501

Five hundred and one posts to this blog.
Hurrah !

Don't Perform

I learned the name of the Perform Group and PIAS today when trying to watch a football (soccer) replay. Perform claims to have a "unique perspective on how to commercialise sports content" --- Are they able to "engage with mass audiences globally" as claimed below? They proved to be tightfisted wankers here -- they don't perform well.

Bad Word Israel?

Interview of reserve US Army Lt. Col. Paula Broadwell by Arthur Kade:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXcDlk_RijQ

At the 3:45 point of the interview, Broadwell mentions that while at West Point,  "I was able to do an exchange program to the Middle East."

Why say "the Middle East" -- is Israel a bad secret, or somehow a dirty word?

 Further background (link)

Marketing Dennis Power

Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) would be a great US Secretary of State, or a brilliant US Secretary of Defence.

But it's unlikely he'll be appointed or confirmed.

Sure, he's not from the Democratic right-wing, and he promises to rock the boat. But what sinks his candidacy is his name.  Too few people know how to say "Kucinich" (koo-SIN-itch), and Americans are too proud or polite to guess & be wrong.

As Obama said - time for CHANGE

AP Photo/Harry Hamburg

Dennis Power        (formerly Rep. Dennis Kucinich)   

 

Myopic Yes

"Maybe we should care a bit less about who they’re screwing than how we’re all being screwed all the time."
   --- Dr. Randall Amster

Romney-Ryan-Rude

Republican staffers gathered on election night to discover their dreams for President Mitt Romney were no more than intestinal gas. Those who worked for the candidate, who were told victory was certain, had a bad evening.

But it got worse. Many Romney staffers were in Boston planning festivities with the candidates. Others were posted to distant parts of the USA as unofficial election monitors, etc. Trying to pay the cab ride back to their hotel, or at checkout next day, they rudely found that scum Mitt, without any prior notice, had cancelled their credit card.

Uninvolved Republicans spun this as "fiscal Conservatism" but it was dumb, and the sign of a weasel. His running-mate, 'Eddie Munster' Ryan, is no better.

Some of these staffers & volunteers were in strange cities far from home. They suddenly went from being part of a large movement to being alone, exposed, and perhaps embarrassed. But best they recognize the feeling. How many young Americans have bled out to die in the dust of Iraq or Afghanistan, at last understanding the same thing - they were used, and now they'd been thrown away. Veterans see this everyday. Mitt ain't inviting you anywhere on his own dime; he doesn't care about you at all. He's a cheapskate piece of shit, "born on 3rd base, believing he hit a triple" -- too rich, too spoiled.

Sweden's Failure

Sweden failed today in its bid for election to the United Nations Human Rights Council.

It's a big black eye for the centre-right Reinfeldt government, and a loss for the Nordic nations, who've "agreed on a Nordic rotation, which means that one Nordic country stands as a candidate at a time." At the end of this year when Norway completes its term, the Nordic states will lose their important voice & influence.

Results of  12 Nov 2012 vote (link): Western European & Other States (3 seats):
USA (131) 
Germany (127) 
Ireland (124) 
 ----------------
Greece (78 - Not Elected) 
Sweden (75 - Not Elected) 

The USA was reelected.

Perhaps the results are blowback for Swedish government mismanagement in dealing with Julian Assange, or Sweden's involvement with USA kidnapping / renditions. Yet the world needs the independent Nordic voice more than ever.

Managers of the Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq and their US government superiors have yet to be charged, tried or convicted for prisoner abuse and torture. Active censorship bans still seek to hide the horrors of torture & murder by the US Government and its contractors.

Many Americans believe Abu Ghraib is old past forgotten history. Billions of other people around the world believe the Abu Ghraib photos of torture & depravity clearly display US cruelty, arrogance, and willingness to ignore violations of domestic and international law.

Violations without accountability fester & contaminate our world.

What Began Benghazi?

The murder of four Americans assigned to the US Diplomatic Mission in Benghazi, Libya continues to be outrageous. Surely a posting to this region was always highly dangerous. Were diplomatic personnel reasonably briefed and protected? It now seems they may have been targeted due to American 'black ops' people imprisoning Libyans believed somehow dangerous.

What a can of worms! We helped in the overthrow of the Libyan government. Now the anarchy of post-revolution bit us in the ass.

Petraeus Haunted

U.S. Army General David Petraeus (Ret.) has just resigned in a sexual scandal as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Detailed criticism of any D/CIA is unwise.  - 'nuff said.

Let us quickly look, however, at the face of David's father-in-law, U.S. Army General William A. Knowlton (deceased 2008), former Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point -- a ghost now surely displeased:

Public service = hardball & sad...

Reamed !

It's morning in America. Time for a new beginning.

Mega-corporations nearly stole election USA as they funneled billions of corrupt funds into a secret political system. The US Supreme Court still allows non-disclosure of funding sources and unlimited corporate PAC donations. As each huge corporate octopus straddles the globe, foreign funds thus destabilize America. Corporations with any foreign ownership should be banned from giving gifts to politicians. The multinationals are welcome to do business in the USA, but it is a huge mistake to give voting rights in America to Saudi princes, the Chinese Red Army, and other mega-rich foreign brothers.

We the People must demand each elected official fight for us. But with each publicly elected face are five or more administrative hacks, often struggling for funds. The US Democratic Party receives huge monies from corporate puppet-masters. The political parties will continue to actively resist changing their system. Corrupt corporate funds employ many politician's mentors & family members, and offer promise of fat retirement support.

We need new political voices, and to stop enforcing the two-party system. Political corruption kept Obama & Romney from debating Jill Stein of the Green Party. She was on the NY ballot for President; she was at the New York debate, but instead of debating, she got arrested. Far too many Americans are still unaware the two corporate political parties fully control all access to every debate. The two parties will only give up domination when we demand a new format.

The wealthy hold us hostage in many ways. They've destabilized and overthrown governments, funded murders, and paid to create fear. The giants of industry have manufactured energy crises & major wars to advance themselves. Corrupt businesses pushed themselves and the economy to the precipice. They ransacked our communities, sucked out our wealth, and then demanded & received refinancing without penalty. It's unbelievable that people still respect the businessmen who bluntly stabbed us in the heart, went through our pockets, and stole our savings. System fundamentals collapsed, while we slaves still touch our caps to the "owners" -- as we toe the line for field work.

We cheer bailouts letting us keep our scutwork jobs, and don't question why our money was given to the bosses who control us.

Climate Change?

The US Republican Party has resisted the idea of climate change & global warming while the richest segment of its rightist cabal markets fossil fuels. Perhaps via stormy Katrina & Sandy, the Wrath of God will be better appreciated -- she ain't Republican...

Climate change in the political realm is still minor. Too many Americans are dumbly upset over the weaselly poor, while their nation and wealth are shamelessly looted by the weaselly rich. There's been no accountability for the collapse and bailout of the banking system - where politicians pushed trillions of dollars of everyone's wealth to the 1% ultra-wealthy. We're easy pickings for big financiers, and scared by their armies of hired goons (police; military; politicians). We're manipulated ruthlessly by corporate media; and still the swindle continues...

Rube, schmuck & schlemiel, it's time we unite & fight.

Japan in the Toilet

BBC News reports (link) that among Australia's "Top Ten Inventions" is the dual-flush toilet.

The backstory is appealing:  "In the world's driest inhabited continent, water-saving measures are religiously embraced. The dual flush loo has two buttons to dispatch different amounts of water from the cistern - a half-flush for liquid waste and a full one for more heavy-duty deposits.It was invented in the early 1980s by Bruce Thompson and is a ubiquitous feature in Australian bathrooms..." 

But dual-flush toilets were widely used in Japan since at least the 1970s (my introduction was as a homestay student there in 1979). Further, the Japanese designs were superior: in many versions, fresh water runs from a tap into a mini-basin before draining into the cistern -- allowing a rinse of hands or contact with a disinfecting / deodorizing agent. And Japanese home designers typically separate the toilet from the bath / shower into two adjoining rooms, so two people can easily freshen-up at the same time (both logical & an aesthetic improvement - it's gross & uninspiring to bathe looking at a toilet).

Anyhow, Wikipedia, the BBC, and Sydney's Powerhouse Museum must cleanup their reports -- the invention of the dual-flush toilet preceded 1980 and is probably not Australian.

 Choose 大 for big or 小 for smaller jobs... 「水を流すトイレのレバー」

 

Entitled to Swindle?

Much was said in this election about a part of our great nation (fully 47% of society according to Romney) who feel entitled to supports, beggars trying to scrounge other people's energies.

Parasites.

But I personally know more people who are wealthy, yet scrounge other people's energies. They claim to owe nothing to nobody. They believe their successes are wholly self-created. Family, friends & community are betrayed for narcissistic wealth. In the midst of their plenty they defraud, strike out & stab others. Too many Americans living in the midst of community angrily snap at suggestions they've not paid their way.

Parasites.

Perhaps two types of scum, like ticks & fleas, or rats & crows, are similar competitors?

Let's note the words of Senator-elect Elizabeth Warren (D-MA):

"There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own. Nobody. You built a factory out there? Good for you. But I want to be clear: you moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for; you hired workers the rest of us paid to educate; you were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn't have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory, and hire someone to protect against this, because of the work the rest of us did. Now look, you built a factory and it turned into something terrific, or a great idea? God bless. Keep a big hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along..."

Election... No Comment

Romney Ryan Revealed

They couldn't carry their own home states, where they're best known. Corporate charmers. Empty smiles.

Romney & Ryan, rich right-wing robots, would have recklessly ruined us all. Thank the Lord they lost.

Brown to Brooks Bros.

Scott Brown is out of work in January, after Massachusetts voted Elizabeth Warren into the Senate. Brown reportedly owns homes in Wrentham, Massachusetts & Rye, New Hampshire. He has a further three condominium units in Boston rented out; and is also part-owner of a timeshare on the Caribbean island of Aruba; he also has Washington DC lodgings -- which presumably he'll be leaving.

Anyhow, he's a fancy dude who can soon hitchhike over to the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets to work at Brooks Brothers Factory Store.  Good luck to ya Scottie !

Willard Burikko

Somebody told Mr. Willard "Mitt" Romney that round eyes and an empty face are appealing. This is the "burikko" look in Japan -- trying too hard to appear cute.

Rich Mitt reeks of insincerity. He's truly still a preppy bully.

Vote Hirono

Obedient Linda Lingle wants to be Hawaii's Senator. Vote for Senator Mazie Hirono.

Lingle is a Republican political operator. As Hawaii's Governor she vetoed Hawaii's civil unions bill, supporting the sanctity of marriage while herself twice divorced - selfishness over sanctity.

Lingle was enthusiastic for Sarah Palin leading the world into ignorance, aggressiveness & oblivion.

Avoid Lingle, a costly mistake. Senator Mazie Hirono will be hard-working for all families in Hawaii.

Rich Man Right

"There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own. Nobody.

You built a factory out there? Good for you. But I want to be clear: you moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for; you hired workers the rest of us paid to educate; you were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn't have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory, and hire someone to protect against this, because of the work the rest of us did.

Now look, you built a factory and it turned into something terrific, or a great idea? God bless. Keep a big hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along..."

--- US Senate candidate for Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren
(responding to Romney, Ryan & Scott Brown's Winner Deserves All narcissistic greed)

Romney Romney Corporate Zombie

Remember the story about "mean Mitt" leading a gang of prep school bullies that held down a gay student while Mitt pushed in and cut-off the kid's hair... (link)

Don't get flim-flammed by Romney infomercials: there's less to Mitt than meets the eye.

Candidate Mitt Romney's later response to criticism noted dumb pranks he couldn't remember...

Jackal preppie Mitt remains loose. Feed him, he'll bite your hand.

Romney Rents USA

Romney rents presidency to The North Face...
White House to become Kmart House.
Trademarking America...

Hurricane Profiteering

Being injured, buffeted by nature, losing property and grieving for beloved family members suddenly dead. Things seemingly could not be worse. But a small bottle of water selling for $9.50 or a simple dry white bread sandwich costing $23 add insult to injury. Expect such profiteering from bogus President Romney. 

Our remaining meals will all be overpriced. Disgustedly eating Sandy. Profiteering on our misery. The Big Business way is inhumane. Romney & Co. see us all as sheep to be fleeced - expect no mercy from them.

RichMitt Gambling Your Life

Rich twerp Mitt Romney (self-styled governor who's been out of the job for 5 years) is wholly willing to gamble your life for his selfish petulence.

Mitt plays with dishonor by wiping his ass on the flag, as he shits on the corpses of overseas Americans slaughtered in Benghazi.

Mitt don't know shit.

He probably cannot find Libya on a map. He's never been there. He's as far from an expert as can be. He's simply playing & bluffing when he don't know squat. And that's indicative of a dangerous -- even evil person, who'll smilingly force personal profit from other people's misery. As Mitt ASSerts his knowledge, recognize him for what he is -- a stupid ass.

Four Americans dead or four million Americans dead, it's all the same to bloody Mitt.

Everyone's a leech except for him - the financier hero. Right.

DOMA dead

The Defense of Marriage Act -- DOMA -- should have been named Discrimination over Marrying Anybody. The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit gaily struck down the hated law. Hallelujah! 

People living in conditions of near slavery in America have been taught to spit at loving neighbors in stable relationships. They'd better forge a strong community of citizens to protect themselves.

This was a straw horse from the outset - sow division, generate fear, convince the gullible their (already grim) way of life was threatened by -- married faggots! Meanwhile, local resources were plundered, jobs were exported, Bain Capitalism stripped all wealth and sucked the essence from American communities.

The art of hobbling Americans continued far too long. Scandals such as James Guckert / Jeff Gannon display a sinister government attitude to entrapment and press manipulation. Thanks to bigotry sowed by America's rulers, we all endure "Wer Jude ist, bestimme ich!" -- bribery, lack of transparency, communal hatred.

Mitt Romney's electoral strategy dictates he talk BIGOT. But he'll shake big money's sordid hand regardless of it's stink & what it fondled just before. The scuzzy Koch Brothers may be butt buddies to Lucifer -- Mitt bows down. Karl Rove channels homoerotic Nazi Göring -- Mitt don't care. 

DOMA is dead - Hallelujah!

Congrats Australia!

Congratulations to Australia on today's tough election to the United Nations Security Council.

Australia, Argentina, Rwanda, Luxembourg & South Korea will join the five non-elected "Grand Poobah" nations: China, France, Russia, UK & USA, as well as five members elected last year (Azerbaijan, Guatemala, Morocco, Pakistan & Togo) for two-year terms.

Let us hope the Ozzies - and their new mates - will wield independent thinking & rule of law
(and not cower as weak wallabies as with the Assange case)

Did You Know?

US-style corporate "democracy" suffered a black eye 16 Oct. when the Green Party ticket for President & Vice President of the USA, Dr. Jill Stein & Ms. Cheri Honkala, were arrested at Hofstra University (Hempstead, New York, USA) outside the globally-televised second US Presidential Debate.

The debates are managed by the Commission on Presidential Debates, a private corporation.

Only the Democratic Party & Republican Party nominees are allowed to debate, according to the aforementioned Commission on Presidential Debates (which itself was founded by representatives of those same two political parties).

The Green Party candidates are on the ballot in 38 states (including New York, where they were arrested), appearing as 'write-in' candidates for 5 more, and are still litigating for ballot access in 6 further states. The Green Party candidates have received over $100,000 Federal matching campaign funds (public funding from the Presidential Election Campaign Fund). This PECF backs up the corporate bias with federal funding bias for the chosen two "major" parties: "In 2012, each major party is entitled to $18.2 million in public funds for their conventions, and the parties' general election nominees are eligible to receive $91.2 million in public funds."

Read further discussion of the arrests (here)

Green Party  -  http://gp.org

Link to Open Debates

If you didn't know of these arrests,
Your nose too deep in da corporate butt.  Do something!

Disciplined Democracy: Russia USA

Just back from six days in Moscow. While I was there Russia held regional elections, including the first gubernatorial elections since 2005 (when President Putin abolished them). The huge winner, as expected, was Putin's "United Russia" party. They control the Kremlin, and have aggressively built their coalition. They actively intimidate any opposition (with propaganda, arrests, or violence). Many major opposition candidates withdrew prior to the election.

The US elections are similarly flawed. The two major parties monopolize domestic media reports, and keep a stranglehold on election logistics and the Presidential "debates" - where even intraparty candidates are pre-screened by unelected power brokers such as corporate MSNBC (link). We now see third-party candidates barred from all debate, an anti-democratic position bluntly endorsed by the major candidates. The guilty include Obama, Biden, Romney, Ryan, and Hillary Clinton, and behind-the-scenes supporters & party functionaries (link). 'Debate' ground rules (link) create a ludicrous exercise in theater -- in my view, a tragedy.

The Republican party wants to dismantle investments in commonwealth for the private gain of big industrialists (oh sorry, let's call it 'choice'). The "Democratic" party is not democratic. Yerbuttfucked either way.

Will Romney Nuke China?

In last night's important Presidential debate, Republican challenger Mitt Romney declared he would cut federal funding for PBS, the US Public Broadcasting Service.

PBS uses a very tiny fraction of one percent of the US Federal Budget.But the Presidential Debate Moderator, Jim Leher, is an Executive Editor at PBS, and a 40 year veteran of PBS news reporting.

At crux time, why piss-off the Moderator?

Maybe Karl Rove, etc. told Romney: "Jim Leher is old & exposed. Attack PBS & you'll throw him off-balance for the whole debate." Anyhow, that seems to be what happened - Leher, thinking of his possibly soon-to-be unemployed coworkers & colleagues, lost control of time & poorly coordinated the debate.

Romney had his back to the wall, and needed a strong attack strategy to succeed.

What will he do as President? His decisionmaking and character are both untrustworthy (in my opinion). Romney's record indicates he'll gamble on a unilateral surprise attack: slash & burn, kill & plunder, and hope for the best.
--------------------------------

Federal funding for PBS is well below 1/100th of 1% of the Federal Budget. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting gets a two year grant for $445 million. (link) Such funding is only 12% of the PBS budget.

Obama-Romney Debate

I watched only a few minutes excerpts of the debate via The Washington Post.

It was enough.

Cunning & glib, Romney's "answers" were memorized sound bites delivered too quickly. A weasel wishing to steer a dying federal monster to oblivion.

President Obama as typical, deferred to wealth;
referred to his opponent w/ courtesy title "Governor"...

PS- Drop the bullshit title Romney - you ain't guv'na no mo'

Deadly Problem In-deedy

At 3AM in a McDonald's restaurant in Waikiki, Christopher Deedy shot a man dead. The men were earlier reportedly drinking & arguing at a nearby bar.

Former US Dept. of State Special Agent Ed Lee raises a number of questions about the murder (link). Many in Hawaii watch warily. Should officers that Washington DC posts to colony Hawaii be liable for punishment when killing local folk?

Should Christopher Deedy go to trial? Deedy's lawyer, Honolulu attorney Brook Hart (link), claims his client should be immune from prosecution due to his work, because the U.S. Constitution discourages "frivolous or vindictive charges against federal officers."

 
















Was Christopher Deedy drunk? Was he on duty & drunk? Whatever the case, is he freely allowed to summarily execute someone he doesn't like in a McDonalds at 3AM?  I think not. 

Christopher Deedy, day job notwithstanding, absolutely should have been tested for drugs & drunkenness after a 3AM firearm discharge in the McDonalds. The Honolulu Police meekly deferred to his badge, and neglected the need to collect evidence & objective measurements at the murder scene. This colonial mentality is horrendous - "mainland bossman always right" -- bullshit!

Justice demands the surveillance tapes and details of the tragic sudden death of Kollin Elderts be made available for inspection. The tragedy continues.

Listen to Richard Hamasaki's song,"Cowardly Christopher Deedy" (link)