Friday, April 15, 2005
to the producers of Saturday Night Live
Letter Of The Day
I agree with the Rev. Denny Coon's April 4 letter regarding misguided priorities with Polk County's decision to spend $70 million for a new jail while government at all levels cuts back on programs that could reduce prison populations ("No Need for Larger Jails If We Have Better Treatment Programs"). Actually prison building in Iowa has been a growth industry (a good thing?) during the past decade. What is wrong with this picture?
Building prisons to solve social problems is like creating cemeteries to solve medical problems.
-Mark Kerper,
Ames.
attribution
the funniest thing i've heard today
Thursday, April 14, 2005
got movie?
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
hackers are the new "terrorists"
Information broker LexisNexis Group said yesterday that the security breaches it announced last month could affect roughly 310,000 consumers -- about 10 times as many as first thought -- leading several legislators to describe the ongoing bleeding of sensitive personal data as out of control.
Millions of consumers have been exposed to potential identity theft in 14 major breaches in the past year at various brokers, universities, banks and other institutions.
and from slate:
USAT fronts info-broker Lexis-Nexis' announcement that hackers had access to data on 300,000 people, 10 times what the company had said before. The info included names, Social Security digits, and drivers-license numbers. The company said the lucky individuals affected will be offered free credit reports for a year.
imagine if a terrorist intercepted one of those shipments?
A dangerous strain of the flu virus that caused a worldwide pandemic in 1957 was sent to thousands of laboratories in the United States and around the world, triggering a frantic effort to destroy the samples to prevent an outbreak, health officials revealed yesterday.
The problem arose when a private company, Meridian Bioscience Inc. of Cincinnati, sent a panel of virus samples to about 3,700 laboratories, some in doctors' offices, to be tested as part of routine quality-control certification conducted by the College of American Pathologists. An additional 2,750 laboratories, all in the United States, received the samples as part of other certification processes and were asked to destroy them, CDC spokesman Dan Rutz said....The mistake came to light March 25 when the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, Manitoba, identified the virus. "They were doing this routine testing and identified this virus and said, 'This shouldn't be here,' " Rutz said. Canadian officials notified WHO and the CDC on Friday.
..
Robert G. Webster, a flu expert at St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, called the incident "a terrible, terrible mistake."
"I have been telling WHO for a number of years that this is a dangerous virus that is still out there in more labs than they know," he said. "This may alert WHO and Homeland Security and whoever wants to know that each and every H2N2 sample from 1957 needs to be rounded up and locked down.""For reasons I don't understand and Meridian doesn't understand, the documentation they had was incorrect," he said, adding that the source of the mislabeling was unclear.Schwartz said a mechanism is being established to require anyone shipping pathogens to notify the CDC about what strains of virus are involved.
William J. Motto, chairman and chief executive of Meridian Bioscience, said he had no comment last night.
well, DUH. what's he gonna say?
our company is unprofessional?
Letter Of The Day
President Bush must be living in a fantasy world. He claimed in Cedar Rapids on March 30 that his call for changing Social Security is gaining ground ("In Iowa, President Touts Plan for Social Security," March 31).
Several public-opinion polls prove him wrong, and U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said the public is "not closer in buying into personal accounts."
Grassley knows voters will reward, not punish, any politician who works to shore up Social Security rather than establish personal accounts that will only siphon money away from the program.
-David Leonard,
Adel.
speaking of poopyheads and boltons
from the new york times, and it's in the form of an editorial (caught by my great friends at today's papers):
Mr. Bolton wanted to give a speech saying that "the United States believes that Cuba has a developmental offensive biological warfare program and is providing assistance to other rogue state programs." That sounds scary but it was not true. Cuba was not doing those things and U.S. intelligence agencies did not think it was. But according to numerous accounts, Mr. Bolton became enraged when an analyst from the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research pointed out the error, and he tried to have the analyst removed from his post.
Site of the Day
democrat or republican?
today's letter comes to us from the DSM register. can you guess what party the writer is?
i say he's republicon. it may not be 'racism' in its definitive form, but it's something equally as disturbing.
Regarding Susan J. Aden's April 2 letter, "At Roosevelt Vs. Dowling, Fans Went Too Far": Anyone who has watched sporting events has seen increasing amounts of inappropriate behavior.
I have witnessed parents being ejected from a second-grade basketball tournament, parents confronting coaches in the dugout of a 10-year-olds' baseball game, a high-school coach (as a "fan") yell at an opposing player during a free-throw attempt, parents confront parents in parking lots, police called in to assist, "fans" of a public school chant "What would Jesus do?" to the students of a Christian school when they fell behind, "fans" refer to opposing players as Satan, "fans" mocking those in religious orders, etc.
Aden states there is a problem in a society where racism is not even recognized. Perhaps it was not recognized in the situation she cited because it was not there.
Perhaps when people stop labeling everything as black or white, then they will stop seeing racism in every instance.
-Mike Rowley,
Clive.
bush, clinton and intel.
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
no WONDER he is bush's man
on bolton's nomination to UN amb post at his confirmation hearings yesterday, fred kaplan from slate, sums it up rather nicely, and a perfect fit for someone in bush's corner:
In short, John Bolton came off as strikingly lacking in the credibility, values, and basic commitment that, especially these days, the job of U.N. ambassador requires.
democrat or republicon?
Wholesale prices for popular brand-name prescription drugs rose an average 7.1% in 2004, more than twice the general inflation rate, a new study commissioned by the nation's largest seniors lobby says....Ken Johnson of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the trade group of brand-name drugmakers, called the study "exaggerated and misleading." He said the use of wholesale prices excludes factors such as rebates that could cut retail costs."Price data clearly shows prescription-drug prices have increased about 4% a year," Johnson said. He called that in line with growth in other health costs.
when they use words like 'exaggerated and misleading' and especially when those words come out of the mouth of a republicon. i'd bet my life on the fact that mr johnson is a bush enabler. so how could anybody believe him?
i disagree with the register
Given the world's growing thirst for oil and limited supplies, Congress needs to act. This is one of those instances when just about everyone has a slice of the answer. In the short term, as President Bush has advocated, the United States should step up domestic oil exploration and production. And, now and in the future, it also must step up conservation by encouraging the use of fuel-efficient cars. And it must develop alternative fuels.
byron york is a dork
National Review White House correspondent Byron York took issue with The Washington Post's characterization of findings in an ABC News-Washington Post poll that documented a significant drop in public support for President Bush's plan for Social Security. But in challenging the Post in a March 15 National Review Online column , York misrepresented the poll's data to claim that "solid majorities of those surveyed accept the president's underlying rationale for reform, and support his main proposal for that reform [private investment accounts funded by payroll taxes]."
A March 14 WashingtonPost.com article on the poll, which was released the previous day, reported that "[b]arely a third of the public approves of the way President Bush is dealing with Social Security and a majority says the more they hear about Bush's plan to reform the giant retirement system, the less they like it." When respondents were asked: "Overall, do you support or oppose Bush's proposals on Social Security? Do you support/oppose them strongly or somewhat?" 55 percent disapproved: 35 percent strongly and 20 percent somewhat.
my letter to the editor
By DAVID SCHMIDT, Mason City
When someone mentions filibuster, what do you think? The Republicans in Congress are employing the "nuclear option" as a tactic to end filibusters.
They seem not concerned of ever returning to the minority, otherwise, they wouldn't ever pull such a stunt.
Sad to say, but this is next to the last step in the ultimate goal of the refurbished GOP to have absolute power.
Your vote in the next election will determine just how American you truly are.
Monday, April 11, 2005
--Drum Major Institute
understatement of the week
Initially about a quarter of U.S. forces in Iraq may be brought back, according to the NYT's senior military sources—meaning the number of troops would be reduced to about 105,000 from the current 142,000. The rest of the timeline is not clear, though no one is expecting a complete pullout anytime soon. "We're there militarily for the long haul," says Rhode Island Sen.
Jack Reed, a Democrat and former Army officer. The insurgency is still estimated to have between 12,000 and 20,000 "hard-core fighters," despite the hundreds or
even thousands of fighters killed or taken prisoner in the last year
"We are not against the homosexuals," said Hutchens, who flashes the twang of her Arkansas birth when she accents the "ho-mo" syllables. "We don't have a problem with what they want to do in private. We just don't want it in our faces."from
Although the media keep talking about the "nuclear option," there's nothing that explosive about the plans of Senate Republicans to end the filibusters against President Bush's judicial nominees.
The Republican plan to stop the blockade of the president's judicial nominees isn't nearly as radical as we've been led to believe. All it really involves is restoring constitutional order to a process that's been hijacked by the Senate liberals. By restoring the number of votes needed to confirm a nominee to a simple majority - not the supermajority required to end a filibuster - conservatives hope to stop the madness that has prevented 10 qualified judges from even getting an up-or-down vote over the past two years.
The bottom line: Restoring Senate tradition to end the minority's obstructionism must happen sooner rather than later. That's the message our senators need to hear from us.
-Rhonda Phillips,
Peru.
ms rhonda, why don't you just stay home and change the diapers on those babies of yours runnin the streets like piglets lost.
Anyone who would buy a condo 50 feet from railroad tracks and then complain about train noise is about as dumb as someone who would buy a condo 50 feet from railroad tracks and then complain about train noise.
-Tom Sacco,
Des Moines.
what a brilliant idea!
from today's des moines register:
So here's a modest suggestion about how we could have universal public preschool without spending a whole lot more than we're spending now: As we add two years of school (or educational child care) at one end of the spectrum for 3- and 4-year-olds, lop two years off the other end for 17- and 18-year-olds. Have 10 grades in school instead of 12. Let kids graduate from high school at age 16.
A wildly impractical idea? Maybe, but consider the advantages. Kids grow up a lot faster these days. There's nothing in the high school curriculum that cannot be mastered by 16-year-olds. The course work could be condensed to provide 12 years of education in 10. A more intensive education might actually challenge kids more and keep them interested.
Sunday, April 10, 2005
cuz i sure cant take much more of this recklessness they seem to ooze. click2call duznt work. #5 auto redial duznt work. their tech people are clueless clusterfux. and they have the audacity to want 10 bux more a month for using software phones.
they got 60 days.
no piggy bank in America is safe from these pricks
The Victims of Crime Act, established by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, collects fees and fines from federal criminal defendants and uses them for grants for compensation and services for victims locally. Congress caps how much money can be spent each fiscal year to keep a reserve in case less money is collected the next year. The current cap is $625 million.
The Bush administration wants to take away $1.2 billion dollars in reserves that would have been sitting in the fund at the beginning of fiscal year 2007 and divert that money, as well as any new revenues, into the government's general fund.
DELAY WATCH
NEW YORK, April 10 /PRNewswire/ -- At lunch at his downtown Washington restaurant last week, Jack Abramoff -- the once Washington superlobbyist who is now the target of a Justice Department criminal probe -- lashed out in frustration and was noticeably caustic about House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, reports Investigative Correspondent Michael Isikoff in the April 18 issue of Newsweek (on newsstands Monday, April 11). "Everybody is lying," Abramoff told a former colleague. "Those S.O.B.s," Abramoff said about DeLay and his staffers, according to his luncheon companion. "DeLay knew everything. He knew all the details." There are e-mails and records that will implicate others, Abramoff said.
Quote for the Day
"The church has to come down from heaven to the reality on Earth. It's not filling my spiritual needs, and I am looking for an alternative."
Quote for the Day
"The church has to come down from heaven to the reality on Earth. It's not filling my spiritual needs, and I am looking for an alternative."
an observation
headline of the Day
Millions Said Going to Waste in Iraq UtilitiesA coalition memo says water, sewage and power facilities rebuilt with U.S. funds are falling into disrepair. Iraqis say they need more money.
the sunday morning thought
is it, or isn't it?
"If money were not a consideration, it's a program that would have very broad-based support, but money is a consideration," he said.
attribution
Saturday, April 09, 2005
you mean, he LIED?
The shifting of money also will help cover an estimated $5-billion shortfall in the Iraqi national budget. Insurgent attacks and the failure of reconstruction efforts in the oil sector have resulted in lower than anticipated oil revenues, making it impossible for Iraq to maintain and operate U.S.-funded reconstruction efforts.
The need for such funds explicitly contradicts a prediction then-Defense Deputy Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz made before Congress in 2003.
incompetence defined
Bill Taylor, who heads the civilian reconstruction management office in Iraq, which wrote the report, said remaining funds would increasingly be focused on "systems" rather than individual projects. Iraqis have been frustrated, for instance, that new water treatment plants have been built without new water lines, resulting in millions of gallons of clean water that has no way to reach homes.
the 2nd anniversary of the removal of saddam
"Tomorrow will be the second black anniversary of the Iraq occupation," (sadr) said during the sermon. "We have seen nothing but bloodshed, destruction, pillage and thievery before the very eyes of the Iraqi people, who are looking on as their sons are butchered, detained, and the state funds looted and taken outside the country by the thieves who have taken over."
hypocrisy so thick, you can cut it with a dull knife
"I believe in an independent judiciary," he said. "I believe in proper checks and balances. And we'll continue to put judges on the bench who strictly and faithfully interpret the Constitution."
The LAT says the leaders were arrayed according to a complex formula that took into account the number of years a country has had diplomatic ties with the Vatican. The result: President Bush sat not far from Iranian President Mohammed Khatami, whom he ignored, along with Syria's Bashar Assad. Israeli President Moshe Katsav, however, shook the hands of both, and talked with Khatami about the city in Iran where they both were born. "Maybe today will make us hope of a future of peace, not of conflict and hatred," Khatami was quoted as saying in an Italian newspaper, according to the LAT and NYT.
i wish the hell i could have watched the funeral now, just to look at the face of bush when israeli president showed some class and shook the hands of 'soon-to-be'? enemies? it had to be about as priceless as the art inside the chapel.
ugly companies
Democrat or Republican
take the test. do you think the letter writer is a democrat, or a republican/con?
Dave Eyman's April 7 letter regarding parents teaching children how to drive got the facts turned around. The comment regarding children taught to drive by parents "killing people" was made by another legislator. I voted in favor of the bill, and I resent the implication that only teachers can teach our children anything worthwhile.
-State Rep. Ralph Watts,
Adel.
we have two letter winners today
The Register's March 31 article on building cars to run on fuel cells cites the fact that DaimlerChrysler AG is testing 100 fuel-cell vehicles around the world ("Automakers Announce Fuel Cell Ventures").
General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. also have models running. The article concludes with a comment that Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman says we may be approaching commercialization within 15 years.
We went to the moon in nine years. NASA had nothing like the Saturn V rocket, and many of the materials needed for the rocket-propulsion system weren't known in 1961.
A president sets his priorities. President Kennedy wanted to get to the moon in a decade. The Presidents Bush have now spent something like a trillion dollars trying to secure oil in the Middle East - showing their priorities.
For fuel-cell cars, the 2005 U.S. budget will spend about 1 percent of the cost of our oil war in Iraq.
-Mike Montross,
Winterset.
attribution
The Letter of the Day
After we build the new Polk County jail, with drug abusers all tucked in, then what? Is the plan to lock them up, and this will be the form of treatment? I would like to see the plan of action
The March 30 Register reported that "Nine of 10 who complete treatment stay out of trouble." This statement alone shows that some of the people involved have no clue as to the power of drugs.
Treatment is the first step, but if a drug addict is to go back on the streets, they also need help to "begin" again. Hopelessness as to how you are going to live is one of the major causes of relapse. After the stigma of a misdemeanor or felony, landing a $6-an-hour job with a paycheck that won't come for a month while living in a shelter isn't much to hold on to.
A new jail. A treatment program we know nothing about, and we're on our way to a drug-free society.
I wish it were that simple.
-Kimberly Shursen,
Clive.
attribution
Quote for the Day
--Rekha Basu
attribution
Friday, April 08, 2005
the subject of macs quickly turned into a story that ends with my shivering and quaking in my shoes. literally.
wanna know more?
go HERE.
there's bushite people all over the world
The proceedings this week against Lopez Obrador are not about the rule of law. They're about kicking a popular left-wing front-runner out of the presidential race. As a result of shrewd patronage politics and savvy political positioning, Lopez Obrador is the most popular politician in the country. That makes him dangerous to an array of vested interests and explains why he has so many powerful enemies obsessed with bringing him down, including President Vicente Fox.
As a result of a political crusade disguised as a legal issue, Lopez Obrador is caught in a battle for his political life. The attorney general's office has accused him of ignoring a restraining order issued by the courts and moving forward with construction of a road to a hospital on land whose ownership has been contested. Now that the Chamber of Deputies has stripped him of his immunity from prosecution, he faces a potential prison sentence and could be deemed ineligible to run for the presidency while his case goes through the system.
Thursday, April 07, 2005
a soldier's story
FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Kentucky Army National Guard soldiers in Iraq are being put at risk because their trucks are unreliable, poorly armored and lack protective glass, according to a guardsman stationed in Iraq.
Staff Sgt. Brad Rogers said in e-mails yesterday that Kentucky National Guardsman Sgt. James A. Sherrill might have survived a bomb attack Sunday if his truck had protective glass, known as ballistic windows.
"We have great people and great leadership. I just want answers on why we can't get better equipment with full armor including ballistic windows," Rogers said in an e-mail to The Courier-Journal.
"They need to stop these missions until we get these things."