Monkeyfister

Unconstitutional: The War on Our Civil Liberties, is the third in a series of Public Interest Pictures films that follows Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election and Uncovered: The War on Iraq. True to their legacy, Unconstitutional provides the facts and stories that illuminate administration lies, wrongheaded policies, and the real victims of these actions--the American people.




Just a few thoughts:
1. Children born in hospitals on US Military bases everywhere in the world are considered US Citizens, as the base is considered US Territory. My sister was born at a US Air Force base in Germany, for instance, yet Gitmo is not considered US Territory for some nefarious reason, specifically to skirt the Law.
2. John Yoo (that Fascist little NeoCon prick), argues that the Bush Administration has War Powers to illegally spy on US Citizens because we're in a "War On Terror," and yet, The Gitmo detainees are not granted Geneva Conventions protections, because they are not combatants in a "War."

Seems to me that they are certainly having it both ways. That's got to stop.


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A Palast Production...



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A little history about LSD in America. Ken Kesey is interviewed, amongst others.



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Because George says so.

via IHT

Royal Dutch Shell, the biggest European oil company, may shelve a joint venture plan to create the largest U.S. refinery because of President George W. Bush's efforts to reduce gasoline use, a Shell executive said Monday.

"If you're an investor getting ready to put several billion dollars into expanded capacity, would you do that when the president himself says we want less gasoline?" John Hofmeister, Shell's top U.S. executive, said at a conference in Santa Clara, California.

There's some weird motivation going on there. Of course, the refinery complex is scheduled for Texas, and of course, Saudi Arabia is involved. I'm fairly ambivalent about the project, myself, but at a time when Big Oil is telling us that gas prices are high due to lave of refineries, this whole "George says don't do it," scheme seems pretty lame. Looks like much more Unhappy Motoring for the future, folks. Have fun in those SUVs. Maybe you can turn into into planters or something.


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Labels: Big Oil, Gas Prices, Peak Oil

Accountant pirats, Bitches.. Never forget this lesson, my friends.. Remember Arthur Anderson... Accountants ALWAYS have the potential to turn Pirate. No joke.


Via: VideoSift


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It's pretty indisputable. Especially in 2002, 2004, and 2206, considering the testimony ongoing on the Hill this week... Yeah, Rove had a BIG PLAN for a "Permanent Republican Majority"... Here is one sliver of it.


Via: VideoSift

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...and a boot to the head.



Via: VideoSift

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Peter Garrett is now a member of Australia's parliament... Guess he won, eh? Rock on, Pete.



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"For The Democrats... It seems like the perfect theme song...



This is how Monkeyfister works through his rage.

Lyrics
One must have a heart of steel. Why do I?
It's not how you look but how you feel. Why do I?
You must have a heart of steel. Why do I?
Why do I keep fucking up?

I can see you on the hill. Why do I?
All comatose but walking still. Why do I?
Flowing curves beneath your flowing gown. Why do I?
Oh, only I can bring myself down. Why do I?
Why do I keep fucking up?

Bowman's pick and dogs that bite. Why do I?
Oh, dogs that howl through the night. Why do I?
Oh, broken leashes all over the floor. Why do I?
Keys left hanging in a swinging door. Why do I?
Why do I keep fucking up?

Is Harry Reid asking himself this question?


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Because I'm still pissed at the Democrats.




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Yep... It's that time of year.

This time, I'm going out to north-east Arkansas tick country with the same group of friends, to spend some time with their extended family. This is a three-day party/ barbecue cook-off. I'm proud to say that my friends and I have won the big competition two years running. This year, we're doing a full organically-raised tenderloin of beef-- a huge, seven pound tenderloin, for $100 (cheap). The steer was free-ranged, grass-fed during the warm months, and fed organic corn, grown there on the farm (which is right around the corner from my new home) during the winter, no chemicals, no anti-biotics, no hormones. I just got off the phone with the Neola Farms owner while working up the post below. The steer was killed two days ago, and is being processed as I type. Fresh.

I just made the baste-coat for it: some olive oil, a bit of fresh local honey from MadSat, a lot of Bolivian Peppercorn from The Spice House (see the side bar), some really spicey, smoked Paprika, also from The Spice House. I'll add gray salt at prep time. We'll brush this oil mix onto the meat tomorrow, and vacuum seal it. I've got some Granny Smith apples that I'm going to slice as thin as possible, we'll fold up the thin tips of the loin, and pack the apples onto the beef at prep time. After that, we'll wrap it with some locally-raised smoked bacon, and truss it all up with wet butcher's twine. We'll fast cook it to get the bacon crisped, add wood chips, and then kill the coals, and slow cook/smoke it to ~120-125 degrees, take it off the heat, slice it and serve it.

We suspect another trophy this year.

The thing with tenderloin, is that it is really a tasteless, yet very tender cut of meat, which DEMANDS flavor infused into it at the time of cooking. I think this blend of flavors is going to be incredible. I dipped a slice of apple into the oil/honey/spice mix, and I'll tell you-- it's really tasty. Add the bacon, and it's going to be incredible.

I know that many of my readers are vegans or vegetarians, my body requires meat, and I at least go out of my way to get the best, organic, well-cared-for, gently put-down beef that I can find. If you saw Neola Farms, I think that you'd approve of how they do things. I certainly am, and I am very happy to soon be a part of the same community with them. While talking with Mr. Neola, he was very happy and excited about bartering my future organic produce for beef, poultry, milk and eggs. He was even more excited about my cheese making. I think that we're going to end up very good friends. His cows are going to keep me and my gardens growing strong, I'll happily slop out his cow stalls and chicken coops, and he'll get plenty of good produce, and great cheese out of the deal. We also spoke about the local food banks and their needs.

And there, my friends, is how the cycle of community building begins. See how simple it is? Just like that! I'm simply chomping at the bit to get into the new house, and get going. Perhaps we'll all make some money out of all of this at the Memphis Farmers' Market. We'll see, won't we?

Sidebar Tip: A porterhouse steak is two PRIME steaks in one. You've got that "T" bone separating two steaks. The "small" steak is a strip steak, the "large steak is Filet Mignon. For the money, the Porterhouse is by far the best slab o'steak in the butcher's shop. Don't believe me? Ask your butcher.

At any rate, I'll try to load up the place with some good videos and groovy stuff, but, I'll be on Mr. Neola's timeline come the morning, so I can't promise that. The super fine blogs and websites in my sidebar should keep you informed and entertained through the weekend-- especially Cannablog. Whig is great with providing excellent videos on the weekend.

Have a GREAT Memorial Day Weekend. Push the limits of fun at home, stay safe. While on the road, be sober, and watch that asshole behind you-- he's fucked-up crazy.

I'll see you late on Sunday.



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To you brave, proud, Americans, we thank you...

Here's The House Roll Call On The Iraq War Appropriations Bill.

Here Are The 14 Senate Noes:
Boxer (D-CA)
Burr (R-NC)
Clinton (D-NY)
Coburn (R-OK)
Dodd (D-CT)
Enzi (R-WY)
Feingold (D-WI)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Leahy (D-VT)
Obama (D-IL)
Sanders (I-VT)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)

The rest of you worthless death-enablers-- Respectfully Fuck Off.

Call Your Congresscritter, and Your Senator and either thank them, if they are on the list, above, or give them hell if they are not. They MUST learn that we mean business. WE put them INTO Office, and WE can take them out just as easily.

I just got off the phone with Tanner's local office. It's really invigorating calling your Congresscritter's office and actually being a part of our Democracy. Try it-- you'll like it.


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Labels: 14 Strong Patriots, Iraq War, Spineless Democrats

"Babies Everywhere!!!



Leslee Unruh Is Fucking NUTS.



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Labels: Batshit Crazy, Batshit Crazy Motherfuckers, Birth Control, FOX News Insanity, Republican Family Values, Republican Values

The Democrats were worried about the Bushies whining too loudly over the Memorial Day Weekend, so they broke out the fucking kneepads and bukkake funnels...again. Of course, Olbermann words it a bit less crudely.




I guess the Democrats don't want our votes, the Congressional Majority, or our campaign monies any more. It's the only thing that I can figure after this pile of Surrender Monkey bullshit. Fuck you, Democrats.


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Labels: Spineless Democrats

Heh. heheheheheheheheh.

via ABC's Political Radar

As President Bush took a question Thursday in the White House Rose Garden about scandals involving his Attorney General, he remarked, "I've got confidence in Al Gonzales doin' the job."

Simultaneously, a sparrow flew overhead and left a splash on the President's sleeve, which Bush tried several times to wipe off.

Deputy White House Press Secretary Dana Perino promptly put the incident through the proper spin cycle, telling ABC News, "It was his lucky day...everyone knows that's a sign of good luck."

And, yes-- there is video at the link.

"All righteousness did build thy arrow
To shoot it straight into their lies
Who would expect the mighty sparrow
Could rid our world of all their kind?" -- The Style Council


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Labels: George W. Bush

Oh, Jeebus... Go see what Stranger has found.

via Blah3

Teaser:

Multiple sources have reported that a senior aide on Vice President Cheney's national security team has been meeting with policy hands of the American Enterprise Institute, one other think tank, and more than one national security consulting house and explicitly stating that Vice President Cheney does not support President Bush's tack towards Condoleezza Rice's diplomatic efforts and fears that the President is taking diplomacy with Iran too seriously.

We Americans need to be very, very concerned about the mental stability of President Cheney. He's going to get us all killed.


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Labels: Dick "dick" Cheney, Dick Cheney Hates America

Correction from the post below-- THIS is the best piece of Conservative writing:

via The American Conservative

Pass through the portal to the alternate reality of the
War Party’s propagandists.

by Gregory Cochran

I think almost everybody has wondered what would have happened if they had made a different choice in life, taken a different path. If you didn’t think of it by yourself, seeing “It’s a Wonderful Life” a few hundred times has probably driven the point home by now.

---

You see, the president and his associates keep referring to historical events that never happened, at least not as they did in the fields we know. And they keep referring to the same ahistorical events. Over and over, the secretary of state and the (now former) secretary of defense have referred to guerrilla warfare in Germany after the Nazi surrender. But there just wasn’t any. You can’t find it in the history books or in the memories of people who were there at the time. My uncle was in Bavaria in the summer of 1945: no trouble. Secretary Rumsfeld repeatedly talked about the similarities between today’s Iraq and America after the Revolutionary War, but again, I’m pretty sure that there aren’t any. I don’t believe we found tortured corpses in the streets of Philadelphia every morning back in 1784. And why does President Bush keep saying that Saddam refused to admit those UN arms inspectors back in 2002 and early 2003? Why did Condoleezza Rice, in 2000, say that Iran was probably backing the Taliban, when in fact the two had almost gone to war in 1998?

Now some might say that these statements were just talking points—that is, lies—but I sure wouldn’t want to accuse anyone of lying. More to the point, there have been many ahistorical statements that are just strange and don’t seem to advance any particular political agenda. For example, when President Bush said that the Japanese lost two carriers sunk and one damaged at the Battle of Midway (instead of losing all four, which is what actually happened), who gained? When POTUS said that Sweden has no army (it does), what political argument was advanced?

We’re talking about the rulers of the most powerful nation on earth. It can’t be that they’re just pig-ignorant—of their own history, yet. There has to be a deeper, more subtle explanation.

We can learn more by examining these statements in detail, including those of the administration’s close supporters. They too keep diverging from the history we know. Recently, Rep. Don Young of Alaska quoted Lincoln as saying, “Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs, and should be arrested, exiled or hanged.” Lincoln never said that, of course. Cliff May, at National Review, said “President Roosevelt waited until after World War II to put in place a commission to investigate what mistakes led to Pearl Harbor.” Pretty fly for a dead guy: FDR passed on just before Germany surrendered, well before the Japanese quit. And anyhow, the first of many Pearl Harbor investigations—the Roberts Commission—started only 11 days after the sneak attack.

More and more, I get the feeling that Bush and his friends come from one of the Worlds-of-If—a sad place, even worse than the one we actually live in, a world in which their odd statements are true.

Indeed. This truly does explain everything. More at the link, of course.

Hat Tip to Avedon


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Labels: Bush Administration, Conservatives, One Sane Republican

This is the best damned piece of Conservative writing since Jon Swift burst into the Conservative Blogosphere...

via Blogs 4 Brownback

What’s even worse than the debate raging in American schools about the teaching of the soulless doctrine of evolution, is the non-debate over an issue that rational Americans have foolishly conceded to the secular among us: the issue of Heliocentrism, or the idea that the Earth revolves around the Sun.

Now, it has to be granted that there may be some mathematical evidence going either way; mathematically speaking, Copernicus may be on ground nearly as firm as that of Tycho Brahe. Right-thinking people know the correct doctrine, however:

Heliocentrism is the view that the sun is at the center of the universe. It was proposed by some ancient Greeks,[1] and became the dominant view in the 1700s and 1800s. It was abandoned in the 20th century.

Since the advent of relativity theory in the early 1900s, the laws of physics have been written in covariant equations, meaning that they are equally valid in any frame. Heliocentric and geocentric theories are both used today, depending on which allows more convenient calculations.

It seems clear that it may occasionally be convenient to assume that the calculations of Copernicus and Kepler were mathematically sound. However, for both moral and theological reasons, we should always bear in mind that the Earth does not move. If it moved, we would feel it moving. That’s called empiricism, the experience of the senses. Don’t take my word for it, or the evidence of your own senses, Copernicans.

Much, much more at the link.

;


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Labels: Brownback, Republicans, The War On Science

He's 66 today.























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Oh, this is a fine, but short-lived little series from BBC. More to come. If you like this, and have some time to waste, just click through and watch to your heart's content.

Episode 1 PT 1:

PT 2:

PT 3:

Neil Gaiman's short-lived urban fantasy series, devised with Lenny Henry.

Episode 1 of 6: Door (1/3)

First aired: 12/09/1996

Richard [who is admittedly ordinary and boring] is on the way to a dinner with his fiancée Jessica when a young girl falls to the pavement in front of them, obviously hurt.

Despite Jessica's threats of ending the engagement, Richard feels he must help. The girl, named Door, asks not to be taken to a doctor or hospital, so Richard brings her back to his flat where she recovers.

Because of this act of kindness, Richard is forced to endure visits from the vile Messrs. Croup and Vandemar, to deal with the roguish Marquis de Carabas, and to converse with a rat. Worse still, his friends and co-workers suddenly don't seem to recognise him.

Trippy, creepy stuff.

Hat tip to Whig, from whom *I* get to finally snag a hot flick! :) High-Five, Brother! Thanks for reminding me of this series, which is sort of the BBC's answer to the X-Files, at the time. The whole idea of Magical Hobos has always been enchanting to me. Something tells me that this series was an inspiration for Sean Murphy's "The Hope Valley Hubcap King." One of my favorite works of recent fiction. If you've not read it-- do so!


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Mary Cheney, that is... The Shhhhhhhh... She's the Lesbian one...

via AmericaBlog, who've got the whole story.


















Boy. Those smiles almost look convincing. Do ya think for one second that the Grandghouls will come out strongly for GBLT rights?

I don't think so either.


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Labels: GBLT Rights, Mary Cheney, Republican Family Values

I sure would like to see some Journalistic investigation into just what the hell the GOP is holding over Joe Lieberman, that has shoved him so far to the right that his suit reeks of elephant shit, and allows him to actually have power in the Senate.

It's either big money pay-offs or some serious blackmail.

I'd like to know which it is.

Anyway. You may have already seen this, but, it is what got me thinking about that cheap-shot fucking quisling from Connecticut:





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Labels: Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Lieberman)

Way to keep morale boosted, there, George. Ain't your Surge!(tm) a smashing success... Fuckwad.

via Attaturk:



Note: This is an insecure supply route problem, NOT a funding issue.


















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Labels: BushWar, George W Bush and the Troops, Iraq, Iraq War, Iraq War Cost

Nice...



Johnny Cash's smile-- what a treat.


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Joe ain't no light-weight. He's a veteran of the Culture Wars. He's been there, done that, and has more T-Shirts than I could only hope to have. This is a fine essay about one exciting moment in the long, cold recent Culture War started during the Viet Nam War era.


via Deer Hunting With Jesus

In my ragged assed 40 years of writing, I've been lucky enough -- or sometimes unlucky enough -- to meet and write about many of America's "somebodies," mostly vapid asshole movie and TV stars and rock musicians. When I was young, so-called "media journalism" then was just what it is now, what we called "starfucking", and amounted to writing PR for media corporations in "music journals" of the time. But we covered a few worthwhile iconic figures in the mix as well -- the kind that stick around in the background of one's thinking forever. At my age now, I find a lot of them are dying off, the Hunter Thompsons, Susan Sontags, Ken Keseys and Kurt Vonneguts. However, I have a self-imposed policy not to eulogize them because the hundreds of sentimental Internet tributes that flourish upon their deaths somehow seem ghoulish, and because it is a universal truth that we writers will do anything for an audience, and celebrity death is one of the easiest ways to attract one.

On rare occasions though, usually while writing late at night, the ghost of one of these people, the shade of an especially prescient writer or thinker, sneaks up, slaps me across the back of the head and says: "I told you so!" And when two appear in a single night, well, you gotta write about it.

So here I am at 2 AM pretending to write -- at least until I've killed the rest of this bottle of Old Granddad -- but actually thrashing amid my old files, when I stumble upon personal notes from 1982, rough drafts and clips regarding Hunter S. Thompson and Timothy Leary, written and published around the same time. Both of them now strike me as brilliant in their defiance of American mediocrity, and symbolic actors in the media's Great Cultural Outlaw Game.

I say symbolic because the news media then and still does require all types of symbolic actors to hold the nation's attention and shape its reality. Today they range from Paris Hilton and Bill O'Reilly to Rosie O'Donnell, or political actors such as Barack Obama and John McCain. Or heroic figures in sport and war such as Patrick Tillman (which didn't work out as well as planned by its Pentagon managers.) Even the most insentient lump of flesh may serve the purpose. Terry Schiavo comes to mind.

But the media also needs cultural outlaws, and allows a few of them either to serve as national examples of our supposed freedom of expression, or to serve as definitions of deviation from the norm and how it is punished. Tim Leary called it "The Outlaw Game," and he and Thompson were two examples of the outlaw's part in the superstate's instructive televised morality play. Real cultural outlaws are still allowed on stage. But to be acceptable to the corporate media state's manufactured reality, they must construct a persona (or be assigned one based upon what their behavior symbolizes) and maintain that persona, for which they are either rewarded, as Thompson was, or imprisoned as Leary was, according to the role they play out in the TV news non-reality show. Ever it was thus since the advent of television.

Yet, what strikes me about this folder of wrinkled notes is the hardening of the media model, and the changes in the American attitude regarding freedom and state authority since then. Not to mention the sheer outrageousness or permissible persona then, and the ominous prescience of some of Thompson's and Leary's quotes, scrawled down so long ago. And so I write the following from those old notes.

Stand by. The rest of the story is an incredibly entertaining read.


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Labels: Joe Bageant

Barry Ritholtz is far from the hyper-ventilative sort of economist.


In this Article, he takes a look at a report by Real Estate Analyst John Burns, and concurs-- the Real Estate Market is falling out faster than the Media is reporting.

Here are some highlights to get you started:

• Closing Data: Sales have actually fallen 22% year-over-year, based on comparing trailing 12 month periods. If you compare year over year sales, the decline is even more severe.

• Mortgage Bankers Association [MBA] Data: MBA Seasonally Adjusted Purchase Application Index is down 18% from its peak in September 2005.

• Builder Data: D.R. Horton (DHI) and Lennar (LEN) have reported that orders have declined 27% to 37%, year-over-year -- even as they have dropped prices significantly. These are the nation's two largest homebuilders.

• Realogy Corporation Data: In 2006, there was a year-over-year decline of 18% in brokerage related transactions at Realogy owned firms (Century 21, Coldwell Banker, and ERA)

• 2005-2006 National Association of Realtors State Data: The NAR is showing some very sharp year-over-year corrections: Florida down 28%; California down 24%; Arizona off 28%. However, the NAR data may actually be understating the falloff. John's data shows the more likely actual sales decrease to be closer to 34%, 27% and 38%, respectively. Prior to 2005, John's data tracked very closely with the NAR, so this deviation is worth further investigation.

Skippy, keep holding on, and saving that down-payment, buddy-- your time will come, soon. I can't wait to be able to send you notes of congratulations. Just be patient, and keep looking. Keep on talking to your friends in the Trades for leads.


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Labels: Real Estate Crash, Real Estate Industry, US Economy

Following-up on a bit reported last night's FRONTLINE piece on Domestic spying, regarding several GAO reports regarding the programs.

I found two, in PDF form, that are quite fascinating.

DATA Mining: Federal Efforts Cover A Wide Rage Of Uses

and...

Agencies Have Taken Key Steps to Protect Privacy in Selected Efforts, but Significant Compliance Issues Remain

The latter is by far the most interesting and rewarding, but, I recommend that you read both.


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Labels: American Fascism, Police State

Should be good.

via PBS

Hedrick Smith reports on the government's post-9/11 domestic-surveillance efforts, including the controversial NSA eavesdropping program; and a December 2003 FBI data sweep of Las Vegas vacationers.

If you miss the air-time, it should be available for free viewing, tomorrow, at the link above.


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Labels: PBS FRONTLINE

This is very good news. Bring 'em on!

via Reuters

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Solar power should become a mainstream energy choice in three or four years as companies raise output of a key ingredient used in solar panels and as China emerges as a producer of them, according to a report by an environmental research group.

"We are now seeing two major trends that will accelerate the growth of photovoltaics: the development of advanced technologies, and the emergence of China as a low-cost producer," Janet Sawin, a senior researcher at the Worldwatch Institute and an author of report, said in a statement.

Investors have flocked to solar and other renewable energy sources amid worries about the high costs of oil and natural gas and greenhouse gas emissions. Solar is the fastest growing energy source, but still provides less than 1 percent of the world's electricity, in part because its power can cost homeowners twice as much as power from the grid.

But costs could fall 40 percent in the next few years as polysilicon becomes more available, Sawin said,

More than a dozen companies in Europe, China, Japan, and the United States will boost production over the next few years of purified polysilicon, which helps panels convert sunlight into electricity, and is the main ingredient in semiconductor computer chips, according to the report.

Cheap Solar Power cannot get here soon enough.


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Labels: Alternative Energy, Solar Power

That Global Warming is just a Liberal myth...

via The Independent

Britain's astounding April, the warmest on record, has produced an astounding effect in the natural world, with at least 11 species of butterfly making their earliest recorded appearances this spring in what will be seen as the most remarkable demonstration yet of the effects of climate change on Britain's wildlife.

For several years biologists have been watching warming temperatures affect living organisms, with leaves opening, birds nesting and insects emerging earlier. But what has happened in 2007 with butterflies has been quite exceptional.

Of our 59 resident and regular migrant species, 37 have now appeared, and of these, all except one (the orange tip) have emerged earlier than they would have done a decade ago, according to the wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation.

More remarkably still, 11 of them have broken all records for early emergence, some by scarcely-believable margins.

Stoopit butterflies.


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Labels: Global Warming

The AFL/CIO explains why George's $23 Billion National ID Program must be thrown off with all deliberate speed.

via AFL/CIO

Two years ago, congressional Republicans railroaded through legislation to create a massive national ID system, which many say lacks adequate security or privacy safeguards. Now a broad coalition of more than 40 organizations, including the AFL-CIO, is working to repeal the law.

Under the Real ID Act, U.S. residents will need a federally approved ID card to travel on an airplane, open a bank account, collect Social Security payments or take advantage of nearly any government service.

States will be required to check their citizens’ identification papers, and driver’s licenses likely will be reissued to comply with Department of Homeland Security requirements. As a result, opponents say, the law could create a bureaucratic nightmare with long lines, repeat trips and higher fees for individuals trying to get licenses and IDs. The rules go into effect in May 2008.

---

Also, Homeland Security has not ruled out the use of mandatory radio frequency identification tags in the cards, which raises additional privacy concerns because it easily could enable routine tracking of individuals by the government.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who plans to introduce a bill to repeal the law, says Real ID is a good example of what happens when the federal government imposes itself rather than creating a partnership with states.

Please contact your Senator, and ask him to support Sen. Leahy's efforts to repeal this monstrosity.


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Labels: American Fascism, Police State, Republican Values

One In Six European Mammals Face Extinction, and a UN report says we're wiping 3 species off the Earth every hour.

via Reuters

GENEVA (Reuters) - One in six European land mammals faces the threat of extinction, mainly through habitat loss and deforestation, a leading conservation group said on Tuesday.

For marine mammals, the figure is higher at nearly one in four, but even this could be an underestimate because insufficient information is available on 44 percent of European marine mammal species, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) said.

In a report for the European Union, the IUCN said the Balkans and particularly Bulgaria and Romania are the most affected by declining land mammals, principally because they are also home to the greatest number of species.

"The results of the report highlight the challenge we currently face to halt the loss of biodiversity by 2010," said European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas, referring to a commitment EU states made in 2002.

More from the UN report.



One In Six European Mammals Face Extinction, and a UN report says we're wiping 3 species off the Earth every hour.

via Reuters

OSLO (Reuters) - Human activities are wiping out three animal or plant species every hour and the world must do more to slow the worst spate of extinctions since the dinosaurs by 2010, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

Scientists and environmentalists issued reports about threats to creatures and plants including right whales, Iberian lynxes, wild potatoes and peanuts on May 22, the International Day for Biological Diversity.

"Biodiversity is being lost at an unprecedented rate," U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement. Global warming is adding to threats such as land clearance for farms or cities, pollution and rising human populations.

"The global response to these challenges needs to move much more rapidly, and with more determination at all levels -- global, national and local," he said.

Many experts reckon the world will fail to meet the goal set by world leaders at an Earth Summit in 2002 of a "significant reduction" by 2010 in the rate of species losses.

"We are indeed experiencing the greatest wave of extinctions since the disappearance of the dinosaurs," said Ahmed Djoghlaf, head of the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity. Dinosaurs vanished 65 million years ago, perhaps after a meteorite struck.

"Extinction rates are rising by a factor of up to 1,000 above natural rates. Every hour, three species disappear. Every day, up to 150 species are lost. Every year, between 18,000 and 55,000 species become extinct," he said.

"The cause: human activities."

Damned sad.


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Labels: Corporate Values, Corporatists, Extinctions, Global Warming, Greed

The full movie. See It Here.


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Labels: Enron

It looks like this is going to be an interesting couple of weeks to watch.

via Reuters

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Rising to a record high immediately after the central bank hiked interest rates, China's booming stock market has entered a battle of wills with the government -- a battle that it may well lose.

Millions of Chinese investors, trading on mobile phones or in brokerage halls around the country, shrugged off the central bank's monetary tightening, which was partly designed to prevent the market from overheating.

Instead, investors pushed up stocks in massive turnover that was about 10 times year-ago levels.

"The market seems to have largely ignored the signal that the central bank has sent about a soft landing," said analyst Zhao Wuling at Everbright Securities. "But underestimating the central bank may prove dangerous."

The Shanghai Composite Index opened down 3 percent but quickly rebounded to climb as much as 1.3 percent, hitting a record intra-day high of 4,083.416 points. It ended the day up 1 percent at 4,072.225.

That means authorities are likely to take stronger steps in coming weeks to restrain the market and drive out speculative money, analysts and fund managers believe.

They think the government may want stocks to pull back 10 or 20 percent in the next few months to let air out of the bubble -- and that a further rise of 10 percent would almost certainly produce harsh official action.

The monetary tightening was the latest in a series of efforts this month to restrain the market, which is up over 50 percent this year after a 130 percent leap in 2006.

Considering China, this is happening very quickly.


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Labels: China, Global Economy, US Economy

I'm really sore, but, boy am I relaxed. The weather was perfect, the company was even better, and a good time was had by all.

Sorry, no pictures-- there is ALWAYS the chance of getting thrown out of the boat on this river, so no camera.



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