| O Lawdy, here we go again... |
[20 Dec 2009|09:03pm] |
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Chavez: U.S. spy plane in Venezuela’s airspace
President alleges drone came from Colombia, flew over military baseCARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez on Sunday accused the U.S. of violating Venezuela's airspace with an unmanned spy plane, and ordered his military to be on alert and shoot down any such aircraft in the future.Speaking during his weekly television and radio program, Chavez said the aircraft overflew a Venezuelan military base in the western state of Zulia after taking off from neighboring Colombia. He did not elaborate, but suggested the plane was being used for espionage. "These are the Yankees. They are entering Venezuela," he said. "I've ordered them to be shot down," Chavez said of the aircraft. "We cannot permit this." Chavez has accused Colombia of allowing the United States to use its military bases to prepare a possible attack against Venezuela. ( Read more... ) SOURCE
Hugo bb, quit trying to be a bad copy of Fidel Castro in his heyday, por favor?
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| When Will White People Stop Making Movies Like "Avatar"? |
[20 Dec 2009|07:02pm] |
Critics have called alien epic Avatar a version of Dances With Wolves because it's about a white guy going native and becoming a great leader. But Avatar is just the latest scifi rehash of an old white guilt fantasy. Spoilers...
Whether Avatar is racist is a matter for debate. Regardless of where you come down on that question, it's undeniable that the film - like alien apartheid flick District 9, released earlier this year - is emphatically a fantasy about race. Specifically, it's a fantasy about race told from the point of view of white people. Avatar and scifi films like it give us the opportunity to answer the question: What do white people fantasize about when they fantasize about racial identity?
( Warning this post contains spoilers for Avatar, District 9, The Last Samarai, Dances with Wolves, etc. )
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| good-ish news |
[20 Dec 2009|07:56pm] |
Polish police find stolen Auschwitz gate sign
Nazi’s ‘Work Sets You Free’ slogan disappeared three days earlier
WARSAW, Poland - Polish police found the infamous "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign that was stolen from the gate of the former Nazi death camp of Auschwitz after an intensive three-day hunt and arrested five suspects, police said early Monday. The sign was found cut into three pieces.
Police spokeswoman Katarzyna Padlo said that the sign was found Sunday night in northern Poland, the other end of the country from the southern Polish town where the Auschwitz memorial museum is located and where it disappeared before dawn Friday.
Padlo said police detained five men between the ages of 25 and 39 and took them for questioning to Krakow, which is the regional command of the area that includes the Auschwitz museum.
Another police spokesman, Dariusz Nowak, said the 16-foot sign, made of hollow steel, was found cut into three pieces, each containing one of the words. The cruelly ironic phrase means "Work Sets You Free" and ran completely counter to the purpose of Auschwitz, which began as a concentration camp for political prisoners during the Nazi occupation of Poland and evolved into an extermination camp where Jews were gassed to death in factory-like fashion.
The police refused to divulge any details of the circumstances in which the sign was found or to speculate on the motive of the perpetrators. They were expected to disclose more at a news conference in Krakow planned for 0800 GMT (3 a.m. EST) Monday.
( Read more... )
source
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| Avatar - a Greenie Movie? |
[21 Dec 2009|11:31am] |
Interesting opinion piece on this film.
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Don't just watch Avatar, see it
There's a delicious irony in the fact that James Cameron has made a greenie movie that is the world's most expensive.
That he is urging us to put the brakes on our rapacious appetite for consumption with a film that has prompted many cinema owners to upgrade their biggest screens to 3D. That he has made an anti-military film that celebrates his love of warrior machines. That he reportedly directed his anti-authoritarian missive with all the cuddliness of Josef Stalin the morning after a three-bottles-of-vodka bender.
( it's the story of America and its allies invading Iraq to open up its oil supplies )
Source
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| The Adam Lambert Problem |
[20 Dec 2009|04:15pm] |
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The news came in numbers and the numbers were fairly grim, all the grimmer for being unsurprising. A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll reported this week that more than half of Americans, 55%, think America is on the wrong track, with only 33% saying it is going in the right direction. A stunning 66% say they're not confident that their children's lives will be better than their own (27% are).
It is another in a long trail of polls that show a clear if occasionally broken decline in American optimism. The poll was discussed on TV the other day, and everyone said those things everyone says: "People are afraid they'll lose their jobs or their houses." "It's health care. Every uninsured person feels they're one illness away from bankruptcy."
All too true. The economy has always had an impact on the general American mood, and the poll offered data to buttress the reader's assumption that economic concerns are driving pessimism. Fifty-one percent of those interviewed said they disapproved of the president's handling of the economy, versus 42% approving.
But something tells me this isn't all about money. It's possible, and I can't help but think likely, that the poll is also about other things, and maybe even primarily about other things.
Sure, Americans are worried about long-term debt and endless deficits. We're worried about taxes and the burden we're bequeathing to our children, and their children.
But we are concerned about other things, too, and there are often signs in various polls that those things may dwarf economic concerns. Americans are worried about the core and character of the American nation, and about our culture.
It is one thing to grouse that dreadful people who don't care about us control our economy, but another, and in a way more personal, thing to say that people who don't care about us control our culture. In 2009 this was perhaps most vividly expressed in the Adam Lambert Problem. More on that in a moment.
( More lulz behind the cut )
Source
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| Yule log |
[20 Dec 2009|03:54pm] |
This is my yule log (and my first post here). The button mushrooms are almond paste, the shelf mushrooms are dark chocolate peanut butter cups, the dirt is ground up oreos. The filling is whipped cream with some buttercream frosting folded in, for stiffness, the frosting is chocolate buttercream with some whipped cream folded in for flufflyness. The cake is a standard chocolate roll cake, like the recipes already posted, and available all over online.
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| Maine to consider cell phone cancer warning |
[20 Dec 2009|04:54pm] |
AUGUSTA, Maine – A Maine legislator wants to make the state the first to require cell phones to carry warnings that they can cause brain cancer, although there is no consensus among scientists that they do and industry leaders dispute the claim.
The now-ubiquitous devices carry such warnings in some countries, though no U.S. states require them, according to the National Conference of State Legislators. A similar effort is afoot in San Francisco, where Mayor Gavin Newsom wants his city to be the nation's first to require the warnings.
( Read more... )
Source
IDK how I feel about this. I guess if the warning is just on the packaging and not the actual phone, then I won't mind. But I can't imagine going without a cordless phone, let alone a cell phone.
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| Here, have this humourless festive rant! |
[20 Dec 2009|10:07pm] |
 Something about the way Christmas 2009 is being marketed sticks in the craw. It's not just the creeping sense of frustrated greed, more bitter this year because of the extra hundreds of thousands out of work - it's the fact that we're all supposed to be so cheery about it, gleefully swapping our usual extravagances for home baking, knitting and making natty little baubles out of bits of string and glitter.
Newspapers are full of editorials urging their female readers to "have a crafty Christmas" by hand-making gifts and decorations. These articles are inevitably accompanied by soft-focus photos of terrifyingly blonde grinning women in shapeless knitwear fashioning entire kitchen sets out of balsa-wood, like a cross between a nuclear strike advice handbook and the Boden catalogue.
This bizarre fashion for retro handicrafts started some years before the credit crunch with the revival of Stitch'n'Bitch knitting circles in New York.
It was initially conceived as a fun, feminist reclamation of traditional skills. The meetings were free, the skill-sharing amiable. But as the recession has taken hold the trend has been co-opted by the dark machinery of the women's lifestyle press, desperate for a new manifesto to replace "shop 'til you drop."
Despite the impact of the recession on women, who are losing their jobs faster than men in the financial, leisure and hospitality information industries and facing redundancy and discrimination at work because of pregnancy or motherhood, there's an atmosphere of celebration.
According to the Evening Standard and many, many others, we're all becoming "domestic goddesses" again. Don't fret about losing your job - for the price of a shedload of specialist ingredients you too can bake sparkly fairy cakes, stave off economic Armageddon and save Christmas.
The most brain-bleedingly pointless domestic tasks are now thoroughly fetishised - as long as it's women acting out that fetish, of course.
Cookery classes and exclusive sewing circles encourage young, trendy women to indulge in a sanctioned fantasy of glamorous drudgery that never really existed. For just £310 a session, "recessionistas" can have a training day with Cookie Girl in Notting Hill. Sales of kitchen equipment are rising faster than an organic souffle.
Now, no-one's implying that a little more domestic dexterity wouldn't do all of us some good. Certainly, decades of aggressive marketing of home improvement products, the revolt against traditional gendered labour divisions and the male backlash against that revolt have led many to abandon the basic tools of self-care.
What is being lost is not a prim model of Beetonesque housewifery but the essential human tricks of keeping ourselves clean, clothed and fed.
( Read more... )
Source: Penny Red
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| Eurostar train services canceled indefinitely |
[20 Dec 2009|04:40pm] |
LONDON – The only passenger rail link between Britain and the rest of Europe has been shut down indefinitely, Eurostar said Sunday, promising more travel misery for thousands of stranded passengers just before Christmas.
Services have been suspended since late Friday, when a series of glitches stranded five trains inside the Channel Tunnel and trapped more than 2,000 passengers for hours in stuffy and claustrophobic conditions. More than 55,000 passengers overall have been affected.
Some panicked passengers stayed underground for more than 15 hours without food or water, or any clear idea of what was going on — prompting outrage from travelers and a promise from Eurostar that no passenger train would enter the tunnel until the issue had been identified and fixed.
( Read more... )
Source
I hope this doesn't affect any of you Euro ONTD_P bbs.
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| US: Senate BANS ABORTIONS via State Loophole - Contact The White House! |
[20 Dec 2009|01:05pm] |
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mood |
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Hi Friends and Colleagues,
I am writing to urge you to contact the White House and let President Obama know that you are opposed to BOTH the Senate and House versions of the currently propose health care reform.
Like most of you, I too have been filling out petitions, blogging and Twittering about these underhanded attempts in our Congress to violate women's fundamental Constitutional right to abortion. I understand it has become tiring and seems repetitive, but the fact of the matter is that no one in power seems to be listening to the big advocacy organizations like NARAL, Planned Parenthood or NOW, so I think it is time that folks as individuals make their voices heard. Please keep in mind that contacting our Senators did not stop the most recent anti-abortion amendment being pushed through without the approval of the majority of the Senate. In my mind, this means that it has gone beyond the point of people asking their elected officials to look out for their interests. If these officials were able to adequately represent us, we wouldn't have a small cabal of three or four persons (most of them white men, who will never become pregnant), flagrantly ignoring the procedures of the Senate, while being given the approval of The White House in the process.
So, pick up the phone, fax or email The White House TODAY!
They can be reached here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/
I suggest that folks also write letters to the editors of their newspapers, magazines and television stations and DEMAND that they interview local citizens about their opinions regarding this health care reform and the subversion of abortion rights, because I for one am sick and tired of only reading pieces with commentary by the advocacy groups when again, it seems as though those same groups are not being heard or are not engaging in an effective manner with our representatives. The whole thing stinks and feels very gamed to me. In my experience, the best way to effectively deal with these types of situations is to introduce a third party (namely individuals citizens), who can use the internet or other means so that their voices are actually seen and heard.
Here is a thorough explanation as to how the current Nelson amended Senate Bill will restrict women and trans folks' (FTMs and genderqueers) access to abortions and other reproductive health services:
http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2009/12/20/the-nelson-compromise
Here is a look into the pork barrel bribe that was offered to Senator Nelson and the State of Nebraska in exchange for his 60th vote, which came at the expense of reproductive freedom:
http://biggovernment.com/2009/12/19/sen-nelsons-bribe/
Here is a breakdown of why the health care reform overall is horrible for US people and our future health and financial well being:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/12/19/816961/-Why-This-Senate-Health-Bill-Should-Not-Pass
Yours in Feminist Solidarity!
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| Olympia Snowe Will Vote Against Health Care Reform |
[20 Dec 2009|01:32pm] |
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Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), considered one of very few Republicans who might vote for the Senate health care bill, said Sunday that she would not.
"This process denies us the opportunity to thoroughly and carefully and deliberately evaluate what's at stake," she said on CBS. She also told the New York Times it was a rushed vote on a "a take-it-or-leave-it package." Democrats no longer need Snowe's vote -- but the Washington Monthly's Steve Benen points out that they courted her anyway only to have her object over the debate's speed. I just can't figure out what on earth Snowe is talking about. She voted with Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee reform plan, but now appears to be looking for an excuse to oppose the effort. But to sound even remotely credible, Snowe will have to do better than this.
Snowe has been complaining about the speed of the legislative process since July, but therein lies the point: how could this possible get slower? source
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| Kill Bill (?) |
[20 Dec 2009|11:30am] |
Why I Still Believe in This Bill
Jacob S. Hacker is the Stanley B. Resor Professor of Political Science at Yale University. An expert on the politics of U.S. health and social policy, he is author, coauthor, or editor of numerous books and articles, both scholarly and popular, including The Great Risk Shift: The New Economic Insecurity and the Decline of the American Dream (2006; paperback, January 2008) and Health At Risk: America’s Ailing Health System and How to Heal It (2008).
Now that the core demand of progressives has been removed from the Senate health care bill--namely, the public health insurance option--should progressives continue to support the effort?
For me, the question is particularly difficult. I have been the thinker most associated with the public option, which I’ve long argued is essential to ensuring accountability from private insurers and long-term cost control. I was devastated when it was killed at the hands of Senator Joe Lieberman, not least because of what it said about our democracy -- that a policy consistently supported by a strong majority of Americans could be brought down by a recalcitrant Senate minority.
It would therefore be tempting for me to side with Howard Dean and other progressive critics who say that health care reform should now be killed.
It would be tempting, but it would be wrong.
( Read more )
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| Whoops! Six Graders Shown Porn Movie |
[20 Dec 2009|08:25pm] |
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Picture unrelated (but still pretty fucking hilarious)
You could call it a lesson in anatomy.
A Grade 6 health teacher in Richmond Hill was transferred to another school after he inadvertently showed 30-plus students pornography that he had taped over with an educational video about the H1N1 virus.
When the public health segment ended, on came the adults-only video from his personal collection.
It was a matter of seconds before the Beverley Acres Public School teacher rushed to the front of the class and switched the VHS tape off, the school board contended yesterday, about three weeks after the incident.
But the damage was done.
Not until after concerned parents called the Neal Dr. school did the principal speak with the teacher about the incident and commence an investigation, York Region District School Board spokesman Ross Virgo said yesterday.
"The board is satisfied that this was really a video taping accident and that there was no intent on the part of the teacher to show the class these images," Virgo said.
In the interest of the students, school and teacher, Stefano Eudoxie-Wojedubokowski -- who worked at Beverley Acres since he was hired on with the board four years ago -- was transferred to Crosby Heights Public School, just down the street, Virgo said.
Contacted there yesterday, Eudoxie-Wojedubokowski -- known by students as Mr. Stefano -- called the incident "unfortunate," but said he was told by the board and union not to speak publicly about what happened. Virgo denied this.
"The whole principle behind that transfer is to allow the students in Mr. Stefano's Beverley Acres class to move forward with their learning and to enable Mr. Stefano to be able to continue with his career without having to suffer needlessly in this situation," Virgo said.
According to a parent of a student who saw the tape, Eudoxie-Wojedubokowski was seated at the back of the class when the H1N1 video ended and two naked men appeared engaged in a sex act.
"It's difficult to say what the kids saw," the mother said on condition of anonymity. "But the best I can describe it, from what I've heard (from my child), is the beginning of oral sex."
Citing privacy rules, Virgo wouldn't say whether Eudoxie-Wojedubokowski was suspended during the investigation.
Another mother who heard about the incident from her son called the ordeal "foolish," but said it shouldn't cost the teacher more than a transfer.
"Certainly he made mistakes, but I don't think any kids are damaged just by that," said the woman, whose son used to be in Eudoxie-Wojedubokowski's class. "I'm sure they've seen stuff like that on the Internet or on TV anyway."
Fool! This is why you only watch porn on your computer.
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| Uh guys, keep an eye out if you go sailing or live in NZ |
[20 Dec 2009|12:52pm] |
THE HAGUE, Netherlands – Laura Dekker, the 14-year-old Dutch girl whose bid to sail solo around the world was blocked by a court, has gone missing, leaving behind her boat, police said Sunday.
Dekker appears to have left her father's home on her own, Utrecht police spokesman Bernhard Jens told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. Her boat, Guppy, is still moored at its usual berth.
"We do not believe this is a crime," Jens said.
( Read more... )
Source
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| Former UN envoy blasts new Hamid Karzai cabinet as 'corrupt' |
[20 Dec 2009|04:23pm] |
Peter Galbraith launches withering salvo at latest government shake-up in Afghanistan
The former deputy UN envoy to Afghanistan has launched a withering attack on President Hamid Karzai's latest effort to reinvent his government, saying the shake-up would do little to ameliorate the country's worsening crisis.
( Read more )
Source
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| Jerusalem mayor cuts health funds for Arab children |
[20 Dec 2009|10:16am] |
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat on Thursday rejected municipal recommendations and cut funding for a toddler health-care center in East Jerusalem, while approving aid to a similar center in a Jewish neighborhood.
The funds would have gone to opening a branch of the "Drop of Milk" (Tipat Halav) program, which provides prenatal and toddler health-care services in Silwan, an Arab neighborhood in East Jerusalem.
Last year, authorities from the Jerusalem municipal offices recommended to the mayor to open the aid center in Silwan, which would service around 100,000 residents.
Authorities also recommended opening a similar center in a Jewish neighborhood that is home to around 7,000 residents.
During discussions on the 2010 budget, Barkat decided to cut the aid that would open the center in Silwan while simultaneously approving the aid to open the same center in a Jewish neighborhood - a move that outraged residents of Silwan.
"I don't understand why there is a 'Drop of Milk' center in the mayor's neighborhood while there is none in ours?" asked Silwan resident Fakhri Abu Diab. "Why does he deserve one and we don't? Are my children different from his children?
"Soon, Hamas will open a 'Drop of Milk' center and we will go there," Abu Diab added.
Jerusalem city councilwoman Laura Wharton condemned the decision. "This decision is caused by discrimination against the Arab population and I hope that we will succeed to reverse it," Wharton said.
As opposed to most of Israel, the 'Drop of Milk' program in Jerusalem is under municipal authority.
Like other health services in Jerusalem, including toddler care, there is a wide gap in services provided to residents in East and West Jerusalem.
Other Jerusalem areas under public jurisdiction contain a total of 25 'Drop of Milk' centers, while East Jerusalem, with its 250,000 residents, is home to just four Drop of Milk centers.
Many residents of East Jerusalem have difficulty taking their children long distances in order to receive care. This results in many children not receiving vaccinations as well as a delay in services for sick children living in East Jerusalem.
In response, the Jerusalem municipality said that they are working to improve services provided to the residents of Silwan and they still intend to build a 'Drop of Milk' center in the Arab neighborhood in the future.
Source
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| Iran's dissident Grand Ayatollah Montazeri dies |
[20 Dec 2009|04:14pm] |
Senior cleric revered by country's reformists and once in line to succeed Ayatollah Khomeini died in his sleep overnight
Iran's most senior dissident cleric, Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, who was seen as the spiritual father of Iran's reformists has died aged 87.
( Read more )
Source
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