Frontline - Heat

I missed the original airing of this Frontline episode, but watched it last night. A very interesting look at our energy consumption, global warming, and the politics of changing the US' investments in green energy.

Our legislators need to grow some backbone and set aside their popularity contests for the good of this nation and our planet.

Frontline's Heat - read and watch the episode

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Free Lunch - David Cay Johnston

I don't tend to recommend books until I've actually finished reading the book. =) However, I am in chapter 3 of David Cay Johnston's Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (And Stick You With the Bill). This book is excellent so far.

I feel the wealth disparity is enormous in this country and we can point to certain inequities and policies that foster this. However, this book has really boiled down, with specifics, many of these policies in the collusion of the wealthy with our government policies and some politicians.

One of the eye opening moments for me was where he discusses our economic structure is most like the countries of Brazil, Mexico, and Russia - countries many of us know have extreme corruption that feeds a rich few, impoverished masses, and virtually no or a shrinking middle class. I think for me, though I understand the disparity in our country, when you say we are no better than Mexico, that really opened it up for me.

Also, in this time of economic crisis in our country where we have seen terms like "deregulation" bandied around, this book appears prescient, but really it's what we've put into place and are now paying the reaper for.

I don't know what the rest of the book is going to say, but I recommend it highly from what I've read so far.

Here are some of the editorial notes on this book.
“If you’re concerned about congressional earmarks, stock options (especially backdated options), hedge fund tax breaks, abuse of eminent domain, subsidies to sports teams, K Street lobbyists, the state of our health-care system, to say nothing of the cavernous gap between rich and poor, you’ll read this fine book—as I did—with a growing sense of outrage. Free Lunch makes it clear that it’s high time for ‘We the People’ to stand up and be counted.”
—John C. Bogle, founder and former chairman, The Vanguard Group

The bestselling author of Perfectly Legal returns with a powerful new exposé.

How does a strong and growing economy lend itself to job uncertainty, debt, bankruptcy, and economic fear for a vast number of Americans? Free Lunch provides answers to this great economic mystery of our time, revealing how today’s government policies and spending reach deep into the wallets of the many for the benefit of the wealthy few.

Johnston cuts through the official version of events and shows how, under the guise of deregulation, a whole new set of regulations quietly went into effect— regulations that thwart competition, depress wages, and reward misconduct. From how George W. Bush got rich off a tax increase to a $100 million taxpayer gift to Warren Buffett, Johnston puts a face on all of the dirty little tricks that business and government pull. A lot of people appear to be getting free lunches—but of course there’s no such thing as a free lunch, and someone (you, the taxpayer) is picking up the bill.

Johnston’s many revelations include:
• How we ended up with the most expensive yet inefficient health-care system in the world
• How homeowners’ title insurance became a costly, deceitful, yet almost invisible oligopoly
• How our government gives hidden subsidies for posh golf courses
• How Paris Hilton’s grandfather schemed to retake the family fortune from a charity for poor children
• How the Yankees and Mets owners will collect more than $1.3 billion in public funds

In these instances and many more, Free Lunch shows how the lobbyists and lawyers representing the most powerful 0.1 percent of Americans manipulated our government at the expense of the other 99.9 percent.

With his extraordinary reporting, vivid stories, and sharp analysis, Johnston reveals the forces that shape our everyday economic lives—and shows us how we can finally make things better.

Thanx to DiaLogic for writing about it, otherwise I may not have known of its existence!

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Diddy Blog "Gas Prices Are Too High"

Wow, this just shows how extreme wealth can corrupt some folks' minds. Here's Sean Diddy Combs blogging about how he's being forced to fly commercial airlines because flying his personal jet is getting too expensive with gas prices. And he's sharing with folks how shocking it all is. It really is out of touch with the masses that have given him his wealth. At the end he says he's even flying coach /gasp! But I've never seen leather seats when I fly coach. He's so out of touch he can't even differentiate between coach and first class. And for him to put this blog out there shows he is oblivious to how repulsive it is. The comment on the side is that it is a joke, but I think that was added post comments of venom imho.

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Army Shooting Live Pigs for Medical Training

I just read this article on CNN that the Army will be shooting live pigs in order to train some of their military personnel on how to treat critical gunshot wounds in the field.

I was a medic in the Air Force and also trained as a civilian paramedic at the Oregon Health Sciences University. While at OHSU, we did do one procedure on a live pig that was sedated. There is a procedure called a cut down that is used when one is absolutely unable to get an IV started because the patient is hypovolemic. You cut into the flesh to actually get to a vein and start an IV. Our pig was not euthanized as this procedure is not that invasive, but I remember being traumatized that we were practicing on a live animal. I guess one could argue if it is better to practice on a live patient, but I guess I might argue yes. If you are attempting that procedure, it is because that person needs it. The first live patient intubations I performed were on folks undergoing surgery. But the first time I intubated someone in the field under an emergency situation, it still felt different and scary. (Luckily, I had no problems - phew!) Anyway, if we had sedated someone or some animal for the sole purpose of intubation, I think I would have had issue. Sedation has its issues and intubation is an irritant. Taking that many steps forward to shooting an animal seems wrong.

In the military as a medic, we are trained obviously to treat gunshot wounds. But the reality is that the procedures you perform in the field can not fix the wound. They treat the symptoms and try to keep the patient alive until a surgeon can remove the bullet, repair vasculature, etc. as appropriate. Sealing a wound, stopping sucking chest wounds, providing fluids, providing oxygen, etc can be done as practice on dummies. Field exercises with elaborate makeup and triage practice made things a bit more realistic for practice and knowing who to treat, not treat, and when. But the reality is, until you're right there with someone actually bleeding, perhaps seeing egregious wounds, and possibly screaming their head off, you will be 'freaked out'. I really don't see the point of shooting a live and sedated animal. Keep in mind, they are training all the personnel of some units, not just the medics. This tells me even more so that they are limiting the treatments to what I stated above. There is no reason a live animal makes sense for this training.

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Alleged Ex-Nazi Einsatzgruppe in the Seattle Area

From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
"The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking to revoke the citizenship of an 86-year-old Bellevue man and former restaurant host who, investigators say, worked with a Nazi mobile killing unit that murdered thousands of Jews, Gypsies and political dissidents during World War II."

The discussion around this seems to be either that we must prosecute and go after war criminals no matter what to why are we going after someone who is 86 years old when they appear to have lived a good life since then. Me, I think there is no statute of limitations on certain actions, no matter your age. I do wonder though why we don't go after more recent war criminals with as much zeal. The Sudanese government in collaboration with the Chinese government, the UN bureacracy of resolutions, and our limp US talk aren't stopping the genocide we have today. Never again, my arse.

Seattle PI story.
Seattle Times story.

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Stop Oil Speculation Now site

This was forwarded to me. Here is one of the messages apparently from 12 Airline CEOs. The portal is S.O.S. Now (Stop Oil Speculation Now). 99.9% chance it will do nothing, but it's interesting.

Our country is facing a possible sharp economic downturn because of skyrocketing oil and fuel prices, but by pulling together, we can all do something to help now.

For airlines, ultra-expensive fuel means thousands of lost jobs and severe reductions in air service to both large and small communities. To the broader economy, oil prices mean slower activity and widespread economic pain. This pain can be alleviated, and that is why we are taking the extraordinary step of writing this joint letter to our customers.

Since high oil prices are partly a response to normal market forces, the nation needs to focus on increased energy supplies and conservation. However, there is another side to this story because normal market forces are being dangerously amplified by poorly regulated market speculation.

Twenty years ago, 21 percent of oil contracts were purchased by speculators who trade oil on paper with no intention of ever taking delivery. Today, oil speculators purchase 66 percent of all oil futures contracts, and that reflects just the transactions that are known. Speculators buy up large amounts of oil and then sell it to each other again and again. A barrel of oil may trade 20-plus times before it is delivered and used; the price goes up with each trade and consumers pick up the final tab. Some market experts estimate that current prices reflect as much as $30 to $60 per barrel in unnecessary speculative costs.

Over seventy years ago, Congress established regulations to control excessive, largely unchecked market speculation and manipulation. However, over the past two decades, these regulatory limits have been weakened or removed. We believe that restoring and enforcing these limits, along with several other modest measures, will provide more disclosure, transparency and sound market oversight. Together, these reforms will help cool the over-heated oil market and permit the economy to prosper.

The nation needs to pull together to reform the oil markets and solve this growing problem.

We need your help. Get more information and contact Congress by visiting Stop Oil Speculation Now.

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5 Black Presidents in US History!

So I'm sitting in the waiting room at the hospital today. It was a very long wait and so I started looking around at the reading offerings. NW Health. Hmmm looks too healthy to me. Self magazine. Jennifer Garner on the cover looking too chipper and the snippets about losing weight and how to spice up my love life look tedious at best. Diversity Inc. Never saw that one and so I check it out.

I wasn't too impressed with the magazine, but a one-page article talked about something I was totally clueless about. It said we had 5 previous US Presidents that were part black. What!? How come I've never heard of this? I'm not the most learned person in the world, but I don't live under a rock either. It said Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Warren Harding, Andrew Jackson, and Calvin Coolidge all had black ancestry. This is according to historian Leroy Vaughn who penned Black People and Their Place in World History.

Here's what it said in summary for each:
Thomas Jefferson: "son of a half-breed Indian squaw and a Virginia mulatto father"

Andrew Jackson: "the son of an Irish woman who married a Black man. The magazine also stated that Jackson's oldest brother had been sold as a slave."

Abraham Lincoln: "Lincoln was said to have been the illegitimate son of an African man, according to Vaughn's findings. Lincoln had very dark skin and coarse hair and his mother allegedly came from an Ethiopian tribe. His heritage fueled so much controversy that Lincoln was nicknamed "Abraham Africanus the First" by his opponents."

Warren Harding: "Harding had Black ancestors between both sets of parents"

Calvin Coolidge: "Coolidge's mother's maiden name was "Moor," and in Europe, the name "Moor" was given to all Blacks, just as "Negro" was used in America. It later was concluded that Coolidge was part Black.

So trippy! I'll have to read more on the topic. Here's the article.

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Squirrelman Update

I recently posted about a homeless man nicknamed Squirrelman that had built a treehouse in downtown Seattle. Today's paper shows that someone offered him a place to live in his RV in exchange for handyman work around her 80 acre property in the country. Not sure if I thought that would happen or not...

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Costa Rican Artist's Starving Dog Exhibit

So I just heard about the controversy regarding Costa Rican artist Guillermo Vargas Habacuc. It has been alleged that he rounded up a stray dog and then chained it without food or water until it eventually died. Apparently this dog was already starving and the artist's point was to highlight the plight of all the stray starving dogs running rampant. The exhibit was in August 2007 in Nicaragua.

There's an online petition going around to prevent this artist from exhibiting his work in a multinational exhibit this year.

There is some question as to whether or not this dog actually died. Some sites say he only chained the dog for a day. Others say he kept it chained until it died. Snopes classifies the story as undetermined. PETA says they aren't sure yet if this is a publicity stunt or not. The Guardian said it appears he only had it for a day. Huffington Post had a psychiatrist discuss the sadistic nature of this art. I've read some posts say Americans should keep their noses out of it and are exhibiting our colonialism by trying to petition this artist. Others argue it is art to highlight society. Others are ready to tie this artist up and starve him to death.

There are many conflicting stories and some inconsistencies. There is a statement supposedly from the artist that sounds reasonable but is also a smoking gun. It makes my spidey sense tingle. In it, it says the artist is 50 years old. Other sites I researched show this artist in his 30s. So I'm thinking this statement is a fake. So since I don't know if this story is valid or not, I'm not signing the petition.

I do think one avenue of art is to magnify life. And what's so beautiful about art is that while one piece of art may not 'speak to me', it may to another. However, I don't think art should purposefully be at the expense of a living creature. Yes, this dog may have been doomed to starve to death anyway. But it may also have been taken in by someone. And to torture a living creature in the name of art doesn't make sense to me. Would we showcase a starving child to show the plight of starving children around the world? While I think it is noble of an artist to try to make us think about these dogs, it should be done differently.

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Mosquito Repellent

About a month ago I posted about the mosquito ring tones. The speculation was teenagers would have them on their phones to facilitate covert messaging of some sort. But a CNN article describes that businesses, schools, and residences are putting up the ring tone as a way of repelling teens from an area where they may typically loiter. Reminds me of that X-Men who can make the high-pitched sound but I can't remember her name. (hell getting old) Anyway, why is it we as a species always have a knack for using technology against each other?

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Giving MicroLoans to Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries

DiaLogic has posted about an organization called Kiva that enables person-to-person microloans around the globe.

As I posted in his comments, I had wondered when this would come around when I first heard about microloans a few years back. I think they're a great idea btw.

The key with this Kiva system is they evaluate the entrepreneurs business proposals through field visits to minimize lenders' risk. From what I've read out on their site and some of the lenders and borrowers information, it looks like a great system.

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Minimum Wage

This Department of Labor map of the United States shows each state's minimum wage.

The federal minimum wage is $5.85/hour. All I can say to that is the folks who think that is acceptable have obviously never worked for minimum wage. Or if they have, they are out of touch with the reality of who earns minimum wage. I remember years ago watching some documentary where a Republican politician (don't remember her exact position) said only teenagers work for minimum wage. I rest my case.

3 states have minimum wages lower than the federal rate - Kansas, Georgia and Wyoming. For those states, the minimum would then be the federal rate. Kansas has $2.65/hr listed. o.O

My state of Washington has the highest currently at $8.07/hr. That's like $300 per week before taxes. Yikes. I know one can survive on this kind of money as I've done it. But it's not living. Not even close.

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McDonald's Bus Ad Against Starbucks Coffee

I knew McDonald's was going to compete against Starbucks for the "premium" coffee market. Up to now I'd only seen similarities in look and naming.

I don't drink Starbucks or McDonald's coffee regularly. Starbucks only in a pinch once or twice a year while traveling and stuck in an airport. McDonald's occasionally if I buy a breakfast sandwich and it comes with it. Taste-wise, they both seem fine to my palate. I've only had a few cups of coffee in my life that I thought were truly special.

Anyway, I guess the intimation is over. Or at least I hadn't noticed if it was over earlier. I saw a city bus ad in big letters pronounce

$4 coffee is dumb

with a cup of McDonald's premium coffee offered as an alternative.

I don't know all of the business goings on of Starbucks. I've heard lots of local stuff saying it's going downhill to they're opening new stores constantly. What I do know is that to have McDonald's on your arse is like competing with Walmart.

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Should He Stay or Should He Go

Squirrelman built a treehouse on Seattle public land. After living there for 2 years and expanding his abode with the assistance of some neighbors, the city is evicting him.

UPDATE 4/9:
The city gave him an extra week before he needs to move out of the tree. Someone donated a running RV to him. Now where to put the RV...

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Now You Can Be a Fly on the Wall

Over at P!

Harvard's School of Engineering + US Military =

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Don't Like It

Regressive tax.
Negative rather than positive reinforcement.
Doesn't address multiple scenarios.

Ugh, I like being green - I use cloth bags, I recycle, I don't drive a big ass SUV, but this seems to be feel-good legislation that will cause more problems rather than help the environment really in my opinion.

Seattle Could Ban Foam Food Boxes

"Seattle would ban foam food containers and impose a 20-cent fee on both paper and plastic grocery bags under a first-of-its kind proposal announced Wednesday morning.
Restaurants would later be prohibited from using plastic containers unless they can be recycled or composted, under the plan to be unveiled by City Council President Richard Conlin and Mayor Greg Nickels.
The "green fee" would apply to disposable bags distributed at grocery, convenience and drug stores. The polystyrene foam ban would outlaw items such as plates, trays, "clamshells," cups, meat trays and egg cartons at stores and restaurants." read the rest...

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Are Integrity & Politics Mutually Exclusive?

I'm not asking that as a smart arse, but seriously. Is having integrity and practicing politics in the workplace and in government mutually exclusive?

Even if you had all the right intentions and vigorously maintained your integrity, would the politics just put you in the situation of being unable to accomplish what should be done? Is this where playing the game and the ends justify the means come in?

My husband has so much integrity. In his new role at work, he is responsible for about 250 folks. He has built a reputation on his integrity and telling the truth - even if it's not what someone wants to hear. As a result, many of the people that work for husband are very loyal to him. Some of his peers as well, but some not. That is true for some of the folks above him as well.

He struggles with whether or not he should let some of his integrity go. The ones around him that don't have any integrity can affect the lives of those working for my husband. We've had many a discussion on how doing the 'right thing' may not be able to combat the lies and deception of those only looking out for themselves, but who are unfortunately are in positions of power that can make the lives of so many miserable. Does he keep his integrity and lose the battle to help his reports, or does he lose himself by letting some of his integrity go?

He sometimes thinks he should let this role go. He doesn't like having this dilemma. But I ask him, if not you, then perhaps it will be one of those that don't care if their reports have time for their families, job satisfaction, and a career ladder. What to do, what to do...

UPDATE - I clicked "next blog" a few times right after writing this post and came across another blog that pertains. The Best of John had an entry relating to Meg Whitman, former CEO of eBay. The last bullet of "Lessons Learned" is Never ever compromise your integrity. =)

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N****r and H-E-Double Toothpicks are Not the Same

I teach my children there are only a few bad words. I don't have a problem with swear words. I tell my children they are big people words and if they choose to use them some day when they are big people, that is their choice.

I do say some words are bad because I believe the intent and definition of them was never good. N****r is one of those words for me. Just as g**k or c**t would also be. I do not hear those words in any form of good connotation, ever. I also believe it is naive of the black community to think they can use that word so openly in conversation and music and not think it will see a resurgence in usage and acceptance. I remember listening to Oprah say that when she went to visit Mandela, one of his security personnel kept calling her n****r. She said he would greet her "Hey N****r! How are you doing N****r!?" She said she finally asked him why he was calling her that and he said he heard it so much in the American music that he thought that it was how black Americans preferred being addressed. We don't hear certain words of yore anymore because of lack of use - some words should just be allowed to die.

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Brødre (Brothers) Movie - Feels Very Real

-- no spoilers here --

Headed up to bed early, around 10pm, last night. I love the sound of voices and so sometimes when I feel sleepy but going to bed earlier than my husband, I turn on a show or movie with dialogue and not a lot of sound to fall asleep to. Law and Order works great for this btw. ;^)

I happen across a movie called Brothers (Brødre in Danish). The people that rate movies for cable television had given it 4 stars. That's quite a rareity. And it was made in 2004. Interesting, so I check it out. The movie is situated in Denmark and is in Danish, so I'm reading subtitles. Unforunately this movie ruined my plans for an early sleep because it hooked me fairly quickly.

I like movies that make you feel like you are a fly on the wall in someone's real life. The people are speaking and moving and living like you and me. This is not reality TV where participants are goaded to do extreme, silly, or mean acts to their fellow participants.

The story focuses on a Major in the Danish Army who is sent to Afghanistan. The main characters consist of himself, his wife and two children, his brother, and his parents. The interplay and familial issues between all the members feels so real. On top of this, there are a few interesting events that raise philosophical and ethical dilemmas which also affect the interplay. I don't want to give any of the movie away - you'll have to check it out for yourself. =)

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Nannies Need Cameras!

If you can afford a nanny, you can afford a camera. Folks used to be told to do background checks and ask for references implying that would be sufficient and diligent. Those are important, but these folks find out that even if someone passes all that, they still might be a whackadoodle that shouldn't be left alone with your child(ren). The thing I found interesting is how this 60 yo nanny will abuse the child one second and then stroke the baby and then switch back to abuse. It's as if she realizes she's hurting the child but can't seem to help herself.

One mother of twins caught the nanny with glowing references mishandling her newborn twins via live feed from work.

One mother had the nanny stay with her and the children while she was on maternity leave. Seems like a great way to have the nanny bond to the child and the family and that didn't work in this case either.

Just buy the camera and check it daily. One video I watched had so many incidents of abuse it made me realize the parents perhaps waited awhile before checking the video.

Fortunately, none of these children are dead or permanently injured.

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