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To all
The infamous Yes Men are in town to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the WTO events in Seattle. There is a rally on Monday and the Yes Men plan to be there and to do what they do. This should fun. They said to be there between 12:00 and 2:00 pm.
I recently watched their new film, “The Yes Men Fix the World” at the Northwest Film Forum. It is a fun documentary and a must see film.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Walter
Dallas News - Unfair Park - Dallas Observer (appeared somewhere on that blog but Comcast had a link to it also and I was curious so had to look - this may top the "Village People" one!)
I've been on food stamps once, and US government commodities for awhile as a kid. It's been decades though. Here are facts gleaned from the article.
Now, one in eight Americans and one in four children is on food stamps. Half of Americans will have been on them before age 20, and if black, 90%. More than 36 million people use the cards. Even during the Bush era, they became known as "nutritional aid" rather than welfare. 20,000 people are added per day. There are 239 counties with at least 1/4 of the population using food stamps. In more than 750 counties, the program helps feed one in three blacks. In more than 800 counties, it helps feed one in three children. In St. Louis, Memphis and New Orleans, nearly 40% of children eat via food stamps. More than 50% receive food stamps in Cincinnatti. Rates have risen by 1/2 to 2/3 in places like Riverside County CA, much of Phoenix and Las Vegas, some affluent Atlanta suburbs and a 150 miles stretch of Florida. There are another 15-16 million who could benefit, as only about 2/3 of those elligible are reached (50% in CA, 98% in Missouri.)
The program is technically called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. Nearly 12% of Americans receive aid - 28% of blacks, 15% of Latinos and 8% of whites. Benefits average about $130/month for each person but vary with shelter and child care costs. This is the first recession in which a majority of the poor live in the suburbs. Seattle is one of the suburbs mentioned with growing use.
People who can get credit are still depending on it - a bad sign. They're also letting their debit cards get too close to the line. It's consumer overspend and bad lender practices combined. Banks charge fees that will cost $24 billion a year, which is $65 million/day. During the 28 day holiday shopping season, it will add up to $1.8 billion. Some banks change $34 for a $17 debit card overdraft and they manipulate the order in which debits are subtracted from consumer accounts. 50 million consumers overdraw their checking account at least once a year and more than half got five or more overdraft fees. Banks are starting to use this as a primary money maker. The fees have risen 35% between 2006 and 2008, and the average U.S. household spends almost twice as much on overdraft fees as on books. (That's something that is a little hard to blame the banks for.) There are two bills in the House which would limit the fees.
Friends In High Places: The Salahis And The Famous People They Take Pictures With | TPMDC
The woman (Michaele Salawi) claims to have been a Washington Redskins cheerleader but no one remembers her and she isn't in any pictures of them. Newspapers have already printed this kind of thing as fact, and that she was an actress in a reality show, but I would not necessarily believe anything biographical that these people claim. There is a rich history of people who invent their own biographies (Fellini is a prime example.)
Here are some of the people she and her partner Tareq have insinuated themselves into photographs with such as Joe Biden, Justice Anthony Kennedy and Charlie Rangel.
Then there is Donny Osmond, John McCain and Prince Charles. There is a "Fan" page on Facebook where the photos have been posted and the couple claims to have been invited to the White House, but that is apparently not true and Secret Service are investigating. Security should be better. I know it's fun. It's a lark. I've been photographed with Gephart, Kucinich, Dean and Kerry (but not Obama) and it didn't take alot of effort and I had done some political work and gone through appropriate screening. Getting in with no invite at all should not be happening.
Daily Kos: They came THIS close. WTF?! There were a couple of interesting things in the comments - the photo of Mata Hari, and the video which shows how one of the Ghandi family was assassinated (and not the first in that family to be done in that way.) This fact was disconcerting to some of the Indian guests and readers, to say the least!
Excerpt:
ACORN is NOT a bigger problem than Blackwater, Haliburton, KBR, Goldman Sachs, The Bank of America, Citigroup, and the Loch Ness Monster combined. The Republican party lost in 2008 because the were corrupt, incompetent criminals. They lost, so deal with it.
Socialism is NOT the problem, not even on the radar. Socialism is what rich people scream if anything threatens their profit.
ALL of the Media is BULLSHIT, but especially FOX and News Corporation. THINK about it, NEWS Corporation!
More troops, No Plan = Military FAILURE.
Without New Ideas America CAN NOT Stay Great.
Fossil Fuels ARE THE PROBLEM. Anyone who denies climate change is denying the existance of pollution and it's effects.
If you are not a woman, STFU about women's rights.
If you are not a minority, STFU about that group of minorities.
If you are not LGBT, STFU about LGBT issues.
Keep your religious views OUT of public office.
In fact, READ THE CONSTITUTION, over and over again until you can memorize it.
There really is so much more we can teach you, dear Conservatives, but only if you'll open your minds.
But we are sorry you don't get it just yet.
He is a medical marijuana patient, and they have to give it back a little at a time but still .. 11 pounds (that's 24.2 kilos for you Europeans and Canadians who use the civilized metric system.)
Judge Orders Cops To Give Man Back 11 Pounds Of Pot, A Little At The Time » Propeller
An interesting thing is happening in states which have legalized medical marijuana. There's an ongoing culture war between cops who hate all marijuana, period, and patients who take the law at its word when it says they can use pot legally. From time to time, the patients win big. Such is the case in Kent, Washington, where King County Judge Mary Roberts has ordered the police department to give 11 pounds of seized marijuana back to Matthew Zugsberger, who holds a valid California medical marijuana card.
Toke of the Town - Judge Orders Cops To Give Man Back 11 Pounds Of Pot, A Little At The Time
Zugsberger says the cops accused him of importing marijuana from Canada (which does happen a lot in this area, being not far from the B.C. border). "Why the hell would I buy pot from Canada if I have a field of it in my back yard?", Zugsberger reasonably asked, according to the
Seattle P.IBONUS
At This School, It’s Marijuana in Every Class - NYTimes.com
At most colleges, marijuana is very much an extracurricular matter. But at Med Grow Cannabis College, marijuana is the curriculum: the history, the horticulture and the legal how-to’s of Michigan’s new medical marijuana program.
(read the rest at the link - possibly makes sense for a state that needs new types of industries)
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