Saturday, June 14, 2003
When It Raines...
Powerful people and institutions have a strong self-interest in resisting journalistic inspection and the public accountability it can inspire. But their resistance weakens the democratic bond between the powerful and the powerless that can prevent unchecked corruption where it matters most. Irresponsible attacks by the right on just about all tough-minded, independent reporting come at the cost of the very information citizens need to understand the political, social and economic context of their world. The ability of the Times to report honestly on the forces that govern our lives--and, by doing so, to help set the agenda for the rest of the media--is one of the few institutional obstacles in the path of those who misuse their power. And that's why, for all its flaws, the Times must be defended. We have, alas, seen the alternative.
Powerful people and institutions have a strong self-interest in resisting journalistic inspection and the public accountability it can inspire. But their resistance weakens the democratic bond between the powerful and the powerless that can prevent unchecked corruption where it matters most. Irresponsible attacks by the right on just about all tough-minded, independent reporting come at the cost of the very information citizens need to understand the political, social and economic context of their world. The ability of the Times to report honestly on the forces that govern our lives--and, by doing so, to help set the agenda for the rest of the media--is one of the few institutional obstacles in the path of those who misuse their power. And that's why, for all its flaws, the Times must be defended. We have, alas, seen the alternative.
From the blog of Katrina vanden Heuvel...
Editor's Cut How to Really Save Private Lynch
"We face an unemployment problem that is certainly without precedent in my lifetime," said Paul Bremer, the US-appointed Governor of Iraq, as he unveiled a $100 million public works program for that battered country, using funds drawn from the Iraqi Central Bank. The move, according to the Wall Street Journal, is part of a broader effort to get Iraqis back to work, rebuild the country's hospitals and highways and, generally, jump-start the moribund economy.
Meanwhile, back in Palestine, West Virginia--best known as the hometown of Private Jessica Lynch--nearly half of the adults in Wirt county are unemployed, the poverty rate hovers near 20 percent and funds for civic projects like rebuilding the 41-year old county swimming pool have completely dried up.
Importance of Breathing Through The Nose
The first rule for correct breathing is that we should breathe through the nose. This may seem obvious, but many people breathe principally through the mouth. Mouth breathing can adversely affect the development of the thyroid gland. It can retard the mental development of children.
The nose has various defense mechanisms to prevent impurities and excessively cold air entering the body. At the entrance to the nose, a screen of hairs traps dust, tiny insects and other particles that may injure the lungs if you breathe through the mouth. After the entrance of the nose, there is a long winding passage lined with mucus membranes, where excessively cool air is warmed and very fine dust particles that escaped the hair screen are caught. Next, in the inner nose are glands which fight off any bacilli which have slipped through the other defenses. The inner nose also contains the olfactory organ-our sense of smell. This detects any poisonous gases around that may injure our health.
The yogis believe that the olfactory organ has another function: the absorption of prana from the air. If you breathe through the mouth all the time, as many people do, you are cheating yourself of all this free energy (prana). The yogis say this is a major factor in lowered resistance to disease and impairs the functioning of your vital glands and nervous system. Add to this the fact that pathogens can enter the lungs via mouth breathing, and you can see2
The first rule for correct breathing is that we should breathe through the nose. This may seem obvious, but many people breathe principally through the mouth. Mouth breathing can adversely affect the development of the thyroid gland. It can retard the mental development of children.
The nose has various defense mechanisms to prevent impurities and excessively cold air entering the body. At the entrance to the nose, a screen of hairs traps dust, tiny insects and other particles that may injure the lungs if you breathe through the mouth. After the entrance of the nose, there is a long winding passage lined with mucus membranes, where excessively cool air is warmed and very fine dust particles that escaped the hair screen are caught. Next, in the inner nose are glands which fight off any bacilli which have slipped through the other defenses. The inner nose also contains the olfactory organ-our sense of smell. This detects any poisonous gases around that may injure our health.
The yogis believe that the olfactory organ has another function: the absorption of prana from the air. If you breathe through the mouth all the time, as many people do, you are cheating yourself of all this free energy (prana). The yogis say this is a major factor in lowered resistance to disease and impairs the functioning of your vital glands and nervous system. Add to this the fact that pathogens can enter the lungs via mouth breathing, and you can see2
Friday, June 13, 2003
Welcome to uExpress featuring Ted Rall -- The Best Advice and Opinions The Universe!
NEW YORK--George W. Bush told us that Iraq and Al Qaeda were working together. They weren't. He repeatedly implied that Iraq had had something to do with 9/11. It hadn't. He claimed to have proof that Saddam Hussein possessed banned weapons of mass destruction. He didn't. As our allies watched in horror and disgust, Bush conned us into a one-sided war of aggression that killed and maimed thousands of innocent people, destroyed billions of dollars in Iraqi infrastructure, cost tens of billions of dollars, cost the lives of American soldiers, and transformed our international image as the world's shining beacon of freedom into that of a marauding police state. Presidents Nixon and Clinton rightly faced impeachment for comparatively trivial offenses; if we hope to restore our nation's honor, George W. Bush too must face a president's gravest political sanction.
NEW YORK--George W. Bush told us that Iraq and Al Qaeda were working together. They weren't. He repeatedly implied that Iraq had had something to do with 9/11. It hadn't. He claimed to have proof that Saddam Hussein possessed banned weapons of mass destruction. He didn't. As our allies watched in horror and disgust, Bush conned us into a one-sided war of aggression that killed and maimed thousands of innocent people, destroyed billions of dollars in Iraqi infrastructure, cost tens of billions of dollars, cost the lives of American soldiers, and transformed our international image as the world's shining beacon of freedom into that of a marauding police state. Presidents Nixon and Clinton rightly faced impeachment for comparatively trivial offenses; if we hope to restore our nation's honor, George W. Bush too must face a president's gravest political sanction.
Released last week, the FAIR study reports that "official voices" — U.S. government and military, past and present — dominated TV newscasts, "squelching dissent'' and crowding out alternative viewpoints, including foreign perspectives.
American television viewers "were more than six times as likely to see a pro-war source as one who was anti-war; with U.S. guests alone, the ratio increases to 25 to 1,'' the study's authors, Steve Rendell and Tara Broughel, report in the May/June edition of FAIR's magazine Extra!
They looked at 1,617 talking heads and other on-camera sources, coding them by name, occupation, nationality, position on the war and the network on which they appeared. (In CNN's case, they targeted Wolf Blitzer Reports.) Turns out that, not only did Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld take over Iraq for the U.S., he also scored a clear victory over the media.
Indeed, military types got twice as much face time as civilians did. They were reinforced by the Pentagon's slickest marketing move of all time, the embedding of hundreds of journalists with the troops.
Obviously, the anti-war brigade didn't get much attention, even if its members were with the government or military. FAIR found a mere 3 per cent of U.S. sources "represented or expressed opposition to the war,'' and that includes senators and members of Congress."
American television viewers "were more than six times as likely to see a pro-war source as one who was anti-war; with U.S. guests alone, the ratio increases to 25 to 1,'' the study's authors, Steve Rendell and Tara Broughel, report in the May/June edition of FAIR's magazine Extra!
They looked at 1,617 talking heads and other on-camera sources, coding them by name, occupation, nationality, position on the war and the network on which they appeared. (In CNN's case, they targeted Wolf Blitzer Reports.) Turns out that, not only did Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld take over Iraq for the U.S., he also scored a clear victory over the media.
Indeed, military types got twice as much face time as civilians did. They were reinforced by the Pentagon's slickest marketing move of all time, the embedding of hundreds of journalists with the troops.
Obviously, the anti-war brigade didn't get much attention, even if its members were with the government or military. FAIR found a mere 3 per cent of U.S. sources "represented or expressed opposition to the war,'' and that includes senators and members of Congress."
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Up to 7,000 civilians killed in war, researchers say At least 5,000 civilians may have been killed during the invasion of Iraq, an independent research group has claimed. As more evidence is collated, it says, the figure could reach 10,000.
Iraq Body Count (IBC), a volunteer group of British and US academics and researchers, compiled statistics on civilian casualties from media reports and estimated that between 5,000 and 7,000 civilians died in the conflict.
Iraq Body Count (IBC), a volunteer group of British and US academics and researchers, compiled statistics on civilian casualties from media reports and estimated that between 5,000 and 7,000 civilians died in the conflict.
Violence flares as Israel and Hamas head for all-out war Israeli helicopters killed seven Palestinians, including a senior militant, his wife and infant daughter, as Israel and the Islamic group Hamas dropped any pretense of peace and declared all-out war.
That Bush sure is an effective leader! He asks for peace...and gets all-out war. Well...it IS Friday 13th!
That Bush sure is an effective leader! He asks for peace...and gets all-out war. Well...it IS Friday 13th!
Thursday, June 12, 2003
BBC NEWS | Middle East | Hamas warning after Gaza strikes
The World's Stupidest Man, George W. Bush, has a plan. He says he wants peace in the Middle East. Unfortunately he is a proven liar...
The Middle East is about to go up in smoke...
Great guns, Georgie!
The World's Stupidest Man, George W. Bush, has a plan. He says he wants peace in the Middle East. Unfortunately he is a proven liar...
The Middle East is about to go up in smoke...
Great guns, Georgie!
Wednesday, June 11, 2003
TOMPAINE.com - Declaring Independence What makes the actions of the Bush administration so troublesome is the lack of honesty.
It amounts, in the end, to a pattern of deception and distortion; ultimately that does not respect the wisdom of the American people.
It amounts, in the end, to a pattern of deception and distortion; ultimately that does not respect the wisdom of the American people.
Welcome to Our Future.org
BILL MOYERS
Prepared remarks upon receiving
America's Future Lifetime Leadership
Award
This is your story - the progressive
story of America.
Acceptance Speech (PDF Format)
Speeches
Robert L. Borosage
Co-Director, Campaign for America's Future
Opening Speech (PDF Format)
Heather Booth
Organizer
Prepared Remarks (PDF Format)
James Galbraith
Professor, University of Texas
Prepared Remarks (PDF Format)
Stan Greenberg
Chairman and CEO of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research Inc.
Conference Presentation (Microsoft Power Point)
BILL MOYERS
Prepared remarks upon receiving
America's Future Lifetime Leadership
Award
This is your story - the progressive
story of America.
Acceptance Speech (PDF Format)
Speeches
Robert L. Borosage
Co-Director, Campaign for America's Future
Opening Speech (PDF Format)
Heather Booth
Organizer
Prepared Remarks (PDF Format)
James Galbraith
Professor, University of Texas
Prepared Remarks (PDF Format)
Stan Greenberg
Chairman and CEO of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research Inc.
Conference Presentation (Microsoft Power Point)
This is Your Story - The Progressive Story of America. Pass It On. "If you think these guys are bad, you should see their constituents."
Monday, June 09, 2003
Flood Story Flood Story
By Doug Hurst, August 14, 2001
Outdoor travelers are at the mercy of the weather. It is often noted that nothing makes one feel smaller than nature’s awesome power. I have known this for many years. On the morning of July 8th at our home on Laurel Creek in Beckwith, WV, (Fayette County) my wife, two children, mother-in-law, and myself learned a lot more about nature’s power and feeling small.
I remember reading in an ecology textbook in 1988 that any stream of water over three meters wide is technically a river. Judging from the normal appearance of Laurel Creek, a quaint trout stream in the New River Gorge, I was surprised to be informed that I was living on a river. Over the years I forgot that fact. On July 8th, 2001, I was reminded. On that day, my family and I witnessed a river in our back yard.
At 7:00 a.m. we awoke to a rainy Sunday morning. Ah, a day of rest and reading. I knew it had been raining since about 4:00 a.m.. The creek looked just a little high; not out of its banks, not threatening. Soon we noticed how fast it was rising. A rising that was new, different. Coupled with the sudden realization that this loud, heavy, unceasing rain meant business we found ourselves facing the possibility of a flood. Yet even then, we had no idea what the next 5 hours was to bring.
By Doug Hurst, August 14, 2001
Outdoor travelers are at the mercy of the weather. It is often noted that nothing makes one feel smaller than nature’s awesome power. I have known this for many years. On the morning of July 8th at our home on Laurel Creek in Beckwith, WV, (Fayette County) my wife, two children, mother-in-law, and myself learned a lot more about nature’s power and feeling small.
I remember reading in an ecology textbook in 1988 that any stream of water over three meters wide is technically a river. Judging from the normal appearance of Laurel Creek, a quaint trout stream in the New River Gorge, I was surprised to be informed that I was living on a river. Over the years I forgot that fact. On July 8th, 2001, I was reminded. On that day, my family and I witnessed a river in our back yard.
At 7:00 a.m. we awoke to a rainy Sunday morning. Ah, a day of rest and reading. I knew it had been raining since about 4:00 a.m.. The creek looked just a little high; not out of its banks, not threatening. Soon we noticed how fast it was rising. A rising that was new, different. Coupled with the sudden realization that this loud, heavy, unceasing rain meant business we found ourselves facing the possibility of a flood. Yet even then, we had no idea what the next 5 hours was to bring.
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