Bishop Desmond Tutu Speech At SF Olympic Torch Protest

While this happened over a month ago, the Olympics have not thus making this news still relevant. And even if the Olympics had past, this would still be memorable because of the comfortable power of Bishop Desmond Tutu as expressed in this speech. Of all of the speakers, including Richard Gere, Tutu was the most powerful one.

DO GO TO MAY 31ST DNC MEETING; DAILY KOS POST IS BULLSHIT

There's a DailyKos posting going around - this one -- that warns for Obama supporters not to protest at the May 31st meeting of the DNC Rules Committee, which will determine how to seat Florida and Michigan Delegates, and could put Senator Obama over the top in the number of total delegates he needs to be the Democratic Presidential Nominee.

That posting is complete bullshit. Unless you've gotten an email directly from the Obama campaign, go to the meeting.

Antioch Woman's Claim Of Being Robbed Of $25,000 Ring False and Tells Economic Story

A woman in Antioch, California filed what turned out to be an allegedly false police report regarding her being robbed of a $25,000 ring. She was caught by police after an investigation and got out of jail after posting $25,000 bail, which means she had to come up with $2,500.

What is of interest is that with many in this economy underemployed or just without a job and with the economy in recession and locally people being robbed in areas like Lake Merritt where robberies didn't occur in the past with as much frequency, is just how many more fake reports of this kind will surface?

The good news is that home prices are coming down, but will it be reflected in monthly payments? No. Will rents fall accordingly? One can only hope so. But the situation as a whole does not look good at all.

Fox News should get the Pink Slip

Dear Zennie,

I just read your comments posted on BuzzFlash. I think it WOULD be expedient (and savvy!) to start a letter writing campaign to Fox and the FCC in response to this outrageous remark to remove Fox's license, as you have suggested, or at the very least have them heavily fined. We The People can write letters to editors of our news outlets as well as the FCC to discredit Fox News. We are in fact obligated to make a very large noise.

I complained a couple of years ago about having Fox blasted through our local grocery store here in Amherst, MA, and wrote the local newspapers as well as calling and writing the store CEO and PR manager. It started an avalanche of letters and calls and they finally had to remove the channel from their regular viewing. So it works. Fox has been off the channel for two years in that public place.

Here is the FCC complaint form: http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm

And to call the FCC: Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET to answer your questions and assist you in filing a complaint. Call toll-free at 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice or 1-888-TELL- FCC (1-888-835-5322) TTY.

Here are the emails to write to Fox to blast them: americasnewsroom@foxnews.com, beltway@foxnews.com, yourwordlive@foxnews.com, Forbes@foxnews.com, Feedback@foxnews.com, Fncspecials@foxnews.com, Newswatch@foxnews.com, Foxreport@foxnews.com, JER@foxnews.com

To call, write or Fax Fox "News" here is the contact info:
Fox News Channel
1211 Ave. of the Americas
New York, NY 10036
Phone: (212) 301-3000
Fax: (212) 301-4229

My letter is below to Fox if you want a little inspiration:

"Dear Fox 'News',

Liz Trotta should be fired and you should loose your broadcasting license. Liz Trotta could be implicated in a major felony if her suggestion was ever acted upon.

We The People are petitioning the FCC to have you heavily fined and/or your license removed. Your corporate news ethics are non-existent -- more often lies and scum -- and this latest trick is so low, it has no category. The people who listen to your lies and scum are not the educated people who have influence but useless degenerates of America -- which is exceedingly dangerous.

You shame everything that has meaning for the institutions of journalism."

We can make a BIG noise!

Thanks for all that you do make this a better America,

emily elizabeth

McCain Position On G.I. Bill Could Cost Him Election

Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican Nominee for President of the United States, could have just swift-boated himself into a huge election loss on the matter of his position on the G.I. Bill crafted by Democratic Virginia Senator Jim Webb and backed by many lawmakers, including Republican Virginia Senator John Warner, Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Senator Barack Obama, just 49 delegates from becoming McCain's challenger for the prize of POTUS, has smartly used the issue to box McCain into a corner such that McCain has to defend his position against the bill or be forced to come onto Obama's side, which would be seen as an Obama win. Plus, McCain's on the same side as President Bush, who as of this writing has a 27 percent approval rating -- an all time low for Presidents of the United States (that's POTUS).

What the proposed legislation does is simply give more access to money for college for war veterans. That's it. Senator Barack Obama, who's just 49 delegates away from becoming the presumptive Democratic Nominee for President of the United States has come out in favor of the bill. McCain opposes it because he says it would cause people to leave military service.

My question is "What's wrong with that?" I didn't know it was supposed to be forever. Neither did VoteVets.org. They've went so far as to make this ad, which appears on YouTube:



VoteVets.org asks if Senator McCain really supports the troups. That's a hard blow to John McCain's clams that he does and it makes him seem as if he's supporting war but not the people who wage it for America.

Ethical bling? A golden opportunity

According to campaigners for "ethical bling", the wedding rings exchanged in the UK alone in a single year are produced using three-quarters of a million tonnes of poisons, mainly cyanide and mercury. "I didn't really know about some of the things that happen in the jewelery trade. People buy without thinking."

THINK. ACT. NOW.

In addition to the environmental damage and risk to health caused by such practices, thousands of the world's poorest people have been forced from their homes to make way for mines.

THINK. ACT. NOW.

Vivien Johnston, who is setting up the British Ethical Jewellery Association, said jewellers were flocking to the cause, with close to 300 asking to become members. "There's quite a demand for membership. We haven't even been actively looking for any," she said. "I don't know what the response will be like when we really advertise."

Ms Johnston runs her own jewellery business, Fifi Bijoux, in Glasgow, sourcing her gold directly from mines run by collectives such as Ora Verde in Colombia and Eco Andina in Argentina. She has seen sales triple since 2006.

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How George W. Bush converted a conservative into an Ex-Con

What made a lifelong Republican voter take a step back and re-evaluate? Well as anyone who has a child can tell you, this makes you look at the world very differently than before. Politics took a new meaning when the author considered effects for his own daughter.

So, after years of casual following of politics, he finally sat down and spent some time researching presidential candidates for ‘08 with what he describes as a "truly open mind, for the first time." This led to further soul-searching and research into all manner of political information, including the current state of affairs as a nation.

The conclusion?

"I am no longer a conservative. I am now an ex-conservative. An ExCon, if you will. Join me and let’s try to make a difference."

The reality:

"At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter if you are at war or at peace - the federal government must be fiscally responsible. Sure, if we are under imminent threat of being destroyed, then maybe caution goes to the wind, but, otherwise we must keep some level of restraint. While certainly a strong military & strong national security are vitally important, a strong economic & financial situation is at least equally important, perhaps even more important for a superpower. Just ask the U.S.S.R."

Digg the story || read more!

Kim Kardashian and Reggie Bush Mobbed By 13 Year Olds From A Bar Mitzvah

(From a source that does not want to be attributed)

Socialite Kim Kardashian was saved from stampede of 13 year olds before Hamptons club appearance.

Socialite Kim Kardashian leaving the 5 star Garden City Hotel on Long Island, NY to head to her appearance at Whitehouse nightclub in the Hamptons was in the lobby of the hotel and was spotted by a hundreds of 13 year olds from a Bar Mitzvah party that just ended.

The young fans started to chase after her and boyfriend, the former USC Running Back and now New Orleans Saints NFL Star Reggie Bush.

NYC Nightclub owner John Englebert aka JE of Suzie Wong saki lounge and Prime nightclub saw the stampede and reacted quickly by escorting her through a side door. John Englebert met Kim at a Playboy mansion party about a year ago in Los Angeles. Although Kim wanted to stay she would have missed her appearance.

TJ Scott a representative for the club that booked Kim was staying at the hotel and said not even Kim’s man NFL Star Reggie Bush could have saved her. However Kim did miss her early morning AM flight due to a night of partying in the Hamptons.

The source did not comment that if the kids didn't get her, the booze from the partying did.

Kim Kardashian and Reggie Bush Mobbed By Bar Mitzvah Kids

(From a source that does not want to be attributed)

Socialite Kim Kardashian was saved from stampede of 13 year olds before Hamptons club appearance.

Socialite Kim Kardashian leaving the 5 star Garden City Hotel on Long Island, NY to head to her appearance at Whitehouse nightclub in the Hamptons was in the lobby of the hotel and was spotted by a hundreds of 13 year olds from a Bar Mitzvah party that just ended.

The young fans started to chase after her and boyfriend, the former USC Running Back and now New Orleans Saints NFL Star Reggie Bush.

NYC Nightclub owner John Englebert aka JE of Suzie Wong saki lounge and Prime nightclub saw the stampede and reacted quickly by escorting her through a side door. John Englebert met Kim at a Playboy mansion party about a year ago in Los Angeles. Although Kim wanted to stay she would have missed her appearance.

TJ Scott a representative for the club that booked Kim was staying at the hotel and said not even Kim’s man NFL Star Reggie Bush could have saved her. However Kim did miss her early morning AM flight due to a night of partying in the Hamptons.

The source did not comment that if the kids didn't get her, the booze from the partying did.

Last known Surviving WWI Vet Honored on Memorial Day

A neat story for those honoring Memorial Day.

Brian Charlton, Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Frank Woodruff Buckles, the last known living American-born veteran of World War I, was honored Sunday at the Liberty Memorial during Memorial Day weekend celebrations.

"I had a feeling of longevity and that I might be among those who survived, but I didn't know I'd be the No. 1," the 107-year-old veteran said at a ceremony to unveil his portrait.

His photograph was hung in the main hallway of the National World War I Museum, which he toured for the first time, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States presented him with a gold medal of merit.

On Monday, he will be presented the American flag flying outside the memorial.

Buckles, who now lives in Charles Town, W.Va., has been an invited guest at the Pentagon, met with President Bush in Washington, D.C., and rode in the annual Armed Forces Day Parade in his home state since his status as one of the last living from the "Great War" was discovered nearly two years ago.

Federal officials have also arranged for his burial at Arlington National Cemetery.

Born in Missouri in 1901 and raised in Oklahoma, Buckles visited a string of military recruiters after the United States entered the "war to end all wars" in April 1917.

He was rejected by the Marines and the Navy, but eventually persuaded an Army captain he was 18 and enlisted, convincing him Missouri didn't keep public records of birth.

Buckles sailed for England in 1917 on the Carpathia, which is known for its rescue of Titanic survivors, and spent his tour of duty working mainly as a driver and a warehouse clerk in Germany and France. He rose to the rank of corporal and after Armistice Day he helped return prisoners of war to Germany.

Buckles later traveled the world working for the shipping company White Star Line and was in the Philippines in 1940 when the Japanese invaded. He became a prisoner of war for nearly three years.

Buckles gained notoriety when he attended a Veteran's Day ceremony at the Arlington grave of Gen. John "Black Jack" Pershing, who led U.S. forces in World War I, said his daughter, Susannah Flanagan.

He ended up on the podium and became a featured guest at the event, and the VIP invites and media interview requests came rolling in shortly afterward.

"This has been such a great surprise," Flanagan said. "You wouldn't think there would be this much interest in World War I. But the timing in history has been such and it's been unreal."

Buckles spent much of his museum tour Sunday looking at mementos of Pershing, whom he admired. He posed for pictures in front of a flag that used to be in Pershing's office and retold stories about meeting the famous general.

While Pershing claims most of the fame, Buckles now has a featured place at the museum.

"This is such an extraordinary occasion that we here at the museum decided that the photo of Mr. Buckles should be permanently installed in the main hallway here" said Brian Alexander, the museum's president and chief executive.

Sydney Pollack Passes Of Cancer at 73; Actor / Director One Of My Favorites

I just saw the fourth Indiana Jones movie and in it is a line I will not forget. "We've reached that point where life takes things away from us, where life gave to us." I think Jim Brodbent said it, but it was unforgettably true. One of those "things" is the person Sydney Pollack, who was one of my favorite actor / directors,

But I remember Pollack most as an actor, and my first introduction to him was in the Woody Allen movie "Husbands and Wives" where he played a producer who was having marriage problems such that he separated and took up an unhappy, brief, and turbulent relationship with his personal trainer.

What got me about Sydney's performance was the power of his personality shining through. A kind of approach that I associated with New York City's style and that shown through all of his movies from Husbands to "Eyes Wide Shut."

I did not know this was the same person who directed "Out Of Africa" nor did I know that I would have the pleasure of watching movies in the same Berkeley offices of the Sal Zantz Film Center that Pollack certainly walked through during the making of that film.

I never knew Mr. Pollack, but I thought I did. He was a person I looked up to and hoped -- and still hope -- that I can have even part of the impact on life that he has had. I think what bothers me the most is that he was 73 and my Mom's the same age. It makes me wonder how much time I have with her, and all the more determined to spend as much time with her -- and pay attention to what she tells me to do -- as I can.

He passed of cancer. What also bothers me is that he had been diagnosed with it -- I don't know what kind -- nine months ago. For my Mom's it's been three years. I think my Mom's success is due to early capture of the problem. She's very focused on taking her medication daily.

Now I understand that it was stomach cancer. According to the article in Best Syndication, Nine months ago he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. On September 8th the National Enquirer reported that Pollack’s cancer had metastasized. Stomach cancer represents roughly 2% of all cancers in the US. There are 25,500 new cases each year in the US alone, but it is more common in Korea, Japan, Great Britain, South America, and Iceland. The risk for the cancer is associated with a high salt intake, smoking and low consumption of fruits and vegetables. About 12,000 people die in the US each year from stomach cancer.

That's rare in America. The bottom line is don't smoke, use salt, and eat fruits and veggies consistently. My Mom has followed that path for all her life. Well, Ok, there was that time in the 70s that she flirted with smoking but I talked her out of it!

Keep making good works in Heaven, Sydney. I will miss you.

This interview with Charlie Rose best captures Sydney, in this case talking about his documentary on Frank Gehry.



This video was made in the 80s after the release of Tootsie, which Pollack both acted in and directed:



The Times Online presents this video interview created last year, June 29, 2007, and to talk about Pollack's then new documentary on Frank Gehry:



Here below, Sydney explains why he swiched from a widescreen filming approach to "pan and scan" where a much smaller "square" frame is used by directors and the camera pans using it, then back to widescreen eventually. Pollack tells why widescreen is a more desirable format to tell a story.

Hillary Clinton Drinks Beer and Dances In Puerto Rico

Just a few days after her shocking comments regarding RFK, Assassination, and Barack Obama, we find Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton chugging beer and dancing to a "Latin-infused Christian rock beat" while campaigning in Puerto Rico. Meanwhile, Senator Barack Obama picked up three Superdelegates and is now just 49 away from clinching the Democratic Presidential Nomination.