Michael Moore Today
http://www.michaelmoore.com/
Urge Hillary to Prescribe The Michael Moore Health Care Proposal
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/help/contact/
Sicko Buried Alive
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z_Jkbj8bRM
August 5th, 2007 1:41 pm
One guy with two images
Moore on life as a celebrity — and neighbor
By Kathy Gibbons / Traverse City Record-Eagle
Michael Moore stopped at the Record-Eagle to talk the week before the start of the 2007 Traverse City Film Festival. He'd been asked to do an interview on his life as a celebrity vs. his life as the everyday guy he comes across as, and had about a half an hour.
It was late in the day and he had to get back to Alden to meet his wife, Kathleen Glynn, for an early evening event at the library near their home there. Then he was going to catch a red-eye to California.
It had been a whirlwind few months. His new film, "Sicko,” had opened to excellent reviews. After less than three weeks in theaters, it had become one of the top five grossing documentaries. Among those also are his Oscar-winning "Bowling for Columbine” and "Fahrenheit 9/11,” the most successful documentary ever.
"I'll be sleeping in Beverly Hills tonight to be on Jay Leno tomorrow,” he said. "I was just on a month ago and because Jay and the people who produce the show were deeply affected by the movie, they want to continue the discussion.”
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10098
The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On
This absorbing documentary follows Kenzo Okuzaki--a veteran of Japan's WWII campaign in New Guinea--as he searches out those responsible for the mysterious deaths of several soldiers in his unit. Though he holds Emperor Hirahito accountable for all the suffering caused by WWII, he painstakingly tracks down former military officers and accuses them of specific war crimes, often times abusing them verbally and physically. Director Kazua Hara's subtle cinema verite not only captures the zeal of Okuzaki's lifelong mission, but also exposes the atrocities committed by the Japanese military against its own soldiers. The film created such controversy in Japan upon release that no major distributor would touch it. "The most amazing piece of filmmaking" (Michael Moore). Winner of the Caligari Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival. In Japanese with English subtitles.
http://www.facets.org/asticat?function=buyitem&catname=facets&catnum=/DV91921/
Rudy Giuliani, Urban Legend
"Rudy has used the horrible events of September 11 to create a persona that is an elaborate fabrication," says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. "He is nothing more than a shameless self-promoter."
Ground Zero, November 2001: Fire fighters, officers and families rally against Giuliani's decision in to stop a dignified recovery of the victims of 9/11.
Photo by Stuart Ramson/Associated Press.
http://www.rudy-urbanlegend.com/
Michael Moore Blasts Rudolph Giuliani
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AzmTe2_bRY
OneCareNow.org
http://www.onecarenow.org/events/81107.htm
How to Help the September 11th Rescue Workers
8/11 for 9/11: On 8/11/07 The Weinstein Company will donate 11% of their profits from 'SiCKO' to the 9/11 rescue workers who are not receiving the care that they should get. Remember, if we had universal health care, the 9/11 rescue workers wouldn't be going through this struggle right now.
Urge Congress to Support Legislation: Support the 9/11 rescue workers by asking your congressperson to support H.R.1638.
If your congressperson is not a cosponsor of this comprehensive 9/11 health care legislation for the sick and injured, contact your congressperson and demand that he or she give our 9/11 heroes the same level of care as the detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/what-can-i-do/rescue-workers/
September 11th rescue workers want 'I'm sorry,'not 'I misspoke'
Critics demand Giuliani apology
By Quaid / Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani said Friday that he misspoke when he said he spent as much time, if not more, at Ground Zero exposed to the same health risks as workers combing the site after the Sept. 11 attacks.
"I think I could have said it better," he told nationally syndicated radio host Mike Gallagher. "You know, what I was saying was, 'I'm there with you.' "
The former New York mayor upset some firefighters and police officers when he said Thursday in Cincinnati that he was at Ground Zero "as often, if not more, than most of the workers."
"I was there working with them. I was exposed to exactly the same things they were exposed to. So in that sense, I'm one of them," he said at a Los Angeles Dodgers-Cincinnati Reds baseball game.
Fire and police officials responded angrily, saying Giuliani did not do the same work as those involved in the rescue, recovery and cleanup from the 2001 terrorist attacks, which left many workers injured.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/news/article.php?id=10112
Saturday, August 11th, 2007
September 11th first responders, family groups and WTC recovery workers suffering from serious 9/11 related health ailments demand an apology from presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani for his delusional and insulting comments
Rudy Giuliani has insulted all September 11th first responders, family groups and especially those of us who are battling life threatening illnesses with his delusional statement, "I was at Ground Zero as often, if not more than most workers. I was there working with them." Many of us operated at the site from day one until its closure in late May 2002. First, as a rescue mission and then in the recovery of the victims and we can honestly say that your claim is a bold face lie. The majority of the time that Mr. Giuliani spent at Ground Zero was for photo ops with visiting dignitaries and celebrities, not once did he do what he claimed and "work with" the construction workers, fireman, police officers and other first responders. Is this just another cheap political stunt to win votes?
http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=905
Rudy Giuliani Talks with Charlie Rose
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWwxivAFt7M
Plea for Help from 9/11 Rescue Workers to Rudolph Giuliani Goes Unanswered
[The following letter was e-mailed to Rudolph Giuliani on May 29th, 2007 by September 11th rescue workers left to fend for themselves after suffering illnesses caused by their work at Ground Zero in the days after the attacks. They never received a response.]
May 29, 2007
Dear Mr. Giuliani,
As you know, tens of thousands of New Yorkers like ourselves came together on September 11 to help search for survivors, rescue victims, and begin to clean-up after the attacks on our great city. Many of those first responders including James Zadroga, Cesar Borja, and Debbie Reeve developed debilitating health problems after breathing the toxic dust from the collapsed World Trade Center towers. Thousands of 9/11 responders, whose heroic efforts helped our city and country get back on its feet quickly, have attempted to get much-needed medical attention to help recover from their illnesses. For six years, we have pleaded with the Federal government for help, but have received nothing, but even worse, we haven't received straight answers from our own government.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=900
Open Letter from 9/11 Rescue Worker to Rudy Giuliani
Posted July 31, 2007 06:40 PM (EST)
Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani thinks his "plan for up to $15,000 in tax breaks to help families pay for coverage outside employer-based plans is the antidote."
I totally disagree.
How is a single mother of two with a monthly income of $1,500 or a family of four with an income of $3,100 supposed to live, buy insurance, pay deductibles, pay copays, afford medications and be able to eat and clothe their children?
Giuliani is so far removed from reality it's sad.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/reggie-cervantes/open-letter-from-911-res_b_58633.html
Bush on track to become the vacation president
By Julie Mason / Houston Chronicle
President Bush tries to set an example for Americans whenever he can, in terms of physical fitness, faith, optimism and a certain overall moral rectitude. He also sets an excellent example on taking vacation.
On Thursday, Bush left for a weekend in Kennebunkport, Maine, and his family's summer compound, Walker's Point. On Monday, he heads to his Crawford retreat, where he has spent all or part of 418 days of his presidency, according to Mark Knoller, a CBS News White House correspondent and meticulous record-keeper.
Never a fan of Washington's more cosmopolitan pleasures, Bush will be in Central Texas for about two weeks, with an overnight trip to Ottawa to meet with the leaders of Canada and Mexico.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10113
Fahrenheit 9/11 Vacation President Scene
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZwrteFNic4
Open Letter from 9/11 Rescue Worker to Rudy Giuliani
Dear Rudy,
My name is John Feal. I am a 9/11 responder who was horribly injured at Ground Zero during the clean and recovery. I spent 11 weeks in the hospital fighting for my life and lost half of my left foot. But please do not feel sorry for me.
Yesterday in Ohio you praised yourself a hero and compared yourself to the real heroes of 9/11. You say you were there longer then most 9/11 responders -- that sir is an insult to the 9/11 community.
The thousands of responders including the three in Michael Moore's movie SICKO got sick on your watch. And while you paraded around being hailed a hero, the real heroes of 9/11 got sicker and many have died. Regina Cervantes, Billy Maher, and John Graham are heroes -- they are my heroes -- and they were forced by our government's neglect and denial to seek help elsewhere. So what if it was Cuba? If your wife or son was sick, and you were told the only place to get your loved one help was in Cuba, I believe sir you would not hesitate. So whether it is Cuba, Russia, China, Mars, Venus... help is help. And the problem is not where they got help, but that our great country and federal government failed them. You failed the real heroes of 9/11, and the great people of New York and now you want to run this country.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=903
Giuliani's 'I'm one of them' remark angers 9-11 workers
By Dan Sewell / Associated Press
Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani said Thursday he had exposed himself to the same health risks as workers at ground zero after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and spent as much time at the site as those involved in the recovery.
The former New York mayor has faced criticism from relatives of some of the firefighters killed at the World Trade Center, who have contended that Giuliani was woefully unprepared for 9-11.
Last month, the parents and siblings of some of the 343 firefighters killed in the terrorist attacks released a video with the International Association of Fire Fighters, which opposes Giuliani's candidacy.
Campaigning in Cincinnati Thursday, Giuliani defended his work, including raising funds.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/news/article.php?id=10111
RUDY'S 9/11 TOXIC SHOCK
By Carl Campanile / New York Post
August 10, 2007 -- Rudy Giuliani claimed yesterday he was at Ground Zero "as often, if not more" as rescue and recovery workers - and exposed to the same health risks.
"This is not a mayor or a governor or a president who's sitting in an ivory tower. I was at Ground Zero as often, if not more, than most of the workers," he said while campaigning in Cincinnati.
"So, in that sense, I'm one of them," he added.
The statements enraged victims' families and responders who became ill after being exposes to toxins at Ground Zero.
"That's insulting and disgraceful. He's a liar," said Fire Capt. James Riches, whose firefighter son, James Jr., died on 9/11.
"I was down there on my hands and knees looking for my son. [Giuliani is] living in a dreamland," said Riches, part of a fire officers association opposing Giuliani.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/news/article.php?id=10110
Rep. Rangel Rips Giuliani, Calling Him A 'Bum'
WNBC
U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel isn't holding back in his criticism of presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani.
Friday the Democrat from New York's 15th District criticized New York's former mayor, telling Gabe Pressman that Giuliani shouldn't get New Yorkers' support just because he's from the area.
Rangel said, "He was never one of our boys. He was a bum. He was a terrible man. It's the post 9/11, when we couldn't find the president, and he was fearlessly walking up and down the streets. And that's the guy that America has known. But now the firemen are coming out, the emergency medical people are coming out, his kids are coming out. You know, people are going to find out who is this guy, and it's not going to be kind."
Pressman followed by asking what kind of man Rangel sees Giuliani as today.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/news/article.php?id=10109
I Can Get It for You RetailRudy Giuliani's health-care plan is great for insurance companies.
By Daniel Gross
Posted Thursday, Aug. 9, 2007, at 4:14 PM ET
Last week, Rudy Giuliani tried to add some domestic policy substance to his campaign by unveiling a health-care reform plan. His proposal, as Harvard economist Greg Mankiw noted, "sounds remarkably similar to the Bush health plan." In this year's State of the Union, President George W. Bush proposed a $15,000 standard deduction for health insurance, claiming a family of four making $60,000 would receive a $4,500 tax break to buy health insurance on its own. Giuliani would similarly offer a deduction of up to $15,000, which can be claimed by families that buy their own insurance. And, the New York Times
credulously noted, "the money left over, he said, could be put into a 'health savings account' to be used to pay for deductibles or other uncovered medical expenses."
http://www.slate.com/id/2171998/
Disabled Worker's Heartfelt Question Resonates With Workers
NBC5
CHICAGO -- Disabled steelworkers union member Steve Skvara asked the question heard loudest in Tuesday night's Democratic presidential forum.
Standing on crutches in front of a microphone inside Soldier Field, Skvara posted his question about health care and pension reform to former Sen. John Edwards.
"After 34 years with LTV Steel, I was forced to retire because of a disability. Two years later, LTV filed for bankruptcy. I lost a third of my pension, and my family lost their health care," Skvara said, holding back tears. "Every day of my life, I sit at the kitchen table across from the woman who devoted 36 years of her life to my family, and I can't afford to pay for her health care. What's wrong with America and what will you do to change it?"
The crowd gave Skvara a standing ovation -- the only one given during Tuesday night's forum.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/news/article.php?id=10106
Giuliani's Daughter Join's Obama's Group On Facebook
NY1
He's the current Republican frontrunner for president, but Rudolph Giuliani might not get a vote from his own daughter.
Giuliani's 17-year-old daughter Caroline was a member of a Barack Obama group on the website "Facebook."
She left the group Monday morning after the online magazine Slate began looking into it.
On her Facebook profile she describes herself as having liberal political views.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10099
GO SEE SiCKO by MC ARTIFICIAL -- ABBREVIATED VERSION
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZSPSRcX3Qw
ACTION PAGE:
Tell Congress To Pass H.R. 676 Now
32,533 Submissions so far
Under H.R. 676 [Text of Bill], Medicare would be extended and improved so that all individuals residing in the United States would receive high quality and affordable health care services. They would receive all medically necessary services by the physicians of their choice, with no restrictions on what providers they could visit. If implemented, the United States National Health Insurance Act would cover primary care, dental, mental health, prescription drugs, and long term care.
The one click form below will send your personal message to all your government representatives selected below, with the subject "Pass H.R. 676." At the same time you can send your personal comments only as a letter to the editor of your nearest local daily newspaper if you like.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/what-can-i-do/petitions/pnum649.php
The Occupation Project
http://vcnv.org/project/the-occupation-project
Stop the War, Start a Revolution
http://www.kportprotest.org/
US Troops Out Now - March on September 29th
http://www.troopsoutnow.org/healthcarenotwarfare.html
LA Times
Warning issued on Washington oysters
Among those sickend are three from Orange County. Oysters have been recalled.
by Jennifer Delson, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
3:56 PM PDT, August 10, 2007
The Orange County Health Care Agency warned consumers today to avoid raw and undercooked oysters harvested from the southern part of the Hood Canal in Washington state after nearly a dozen people became ill after eating them.
Three of the people were from Orange County. Most of the others were from Northern California, said agency spokesperson Deanne Thompson.
Those from Orange County did not eat in the same restaurant, but all of the oysters came from the Hood Canal, she said.
The Washington State Department of Health has recalled oysters taken from that part of the canal from July 3 to Aug. 3. Some of the oysters have been distributed in California and health agencies are checking restaurants and sales points for them.
The bacteria in the oysters is always present, but it multiplies in the summer when water temperatures rise, she said.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-oysters11aug11,0,7113554.story?coll=la-home-local
Immigration rules may hurt economy
Crackdown on employers could cause havoc in agriculture, healthcare and other industries, Chertoff acknowledges.
By Nicole Gaouette, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 11, 2007
Immigration rules could hinder L.A. County garment industry
WASHINGTON -- Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff predicted painful economic fallout from the array of immigration enforcement measures the administration unveiled Friday in an attempt to choke off the jobs "magnet" that draws illegal immigrants.
The changes, which would stiffen work-site enforcement, add border agents and increase penalties for rogue employers, could cause havoc in immigrant-dependent industries like agriculture, hospitality and healthcare, Chertoff acknowledged. "There will be some unhappy consequences for the economy out of doing this," he said in an interview with The Times.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-immig11aug11,0,7151802.story?coll=la-home-center
King-Harbor fails final check, will close soon
The ER is shut down, and the rest will follow within two weeks. Reactions range from grief to relief.
By Charles Ornstein, Tracy Weber and Jack Leonard, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
August 11, 2007
Regulators ruled today that King-Harbor hospital can't meet minimum standards for patient care, meaning it will lose federal funding. Is it time for officials to finally close down the hospital?
Yes. A shutdown is long overdue.
No. The county needs to fix King-Harbor, not close it.
Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital shut down its emergency room Friday night and will close entirely within two weeks, a startlingly swift reaction to a federal decision to revoke $200 million in annual funding because of ongoing lapses in care.
The extraordinary developments mark an end to nearly four years of failed attempts to reform the historic institution, treasured by many African Americans as a symbol of hope and progress after the 1965 Watts riots.
Los Angeles County health services director Dr. Bruce Chernof announced the closure plan Friday afternoon, hours after the hospital learned that it had failed its final test, a top-to-bottom review by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The hospital, formerly known as King/Drew, has shown itself unable to meet minimum standards for patient care since January 2004, according to the regulators.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-king11aug11,0,3698687.story?coll=la-home-center
Students teach educators about schools
Teens research some of L.A.'s most troubled schools and report to the mayor's team.
By Duke Helfand, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 11, 2007
Educators and politicians who fret about Los Angeles' high school dropout crisis might want to heed the advice of 15-year-old Carla Hernandez: Hire more teachers who care. Slash overcrowded classrooms. Stop sending failing students to the next grade.
Hernandez and nearly two dozen other teenagers spent part of the summer studying several of the city's most troubled high schools with the guidance of a UCLA research program. On Friday, they delivered their findings to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's education advisors at City Hall.
Much of what the students found mirrors data reported by professional researchers -- namely, that half or more students at some schools drop out before graduation.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-dropout11aug11,0,1875263.story?coll=la-home-center
AT&T apologizes for censoring performer webcasts
Pearl Jam's Lollapalooza Webcast was not the only one to have been tinkered with.
By Randy Lewis, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 10, 2007
Oops, they did it before.
A day after AT&T apologized to Pearl Jam, Lollapalooza organizers and music fans for deleting a snippet of the band's performance last weekend in Chicago during which Eddie Vedder criticized President Bush, the company offered up another mea culpa Friday for tinkering with other performers' webcasts.
In response to fans who claimed that the audio silencing of Vedder's sung remarks about Bush at Lollapalooza were not unique in the history of AT&T's Blue Room live webcasts, an AT&T spokeswoman on Friday said: "It's not our intent to edit political comments in webcasts on the attblueroom.com. Unfortunately, it has happened in the past in a handful of cases. We have taken steps to ensure that it won't happen again."
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-censor11aug11,0,169277.story?coll=la-home-entertainment
The personal effect
As foreclosures and default warnings pile up across Southern California, thousands of people are losing their homes because they can't pay their mortgages. Thousands more are losing their jobs or seeing their incomes shrink. Realtors, plumbers, loan officers, truck drivers -- the effects of the stumbling housing market are widespread and, by many accounts, growing.
By Annette Haddad, Andrea Chang and Daniel Yi :
The sub-prime mortgage pain convulsing financial markets is nothing new to people who make their livings in real estate and the housing construction industry. For months, the deteriorating market has been taking money out of millions of workers' pockets.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-homejobs11aug11-special,0,7287407.special?coll=la-home-center
Detroit's hard-driving congressman
Democrat John Dingell still intimidates foes after 50 years, but he may be facing his biggest battle yet: climate-change legislation.
By Johanna Neuman, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 11, 2007
WASHINGTON -- He is an old bull in a new china shop, the longest-serving member of the House working for a new generation of Democratic leaders.
And 81-year-old John D. Dingell isn't afraid to break the dishes, even if they crash down on his own party.
As the representative from Michigan's 15th District for more than 50 years, Dingell has been Detroit's archangel -- the closest thing the American automobile industry has to divine protection.
He is a master of parliamentary rules and chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-dingell11aug11,0,1835292.story?coll=la-home-center
Google Video service to go black
Its movie and TV download store isn't catching on with users who prefer free viewing -- even with the ads.
By Dawn C. Chmielewski and Alex Pham, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
August 11, 2007
Google Inc. has seen the video future, and it is YouTube.
The search giant is pulling the plug on its video-download store, which Google only last year said would become a vibrant marketplace for video producers to sell or rent their work to customers. Early partners included CBS and the National Basketball Assn.
But instead of offering an online alternative to the Hollywood machine, Google Video showed that people prefer to get their online video free -- even if that means watching some ads.
"Google Video was a failure," said Charlene Li, an analyst with Forrester Research. "They focused on video while YouTube focused on the community around video."
That's why Google is doubling down on YouTube, the free video-sharing site it acquired in November for $1.65 billion. YouTube is exploring ways to generate advertising revenue without driving away viewers.
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-video11aug11,0,6721486.story?coll=la-home-center
When Hillary met Robert
A transcript from the would-be president's college tryst with 'Dartmouth boy' Robert Reich.
August 11, 2007
When letters written to a friend by a college-aged Hillary Rodham resurfaced in the news a few weeks ago, her mention of a certain "Dartmouth boy" with whom she spent an evening in 1966 piqued notable interest. But last week, the New York Times reported that the mystery date was none other than Robert Reich, former secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton. In a post on his video blog, Reich called the encounter a "presidential summit" ("She was the president of her freshman class at Wellesley, and I was president of my sophomore class at Dartmouth," he explained.) and said they went to the Michelangelo Antonioni film "Blow Up."
Now, in a shocking development, I have learned that the date was secretly filmed by fraternity pranksters who, years later, sold the footage to the now-canceled reality television series "Blind Date." Producers of the show, which is known for the occasionally raunchy and inebriated behavior of its subjects, ultimately shelved the episode, deeming Rodham "too yakety-yak" and finding Reich's pants to be insufficiently low-hanging. However, the following excerpts from the rarely seen footage, complete with "Blind Date's" signature "thought bubbles," have come into my possession. Here's a sneak peek at what may come to be called "the hottest date in Hanover's history."
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-daum11aug11,0,4162063.column?coll=la-opinion-center
Old World can keep its old art
The Getty’s deal to return ancient art to Italy reminds us that Los Angeles has always been about the new.
By Dan Turner
August 6, 2007
Near the mausoleum under the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels lie the remains of St. Vibiana, an obscure, millenniums-old Italian girl who came to Los Angeles and became a star. Fortunately, her provenance is old and well-established, or the Italian government might be trying to steal her too.
Italy has prevailed in its long struggle with the J. Paul Getty Museum, finalizing a deal last week that will send 40 antiquities, including some of the finest pieces in the Getty collection, back to the land of Titian and tiramisu, where they will doubtless occupy a spare corner of some museum already packed like a Costco warehouse with treasures from the ancient world. Legally, the return of the artworks is the right thing to do, as this page has already pointed out: International treaties left Getty executives with little choice. Whether it's fair is another matter.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-art6aug06,0,769187.story?coll=la-opinion-leftrail
Time to tax carbon
A carbon tax is the best, cheapest and most efficient way to combat cataclysmic climate change.
May 28, 2007
IF YOU HAVE KIDS, take them to the beach. They should enjoy it while it lasts, because there's a chance that within their lifetimes California's beaches will vanish under the waves.
Global warming will redraw the maps of the world. The U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that sea levels will rise 7 to 23 inches by the end of the century; as the water gets higher, the sandy beaches that make California a tourist magnet will be washed away. Beachfront real estate will end up underwater, cliffs will erode faster, sea walls will buckle and inlets will become bays. The water supply will be threatened as mountain snowfall turns to rain and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta faces contamination with saltwater. Droughts will likely become more common, as will the wildfires they breed.
Global warming is happening and will accelerate regardless of what we do today, but the scenarios of climatologists' nightmares can still be avoided. Though the cost will be high, it pales in comparison to the cost of doing nothing.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-carbontax28may28,0,2888366.story?coll=la-opinion-bottomleft
No to nukes
It's tempting to turn to nuclear plants to combat climate change, but alternatives are safer and cheaper.
July 23, 2007
JAPAN SEES NUCLEAR POWER as a solution to global warming, but it's paying a price. Last week, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake caused dozens of problems at the world's biggest nuclear plant, leading to releases of radioactive elements into the air and ocean and an indefinite shutdown. Government and company officials initially downplayed the incident and stuck to the official line that the country's nuclear plants are earthquake-proof, but they gave way in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Japan has a sordid history of serious nuclear accidents or spills followed by cover-ups.
It isn't alone. The U.S. government allows nuclear plants to operate under a level of secrecy usually reserved for the national security apparatus. Last year, for example, about nine gallons of highly enriched uranium spilled at a processing plant in Tennessee, forming a puddle a few feet from an elevator shaft. Had it dripped into the shaft, it might have formed a critical mass sufficient for a chain reaction, releasing enough radiation to kill or burn workers nearby. A report on the accident from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission was hidden from the public, and only came to light because one of the commissioners wrote a memo on it that became part of the public record.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-nuclear23jul23,0,378363.story?coll=la-opinion-bottomleft
What could make a dedicated Holocaust scholar, cry?
Raul Hilberg, witness to catastrophe.
By Walter Reich
August 11, 2007
If you're not overwhelmed by human catastrophe, can you be truly human? But if you are overwhelmed by human catastrophe, can you truly study it? One of the triumphs of Raul Hilberg, the great Holocaust historian who died last week, was that he solved that conundrum. He taught us how, by being clinically rigorous, he could be true to his scholarship -- and true, as well, to the victims of the human catastrophe to whose story he dedicated his work and his life.
In 1993, Hilberg, whose "The Destruction of the European Jews" was the foundational history of the Holocaust, sent me the manuscript of his memoir, "The Politics of Memory: The Journey of a Holocaust Historian." He asked for comments.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-reich11aug11,0,2970956.story?coll=la-opinion-center
ECONOMICS 101 Immigration measures that sting
Administration plans targeting illegal workers will end up hurting longtime citizens and swaths of the economy.
August 11, 2007
It's not often that an administration will introduce new measures by advertising upfront their "negative economic consequences." But illegal immigration has a way of turning politics and policymaking upside down, so now the White House has taken the unusual step of punishing the country for failing to back immigration reform. It's an interesting intellectual exercise, but it may prove disastrous for workers, employers and swaths of the economy.
On Friday, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez -- the administration's most enthusiastic lobbyists for comprehensive immigration reform -- announced a package of strict measures designed to mollify populist resentment over what Chertoff called "30 years of lip service" to enforcing immigration law.
Effective immediately, employers who receive "no-match letters" from the Social Security Administration informing them that some of their workers' names do not match their Social Security numbers have 90 days to clear up the matter or face fines and possible criminal charges. The SSA will send out approximately 140,000 such letters this year, covering more than 8 million people.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-immigration11aug11,0,2486141.story?coll=la-news-comment-editorials
Talking Musharraf down from the ledge
A late-night phone call from Condoleezza Rice may have prevented Pakistan's president from declaring a state of emergency and postponing elections.
August 10, 2007
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf at 2 a.m. Islamabad time Thursday. They spoke for 26 minutes -- an unusually long conversation. Though the State Department wouldn't and shouldn't reveal details, it's easy to guess Rice's message: "Don't do it."
A day earlier, Musharraf was reported to be considering declaring a state of emergency, a move that conveniently would have delayed elections for a year. Hours later, a spokesman announced that the president had decided the situation was not severe enough to warrant an emergency decree that reportedly would also have cracked down on the media and the right to assembly.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-pakistan10aug10,0,3233420.story?coll=la-news-comment-editorials
What to do with the innocent pedophile?
By court order, Jack McClellan can't go within 10 yards of children anywhere in the state. That's a step too far.
August 10, 2007
Ordinarily, men with Jack McClellan's proclivities come to the public's attention when their crimes are exposed. Then our fear, our anger and our sympathies are specific to perpetrator and victim. But in an age when we are inundated with revelations of child sexual abuse, McClellan, a self-described pedophile, has generated a new category of creep. Trumpeting his sexual interest in little girls on television and the Internet, selecting no individual victim but extending his potential interest to all, McClellan has successfully revolted much of California.
He cannot be allowed to succeed in this act of emotional terrorism. And he will if we contort the laws and statutes created for 36 million residents in order to address one man's twisted publicity spree.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-mcclellan10aug10,0,3044859.story?coll=la-news-comment-editorials
Vision for downtown is shortsighted
August 12, 2007
The ghost town is gone.
When I leave my office in the early evening, the downtown Los Angeles of years past is but a memory. People who live in transformed, long-abandoned buildings and trendy new towers are on foot, heading here and there and nowhere in particular.
The new and much-celebrated Ralphs, whose disciples are no less reverential than those who flock to Harrod's in London, has international wine tastings where no one drinks out of a brown paper sack. And I think it's generally a good sign that there are now more dogs than humans urinating on downtown sidewalks.
I like much of what I see. And with all this commerce and more to come, the potential benefits to the rest of the city (from shared tax revenue) and to the whole region (from new attractions around Staples Center and on Grand Avenue) are huge.
http://www.latimes.com/news/columnists/la-me-lopez12aug12,0,644013.column?coll=la-home-center
10 stupid things homeowners do . . .
. . . to mess up their own remodels.
This is a list I've compiled after observing people and their remodels for nearly two decades. It's true that contractors and subcontractors and vendors all have their faults. The remodeling industry is wacky, no doubt about it. But it is your own actions that will make or break your own project.
How do homeowners screw up? Let me count the ways:
1. Being vague about what you want. A primary reason remodels go over time and over budget is from homeowner indecision and homeowners making changes midway through the job. The solution: Massive research on your part before you call in the professionals.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/pardonourdust/
Science begins at home
Unwilling to let his wife down as she suffered through chemotherapy, a Caltech chemist shifts his molecular focus to find an easier treatment.
By Denise Gellene, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 11, 2007
Overcome with nausea from chemotherapy, Mary Davis distracted herself by studying each leaf on the trees swaying outside her hospital window.
She turned them over in her mind, mentally tracing their edges and veins. The trick worked for a while. But the wrenching sickness always returned, making her feel powerless against her breast cancer and the drugs that were supposed to cure her.
Adriamycin, known to patients as the "red death" because of its color and toxicity, had brought days of vomiting and weakness. Her hair fell out in bunches. Now, cisplatin was destroying her immune system and leaving her with a constant ringing in her ears.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-chemo11aug11,0,3092041.story?coll=la-home-nation
Iowa straw poll may weed field
The Republican vote in Ames, Iowa, could spell the end of the run for some presidential candidates.
By Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 11, 2007
DES MOINES --
If today's Republican presidential straw poll in Ames looks like a carnival, there is good reason. There's a barbershop quartet in Tom Tancredo's tent, a kids' bounce house in Mitt Romney's and a dunk-the-intern tank in Sam Brownback's.
Yet the thousands of Iowans feasting on barbecued pork and casting ballots at the GOP festival carry real clout in the race for the White House.
By tradition, the Ames contest drives those who fare poorly to abandon their campaigns. For others, success can ease the pursuit of money and credibility.
The man with the most at stake is Romney, the former Massachusetts governor. He is the only major GOP candidate competing in the straw poll. The unabashed vote-buying contest lost some punch when former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and Sen. John McCain of Arizona declined to participate.
Also skipping the event -- and further diminishing its luster -- is another big-name Republican: former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee, who has been inching his way into the presidential race but technically remains on the sidelines.
So for Romney, anything less than a romp over the high-profile no-shows, whose names are still on the ballot, and lower-tier rivals would mark a humbling setback.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-iowa11aug11,0,1760582.story?coll=la-home-nation
The majority of the dead are age 10-29, hispanic or black male, killed on Sunday by gunfire.
The Homicide Map >> Los Angeles County victims
http://webapp1.latimes.com/homicide/homicideReport.php
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