And They Need It

No, this is not from The Onion, its from The Washington Post.

Bush Orders Staff to Attend Ethics Briefings

The Sad State Of Education

This truly makes me sad. These numbers are all the more reason to make education and education reform a much higher priority.

I saw this last week on Lou Dobbs Tonight:

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lou, while policy makers wring their hands over this latest Washington scandal, as important as it is, the truth is there are fundamental problems in this country that are eating away the foundations of America and the numbers don't lie.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS (voice-over): Policy makers, this is what you've achieved.

37 million people live in poverty. One in five American children is poor. And today the government announced a record 1.5 million babies born to unwed mothers last year.

50 percent of black and Hispanic teenagers will never graduate from high school. Overall, high school graduation rates in this country aren't even in the top 10 of industrialized nations.

Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich calls Washington an arrogant echo chamber. And he says as nation we are blowing it.

ROBERT REICH, FORMER LABOR SECRETARY: Our children are not going to do as well as we are doing. And that's for the first time in many, many years, since the Depression.

And, in fact if you extend backward in American society there's always been an optimism. There's always been a sense of progress. And I'm afraid we're going to lose that because all of the economic indicators, all of the social indicators suggest that we are sliding backward.

ROMANS: American students rank 28th in math preparedness, badly trailing the leaders: China, Finland and Korea. In science, American students are behind 21 other countries. We are no longer the most college educated nation.

ERIC HANUSHEK, HOOVER INSTITUTION, STANFORD: I think it tells us something about the long-run prospects if we don't in fact take a new tact and improve our schools.

Other countries in the world are pushing very, very hard at developing their human resources and the skills of their population.

ROMANS: China graduates eight to 10 times as many engineers each year as the United States.

Eric Klinenberg, a sociologist at New York University, has studied inequality for our elderly.

ERIC KLINENBERG, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY: Today, the United States is the great superpower of the world. But, we haven't found a way to take care of our elderly, our poor, young children and infants. In many respects here we lag behind nations that are far less advanced and powerful.

ROMANS: Life expectancy in the United States lags Japan, Canada, France, the UK, Spain and Singapore.

And here in Washington, D.C. the infant mortality rate is higher than cities in India.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Aaron Brown, King Among Men

Anchor Aaron Brown gone from CNN

Brokaw left, Jennings is dead, KOPPEL IS LEAVING, now Aaaron Brown is out... What are they trying to do to us?
He will be missed.

10 Ways To Save The World

I like Tony Blair, I do. But he should really take these into account:

Climate change: 10 ways to save the world

1: SET LEGALLY BINDING ANNUAL CO2 REDUCTION TARGETS
New law to commit the Government to reducing CO2 every year by a fixed amount - say, 3 per cent - audited by an independent body. A radical programme would then have to be implemented to meet the target.

2: DECENTRALISE THE ENERGY SUPPLY SYSTEM
Do away with the vast power stations serving the national grid: think microgeneration. Give every city, every town, every village, its own power station, fitted with a combined heat and power (CHP) system, which cuts CO2

3: ALL NEW BUILDINGS TO BE CO2-FREE
Put a power station in every basement: change building regulations to make all new buildings provide their own power, with solar panels, mini-wind turbines and CHP systems to soak up wasted heat.

4:INSIST ON USE OF ENERGY-EFFICIENT LIGHT BULBS
Ban standard light bulbs all over Britain and force us to use energy-saving bulbs instead, which soak up less than a quarter of the electricity. Hugely symbolic gesture which would save enormous quantities of CO2.

5: BOOST NEGLECTED RENEWABLES; SOLAR, WAVE, TIDE POWER
Start giving proper funding and backing to renewable energy other than wind: solar power, and power from the waves and tides. These have vast potential to supply CO2-free electricity, yet are underdeveloped.

6: FOCUS AGAIN ON OFFSHORE WIND POWER
Renew the impetus behind wind farms based in the sea with £1bn of subsidy: after a good start, development is slowing, because of technical and financial difficulties, yet we have unparalleled offshore wind resources.

7: GET RADICAL WITH ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Make sure every house in Britain that can be properly insulated is insulated; bring in much more rigorous labelling that can enable any consumer to see how much energy is used by a product.

8: TACKLE THE GAS GUZZLERS
Raise vehicle excise duty (VED) on cars such as 4x4s; make it more than £1,000 per vehicle and set it to rise further. If you want to be radical, insist on a health warning on the side: This Vehicle Damages The Environment.

9: CURB THE GROWTH IN CHEAP FLIGHTS
Raise air passenger duty to end the cheap flight bonanza, as CO2 emissions from aircraft are the most rapidly rising in Britain and also the most damaging: they go straight into the stratosphere. A vote loser and a tough choice.

10: HAVE A LATE-NIGHT TALK WITH GEORGE BUSH
Do anything you can to get George Bush to change his mind about climate change. The world needs America, the biggest CO2 emitter, to lead the fight against global warming. The President is denying the evidence.

Starr VS Fitzgerald

Just a few quick thoughts... I really am amazed at the sharp contrasts between Ken Starr and Patrick Fitzgerald. For a start, Fitzgerald is prosecuting an actual crime. Second, everyone knows of Starr's notorious leakiness. He manipulated the press with his truckload of press conferences and leaked supposedly classified information like a sieve. He was a slimeball in that regard (as well as many other regards, too)

And most importantly, Ken Starr was exercising a political witch hunt. And it is clear to any sane person that the investigating by Mr Fitzgerald is indeed of the highest pedigree.... thats why it is so very hard for Republicans to criticize it.

Built and Bought

Interesting piece from the Star Tribune about Corporate forests.
Up north, 'Everything's getting built up and bought up'

The opportunity for people to use private corporate lands freely for hunting, hiking, bird-watching and other outdoor pursuits is disappearing in parts of northern Minnesota. "Things have really changed up here," said Bickford, of Crosby. "You could go anyplace and hunt, but now everything's getting built up and bought up."

WHAT Are They Thinking?!

Idiots..... the idiots!
In a major shift, ABC taps trio to replace Koppel on 'Nightline'

ABC is going to replace Ted Koppel with three different anchors. Fine. Its a shame that Ted has to leave, but he can't stay there forever. BUT.... guess who one of the three is?

Remember that Michael Jackson documentary that was such a hit on ABC a few years ago? Yeah, that guy. Martin Bashir. HE IS THE GUY GOING TO REPLACE TED KOPPEL.

Ted... an outstanding man with the utmost journalistic integrity and dedication. The best of the best.
Bashir... tabloid journalist.

This is a sad day for anyone who ever cared about anything.

Disgusting

Loggers, Scorning the Law, Ravage the Amazon

According to government figures, Brazilian timber exports from the Amazon increased in value nearly 50 percent in 2004 over the previous year, to just under $1 billion. In the first half of this year, when the rainy season traditionally slows down activities, exports rose an additional 20 percent in value.

Over all, nearly 40 percent of the wood cut in the Amazon is now being shipped overseas, compared with only 14 percent in 1999. Brazil's main markets are the United States, which accounts for one-third of all timber shipments abroad, followed by China, at 14 percent and growing rapidly, and European countries, which collectively account for 40 percent.

"The problem, though, is that the government's own figures indicate that about 60 percent of those exports are illegal," said Paulo Adario, who directs the Amazon campaign of the environmental group Greenpeace. "So you have to ask yourself: how is it possible that even with logging permits suspended since July 2004, wood exports are continuing to rise so frighteningly?"

A Time For Moderates?

I still firmly believe that the DLC is nowhere near the devil that a lot of liberals make it out to be.
Boston Globe: The mood for moderation

'08 could very well be the new 92. (hey that rhymes)

He Better Not

Smilin' Norm strikes again...
Coleman wavering on Arctic drilling

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As a Senate candidate in 2002, Norm Coleman called Alaska's wilderness a "little pristine piece of the world" and pledged to oppose a plan to allow drilling in the state's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

But with a showdown vote expected later this month, environmentalists fear that they're about to lose the support of Minnesota's Republican senator if -- as expected -- the provision is tucked into a year-end budget bill.

Their fears might be valid.

While Coleman still opposes oil and gas drilling in ANWR, his spokesman, Tom Steward, said Coleman also supports the budget he's worked hard on.

Overfished.

I came across this today, weird timing because I actually just saw a clip on the news about how fishermen in the northeast are having to move into other professions because of small catches.

Watch the new TV ad: "I Haven't Seen Fish This Big In Years!"

FRAUD

This is an absolute disgrace.
Bush Teleconference With Soldiers Staged

It was billed as a conversation with U.S. troops, but the questions President Bush asked on a teleconference call Thursday were choreographed to match his goals for the war in Iraq and Saturday's vote on a new Iraqi constitution.

Senate Race Update

Just checking in on Minnesota's hot Senate race....

Doran switches from Senate to gubernatorial race

Klobuchar gets a boost from EMILY'S List

Wetterling backs troop withdrawal date

Alaska, 2.0

Warm climate transforms Alaska terrain

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) -- Sinking villages perched on thawing permafrost, an explosion of timber-chewing insect populations, record wildfires and shrinking sea ice are among the most obvious and jarring signs that Alaska is getting warmer as the global climate changes, scientists say.

"We are the canary in the mine, unfortunately, and the harbinger of what is yet to come for the rest of the world," said Patricia Cochran, executive director of the Anchorage-based Alaska Native Science Commission.

Atmospheric temperatures in the remote state have risen 3.6 to 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit (2 to 3 degrees Celsius) over the past five decades, according to the recently released Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, a comprehensive study by scientists from eight nations.

That heating, most pronounced in winter and spring, is much more dramatic than in the rest of the world, which has had an average increase in land surface temperatures of 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.6 Celsius) over the last century, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Point Of No Return

Global warming 'past the point of no return'

A record loss of sea ice in the Arctic this summer has convinced scientists that the northern hemisphere may have crossed a critical threshold beyond which the climate may never recover. Scientists fear that the Arctic has now entered an irreversible phase of warming which will accelerate the loss of the polar sea ice that has helped to keep the climate stable for thousands of years.

They believe global warming is melting Arctic ice so rapidly that the region is beginning to absorb more heat from the sun, causing the ice to melt still further and so reinforcing a vicious cycle of melting and heating.

Breaking News

From AOL News last night:
Well it is an extremely rare occurance for this president...


In other news, Halliburton Gets Contract To Pry Gold Fillings From New Orleans Corpses' Teeth

Clinton Tells It Like It is

Why is it that Bill Clinton sees it, but other D.C. politicians (mainly Republicans, mind you) don't?

Clinton: Government 'failed' people

"Our government failed those people in the beginning, and I take it now there is no dispute about it. One hundred percent of the people recognize that -- that it was a failure."

What Dems Would Have Done

If the Democrats were in control if Washington, this would have been the plan for Katrina. Its very thorough and long, I suggest you click on the link to read more of it. Yes Mr. Rove, we do indeed have a plan.

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Advance_Senate_Democrats_...

snip:
Ensuring health care for all displaced victims

* Immediate access to Medicaid for displaced victims.
* No need to prove residency or assets
* No copayments
* No penalties for failing to sign up for Medicare Part B in time.

snip:
Getting victims housing

* Emergency housing vouchers for displaced victims
* Expedited application procedures with no red tape.
* No tenant contributions until they find work.
* Tax incentives for private families to take in victims.
* Identify federal facilities that can house victims.
* Relief for homeowners facing threat of foreclosure

snip:
Requiring accountability

We should require the President to submit regular reports to the Congress on the status of recovery efforts, the number of victims who remain without decent housing, jobs, etc., and any additional resources or action needed to address the crisis.

Oy...

Just another reminder of how bad the federal response to Katrina was:

The mayor of Hattiesburg, Mississippi was being interviewed on CNN a little while ago by the anchor, Tony Harris. He asked the mayor if FEMA has a large presence in his town. The Mayor's response... "Who's she?"

I swear this actually happened. It will be in CNN's transcripts when they're pubished tomorrow.

Katrina's Mess

As the mess in New Orleans and the gulf coast continues, I have a few quick thoughts.

I still find myself looking at the pictures of all of this, simply floored. There has never been anything like this. You see the film of all these refugees (that is indeed what they are) and you would think the pictures are from Sudan or some other third world country. If someone didn't tell you, you wouldn't know the difference. They look one in the same. Its shocking.

And by the way, I think the allegation that the lapse in rescue operations was racially motivated is preposterous. Its just dumb and baseless.

Secondly, Bill O'Reilly was on TV last night knowing very well of the huge public outrage against the Bush administration. But because he knew that they fumbled the whole rescue and humanitarian operations BIG TIME and that he would be on the defensive, rather then address the question, he decided to push the blame towards Kathleen Blanco, the Governor of Louisiana, a Democrat. He went on and on, lampooning her, placing all the blame on her. "What say you, Kathleen Blanco?" he bellowed in an irritated tone.

That just frustrates me for several reasons. Biggest of which is that he just simply will not admit to himself that George W. Bush SCREWED UP. He refuses to say it. He is so used to denying any charge against the GOP, what ever it may be, that he will not just state the blatantly obvious here. And as you know, his whole schtick is that he supposedly "tells it like it is". Bzzzz. It took 4 or 5 days for federal help to arrive. That is unacceptable and indefensible. But alas, he found a way to get around it and rather then attempt to defend it, he just pushed the blame on to someone else.

Shame on you, Bush administration and shame on you, Mr O'Reilly. (I know that they both read this blog on a regular basis).

Down On The Bayou

Insanity. Hurricane Katrina has caused pure, unfiltered insanity. This stuff is biblical, folks.

One of my favorite Senators did see the problem coming.
"This is not Disneyland. This is the real deal. The French Quarter could be under 18 feet of water. It would be lost forever."
-Senator Mary Landrieu, on New Orleans' vulnerability to Hurricanes, Two months ago.

Shrinking La. Coastline Contributes To Flooding

Two months ago, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) told an audience of congressional staffers and scientific experts the federal government needs to spend billions of dollars over the next two decades to restore her state's wetlands. She warned that intentional rerouting of the Mississippi River over the past century, coupled with rising sea levels due to climate change, had eroded Louisiana's natural buffer against massive storms.

If only they'd have listened earlier.

Northeast Powerplant Emissions Cut

Some happy news...
Nine States in Plan to Cut Emissions by Power Plants

The cooperative action, the first of its kind in the nation, came after the Bush administration decided not to regulate the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. Once a final agreement is reached, the legislatures of the nine states will have to enact it, which is considered likely.

Again, GWB didn't do anything, so they had to take it into their own hands.

Bush Admin Gives In... Barely

U.S. Proposes Higher Fuel Standards for Light Trucks The Bush administration on Tuesday proposed higher fuel mileage standards for most sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks and minivans, but environmentalists assailed the plan — which spares gas-guzzling giants such as the Hummer H2 and Ford Excursion — as insufficient.
.....................................................
Under the proposal, fuel economy for the popular class of vehicles known as light trucks would be based on size and broken into six categories, with smaller vehicles required to get better gas mileage. By 2011, that would mean the smallest SUVs — such as a Toyota Motor Corp. RAV-4 — must get at least 28.4 miles per gallon, while larger models such as a Chevrolet Silverado pickup have a target of 21.3 mpg.

So, it takes the level of public outrage which there currently is over gas prices for the Bush Administration to do anything. It seems to me that this move is just a step to stave off that outcry. Unfortunately, this move does barely anything. It won't do anything to clean the air, and obviously it won't do anything about gas prices. But even if they did raise standards to an acceptable level, that would not have really changed the gas prices either. Just the amount used.

Standards NEED to be raised...for both environmental as well as economic reasons.

What Bill Clinton DID, and Could Not Do, About Terrorism.

Lets play a game. You tell me who said the following quotes.

“Terrorism is the major threat to the security of Americans.”

“Terrorism has become an equal opportunity destroyer with no respect for borders.”

“America must act and lead. Nowhere, is that responsibility more clear or more urgent than in the struggle against terrorism. “

“Terrorism is the enemy of our generation.”

Hmm.... who was it? George W. Bush? Donald Rumsfeld? Some strong willed Republican congressman?

Bzzzz. Wrong. It was Bill Clinton. Yes, Bill Clinton. But more interesting is the time frame in which these were said. No, he didn’t say them in a speech, trying to act macho after September 11th. Those words are from the mid-90's. Way back then, he recognized the looming threat of terrorism.

In Fahrenheit 9/11, Michael Moore talked about how September 11th could have been prevented and how all the signs were missed by the Bush administration....yadda yadda yadda, you know the story. But when confronted with that, Republicans predictably defer the blame and say how Bush was only in office a short time, while Clinton was in the White House for 8 years. Many of them often complained during the last election, and still do, that “Democrats are weak on security”, “They can’t protect you, Clinton was in office for so long and didn’t do anything about terrorism”.... etc. Dick Cheney said Clinton’s war on terror was, “totally ineffective”. And one conservative blogger said, “Americans will remember Clinton's failed policies as the cause of 9/11". But lets do a fact check for a second. Is there any validity to those claims? Did George W. Bush’s predecessor neglect the security of Americans? Was protecting the nation from terrorism not high enough on President Clinton’s list? History says other wise.

The truth is that Bill Clinton did an incredibly large amount in regards to advancing America’s defense against terror. He indeed did far more than any President before him on the topic. This is just a short list of his more notable legislative initiatives against terrorism:

* In 1995, before the Oklahoma City bombing, Bill Clinton sent anti-terrorism legislation to the congress which after the attack, was beefed up even more. The legislation asked for one thousand more anti-terrorism officials; a new counter terrorism center under the authority of the FBI; approval to use military experts to help fight terrorism (which was at the time not allowed in issues considered to be domestic in nature); the authority to conduct surveillance on terrorists as they move, so multiple court orders are not needed; and increased penalties for knowingly providing terrorists with weapons which are used against federal employees and their families. The bill was held up in congress for a large amount of time as his opponents were reluctant to pass it.

*In June 1995, he signed “Presidential Decision Directive 39" which allocated responsibilities among various government agencies for preventing and dealing with attacks.

* He made terrorism a key top of the 1996 G-7 summit. At the meeting, he proposed steps which the international community could use to better combat terrorism, 40 of which were agreed to. Among them, speeding up the prosecution of terrorists, limiting their access to high tech equipment as much as possible, and increasing efforts to seize their resources.

*In late May of 1997, Clinton outlined an approach to deter attacks from terrorist networks like Al-Qaeda, including steps to prevent and defend against assaults on power systems, water supplies, medical services, financial services, computer networks and to train more state and local officials to respond to biological attacks.

*He signed “Presidential Decision Directive 62" which created a 10-point counter-terrorism initiative and established the post for “National Coordinator For Counter-terrorism and infrastructure protection” which would be filled Richard Clarke.

* At Clinton’s orders, cruise missiles were sent into Afghanistan, targeting a house where Bin Laden and other Al Qaeda figures were reportedly being held. Although Bin Laden was not killed, several people supposedly affiliated with Al Qaeda were. In the same set of military operations, he sent missiles to destroy a Sudanese chemical plant, which was successful.

*He also allocated an additional $300 million to the anti-terrorism budget in a single year. That was in addition to the $9 billion already requested. In the three years after the Oklahoma City bombing, he increased anti-terror funding a whopping 40%.

* And thanks in part to steps his administration did take, many terrorist attacks, including plots to blow up the Lincoln and Holland tunnels and multiple planes were prevented. Also thwarted were plans to detonate explosives during millennium celebrations, among others.

All of this is in addition to many small military operations and criminal prosecutions involving terrorists. That list is very incomplete. Clinton’s anti-terror policies were at the time unprecedented. But with those accomplishments considered, George W. Bush did not fully grasp the magnitude of the threat in the months before 9/11 by a long shot, so how was Clinton supposed to do that all the way back in the 1990's? Given how much we knew, versus how much we did about groups like Al-Qaeda in the 90s, the steps Clinton took were extraordinary and very forward thinking. Republicans certainly did not see it coming. If you remember, George W. Bush’s entire campaign in 2000 was based on the domestic front and worrying about things right here. And many people, but especially conservatives complained that “We can’t be the world’s police force”..... that’s changed, hasn’t it?

Lets face it though, Republicans would be saying these things no matter what. If Clinton went into Afghanistan, captured Osama, and September 11th still happened, “Clinton does not know how to run a war on terror.” They would be criticizing him for anything less than completely stopping 9/11. Also, I’m not so sure that Clinton would have been able to go into Afghanistan anyway. I have no doubt that Republicans would have crucified him for it. The war in Bosnia and Kosovo was going on, you had the occasional flare up in tensions with Iraq, Pakistan & India were on the verge of nuclear war, North Korea was causing problems... They were complaining that the military was overstretched already, and that Clinton didn’t know how to run any of it, can you imagine what would have happened if he opened up a war in Afghanistan? They would have gone head hunting. I can’t reiterate enough, they themselves didn’t realize the threat. The Republican controlled congress would not give Clinton the authority to go to war in Afghanistan, or anywhere else in pursuit of terrorists for that matter.... ever. As for overhauling the security and defense systems, neither the congressional, or public will was there to do the massive restructuring needed. It would have been much worse then trying to pull teeth. Why? No one understood the threat.

So when the Conservative congressmen and talk show hosts complain about how Clinton was supposedly weak on terror, just remember, hindsight is always perfect. And the Republicans of the 90's weren’t exactly pushing very hard to increase our security. In fact, it could be said they were pushing against it.


You must read this.

Environmental Roundup

Oy.... do you really expect good news in a post like this?

U.S. Coral Reef Ecosystems in Decline

Senators Attest to Alaska Climate Change (Hillary actually does score some points with me on this)

This is my favorite.
Errors Cited in Assessing Climate Data

A third study shows that when the errors are taken into account, the troposphere actually got warmer. Moreover, that warming trend largely agrees with the warmer surface temperatures that have been recorded and conforms to predictions in recent computer models.

In other words, the science actually shows that global warming is worse than the study said previously.

The Milky Way

Oh, Yahoo News, you never cease to amuse me with your unintentional puns...

10 Reasons Why Hillary Should Not Run

#1. Because she has so much hype about how she’ll supposedly steamroll over any competition, if she has even a remotely close race with an opponent in the democratic primary, the media will make it seem as if the sky is falling.

#2. Same as number 1, but in the general election and with 10 times the stakes.

#3. So many people just assume that she’ll be the nominee, that all her enemies, the interest groups and what not, will have had an extraordinary amount of time to build their campaign against her and gather ammo. Over 4 years worth. It’ll be bloody.

#4. She’s just simply a polarizing figure. Most people have already made up their mind about whether or not they like her. And its about evenly split.

#5. Hillary, like her husband, is a centrist. So as the election gets closer, like most candidates, she’ll move to the center, aesthetically at least. And the Republicans already despise her, she’s the perfect example of everything they hate. So they won’t bite. But as she does move to the center, I believe she will alienate those on the left and the most liberal people in the democratic base. So she’ll be losing on both ends. That’s a lot of votes.

#6. Is it really right for us to just keep the presidency within two families? This is a democracy, not aristocracy.

#7. She’s seen as a very divisive figure, and may bring back memories of really bad division. Mainstream voters will want someone who can unify the country.

#8. I guarantee you the Clinton’s probably have tons of old demons waiting in the wings, ready to make fantastic allegations and try to distract from real issues.

#9. Senators = Not good bets for presidential candidates

#10. She’d stay in the Senate and not make NY seem like a doormat. I think she is a key asset in the senate.... could be, and is, a strong leader there. Good to have her there. And more time in the Senate is more time to make her image seem more moderate (even though she already is, but the Republicans will do their best to make her seem far left)

All of these are valid assuming that the Republicans will stick to their pattern and put someone very conservative in there. But if they choose a moderate, like John McCain, all bets are off and Hillary might be a better choice than in the other cases. The same with Condoleezza Rice. We can’t let the GOP get the first female presidency.

Surprise: College Tuition Rising

Higher college tuition quietly taxes parents

"Tuition rose 10.5 percent for the 2003-2004 academic year and another 13 percent in 2004-2005." Can the goverment please do something more about this?! JFK said that education is the center of the economy. This is ridiculous.

Live From The Clinton House

Mr. Bill Clinton has his very own music compilation coming out.... ought to be interesting. All that jazz - Bill's

A Must Read On Immigration

Bill Richardson met with the Minutemen the other day. Finally, someone in the Democratic party is fully recognizing the problem with illegal immigration. Trust me, the issue is gaining importance.

Read this, now:
Wall Street Journal- Run for the Border

Sweet NeoCon

"Sweet Neocon, why are you so wrong?"
Rolling Stones target 'hypocrite' patriots in new song

Does Nobody in Hollywood Have An Original Idea?

There was once a scene in an episode of The Simpsons, in which a group of TV executives were sitting in a conference room, brainstorming thoughts for a TV show. And where did they go for inspiration? "I've got an idea," One said, "Turn to channel 4."

Contrary to what you would hope would happen, that old stereotype of the entertainment industry is becoming coming truer by the day and the dollar. I used to think it was just.... a stereotype, something extreme punk rockers say to be anti-establishment, and then I realized just how wrong I was. They have seemingly just ran out of ideas and have begun recycling old ones or ideas they themselves didn't even come up with in the first place. And recently they have apparently cranked up this hideous tactic by a multiple of 10. TV Shows seem to literally steal ideas from other programs, movie remakes are being cranked out like never before, and there is just a void where creative new ideas used to be. Is it out of laziness? Greed? Or has the entertainment industry become too much of just that, an industry (as if it wasn't before)? Or is it all of the above?

The trend really hit a new level, at least in the TV world, around the time "Survivor" first came on the air and became the monster hit it was. Within no time at all, you had countless "reality" knockoffs. And as time has progressed its spread and gotten even worse. The only thing distinguishing many of these reality shows from one another is the cast of characters. Even the setting occasionally is the same. The so called "reality craze" is full of nothing but stolen ideas, unoriginal concepts, and studios looking to make a fast buck. A quick, and incomplete, list of a few recent reality shows:
*The Amazing Race
*American Idol
*America's Next Top Model
*Amish in The City
*The Anna Nicole Show
*The Apprentice
*Average Joe
*The Bachelor
*The Bachelorette
*Beauty and The Geek
*Being Bobby Brown
*The Benefactor
*Big Brother
*Boot Camp
*The Casino
*The Contender
*Extreme Makeover
*Hogan Knows Best
*The Family
*For Love Or Money
*Hell's Kitchen
*I Want To Be A Hilton
*Joe Millionaire
*Laguna Beach
*Last Comic Standing
*The Law Firm
*My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance
*The Mole
*Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica
*The Osbournes
*The Real Gilligans Island
*The Rebel Billionaire
*The Restaurant
*Rock Star: INXS
*The Scholar
*The Simple Life
*So You Think You Can Dance
*Survivor
*The Swan
*Tommy Lee Goes To College
*Who Wants To Marry My Dad?
*Who Wants To Marry a Millionaire?

...and the list goes on. Add in the fact that some of these shows unfortunately go one for multiple seasons and it makes it that much more unbearable. Anyway, you have all these shows that are hardly original in the first place, and then you have a select few who take it even one step further to what has to be plagiarism. For example, in January 2005, ABC came out with the show "SuperNanny" which itself was based on a British TV show, and shortly after that was released, you had FOX come out with their show, "Nanny 911" which has the EXACT same premise. In another instance, ABC premiered their show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and now FOX has "created" the program "Renovate My Family".... guess what? The plot is virtually the same. And last year, the original "Extreme Makeover" was quickly responded to by FOX with "The Swan" which was essentially Extreme Makeover in a contest setting. And if you notice, there happens to be a common thread through all of those examples just listed. The FOX Network. They are by far the least creative and biggest culprit in all of this. They make a mockery of even their own product. As you probably know, "The OC" became a huge success, so they then put out "North Shore" which has the huge distinction of taking place on a different beach. That same network is also home to "American Idol" which they now copy with "So You Think You Can Dance", which is literally American Idol with dancing.

Other aspects of some reality shows are being photocopied from one to another so that its now at the point where it is increasingly less comical and more and more depressing. Part of the reason "American Idol" was such a hit was because mean old Simon Cowell insulted the contestants and was an angry snob. A few months ago FOX (yes, them again) aired "Hell's Kitchen" whose whole schtick was a mean old chef who insults the contestants and is an angry snob. Coincidence?

Of course, all of this does not just stop at the boundaries of the TV screen. The movie studios are just as guilty. Most of what they come up with now seems to be not new, amazing, groundbreaking films, but either sequels or remakes. They milk every dollar they can out of a franchise and do not care where that leaves the quality. They've remade Willy Wonka for petes sake. WILLY WONKA! One of the best movies ever made! A lot of, if not most of this summers films are remakes of something too. Just think and count all the remakes they've come out with recently. Bad News Bears, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Dukes Of Hazzard, The Longest Yard, Bewitched, War Of the Worlds, The Amityville Horror, Ocean's 11, Texas Chainsaw Massacre... etc. And Disney has no shame at all. If a film is a hit for them, they now pump out sequels and prequels like nothing. And most of them are not even released in theaters. They had a Cinderella 2, like 6 Lion Kings, multiple Little Mermaid sequels... They're tarnishing what ever legacy those films might have had. Nothing is sacred to these people!

And some of you might say "Well, it was always like that to some degree". And yeah, I'm sure it was. But not to the extent it is right now. 70s and 80s sitcoms did leech of each other, thats obvious. But I think we can all agree this is ridiculous.

Very few people in Hollywood, in particular the people behind the desks, have any self respect or respect of what they do at all. They suck every last dollar out of a successful franchise because in the end, that is what they care about, the money, not the product. Thank god those people don't sell us anything else, like something we would depend on. I'm ashamed to be in a society where we pay people who pump out this... crap millions and millions of dollars and yet we pay our teachers and nurses close to nothing. The entertainment industry is a parody of itself. And it really gives me a headache.

COMING SOON: "Gone With The Wind 2" starring Hillary Duff and Ludacris.

Funny Because Its True

This'll help lighten your mood...
The Onion- Bush Vows To Eliminate U.S. Dependence On Oil By 4920

Trouble On The Pacific Coast

Scientists seeing more dead birds, fewer fish on Pacific Coast

SAN FRANCISCO -- Marine biologists are seeing mysterious and disturbing things along the Pacific Coast this year: higher water temperatures, plummeting catches of fish, lots of dead birds on the beaches, and perhaps most worrisome, very little plankton _ the tiny organisms that are a vital link in the ocean food chain.

Hillary Duff and The Environment

Heres your amusement for the day.... from MTV News.

Hilary Duff won't use confetti at her concerts anymore, because she learned during her environmental science class on Harvard online that the excess paper is bad for the environment. "It's so weird now how much I conserve," she said. "I turn the lights out, and no more confetti, because that's not recyclable. I did the math for the amount we used, multiplied by 36 shows? We don't need it." Duff said that taking the class is really hard with her schedule, since she has to read 50 pages three times a week, but she loves what she's learned "about the ozone layer, about waste management." "It's so fun!" she said.