tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44776258183833444602010-02-16T06:57:21.588-05:00LOAD-O-CRAP - it just is."The easiest thing anyone can do on the internet is to publicly demonstrate how stupid they are." -
Harvest the stupid and you have the ideal majority. Buying your products, crushing your critics by sheer numbers.Delibert Leomittednoreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477625818383344460.post-26334225296582862352010-02-16T06:57:00.001-05:002010-02-16T06:57:21.862-05:00KILL THE SPY ACTIVELY WORKING ON YOUR COMPUTER IMMEDIATELY!<div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager.html">http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager.html</a> <o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4477625818383344460-2633422529658286235?l=www.load-o-crap.com%2Fblog' alt='' /></div>Delibert Leomittednoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477625818383344460.post-83264523859311313552010-02-16T06:11:00.001-05:002010-02-16T06:11:19.548-05:00Surveillance Shocker: Sprint Received 8 MILLION Law Enforcement Requests for GPS Location Data in the Past Year<div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.eff.org/issues/cell-tracking">http://www.eff.org/issues/cell-tracking</a> <o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4477625818383344460-8326452385931131355?l=www.load-o-crap.com%2Fblog' alt='' /></div>Delibert Leomittednoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477625818383344460.post-3941444337646533452010-02-16T05:48:00.001-05:002010-02-16T05:48:31.020-05:00SOME OF THE REALLY SINISTER BAD GUYS<div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.issworldtraining.com/ISS_WASH/sponsors.cfm">http://www.issworldtraining.com/ISS_WASH/sponsors.cfm</a> <o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4477625818383344460-394144433764653345?l=www.load-o-crap.com%2Fblog' alt='' /></div>Delibert Leomittednoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477625818383344460.post-15300010838554275752010-02-16T05:44:00.001-05:002010-02-16T05:44:13.516-05:00Cloud computing needlessly exposes users to privacy invasion and fraud<div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1421553">http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1421553</a> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.dubfire.net">http://www.dubfire.net</a> <o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4477625818383344460-1530001083855427575?l=www.load-o-crap.com%2Fblog' alt='' /></div>Delibert Leomittednoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477625818383344460.post-7598837323916914632010-02-16T05:35:00.001-05:002010-02-16T05:35:40.619-05:00IT'S THE LAW: Required disclosure of customer communications or records<div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>§ 2703. Required disclosure of customer communications or records <a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/usc_sec_18_00002703----000-.html">http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/usc_sec_18_00002703----000-.html</a> </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4477625818383344460-759883732391691463?l=www.load-o-crap.com%2Fblog' alt='' /></div>Delibert Leomittednoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477625818383344460.post-68758627919020933172010-02-16T05:28:00.000-05:002010-02-16T05:29:00.577-05:00Can the FBI Secretly Track Your Cell Phone?<div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/declassified/archive/2010/02/10/can-the-fbi-secretly-track-your-cell-phone.aspx">http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/declassified/archive/2010/02/10/can-the-fbi-secretly-track-your-cell-phone.aspx</a> <o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4477625818383344460-6875862791902093317?l=www.load-o-crap.com%2Fblog' alt='' /></div>Delibert Leomittednoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477625818383344460.post-14416075265078656112010-02-02T07:11:00.000-05:002010-02-02T07:18:24.283-05:00The projected deficit in the coming year is nearly 11 percent of the country's entire economic output.<div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>American deficits will not return to what are widely considered sustainable levels over the next 10 years. In fact, in 2019 and 2020 — years after Mr. Obama has left the political scene, even if he serves two terms — they start rising again sharply, to more than 5 percent of gross domestic product.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/us/politics/02deficit.html?ref=global-home">http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/us/politics/02deficit.html?ref=global-home</a> <o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4477625818383344460-1441607526507865611?l=www.load-o-crap.com%2Fblog' alt='' /></div>Delibert Leomittednoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477625818383344460.post-46479270500822720432010-01-29T22:22:00.001-05:002010-01-29T22:22:13.577-05:00The Big Fat Whale (If Corporations Were Really People)<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OO04ulAd7S0/S2Ol5iar6zI/AAAAAAAAABY/4-0PEJZOaJY/s1600-h/bfw_446-733578.png"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OO04ulAd7S0/S2Ol5iar6zI/AAAAAAAAABY/4-0PEJZOaJY/s320/bfw_446-733578.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432367983448812338" /></a></p><div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.bigfatwhale.com/archives/bfw_446.htm">http://www.bigfatwhale.com/archives/bfw_446.htm</a> <o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4477625818383344460-4647927050082272043?l=www.load-o-crap.com%2Fblog' alt='' /></div>Delibert Leomittednoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477625818383344460.post-41541842599420019752010-01-26T13:27:00.001-05:002010-01-26T13:27:33.042-05:00Tell USDA That You Care About GE Contamination of Organic Food!<div class=Section1> <p>the Center for Food Safety (CFS) sued the Department of Agriculture (USDA) for its illegal approval of Monsanto’s genetically engineered (GE) Roundup Ready alfalfa. The federal courts sided with CFS and banned GE alfalfa until the USDA fully analyzed the impacts of the plant on the environment, farmers, and the public in a rigorous analysis known as an environmental impact statement (or EIS). <strong>USDA released its draft EIS on December 14, 2009. A 60-day comment period is now open until February 16, 2010.</strong> This is the first time the USDA has done this type of analysis for any GE crop. Therefore, the final decision will have broad implications for all GE crops. <o:p></o:p></p> <p>CFS has begun analyzing the EIS and it is clear that the USDA has not taken the concerns of non-GE alfalfa farmers, organic dairies, or consumers seriously. <strong>USDA’s preliminary determination is to once again deregulate GE alfalfa without any limitations or protections for farmers or the environment.</strong> Instead USDA has completely dismissed the fact that contamination will threaten export and domestic markets and organic meat and dairy products. And, <strong>incredibly, USDA is claiming that there is no evidence that consumers care about such GE contamination of organic! </strong><o:p></o:p></p> <p>USDA also claims that consumers will not reject GE contamination of organic alfalfa if the contamination is unintentional or if the transgenic material is not transmitted to the end milk or meat product, despite the fact that more than 75% of consumers believe that they are purchasing products without GE ingredients when they buy organic.<o:p></o:p></p> <p>USDA claims that Monsanto’s seed contracts require measures sufficient to prevent genetic contamination, and that there is no evidence to the contrary. But in the lawsuit requiring this document, the Court found that contamination had already occurred in the fields of several Western states <strong>with these same business-as-usual practices in place!</strong> <o:p></o:p></p> <p>USDA predicts that the approval of GE alfalfa would damage family farms and organic markets, yet doesn’t even consider any limitations or protections against this scenario. Small, family farmers are the backbone and future of American agriculture and must be protected. Organic agriculture provides many benefits to society: healthy foods for consumers, economic opportunities for family farmers and urban and rural communities, and a farming system that improves the quality of the environment. However, the continued vitality of this sector is imperiled by the complete absence of measures to protect organic production systems from GE contamination and subsequent environmental, consumer, and economic losses.<o:p></o:p></p> <p><strong>Tell USDA That You DO Care About GE Contamination of Organic Crops and Food!</strong><o:p></o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://ga3.org/campaign/alfalfaEIS?rk=edbl4G1aH2M2E">http://ga3.org/campaign/alfalfaEIS?rk=edbl4G1aH2M2E</a> <o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4477625818383344460-4154184259942001975?l=www.load-o-crap.com%2Fblog' alt='' /></div>Delibert Leomittednoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477625818383344460.post-59175179863913709462010-01-24T18:04:00.001-05:002010-01-24T18:04:39.344-05:00The Narcissist Inventory*<div class=Section1> <ol start=1 type=1> <li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><b><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>How often does the person need to be right at all costs?<o:p></o:p></span></b></li> <li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><b><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>How often does the person act impatient with you for no good reason?<o:p></o:p></span></b></li> <li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><b><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>How often does the person interrupt you in the middle of what you're saying, and yet take offense if you interrupt?<o:p></o:p></span></b></li> <li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><b><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>How often does the person expect you to drop whatever you're thinking about and listen to him or her--and does the person take offense when you expect the same in return?<o:p></o:p></span></b></li> <li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><b><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>How often does the person talk more than he or she listens?<o:p></o:p></span></b></li> <li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><b><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>How often does the person say "Yes, but," "That's not true," "No," "However," or "Your problem is"?<o:p></o:p></span></b></li> <li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><b><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>How often does the person resist and resent doing something that matters to you, just because it's inconvenient? <o:p></o:p></span></b></li> <li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><b><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>How often does the person expect you to cheerfully do something that's inconvenient for you?<o:p></o:p></span></b></li> <li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><b><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>How often does the person expect you to accept behavior that he or she would refuse to accept from you?<o:p></o:p></span></b></li> <li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><b><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>How often does the person fail to say "Thank you," "I'm sorry," "Congratulations," or "Excuse me" when it's called for?<o:p></o:p></span></b></li> </ol> <p><span lang=EN>rating the person on a 1-to-3 scale (1 = rarely; 2 = sometimes; 3 = frequently):<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><strong><span lang=EN>To score your inventory, add up the total:</span></strong><b><span lang=EN><br> <strong>10-16 =The person is cooperative</strong><br> <strong>17-23 = The person is argumentative</strong><br> <strong>24-30 = The person is a narcissist</strong></span></b><span lang=EN><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4477625818383344460-5917517986391370946?l=www.load-o-crap.com%2Fblog' alt='' /></div>Delibert Leomittednoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477625818383344460.post-81933459116420905922010-01-21T10:19:00.001-05:002010-01-21T10:19:48.672-05:00'Shadow Elite': Do You Know Whose Agenda You're Being Sold?<div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/janine-r-wedel/shadow-elite-do-you-know_b_430998.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/janine-r-wedel/shadow-elite-do-you-know_b_430998.html</a> <o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4477625818383344460-8193345911642090592?l=www.load-o-crap.com%2Fblog' alt='' /></div>Delibert Leomittednoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477625818383344460.post-89805800352530040832010-01-21T10:18:00.001-05:002010-01-21T10:18:45.590-05:00'Shadow Elite': Do You Know Whose Agenda You're Being Sold?<div class=Section1> <p><span lang=EN style='font-family:"MS Reference Sans Serif","sans-serif"'>With the shadow elite, we don't know how and when we're being maneuvered. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span lang=EN style='font-family:"MS Reference Sans Serif","sans-serif"'>Take, for instance, former Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff, who has taken to the airwaves virtually nonstop since Christmas day. Pushing for full body scanners as a cure-all for lax airport security, he revealed only belatedly that he also represents the only company to have initially qualified for the government contract to manufacture the full-body scanners. Before this came out, how would we have known if we were being directed to a certain viewpoint? The public had no way to sort this out because the public didn't know there was something to sort out. And even after the revelation, the public will likely remember Chertoff's warnings more than any caveat. <br> <br> Or Ambassador Peter Galbraith. He engaged in insider self-dealing while supposedly serving an altruistic agenda for the Kurdish people. Galbraith, a longtime champion of Kurdish autonomy, has worn many hats vis-a-vis Iraqi Kurdistan in the last decade. He advised Bush's Deputy Secretary of Defense on Kurdistan and helped draft the Iraqi constitution. Presenting himself as a disinterested expert, he published opinion pieces in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and other outlets staunchly advocating Kurdish independence and the right of the Kurds to control oil resources in their region. At the same time, we now know, he acquired the potential to make up to $100 million in business dealings involving these same oil reserves. Even associates in Galbraith's non-business Iraq activities said they were unaware of his business goals. As one former Iraqi diplomat and legal advisor put it: "The idea that a foreign oil company was in the room drafting the Iraqi Constitution has me reeling....It casts a tremendous pall on the legitimacy of the process." <br> <br> The public trusts such people for expertise about everything from the financial system and national security to health care reform and where we should keep our money. Meanwhile, the public, which tends to take these players at face value, much as they might be able to do in a small community, has virtually no way of knowing that the players have incentives to be less than impartial, much less means to do something about it. There is no real-time or almost real-time mechanism of information flow as there is in a small town. And the full range of flexian activity is almost always difficult to detect. <br> <br> A democratic society looks to the media--a cornerstone of accountability--for such detection. Yet full (or any) disclosure of a flexian's array of affiliations may not be in the interest of a given media outlet. "Experts" like Chertoff and Galbraith are continually given air time without their relevant roles, relationships, and sponsors being fully revealed. Last Sunday the New York Times' public editor Clark Hoyt chastised these two, as well as two other players, for not revealing roles that might affect the impartiality of their public pronouncements. He also took to task the journalists who interviewed them for not asking for such information. <br> <br> When attention is paid after the fact, the damage has already been done. The public has been influenced. For instance, the revelations about Galbraith are too late to avert bad PR. They give fodder to those, Iraqi or otherwise, who believe that the United States and its allies invaded the Middle East for oil.<br> <br> To make matters worse, the public's acceptance of truthiness enables public figures to make whatever claims that suit them at the moment; track records vanish. My most recent favorite is "the economy is getting better." Not when one out of six people who want to work full time can't find a full time job. In today's world of 24-7 news, investigative journalism has virtually gone by the wayside and viewers' memories of the resumes of influencers they see on television dissipate into the here and now--because that's what counts in the truthiness society. [link to both my and Arianna blog on truthiness]<br> <br> Until we find a way of creating a credible information system that holds flexians and flex nets accountable, these power brokers will only become more influential as the next generation of shadow elite gathers steam. Steadily, they will keep breaking down the walls of separation that were erected in the name of democracy. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4477625818383344460-8980580035253004083?l=www.load-o-crap.com%2Fblog' alt='' /></div>Delibert Leomittednoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477625818383344460.post-44855784798407161692010-01-13T10:49:00.001-05:002010-01-13T10:49:30.451-05:00'Shadow Elite': Outsourcing Government, Losing Democracy<div class=Section1> <p><span lang=EN>It is a condition which leaves the people feeling unrepresented, unprotected and utterly disregarded, a prop in their own play, a hollow feeling the great Peruvian journalist Gustavo Gorriti once eloquently described as "cosmetic democracy."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span lang=EN>According to Janine, whose unflinching social anthropological work I have respected for years, <strong>three out of four</strong> people doing the work of the federal government today are actually private contractors. Think about that a minute...That means private company employees -- with less stringent conflict of interest requirements and also not generally obligated to adhere to the Freedom of Information Act -- increasingly have become the government and now substantially rule the roost.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/charles-lewis/shadow-elite-outsourcing_b_420752.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/charles-lewis/shadow-elite-outsourcing_b_420752.html</a> <o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4477625818383344460-4485578479840716169?l=www.load-o-crap.com%2Fblog' alt='' /></div>Delibert Leomittednoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477625818383344460.post-46318669523617564892010-01-12T16:25:00.001-05:002010-01-12T16:25:07.424-05:00A Fight for the Homeless and Against Authority<div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Burly, bearded and gleefully obscene, Dan de Vaul does not look the part of the bleeding-heart homeless advocate, sporting as he does a feather-topped cowboy hat, a large collection of guns and a bushel of hoary wisecracks.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style='line-height:18.0pt'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>But for nearly a decade, Mr. de Vaul has been housing dozens of homeless men and women in a farmhouse and a collection of tents, trailers and sheds spread around his 72-acre ranch here on the outskirts of this city in central California. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style='line-height:18.0pt'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Mr. de Vaul says he is simply doing the work his county cannot or will not do. But officials say that the housing at Mr. de Vaul’s ranch, known as Sunny Acres, is substandard, often illegal, and rife with dangerous code violations, including missing fire detectors and faulty wiring. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style='line-height:18.0pt'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Now Mr. de Vaul faces possible jail time, and his activities are sharply dividing residents of San Luis Obispo and the surrounding county, even as the county’s surging homeless population — estimated to be 3,800 people — outstrips the capacity of its shelters, which have about 125 beds.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style='line-height:18.0pt'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>The feud reached a boiling point in recent weeks after Mr. de Vaul’s conviction in November on two misdemeanors related to code violations, a judgment that the authorities had hoped might cajole Sunny Acres into compliance. But Mr. de Vaul refused a deal for probation and has since been sentenced to 90 days in jail and fined $1,000 by a judge, who called Mr. de Vaul’s behavior “irresponsible and arrogant.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/12/us/12homeless.html">http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/12/us/12homeless.html</a> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4477625818383344460-4631866952361756489?l=www.load-o-crap.com%2Fblog' alt='' /></div>Delibert Leomittednoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477625818383344460.post-40922209846894827222010-01-10T11:50:00.000-05:002010-01-10T11:51:01.622-05:00Did a Court Just Deal a Fatal Blow to Tasers for Police?<div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"MS Reference Sans Serif","sans-serif"'>In what is being heralded as a landmark decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently declared that police officers could be held liable for using a Taser without proper cause. And in making their determination, the court also set new legal parameters on how law enforcement is to use Tasers, stating, "The objective facts must indicate that the suspect poses an immediate threat to the officer or a member of the public." The federal finding substantially changes the landscape of Taser usage, and may signal the end of Tasers for law enforcement agencies who are now more vulnerable to civil and criminal action than ever before.<br> <br> The decision, which has already caused law enforcement agencies to re-evaluate their Taser policies, stems from a case involving a Coronado police officer, Brian McPherson, who tased unarmed 21-year-old Carl Bryan during a traffic stop for a seatbelt infraction in Southern California. After being pulled over, Bryan was standing outside of his vehicle, wearing only boxer shorts and tennis shoes. He was 20 to 25 feet from the officer, and when tased, fell face first to the ground, fractured four teeth, and had to get the Taser prongs removed with a scalpel. Bryan went on to sue the Coronado Police Department, and the federal appellate court was making a determination if McPherson had immunity to the lawsuit as an officer. The court ruled in favor of Bryan.<br> <br> And while any regulation on Taser use is a move forward from the status quo, which repeatedly has left civilians tased for innocuous circumstances, and the decision acknowledges some of the inherent dangers of the weapon, it falls short in a most critical way. The instruction is based on a false premise that Tasers "fall into the category of non-lethal force" as stated in Judge Wardlaw's written opinion. By denying the lethality of Tasers, the court mistakenly treats Tasers as an intermediary weapon, like a baton, when it should be treated as a deadly weapon, like a firearm.<br> <br> According to Amnesty International, there have been more than 350 deaths due to Tasers. In San Jose, which was the first city to arm every one of its officers with the weapon in 2004, there have been six Taser-involved deaths, more than a death a year since its inception. Currently, the city is facing a $20 million lawsuit from the family of one of the more recent victims, Steve Salinas. The unarmed Salinas was tased to death in his motel room in 2007. Like Bryan, Salinas's ultimate tasing originated from a minor starting point: police were called to the scene due to allegedly loud noises emanating from the room. Salinas, who was naked at the time, died in the room shortly after the police arrived.<br> <br> The growing body count attributed to Tasers refutes the commonly accepted advertisement from its leading manufacturer, Taser International, that Tasers are a non-lethal option for officers. Furthermore, the unreliability of the weapon to bring down its target makes it dangerous even for officers who may be in a situation requiring deadly force. According to a <em><span style='font-family:"MS Reference Sans Serif","sans-serif"'>San Jose Mercury News</span></em> study of the San Jose Police Department use of Tasers in 2007, Tasers in dart mode are only effective 70 percent of the time in bringing down their target, and in stun mode only 60 percent of the time.<br> <br> The Taser consequently is left in a state of limbo. Its capacity to unintentionally kill leaves it too dangerous to use in non-lethal circumstances, say when an officer would use an intermediate weapon, such as pepper-spray or a control hold. Yet, due to its unpredictability to subdue a target, using a Taser would not be a gamble an officer would want to bet on if his or her life were in jeopardy.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"MS Reference Sans Serif","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"MS Reference Sans Serif","sans-serif"'><a href="http://www.alternet.org/rights/145039/did_a_court_just_deal_a_fatal_blow_to_tasers_for_police">http://www.alternet.org/rights/145039/did_a_court_just_deal_a_fatal_blow_to_tasers_for_police</a> <o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4477625818383344460-4092220984689482722?l=www.load-o-crap.com%2Fblog' alt='' /></div>Delibert Leomittednoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477625818383344460.post-73090856692330257082010-01-04T09:50:00.001-05:002010-01-04T09:50:55.606-05:00Mega Giant Corporations Are Very Bad for America<div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal>Rather than having a winner-take-all battle among automobile makers or between Wal-Mart and Target, for example, we have competition between the monopoly and all the people under its power. In the case of Wal-Mart, this includes its workers and its suppliers as well as its customers. The real competition, in other words, is between the billionaires who make and wield monopolies like Wal-Mart and people like you and me.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal>Today’s monopolies increasingly appear in the shape of giant trading firms like Wal-Mart, which are designed to govern entire production systems, even entire swaths, of our economy.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal>For those Americans who believe in what we were taught in civics class and Econ 101, the most disturbing revelation was not even the fragility of our food systems, but that some of our most cherished beliefs about how the U.S. economy works appear no longer to be true. We are told that companies are engaged in a mad scramble to discover exactly what we the U.S. consumers want and to devise perfectly tailored systems to supply those want as efficiently as possible. We are told that our economy is characterized by constantly chaotic yet always constructive competition and that any American with a better product and bit of gumption can bring that product to market and beat the big guys.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal>Instead of having infinite choice, as we thought, we are really presented with a wall of standard-issue cans and pouches that are distinguished only by the words and colors on their labels.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal>Let’s take a quick walk around the average U.S. grocery or big-box store.<br> <br> Over in the health-care aisle we find that Colgate-Palmolive and Procter & Gamble split more than 80 percent of the U.S. market for toothpaste, including such seemingly independent brands as Tom’s of Maine.<br> <br> In the cold case we find that almost every beer is manufactured or distributed by either Anheuser-Busch InBev or MillerCoors, including imports like Corona, Beck’s, and Tsingtao; regional beers like Rolling Rock; once independent microbrews like Redhook and Old Dominion; and even “organic” beers like Stone Mill Pale Ale.<br> <br> Perhaps Americans are comfortable with the fact that Campbell’s controls more than 70 percent of the shelf space devoted to canned soups. After all, the firm grew to prominence after its launch in 1869, thanks to its pioneering successes in integrating advanced chemistry, mass manufacturing, and modern advertising.<br> <br> But what are we to make of the modern snack aisle, where Frito-Lay in recent years has captured half the business of selling salty corn chips and potato chips?<br> <br> And what about the business of selling tap water in plastic bottles? Here, if anywhere, is an activity that any enterprising young American should be able to master. All you would seem to need to enter the local market for water is a spigot, some bottles, and a cool label. Yet nine of the top ten brands of bottled tap water in the United States are sold by PepsiCo (Aquafina), Coca-Cola (Dasani and Evian), or Nestlé (Poland Spring, Arrowhead, Deer Park, Ozarka, Zephyrhills, and Ice Mountain).<br> <br> Furthermore, what can we learn from the size of the corporation in whose store we now stand? Until we elected Ronald Reagan president, both Democrats and Republicans made sure that no chain store ever came to dominate more than a small fraction of sales in the United States as a whole, or even in any one region of the country. Between 1917 and 1979, for instance, administrations from both parties repeatedly charged the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, the chain store behemoth of the mid-twentieth century that is better known as A & P, with violations of antitrust law, even threatening to break the firm into pieces.<br> <br> Then in 1981 we stopped enforcing that law. Thus, today Wal-Mart is at least five times bigger, relative to the overall size of the U.S. economy, than A & P was at the very height of its power. 13 Indeed, Wal- Mart exercises a de facto complete monopoly in many smaller cities, and it sells as much as half of all the groceries in many big metropolitan markets. Wal-Mart delivers at least 30 percent and sometimes more than 50 percent of the entire U.S. consumption of products ranging from soaps and detergents to compact discs and pet food.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.alternet.org/workplace/144716/mega_giant_corporations_are_very_bad_for_america/?obref=obnetwork">http://www.alternet.org/workplace/144716/mega_giant_corporations_are_very_bad_for_america/?obref=obnetwork</a> <o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4477625818383344460-7309085669233025708?l=www.load-o-crap.com%2Fblog' alt='' /></div>Delibert Leomittednoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477625818383344460.post-48448617431584836832010-01-04T09:33:00.001-05:002010-01-04T09:33:17.180-05:00. Finally unveiled: the secret of the Big Mac's "secret sauce."<div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><em><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Soybean oil, pickle relish [diced pickles, </span></em><span class=ilspan><i>high fructose corn syrup</i></span><em><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>, sugar, vinegar, corn syrup, salt, calcium chloride, xanthan gum, potassium sorbate (preservative), spice extractives, polysorbate 80], distilled vinegar, water, egg yolks, </span></em><span class=ilspan><i>high fructose corn syrup</i></span><em><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>, onion powder, mustard seed, salt, spices, propylene glycol alginate, sodium benzoate (preservative), mustard bran, sugar, garlic powder, vegetable protein (hydrolyzed corn, soy and wheat), caramel color, extractives of paprika, soy lecithin, turmeric (color), </span></em><span class=illinkstyle><i><u><span style='font-size:9.5pt;color:#FF66FF'>calcium disodium EDTA</span></u></i></span><em><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'> (protect flavor).<o:p></o:p></span></em></p> <p class=MsoNormal><em><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></em></p> <p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/141959/15_horrifying_reasons_to_never_let_anyone_you_love_near_a_mcdonald%27s?page=1">http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/141959/15_horrifying_reasons_to_never_let_anyone_you_love_near_a_mcdonald%27s?page=1</a> <o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4477625818383344460-4844861743158483683?l=www.load-o-crap.com%2Fblog' alt='' /></div>Delibert Leomittednoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477625818383344460.post-20783529525486893032009-12-28T08:31:00.001-05:002009-12-28T08:31:15.839-05:00Can We Rescue the Republic Before the Dark Politics Take Over?<div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal>Did America slip into a semiliterate, polarized, pre-fascist state over the past decade or so, allowing greedy oligarchs and corporate elites to run the government?<o:p></o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.alternet.org/politics/144809/can_we_rescue_the_republic_before_the_dark_politics_take_over_">http://www.alternet.org/politics/144809/can_we_rescue_the_republic_before_the_dark_politics_take_over_</a> <o:p></o:p></p> <p>While they mesmerized large portions of the American citizenry, CEOs being paid millions of dollars a year to run companies that feed on taxpayer money usurped our government — with the help of elected officials bought by campaign contributions and tens of thousands of corporate lobbyists who now write many of the nation's laws.<o:p></o:p></p> <p>"Those captivated by the cult of celebrity do not examine voting records or compare verbal claims with written and published facts and reports,"<o:p></o:p></p> <p>"The reality of their world is whatever the latest cable news show, political leader, advertiser, or loan officer says is reality. The illiterate, semiliterate, and those who live as though they are illiterate are effectively cut off from the past. They live in an eternal present. They do not understand the predatory loan deals that drive them into foreclosure and bankruptcy. They cannot decipher the fine print on credit card agreements that plunge them into unmanageable debt. They repeat thought-terminating clichés and slogans. They seek refuge in familiar brands and labels. ... Life is a state of permanent amnesia, a world in search of new forms of escapism and quick, sensual gratification."<o:p></o:p></p> <p>Of course, they did not get into this clueless state by themselves. They were manipulated by "agents, publicists, marketing departments, promoters, script writers, television and movie producers, advertisers, video technicians, photographers, bodyguards, wardrobe consultants, fitness trainers, pollsters, public announcers, and television news personalities who create the vast stage for illusion," Hedges continues. "They are the puppet masters. ... The techniques of theater have leeched into politics, religion, education, literature, news, commerce, warfare, and crime."<o:p></o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4477625818383344460-2078352952548689303?l=www.load-o-crap.com%2Fblog' alt='' /></div>Delibert Leomittednoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477625818383344460.post-1814698155711778502009-12-28T08:15:00.001-05:002009-12-28T08:15:12.236-05:00Wall Street's 10 Greatest Lies of 2009<div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"MS Reference Sans Serif","sans-serif"'>Wall Street’s return to robustness and Main Street’s continued deterioration are the main takeaways for 2009 that stemmed from the 2008 choices to flush the financial system with capital and leave the real economy to fend for itself. Lies that exacerbate this divide only perpetuate its growth. <a href="http://www.alternet.org/media/144776/wall_street%27s_10_greatest_lies_of_2009">http://www.alternet.org/media/144776/wall_street%27s_10_greatest_lies_of_2009</a> <o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4477625818383344460-181469815571177850?l=www.load-o-crap.com%2Fblog' alt='' /></div>Delibert Leomittednoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477625818383344460.post-73168013891528929132009-12-28T08:06:00.001-05:002009-12-28T08:06:25.097-05:00Tired Of Waiting, Native Americans Buy Back Their Old Land<div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>OMAHA, Neb. — Native American tribes tired of waiting for the U.S. government to honor centuries-old treaties are buying back land where their ancestors lived and putting it in federal trust.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Native Americans say the purchases will help protect their culture and way of life by preserving burial grounds and areas where sacred rituals are held. They also provide land for farming, timber and other efforts to make the tribes self-sustaining.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Tribes put more than 840,000 acres – or roughly the equivalent of the state of Rhode Island – into trust from 1998 to 2007, according to information The Associated Press obtained from the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs under the Freedom of Information Act.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Those buying back land include the Winnebago, who have put more than 700 acres in eastern Nebraska in federal trust in the past five years, and the Pawnee, who have 1,600 acres of trust land in Oklahoma. Land held in federal trust is exempt from local and state laws and taxes, but subject to most federal laws.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Three tribes have bought land around Bear Butte in South Dakota's Black Hills to keep it from developers eager to cater to the bikers who roar into Sturgis every year for a raucous road rally. About 17 tribes from the Dakotas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana and Oklahoma still use the mountain for religious ceremonies.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Emily White Hat, a member of South Dakota's Rosebud Sioux, said the struggle to protect the land is about "preservation of our culture, our way of life and our traditions."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>"All of it is connected," White Hat said. "With your land, you have that relationship to the culture."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Other members of the Rosebud Sioux, such as president Rodney Bordeaux, believe the tribes shouldn't have to buy the land back because it was illegally taken. But they also recognize that without such purchases, the land won't be protected.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Story continues below </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><img width=7 height=6 id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.gif@01CA8794.91C0ED50" alt="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/images/v/darr.gif"></span><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>No one knows how much land the federal government promised Native American tribes in treaties dating to the late 1700s, said Gary Garrison, a spokesman for the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs. The government changed the terms of the treaties over the centuries to make property available to settlers and give rights-of-way to railroads and telegraph companies.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>President Barack Obama's administration has proposed spending $2 billion to buy back and consolidate tribal land broken up in previous generations. The program would pay individual members for land interests divided among their relatives and return the land to tribal control. But it would not buy land from people outside the tribes.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Today, 562 federally recognized tribes have more than 55 million acres held in trust, according to the bureau. Several states and local governments are fighting efforts to add to that number, saying the federal government doesn't have the authority to take land – and tax revenue – from states.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>In New York, for example, the state and two counties filed a federal lawsuit in 2008 to block the U.S. Department of Interior from putting about 13,000 acres into trust for the Oneida Tribe. In September, a judge threw out their claims.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Putting land in trust creates a burden for local governments because they must still provide services such as sewer and water even though they can't collect taxes on the property, said Elaine Willman, a member of the Citizens Equal Rights Alliance and administrator for Hobart, a suburb of Green Bay, Wis. Hobart relies mostly on property taxes to pay for police, water and other services, but the village of about 5,900 lost about a third of its land to a trust set up for the state's Oneida Tribe, Willman said.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>So far, Hobart has been able to control spending and avoid cuts in services or raising taxes, Willman said. Village leaders hope taxes on a planned 603-acre commercial development will eventually help make up for the lost money.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The nonprofit White Earth Land Recovery Project has bought back or been gifted hundreds of acres in northwestern Minnesota since it was created in the late 1980s. The White Earth tribe uses the land to harvest rice, farm and produce maple syrup. Members have hope of one day being self-sustaining again.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Winona LaDuke, who started the White Earth project, said buying property is expensive, but it's the quickest and easiest way for tribes to regain control of their land.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Tribal membership has been growing thanks to higher birth rates, longer life spans and more relaxed qualifications for membership, and that has created a greater need for land for housing, community services and economic development.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>"If the tribes were to pursue return of the land in the courts it would be years before any action could result in more tribal land ... and the people simply cannot wait," said Cris Stainbrook, of the Little Canada, Minn.-based Indian Land Tenure Foundation.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Thirty to 40 tribes are making enough money from casinos to buy back land, but they also have to put money into social programs, education and health care for their members, said Robert J. Miller, a professor at the Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Ore., who specializes in tribal issues.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>"Tribes just have so many things on their plate," he said.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Some tribes, such as the Pawnee, have benefited from gifts of land. Gaylord and Judy Mickelsen donated a storefront in Dannebrog, Neb., that had been in Judy Mickelsen's family for a century. The couple was retiring to Mesquite, Nev., in 2007, and Judy Mickelsen wanted to see the building preserved even though the town had seen better days.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The tribe has since set up a shop selling members' artwork in the building on Main Street.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>"We were hoping the Pawnee could get a toehold here and get a new venture for the village of Dannebrog," Gaylord Mickelsen said.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/28/tired-of-waiting-native-a_n_404664.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/28/tired-of-waiting-native-a_n_404664.html</a> <o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4477625818383344460-7316801389152892913?l=www.load-o-crap.com%2Fblog' alt='' /></div>Delibert Leomittednoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477625818383344460.post-16303862712958425872009-12-26T08:14:00.001-05:002009-12-26T08:14:25.516-05:00Do what must be done. Free an innocent man.<div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal>Because it's the RIGHT thing to do <a href="http://www.FreePeltierNow.org">www.FreePeltierNow.org</a><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4477625818383344460-1630386271295842587?l=www.load-o-crap.com%2Fblog' alt='' /></div>Delibert Leomittednoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477625818383344460.post-67148844787291629462009-11-30T06:29:00.000-05:002009-11-30T06:30:14.691-05:00In the song and a video accompanying it, fat pigs represent politicians who get rich on the backs of the people<div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"MS Reference Sans Serif","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:black'>Reporting from Mexico City - Los Tigres del Norte, Mexico's superstar norteño band, abruptly canceled its participation Wednesday in a major awards show after it was barred from performing a song critical of the government's campaign against drug cartels. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"MS Reference Sans Serif","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"MS Reference Sans Serif","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:black'>Organizers of the show insisted the band refrain from playing its latest single, "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWKJvDHZChc"><span style='color:#2262CC; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'>La Granja</span></a>" ("The Farm")<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"MS Reference Sans Serif","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"MS Reference Sans Serif","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:black'>In the song and a <a href="http://bit.ly/3FXwG0"><span style='color:#2262CC;text-decoration:none; text-underline:none'>video</span></a> accompanying it, fat pigs represent politicians who get rich on the backs of the people, and a vicious dog with fiery red eyes represents drug trafficking. A <i>zorro</i>, or fox (former President Vicente Fox), releases the dog and there is hell to pay, especially for peasant farmers who get caught in the middle.<br> <br> Translated into English, the lyrics go:<br> <br> <i>Today we have, every day </i><br> <br> <i>Much insecurity </i><br> <br> <i>Because they let the dog loose</i><br> <br> <i>And it all came tumbling down . . . .</i><br> <br> The band sings that peasant farmers can't plant like they used to, a reference to the destruction of their marijuana and poppy fields, and can't escape the farm because of a huge fence -- the wall built on the U.S. border with Mexico. Finally the dog bites the farmer "even though he didn't agree" with the government's actions, and the farm -- Mexico -- ends up a virtual wasteland.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"MS Reference Sans Serif","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span><span style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"MS Reference Sans Serif","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:black'><a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mexico-narcos29-2009oct29,0,6889517.story">http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mexico-narcos29-2009oct29,0,6889517.story</a></span><span style='font-family:"MS Reference Sans Serif","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;color:black'> </span><span style='font-family:"MS Reference Sans Serif","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4477625818383344460-6714884478729162946?l=www.load-o-crap.com%2Fblog' alt='' /></div>Delibert Leomittednoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477625818383344460.post-28030743616507941582009-11-29T09:09:00.000-05:002009-11-29T09:10:18.491-05:00Meeting of the World Trade Organization<div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='font-family:"MS Reference Sans Serif","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN'>WTO opponents claim the agreements produced by the body foster the growth of wealth among corporations at the expense of farmers, workers and others at the low end of the economy. </span><span lang=EN style='mso-ansi-language:EN'><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/28/geneva-wto-protests-2009-_n_372855.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/28/geneva-wto-protests-2009-_n_372855.html</a> </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4477625818383344460-2803074361650794158?l=www.load-o-crap.com%2Fblog' alt='' /></div>Delibert Leomittednoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477625818383344460.post-67895145604699444452009-11-18T15:23:00.001-05:002009-11-18T15:23:49.221-05:00'Geezer Bandit' Sought By FBI For Bank Robberies<div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='mso-ansi-language:EN'>FBI officials say an elderly, thin, gray-haired man nicknamed the "Geezer Bandit" is responsible for holding up five banks since summer.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/18/geezer-bandit-sought-by-f_n_362538.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/18/geezer-bandit-sought-by-f_n_362538.html</a> <o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4477625818383344460-6789514560469944445?l=www.load-o-crap.com%2Fblog' alt='' /></div>Delibert Leomittednoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477625818383344460.post-88427119765829664292009-11-13T07:36:00.001-05:002009-11-13T07:36:35.570-05:00Judge Orders Phoenix Church To Stop Feeding Homeless<div class=Section1> <p><span lang=EN style='mso-ansi-language:EN'>The ruling sets a precedent for all churches zoned in residential areas of Phoenix, which will force church volunteers to relocate their homeless food services to commercial parts of the city or end their meal services entirely, <a href="http://homelessness.change.org/blog/view/phoenix_church_ordered_to_stop_feeding_the_homeless">reports Change.org</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/12/judge-orders-phoenix-chur_n_355902.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/12/judge-orders-phoenix-chur_n_355902.html</a><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4477625818383344460-8842711976582966429?l=www.load-o-crap.com%2Fblog' alt='' /></div>Delibert Leomittednoreply@blogger.com0