10 Failed Doomsday Predictions

We've all heard predictions, especially after the fact, about some cataclysmic event. Always some vague prediction. Why don't these people ever give you a specific date or place before it happens. Okay. Here's your chance. Predict the next disaster. I dare you. Date and place, please. At least Robertson had the effrontery to make his ridiculous prediction.

in reference to:

"With the upcoming disaster film "2012" and the current hype about Mayan calendars and doomsday predictions, it seems like a good time to put such notions in context. Most prophets of doom come from a religious perspective, though the secular crowd has caused its share of scares as well. One thing the doomsday scenarios tend to share in common: They don't come to pass."
- 10 Failed Doomsday Predictions - Yahoo! News (view on Google Sidewiki)

Newark anti-violence activist killed in shooting crossfire

This man should be a national hero. Instead he will be forgotten. His work will have gone to waste. All because we sit back allow our cities to be over run by the lawless. Worst of all, politicians whom run this country don't have one iota the courage Shabazz exhibited during his lifetime.

in reference to:

"After getting arrested for dealing drugs as a teen, Yusuf Shabazz turned his life around by getting into anti-gang and -violence activism and warning other young people from a lawless life on the street. But the chaos the Newark resident warred against claimed the 22-year-old’s life this morning after a barrage of gunfire fatally wounded him and injured another man at a city apartment complex."
- Newark anti-violence activist killed in shooting crossfire | New Jersey Real-Time News - - NJ.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

High mortality rate of U.S. babies blamed on premature births

This is a statistic that should be cited every time a Republican talks about the evils of government controlled health care. It's a disgrace.

in reference to:

"Premature births, often due to poor care of low-income pregnant women, are the main reason the U.S. infant mortality rate is higher than in most European countries, a government report said Tuesday. About 1 in 8 U.S. births are premature. Early births are much less common in most of Europe; for example, only 1 in 18 babies are premature in Ireland and Finland. Premature births are the chief reason the U.S. ranks 30th in the world in infant mortality, with a rate more than twice as high as infant mortality rates in Sweden, Japan, Finland, Norway and the Czech Republic."
- High mortality rate of U.S. babies blamed on premature births - STLtoday.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

Dem Health bill to get AARP backing

The White House and Democratic leadership are running out of excuses. If they can't pass any meaningful health care reform, the Democrats should all be kicked out of office.

in reference to:

"In a coup for House Democrats, AARP will endorse sweeping health care overhaul legislation headed for a history-making floor vote, officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday. An endorsement from the seniors' lobby was critical when then-President George W. Bush pushed the Medicare prescription drug benefit through a closely divided Congress in 2003. House Democratic leaders are hoping it will work the same political magic for them as they strive to deliver on President Barack Obama's signature issue. An announcement from the 40-million member group is expected Thursday, said officials with knowledge of the group's decision. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the endorsement is not official yet."
- AP: Dem Health bill to get AARP backing - USATODAY.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

South Korea Taxi Drivers Can Watch TV Despite Crash Risks, Judge Rule

And I thought the judges in this country were lenient. This is crazy:
"Cab drivers in South Korea can continue to have televisions on their dashboards, despite the risk of crashing, a court has ruled"
- source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/04/south-korea-taxi-drivers-_n_345249.html

GOP senators talk of boycotting climate bill

Both parties are tool of big business. But the Republicans have decided they will do nothing but do the bidding of the corporations. They have adopted a strategy of subverting the government, and using race to attack this President. It is pure demagoguery. They believe that if things get worse in America they will benefit from. So they want to help it along but undermining a piece of legislation proposed by this President. And they are probably right. America is going down the toilet. And its happening because the Republicans want to pick up the scrapes that are leftover. Just like vultures. After all, they have nothing to offer but failure.

in reference to:

"A threatened Republican boycott of a Senate committee's consideration of climate legislation is exposing the sharp partisan divide over a Democratic proposal to combat global warming. Republicans for the most part plan to stay away from a meeting of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Tuesday as the panel begins deliberations over legislation that would cap greenhouse gases from power and industrial plants and curb the use of fossil fuels. Democrats have a 12-7 majority in the committee and enough votes to advance the measure to the full Senate. But GOP members are demanding additional studies on the cost and job impact of the bill, arguing that an analysis by the Environmental Protection Agency was inadequate. The EPA study projected it would cost average households no more than $111 a year."
- GOP senators talk of boycotting climate bill - Yahoo! News (view on Google Sidewiki)

U.S. settles suit with Muslims in post-9/11 abuse

This case is another argument against torture. The Bush administration has done irreparable harm to America's standing in the world. We are now viewed as a country like any other which violates human rights.
in reference to:

"The U.S. government will pay $1.26 million to five Muslim men detained for months without charges after the September 11 attacks who sued for unlawful imprisonment and abuse, their lawyers said on Tuesday.

The men claimed they suffered inhumane and degrading treatment in a Brooklyn detention center, including solitary confinement, severe beatings, incessant verbal abuse and a blackout on communications with their families and attorneys. Rachel Meeropol, a lawyer for the Center for Constitutional Rights who brought the case in Brooklyn federal court, said it was the largest settlement so far for claims of abuse in the United States following the attacks of September 11, 2001."
- NewsDaily: U.S. settles suit with Muslims in post-9/11 abuse (view on Google Sidewiki)

Same-Sex Marriage Repealed in Maine

The people have spoken again. Marriage should be between a man and a woman.

in reference to:

""Maine voters overturned the state’s same-sex marriage law yesterday, delivering a potentially crushing blow to gay-rights advocates after a year when their cause seemed to be gaining momentum with legislative and legal victories in four states. As the ballot counting continued well past midnight, the margin continued to grow -- with 52.7 percent of voters in favor of the repeal -- and the Associated Press called the contest in favor of gay-marriage foes shortly before 1 a.m. The 'people’s veto' came six months after Maine’s law was approved, and one year after California voters rejected gay marriage by a similar margin.""
- ME: Same-sex marriage repealed - First Read - msnbc.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

Body Count Hits 10 at Ohio Rapist's House

How does anyone get to kill 10 people in plain site without no one noticing. This is another example of a failed criminal justice system. It is also shows how we, as a society, do not care about our neighbors.

in reference to:

"The number of bodies found in and near a rapist's home rose to at least 10 on Tuesday when authorities unearthed four corpses from the backyard and found a skull in a bucket in the basement. Cleveland police stopped searching for victims for the night and planned to continue on Wednesday. They have extended their efforts to boarded-up homes in the neighborhood where residents complained for years of a stench that one even said "smelled like a dead body." Some in the community want an investigation into why it took so long to trace the grisly source."
- Body Count Hits 10 at Ohio Rapist's House - CBS News (view on Google Sidewiki)

Afghan policeman kills 5 British soldiers

The government in Kabul cannot be trusted. Nor should we fight alongside the Afghan army. NATO forces should go it alone.

in reference to:

"An Afghan policeman opened fire on British soldiers in the volatile southern province of Helmand, killing five before fleeing, British and Afghan authorities said Wednesday, raising concerns about discipline within the Afghan forces and possible infiltration by insurgents. The attack Tuesday afternoon came a month after an Afghan policeman on patrol with U.S. soldiers fired on the Americans, killing two. Training and operating jointly with Afghan police and soldiers is key to NATO's strategy of dealing with the spreading Taliban-led insurgency and, ultimately, allowing international forces to leave Afghanistan. Attacks such as these will heighten concern about the effectiveness of the Afghan forces."
- Afghan policeman kills 5 British soldiers - Yahoo! News (view on Google Sidewiki)

Election Results a Victory for Independents, Defeat for Two Party System

The headlines roared:

• CNN: "A big night for the GOP"
• MSNBC: "Election '09 tests don't bode well for Obama"
• ABC news: "Election Night Lesson for Obama?"
• NY Times: "Republicans Sweep Top Races in Setback for Obama"
• FOXNews: "Wins Give GOP Hope...Election of Republican governors in Va., N.J. could mean trouble for Obama"
• Republican Chairman, Michael Steele: Victories in New Jersey and Virginia show "a transcendent party"

But a look at the exit polls show a different story. In Virginia where Republican, Bob McDonnell, won decisively, voters by 2 to 1 said their vote had nothing to do with President Obama. The same happened in New Jersey. The NY Times concluded that it was neither a win or a lose for Obama. In fact both states have "long histories of electing governors from a political party opposite that of the president." Republican "George Allen was elected in 1993, one year after Bill Clinton won the presidency. Democrat Mark Warner won in 2001, a year after George W. Bush's first presidential victory."

The Conservative Republican right will attempt to paint last night Governorship gains as proofs their message is resonating. In New Jersey, the winning candidate, Chris Christie, is considered a moderate. He won with less than 50% of vote against an unpopular Governor, who is also a wealthy Wall St. investor. His business skills were obviously not much use in running New Jersey. The Independent candidate in that race got 6 percent. President Obama "campaigned for Corzine three times, most recently this past Sunday."

In New York City, the Independent incumbent Mayor, Mike Bloomberg, won with only 51% of the vote despite spending an estimated $100 million, and the commonly held perception that he is someone who gets things done. The voters of New York (where I live) were angered by the Mayor's overturning term limits and his original support for it. Bloomberg changed his allegiance from the Republicans only recently. The Democrats in NYC haven't won the Mayoralty, despite having overwhelming registration advantage, in the last 5 elections. Voters here don't think much of either party.

The 23rd Congressional district in NY dealt the Republicans a major defeat yesterday. Despite having endorsements from heavyweight Republicans, the Conservative candidate, Doug Hoffman, lost to the Democrat. No Democrat had held this seat in over 100 years. The Republican candidate was forced out of the race in favor of Hoffman. But the fact that a third party candidate did as well as he did, is a message to the Democrats and Republicans.

Clearly, the biggest winners were Independent voters. In the 23rd, Independents won it for the Democratic candidate, Bill Owens. In Virginia, "independents opted for McDonnell over Democrat Creigh Deeds by an astonishing 65 percent to 34 percent."

Yesterday election results were a repudiation of the two party system.

Half of US kids will get food stamps, study says

This is an indictment of the two party system and the so-called free enterprise system. We have an political establishment and economic orders that puts profit above our people. Trickle-down economics is represents an attack against Americans. Nothing short of revolution will do away with it. Either we overthrow the system (democratically) or will die as a nation, and planet.

in reference to:

"Nearly half of all U.S. children and 90 percent of black youngsters will be on food stamps at some point during childhood, and fallout from the current recession could push those numbers even higher, researchers say. The estimate comes from an analysis of 30 years of national data, and it bolsters other recent evidence on the pervasiveness of youngsters at economic risk. It suggests that almost everyone knows a family who has received food stamps, or will in the future, said lead author Mark Rank, a sociologist at Washington University in St. Louis."
- Half of US kids will get food stamps, study says - Yahoo! News (view on Google Sidewiki)

Bloomberg Buys Himself a 3rd Term as Mayor

I've been bombarded by telephone calls from the campaign of Bloomberg. This has made me even more disgusted with this Mayor. His using of poorly spoken spanish in these calls is insulting to me. His overthrowing of term limits, which we need, is an affront to democracy. Ironically, term limits in NYC has been a spectacular success. This election shows, once again, that politics in this city is always about money and the crooked politics it engenders.

in reference to:

"Mayor Michael Bloomberg's record spending is favored to win him a third term Tuesday, but by a far smaller margin than the nearly 20-point blowout he pulled off in 2005.Public opinion surveys find Bloomberg with a much narrower lead over Democrat William Thompson Jr. this year than the lead he held over his Democratic opponent in his last re-election bid, when he steamrolled Fernando Ferrer by nearly 20 points.The rivals surfaced early at their own Manhattan polling places. After voting at a school, Bloomberg took $1 from his wallet and made a bake sale purchase. Thompson arrived with family members in tow and gave a thumbs-up as he left the voting booth.The billionaire mayor spent record sums from his personal fortune on both elections. He's likely to burn through more than $100 million on this one, while Thompson is expected to spend one-tenth of that. The mayor spent $85 million in 2005."
- Bloomberg favored to win 3rd term as NYC mayor - Examiner.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

New video on missing British girl Madeleine McCann

The parents of Madeleine are still the main suspects. It was probably an accidental killing (she overdosed on sleeping medication) by one or both parents. Whom wanted to go out on the town and wanted Madeleine to stay sleeping. This case reminds me of Haleigh Cummings and others.

in reference to:

"British police on Tuesday released a new video imagining what missing girl Madeleine McCann would look like now, at age six, and urged Internet users to spread the pictures as widely as they can. The appeal was launched by the U.K. Child Exploitation and Online Protection Center. Detectives hope the video will "prick the conscience" of someone who may be close to the girl's abductor. The short film includes new images of how Madeleine might have changed more than two years after she disappeared while on vacation with her family in Portugal's southern Algarve coast in May 2007. Madeleine disappeared from the resort a few days before her fourth birthday."
- Nation & World | New video on missing British girl Madeleine McCann | Seattle Times Newspaper (view on Google Sidewiki)

Rihanna says domestic violence could happen to anyone

This interview might help bring needed attention to the issue of domestic violence against women. I hope she doesn't try to explain away Brown's role. And let's hope she's forgotten the bum.

in reference to:

"Pop singer Rihanna is due to speak for the first time about the night she was beaten by her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown, saying in a TV interview that this could happen to anyone. R&B singer Brown, 20, was sentenced to five years probation and community service in August for attacking Rihanna, 21, on the eve of the Grammy Awards in February. He has since apologized for the assault but has remained largely out of the media spotlight. In an interview with Diana Sawyer due to be aired on ABC's program "Good Morning America" on Thursday and Friday this week, the Barbadian singer says Brown was "definitely my first big love." "This happened to me ... it can happen to anyone," she told Sawyer according to a statement from ABC."
- Rihanna says domestic violence could happen to anyone - omg! news on Yahoo! (view on Google Sidewiki)

Over 17,000 species threatened by extinction

Isn't this a metaphor for the human condition? Are humans part of that endangered species list?

in reference to:

"The Switzerland-based group surveyed 47,677 animals and plants for this year's "Red List" of endangered species, determining that 17,291 of them are at risk of extinction. More than one in five of all known mammals, over a quarter of reptiles and 70 percent of plants are under threat, according to the survey, which featured over 2,800 new species compared with 2008. "These results are just the tip of the iceberg," said Craig Hilton-Taylor, who manages the list. He said many more species that have yet to be assessed could also be under serious threat."
- Over 17,000 species threatened by extinction (view on Google Sidewiki)

Video: MSNBC Debate on Afghanistan (11-2-09)

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Video: Swine Flu (H1N1) Pandemic Goes Global (11-2-09)

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

'60 Minutes' Report on H1N1 (11-1-09)

Read the report/transcript. (video) Excerpt below:

In mid-October, Luke Duvall was in a fight for his life against H1N1. Pelley met him and his parents, Chad and Belinda, at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock.

Luke was breathing only with the help of a ventilator. He would be on the machine 17 days.

Nearly three weeks later, Luke was off the ventilator and in physical therapy. He is still being fed through a tube in his nose and he has a long way to go to get his strength back, but he has beaten H1N1.

"Well, the only way I can describe it to somebody who hadn't gone through it was its almost like somebody hit me with a cannonball in the chest," he said.

Luke's harrowing struggle wasn't lost on his neighbors. Before dawn Friday, people who had been praying for their local football star were lining up for vaccine. But supplies were scarce; Arkansas says it is short about a million doses.

We went to a mall in Manassas, Va., where after three hours they vaccinated 550 people, ran out of vaccine, and turned 350 away.

Last summer, the government said there would be 120 million doses of vaccine by fall; weeks later, it revised that to 40 million. Now, just over 17 million have shipped - 14 percent of the first estimate.

Experts agree the government decoded the virus to prepare a vaccine in record time, a real achievement. But then the project hit snags.

The vaccine took longer than expected to produce, and there were shortages of supplies, like the sprayer for the FluMist version.

The H1N1 vaccine is being produced in a sprawling, $250 million facility in Swiftwater, Pa. Like other vaccines, the H1N1 virus is grown in chicken eggs, in an updated version of a process that has been around since World War II.

"Viruses are unique in that they require a living host to propagate. And the egg provides essentially a small, self-contained, sterile factory for the production of the vaccine," Sam Lee, director of manufacturing technology at French drug company Sanofi Pasteur, explained.

The plant has to be as clean as a hospital operating room. Pelley and the "60 Minutes" team put on clean suits and hairnets and passed through airlocks to reach the production line.

Five companies are making vaccine, but this is the only one in America.

"I see all these needles going into the top of the egg. Is that the virus going into the egg itself?" Pelley asked, observing the production process.

"There's the needle that comes down," Lee said. "The virus is then introduced directly to the egg. The eggs exit the machine. And are loaded onto carts. These carts are then wheeled into incubators, where they're environmentally controlled for temperature and humidity."

The virus grows in the eggs; later it is killed and refined into vaccine. The process takes three months. Most of that is testing for safety and sterility. Sanofi Pasteur has a federal contract to make 75 million doses. They will go through millions of eggs.

Asked if the farms producing the eggs are near the vaccine plant, Lee told Pelley, "Because of security reasons, I'm not at liberty to share specific, exact locations."

"These are secret egg farms?" Pelley asked.

"We don't want to reveal the location for security reasons," Lee said.

Rush Limbaugh on 'FOX News Sunday': Transcript (11-1-09)

Read the complete transcript. See video here. Excerpt below:

WALLACE: This week it will be one year since Barack Obama was elected president. In that time, what has he done for and to the country? LIMBAUGH: I think it's all to. I don't think there's any for. I'm -- Chris, I'm -- I'm really, really worried. We've never seen this kind of radical leadership at such a high level of power in the -- in the country.

I believe that the economy is under siege, is being destroyed. Anybody with any economic literacy would not do one thing this administration's done to try to revitalize the private sector. They're destroying it.

And I have to think that it may be on purpose, because this is just outrageous, what is happening -- a denial of liberty, an attack on freedom.

I mean, just -- just a couple days ago, they talked about these 650,000 jobs that they've created or saved. There's no such thing as a saved job. Besides that, they've destroyed jobs. They've lost 3.3 million jobs in this country since Obama's stimulus plan, and it's going to get worse.

WALLACE: But -- but wait a minute. How about save the country from a financial abyss, 3.5 percent growth in the third quarter in GDP?

LIMBAUGH: There wasn't any growth in the private sector. That 3.5 percent came from two things -- government spending on "Cash for Clunkers" -- they just moved fourth quarter auto sales into the third quarter -- and the first-time home buyer thing.

GDP equals CIG -- that is, consumers, the investment of business, and government. And it's all G. It's all government. There is no private sector growth. There were no new jobs being created. We're losing them.

WALLACE: How about kept the country safe for nine months?

LIMBAUGH: I don't know how safe we are. Iran is nuking up. Everything that we've asked them to do they are forgetting. They're not going to move their plutonium, their enriched plutonium -- uranium out of the country like they said so.

We can't make up our minds what we're going to do in Afghanistan. We're dithering there. I don't -- I don't think we're any better off in any way it could be measured.

WALLACE: You have now taken to calling Mr. Obama "the man-child president."

LIMBAUGH: Right.

WALLACE: What does that mean?

LIMBAUGH: Just -- he's (inaudible) he's a child. I think he's -- he's got a -- a five-minute career. He was in the Senate for 150 days. He was a community organizer in Chicago for however number of years. He really has no experience running anything. He's very young. I think he's got an out-of-this-world ego. He's very narcissistic. And he's able to focus all attention on him all the time. That -- that description is simply a way to cut through the noise and say he's immature, inexperienced, in over his head.

WALLACE: Let's talk about a couple of the big issues the president is dealing with now -- first of all, Afghanistan. You suggest that he is taking all of this time to decide what to do in Afghanistan to keep his left-wing base on board for health care reform.

LIMBAUGH: Well, it's partly that, but I also don't think he cares much about it. I think once...

WALLACE: Well, come on.

LIMBAUGH: No, I -- no, see, this is -- I know this is going to sound controversial, but I don't think he cares that -- if he -- Chris, if he cared about -- we've got soldiers and their families worrying about what we're going to do. The general on the ground said we need some more troops.

The policy that he implemented in March he now doesn't like and is trying to figure out how best to make everybody happy here politically on his side of the aisle and also for his image. Democrats have a tendency to be seen as weak on defense, so he's battling with that.

But again, if he cared about victory -- remember, he said about Afghanistan victory is not something he's comfortable with, the concept. It reminds him of the Japanese surrendering on the USS Missouri. It made him very uncomfortable.

He wants to manage this rather than achieve victory. He says these things. I don't know if people actually listen and have them register when he does.