May 22, 2012

Assange Episode 6: Coups & Corruption. Ecuador y el Presidente Rafael Correa

He's been called one of the most democratic leaders in Latin America's history - and is a champion of the poor. Ecuador's President Rafael Correa appears on whistleblower Julian Assange's show on Tuesday - exclusively on RT.
From coups to oust him, to strained relations with the US - he describes the challenges he faces under attack from the rich and powerful. RT talks to RT correspondent Laura Smith who has more. The World Tomorrow - official video page: assange.rt.com


Always messing about in everybody's business.
When will the US government understand The Laws Of Unintended Consequences.

"A man can do what he wants but he cannot will what he wants."
(a version of a Schopenhauer quote)

May 19, 2012

Lawyers Guild claims NATO activists "disappeared" without warrant or charges In Chicago (WTF!?)

According to an interview with National Lawyers Guild (NLG) spokesman Kris Hermes, Chicago police officers raided a Bridgeport apartment complex on Wednesday evening without a valid warrant and detained up to nine people without cause.

The NLG is working in Chicago this week sending monitors to protests at the NATO Summit 2012 to insure activists rights are not violated. They are also functioning as lawyers for anyone detained during the week's activities.

The NLG worked through the night to locate the arrested activists. They were unable to get any information from the Chicago Police Department (CPD) or even any acknowledgement that a raid had taken place.

"We've called police officials at every level trying to find out where they were being held. We were denied any information at all about any people being arrested, let alone a raid happening last night. So essentially these people were disappeared for more than 12 hours until we could finally locate them," said NLG spokesman Kris Hermes. They were found at the CPD Organized Crime Division police station lock up at 3340 W. Fillmore St. on the West Side.

Lawyers from The NLG were allowed to meet with nine individuals and reported that they were in low spirits, confused about why they were arrested and shackled at both their hands and feet at the meeting. No charges have been filed against them almost 24 hours after their arrest and an Illinois States Attorney at the station refused to meet with the NLG lawyers.
http://www.examiner.com/article/lawyers-guild-claims-nato-activists-disappeared-without-warrant-or-charges

Welcome to the new America. Sponsored by everybody in power as far as I can tell. Where's the outcry?

May 19, 2012

My screed to the DNC about the Wisconsin recall:

How do I put this politely? Eff You!
You will never see a dime or vote from me or anybody I can talk to if you don't help the Wisconsin recall NOW!
Working people of all kinds in that state have placed themselves on the line against the most regressive politics in America, and you offer empty promises???
You are worse than the GOP and other idiots because you won't stand up for these people. The GOP and others may be beyond misguided, but they at least try.
<deleted>
I live in SC which has representation for all in name only. I don't see much evidence of you here either. I not only work on the local scene, but I send what I can out of state. That's more than you have done.
As you can see I am a mite bit pissed off. It's hard living in a quasi-state. When those in even higher power brush good people here and elsewhere off, it is beyond shameful.
Take your DNC and either do something for ALL those who support the Democratic Party values or rewrite your platform. You no longer walk the walk.
TALK IS CHEAP!

1-Yes I know they probably won't care.
2-Yes I know that they are claiming to be involved. They are about as involved as a Teabagger working with teh gays. They can't put enough layers on to prevent real contact metaphorically and otherwise.
3-Yes I live in SC, but I have never given up pushing for change at any point. Living here doesn't cancel out my right to an opinion even if some think it does.
4-Yes I know that Rmoney is worse and who else will I vote for?
He's worse because he threatens faster change with meaner backers in the shadows. Unless the DNC and others get off their asses and push back, we will die a death of a thousand attempts at appeasement and bipartisanship. We cannot take 4 more years of believing the GOP will play ball and endless talk that inches rightward.
5-Yes my hair is on fire and my last nerve has been hit. The last time someone found that nerve was a HS student in 1985.

Have a blessed and happy day. Bless your heart if this hits your nerves the wrong way.

Tannybogus

Watch Chris Hayes- Saturday, May 19
Discussing Wisconsin recall and who is helping and what is going on.
Last 30 minutes

May 18, 2012

An Open Letter to Manny Pacquiao From a Gay Filipina American

"I feel too sad to celebrate your fights right now"

Editor's Note: Last week, after President Barack Obama endorsed same-sex marriage, Manny Pacquiao — the world champion boxer, Philippine congressman, and staunch Catholic — was asked for his opinion on the issue. He does not support gay couples' right to get married, and early reports of his stance misquoted Pacquiao in a way that led readers to believe he had quoted an Old Testament passage that says homosexuals "must be put to death." Pacquiao denies that he said those words, as does the author of the Examiner.com post that quoted him. He clarified his position on gay marriage in the Philippine press Thursday.

Dear Manny,

Hello, Kuya Manny. May I call you Kuya Manny? You feel like "Kuya" to me: Whenever you fight, my other Filipino American friends and I light up our Facebook feeds with pugilistic patriotism for our parents' homeland. You feel like ours. Your wins are our wins.

But today my friends had a lot of names for you. "Bigot" and "idiot" were their favorites. I keep looking inside me for some anger at you, but, weirdly, I just can't find it. Instead, I find that I just want to talk to you.

Well, Kuya Manny, I have to say, first: I'm glad it turns out that you don't want me to die. I believe you when you say you haven't read the Book of Leviticus yet.

But I have read Leviticus, Kuya. I've read it too many times. When I was in Catholic high school, and I couldn't help but know, more and more, what I was, I'd page through it in secret. I'd page through that passage in the Book of Romans, too. And I'd look at the Corinthians verse you cited. I kept looking for those passages, hoping that maybe, somehow, magically, their verdict had changed when I looked away. But the verses didn't change. So I repeated to myself what the verses meant — that I was condemned to death and/or a life alone. That I should be left outside of every good, lasting kind of intimacy. That I would never get the chance to make my own family, because I was different in a way that prevented me from getting to do so. Knowing this at age 16 made me feel OK about dying early. Knowing this at age 16 made me wonder if I should speed my own death along.

But like I said! You don't want me to die for being gay! That's good. I'm glad. (I hope you don't change your mind about that when you finally do get around to reading Leviticus.)
More:
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7940841/an-open-letter-manny-pacquiao-gay-filipina-american-concerning-champion-boxer-recent-comments-gay-marriage

Whether you follow boxing or not, you should realize that Pacquiao has a great deal of influence in the Phillipines. His views carry weight there, and that is not something to overlook.

This country is also where the Tebows have worked for years converting people to their version of evangelicl Christianity. They consider Catholics such as Manny to be outside of the required beliefs. Their beliefs are not as benign as they would have you believe. Tim Tebow is the happy face of a dangerous trend.

I hope Manny reads this and understands its meaning and heartfelt hopes. In addition, I realize Floyd Mayweather, Manny's erstwhile nemesis, has supported marrige equality. I'm not convinced this isn't a cynical PR move. We'll see.

BTW this piece is from a site on ESPN.com called Grantland. It is named after the gret sportswriter Grantland Rice. They cover a variety of topics that do relate to the country as a whole. For better or worse, sports is an influential part of US culture. To just disparage it is to ignore a part of the fabric of this nation that can help move important issues. Jackie Robinson was more than just a great baseball player.

May 17, 2012

Donna Summer passes

Anthony De Rosa (@AntDeRosa)
5/17/12 11:44 AM
RT @ProducerMatthew: Just in - TMZ: Donna Summers dead at 63.

Awwwww maaaannnn......

For you dear lady:

May you lead the heavenly disco. The ball is being installed now.

May 15, 2012

"Mitt Likes Music Including This" (a mashup of what Mittens likes)

Video and article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/15/opinion/mitt-likes-music-including-this.html?_r=1
<snip>
He likes all sorts of stuff.  Occasionally, he even loves stuff.  Lakes, trees, people, businesses.  Grits.  “Twilight.”  Music, of almost any kind.  So we can only suppose that he’ll like this Op-Doc video we’ve made by piecing, tuning, rhythmicizing — in short, songifying — many of his greatest likes into a musical mash-up. If you’d like to view the original video sources, see our annotated lyrics.
<snip>

He's such a niiiiiice guy.

May 14, 2012

One of our esteemed SC state senators may be removed from office. Can you guess why?

I use the word esteemed very loosely.
Senator Jake Knotts:

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Just when it seemed S.C. Sen. Jakie Knotts (RINO-Lexington) had successfully schemed his way into another four-year term as State Senator, along comes a lawsuit that could derail his large-sized ambitions.
According to multiple sources familiar with the situation, Knotts is about to be sued over a December 2010 incident in which he challenged former South Carolina Republican Party official Patrick Haddon to a duel.
If found guilty, Knotts could wind up being removed not only from the ballot … but from his office as well. How come? Because believe it or not, there’s a constitutional prohibition against dueling in the Palmetto State.
According to the South Carolina Constitution (Article XVII Section 1B), “any person who shall fight a duel or send or accept a challenge for that purpose, or be an aider or abettor in fighting a duel, shall be deprived of holding any office of honor or trust in this State, and shall be otherwise punished as the law shall prescribe.”
Sources tell FITS that Katrina Shealy – a Lexington County Republican activist who was until recently campaigning against Knotts for S.C. Senate District 23 – has incorporated this “duel” issue to a formal ballot protest filed with the SCGOP.
http://www.fitsnews.com/2012/05/14/jakie-knotts-to-face-duel-lawsuit/

A duel.
We don't impeach lawmakers. We wait for illegal duels.
I have no idea where this will end up, but I wish they would legalize one duel and make that fat ass try it.

May 13, 2012

Richard Feynman: The Key to Science in 63 Seconds

Richard Feynman — Nobel-winning physics icon, curiosity champion, graphic novel hero, bongo drummer, wager-maker, no ordinary genius — would have been 94 today. To celebrate, here is one of Feynman’s most beloved classics, a 1964 lecture in which he distills with equal parts wit and wisdom the essence of the scientific method:

In general, we look for a new law by the following process: First we guess it; then we compute the consequences of the guess to see what would be implied if this law that we guessed is right; then we compare the result of the computation to nature, with experiment or experience, compare it directly with observation, to see if it works. If it disagrees with experiment, it is wrong. In that simple statement is the key to science. It does not make any difference how beautiful your guess is, it does not make any difference how smart you are, who made the guess, or what his name is — if it disagrees with experiment, it is wrong.

Here, Feynman corroborates beautifully what Stuart Firestein pinpointed nearly six decades later as the most important driver of science — ignorance, or the capacity to be wrong.
http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/05/11/richard-feynman-key-to-science/

Love Feynman!

May 13, 2012

Watching MHP smack down Joe Watkins every time he tried to claim the Bible bans homosexuality

was a thing of beauty. Every time the good Reverend tried to say certain proclamations were made, she said,'Nope. Not true.'
He finally had to fall back on that reliable hater Paul. She gave him the skank eye for that. (IMHO Paul needed another trip on the road to Damascus,)
She also smacked him down when he said that Jesus backed the Old Testament Levitical views.
Guess what Joe? There is a New Testament because of Jesus, and it's not a rerun of the first one.

If you don't believe, fine. However, fighting these religious ideas with different interpretations is necessary in a country as religious as this one. It is a crucial front in many battles that those like MHP are equipped and willing to fight.

Colbert King wrote a great column in the WaPo about how the Bible has been used to deny many people their rights:
'Equality Is Bigger Than The President'
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/equality-is-bigger-than-the-president/2012/05/11/gIQAyjjNIU_story.html?wprss=rss_colbert-king

May 12, 2012

Can You Call a 9-Year-Old a Psychopath?

One day last summer, Anne and her husband, Miguel, took their 9-year-old son, Michael, to a Florida elementary school for the first day of what the family chose to call “summer camp.” For years, Anne and Miguel have struggled to understand their eldest son, an elegant boy with high-planed cheeks, wide eyes and curly light brown hair, whose periodic rages alternate with moments of chilly detachment. Michael’s eight-week program was, in reality, a highly structured psychological study — less summer camp than camp of last resort.
<snip>
By the time he turned 5, Michael had developed an uncanny ability to switch from full-blown anger to moments of pure rationality or calculated charm — a facility that Anne describes as deeply unsettling. “You never know when you’re going to see a proper emotion,” she said. She recalled one argument, over a homework assignment, when Michael shrieked and wept as she tried to reason with him. “I said: ‘Michael, remember the brainstorming we did yesterday? All you have to do is take your thoughts from that and turn them into sentences, and you’re done!’ He’s still screaming bloody murder, so I say, ‘Michael, I thought we brainstormed so we could avoid all this drama today.’ He stopped dead, in the middle of the screaming, turned to me and said in this flat, adult voice, ‘Well, you didn’t think that through very clearly then, did you?’ ”
<snip>
In many children, though, the signs are subtler. Callous-unemotional children tend to be highly manipulative, Frick notes. They also lie frequently — not just to avoid punishment, as all children will, but for any reason, or none. “Most kids, if you catch them stealing a cookie from the jar before dinner, they’ll look guilty,” Frick says. “They want the cookie, but they also feel bad. Even kids with severe A.D.H.D.: they may have poor impulse control, but they still feel bad when they realize that their mom is mad at them.” Callous-unemotional children are unrepentant. “They don’t care if someone is mad at them,” Frick says. “They don’t care if they hurt someone’s feelings.” Like adult psychopaths, they can seem to lack humanity. “If they can get what they want without being cruel, that’s often easier,” Frick observes. “But at the end of the day, they’ll do whatever works best.”
<snip>
The benefits of successful treatment could be enormous. Psychopaths are estimated to make up 1 percent of the population but constitute roughly 15 to 25 percent of the offenders in prison and are responsible for a disproportionate number of brutal crimes and murders. A recent estimate by the neuroscientist Kent Kiehl placed the national cost of psychopathy at $460 billion a year — roughly 10 times the cost of depression — in part because psychopaths tend to be arrested repeatedly. (The societal costs of nonviolent psychopaths may be even higher. Robert Hare, the co-author of “Snakes in Suits,” describes evidence of psychopathy among some financiers and business people; he suspects Bernie Madoff of falling into that category.) The potential for improvement is also what separates diagnosis from determinism: a reason to treat psychopathic children rather than jail them. “As the nuns used to say, ‘Get them young enough, and they can change,’ ” Dadds observes. “You have to hope that’s true. Otherwise, what are we stuck with? These monsters.”
<snip>
much more:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/13/magazine/can-you-call-a-9-year-old-a-psychopath.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

This kid is scarier than hell at 9 years old.

This entire article is worth reading. it is chilling, and it tries to offer some hope. The idea that someone so young could be a psychopath isn't a universal belief. However, ignoring the problems some kids really have ultimately comes at an enormous cost however how they are labelled.