO — District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, joined by the parents of Amber Dubois and Chelsea King, said seeking the death penalty for John Albert Gardner III would have forced the families to relive the murders “over and over again.”
And there she is right out in front looking so humanitarian, our very own Bah-ston transplant Bonnie. Bonnie Dumanis is a show boater, if there is national publicity to be twisted to make her look good, she's on it.
..Dubois vanished in February 2009...
...Chelsea King's body was discovered March 2 (2010) in a shallow lakeside grave after a massive search. Prosecutors said Gardner was linked to the crime by DNA found on her clothing...
...The bones of Dubois were discovered March 6 (2010) in a rugged, in a rugged, remote area north of San Diego, a day after Gardner led authorities there. She vanished with a $200 check to purchase a lamb she was going to raise for Future Farmers of America. The check was never cashed....
...In a surprising turn, Gardner admitted Friday to kidnapping, raping and stabbing Dubois. He also admitted dragging King to a remote area where he raped, strangled and buried her....
Gardner offered to plead guilty to both murders if prosecutors agreed to not seek the death penalty.
BFD
Government charges Goldman Sachs with FRAUD!!!!
Derisive snort.
Big fucking deal. This morning I opened some ridiculous legalese bullshit notice and all I got out of it was that some big corporation was having to pay court fees and lawyer fees of almost 3 million and the plaintiff would get 20 grand. Our legal system is seriously retarded. Goldman Sachs will get away with ruining millions of people's lives because important people schmooze it up on the fucking golf course and the taxpayers end up paying for it all.
Derisive snort.
Big fucking deal. This morning I opened some ridiculous legalese bullshit notice and all I got out of it was that some big corporation was having to pay court fees and lawyer fees of almost 3 million and the plaintiff would get 20 grand. Our legal system is seriously retarded. Goldman Sachs will get away with ruining millions of people's lives because important people schmooze it up on the fucking golf course and the taxpayers end up paying for it all.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Drugged warriors and drug wars
Drugged Warriors: Sharp Rise in U.S. Military Psychiatric Drug Use and Suicide
Soldiers deployed in combat zones are taking quantities of psychiatric drugs -- and military suicides are on the rise.
I have questions after reading the 2nd article. Like why no mention of how many fucking deployments does it take to end up on something to make the head shut up? Or, whether they are using meth to get over the stupids. Whether this meth is in Iraq? I hate meth.
The True Inside Story of the Catastrophic Mexican Drug Wars
Why Ciudad Juárez has a murder rate nearly four times higher than Baghdad's.
April 8, 2010 |
"...Americans spent $62.9 billion on drugs in 2000. More than half ($36.1 billion), was spent on cocaine -- of which an estimated 90 percent transits through Mexico..."
And we wonder why China and India are educating their own people and eating our lunch in the technical arenas?
I haven't been to TJ in almost 10 years. I'm still watching the eBBC - Mexico's Drug War 2010 embed, but I have doubts that even the BBC will go into Juarez.
Update 12:27 PM 4/14/2010 Hmmm, she does go to Juarez.
10:33 AM 4/20/2010
Mock, Paper, Scissors offers up the perfect and hilarious update:
"A new poll is out saying that most Americans are against legalizing pot, only 33 percent favor legalization while 55 percent oppose it.
Given that in the Great Recession, pot sales is one of the few growth industries, I think we know why, hmmmmmmmm."
Soldiers deployed in combat zones are taking quantities of psychiatric drugs -- and military suicides are on the rise.
I have questions after reading the 2nd article. Like why no mention of how many fucking deployments does it take to end up on something to make the head shut up? Or, whether they are using meth to get over the stupids. Whether this meth is in Iraq? I hate meth.
The True Inside Story of the Catastrophic Mexican Drug Wars
Why Ciudad Juárez has a murder rate nearly four times higher than Baghdad's.
April 8, 2010 |
"...Americans spent $62.9 billion on drugs in 2000. More than half ($36.1 billion), was spent on cocaine -- of which an estimated 90 percent transits through Mexico..."
And we wonder why China and India are educating their own people and eating our lunch in the technical arenas?
I haven't been to TJ in almost 10 years. I'm still watching the eBBC - Mexico's Drug War 2010 embed, but I have doubts that even the BBC will go into Juarez.
Update 12:27 PM 4/14/2010 Hmmm, she does go to Juarez.
10:33 AM 4/20/2010
Mock, Paper, Scissors offers up the perfect and hilarious update:
"A new poll is out saying that most Americans are against legalizing pot, only 33 percent favor legalization while 55 percent oppose it.
Given that in the Great Recession, pot sales is one of the few growth industries, I think we know why, hmmmmmmmm."
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Your Tax Dollars at War: More Than 53% of Your Tax Payment Goes to the Military
Published on Tuesday, April 13, 2010 by CommonDreams.org
by Dave Lindorff
by Dave Lindorff
Frontline "Heat"
Frontline: Heat (click on link to watch online)
2008
NR 120 minutes
"Frontline" producer Martin Smith investigates the environmental impact of big business. For years, corporations fought against compliance. That all changed when investors, advocacy groups and governments pressured companies into responsibility. But going green isn't necessarily the norm in developing countries, as Smith reveals in his journey around the world to learn how businesses everywhere are dealing with the issue.
Cast: Martin Smith
Genres: Documentary, Science and Nature Documentaries, Political Documentaries, PBS Documentaries, TV Documentaries, PBS
This movie is: Dark
Yup. It's dark. Most people won't want to watch it. I'm not most people. I'd rather have the bad news than walk around with my head up my ass.
2008
NR 120 minutes
"Frontline" producer Martin Smith investigates the environmental impact of big business. For years, corporations fought against compliance. That all changed when investors, advocacy groups and governments pressured companies into responsibility. But going green isn't necessarily the norm in developing countries, as Smith reveals in his journey around the world to learn how businesses everywhere are dealing with the issue.
Cast: Martin Smith
Genres: Documentary, Science and Nature Documentaries, Political Documentaries, PBS Documentaries, TV Documentaries, PBS
This movie is: Dark
Yup. It's dark. Most people won't want to watch it. I'm not most people. I'd rather have the bad news than walk around with my head up my ass.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Fed up
I'm completely disinterested in the blogs, politics, current events, news, everything. I can't say when I will be interested again. I do find this article amusing:
U.S. agency seeks applicants for census work
Workers from certain communities needed
By Leonel Sanchez, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Saturday, April 10, 2010 at 12:05 a.m.
"...The San Diego office is looking for applicants who live in La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Bird Rock, Mission Beach, University City, Coronado, The Strand, Ocean Beach, Point Loma and downtown San Diego.
Officials aren’t certain why they are short of applicants from these neighborhoods.
Applicants must pass a basic skills test. The local office is offering testing in these neighborhoods through April 17.
The federal agency also is looking for census takers who can visit rural parts of East County and migrant camps in North County, said local census spokesman Robert Borboa..."
I don't know why they can't find people from those neighborhoods either, but I can't help but wonder if it's because they are
A) Too busy partying
B) Wouldn't be caught dead working for $16.50 an hour
C)Don't speak Spanish or Indian dialects and don't want to venture into the homeless camps downtown or the migrant worker camps up north or know the government doesn't want them counted anyway.
Jeez, am I cynical these days or what?
U.S. agency seeks applicants for census work
Workers from certain communities needed
By Leonel Sanchez, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Saturday, April 10, 2010 at 12:05 a.m.
"...The San Diego office is looking for applicants who live in La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Bird Rock, Mission Beach, University City, Coronado, The Strand, Ocean Beach, Point Loma and downtown San Diego.
Officials aren’t certain why they are short of applicants from these neighborhoods.
Applicants must pass a basic skills test. The local office is offering testing in these neighborhoods through April 17.
The federal agency also is looking for census takers who can visit rural parts of East County and migrant camps in North County, said local census spokesman Robert Borboa..."
I don't know why they can't find people from those neighborhoods either, but I can't help but wonder if it's because they are
A) Too busy partying
B) Wouldn't be caught dead working for $16.50 an hour
C)Don't speak Spanish or Indian dialects and don't want to venture into the homeless camps downtown or the migrant worker camps up north or know the government doesn't want them counted anyway.
Jeez, am I cynical these days or what?
Sunday, April 04, 2010
Trying to bake cookies here
Magnitude 6.9 Quake Strikes Baja California
Magnitude 6.9 quake in Baja California felt in Southern California and Arizona
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES April 4, 2010 (AP)
Had to fish out the damn eggshells from the cookie dough. My sister was trying to finish watching Weeds on Netflix, because we had to restart it, before she heads off to the parent's house.
No worries, sis finished her show, off went some cookies to the folks, and I'm off to visit Drover's Run some more.
Happy Easter, All
10:47 PM 4/4/2010
My mum directed my attention to .this clip since I haven't been the best political junkie lately. Sometimes I'm proud to be an American. We did elect him, and if nothing else the man gives great speech.
Magnitude 6.9 quake in Baja California felt in Southern California and Arizona
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES April 4, 2010 (AP)
A strong earthquake south of the U.S.-Mexico border Sunday shook high-rises in downtown Los Angeles and San Diego and was felt across Southern California and Arizona, but there were no immediate reports of major damage.
The 6.9 magnitude quake struck at 3:40 p.m. in Baja California, Mexico, about 19 miles southeast of Mexicali, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The area was hit by magnitude 3.0 quakes all week.
Had to fish out the damn eggshells from the cookie dough. My sister was trying to finish watching Weeds on Netflix, because we had to restart it, before she heads off to the parent's house.
No worries, sis finished her show, off went some cookies to the folks, and I'm off to visit Drover's Run some more.
Happy Easter, All
10:47 PM 4/4/2010
My mum directed my attention to .this clip since I haven't been the best political junkie lately. Sometimes I'm proud to be an American. We did elect him, and if nothing else the man gives great speech.
Friday, April 02, 2010
Excuse me, but what century are we living in?
From The Times
April 2, 2010
Lebanese TV host Ali Hussain Sibat faces execution in Saudi Arabia for sorcery
James Hider, Middle East Correspondent
Right, yeah, enough of that nonsense.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Gay marriage issue affects Calif. GOP Senate race
By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press Writer
...poll found that for the first time more Californians support gay marriage than oppose it....
Yup.
April 2, 2010
Lebanese TV host Ali Hussain Sibat faces execution in Saudi Arabia for sorcery
James Hider, Middle East Correspondent
Right, yeah, enough of that nonsense.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Gay marriage issue affects Calif. GOP Senate race
By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press Writer
...poll found that for the first time more Californians support gay marriage than oppose it....
Yup.
Thursday, April 01, 2010
Wikipedia's featured article today
Wife selling From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Top 10 April Fools' Day Fake News Items for 2010
Ian Paul PC World
Apr 1, 2010 6:57 am
It would be nice if this were a joke, but no such luck.
Top 10 April Fools' Day Fake News Items for 2010
Ian Paul PC World
Apr 1, 2010 6:57 am
It would be nice if this were a joke, but no such luck.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Chechen rebel says he ordered Moscow Metro attacks
Page last updated at 18:33 GMT, Wednesday, 31 March 2010 19:33 UK
Chechen rebel says he ordered Moscow Metro attacks | |
Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov has said his group was behind Monday's double suicide bombings on the Moscow Metro, which left 39 people dead. | |
Monday, March 29, 2010
Suicide bombing in Moscow
Monday, March 29, 2010
Double suicide bombings kill 37 on Moscow subway
By DAVID NOWAK Associated Press Writer
MOSCOW (AP) - Two female suicide bombers blew themselves up on Moscow's subway system as it was jam-packed with rush-hour passengers Monday, killing at least 37 people and wounding 102, officials said.
The head of Russia's main security agency said preliminary investigation places the blame on rebels from the restive Caucasus region that includes Chechnya, where separatists have fought Russian forces since the mid-1990s.
The first explosion took place just before 8 a.m. at the Lubyanka station in central Moscow. The station is underneath the building that houses the main offices of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, the KGB's main successor agency.
A second explosion hit the Park Kultury station about 45 minutes later.
Emergency Minister Sergei Shoigu said the toll was 37 killed and 102 injured, but he did not give a breakdown of casualties at each station, according to Russian news agencies.
"I heard a bang, turned my head and smoke was everywhere. People ran for the exits screaming," said 24-year-old Alexander Vakulov, who said he was on a train on the platform opposite the targeted train at Park Kultury.
"I saw a dead person for the first time in my life," said 19-year-old Valentin Popov, who had just arrived at the station from the opposite direction.
In a televised meeting with President Dmitry Medvedev, Federal Security Service head Alexander Bortnikov said body fragments of the two bombers pointed to a Caucasus connection. He did not elaborate.
"We will continue the fight against terrorism unswervingly and to the end," Medvedev said. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, on an official trip to Siberia, was being kept informed of developments, news reports said.
The blasts practically paralyzed movement in the city center as emergency vehicles sped to the stations.
In the Park Kultury blast, the bomber was wearing a belt packed with plastic explosive and set it off as the train's doors opened, said Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for Russia's top investigative body. The woman has not been identified, he told reporters.
A woman who sells newspapers outside the Lubyanka station, Ludmila Famokatova, said there appeared to be no panic, but that many of the people who streamed out were distraught.
"One man was weeping, crossing himself, saying 'thank God I survived'," she said.
The last confirmed terrorist attack in Moscow was in August 2004, when a suicide bomber blew herself up outside a city subway station, killing 10 people. Responsibility for that blast was claimed by Chechen rebels.
Russian police have killed several Islamic militant leaders in the North Caucasus recently, including one last week in the Kabardino-Balkariya region. The killing of Anzor Astemirov was mourned by contributors to two al-Qaida-affiliated Web sites.
The killings have raised fears of retaliatory strikes by the militants.
In February, Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov warned in an interview on a rebel-affiliated Website that "the zone of military operations will be extended to the territory of Russia ... the war is coming to their cities."
Umarov also claimed his fighters were responsible for the November bombing of the Nevsky Express passenger train that killed 26 people en route from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
The Moscow subway system is one of the world's busiest, carrying around 7 million passengers on an average workday, and is a key element in running the sprawling and traffic-choked city.
Helicopters hovered over the Park Kultury station area, which is near the renowned Gorky Park.
---
Associated Press Writers Jim Heintz, Lynn Berry and Mansur Mirovalev in Moscow contributed to this report.
2010-03-29 10:24:49 GMT
Copyright 2010. The Associated Press All Rights Reserved.
The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Double suicide bombings kill 37 on Moscow subway
By DAVID NOWAK Associated Press Writer
MOSCOW (AP) - Two female suicide bombers blew themselves up on Moscow's subway system as it was jam-packed with rush-hour passengers Monday, killing at least 37 people and wounding 102, officials said.
The head of Russia's main security agency said preliminary investigation places the blame on rebels from the restive Caucasus region that includes Chechnya, where separatists have fought Russian forces since the mid-1990s.
The first explosion took place just before 8 a.m. at the Lubyanka station in central Moscow. The station is underneath the building that houses the main offices of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, the KGB's main successor agency.
A second explosion hit the Park Kultury station about 45 minutes later.
Emergency Minister Sergei Shoigu said the toll was 37 killed and 102 injured, but he did not give a breakdown of casualties at each station, according to Russian news agencies.
"I heard a bang, turned my head and smoke was everywhere. People ran for the exits screaming," said 24-year-old Alexander Vakulov, who said he was on a train on the platform opposite the targeted train at Park Kultury.
"I saw a dead person for the first time in my life," said 19-year-old Valentin Popov, who had just arrived at the station from the opposite direction.
In a televised meeting with President Dmitry Medvedev, Federal Security Service head Alexander Bortnikov said body fragments of the two bombers pointed to a Caucasus connection. He did not elaborate.
"We will continue the fight against terrorism unswervingly and to the end," Medvedev said. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, on an official trip to Siberia, was being kept informed of developments, news reports said.
The blasts practically paralyzed movement in the city center as emergency vehicles sped to the stations.
In the Park Kultury blast, the bomber was wearing a belt packed with plastic explosive and set it off as the train's doors opened, said Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for Russia's top investigative body. The woman has not been identified, he told reporters.
A woman who sells newspapers outside the Lubyanka station, Ludmila Famokatova, said there appeared to be no panic, but that many of the people who streamed out were distraught.
"One man was weeping, crossing himself, saying 'thank God I survived'," she said.
The last confirmed terrorist attack in Moscow was in August 2004, when a suicide bomber blew herself up outside a city subway station, killing 10 people. Responsibility for that blast was claimed by Chechen rebels.
Russian police have killed several Islamic militant leaders in the North Caucasus recently, including one last week in the Kabardino-Balkariya region. The killing of Anzor Astemirov was mourned by contributors to two al-Qaida-affiliated Web sites.
The killings have raised fears of retaliatory strikes by the militants.
In February, Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov warned in an interview on a rebel-affiliated Website that "the zone of military operations will be extended to the territory of Russia ... the war is coming to their cities."
Umarov also claimed his fighters were responsible for the November bombing of the Nevsky Express passenger train that killed 26 people en route from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
The Moscow subway system is one of the world's busiest, carrying around 7 million passengers on an average workday, and is a key element in running the sprawling and traffic-choked city.
Helicopters hovered over the Park Kultury station area, which is near the renowned Gorky Park.
---
Associated Press Writers Jim Heintz, Lynn Berry and Mansur Mirovalev in Moscow contributed to this report.
2010-03-29 10:24:49 GMT
Copyright 2010. The Associated Press All Rights Reserved.
The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Reading now
I am re-reading Blowback by Chalmers Johnson. Frankly, I think it should be required reading for advanced high school or college students.
(click on book for review)
Cold Warrior in a Strange Land March 22, 2006
Tom Engelhardt interviews
Chalmers Johnson
According to this audio interview Johnson is writing a new book.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Chalmers Johnson on Media Matters with Bob McChesney
(click on book for review)
Cold Warrior in a Strange Land March 22, 2006
Tom Engelhardt interviews
Chalmers Johnson
According to this audio interview Johnson is writing a new book.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Chalmers Johnson on Media Matters with Bob McChesney
Friday, March 26, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Evolution
DNA identifies new ancient human
By Paul Rincon
Science reporter, BBC News Page last updated at 18:09 GMT, Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Scientists have identified a previously unknown type of ancient human through analysis of DNA from a finger bone unearthed in a Siberian cave.
Russia and U.S. Report Breakthrough on Arms Pact
By PETER BAKER and ELLEN BARRY
Published: March 24, 2010
"...The treaty would require each side to reduce deployed strategic nuclear warheads to roughly 1,600, down from 2,200 now, officials have said. It would also oblige each side to reduce its arsenal of strategic bombers and land- and sea-based missiles to 800, half the old limit of 1,600..."
Saudi arrests over 'terror plot'
UPDATED ON:
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
22:06 Mecca time, 19:06 GMT
"...The large cell was discovered as the result of an investigation launched after suspected al-Qaeda fighters - two of them dressed as women - tried to infiltrate the country in October with explosives..."
(ha, dudes probably forgot to use a strong deodorant and didn't use women's perfume)
Sometimes I crack me up, the way I put things together.
By Paul Rincon
Science reporter, BBC News Page last updated at 18:09 GMT, Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Scientists have identified a previously unknown type of ancient human through analysis of DNA from a finger bone unearthed in a Siberian cave.
Russia and U.S. Report Breakthrough on Arms Pact
By PETER BAKER and ELLEN BARRY
Published: March 24, 2010
"...The treaty would require each side to reduce deployed strategic nuclear warheads to roughly 1,600, down from 2,200 now, officials have said. It would also oblige each side to reduce its arsenal of strategic bombers and land- and sea-based missiles to 800, half the old limit of 1,600..."
Saudi arrests over 'terror plot'
UPDATED ON:
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
22:06 Mecca time, 19:06 GMT
"...The large cell was discovered as the result of an investigation launched after suspected al-Qaeda fighters - two of them dressed as women - tried to infiltrate the country in October with explosives..."
(ha, dudes probably forgot to use a strong deodorant and didn't use women's perfume)
Sometimes I crack me up, the way I put things together.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
More insurance questions
Will insurers raise rates before health-care reform?
Ezra Klein WaPo March 22, 2010; 2:29 PM ET
...There's nothing the bill will do to roll back past rate increases. But a lot of people are concerned that private insurers will jack their rates up in anticipation of the exchanges. This is not a concern I fully understand, to be honest. The virtue of a competitive market -- that is to say, a market in which it's easy for a lot of people to compare products and prices -- is that this sort of behavior is actually very difficult..."
Free Market, health insurance? Nonsense.
I want to know if the practice of raising the premium rates if the insurance is used will continue? I can't prove that that is what happened to me, but that is what it looked like to me.
Will the newly eligible government subsidized patient's caregiver's be reimbursed enough to cover their costs? It's not happening now, so it's hard to find a doctor who will accept these patients.
Obama to sign health bill, celebrate with allies
After signing health care bill, Obama to celebrate historic overhaul effort with supporters
DARLENE SUPERVILLE
AP News
Mar 23, 2010 08:25 EDT
Ezra Klein WaPo March 22, 2010; 2:29 PM ET
...There's nothing the bill will do to roll back past rate increases. But a lot of people are concerned that private insurers will jack their rates up in anticipation of the exchanges. This is not a concern I fully understand, to be honest. The virtue of a competitive market -- that is to say, a market in which it's easy for a lot of people to compare products and prices -- is that this sort of behavior is actually very difficult..."
Free Market, health insurance? Nonsense.
I want to know if the practice of raising the premium rates if the insurance is used will continue? I can't prove that that is what happened to me, but that is what it looked like to me.
Will the newly eligible government subsidized patient's caregiver's be reimbursed enough to cover their costs? It's not happening now, so it's hard to find a doctor who will accept these patients.
Obama to sign health bill, celebrate with allies
After signing health care bill, Obama to celebrate historic overhaul effort with supporters
DARLENE SUPERVILLE
AP News
Mar 23, 2010 08:25 EDT
Monday, March 22, 2010
Guest post by Barbara from Mahablog
Would Health Care Reform Help You?
Many obstacles and stumbling blocks remain in the way of health care reform. The House and Senate bills will have to be merged, and then the House and Senate both will vote on the final bill. We don’t yet know what will be in the final bill, or if the final bill will be passed into law. Passage will be especially difficult in the Senate, where it will need 60 votes to pass. It is still possible that after all this angst, just one grandstanding senator could kill the whole thing.
But just for fun, let’s look at what conventional wisdom says will be in the final bill and see if there is anything in it that will be an immediate benefit to people with mesothelioma cancer and other asbestos-related disease.
It is likely that the final bill will provide additional funding for state high-risk insurance pools. Currently more than 30 states run such pools, which are nonprofit, state-sponsored health insurance plans for people who can’t buy insurance because of pre-existing conditions. The biggest problem with such pools is that, often, the insurance they offer is too expensive for many who might need it. Both the Senate and House bills provide $5 billion in subsidies for state high-risk pools to make the insurance more affordable.
Under the Senate bill, beginning in 2014, private companies would no longer be able to deny coverage to adults with pre-existing conditions, nor could they charge higher premiums for people with pre-existing conditions. Until then, the state high-risk pools could provide some help.
Closing the Medicare Part D coverage gap — also called the “doughnut hole” — is another potential provision that could help some patients with asbestos-related disease. The “doughnut hole” is the gap between the coverage for yearly out-of-pocket expenses provided by Medicare Part D and Medicare’s “catastrophic coverage” threshold.
For example, in 2009 Medicare Part D paid at least 75 percent of what patients paid for prescription drugs up to $2,700. After that, patients must pay for all of their prescription medications until what they have paid exceeds $6,154. At that point, the catastrophic coverage takes over, and Medicare pays for all but 5 percent of the patient’s drug bills. The final health care reform bill probably will provide for paying at least 50 percent of out-of-pocket costs in the doughnut hole.
You may have heard the bills include budget cuts to the Medicare program, and this has been a big concern to many people. Proponents of the bill insist that savings can be found to pay for the cuts, and that people who depend on Medicare won’t face reduced services. But this is a complex issue that I want to address in a later post.
The long-term provisions probably will include many other provisions that would benefit patients with asbestos-related disease, including increased funding for medical research. Although there are many complaints about the bill coming from all parts of the political spectrum, on the whole it would be a huge benefit to many people.
— Barbara O’Brien
March 22, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Republican hypocrisy is getting old
"...In fact, of the 22 times that reconciliation has been used since 1980, Republicans have used it 16 times -- often to provide tax breaks to the wealthy and slash health care for the elderly and poor..."
Friday, March 19, 2010
The Hurt Locker
Okee Dokee. I wanted to see this because Kathryn Bigelow is the first female director to win the Oscar , right, and then there's the best picture thing. I thought they would explain to the audience where the title came from:
The title is a colloquialism for being injured in an explosion, as in "they sent him to the hurt locker ",[6] or for "a place of ultimate pain".[7] It dates back to the Vietnam War, where it was one of several phrases meaning "in trouble or at a disadvantage; in bad shape."[8]
Response among veterans
Right, you don't have to be a vet to know that the three man team, split up and playing cowboy was ludicrous. I had to remind myself to suspend disbelief.
I thought they might incorporate this into the story but they didn't:
(USA Today 2005)
"One enterprising EOD soldier recently came up with the idea of using a remote-controlled toy car to deliver tiny blocks of C4 plastic explosive used to blow up IEDs. The tiny radio-controlled cars, which can be equipped with video cameras, are much less costly to replace or repair than remote-controlled robots."
Right, we didn't see the toy cars, or the $5,000 BomBots. in the movie. I'm tired of searching for a cost range for robots similar to what is seen in the movie. The spec ranges are wildly variant, but from what I could quickly find, pricing appears to begin at $100,000, a lot more than a toy car and a lot less than medical and psych treatment for a soldier injured in an IED explosion. I suppose today is as good a day as any to watch this movie, but today...
Today marks the seventh anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq. On March 19, 2003, the United States began dropping bombs on Baghdad as thousands of US forces poured across Iraq’s borders. Seven years later, the occupation continues. In that time, over 4,300 American soldiers have died. Many thousands more have been wounded. As many as 650,000 Iraqis have been killed, with the number of wounded unknown.
Meanwhile, Iraq is suffering the worst refugee crisis in the world today. According to the United Nations, more than 4.2 million Iraqis have fled the country, many of them to neighboring Jordan and Syria. Another 1.9 million are internally displaced.
And we're in the hurt locker and Iran is stronger in the region. Bitchin'
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