The Grammys sideshow
Lady Gaga
Seriously? Why would you wear something like this? This is Lady Gaga at the Grammys.
Entries Tagged as ''
Is the iPad a dud?
It sounds like the iPad is much less than I expected. I know that Apple geeks are talking about how great this is but is it really? It looks like it is nothing more than a big iTouch. No phone capabilities. I’m not sure about you but I’m not wild about touch screen keyboards. So, no real typing without buying a keyboard attachment. It has no real memory storage with the largest hard drive being only 64 GB. Finally, after this big announcement, it ain’t ready to buy yet. You have to wait another 2 months.
From PC World:
The iPad has a lot going for it, but is also a big disappointment in many ways. Almost no product could have lived up to the insane hype leading up to Steve Jobs’s announcement today, but the iPad certainly could have had more groundbreaking features. If Apple really wants to change the world with the iPad and popularize a whole new computing category, they may need to do better. If the iPad had the following features, it would have blown us away.
Multitasking
There’s no multitasking in the OS at all, and not even multiple active web pages in Safari. You can’t listen to Pandora while you surf the Web, or switch back and forth between Facebook at Twitter, or write a document in Pages while talking on a VOIP call.
Adobe Flash
For better or worse, it’s just not the real Web without support for Adobe Flash. We want to watch Hulu on the iPad. It’s sort-of okay on a small phone-sized device, but it’s not okay on a 9.7 inch screen.
Camera / iChat
We don’t expect people to hold up a big slate to take pictures with a back-facing camera, though some augmented reality apps might be neat on the larger screen. What the iPad is really lacking is a front-facing camera and video chat. A device like this would be perfect for such an application. With a front-facing camera, the iPad could be the perfect device for filming and editing personal YouTube videos (you could even see yourself in-frame as you record). (more… )
Alicia Keyes at Hope for Haiti
This was the opening performance for Hope for Haiti. Alicia Keyes was just awesome. The song was perfect.
Artist: Alicia Keyes
Money Dispute Stopping Needed Help For Haiti
A dispute over who will pay the bill has stopped the airlift of critically injured Haitian earthquake victims to Florida.
These folks cannot get the help they need in Haiti.
Florida Governor Charlie Crist has written a letter asking the federal government to pay some of the costs of treating these patients in Florida.
Other states have also received a smaller number of these patients and those flights have stopped for the moment as well.
This dispute could not have been resolved while the flights continued?
Some say it is the military that is halting the flights. The military says some hospitals are denying the patients.
Governor Crist is running in a Republican primary for the U.S. Senate against a tea party-type. This primary is closer than had been expected.
Is Governor Crist raising this point to protect himself from a charge that he is allowing Florida to spend money on dark-skinned foreigners?
Could nobody in the federal government contact the White House so the President could order flights to continue? I’m sure that in the end something will be worked out to pay for these treatments.
Meanwhile, it is possible that somebody has died already because they could not get airlifted out of Haiti and receive better treatment.
Can’t people get their acts together when lives are on the line?
It really is sickening. It’s all about money.
The relief effort in Haiti is ongoing. Doctors Without Borders is one of a number of groups that is offering needed help.
Usher – Yeah
Get up and hit da’ floor.
Artist: Usher
Tune: Yeah
Grab bag: how ’bout that Friday snowstorm?
- The snow has stopped for now. Yesterday, there were estimates of 2-5 inches of snow in the Asheville area. The weatherman stated that there would be more in higher elevations. It appears that most of the Asheville region has received 7-10 inches of snow. The snow was expected to crank up again before it finally moves out of the area sometime tomorrow afternoon.
- Pres. Obama went to a Republican caucus today. He thought he would keep the lines of communication open. One thing I have to say, I do admire our president. He gave a short speech then took questions from the audience. Some questions were civil. Others tried to make political points. The president did a fabulous job answering the questions and not being cornered. He also pointed out when some congressmen were trying to make cheap political points at the expense of the president. Many major networks carried this event. When it appeared obvious that Pres. Obama was not going to make some major gaffe, FOX News cut away and began running with the story that Obama was lecturing Republicans. I guess it was more important to FOX to stay within their narrative as opposed to actually cover the event in its entirety.
- A really interesting thing went on in England today. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair was grilled for about six hours over his decision to take Britain into war with the United States in Iraq. I think it is no surprise that Tony Blair was unapologetic about his decision. Although there were no breakthroughs and as far as I know, and nothing of substance will come from this, I think the exercise is interesting. Can you imagine a congressional committee calling President Bush or VP Cheney to answer questions about the invasion of Iraq? On one level, it would be political theater. On another, it would be nice for us, the American people, to get specific answers to specific questions. I know, I’m dreaming. One thing is clear, with the neoconservatives in charge at that time, I don’t see how we will get any other answer after 9/11. These were not just war hawks. They were hawks on steroids. With Bush and Cheney in the White House, I don’t see how Saddam Hussein could ever avoid war. They asked for, and wanted complete and unfettered access to Iraq in order to search for weapons of mass destruction. No sovereign nation would submit to that. Plus, what Bush, Cheney and the CIA didn’t know was that the Saddam Hussein regime depended upon the threat of weapons of mass destruction in order to stay in power. Saddam Hussein had the Kurds in the north, the Shiites in the south and Iran to worry about. In 10 or 20 years, when we look back upon this mess that we created in the Middle East, we’ll ask ourselves how we let this happen. We don’t have to look any further than allowing neocons in the White House.
- 47-year-old former NFL star Herschel Walker is fighting whom? Why?
- New FOX news contributor and former Gov. Sarah Palin thinks that the GOP and the tea baggers need to merge in one big party of love. (I added that party of love. She just wants them to merge into one party.)
- It took the jury less than 40 minutes to find Scott Roeder guilty of murdering Dr. George Tiller.
- The Errington Thompson Show has been moved to 4 PM on Saturday afternoons. You can still listen to my show through my blog whenever you want to. My guest this week will be Grammy award-winning bassist Larry Fulcher. I have given Larry the following scenario — you know that you’re going to be stranded on a tropical island. You can take your stereo and 20 CDs with you. You’ll be stranded for one year. What CDs would you take? I think you like Larry’s answers. This is a great show.
Grab bag Thursday
I was unable to watch the State of the Union address last night. (I was on call and somewhat busy.) I did watch it at about 3 AM. (I do love the Internet.) I’ve been watching State of the Union addresses for over 20 years and I can honestly say that I don’t like them. Any event that turns what are supposed to be dignified congressman into cheerleaders is a problem in my book. Whether it was Reagan, Clinton, Bush the Lesser or Obama, it seems like the purpose of the speeches are to tell us how great we are and gloss over our problems. Don’t we have FOX News for that?- Now, don’t misunderstand me. I think the President Barack Obama did a fabulous job. There was that one section that made me somewhat nauseated. “Starting in 2011, we are prepared to freeze government spending for three years. Spending related to our national security, Medicare Medicaid and Social Security will not be affected. But all other discretionary government programs will.” I won’t even get into the problem with discretionary versus “indiscretionary” spending. When 20% of our budget goes to national defense and 22% of our budget goes to Social Security and 12% goes to Medicare, there is a whole lot left over. We spend 7% of our budget just on interest. That’s over 60% of our budget. So, we’re going to hold spending on Head Start? Do we need to increase spending in order to increase demand until we are out of this recession?
- Dr. George Tiller was gunned down while he was at church back in May of last year. His alleged killer is on trial now. Closing arguments begin tomorrow. In my mind, it doesn’t matter what Scott Roeder said on the stand. He’s never denied gunning down this man in cold blood. They should put him away and only let him out when the steel bars rust from age.
- Nerves are raw everywhere in our country. Many liberals were calling for the replacement of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. After all, he did preside over the worst housing collapse in the history of our country. He ignored the warning signs. On the other hand, think about the backlash he would’ve received for standing up and crying wolf. Banks and financial institutions would have wanted to tar and feather him for calling an end to their party. I personally think he was a no lose – lose situation. In spite of the opposition, he won a second term.
- Newly elected Virginia Republican Governor Bob McDonnell gave the Republican response to the State of the Union. Two things stand out in his rebuttal. “The circumstances of our times demand that we reconsider and restore the proper, limited role of government at every level.” So who decides what the proper and limited role of government is? The new governor? The president? Congress? How do we pay unemployment benefits to millions while we are dismantling government? Personally, I want government to be large enough to be effective while still small enough to be effective. Whatever that size is. That’s what I want. The governor earlier quoted Thomas Jefferson as saying, “a wise and frugal government which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry… and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned…” It sounds as if Thomas Jefferson was supporting the Republican cause for limited government. Unfortunately, the governor got the quote wrong. The full quote seems to support the government’s role in our society as a balance against big business. “Still one thing more, fellow-citizens — a wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicities.” Did Governor Bob think that no one would look it up?
- John and Elizabeth Edwards have split up. Just think, he was really close to becoming president. Doesn’t that send chills down your spine?
- Housing foreclosures continue to rise.
- JD Salinger, the author of the Catcher in the Rye, has died.
- Finally, we’re preparing for our second snowstorm of the winter season. If you love snow, this is great. If you’re like me, snow is better when seen on a postcard. (Pssst… I was told before I moved here that it doesn’t snow that much. WRONG!!)
The Supremes
I wish I was talking about the soulful group led by Diana Ross from the 1960s. Unfortunately, I’m talking about our Supreme Court. By now, you have read hundreds of opinions of why the 5-4 decision in Citizens United versus the Federal Election Commission was bad or was good for the country. I think the decision was awful. I do not think we will see a huge influx of money into our elections. We have already seen this. We have seen staggering sums of money as business tries to influence our politicians. From my standpoint, I have a problem with corporations being treated as persons. Aren’t corporations nothing more than contracts? Are they nothing more than stacks of paper? We should treat them as such.
From the Daily Beast:
The Supreme Court’s decision to roll back campaign-finance reform does more than just open the spigots for corporate cash. It also exposes the judicial activism of the Roberts Court.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission to overturn decades-old restrictions on campaign-finance reform. The majority’s bludgeoning of what were already pitifully weak restraints on corporate campaign spending is a kind of jurisprudential equivalent to clubbing a baby seal: a revolting spectacle that might make even a sadist or a K Street lawyer blanch. The animating principle that underlies the majority’s argument is clear: We must do what we can to ensure that corporate America shall have a new birth of freedom–and that government of the wealthy, by the wealthy, for the wealthy, shall not perish from the earth.
Three aspects of the decision are particularly noteworthy. First, Chief Justice John Roberts, who was praised to the skies at the time of his confirmation hearings for his supposedly “minimalist” approach to judging, goes out of his way to demolish several decades worth of congressional work to do something about the corrupting influence of money on politics.
He does so by taking two totally unnecessary steps. For one thing, the law at issue could easily have been interpreted to simply not apply to the facts of this case. (The case involves the distribution of a feature-length film via video on demand, which quite arguably is not an “electioneering communication” covered by the federal statute the court struck down). It’s a well-established rule of statutory interpretation that when a court is faced with two plausible readings of a federal statute, one of which would require something as drastic as finding the statute unconstitutional, and the other which avoids that outcome, the justices ought to prefer the latter. Indeed, that rule is a central tenet of anything that deserves to be called “minimalist” judging.
Secondly, even after the Court chose to interpret the statute in the former fashion, Roberts and the rest of the majority could have held that the statute was not unconstitutional on its face, but merely as applied to the facts in this particular situation. Avoiding rulings that declare federal laws unconstitutional on their face rather than as applied is also a fundamental principle of minimalism.
Curiously, Roberts’ aversion to maximalist interpretations of First Amendment rights seems to fade away when the victims of government “censorship,” as he calls it, are major corporations rather than individual human beings.
Justice Antonin Scalia’s concurrence provides an even more morbidly amusing exercise in judicial gymnastics. After all, one would think a genuine commitment to applying the original meaning of the Constitution to contemporary cases poses a serious problem to someone who wants to find that the document forbids Congress from banning direct campaign contributions by corporations.
It’s difficult to express how bizarre the framers of the Constitution would have considered such a proposition. Indeed, prior to the middle of the 20th century, the idea that artificial “persons” such as corporations could have constitutional rights was unknown in American law. Scalia is reduced to arguing that he can find no historical evidence that the framers were opposed to the idea of granting free-speech rights to corporations. It’s quite true there is no such evidence. It’s also true there’s no evidence that the framers opposed escalating the Vietnam War, deregulating the airline industry, or breaking up the Beatles.
In other words, it’s hardly surprising that he can find no explicit opposition in 18th-century American political debates to an idea that didn’t occur to anyone until 150 years later.
Finally, Justice Kennedy’s majority opinion is long on what Justice John Paul Stevens’ dissent accurately labels “glittering generalities.” But it is short on any explanation as to how those generalities–such as that speech cannot be regulated on the basis of the identity of the speaker–can be squared with holdings such as Kennedy’s recent vote to allow a school to suspend a student who unfurled a banner advocating “BONG HiTS 4 JESUS.” (The only basis for not considering this unconstitutional censorship is that certain kinds of people, namely students at school events, have fewer free-speech rights than, say, an ordinary citizen in a public park).
All this adds up to yet another example, as if one were needed, that conservative complaints about “judicial activism” are usually nothing more than a code for “judicial outcomes conservatives don’t like.” Citizens United strikes down a major federal statute by taking the extreme step of explicitly overturning the Court’s own precedents, while dismissing a century’s worth of congressional attempts to stop special interests from buying legislation. The argument that the relevant legal materials required the Court to take such a step is flatly incredible. In short, the decision is as pure an example of judicial activism as one could hope to find.
As a consequence, we are left in a situation where Congress can do little more to quell the corrupting influence of money on politics than forbid the explicit bribing of elected officials. Such a triumph of laissez-faire ideology gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “the marketplace of ideas.”
After 2 weeks a Haiti survivor is pulled out!
I just thought that this was remarkable.
From BBC:
A man has been pulled alive from the rubble in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, two weeks after the earthquake which destroyed the city.
He was rescued from the ruins of a building in the centre of the city, and taken to hospital by US troops.
Officials said it seemed he had become trapped by an aftershock two days after the quake and was severely dehydrated.
The rescue comes 14 days after the 7.0-magnitude quake, which killed as many as 200,000 people. (more…)
NFL: And Then There Were Only Two
If you like football, yesterday is one of those rare days that we dream about. We had two great games yesterday. In the first game, the New York Jets showed everybody why they had the number one defense in the NFL. Much to their offensive coordinator’s credit, they figured out a way to generate some offense. Mark Sanchez threw a beautiful 80 yard bomb to Braylon Edwards. I was amazed he didn’t drop the perfect pass. The Jets also brought in Brad Smith who was a quarterback in college. I ran a kind of halfback option with Smith throwing a perfect 45 yard strike to a wide-open receiver.
The Indianapolis Colts started off a little shaky on offense. Peyton Manning was sacked twice early in the game. The good news for the Indianapolis Colts is that 60 minutes is a long time. After the first 15 minutes, the Colts were beginning to figure things out. Peyton Manning led a brilliant drive in the last two minutes of the game. The second half, it was all Peyton Manning and the Colts. The worries that many had about the Colts defense holding up to the Jets running attack were put to rest midway through the third quarter. The combination of Jones and Greene only generated 83 yards on the ground.
This was an excellent game. There were few penalties. Both defenses played well. Actually, the New York Jets offense played well. The Jets need a few more pieces and they will become a great team. They need a dominant receiver. They need Mark Sanchez to mature. He has a great arm. He moves fantastically in the pocket. Peyton Manning’s performance was brilliant.
The second game of the day was just as entertaining. The New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings put on a show. In the first half, we saw two precision offenses moving up and down the field. In the second half, it was really the defenses that shined. The Vikings completely shut down the high-powered offense of the New Orleans Saints. The Saints only made three of 12 third-downs. Drew Brees completed 17-31 passes for only 197 yards. There were some games this season where he had more yards in a quarter. He threw no interceptions. This was key. In spite of being harassed, he still took care of the ball. Future Hall of Famer Brett Farve really played a good game. He did throw two interceptions. For most of the game he played great. The whole Viking offense played great but they began to self-destruct. It was clear that the New Orleans defense had a plan of attack — hit Brett Farve and try to force fumbles. The Vikings had six fumbles and lost three. Five turnovers are the story of the game. For Vikings fans, this game was all about the agony of defeat. Both the offense and the defense played well. They drove the ball up and down the field only to fumble or throw an interception. Extremely disheartening. From the New Orleans side of things, they kept battling. They were resilient. They are now NFC champions. The New Orleans Saints are in the Super Bowl. What a great story!
What will you do when health reform doesn’t pass?
I just received the following e-mail from MoveOn.org.
It’s no longer clear whether Congress will pass a comprehensive health care reform bill this year.
The White House and Congress will decide within days whether or not to go forward with reform-and before they do, it’s critical they know the impact that decision will have in terms of participation in the next election.
So we’re polling MoveOn members: If Democrats do not pass comprehensive health care reform this year, will you donate to Democratic candidates in the 2010 elections? Just click the appropriate link below to let us know:
- Definitely won’t donate
- Probably won’t donate
- Probably will donate
- Definitely will donate
After reading this, I’m not sure if I understand the question. If you are liberal, and support the Democratic Party, what choice do you have? Seriously? If you believe an effective government, diplomacy first and using military might second, a better public educational system, healthcare reform, civil rights, equal rights for everyone, where you going to turn? In our current political system, if the Democratic Party is let you down and you believe in progressive ideas, you can’t sit at home. If you do that, Republicans and conservatives get elected. (Ask the good folks of Massachusetts.) Staying at home and pouting is not an option.
We might need to change the Democratic Party. We might need to get more involved instead of less. This is what you do when you don’t like the choices you have. Currently, in the game of politics, there are two sides. This is the way the game has been set up. There are liberals. There are conservatives. There are Democrats. There are Republicans. Independents are nice for Vermont, but don’t seem to work below New York. There are some folks who say we need to change the game. My question is how? Both Republicans and Democrats have enormous influence in every state house and in Washington. How are you going to create a new system right under the noses of Republicans and Democrats when they stand to lose from this new system? Therefore, pick a side. Then, work to change that side so it is more to your liking.
I do not like the direction healthcare reform is going. To be honest, I haven’t liked the direction since May or June. I think that starting over is foolish. Starting over is a victory for health insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies. Starting over is a victory for conservatives who have tried to gum up the works and slow this process down since the beginning. So, in this political environment, I would look at what key items do have broad agreement amongst all Democrats and Independents. Whatever that is, pass that! Do it now! After the midterm elections, we can come back and tackle one or two items, but comprehensive reform is going to have to be done in a piecemeal fashion. Currently, there is no other way. That’s how I see it. How do you see it?
NFL: championship weekend
Shonn Greene
Just because my beloved Dallas Cowboys were rudely bounced from the playoffs does not mean that I’m not watching football this weekend. I continue to be amazed at the New York Jets. They figure out ways to win.
New York Jets versus the Indianapolis Colts. A lot has been made of this rematch from week 16. The Indianapolis Colts, in a tight game, pulled all their “main” starters towards the end of the third quarter. The Jets took advantage of a second string quarterback who had not really seen the football field in years. The dream of a perfect season went down the tubes. For the New York Jets, the dream of making it to the playoffs went one step closer to becoming reality.
There are lots of ways to look at this game. In some ways, the Indianapolis Colts are much like the San Diego Chargers. They have an okay defense coupled with a high-powered offense. The Jets kept the game close against the San Diego Chargers. Their defense continued to pressure Philip Rivers, who, up until that game, played a nearly flawless season. From deep in his territory, Philip Rivers throws a pass up the seam to nobody. The Jets intercept and the momentum which had been pretty even up until that moment, swings towards the Jets. So, can Peyton Manning avoid the big interception? Can the Colts offensive line give Peyton Manning enough time? I think the answer is yes. I think it is important for Peyton Manning and the Colts’ offense to control the ball. Scoring quickly is not going to help their defense. I think that the Jets’ defense is most vulnerable in the middle of the field. I think the Peyton Manning will look for a second or third receiver in the middle of the field. I think going after Darrelle Revis is foolhardy. He’s proven he can play in this league. I think the Jets will put him on Reggie Wayne and sometimes on Dallas Clark. Peyton Manning will look for receivers who are covered by linebackers or safeties. I think that’s where you will find most of his success.
On the other side of the ball, the New York Jets’ offense has a bruising running attack. They averaged over 170 yards per game on the ground. They have simply run over their last three opponents. The Indianapolis Colts are going to have to win first and second downs. If they’re able to get the New York Jets in the third and long, they will win the game. I don’t think that Mark Sanchez can consistently beat most defenses. On the other hand, if the New York Jets are always in third and short and play action pass with bootlegs and rollouts come into play. Mark Sanchez is perfectly capable of making these types of throws. The Jets have to play mistake-free football. No turnovers. No penalties. This is how they win. It is hard to play football with almost no margin of error every single week, but that is what the New York Jets have been doing for the last 8-10 weeks. So, can they do it again? Maybe. I don’t count them out.
I also think that the Jets are going to try to be very aggressive on special teams. Look for a fake punt or possibly a fake field goal.
Minnesota Vikings versus New Orleans Saints. The Vikings’ defensive front four completely manhandled the Dallas Cowboys last week. I think that Tony Romo is still in the sauna trying to get the soreness worked out. The New Orleans Saints are going to have to figure out how to protect Drew Brees. If he has time, it is clearly possible to take advantage of that secondary. I think this is the key to the game right here. Jared Allen and Ray Edwards are playing at a high level. The New Orleans Saints tackles are going to have to figure out how to block these guys. I’m not sure they’re going to be able to do it. If Drew Brees has time, you will find receivers. The New Orleans Saints are going to have to run some draws and screens in order to slow down the rush. The running backs are not going to have to pick up the blitz. Reggie Bush needs to have another game like he did last weekend!
The Minnesota Vikings’ offense can be slowed down. In spite of their dominating win over the Dallas Cowboys last week, I still say there’s something wrong with the offensive line. Adrian Peterson is not getting to the second level without being hit. He has not had an explosive run in weeks. In spite of this, the Vikings have been winning. Brett Farve has had his best year ever. He’s throwing the ball more accurately. He has not been turning the ball over which has plagued him his whole career. If the Saints are going to win this game, they’re going to have to get pressure on Brett Farve. If you can hit Farve early, you could throw him off his rhythm. He’ll start to press and that’s when the turnovers began. We saw just a little bit of this when the Vikings played the Steelers earlier this year. Darren Sharper has a little extra incentive to play well this week, as he was cut by the Vikings. He’s having one of his best years for the Saints, with five or six interceptions. He would like nothing better than to take one back to the house. I wonder if a safety blitz is in his future.
I think he ran for two very good games this weekend. Although I’m choosing the New Orleans Saints to go to their first Super Bowl and the Indianapolis Colts to go to their second Super Bowl in four years, I think both of these games are to be very close. Because the teams are so evenly matched, turnovers were be very important and will tip the scale. I’m looking forward to this.
Jill Scott
Artist: Jill Scott
Tune: Golden
Grab bag — Saturday morning version
* The Errington Thompson Show will be streaming live at 9 AM. My special guests are Linda Monk, constitutional scholar and author of the fabulous book, The Words We Live By. We’ll talk about the new Supreme Court ruling and what this means to campaign finance and free speech. I will also talk with Patrick Fitzsimmons, the executive director of Western North Carolina’s Red Cross. We will talk about the relief efforts in Haiti.
* Speaking of Haiti, did you see that fabulous benefit concert last night? That was amazing. Have you given?
* Britain has raised its terrorist threat alert to its second-highest level — severe. In their scale, severe means that an attack is highly likely. This can’t be good.
* A huge storm, which battered California for several days and cause mudslides and flooding, is now over Arizona. Northern Arizona has received record snowfall and southern Arizona is seeing massive flooding.
* Looks like somebody is planning on running against John McCain.
* Air America Radio is out of business, again. I’m not sure why anybody over there can’t get progressive radio right. Is it really that hard?
* Democrats are doing their best to screw up health-care reform. It now appears that the House is going to reject the Senate’s version. The Senate, of course, are ready scratched the House version. I was just wondering if any Democrat will show leadership on this issue?
* A school bag containing Kermit the frog caused a Colorado charter school to close for several hours.
Pat Metheny and the Orchestrion
Now this is really cool. Pat Methany is really pushing the envelope of the one-man band.
Artist: Pat Metheny
What do the Dems need?
I’m so tired of whiny, wimpy Democrats. Stand up and use the majority to pass legislation!
Red Cross Relief Operation
Here’s what the Red Cross is doing. It is great work. You can give money here.
Haiti Earthquake
January 21, 2010
RED CROSS RELIEF OPERATION
What is the situation in Haiti?
- The situation in Haiti is dire. The infrastructure of the country is severely damaged – airports, ports and roads – making it difficult for aid to get in.
- People are still in need of basic items like food, water and medical care, and this is frustrating for humanitarian organizations like the American Red Cross.
- It is still difficult to get planes caring humanitarian aid into the airport. The roads are heavily congested and travel by road from the Dominican Republic has gone from an 8-hour journey to an 18-hour journey.
- We are working with the US government to discuss how these issues can be alleviated, and we applaud the U.S. Armed Forces, which are on the ground and doing a great job.
- Despite the problems, there are glimmers of progress. The pipeline of aid was a straw only a few days ago, and now it’s a garden hose, but we need it to become a fire hose.
- It is also important to note that Port-au-Prince is so central to the economy and governance of Haiti that this disaster not only affected the earthquake victims (est. 3 million), but the entire population of Haiti (est. 9 million).
What is the American Red Cross doing specifically?
- The American Red Cross, working alongside Red Cross and Red Crescent teams from around the world, is making heroic efforts to reach as many people as possible and is truly making a difference.
- American Red Cross staff, armed with first aid kits, are treating the wounded and getting the severely wounded to hospitals.
- The American Red Cross is providing basic relief items and tents for shelter.
- The American Red Cross is also sending approximately 3 million pre-packaged meals to Haiti, and will partner with the World Food Program to distribute them to survivors over the weekend.
- Today (Thursday), nearly 70 American Red Cross Creole-speaking volunteers have left Miami to join the USNS Comfort offshore in Haiti tomorrow. Once aboard, they will serve as interpreters for patients receiving medical care from the U.S. military.
Who is leading the American Red Cross effort?
- American Red Cross President and CEO Gail McGovern visited relief operations in Haiti yesterday to help coordinate aid distribution.
- She witnessed the extensive damage and need as well as the growing presence of Red Cross services.
- She met with and is planning for a multi-year recovery operation with other Red Cross leaders from around the world and heads of state from the region.
What is the Red Cross overall doing in Haiti?
- The American Red Cross is part of the largest humanitarian network in the world, and there are now Red Cross and Red Crescent teams from 30 countries helping in Haiti.
- Working alongside volunteers from the Haitian Red Cross, which suffered its own losses from the earthquake, Red Cross societies are providing aid in a number of different areas.
- We all have our roles; we all have our expertise, and we’re all working together. That is a very powerful engine for relief.
- For example, Red Cross responders from seven countries are treating injuries and performing surgery at hospitals and medical centers throughout the capital city.
- Red Cross teams from Latin America and Asia, trained in urban search and rescue, are supporting local authorities.
- Others are focused on purifying the water supply available in the country and expect to deliver clean drinking water to 200,000 people (17 settlements) each day by truck.
- Local Haitian Red Cross volunteers are providing emotional support for traumatized survivors and responders as well as first aid support.
- The ICRC family links Web site (www.icrc.org/familylinks), designed to help reconnect separated families, has received 23,900 registrations since the earthquake. Yesterday (Wednesday), the Red Cross helped more than 340 people in Haiti make international phone calls to their families to say they are safe and well as well as register an additional 178 on the site.
- This is an enormous relief operation now, but we also know it will be a massive long-term recovery effort and the Red Cross will be there throughout.
- This is already the largest single-country personnel deployment in global Red Cross history. The number of emergency response teams in or en route to Haiti equals those that responded to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami – an emergency that spanned 14 countries.
- It is clear that what took minutes to destroy will take many years and the collective support from governments and relief agencies across the world to help mend. The American Red Cross is working in close coordination with other responding organizations and will undoubtedly collaborate on joint, long-term recovery projects.
- The American Red Cross has been on the ground since before the earthquake and has been expanding our relief operation as quickly as the situation on the ground will allow.
- There are more than 400 Red Cross workers from around the world in Haiti as well as thousands of local volunteers.
- The Red Cross – through first aid posts, hospitals, relief distribution sites, water trucking programs and family linking stations – is making life better for people on the ground every minute.
- The Red Cross has now been able to reach survivors outside the capital city, providing first aid in camps and prioritizing the need for food, water and other basic supplies.
- Red Cross responders from seven countries are also treating injuries and performing surgery at hospitals and medical centers throughout the capital city.
- Today (Thursday), nearly 70 American Red Cross Creole-speaking volunteers have left Miami to join the USNS Comfort offshore in Haiti tomorrow. Once aboard, they will serve as interpreters for patients receiving medical care from the U.S. military.
Is the Red Cross helping to evacuate U.S. citizens from Haiti?
- No. The U.S. State Department is responsible for evacuating U.S. citizens from Haiti and the Red Cross coordinates with the State Department and other government agencies to support these citizens when they reach the United States.
Is the Red Cross helping individuals arriving from Haiti to the United States?
- Yes. Some Red Cross chapters are providing services at points of entry, e.g., South Florida, as citizens arrive in the United States from Haiti. These may vary slightly depending on the needs of those Americans as they arrive. Services may include: shelter, food, emotional support, basic first aid, comfort kits and referrals to other community services.
How can people find a missing relative in Haiti?
- The International Committee of the Red Cross has established a family linking Web site, enabling persons in Haiti and abroad to search for and register the names of relatives missing since the earthquake: www.icrc.org/familylinks.
- If you’re trying to reach a U.S. citizen living or traveling in Haiti, you should contact the U.S. Department of State, Office of Overseas Citizens Services, at 1-888-407-4747.
Is the Red Cross accepting volunteers or goods for Haiti?
- We appreciate these heartfelt offers, but we are only deploying Red Cross volunteers specially trained to manage international emergency operations. At this time, what we need the most are financial contributions – whether by check, online or by phone. There is nowhere to store or sort items like clothing, or a way to ship them to Haiti at this time. Visit www.cidi.org for a list of organizations that are accepting personal and household goods.
What about medical volunteers?
- The American Red Cross is not recruiting medical volunteers for the Haiti response. Visit www.cidi.org to register your desire to be a medical volunteer and/or find organizations are recruiting for medical volunteers.
- For future reference, if you would like to become a medical volunteer for the American Red Cross for domestic disasters, please contact your local Red Cross chapter. Please go to our homepage, www.redcross.org and enter your zip code on the far right side of the homepage. [Read more →]
The Errington Thompson Show, 1-9-2010
This week’s show revisits two excellent interviews Errington had with Amy Goodman from Democracy Now, who is the author of Standing up to the Madness, and Media Matters’ Eric Boehlert. The first interview with Ms Goodman reminds us of the ongoing fight for our civil liberties, even here in these United States. Goodman chronicles the story of a group of librarians who were served with so-called “National Security Letters” and, along with the help of the ACLU, stood up for their rights, for our rights, in a case against the United States Patriot Act. We hear, too, about some sneaky legal maneuvers with regard to shutting down public housing in New Orleans after Katrina. This was attempted under the guise of cleaning up the mess, during and after one of former President Bush’s extended vacations in the hurricane’s aftermath. In what Goodman calls a “microcosm of injustice in this country,” some residents of New Orleans’ public housing structures were not allowed to return to their homes, even though they were neither swamped nor destroyed.
Reminding us to remain vigilant in the face of the degradation of civil liberties, Errington and Goodman also cover the story of some brave Americans who test the No-Fly List mentality. One man’s choice of a particular tee-shirt found him in custody at a US airport. “We will not be silenced,” from the original anti-Holocaust slogan, was too inflammatory for him to go unnoticed on an American flight, especially because the tee included Arabic writing, as well!
Eric Boehlert’s interview continues the insightful commentary, as he and Errington delve into how the blogosphere has changed American journalism forever. The plethora of information grows as fewer people get cut out of the conversation. So much more discussion of what is important to our country gets covered, thanks to sites like firedoglake.org and the Huffpost… oh, and whereistheoutrage.net!
Now this is Progressive radio!
Failure in Massachusetts
I can’t figure out what is happening with the Democratic party at times. It is so frustrating. We have this belief that if we work hard for a year or so we can sit back and just watch the fruits of our labors. Wrong!! Where is Howard Dean? He understood that we had to contest the Republicans, everywhere, all the time.
From TP:
An exit survey of Massachusetts voters confirms that “decreased turnout among constituencies that historically have voted for progressive candidates,” combined with a strong Republican performance among independents, delivered Scott Brown the margins he needed to win.
The poll, which was commissioned by “Women’s Voices, Women Vote” and conducted by Lake Research Partners (a firm headed by Martha Coakley’s pollster Celinda Lake), found that key demographic supporters of Obama (unmarried women, people of color, and younger voters) did not turn out in large numbers for Democrats. The Massachusetts turnout reflects recent trends in the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial elections.
Martha Coakley reportedly did “no outreach” to communities of color and neglected to do any advertising in the African-American or Hispanic media. Voters under age of 40 went to Brown by a margin of 52% to 46%. But younger voters in general turned out at lower rates than in the past. The percentage of unmarried women who comprised the percentage of all voters fell 5 points from 2008. And, self-identified independents flocked to Brown in droves — 76% to 21%.
(Let me interrupt this post and add that the Democrats suck for losing a seat that was “losible”[if that is a word]. Jon Stewart said it better than I –
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Mass Backwards | ||||
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I’m mad as hell, so I’m going to lash out at everybody!
This seems to be the prevailing opinion in the country today. Everybody seems to be mad. Everyone seems to be on edge. The government is to blame. Conservatives are to blame. Independents are too fickle. Democrats are too liberal. We’ve heard every explanation under the sun. In my opinion, some of the explanations are simply outlandish and others miss the point entirely. The bottom line, as I see it, is that people are working hard and getting less and less in their take-home pay. Whatever monies they make cover less and less. This is the problem.
One of the more misguided efforts to fix our problems is an organization called Get Out Of Our House. Their plan is to simply replace every member of Congress. Of course, this idea has been embraced by FOX News (see video.)
It is hard to explain just how misguided this effort is. What makes every member of Congress inherently bad? Were they bad before they were elected to Congress? If so, how do we fix the election process so that we elect “good” people? On the other hand, could it be possible that “good people” were elected to Congress and then became bad after the election? None of these questions are asked by this organization. Of course, they don’t answer the questions either. It seems to me that you would need to at least investigate these questions before jumping to the conclusion that you need to replace everybody.
In my opinion, corporate influence over policy has increased over the last 30 years. If we look at the explosion in the number of lobbyists, this would suggest that corporations are paying more attention than individuals to what is going on in Congress. This may be the place to start. How do we decrease corporate influence over our political process? How do we make our elected representatives more responsible to the people instead of to our corporations? This is the fundamental question is facing America today. Let’s thoughtfully fix this problem. Lashing out in a fruitless effort to replaced everyone is foolhardy, to say the least.
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Errington C. Thompson, MD, is a surgeon, scholar, full-time sports fan and part-time political activist. He is active in a number of community projects and initiatives. Through medicine, he strives to improve the physical health of all he treats...
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