Friday, June 18, 2004
Friday, July 04, 2003
Moving On
Well the new site is set-up as best as a non-techie could hope for so I'm 'officially' an ex-Blogspotter....
MT is terrific. So much faster than Blogger and the system has several nice features I am really going to enjoy learning about.
If you link to me and would like to change the addy here's the new one..
www.karmalised.com
Peace
Well the new site is set-up as best as a non-techie could hope for so I'm 'officially' an ex-Blogspotter....
MT is terrific. So much faster than Blogger and the system has several nice features I am really going to enjoy learning about.
If you link to me and would like to change the addy here's the new one..
www.karmalised.com
Peace
Wednesday, July 02, 2003
The Great Blogspot Revolt
Last weekend I followed a link from ReachMHigh to Dean's World and eagerly accepted Dean's offer to set people up with MT on Verve. After signing on with the service Dean did the rest and I now have a new home.
Thing is it isn't ready for visitors. As soon as I can figure out how to add the essentials I'll post a link.
It could take a while. I've already had to recopy the Main template from the MT site because I did something frightening while trying to add links.
But I will figure this out eventually.
Thanks, Dean. I appreciate the help.
Last weekend I followed a link from ReachMHigh to Dean's World and eagerly accepted Dean's offer to set people up with MT on Verve. After signing on with the service Dean did the rest and I now have a new home.
Thing is it isn't ready for visitors. As soon as I can figure out how to add the essentials I'll post a link.
It could take a while. I've already had to recopy the Main template from the MT site because I did something frightening while trying to add links.
But I will figure this out eventually.
Thanks, Dean. I appreciate the help.
Tuesday, July 01, 2003
Strange Timing, Ralph
On May 27 the WP ran an article suggesting the Green Party might consider backing a Democrat.
Kucinich seemed to have the most support.
Then came an announcement that Nader and Kucinich would be appearing at a Democracy Rising event at John Hopkins University on June 26...
Can't seem to find the speeches or any mention of the event in cyberspace.
Did find a couple of articles here and here that suggest fairly strongly that Nader is going to make another run.
Then comes this Crossfire announcement;
The timing of it all is extremely puzzling.
Update 7/2: From the Crossfire transcript;
NADER:
On May 27 the WP ran an article suggesting the Green Party might consider backing a Democrat.
Kucinich seemed to have the most support.
Then came an announcement that Nader and Kucinich would be appearing at a Democracy Rising event at John Hopkins University on June 26...
Can't seem to find the speeches or any mention of the event in cyberspace.
Did find a couple of articles here and here that suggest fairly strongly that Nader is going to make another run.
Then comes this Crossfire announcement;
Crossfire at 4:30 pm ET
On July 1, 2003
And online at [LINK]
From CNN's Crossfire staff:
TODAY'S GUEST:
Ralph Nader, Fmr. Green Party Presidential Candidate
In the Crossfire… Ralph Nader is flirting with another run for the Oval Office. Would his third party candidacy end up hurting or helping Democrats? Why does Nader claim that none of the Democratic candidates have what it takes to defeat Bush? Would a Nader candidacy bring important issues into the presidential debate or divert attention from candidates who have a better shot at assuming the top job? Ralph Nader steps into the Crossfire to answer it all.
Join Robert Novak and James Carville for Crossfire, 4:30 p.m. Eastern, 1:30 p.m. Pacific - live from the George Washington University. Teamed up with Judy Woodruff’s Inside Politics, we promise to give you the best hour of politics nywhere.
To be part of the studio audience e-mail us at: cnn@gwu.edu
Visit CROSSFIRE to send in your e-mail to be included in our Fire Back segment and offer your opinions on our show topics and guests.
The timing of it all is extremely puzzling.
Update 7/2: From the Crossfire transcript;
NADER:
Well, you raise an interesting point. If Dennis Kucinich gets the nomination, it'll be less reason to have a third-party challenge. He's a very progressive Democrat and his views actually are closer to Jim Carville's than many of the nominees, potential nominees, not to mention Gore and Lieberman.
Sunday, June 29, 2003
Democrats plan separate review of Iraq spy data
Partisan bickering over intelligence that President Bush used to justify the war on Iraq escalated yesterday as minority Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee announced they would conduct their own investigation.
The panel's senior Democrat, Carl Levin of Michigan, said the Democrats had decided to undertake their own review because the panel's Republican chairman, John Warner of Virginia, had spurned an offer for a bipartisan inquiry.
Row Between BBC And British Govt. Going Strong
The BBC is not backing down.
Posted June 27th...
Letter from Richard Sambrook, Director, BBC News to Alastair Campbell
Downing Street
The latest from Downing Street.
The unprecedented row between the Government and the BBC took a dramatic twist last night when Andrew Gilligan, the reporter at the centre of claims that Number 10 deliberately 'sexed up' evidence against Saddam Hussein, announced he was ready to sue a serving Minister.
Gilligan, the defence correspondent for Radio 4's Today programme, said that he would take legal action against Phil Woolas, the Deputy Leader of the House, unless he received a full apology for allegations made against him.
The BBC is not backing down.
Posted June 27th...
Letter from Richard Sambrook, Director, BBC News to Alastair Campbell
Downing Street
The latest from Downing Street.
U.S. Begins Bid to Crush Iraq Insurgents
The operation, dubbed "Desert Sidewinder," is taking place in a huge swath of central Iraq (news - web sites) stretching from the Iranian border to the areas north of Baghdad, and is expected to last for several days, military officials said.
Election Activism for 2004
Cowboy Kahlil linked to this call for action from Dennis Kucinich.
If you think the 2004 vote should be monitored go read.
Cowboy Kahlil linked to this call for action from Dennis Kucinich.
If you think the 2004 vote should be monitored go read.
Is Any Of This Stuff Made In The U.S.A.?
Israel cuts off ties with BBC
Israel cuts off ties with BBC
Israel declared over the weekend that it is cutting off ties with the BBC to protest a repeat broadcast on non-conventional weapons said to be in Israel.
The program was broadcast for the first time in March in Britain, and was rerun Saturday on a BBC channel that is aired all over the world.
The MoveOn Vote
My problems with the MoveOn vote are they went almost immediately from asking members to vote for a top three tier to the actual 'vote'. And Zack Exley should have recused himself from the entire process.
Why was there no debate period between asking members to vote for a top three tier and the actual voting? The letters were fine but no substitute for debate on the issues.
Nathan Newman alerted people to Freepers bragging about rigging the vote and registering multiple times. He suggested charging a fee for the privilege of voting. A friend who read his post took offense not only to this suggestion but felt Nathan was being critical of Sharpton. I don't think that was his purpose but unlike my friend I've read the articles linked on this page.
I do think Nathan may be one of those lefties who doesn't think a true progressive has a real chance of winning the nomination. That's a little different from someone who dismisses Sharpton's credentials entirely but not much.
Did you read the comments section of the alert I linked? Some people honestly wonder why the Republicans are kicking Dem ass all over town and the answer is right there under their noses. There's no glue to hold it all together. This 'oh we can't go too left' attitude makes absolutely no sense to me. If you're going to be the opposition party give me something to believe in. If in your heart you lean more to the right than left join the GOP and back candidates like Olympia Snowe and Lincoln Chaffe.
It's a sorry excuse to say unless a hawkish candidate is backed the election can't be won. I think the people who say things like it are simply projecting their insecurities about advancing peaceful causes.
Again. Get thee to the party that intends to wage perpetual war.
And in response to the suggestion of charging a fee for voting I say no. Fix the problem, don't create a new one.
My problems with the MoveOn vote are they went almost immediately from asking members to vote for a top three tier to the actual 'vote'. And Zack Exley should have recused himself from the entire process.
Why was there no debate period between asking members to vote for a top three tier and the actual voting? The letters were fine but no substitute for debate on the issues.
Nathan Newman alerted people to Freepers bragging about rigging the vote and registering multiple times. He suggested charging a fee for the privilege of voting. A friend who read his post took offense not only to this suggestion but felt Nathan was being critical of Sharpton. I don't think that was his purpose but unlike my friend I've read the articles linked on this page.
I do think Nathan may be one of those lefties who doesn't think a true progressive has a real chance of winning the nomination. That's a little different from someone who dismisses Sharpton's credentials entirely but not much.
Did you read the comments section of the alert I linked? Some people honestly wonder why the Republicans are kicking Dem ass all over town and the answer is right there under their noses. There's no glue to hold it all together. This 'oh we can't go too left' attitude makes absolutely no sense to me. If you're going to be the opposition party give me something to believe in. If in your heart you lean more to the right than left join the GOP and back candidates like Olympia Snowe and Lincoln Chaffe.
It's a sorry excuse to say unless a hawkish candidate is backed the election can't be won. I think the people who say things like it are simply projecting their insecurities about advancing peaceful causes.
Again. Get thee to the party that intends to wage perpetual war.
And in response to the suggestion of charging a fee for voting I say no. Fix the problem, don't create a new one.
Saturday, June 28, 2003
Who Will Lose Overtime Pay?
A personal reason I am completely against this outrage.
For some years now I've worked 12 hr. shifts.
When I worked as a nurse these were straight shifts on the night side but for those who don't know working these longer hours can involve 'creative' scheduling.
There were weeks I would be scheduled 5 nights on, 2 off, so forth...completely dependent upon the will of the manager. Every 5 weeks or so I would swing around to 5 days off in a row. Working 5 [or more] nights just before it I'd spend the first day recovering. This was the carrot on the stick?
No matter how I was scheduled it never exceeded 84 hours in a two-week period yet I received no overtime pay unless I worked more than the 84.
Some deal for the company. Not a great life for parents with small children who require adult supervision. It also leaves little time for a family life when you are home and forget about scheduling appointments when you only know a couple of weeks in advance what days you'll be working.
It was one of the reasons I left the nursing profession. You'd be surprised how many employers try to capitalise on the selfless natures of the men and women who enter the nursing profession.
The last several years I've worked a 12 hr. swing shift. This means my schedule constantly revolves from day to night.
In reality I work 60 hours one week and 24 the next though thanks to the billing calendar it's regarded as 36/48.
If you could see the actual schedule this involves very short turn-arounds when you go from nights to days, so while it might sound as if I have a lot of days off, in reality they can be very short ones. My company allows us 8 hours of overtime pay every two-week period which considering the attitudes of many companies is very generous.
What needs to be understood is that 8 hours of overtime isn't a gift my company is giving me. They still come out ahead in the long run for a number of reasons. In fact even if this law goes through I don't think my company will sign-on to it. But I'm very lucky in that respect.
Other companies like ones I worked for as a nurse would swoop on something like this. They don't care. If they lose American nurses due to it they'll recruit foreign professionals like my state is doing now in India.
Don't allow the Bush administration's war on workers to continue. If you don't start fighting back now, you'll become powerless to fight back when something comes around that matters to you.
Overtime is not only just compensation for the sacrifices and allowances one must make in their personal life to accomodate working the longer hours, it's one of the most effective tools workers have to stem the greed and manipulation of employers.
The deadline for submitting comments to the Department of Labor opposing President Bush's overtime cuts is just days away. All public comments must be submitted to the Labor Department before the end of the day this coming Monday, June 30. Act now before it is too late. You, your friends or members of your family could be among the more than 8 million workers who might LOSE ALL of their overtime pay.
Please take one minute to submit your comment opposing Bush's overtime pay cuts by clicking on the link below.
Even if you've acted before, your voice is needed now.
A personal reason I am completely against this outrage.
For some years now I've worked 12 hr. shifts.
When I worked as a nurse these were straight shifts on the night side but for those who don't know working these longer hours can involve 'creative' scheduling.
There were weeks I would be scheduled 5 nights on, 2 off, so forth...completely dependent upon the will of the manager. Every 5 weeks or so I would swing around to 5 days off in a row. Working 5 [or more] nights just before it I'd spend the first day recovering. This was the carrot on the stick?
No matter how I was scheduled it never exceeded 84 hours in a two-week period yet I received no overtime pay unless I worked more than the 84.
Some deal for the company. Not a great life for parents with small children who require adult supervision. It also leaves little time for a family life when you are home and forget about scheduling appointments when you only know a couple of weeks in advance what days you'll be working.
It was one of the reasons I left the nursing profession. You'd be surprised how many employers try to capitalise on the selfless natures of the men and women who enter the nursing profession.
The last several years I've worked a 12 hr. swing shift. This means my schedule constantly revolves from day to night.
In reality I work 60 hours one week and 24 the next though thanks to the billing calendar it's regarded as 36/48.
If you could see the actual schedule this involves very short turn-arounds when you go from nights to days, so while it might sound as if I have a lot of days off, in reality they can be very short ones. My company allows us 8 hours of overtime pay every two-week period which considering the attitudes of many companies is very generous.
What needs to be understood is that 8 hours of overtime isn't a gift my company is giving me. They still come out ahead in the long run for a number of reasons. In fact even if this law goes through I don't think my company will sign-on to it. But I'm very lucky in that respect.
Other companies like ones I worked for as a nurse would swoop on something like this. They don't care. If they lose American nurses due to it they'll recruit foreign professionals like my state is doing now in India.
Don't allow the Bush administration's war on workers to continue. If you don't start fighting back now, you'll become powerless to fight back when something comes around that matters to you.
Overtime is not only just compensation for the sacrifices and allowances one must make in their personal life to accomodate working the longer hours, it's one of the most effective tools workers have to stem the greed and manipulation of employers.
Report al-Qaeda No. 2, And bin Laden Son In Custody In Iran
You might think FOX News [origin of the linked article] is slow on the draw since Iran freely admitted some time ago it's holding al-Qaeda operatives.
But if you read this post over at Body and Soul you might come to a different conclusion.
They have a history of retreading old information. Could it be to provide that 'slant' they're so fond of hawking?
I think it's 'fair' to say this is yet another example of propaganda in one of its sloppiest forms.
You might think FOX News [origin of the linked article] is slow on the draw since Iran freely admitted some time ago it's holding al-Qaeda operatives.
But if you read this post over at Body and Soul you might come to a different conclusion.
They have a history of retreading old information. Could it be to provide that 'slant' they're so fond of hawking?
I think it's 'fair' to say this is yet another example of propaganda in one of its sloppiest forms.
Bush Wants Regime-Change In 3 African Nations
Yet just three days ago;
US offers payment for overthrow of Mugabe
If the United States is truly concerned about the starving people of Zimbabwe why does the Bush administration insist upon sending GM crops?
I understand the economic motive but not the hypocrisy.
Nationwide Protests To Greet Bush In Africa
Eleven days before an African tour, Bush addressed the war-ravaged states of Liberia and Congo and warned democracy was under assault in Zimbabwe, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
...
Bush stopped short of demanding the resignation of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.
Yet just three days ago;
US offers payment for overthrow of Mugabe
The United States has offered Zimbabwe "generous assistance" in exchange for its ruling ZANU-PF party ousting President Robert Mugabe and agreeing to hold free elections.
The Secretary of State, Colin Powell, said "Robert Mugabe and his cohorts may cry 'blackmail"', but they should be ignored. The starving, oppressed Zimbabwean people could not wait much longer for their "rescue".
If the United States is truly concerned about the starving people of Zimbabwe why does the Bush administration insist upon sending GM crops?
I understand the economic motive but not the hypocrisy.
Nationwide Protests To Greet Bush In Africa
Company fined $6,000 for answering customer's question "Is any of this stuff made in Israel?"
A Missouri company has been fined $6,000 for answering a customer's question and not reporting to the federal government that the question was asked. The question that's punished by law is: Are any of these products made in Israel, or made of Israeli materials?
The Kansas City Star reports:
Jeanne d'Arc at Body and Soul has an illuminating post about the Congo.
Go read.
I've also learned from Jeanne that Dennis Kucinich now has a blog. It's been added to my links.
Disappointing to read that Jeanne is leaning towards Dean though she hasn't decided yet.
Go read.
I've also learned from Jeanne that Dennis Kucinich now has a blog. It's been added to my links.
Disappointing to read that Jeanne is leaning towards Dean though she hasn't decided yet.
Friday, June 27, 2003
Perfect Timing!
Bush wants to give Musharraf $4.5 billion and voile! Pakistan arrests an al-Qaeda operative who just happens to have a tape of OSB warning of attacks on the United States.
Scared? Shame on you.
Al-Qaida suspect arrested with video
Bush wants to give Musharraf $4.5 billion and voile! Pakistan arrests an al-Qaeda operative who just happens to have a tape of OSB warning of attacks on the United States.
Scared? Shame on you.
Al-Qaida suspect arrested with video
Pakistani authorities arrested a suspected al-Qaida operative and seized a video cassette purportedly of Osama bin Laden warning of attacks against U.S. interests in Saudi Arabia, intelligence officials said Friday.
Tired of Telemarketers?
Federal officials said consumers are now able to place their home and mobile telephone numbers on a free, national "do not call list" of households that do not want to receive telephone sales calls, by logging on to (http://donotcall.gov) or calling 1-888-382-1222.
end of excerpt
If you'd like to know why I think telephone companies escaped this restriction read this article.
Federal officials said consumers are now able to place their home and mobile telephone numbers on a free, national "do not call list" of households that do not want to receive telephone sales calls, by logging on to (http://donotcall.gov) or calling 1-888-382-1222.
end of excerpt
If you'd like to know why I think telephone companies escaped this restriction read this article.
When I posted about this 'find' the other day I thought the Bushies were really pushing it. I even wondered if finally the stupidest sheeple would get off their duffs and say 'enough is enough'.
But nah. The Bushies must thank de loid every second of the day for the sheer ignorance and willingness to submit of their followers. I can't think of any nation on earth that possesses subjects as dense as these.
Others gauge Iraqi scientist's ordeal
Yeah right, Ari.
Why was this scientist treated so shabbily? Didn't they think he'd risk going public on his own?
In my opinion they didn't think the evidence was worth giving this guy anything in exchange for it but decided it was good enough to quiet the appetites of Americans hungry for news of WMD.
Poor slob. He turns to CNN to protect his life and winds up in CIA custody.
But nah. The Bushies must thank de loid every second of the day for the sheer ignorance and willingness to submit of their followers. I can't think of any nation on earth that possesses subjects as dense as these.
Others gauge Iraqi scientist's ordeal
Two months after he first asked for help in coming forward, the materials Obeidi buried 12 years ago are in the hands of U.S. officials and he is in Kuwait with his family. But his future remains unclear.
Reward money promised to Iraqis with details about illicit weapons programs hasn't been granted and his asylum request remains uncertain.
U.S. authorities said the information he provided wasn't the long-sought "smoking gun" they sought. But White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said it buttressed the administration's claim that Saddam had concealed weapons of mass destruction.
Yeah right, Ari.
Why was this scientist treated so shabbily? Didn't they think he'd risk going public on his own?
In my opinion they didn't think the evidence was worth giving this guy anything in exchange for it but decided it was good enough to quiet the appetites of Americans hungry for news of WMD.
Poor slob. He turns to CNN to protect his life and winds up in CIA custody.
Does Bush Believe God Talks To Him?
Linked from Democrats.com
Linked from Democrats.com
Abbas said that at Aqaba, Bush promised to speak with Sharon about the siege on Arafat. He said nobody can speak to or pressure Sharon except the Americans.
According to Abbas, immediately thereafter Bush said: "God told me to strike at al Qaida and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did, and now I am determined to solve the problem in the Middle East. If you help me I will act, and if not, the elections will come and I will have to focus on them."
If the news of Oregon's success hasn't sent Ashcroft into cardiac arrest this certainly should.
Vive le Canada!
Canada plans injection site for addicts
Vive le Canada!
Canada plans injection site for addicts
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Canada will open North America's first legal safe-injection site for drug addicts later this year, a decision that drew swift criticism from White House drug czar John Walters.
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