Archive for January, 2010
Rep. Grayson: “If This Ruling Goes Unchallenged, Then You Can Kiss Your Country Goodbye”
The ever-vigilant Florida congressman, Alan Grayson, weighs in on the Supreme Court ruling today. “It will be the Senator from GE and Microsoft now!”
Surprise Sex/Tech Issues in Battlestar Galactica Prequel
In a new interview, the executive producer of the SyFy channel’s Caprica admits some roles were written without even knowing whether the characters were female or male. “We write a lot of our roles with no gender assigned — or rather, we pick one but tell casting to bring in everyone, and then rewrite if needed to fit the performer. I love doing that, since it ensures that you’re not writing to any subconscious gender expectations…
The new Battlestar Galactica prequel will reveal the technology of “the Bill Gates of Caprica”, promises the show’s producer, while also highlighting technology’s uneven distribution.
“If you look at the tech that ordinary people have access to in the shows, you’ll see rotary phones, console radios, big CRT monitors, clunky answering machines…one of the things that’s happening on Caprica is this inequity of access to the latest advancements…”
Jane Espenson also wrote two episodes of Battlestar Galactica…
247 Americans Die Every Day From Doctors Not Washing Their Hands
David Gutierrez for Natural News:
A study commissioned by the lead hospital accrediting agency in the United States found that doctors and nurses fail to wash their hands with alarming frequency, contributing to the 247 deaths caused each day by preventable hospital infections.
The Joint Commission, which accredits hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities, has joined with eight major hospitals to address low hand washing rates nationwide. The program began in the spring, when the hospitals conducted rigorous assessments of hand washing compliance among their staff. They found that doctors and nurses washed their hands only 30 to 70 percent of the time that they entered or exited a patient’s room, averaging 50 percent.
Hand washing upon entering and exiting a room is a key part of the Joint Commission accreditation requirements and has been recommended by both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. Hospitals…
Sexual Healing: Paschal Beverly Randolph
Following up on the latest Disinformation World News Podcast, here are a number of links to more information about Paschal Beverly Randolph: the subject of the last installment of Insomnia, included in the latest Disinformation World News podcast.
Including a number of books available through Google and several fascinating articles about one of the Western magical tradition’s bright, shining lights- explore these links and get wise to this fascinating cat.
Meteorite Strikes Doctor’s Office In Virginia
Via 1010WINS/AP:
LORTON, Va. (AP) — Doctors at a small practice in Virginia got a big surprise when a tennis ball-sized meteorite punched a hole through their roof. No one was injured.
Dr. Frank Ciampi (chee-AHM-pee) says the rock struck the two-story building around 5:30 p.m. Monday in Lorton, about 20 miles southwest of Washington.
He says they heard a loud bang and found the projectile punched through the roof and ceiling, raining down pieces of wood, plaster and insulation.
The half-pound rock split into three chunks. Television station WUSA took it to the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of Natural History and experts confirmed it was a meteorite…
Supreme Court Ends Democracy With Single Decision
Frequent disinformation commenter 5by5 wrote to us with thoughts on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision regarding campaign financing:
Just when you thought they couldn’t do anything stupider…..
Critics: ‘Destructive’ Supreme Court decision ‘empowers corruption’
I never thought I’d say this, but man, Roger Ebert of all people, NAILED this one with a single sentence:
“Supreme Court relaxes limits on Satan’s campaign donations.”
Why would Candidate X listen to the people in his district when they can only give $200 each (if that), but the corporation who’s major shareholder is a Saudi billionaire can give the candidate $2,000,000 in order to say…..”encourage” him to remove women’s rights? Or abolish the minimum wage? Or limit religious speech? Or end child labor laws? Or allow toxic waste dumping in the district?
Those corporatist hacks Alito, Scalia, Roberts, Kennedy, and the ever incurious Thomas (who has yet to even bother to ask a single question — EVER) basically ruled that…
Air America Calls It Quits
The lone voice of progressive talk in the radio spectrum is conceding that it just can’t attract an audience the same way that the conservatives do and will declare bankruptcy. Funny how liberal blogs are so popular in comparison…
From the 
Air America site:
It is with the greatest regret, on behalf of our Board, that we must announce that Air America Media is ceasing its live programming operations as of this afternoon, and that the Company will file soon under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code to carry out an orderly winding-down of the business.
The very difficult economic environment has had a significant impact on Air America’s business. This past year has seen a “perfect storm” in the media industry generally. National and local advertising revenues have fallen drastically, causing many media companies nationwide to fold or seek bankruptcy protection. From large to small, recent bankruptcies like Citadel Broadcasting and closures like…
Rep. Ron Paul Weighs In On The State Of The Nation
Texas Rep. Ron Paul talks about Obama’s first year, where he thinks the country is headed and his plans for 2012.
Will You Be a Victim of Killer Coal?
Joshua Frank writing for TruthOut:
So, you thought inhaling glue or driving without a seatbelt was bad for your health? Try living next to a coal-fired power plant.
That’s the diagnosis that Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) relayed to the public in a comprehensive medical study released on November 18, 2009, called “Coal’s Assault of Human Health.” In it, the organization, comprised of physicians and public health experts, claimed that coal pollutants damage every major organ in the human body and contribute to four of the top five leading causes of death in the United States.
“The findings of this report are clear: while the U.S. relies heavily on coal for its energy needs, the consequences of that reliance for our health are grave,” said Dr. Alan H. Lockwood, a principal author of the report and a professor of neurology at the University at Buffalo.
It is not simply about cleaning up the coal…
Pot Potato
From The Stranger:
A Bill to Decriminalize Pot Is Popular with Voters—So Why Won’t the Legislature Pass It?
Stoners get caricatured as layabouts who talk in circles, shrug off their responsibilities, and leave hard work to other people. But when it comes to reforming pot laws in Washington, it’s not stoners embodying this stereotype.
As this year’s legislative session begins, one of the bills still kicking around from last year’s session—after it stalled in the state house without a hearing—is a measure that would decriminalize marijuana. The bill would replace the existing penalty for possessing pot (up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine) with just a $100 citation, like a parking ticket. A fiscal report by the state’s Office of Financial Management shows the measure would save $11,283,360 a year in prosecution and jail costs. And relaxing pot penalties is plenty popular with voters. Polling data conducted in 2006…
Treating Agony With Ecstasy
From Discover Magazine:
Post-traumatic stress disorder—PTSD—can linger years after someone has experienced or witnessed something extremely upsetting. It may be accompanied by panic attacks, flashbacks, and nightmares, and it can be fiendishly difficult to treat. But experimental types of treatment could soon lend a hand.
In a pilot study, South Carolina psychiatrist Michael Mithoefer is targeting PTSD with a controversial drug: methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or MDMA, commonly known as Ecstasy. He gave MDMA, along with psychotherapy, to 21 participants who had developed treatment-resistant PTSD as a result of experiences with crime or war. Only 15 percent of the MDMA-treated subjects continued to experience PTSD afterward, as opposed to 85 percent of the subjects who received psychotherapy with a placebo. Mithoefer considers the findings especially notable given that 20 of the 21 participants had previously failed to obtain relief from FDA-approved treatments. “The next step is to find out if this can be replicated elsewhere,”…
Obama’s Big Wake Up Call
From Alternet:
The Dems’ loss in Massachusetts put on display the monumental miscalculations by which Obama has governed. Now it’s time for him to change.
Barack Obama went to Boston to rally voters and got a pie in the face. He lost his innocence as the valiant young president and also lost his sixty-vote majority in the Senate. Now we will find out what the man is made of — either a true political leader or just another show horse. Dozens of explanations are being offered for why the Dems were humiliated in Massachusetts. Democrats incline to grab easy answers. The president, if he is tough enough, will instead face the hard message of this political fiasco.
The special election displayed monumental miscalculations by which Obama has governed, both in priorities and political-legislative strategies. It may seem perverse and unfair, but the president’s various actions for reform generated a vaguely poisonous identity. Amid…
Christian Leader: ‘Satan’ has had ‘Free Reign’ in Haiti
From The Raw Story:
The head of a Christian child sponsorship program says Haiti is a nation “that you can literally feel the evil in.”Dr. Wesley Stafford, president and CEO of Compassion International, told Focus on the Family that Haiti was a disaster before the earthquake ever struck.
Haiti … has been a disaster in almost every way long before this ever struck. And it is a nation, between you and me, I guess, that Satan has had absolutely free reign in that nation. And while the missionary effort and the church effort has been enormous, this is a nation that you can literally feel the evil in it.
But then as the church lives out its faith, having come through this deep, deep valley, my great prayer is that there will be a great wave of healing and change in the nation of Haiti … that could only come about through an interruption…
Murders at Guantanamo: Exposing the Truth About the 2006 Suicides
From Truthout:
It’s hard to know where to begin with this profoundly important story by Scott Horton, for next month’s Harper’s Magazine, but let’s try this: The three “suicides” at Guantánamo in June 2006 were not suicides at all. The men in question were killed during interrogations in a secretive block in Guantánamo, conducted by an unknown agency, and the murders were then disguised to look like suicides. Everyone at Guantánamo knew about it. Everyone covered it up. Everyone is still covering it up.
Establishing a Case for Murder – and the Disclosure of a Secret Prison at Guantánamo
The key to the discovery of the murder of the three men – 37-year-old Salah Ahmed al-Salami, a Yemeni; 30-year-old Mani Shaman al-Utaybi, a Saudi; and 22-year-old Yasser Talal al-Zahrani, a Saudi who was just 17 when he was captured – is Army Staff Sgt. Joe Hickman, a former Marine who re-enlisted in the Army…
Hitler Finds Out Scott Brown Won Massachusetts Senate Seat
This clip from The Downfall this has been remixed a zillion times, and here we go again:
No Pants Day 2010
The Wall Street Journal reports:
A frosty winter weekend offered a perfect chance for DC Metro riders to observe what has become an annual ritual of shedding their pants on the subway. No Pants Day began as a prank by a few riders in 2002 and has developed a following of thousands of people in over 40 cities worldwide.
Hacked List Of Passwords Shows ‘1234546′ Is Most Popular Choice
Might as well load up on stories from the New York Times as it has announced plans to “meter” usage and limit free online access to its content (at least for now – it’s not the first time the Times has tried charging for some content). If this story doesn’t tell you to change your passwords now, nothing will:
Back at the dawn of the Web, the most popular account password was “12345.” Today, it’s one digit longer but hardly safer: “123456.”
Despite all the reports of Internet security breaches over the years, including the recent attacks on Google’s e-mail service, many people have reacted to the break-ins with a shrug.
According to a new analysis, one out of five Web users still decides to leave the digital equivalent of a key under the doormat: they choose a simple, easily guessed password like “abc123,” “iloveyou” or even “password” to protect their data…
John Edwards Finally Admits Paternity Of Love Child
As reported in New York Magazine:
Surprising few people — especially not the National Enquirer, which has been reporting this story for nearly two years now — former senator and presidential candidate John Edwards admitted that he was the father of Frances Quinn Hunter, the baby daughter of his former mistress Rielle Hunter. He released the following statement to the Today show:
I am Quinn’s father. I will do everything in my power to provide her with the love and support she deserves. I have been able to spend time with her during the past year and trust that future efforts to show her the love and affection she deserves can be done privately and in peace. It was wrong for me ever to deny she was my daughter and hopefully one day, when she understands, she will forgive me. I have been providing financial support for Quinn and have reached an agreement with her mother to continue providing support in the future. To all those I have disappointed and hurt these words will never be enough, but I am truly sorry.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
The Real Story About Relief in Haiti
From Collective Evolution:
Haiti was hit on January 12th 2010 with a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that caused a great deal of “devastation” to close to 3,000,000 of Haiti’s population.
Whether this earthquake was caused by the government using HAARP or whether it was a natural disaster is not the question here. If we look in the right places, away from the mass manipulating that’s going on, we will see what is actually going on in Haiti.
Disaster strikes and the first on the scene is the world police themselves, THE UNITED STATES. They jump in and take control of the airport in Haiti, supposedly assisting with aid. No aid here, only military with lots of guns to make sure those fallen concrete bricks don’t try to steal any of the food they are supplying. You are seeing what looks a lot more like a war than a natural disaster…
