Life In Heck

I'm in a No Fly Zone

2006-08-25T23:18:00.000-07:00

I love to travel. However, for the first time in my life I am so glad that I have no plans to go anywhere, any time soon. Why, you ask… the in-flight “terror.” Ever since the British Airways 10 flight explosion plan was foiled Security inanities, inconvenience, hyper-suspicion, fighter jet escort, emergency landing & detentions have become the norm. It’s now a wonder if your flight gets off the ground, reasonably on time & makes it all the way to the destination of choice.

Let’s forget a minute about some of the incidents of the last 2 weeks, inclusive of the toy transmitter that shut down a terminal for 4 hours & the claustrophobic woman that peed in the aisle on the plane bringing fighter jet escorts, & look at the 6 incidents of Friday morn alone.

On a Continental flight from Argentina that landed in Houston, a bomb sniffing dog discovered dynamite residue on a student’s checked luggage. (The student’s explanation, which is being investigated, was that he was a mine worker who frequently handled explosives on the job.) The Customs area was shut down & the plane that did go on to Connecticut was kept from the terminal as a precaution.

A utility knife was found on a vacant passenger seat of a U.S. Airways flight traveling from Philadelphia to Bradley International Airport in Connecticut. When the plane arrived at Bradley, state troopers boarded the aircraft, seized the knife as evidence and interviewed passengers. No arrests were made.

A U.S. Airways jet was diverted to Oklahoma City after a federal air marshal reportedly subdued a passenger who was involved in an incident with a flight attendant, officials said. The nature of the problem between the passenger and the flight attendant. (Maybe he complained that there was NO FOOD on the flight.)

An American Airlines flight from England to Chicago was forced to land in Bangor, Maine, for security reasons. "The TSA learned of a reported threat to the aircraft while it was en route," TSA spokeswoman Andrea McCauley said. She declined to give further details.

A Continental Airlines Flight for Bakersfield, Texas, was diverted to El Paso after the crew discovered a missing panel in the lavatory, said Amy von Walter, a Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman. Passengers were screened and interviewed upon landing in El Paso.

An Aer Lingus flight from New York to Dublin was evacuated Friday morning during a scheduled stopover in western Ireland following a bomb threat that turned out to be unfounded, officials said.

To say that passengers on-board these flights & in the terminals at the respective airports were inconvenienced is understatement. To say that the while in flight the passengers must have been “on edge” is also understatement.

Since passengers now spend an excruciating 90 minutes or more in Security lines, with another random check to make certain that nothing liquid or gel-like has been purchased in the terminal post-Security screening, how do knives, missing bathroom panels, residue on luggage, etc. get missed?  The answer should be obvious; too much time is being wasted by TSA workers on minutia like mascara & tubes of lip gloss.  And since everyone gets screened equally, the time a screener has to look at you & your carry on luggage amounts to seconds.  (Have you ever seen the image on a security scanner?  It looks like an X-ray in black & white.  We have cell phones that can play movies, but a security screener is still looking at inferior imaging that could prevent disaster.)

I am not suggesting that Security Check-In become even more challenging & laborious.  I state that we must get over being Politically Correct & begin PROFILING.  Yes, I said it.  Once again when we look at the names of 23 suspects in England that were arrested in the thwarted bomb plot, there is not a Smith, Jones, O’Reilly or Johnson among them.  They were all men & women under the age of 40 of Middle Eastern descent.  (Also note there were no 80 year old grandmothers in wheelchairs either.)  Behavioral experts must watch Security lines & extract anyone that acts suspicious or inappropriate. Those persons can then be taken into a private area where a deep search can be conducted. Flight manifests must be studied well in advance to match names against existing terrorist lists, as well as to study any peculiar travel history.

Currently passengers are putting up with the inconveniences.  But with almost all the airlines in bankruptcy protection, something has to be done to improve & expedite service at the airport.  Passengers, particularly the industry’s bread & butter – the business traveler – will lose patience & find alternate means of transportation.  This will particularly impact the short haul flight.  (If you calculate that I can drive from Los Angeles to San Fran in 4 ½ hours, why would I pay in pain to spend the same amount of time at the airport?)

Airport & Flight safety is of paramount importance.  More security must be applied to cargo & mail that is shipped on the same plane that you & I board.  Restrictions to baggage areas must become stricter (particularly now that we can’t carry on many of our valuables & can’t lock our luggage either).  And like it or not, greater scrutiny must be given to those from terror sponsored countries.  Yes, profiling is an ugly word when it refers to black man in a predominately white neighborhood.  But profiling is prudent when it comes to passenger safety.

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I’ve written about Simmons Jannace & Stagg before.  Here is another case on which the law firm has done excellent work.  With the 5th anniversary of September 11th upon us, it is timely to look at a case concerning a 9/11 widow.  As you should know, the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund was created for those who lost loved ones in the attack. The Fund is a no-fault system designed to maximize compensation to the families of victims. Contingency fees by attorneys representing families of the lost were considered unethical. Simmons, Jannace & Stagg was asked by a widow to represent her in connection with a lawsuit filed in federal court by the attorney who represented her before the Victims Compensation Fund. The attorney sought $2,000,000 as a contingency fee. He filed suit in federal court seeking a declaratory judgment entitling him to his fee. It’s always interesting when lawyers sue lawyers.  The proceedings can get complicated for the laymen. Simmons, Jannace & Stagg moved to dismiss the federal action, arguing that the Victims Compensation Fund did not provide federal jurisdiction for an action by an attorney seeking to protect his fee. Simmons, Jannace & Stagg also argued that there was no reported case that upheld jurisdiction under the Fund where the issue concerned a private dispute between an attorney and his former client concerning the amount of a legal fee. Additionally they argued that the federal court should abstain because the state Surrogate’s Court had already begun an inquiry into the size of the attorney’s fee. To make a long story short, Simmons, Jannace & Stagg’s argument set legal precedence & they successfully litigated the case.

Who Won?

2006-08-16T19:47:00.000-07:00

Iranian President Ahmadinejad declares that Hezbollah has "hoisted the banner of victory over Israel.”  In Syria, President Bashar Assad almost simultaneously releases a similar statement, “Washington's plans for the Middle East were turned into an illusion by Hezbollah's resistance to the Israeli military.”  Hezbollah leader, Nasrallah defiantly proclaims, “A strategic, historic victory against Israel.”

Conversely Israeli Prime Minister Olmert told Parliament that the offensive “has changed the strategic balance in the region, ending the "state within a state" run by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.”  In President Bush’s news briefing regarding the ceasefire, he sided with Israel as  victor.  “Hezbollah started the crisis, and Hezbollah suffered a defeat in this crisis. And the reason why is, is that first, there is a new -- there's going to be a new power in the south of Lebanon, and that's going to be a Lebanese force with a robust international force to help them seize control of the country, that part of the country.”

Those outside the Arab world want to agree with an Israeli victory.  If you look at sheer numbers in regard to devastation & mortality Hezbollah definitely would be the loser.  However, Israel’s stated directive was to wipe out Hezbollah.  Clearly this was NOT accomplished. As Shep Smith, Fox news anchor on the ground in Beirut pointed out to a surprised Sean Hannity (8/15/06) that, “They (Hezbollah) are very much in control of Beirut.  They are the humanitarian effort.  They are the peace keeping force.  To the north of Beirut & to the south of Beirut the Hezbollah flag is flying.  This extends even to the remote mountain regions.  The people who run the (Lebanese) government are deferring to them.”

I truly don’t think anyone won this conflict.  Nasrallah’s justification for the original offensive was to bargain for the release of numerous Hezbollah political prisoners held in Israel.  Thus far he has not succeeded in securing their release.  Since many of these prisoners are nefarious, it is unlikely that any but the lowest level operatives would be released. With the sporadic bomb still being lobbed at the Israeli soldiers on the border, it is unlikely that a lasting peace have been attained.

Additionally the utter decimation of many towns & villages & with Hezbollah performing the bulk of the humanitarian & building efforts, their influence will spread.  When you are hungry, thirsty & have no home, one tends to appreciate & side with those who provide aid & comfort (even though the devastation was provoked by the “comforters”).  As of this writing the 2 kidnapped Israeli soldiers are still being held captive.  Hence, after over a month of bloodshed & destruction on both sides of the border, no group is better off or has attained their goals.

In the eyes of the Western World Hezbollah has proven themselves to be tireless, well-trained fighters.  Their utter hatred & contempt for Israel & the Western world is on the radar. (Al Qaeda had stolen their press.)   In the eyes of the Arab World Hezbollah has reasserted itself as beloved brothers & golden warriors of Allah.  Lebanese citizens have been painted as victims, while Israelis have been drawn as the aggressors & deserving of whatever suffering received.   These perceptions are all terribly skewed.  NO SIDE WON. It was a stalemate.  This terrible game continues to play out.  The leaders & instigators bear little of the burden of suffering.  It is the innocents that always receive the consequences of their leaders’ actions.

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Critiquing the Coverage: Lieberman & Gibson

2006-08-10T08:47:00.000-07:00

I have been MIA, out of commission to due to what is called “tennis elbow” (another type of repetitive motion injury). I don’t play tennis; I’m just on the computer all the time. (I’d be thinner & more toned if I played tennis.) Anyway, I’ve been watching the events played out in the world in silence (well, other than the inner dialogue or when I scream at the TV). When I step back, as I have been forced to, I am just appalled at what passes for news & then how the story is beaten into the ground. Two cases in point: the Connecticut primary & the Mel Gibson arrest rant.

As we know, Joe Lieberman did lose the Connecticut Democratic primary. (& he has since filed to run as an independent.) However, this loss was projected DAYS BEFORE ANYONE EVEN WENT TO THE VOTING BOOTH. Doesn’t this beg the question that had the media not been like a rabid dog with this story perhaps the outcome may have been different? By replaying the State of the Union kiss between Lieberman & Bush ad infinitum, any & all Bush hater’s passion was ignited against Joe. I think Joe Lieberman is a decent man, a moderate Democrat of the ilk of a JFK. But that’s not currently what “sells” in the Democratic Party. I just can’t help but think that the Media tolled Joe’s death knell.

As far as Mel Gibson goes… he disgraced himself, no doubt. He embarrassed his family. His lack of self control & then arrogant behavior at the time of his arrest is without excuse. (His “I own Malibu” rant & calling a female officer, “Sugar Tits” are as equally offensive as the Jewish comments.) However, the week of intense media scrutiny afterwards was a travesty. Get over it world, he’s only an actor. An overpaid, full-of-himself actor, that was incredibly drunk at the time. Alcohol makes you stupid! Anyone who’s ever been drunk can tell you a stupid, humiliating story. (Did things you never would have done, said things you regretted afterwards, fell down & went boom….) It’s just that when you’re famous, it’s like that stupidity becomes gospel.

Since when has alcohol become akin to truth serum?! Yes, I’ve told secrets when I was drunk because I let down my guard. But I’ve also told big, fat, exaggerations & outright lies as well. We all have told someone what we thought they wanted to hear when drinking, particularly in a bar. And many times loaded people say things they don’t mean… harsh, unkind things, because there are nasty drunks. (As opposed to the loopy, “I love you, man” kind of drunk.) & apparently Mel Gibson becomes a nasty, ornery drunk.

Although Mel apologized 2x & begged for the Jewish Community to help him with his recovery, he still had to be publicly flogged 24/7. The analysis by the pundits from every angle & facet was like dissecting proposals to end world poverty. All this solemnity was played against the backdrop of the same six silly images of a drunken Mel, shot by cell phones. Why is the world not as outraged by the rants of Ahmadinejad& Nasrallah?

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Am I really talking about the Weather?!

2006-07-29T10:45:00.000-07:00

I am just so crazy from the heat that I can’t even seem to focus long enough to write a column of great intelligence. (Forgive me, but I got to pay the bills!)  In Los Angeles where typically we only experience a few hot days scattered over the summer months, we’ve endured 3 weeks of triple digits.  Our nights that are typically delightfully breezy & cool, have only seen reductions to the mid-80s.  I have become woosified from my days of New York summers & the unbearable humidity.  (What a minute it’s been humid here too… maybe Al Gore is right!) Those New York summers I used to wander the festival of the streets to the wee hours of the morning & go home to sleep in the bathtub.

Last night the meteorologists were reporting that this might be the worst summer for the planet in 50 years. England, where they won’t even drink iced tea or a cold beer, has been experiencing high 90s.

But when I think about complaining some more (& we’re not quite into August yet), I remember our fighting men & women in the heat of Afghanistan & Iraq.  The weather there is typically around 120.  Then add the dust storms to that temperature.  Plus they get to carry heavy weapons, wear door stomping boots in addition to their body armor.  Unbearable!  Therefore when you think that you have something to complain about while you sit around in your underwear, PRAY FOR THE TROOPS!  & may this global heat wave break!
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Israel / Hezbollah: only the beginning

2006-07-28T10:15:00.000-07:00

Al-Qaeda’s #2 man Ayman al-Zawahiri declared in an 8 minute video:  "The war with Israel does not depend on cease-fires. ... It is a jihad (holy war) for the sake of God and will last until (our) religion prevails ... from Spain to Iraq. We will attack everywhere."
Iranian leader Ahmadinejad said Thursday:  “Israel should know that they cannot end the business that they have begun. The occupying regime of Palestine has actually pushed the button of its own destruction by launching a new round of invasion and barbaric onslaught on Lebanon.”
And just 2 days after Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah vowed his guerrillas would fire rockets beyond Haifa, with the launch of a new rocket the Khaibar-1, this has been accomplished.
In an impassioned speech, shortly after the Israeli security cabinet decided not to significantly expand the country's Lebanon offensive, .Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz vowed that Hezbollah will "not return to what it was" and that "anyone who attacks Israel awaits the same fate."
This is just a small sampling of recent quotes.  Any day of the week you can locate negative, death to Israel, wipe them off the map speeches among the Middle Eastern leaders. While I pity the Lebonese citizens that are caught in the crossfire, Israel must prove that it can & will defend itself against any & all aggression.
This current conflict has been miscalculated by both combatants.  Nasrallah has publicly admitted that he never expected the intensity of Israel’s response to the soldiers’ kidnapping.   He only planned to use the hostages to secure the release of Hezbollah prisoners. Similarly, Israeli soldiers have been consistently surprised by the intensity of the engagement with the Hezbollah fighters.  In spite of numerous air strikes, Hezbollah still manages to lob hundreds of missiles daily into Israel.
It is time for MODERATE (IF they really exist) Islamic nations to get involved & help broker a peace. It is time for Muslim leaders all over the world to speak out against this aggression.  It is not enough that Rice, Bush & Blair negotiate.  (But it is time to take Kofi Annan out of the equation, He is a useless wimp!) Europe, the appeasement brokers, must discover their gonads & talk tough.  With the rise of radical Muslims in both Spain & France, (the protests in France yesterday should be a clear warning to Chirac) the conflagration will spread.  Like the Nazis that rolled throughout Russia & Europe in the 1930s & 40s, it will become increasingly difficult to stop the terrorism reign.
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The Middle East: Total Disgust

2006-07-22T12:38:00.000-07:00

Like the wild fires in SoCal, the Middle East is a conflagration!  Israeli tanks roll into Lebanon.  A tentative cease fire along the Gaza Strip is brokered by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, although 2 guerrilla groups (Al Aqsa Brigades & Islamic Jihad) said no agreement had been reached.     And the instant that the vehicle ban in Baghdad is lifted, seven Shiites died in a drive-by shooting near Baghdad International Airport.  Additionally two large explosions struck eastern Baghdad. One killed a U.S. soldier near the Rasheed military camp while the other targeted an Iraqi police patrol but killed a civilian.  Two rockets exploded later Saturday in the heavily guarded Green Zone.  However, there was no report of casualties.  In Afghanistan NATO forces report killing 19 Taliban fighters.
The White House & all that pray for peace had hoped that the seating of the new National Government on May 20th, by the Iraqi people, for the Iraqi people, would’ve quelled some of the violence.  However, since Prime Minister al-Maliki took office the fighting between the Shia & the Sunni have intensified, particularly in & around Baghdad.  (al-Maliki is scheded to visit the White House this week.)
Also Saturday, a government committee, (with a big impressive name) the Supreme National Committee for Reconciliation and National Dialogue formed to reconcile Iraq's sectarian and political groups held its first meeting.  While opening a dialogue between the various Iraqi sects is an excellent thing, it became apparent immediately after the meeting the wide gap between the Sunnis & the Shiites.  A large disparity exists over amnesty for insurgents, as evidenced by the statements made by each party leader.
Prime Minister al-Maliki, a Shiite, told reporters that despite his proposal for amnesty for some insurgents, "all those whose hands were tainted with blood should be brought to justice."
In direct apposition, the Sunni speaker of parliament, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, said "if we punish a person who killed an American soldier, who is an occupier, we should punish the American soldiers who killed an Iraqi who fought against occupation."
The disparities remind me of the squabbling of Dems & Repubs.  In a democratic society, disagreements, arguments & compromise are all part of the package.  However, while the mudslinging & rhetoric is harsh at times in the U.S., the political factions are NOT slaughtering each other.

As I have said all along, the only thing that will broker a peace in the Iraq is if the country sees themselves as ONE PEOPLE, ONE GOVERNMENT as was the Election Slogan.  However, this goes against thousands of years of history & religious culture.  It is becoming painfully evident that this will take YEARS to solve.

I am so disgusted with the entire Middle East at this moment that I don’t care if they all bomb each other into extinction.  Since biblical times they have fought each other.  They have a taste for blood in the name of religion.  Nothing has changed.  With the exception of lending diplomatic assistance, leave them to their own devices.

Oh yeah, we can’t do that because of the oil!  It’s a vicious cycle.
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I’ve spoken about this law firm previously in conjunction with the Paralympic swimmer, Nancy Burpee, case.  While that fell under their specialty of labor & employment; Simmons Jannace & Stagg  also specializes in Commercial Litigation, Banking Law, Municipal Law & General Liability Defense.  90% of their practice is spent in litigation.
In the event you don’t know the Burpee story, Simmons Jannace & Stagg represented Ms. Burpee, on a pro bono basis in her arbitration against a technical ruling that prevented her from competing on the U.S. Olympic team. At the Paralympic trials, Ms. Burpee was disqualified by an Australian referee on a procedural technicality. She wanted that ruling overturned. In addition, Ms. Burpee requested that the firm commence an action against the United States Olympic Committee requiring the committee to name her to the Olympic Team. The firm commenced arbitration under the United States Olympic Committee Rules and live testimony was taken from swim referees in Canada and Australia. Simmons, Jannace & Stagg argued that the Australian referee showed bias against Ms. Burpee by making various comments indicating that the Australian referee did not want Ms. Burpee competing against an Australian paralympic swimmer. Simmons, Jannace & Stagg also demonstrated that the United States Paralympic swim trials were not held in accordance with the paralympic rules.   Although Simmons, Jannace & Stagg fought valiantly on her behalf, an independent arbitrator ruled against Ms. Burpee and declined to force the United States Olympic Committee to name her to the Paralympic Team. .

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Straight Talk: Israel vs Hezbollah

2006-07-17T13:23:00.000-07:00

It’s the stuff of great revenge movies.  In a pre-dawn raid, an armed band of villains sneak across the border, kill 8 soldiers & kidnap 2 young soldiers from their post.  The group then holds them hostage, making ransom demands. While governments do their thing, an elite team of soldiers must go behind enemy lines & rescue the men.  Or we could take this revenge scenario in a different direction.  One of those soldiers is your son.  Armed to the teeth you cross enemy lines & become a killing machine until you set the soldiers free.

We’ll buy this justification in the movies, but in real life, a country demanding its soldiers back is somehow too militant or out of line.  The calls for Israel’s restraint in the conflict have come from the Pope to Putin.  It’s easy for nations & critics to sit in the relative comfort of European borders or the U.S.A. & demand restraint.  But imagine if you’re Texas & Oklahoma was lobbing warheads onto your plains.  Or if you’re France & Italy is tossing missiles over the Mediterranean.  This is exactly the geographical position that the small nation of Israel is in.  They are surrounded by countries that deny their existence with wacko leaders that speechify the need to wipe them off the face of the globe.

I looked up the word Hezbollah on line & found out that the Lebanese movement is separate & distinct from the Turkish & Kurdish movements by the same name.  Hezbollah means “Party of God” & they are Shiites. (Officially it is a political party, not a terrorist organization, although the General Secretary of the party, Sheikh Sa'id Hassan Nasrallah sounds more & more like bin Laden.)   The Lebanese people seem to tolerate the militant, terrorist faction of Hezbollah for the social good that the party provides in the form of free medical care, scholarships, clean water to neighborhoods that the public works doesn’t reach, farm assistance, etc.

Could Israel have started a diplomatic mission with Hezbollah & opened a dialogue about their initiated acts of war, instead of the use of force?  Let’s just take a look at the public speeches of the two party leaders today to answer that question.

Israel’s Prime Minister Olmert:  "Israel would not be a hostage to terrorists." Their fight was one "for the right to live a normal life.  "When missiles are launched at our residents and our towns, our answer will be war waged at full strength, with all determination, courage and sacrifice."
Sheik Hassan Nasrallah:  Hezbollah’s terrorists were "in their full strength and power" and that their "missile stockpiles are still full." "When the Zionists behave like there are no rules and no red lines and no limits to the confrontation, it is our right to behave in the same way," Nasrallah said.  (He’s forgotten a big detail that HIS PEOPLE STARTED IT!)  Nasrallah tried to rally the Arab world around Hezbollah, saying the battle was an opportunity to deal a "historic defeat" to Israel.
One country wants to live in peace & declares the right to secure its borders & its people.  The other group (& remember the government of Lebanon is NOT behind this action) is the aggressor & joins those nations (Iran, Syria, Palestine, etc) that believe you have no right to be.

As I see it:   Firstly the timing of this is all so significant with the G8 conference in St. Petersburg.  Their agenda of discussing trade, problems with North Korea, etc has been side-tracked by this conflict.

Israel has the right to defend itself, but I do believe that some diplomatic efforts must begin.  It is doing no civilian any good to have this war become a “pissing match” between 2 leaders who each demand that the other “go first.”

Lebanon’s leader, Fuad Siniora, must do more than make impassioned, despairing speeches.  It is not enough to decry the violence & ask the world body for help. Lebanon itself must root out the terrorists by killing or arresting them. I know that this would probably cause a civil uprising, but a nation needs to handle its own problems.  If this were a faction of the Democrats (or Republicans, whatever your pleasure) lobbing missiles into Canada, Bush would not be on TV asking England to put down the uprising.

Lastly, let the G8 body send in multinational troops &/or U.N. Peacekeepers into the area to help restore order.  Despite the fact that Israel is among our strongest allies in the Middle East, this can not be seen as an American effort or defense.  There can be no less than a unified international statement of support against the Hezbollah uprising.  If Russia, France or China seem wishy-washy in any way in their stands it leaves the door open for other terrorist factions to play to this weakness & mount their own aggressions.  This terrorism MUST BE unilaterally slapped down & dealt with decisively!

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296 billion dollar deficit is a cause to rejoice?

2006-07-12T10:11:00.000-07:00

Pres. Bush proudly informed the world yesterday that our Federal deficit was ONLY 296 billion dollars.  This figure was 127 billion dollars less than the projected February estimate.
I started to think about that figure in comparison to my humble finances.  If I’m so much as a few dollars short in my checking account, my bank either bounces the item or charges me a large overdraft fee to pay it.  Except for the very rich & famous & the Government, individuals must be fiscally responsible or the consequences are swift.  But the Feds can just keep minting money & hope that tax revenues will eventually catch up.
Here are some of my humble thoughts.  Who can we stop giving aid to in this world?  We’re not appreciated anywhere, any way.  Let’s keep the money here instead of being the great international philanthropists.  Let’s leave that to Warren Buffet, Bill Gates & the sheiks who poo on gold toilets.
Let’s cut the pork in government.  Stop the Senators whose sole missions are to bring revenue for stupid projects back to their districts.  (A bridge to nowhere in Alaska & a rain forest in Missouri immediately leap to mind.)
This will probably make me very unpopular, but I think that the Space Program should be a project for private enterprise.  Let Branson & his ilk work to bring space travel to fruition.  Private enterprise, concerned about the bottom line would be more fiscally responsible with their investments.
I have been following the 3 space walks of the current Discovery Astronauts.  I do find the photos from space thrilling.  (Heck, I’d like to even go!) But here we are 40 years into the space program & it still takes us 6 ½ hours outside a space station to repair 12 pieces of shuttle material with putty.  (The Starship Enterprise would’ve been blown to oblivion by the Klingons if Scotty had taken that long to repair something.)
Each shuttle launch costs in the neighborhood of 380 million dollars.  Think of the repairs that could be made to America’s infrastructure, the health care that could be provided & other research that could be funded with that kind of economics.   The annual estimated budget for space development & launches grows.  This year it is in the neighborhood of 50 billion dollars.   What do we get in return for this?  How does this exploration benefit us or our children?  Sure it looks all wonderful & patriotic, our technological achievements swells us with national pride.  But is it the right thing for us to be funding when so much need exists in America?
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Love Stinks

2006-07-11T14:26:00.000-07:00

People fall in & out of love everyday.  The excitement & ecstasy of love is often followed by the cold, cruel pain of dissolution.  But few take the break up as hard as Dr. Nicholas Bartha who allegedly destroyed his Upper Eastside of Manhattan’s townhouse by tampering & modifying the basement gas line.  This alteration caused an explosion of such magnitude that fireballs were shot high into the sky and left the upscale block covered in bricks, broken glass and splintered wood. Authorities said at least 15 people were injured, including five civilians and 10 firefighters.  Thankfully most of these injuries were minor.

Bartha, an emergency medicine specialist was the only resident of the building present at the time of the incident. The doctor was rescued after yelling up to rescuers while buried in the wreckage, fire officials said. It is theorized that he ignited the building to avoid selling in for his divorce settlement.  Now no one gets it & who will pay the lawsuits & legal fees?

It’s a safe bet that Dr. Bartha’s intention was to die with his beloved building since moments before the blast he sent a rambling e-mail to his wife & cc’d  FOX News, Sen. Arlen Spector & several others.  (It’s anyone’s guess why Sen. Spector since he represents PA.)  The man should’ve had a blog to blow off his steam, it would’ve been healthier.  The rambling e-mail not only denigrates his wife, but offers a family history & opines on the ACLU & the honesty of the NY court system, the need for political connections to succeed in NYC, the respiratory dangers of coal burning pizza ovens, his annoyance that a school was converted into Revlon offices, the Supreme Court’s ruling on eminent domain (well here I agree with his conclusions), his dislike of George Soros, Ted Kennedy, Jane Fonda & Hilary Clinton & concludes with an admonition to Cindy Sheehan that she is desecrating the memory of her son.  (He roundly endorses Pres. Bush but I don’t think the White House will be playing this up.)

There are so many ironies here it’s astounding.  A man that practiced emergency medicine & promised to do no harm sent 15 people to the hospital.  He decried injustice for all those who are not well connected in the legal system & yet his actions will now fill attorney’s coffers while sending cases into that very system. His love for his ex-wife, now turned to pure hate, causes disgrace to his grown daughters – the family he professes to love -- who will now be tainted by the whispers & stares of society.  He complained about NY City air pollution yet didn’t consider the impact of the explosion on the ecosystem.

How do you get so damaged that love turns to such selfish destruction?  The sadness & obsession of his heart opened his mind to every evil work.

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Madmen: Osama & Il

2006-07-08T17:23:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday Osama bin Laden released his fifth statement this year and his second in a 2 day period.  In this 19 minute audio tape, bin Laden urged militants in Iraq to continue their fight.  "Stay steadfast and don't leave Baghdad, otherwise all the capitals in the region will fall to the crusaders."  While bin Laden claimed that al-Qaeda had nothing to do with the sectarian strife in Iraq, he did endorse al-Zarqawi’s successor, Abu Hamza al-Muhajer.   He also addressed Islamics in Somalia to "You have no other means for salvation unless you commit to Islam, put your hands in the hands of the Islamic Courts to build an Islamic state in Somalia."

Obviously if the big gun is coming out to encourage his “brothers,” with 2 messages in such rapid succession, Osama sees his terror network in jeopardy.  Since al-Zarqawi’s death, many insurgents have been caught or killed & weapons caches have been seized.  Also Somalians live cruel, hard lives.  To encourage them to mindlessly put their hopes into Islamic courts sets up another Taliban-like nation.

Kim Jong Il, the lunatic leader of North Korea, unsuccessfully launched 7 missiles this past week.  I am particularly pleased that his long range missile, Taepodong-2, said to be capable of reaching Hawaii, fell apart & plunged into the sea.  The appropriately named Il, in the face of U.N. sanctions & aid which has already been cut off from South Korea & China, remains defiant that he will continue to test his nuclear capabilities.  Today, he made noises that he might be interested in attending a 6 nation talk (the two Koreas, China, Russia, Japan and the United States) floated by China.  However, Il has made demands that he will not participate if sanctions are proposed.

Il, the man known for such bizarre behavior as kidnapping, tying up actors & forcing them to watch movies with him in his palace, (Like a typical dictator he lives in luxury while his people starve & die by the thousands) wants to be perceived as a PLAYER on the world’s stage.  That’s what this is all about.  Yes, he has a large army, but his technology to carry forth his threats are lacking. I’m NOT among the doomsayers that see this man as a big threat.  I believe he is more deadly to his own people than he is to the world at large.   I see this threat more as a regional than international.  I think the U.S. would be better to snub him, like you would ignore a child with a temper tantrum.  I think that this needs to be handled by those within the region, South Korea, Japan & China.

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The End of Life: Cautionary Tales

2006-07-07T09:46:00.000-07:00

Today’s column is rather personal but it is a cautionary tale to all of us with ANY kinds of assets or who have aging parents / relatives.

My Auntie C, while still physically on the planet, has mentally & responsibly “checked out.”  Her deterioration over the past 5 years initially was gradual.  And while I trumpeted the need for financial arrangements to be made, power of attorney be transferred & other care petitioned for, NO ONE LISTENED.  Everyone, perhaps fearing their own mortality & decline, turned a blind eye.  When it became apparent this year that her lucidity was waning ever increasingly & she required more assistance, still heels were dragged.  Why?  Because my family did want to tread on her liberty, even though that liberty was detrimental to her health.  No one wanted to assert control until it became so evident that, while her body was still functioning, her brain was like that of a child’s.

My brother stepped into the fray but by then he was swimming against the rapids of the system that is designed to only aid people who have the financial stability to pay for long term care or who are transferred through the Medi-Cal / Medicare system.  In short, if you have dough, you can get all the diagnoses you need to move your loved one into a good facility for their care.  You do the legal work & then you pay.  If you don’t have that kind of money, you’re bucking a system that is filled with Government red tape, legalese etc.

Had my Aunt not fallen (& we’re not quite sure if that’s how she wound up on the floor of her apartment) & been taken by ambulance to the hospital, she still would be living alone until my brother could’ve gotten all the paperwork done to institutionalize her.  But once she was hospitalized, the extent of her dementia evident, (along with dehydration & anemia in spite of the fact that she was visited daily by family with food) she was moved into a facility within 3 days!

The cautionary tales are thus.  It is imperative to see an ailing loved one as they are, not as they were.   Auntie C was once a strong, independent, determined, funny, feisty woman.  What manifested at first as paranoia & other wacky tales should have signaled her immediate family to begin taking steps to protect her.  (To think of how long she drove with diminished capacity only proves the presence of angels.)

Communicate with loved ones about your / their wishes & put it in writing, regardless of how old you are.  (The case of Terry Schiavo should be a lesson to all.)

My Aunt scrimped, saved & denied herself many pleasures in order to pass on a small legacy to her nieces & nephews.  However, now that money will all go to her care before government money kicks in.   Surely if she could have seen into the future, not only would she have enjoyed life a bit more, but she probably would have planned her estate.  Another key here is to enjoy life today!

There is an extraordinary ignorance about estate planning except among the wealthy.  However, everyone leaves something behind that needs to be handled, no matter how small the estate.  Death is a topic everyone loathes to discuss in spite of its inevitability (unless the Lord returns).  However, even with a will, the decedent’s executor is left with a great deal of government / court paperwork.   All of this could be avoided if an individual would set up a LIVING TRUST.  In all but a handful of states living trusts are lawful.  Living Trusts avoid probate.  Almost anything can be placed in a living trust: savings accounts, property, stocks & bonds, realty, life insurance, etc.  YOU DO NOT LOSE CONTROL of the trust while alive.  It is still your money!  And, as with the case of my Aunt, even if you are institutionalized, the Trust can still function & make distribution as needed.

Even if a Living trust is not right for your assets, there are other types that may be set up.  You may designate a bank account for a grandchild, by simply making the account Your Name, in trust for Their Name.  It’s still your money to use as needed.  However, it can’t be touched by the long arm of Medicare / Medical should you need long term care, since it belongs to your designee.

I urge you to GOOGLE Living Trust in your state & @ least learn about it.  Take the time to investigate Trusts & make the necessary adjustments to your finances.  Also please update your will every few years. You’ll save a lot of needless wear & tear on your family (they’ll have enough to deal with in grieving your loss) & your wishes truly will be carried out.

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Saddam as Funny Man

2006-06-29T11:36:00.000-07:00

In case you missed the latest news on Saddam, I just have to comment since the HUMOR therein will do us all good.

The World’s Shortest Hunger Strike:  As you may know last week, another of Saddam’s defense attorneys was gunned down.   Out of protest (lack of security for his advisors) & in mourning, Saddam announced to the world a hunger strike. Saddam declined his lunch.  But when dinner arrived, he ate!  Perhaps for a dictator, missing a meal should be considered abnegation.

Saddam as Peacemaker:  Saddam’s lead attorney, Khalil al-Dulaimi, told AP last week that Saddam Hussein believes the United States will have to seek his help to quell the bloody insurgency in Iraq.  "He's their last resort. They're going to knock at his door eventually.  He is the only person who can stop the resistance against the U.S. troops."  (Bear in mind that al-Dulaimi also believes that Saddam is still the lawful President & is innocent.)

While one trial is coming to a close with final defense arguments slated to begin July 10th & another scheduled to begin in August, Saddam believes that he can bargain his way out of trials that threaten him with the death penalty.  (Read with tongue firmly planted in cheek.) The compassion shown in this next quote almost brings tears to my eyes. Al-Dulaimi reports that Saddam is willing to aid the U.S. “for the sake of saving both peoples - the Iraqis and Americans."  He went on to talk about the powerlessness of the new government & added, “The Americans will certainly come to me, to Saddam Hussein's legitimate leadership and to the Iraqi Baath Party, to rescue them from their huge quandary."

Of course, while the thought of a deal is only being floated, Saddam wouldn’t perform this elder statesmen role out of love for his country.  He would make the outcome of this trial the bargaining chip.  The lawyer actually stated this bargain “would not necessarily involve his being reinstated as president of Iraq.”   (“Would not necessarily?!” This kind of balls helped make Saddam the ruler he was.)

Saddam & his attorneys know that he will be sentenced to death.  You’d think that Saddam would face death like a man.  But coward that he is (& remember he was hiding in a hole when found) he fights to retain life on earth even if it means permanent incarceration.  His ego is still so INFLATED he craves anything that will make him a player again.  Listen to this spin.  "The death penalty is political blackmail to pressure President Saddam to help the American forces out of their predicament in Iraq and to rescue it from the mess it created there."

Alright, we have made blunders in the war, primarily in underestimation of the enemy.  However, we did not create the mess.  The inception of the mess must rest on Saddam, his sons & his party who brutalized his people for decades.  As a Sunni, he repressed the Shia & the Kurds & now the backlash is the heart of the insurrection.  (Even from his cell Saddam continues to denigrate both sects.)

Further, Saddam has offered his services regarding IRAN.  Through his attorney, he pointed out during Saddam's 1980-88 war with Iran - a conflict in which the United States and others backed Iraq - he served as a counterbalance to Iranian power.
"Iran is the enemy of Arabs, Islam and the United States, and the only person who can stand in the face of Iran is Saddam Hussein,"

Now isn’t that the case of one evil, mad dictator calling the other one more dangerous!?

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The Miami 7

2006-06-24T11:25:00.000-07:00

They call themselves the Seas of David.  Stanley Grant Phanor (AKA Brother Sunni), Lyglenson Lemorin, (Brother Levi-El) Patrick Abraham (Brother Pat), Naudimar Herrera (Brother Naudy), Burson Augustin (Brother B), Rotschild Augustine, (Brother Rot & may his name be prophetic as in rot in jail) & the alleged ringleader Narseal Batiste (Prince Manna) were arraigned in Miami on Friday on 4 counts of terrorist activities, including conspiracy. (& there are 26 instances of this activity, inclusive of fund raising, recruitment to wage jihad, reconnaissance video & photos of the Miami FBI building & the National Guard building, etc.)

5 of these men were American citizens & 2 were Haitians.  These guys, from the reports I’ve heard & in reading the actual indictment, were like the Stooges of terrorism.  (I apologize for any disparagement of Moe, Larry & Curley.) Batiste’s plans were to blow up several FBI offices & the Sears Tower.  However, when the raid was conducted, NO WEAPONS OR EXPLOSIVES were found.    While Batiste & the others pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda, there is no evidence to indicate that there was any affiliation.   Had these 7 succeeded in exploding something, al-Qaeda would’ve embraced them as brothers. However, as indiscreet & reckless as Batiste was, it is doubtful that they were any more than their own little band of toy soldiers.

Batiste, over a period of months, blabbed his needs & his plans to an FBI informant, posing as a al-Qaeda representative.  (You’d think there’d be a secret handshake or some well coded sentences to identify each other.) Upon their first meet in December 2005, Batiste requested boots, uniforms, machine guns, radios & vehicles in order to wage jihad.  In his second meeting a few days later, he swore that his plans would outshine 9/11 by blowing up the Sears Tower.  “Loose lips sink ships,” the WWII catch phrase, is as true today as it was 60 years ago.  Batiste proceeded over the next several months to divulge any & all information, plans, photos & videotapes to the informant.

From what we know of al-Qaeda’s methods, they operate in secrecy & stealth with great strategy.  These guys were outside training in the eyes of the neighborhood & their leader was a blabbermouth.  As FBI Deputy Director John Pistole stated. "This group was more aspirational than operational."

However, even though Batiste & company were incompetent they were still disgruntled, deluded & hateful.  Statements such as his intent “to kill all the devils we can,” is very disturbing. And disturbed people can often find like souls to follow them.  Further, maladjusted people commit crimes of great magnitude all the time.   So while the comics will mine this situation for jokes over the next few days, the situation really isn’t funny.  It’s tragic that America’s own can become so disenfranchised as to believe that Allah wants them to rise up against their nation & its people.  (How much blame can we lay at the feet of the Media that, night after night, promulgates that America deserved 9/11, deserves to be killed throughout the Islamic world?)

Thank you, Miami – Dade FBI, for thwarting The Seas of David “cell.”   May all of law enforcements efforts be successful in routing out the enemy.  Additionally, Citizens, be aware in your neighborhoods.  The success of the enemy’s methods is the secrecy of their moves.  Watch, listen & take responsibility for homeland security & REPORT SUSPICIOUS BEHAVIOR.

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In spite of the recent Florida scare; Orlando Luxury Real Estate is still a wise investment!  Orlando is NOT just Theme parks, but a thriving community that sports a rich history of cattle raising, rustling, gun fights & gambling. The wild “south” was changed when the railroad extended into Orlando.  It then became the hub of the Citrus Industry.  In Orlando today, there is the urban lifestyle of downtown with a mixture of historic homes and luxury condominiums with great views of the city. (Vintage homes may be found in the historic neighborhoods of Thorton Park, Lake Eola Heights, Lake Lawsona, Lake Cherokee, and Lake Copeland.) It is home to a diversity of restaurants, retailers and bars within walking distance. Beautiful Lake Eola, sponsors festivals, outdoor concerts& gondola rides. The sports complex, theater, and opera are all centrally located.

Until I learned about, Buyers Broker of Florida, I didn’t know that there were agencies that only represented the BUYER, NEVER THE SELLER. This gives you a full time Buyer Agent that understands contracts, house values, options, negotiations & 1031's. By using creative thinking, Buyers Broker of Florida will do their absolute best to negotiate the most favorable terms.

Although June is almost history, did you know that it was National Rose month?!  (See: http://blog.flowershop.com/2006/06/15/june-is-national-rose-month)  I love roses, planting them, receiving them, smelling them in other people’s gardens.  I can never get enough!  Roses have deep emotional connectivity in addition to their beauty.    Red roses mean love. Yellow roses symbolize friendship.  Presenting a red and white rose together it symbolizes unity.  A pink and white rose together means “I love you and always will.” The knowledgeable, talented florists at flower shop know these definitions & do NOT make this stuff up. The “language of flowers” really took off during Victorian times. In fact, dictionaries were published to allow people to “read the bouquet” they had just received.   So send someone you love & admire a message!

Millions of people suffer from thinning hair & hair loss.  Most spend their lives embarrassed by it or covering it up in.  (Often in unattractive ways that just scream, I’m self-consciously bald…. Think “rugs,” comb-overs, wispy pony tails & Donald Trump.)     Along with Dr. Jeffrey Epstein , the resident surgeon at The Foundation for Hair Restoration gladly presents www.foundhair.com, a website that aims to provide comprehensive information about hair restoration.  Dr. Epstein is a specialist in the technique of follicular unit grafting, He has the distinction of being one of less than 30 surgeons worldwide to be accepted into the International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons. He is also armed with an invaluable aesthetic background, being a facial plastic surgeon himself. A prolific surgeon, Dr. Epstein himself does all of the more than 500 hair transplant procedures at the Foundation for Hair Restoration yearly.  Through foundhair.com, the prospective patient can learn the difference between hair restoration techniques such as follicular unit grafting or FUG, and follicular unit extraction, or FUE. To give patients an idea of what it would be like to undergo hair restoration surgery, this website also provides a wide range of testimonials from both men and women who let Dr. Epstein work his magic on them.

Some Logic on the WMD Discovery

2006-06-23T11:03:00.000-07:00

So we found some WMDs in Iraq.   I’ve long thought that the sand held secrets.  & now the media & the pundits are spinning this dizzily.  The conservatives like Sean Hannity are salivating justification & the John Kerrys are writing it off as insignificant.  I don’t agree with either position.  (But it does beg the question of how effective these U.N. weapons inspectors really were.  But don’t get me started on the U.N.)

Until I started to read the wire reports I thought that these 500 chemical weapons was 1 cache unearthed this week.   The reality is that this is an aggregate TOTAL of weapons discovered since 1993.  The reason for the announcements this week is due a declassified portion of a report by the National Ground Intelligence Center, or NGIC, a Defense Department intelligence unit.   This report was completed in April.

While those who oppose the war, write off this revelation as insignificant… the stuff was old, pre the first Gulf War, & not the quantity or justification that led us into our current Iraqi occupation.  The reality is that the weapons existed & have now been removed.

Why should we care about old weapons?   Even as chemical weaponry degrades over time, it can cause environmental hazards & according to the NGIC report, “remain potentially lethal.”  The other obvious concern should be, in a country rife with imported & home grown terrorists wouldn’t a black market sale of the chemical weaponry be feasible, regardless of the materials’ age & stability?  We’re talking about people who blow themselves up with home made bombs that contain nails & other sharp implements so that the carnage is devastating beyond the explosive itself.  We’re talking about animals that torture & behead people with dull knives on camera.  They’ll use anything, even old chemical weapons, to inflict suffering in the name of Allah.

An unnamed Senior Defense Department official told FOX news, "It turned out the whole country was an ammo dump. On more than one occasion, a conventional weapons site has been uncovered and chemical weapons have been discovered mixed within them.”

Don’t be fooled by the pundits & politicians who downgrade this announcement (& remember it didn’t come from the White House, although the Administration would have known about this for a couple of months).  To find & destroy any & all munitions, regardless of their age, is a good thing.  & I am certain that there are more to be found.

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In light of my most recent announcement regarding the availability of my e-book, “Hole In My Hat,” I realize that I need a marketing genius.  It’s very hard for creative types or for business owners to switch hats from creator to business genius.   That’s why we should all call in the professionals.   Ed Shull is one such “animal.” He serves as the Chief Executive Office of USWeb. He is a veteran of the Internet marketing industry with over 8 years of experience. (This is the new frontier of many of our endeavors, which for most is just trial & error.)  Ed Shull is a recognized leader in the online marketing space and has been featured in several periodicals, including Newsweek, The Los Angeles Times, and The New York Times. Mr. Shull is a Certified Oracle Consultant and is a frequent speaker at industry trade events such as Ad-Tech. "I am very lucky to do what I love. Internet marketing is in my opinion, the most exciting industry in business and there is nothing I'd rather do for a living. Mr. Shull's past experience spans the spectrum of Fortune 500 companies (like Morgan Stanley) to the small start ups like BBQ.Com.  Harness the power of the internet marketing by contacting Ed & his team at US WEB for your affordable solutions.

In a totally different vein, SUMMER IS HERE & time for more outdoor activities like paint balling!  Before we discuss cheap paintball gear, here are a few facts I bet you didn’t know.  Paintball guns were originally used by the forestry and farming industries to mark trees and cattle. These early paintball guns were similar to many paintball pistols of today – they were powered by CO2 cartridges and had poor range and mediocre accuracy. The tree-marking paintball guns had to be modified in order to reduce their velocity to prevent injury to humans. The first paintball gun manufactured specifically for the sport of paintball was the Splatmaster, which was patented in 1985. Generally, the evolution of paintball gun technology is focused on achieving greater speed, accuracy, and air efficiency. Paintball guns have also gotten lighter and smaller over the years. This is likely due to the changing nature of the game as people are beginning to play more tournament-style paintball.  Zephyrpaintball.com was founded in 2004 with the idea of bringing low prices, customer service and fast shipping to the paintball world. Zephyr Paintball has Paintball Guns from all the top manufacturers. Zephyrpaintball.com will match competitors’ prices on all in stock Paintball guns.

ONE WRITER'S TALE - Hits, Misses & Marketing

2006-06-22T11:19:00.000-07:00

My earliest childhood recollections are that of WRITING.  I wrote episodes for my favorite TV series.  I wrote mysteries (in which I seemed very preoccupied with everyone’s style sense & what, where & how they dined).  I created plays & mounted the productions with the neighborhood kids… torturing every parent, relative & friend to sit through them.  (Attributed to a lot of exposure to “Little Rascals” & “I Love Lucy” re-runs.)

When I came to Los Angeles, I discovered that all my education & experience in Commercials & Cable in New York meant nothing.  I was yet another young hopeful with dreams of making it big in TV &/or Film.  While working hard in the production end of the industry; (MacGyver, Star Trek the Next Gen, Top Gun, Bev Hills Cop II  & Night Court & the  projects that were shot & no one remembers) when I wasn’t working or sleeping I wrote.  (& believe me, it is only youth that allowed this, considering I typically worked 70 – 100 hr weeks.)  I wrote spec scripts for series, feature films, original series concepts, sat in writer rooms & pitched out ideas with the paid staff to get a foot in the door.

I came very close to getting a piece of the pie.  I could smell it in the oven.  The setting was on the table.  I had a beverage in my hand, watching the dining room.  But at the last minute “there was a fire in the kitchen.”

Some Near Misses

When it first became fashionable to save money by sending TV series to Canada for production, I was to staff write on a sci-fi series for Paramount syndication, which ran for 3 years.  At the last minute, with bags packed & ready to go to the airport, the work visa didn’t come through & instead worked in the post-production end of it on the Hollywood lot for a lot less glory & gold.

After my Paramount years (about 4 – give or take a few months), I went to Columbia TV.  While toiling on a short-lived series, I had 2 romantic comedies “The First Year” (about the calamities in the first year of a marriage) & “The Arrangement” (2 over-worked professionals couple for convenience & then fall in love) optioned by the Feature division.  I was paid a percentage against a sale for an option.  But the studio was absorbed by Warner Bros.  Once again the work returned to my filing cabinet.

“The Arrangement” again came very close to being bought by an actress with a movie of the week deal.   As I was about to walk out my door to meet the actress on her lunch break, get her rewrite notes & ostensibly a check, I received a call from her Development person who’d championed the project.  He’d had a tiff with her & was calling her horrible things. (Rule of thum: if you are talking trash about your boss, you’ve got a foot out the door.) Told me my script was too good for her.  I knew not only the lunch, but that the deal was dead.  When the new D girl came in, she had no interest in developing the previous regime’s projects. (The old saying is, “a new broom sweeps clean.”)

Within that same month, I lost a bid for a project that a friend & I had championed for over a year. “Bungee Women” was a pilot presentation (presentation because you shoot a promo piece rather than 22 min episode) for a syndicated series, which featured two NYers who could travel like pros, on the cheap & be funny while doing it.  We’d taken the show to NATPE (pronounced nat pee -- an unfortunate acronym for what is the world series of syndicated TV sales).   We had heard the words, “You’re on the Air!”  We had dreams of eventually being Oprah.  Our manager was in negotiations that would have made us all very well traveled, well known & rich.  We went into negotiations on a Wednesday…. arguing only over fine points (We’d had an agreement in principle).  The Executive Producer, at Rysher Entertainment, failed to sufficiently “kiss the ring” of the powers that be & was fired hours shy of us signing the contract. (The new broom principle again applied.)

My next close call with greatness came when I worked with All American TV (who’d made untolled millions with “Baywatch”) who’d bought the Goodson-Todman Game Show library & rights to re-imagine their game shows.  I worked on several shows, most notably “Match Game” & “Password.”  An Executive at Tribune Entertainment (who was unhappy with all the pilots they bankrolled for AATV) was enamored with me.  (For once it was truly about my talent, he was gay.)   He sought to find a show for me.  As we were meeting, searching & negotiating a development deal, the Exec went to Vermont for a late summer wedding.  He returned with Lyme’s disease & was on disability for almost a year.  He definitely got the worst end of the stick but my deal died the death.

There were another couple of screenplays that almost got somewhere… “Blue Moon” & “We Only Kill Each Other” but those tales are for another day. (Maybe as e-books.)

Besides writing columns, the need to create stories still drives me.  When my nephews were young, I often wrote them stories where they were the protagonists in some grand adventure.  Since we lived at opposite ends of the U.S. it was a way to be a part of their lives.  It is from one of these stories, written for my nephew Matt, that “Hole In My Hat” evolved.  I’ve not only written it as a book, but an expanded version has been written in screenplay form.  (Are you listening, Pixar?)  Getting this book published & in young readers’ hands (although many adults have told me they’ve laughed & enjoyed the story as well) has been a passion.  However, at this stage of my life I am tired of being dependent on someone else’s acceptance, approval or agenda to make my dreams come true.  It’s up to me to get my work out there via direct marketing to the reader!  Therefore, I am excited to offer you the fantasy adventure, “Hole In My Hat.”

Finish reading this column, (& peruse some of my affiliates’ wares while you’re at it…I’m always pitching) then click through to HOLE IN MY HAT.COM.  Read about the book.  Read a chapter.  You can even see me in a cowboy hat.  So even though I currently can’t offer you a gorgeously illustrated hard copy (One look at the cover should tell you what Doug Sirois can do) download the e-book.  Some of you must have a kid, know a kid, are a kid who’d enjoy reading the journey of Matt in Aquataine (& $6 is the price of a double Starbucks & it’ll last longer).  If you don’t know a child, please tell someone who does.    The adventure begins……..

Sporting News

2006-06-15T16:22:00.000-07:00

World Cup, Stanley Cup, NBA Finals, this time of year is a feast for Sports enthusiasts.  Because of M, I’ve watched 2 soccer matches (maybe it’s an American thing, but I don’t get the game or the rabid exuberance of the fans) & numerous basketball games.  (While I think it’s been a great post-game season in basketball, I’m still a baseball fan!)    So today’s column is about a couple of sports figures.

The announcement June 7th by Dutch investigators (Commissioned by The International Cycling Union) cleared Lance Armstrong of doping in the 1999 Tour de France and accused anti-doping authorities of misconduct in dealing with the American cyclist.   While the coverage by International Media (most notably the French rag L'Equipe- see http://karenheckler.blogspot.com/2005/08/short-takes-of-armstrong-robertson.html) was brutally accusatory, Lance’s exoneration has barely made a whimper.  Further in a 132-page report it’s been recommended that a tribunal be convened to discuss possible legal and ethical violations by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and to consider "appropriate sanctions to remedy the violations."  The full report has been sent to the UCI, the LNDD (the French national anti-doping laboratory), the French sports ministry, WADA and Armstrong's lawyer. The International Olympic Committee also had requested a copy.  Their comments are pending. My comment is, Armstrong should demand apologies on the international stage.

Today’s sponsor Simmons Jannace & Stagg, represented (pro bono) a swimmer, Nancy Burpee, against the United States Olympic Committee.  Nancy Burpee is a world class Paralympics swimmer who, at the 2004 Paralympics trials, was disqualified by an Australian referee on a procedural technicality.
Firstly I knew nothing about the Paralympics.  And as I did a quick search on the web I became fascinated by her & this segment of the Olympic Games.  While I am not one of those people who think that I,or anyone,should discount their problems because someone else has it worse this woman is so awe inspiring, I thought I’d share a bit about her.  (It is no wonder that Simmons, Jannace & Stagg wanted to become involved in her arbitration to have this disqualification overturned.)

A bit of background on the Paralympics games:  In 1948, Sir Ludwig Guttmann organized a sports competition involving World War II veterans with a spinal cord injury in Stoke Mandeville, England. Four years later, competitors from the Netherlands joined the games and an international movement was born. Olympic style games for athletes with a disability were organized for the first time in Rome in 1960, now called Paralympics. In Toronto in 1976, other disability groups were added and the idea of merging together different disability groups for international sport competitions was born. In the same year, the first Paralympic Winter Games took place in Sweden.Today, the Paralympics are elite sport events for athletes from six different disability groups. The Games emphasize the participants' athletic achievements rather than their disability. The movement has grown dramatically since its first days. The number of athletes participating in Summer Paralympics Games has increased from 400 athletes from 23 countries in Rome in 1960 to 3806 athletes from 136 countries in Athens in 2004.

A bit of background about Nancy Burpee:  Nancy is a medal winner in competitive swimming while battling a rare genetic disease called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, or EDS, that causes the connective tissue throughout your body to progressively deteriorate.  There is no cure for this horrible disease that affects the tendons, ligaments, cartilage, heart, lungs and the body’s other major organs. All doctors can do is monitor the illness & manage the pain.
As a child, Burpee had Olympic dreams & trained for such since she was aged 16.  However numerous joint dislocations slowed her progress. After her EDS diagnosis, she returned to her love of swimming that her father had instilled in her as a toddler. Despite going through her 20th surgery last December, and dealing with a recent breast cancer diagnosis that led to a mastectomy, Burpee is far from downbeat about her sports career or her life. She is a determined, positive spirit who won medals in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle swimming events at the U.S. Disability Championships last year. She also broke the nine-year-old Paralympic World Record in the 50-meter freestyle event.

It is no wonder that Simmons, Jannace & Stagg were attracted to this remarkable woman & took up her defense.  The firm fought valiantly for Ms. Burpee & commenced arbitration under the United States Olympic Committee Rules and live testimony was taken from swim referees in Canada and Australia. Simmons, Jannace & Stagg argued that the Australian referee showed bias against Ms. Burpee by making various comments indicating that the Australian referee did not want Ms. Burpee competing against an Australian Paralympics swimmer. Simmons, Jannace & Stagg also demonstrated that the United States Paralympics swim trials were not held in accordance with the Paralympic rules. Despite these efforts, an independent arbitrator ruled against Ms. Burpee and declined to force the United States Olympic Committee to name her to the Paralympics Team.

As expected Ms. Burpee has surmounted this set-back as well.  Burpee swims on, both for her own enjoyment and to raise awareness of the disease she is battling. She plans to compete in the World Championships in the upcoming year.  I for one will be cheering her on.  (And kudos to Simmons, Jannace & Stagg for championing her.)

A New Security Proposal in Baghdad

2006-06-14T16:13:00.000-07:00

Iraq’s Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki has an ambitious plan to crack down on security in Baghdad.   Baghdad’s citizens have suffered the greatest volume of the terrorist violence.  How these 6 million residents go about their daily lives in the midst of roadside bombs, car bombs & suicide bombers, I’ll never know.  (I freak if my checks are late or I stuck in Los Angeles traffic.) Although the full extent of the plan has not been made public, it is said to include securing roads into and out of Baghdad, banning people from carrying weapons and implementing a 9 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew.  Maj. Gen. Mahdi al-Gharrawi, the commander of public order forces under the Interior Ministry, told The Associated Press that the plan would launch at 6 a.m. Iraqi time (today), with 75,000 Iraqi and multinational forces on deployment.  He said the ground forces could call in air cover if needed.  "We are expecting clashes will erupted in the predominantly Sunni areas," he said. "The terrorists will escalate their violence especially during the first week as revenge for the killing of al-Zarqawi." He also said "Baghdad is divided according to geographical area and we know the al-Qaeda leaders in each area."  (Since these leaders tend to move from safe house to safe house, I’m not so sure I’m encouraged by intelligence tidbit.  After all they’re not going to sit around waiting for the next 500 ton bomb to land on their heads. But it is nice to know that al-Gharrawi knows the players.)
Iraqi army Brig. Jalil Khalaf also said the plan would include more checkpoints and raids against suspected insurgent hideouts. "The terrorists cannot face such power," he said.  I so hope that he is right.  I still believe the best hope for Iraq is for its people to see itself as 1 nation not 3 distinct religious sects.  If & when that happens, the insurgency, fueled by foreigners (& it is said that the new al-Qaeda leader is an Egyptian) will lose its momentum.

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52 Minutes

2006-06-13T10:25:00.000-07:00

52 minutes is a long time to lie somewhere in pain, dying.  Since your lungs are filling up with blood, you can’t move much, even though your mind tells you that you should flee.  You must know you’re dying.  Your life must flash before your eyes.  Most people would think of their loved ones, their regrets & if they believe in a God – make peace.

It is now known that al-Zarqawi didn’t expire until 7:04 pm, 52 minutes after the U.S. air strike.  He was alive & alone for 28 minutes before the U.S. forces arrived. Since he had massive internal injuries he couldn’t go anywhere.  He lay there in the rubble of the safe house choking on ash & dust with lungs that had already been compromised by the bombs.  The concussive sounds of the blast’s intensity would have rendered him deaf. He was helpless, like so many of his victims.  I wonder if his mind was filled with hate or if he reflected on his life & deeds.  Did the faces of those he killed, US diplomat Laurence Foley, 23 dead in the UN office in Baghdad, Najaf shrine bombing that killed 85 Shia, the 181 dead bombed at Shia mosques during Ashoura ceremony, Nick Berg’s & at least 9 other hostage beheadings, (the list of slayings grew until a few days before he died), reach out to haunt him?  As al-Zarqawi waited, trapped, (maybe hoping for help from his followers) adrenalin pumping, probably afraid, did he repent?  In reading quotes of his in various obits, I doubt it. His mind was seared & fully persuaded that his evil methods were right.  I am glad that he had that time, knowing his death was near, as a victim himself.

Iraqi National Security adviser Mouwafak al-Rubaie said in a television interview that troops combing though the debris found al-Zarqawi's diaries, telephone numbers, computers and a database in one computer.  Also, Major General William Caldwell, the U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, has said that troops discovered a "treasure trove" and that 56 raids had been carried out since al-Zarqawi was killed.
So even though a new leader for the Iraqi al-Qaeda has been announced (in Abu Hamza al-Muhajer.  The name was not immediately known. The name al-Muhajer, Arabic for "immigrant," suggested he was not Iraqi), a great blow has been meted out to the terrorist network.  They will have to scramble to recoup from the loss of their intelligence & personnel.  It is a victory.  One that I hope the Allied Forces can exploit to the fullest in rousting insurgents.  Iraq’s new government should also mine this assassination to ease sectarian tension that al-Zarqawi so fueled.

Bye-Bye al-Zarqawi

2006-06-08T19:40:00.000-07:00

In the early evening of June 7th, (Iraqi time), U.S. forces followed spiritual adviser Sheik Abdul Rahman to Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi’s safe house, in the volatile province of Diyala 30 miles outside Baghdad.  Moments later, at 6:15 pm, U.S. warplanes dropped two 500-pound bombs on the safe house.  Al-Zarqawi's, his spiritual adviser, & seven other aides were killed.

Prime Minister Al-Maliki said tips from area residents helped lead to the air strike. A Jordanian official said the kingdom also gave the U.S. military information on tracking down al-Zarqawi.  Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said the latest hunt began two weeks ago with intelligence from senior leaders of al-Zarqawi's network.  (What that should tell you?  That there is jockeying for POWER within the organization. The Americans did the dirty work for those who wanted al-Zarqawi gone.  In splitting 25 million dollars in reward money, that’s a lot of future financing!)

Elated at news of his killing, Iraqi police in Baghdad's Shiite slum of Sadr City fired their guns in the air and chanted. Other Iraqi citizens had mixed reactions.  However, all over Baghdad, many DANCED IN THE STREETS in celebration.  Here in America, the reaction has also been mixed, from elation & declarations of a major blow being dealt to al-Qaeda to being likened to butchers.

However, clearly it is Al-Zarqawi that is the butcher (called by bin Laden the “Prince of al-Qaeda in Iraq”).  As operational commander he oversaw a wave of kidnappings of foreigners and the killings of at least a dozen, (some whose heads showed up in fruit boxes) including Arab diplomats and three Americans. He personally beheaded two Americans – the journalist, Nicholas Berg (ON CAMERA) of West Chester, Pa., and Eugene Armstrong, of Hillsdale, Mich.    He masterminded tactics that have killed thousands of innocent Iraqis & military.  Al-Zarqawi also was a master Internet propagandist, spreading the call for Islamic extremists to join the "jihad," or holy war, in Iraq. His group posted gruesome images of beheadings, speeches by al-Zarqawi and recruitment videos depicting the planning and execution of its most daring attacks. Al-Zarqawi - a Sunni Arab - vilified Shiites as infidels.  His network has contributed heavily to the current Iraqi ethnic war, targeting Shiite civilians and mosques.

Make no mistake about it; this is a blow to the Iraq al-Qaeda network.  Al-Zarqawi was a ruthless, brilliant mastermind who knew not only how to strategize attacks, but whip up the “plausible” moral justification for doing so.  He was an incredible leader.  However, since al-Qaeda is so compartmentalized in small fractions (cells) & his own gave him up, the terrorism will continue. Among the Sunnis, will be touted as a martyr & I am sure that volunteers to avenge his death will increase in the next few weeks.  We will certainly see a wave of retaliatory violence.  We should only be cautiously optimistic.

While I normally do not celebrate death, I’m glad al-Zarqawi is no longer above ground, sucking air.  My only regret is that the bombs were way too merciful.  Al-Zarqawi probably never knew what hit him.  One moment he was conspiring to commit evil & the next second the bombs obliterated him.  I wish he could’ve tasted the terror of a masked man holding a knife to his throat & strangled on his own blood & screams.

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Iraq - Three Insiders' Views

2006-06-05T13:50:00.000-07:00

I had two very disturbing conversations regarding Iraq over the weekend.  Both were with military personnel, that have served there. These conversations were very different from the recent Presidential & British Prime Minister’s views on the progress.

Please note that the Military that I have spoken with are real & not composites.  I have maintained their anonymity at their request since they are all still on active duty, with the Marine scheduled to return to Iraq for yet another tour in the Fall.

My previous & (at times) cautiously hopeful opinions on Iraq are documented can be found in the following:  “Iraq’s Dirty Civil War”, “Millions of Purple Fingers”, “Another Take On Troop Withdrawal”, “Another Baby Step” & my most recent column which was an analysis of the above referenced P & PM speech.  (Please scroll down.)

While I have had snippets of conversations with young armed forces’ men & women in airports, my only lengthy discourses have been with a Lieutenant in the Ranger Corp.  (Those are the guys that wear the body armor & kick in doors, rousting insurgents & caches.)  This Lieutenant did 2 tours of duty in Iraq; worked 12-14 hour shifts & commanded his battalion honorably.  (He was in the Sunni triangle, a real hotbed of IADs & vipers.)  His opinion of the Iraqi situation is much like the Administration’s stance.  He told me that positive changes are occurring & are under-reported.  He said that the average Iraqi – particularly the children – love the soldiers & help to tip the military to weapon caches & terrorist / insurgent safe houses.  And in spite of being dog-tired, the Armed Services there have high morale & unity of purpose. In short, he believes in our presence in Iraq & the ultimate changes that this is bringing about in the Middle East as a whole.  (I was always somehow comforted by our conversations because he is so assured & calm about the war.)

Then came this weekend’s conversations.  The most illuminating dialogue was with the son of a good friend. A Marine, he was stationed for months on the Iraq – Syrian border.   I’m sure you can imagine how depressing, stressful & dangerous job it is to guard one of the major entryways by foreign terrorists.   He also had direct involvement with Iraqi troop training.   This Marine said that the Iraqi troop training is slow going & that, for the most part, they are COWARDS.  At the first hint of trouble, the Iraqi forces would disappear, often deserting their posts. (In fairness to the Iraqi military, I should mention that this young man returned from his tour in February.) He also alluded to local corruption in the police force.  Ultimately, he believes that the new democracy will never be able to govern because the Iraqi people have a dictator mind-set.  The Iraqis obey their religious clerics & local mullahs.  It is those men that set the tone of a region.  It is their words that are the law to obey.  If they advocate Sunnis butchering Shiites, than that will happen.  (As witnessed yesterday when masked gunmen stopped two minivans carrying students north of Baghdad, ordered the passengers off, separated Shiites from Sunni Arabs, and killed the 21 Shiites "in the name of Islam," a witness said. One survivor, Haqi Ismail, a 48-year-old electrician, told The Associated Press that the attackers ordered the Shiites to lie down and before they opened fire one shouted, "On behalf of Islam, today we will dig a mass grave for you. You are traitors.")  When I followed up with, “Then why did millions come out & vote in every election,” his response was that “It was something new to do.” (I don’t know if I completely buy that theory, since many Iraqi’s risked violence to vote & hours of time walking & waiting in line at the polling place.)  This Marine is pessimistic & is not looking forward to his next tour, although he feels the obligation to fulfill his duties.

Later that same day, I spoke to a woman who is career military.  She did a year’s stint in the Green Zone.  Her primary role was that of rebuilding the infrastructure. Her view on that front was that the Iraqis were not engaged enough in the welfare of their nation.  She was very uncomfortable in discussing her opinions, maintaining that as a career officer she was 6 years away from pension.  Therefore her public opinions have to coincide with the military & the government that she serves.  However, off the record she admitted that her view of the Iraqis was similar regarding Cowardice.  She also was pessimistic about the success of a democratic government due to the Muslim mentality of vengeance & the passive approach to whatever the will of Allah is, shall be. She also echoed the popular media opinion that Iraq is increasingly dangerous.

Disturbing words these.  And I have no solution at this time.  I can only pray that the new government can get the Iraqis to see themselves as ONE NATION rather than separate religious sects.  And capitalism always helps this situation, since the Kurds seem to be reaping the benefits of the new economy without the violence evidenced among the Sunnis & the Shias.  Therefore, peacekeeping needs to go hand in hand with economic growth & development.

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The Immigration Situation - MORE ACTION

2006-06-02T13:11:00.000-07:00

With the Senate Immigration bill & the House bill still at juggernauts the Immigration issue has been pushed to the back of the news.  (Iraq & Iran once again dominate.) While there have been no large scale organized marches, the Immigration debate & protests continue, particularly in the Border States.   On Saturday, (5/27), volunteer Minutemen began putting up new fencing on a cattle ranch along the southeastern Arizona border with Mexico.  The ranch, owned by father & son Jack & John Ladd, stretches across more than 10 miles (16 kilometers) of the border with Mexico.  The men have struggled for years with those who cut their fence — or just drive over it — to cross their land and enter the United States.  The Minuteman group plans to install fencing, including a combination of barbed wire, razor wire and in some spots steel rail barriers, along the bulk of the Ladds' property in the coming weeks. They hope it prompts the federal government to do the same along the entire Arizona border.
The contractor volunteering his time to help install the fence says the 10 mile (16 kilometers) stretch is just a start.  "We're not going to stop. We're going to stay here with a group and keep building," said Timothy Schwartz of Glendale, Arizona. He said the plan is to build fencing along the border from California all the way to Texas.
Reluctantly, on June 1st, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger sent 1,000 of the National Guard to the California Border.   Similarly, Arizona’s governor, Janet Napolitano signed an agreement to send 300 of the Guard to its southern border. June 1st also saw President Bush publicly press Congress to reach a compromise on immigration legislation.
The protests of last month & this on-going judicial battle for immigration legislation have certainly put an emotional strain on this country.  After all, we are a country of immigrants.  Most Americans can trace their lineage back to Europe or elsewhere to their Grandparents (as in my case) or at the most great grandparents.  I have discussed this issue via e-mail, phone & face to face with all age groups across America.  Most Americans are stunned & annoyed that almost 5 years after 9/11 our borders still aren’t secure.  Many are furious with a Congress that votes according to party lines (Politicians who rather play the great popularity contest – worrying about re-election) rather than the good of the country.   However, many have trouble articulating the anger that they feel about the Illegals that are already here in the system & the BOLD INGRATITUDE that has been on display during the demonstrations.
While many Americans can not get health-care & assistance, immigrants easily work the system. Here in Los Angeles there are organized groups that walk the Newcomer through all the necessary paperwork to qualify for a plethora of programs that equal free money, reduced housing & utility bills, health care, free food & education, etc.  (The tax-paying citizen pays for this.) There are doctors & government workers in the loop that take kick-backs to facilitate the process.  I could go on like this & make your blood boil, with very specific information, but for now only my stomach will churn.
For years we’ve known about the glut in the system, but we’ve looked the other way, unless we’ve been directly impacted.  However, the protests shined a klieg light on the millions that benefit & feel that they are entitled to more.  The protestors want a candy-store America where any one can enter, grab & run.  This has made a whole lot of people very angry, including me.  & I am very concerned that with the heat of the summer upon us, the clashes will become intense.  We need ENFORCED legislation & we need it PRONTO. If you are baffled & annoyed about this predicament, take action…. Write your bone-head government representatives & demand that they pass legislation!  If you go to this page http://www.firstgov.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml you can find your Senator, Representatives & Governor’s contact information.

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Pondering the President & Prime Minister's Press Conference

2006-05-26T14:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Prime Minister Tony Blair made an unscheduled visit to the White House to discuss with Pres. Bush the meetings he had with Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki.  His time there gave Blair a feeling of optimism.  He wanted to share his first-hand experiences on the ground with Pres. Bush.   And an impromptu press conference was called. While I do not want to rehash the entire speech, there are some sections of the speech that I wish to punctuate.

Diplomatic tours of any country are selective & well guarded.  No military attaché or security force is going to allow their Leader to walk freely among the people.  Therefore, what is shown to the politico is sanitized.  And while I have never been (& probably never will be) party to a Heads of State meeting, I am sure that they are carefully worded & skewed toward the agenda of the particular Leader. I have been in enough business meetings to know that catch-phrases & verbal correctness are bandied about, with very little truth conveyed.

Taking the preceding into consideration, I still believe that some terrific points were made by Blair (in particular) & Bush.  Firstly, Bush stated that “Prime Minister Maliki has made his priorities clear. He said he will focus on improving the security situation in Baghdad and other parts of the country. He has declared he will use maximum force to defeat the terrorists. He has vowed to eliminate illegal militias and armed gangs. He wants to accelerate the training of the Iraqi security forces so they can take responsibility from coalition forces for security throughout Iraq.  He wants to improve health care and housing and jobs so the benefits of a free society will reach every Iraqi citizen. Our coalition will seize this moment as well.”   (Sounds like the right things for a newly elected government official to proclaim.  It’s how to get there that is undefined.)

After Bush’s lengthy preamble, Blair opened with, “I was in Iraq earlier in this week, in Baghdad, and I was able to discuss with the new leaders of Iraq firsthand their experience and their hopes and expectations for the future.  And I came away thinking that the challenge is still immense, but I also came away more certain than ever that we should rise to it.”

Blair then went on to discuss the basic needs of the Iraqi people, inclusive of the rebuilding of its infrastructure.  But this is NOT what most Americans & Euros care about.  We care about violence & bloodshed.  And so Blair continued.  “The other thing that came across to me very strongly from talking to them (the Parliament) was that the reason there is bloodshed and violence in Iraq is that the very forces that we are confronting everywhere, including in our own countries, who want to destroy our way of life, also want to destroy their hope of having the same type of life. In other words, the very forces that are creating this violence and bloodshed and terrorism in Iraq are those that are doing it in order to destroy the hope of that country and its people to achieve democracy, the rule of law and liberty.”

Shortly thereafter he stated, “And we should be determined to help them defeat this terrorism and violence.   And I believe very, very strongly - indeed, even more so, having talked to the leaders there, and now coming back and examining our own situation and how we help - I'm more than ever convinced that what is important for them in Iraq is to know that we will stand firm with them in defeating these forces of reaction.”

Blair is a much more eloquent speaker than G. W.  Yet, his message is the same.  We can’t quit Iraq now.  Most sane people know this.  If we were to withdraw now, the mess would be greater than it was under Saddam.  If we look to world history, NO GOVERNMENT has ever been formed without war & bloodshed.  Look at our own Revolutionary War!  The only difference is we are helping a nation achieve this goal, while other reformation movements were marked by the citizen’s uprising.  (Although this was tried by the Iraqi people, they were cruelly & massively tortured & executed.)

After Blair’s end of the speech, the immediate questions were regarding troop withdrawal as though the reporters didn’t listen to a word of either man’s speech.  However, Blair handled those questions deftly as well. It may not have been what the reporters wanted to hear, the timetable is still open-ended.  “From talking to all the different groups - because sometimes, certainly in our country, the impression is given that the Iraqi people wish that we were gone from Iraq and weren't there any longer in support of the Iraqi government or the Iraqi forces. Not a single one of the people I talked to - not one of the political leaders from whatever part of the spectrum in Iraq that I talked to - and these are all people from all the different communities, elected by their people - not one of them wanted us to pull out precipitately. All of them wanted us to stick with it and see the job done. Now, of course, they want to take back control of their own country fully, and we want them to do that. But when the Prime Minister, Maliki, talked about an objective time table, what he meant was a timetable governed by conditions on the ground.”

For me the most brilliant part of press conference was in response to a question about the fact that the Iraqi conflict has left both Bush & Blair politically weakened.  This led to an honest, soul searching response by both men.  However, again I think Blair said it best.  “A large part of the perspective with which we look at this is to see every act of terrorism in Iraq, every piece of ghastly carnage on our television screens, every tragic loss of our own forces. We see that as a setback and as a failure, when we should be seeing that as a renewed urgency for us to rise to the challenge of defeating these people who are committing this carnage. Because over these past three years, at every stage, the reason they have been fighting is not, as we can see, because Iraqi people don't believe in democracy, Iraqi people don't want liberty. It is precisely because they fear the Iraqi people do want democracy; the Iraqi people do want liberty. And if the idea became implanted in the minds of people in the Arab and Muslim world that democracy was as much their right as our right, where to these terrorists go? What do they do? How do they recruit? How do they say, America is the evil Satan? How do they say, the purpose of the West is to spoil your lands, wreck your religion, take your wealth? How can they say that? They can't say that. So these people who are fighting us there know what is at stake. The question is: Do we?”

The answer to that question is something all Americans & the free world should ponder.

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Quick Commentary

2006-05-24T01:13:00.000-07:00

Just some quick commentary on what’s happening in the world & popular culture.  The order says nothing about significance.

My take on this year’s “American Idol” competition...BORING!  Much hype & ado about nothing!  I can’t believe McPhee & Hicks are the best America has to offer.  I’ve heard better performances at a karaoke bar (the location that Simon Cowell loves to denigrate).  I’ve been an Idol fan in the past.  I loved the Clay – Rueben sing-off of Season 2.  & last year I watched every week, enjoying Bo Bice’s entertaining performances.  This year, I’ve not been among the 30 million viewers that Seacrest so loves to trumpet. The choices this season were very generic.  With the exception of Ace, (who was just so scrumptious I don’t think we’ve seen or heard the last of him), no one has even looked like a star, let alone sounded like one. “American Idol” has become very packaged & therefore sterile.  Good luck to whomever the winner is.  Get good financial advice & career planning to maximize your short stay in the white-hot limelight.

“Zacarias Moussaoui had no link to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks,” a voice purporting to be that of Al Qaeda leader Usama bin Laden said on an audiotape that surfaced on a Web site Tuesday.  “Considering he was arrested two weeks before the operation, if he was a member of the attackers,” bin Laden states, I would have ordered Muhammad Atta to leave the country and abort before their affair was exposed.”  Although I was not privy to all the testimony & exhibits in Moussaoui’s trial I have said all along that he was a scapegoat.  While I’ve have no sympathy for Moussaoui, he is a hateful man that would’ve killed Americans to this day, I also felt the trial stank.  I still hope that any future terrorist trials will be more based in fact than emotion.

Beth Holloway-Twitty’s face is now the mirror of her soul’s devastation.  For so long I marveled at her energy & determination regarding her daughter Natalee Holloway.  However, after almost a year of the FARCE that has passed for an investigation, Beth looks drawn, gaunt & tired.  While yet another “suspect” was arrested in Holland, questioned for 6 days & ultimately released, the Holloways & the Twittys are fighting another battle in a NY Civil Court.   (A suit that doubtfully can be won, if it doesn’t get dismissed.)   There is still no justice for Natalee & her family.  How much longer her parents can live their lives only in the pursuit of an answer regarding their daughter’s disappearance is a mystery.  This very public tragedy is nothing that any decent family should have to endure.  May they wake up from this nightmare & get some answers soon. Unfortunately the likelihood of the Aruban police solving the case is NIL.

If I were thinking about giving birth, I could think of many other places to deliver rather than an African nation located between the Kalahari desert & the South Atlantic. Yet, due to this peculiar choice by 2 very famous actors, Baby Pitt-Jolie could be the cause of a national holiday in Namibia.  Prior to the Pitt Jolie visitation, this country was little known. Its claim to fame is the Etosha National Park which is home to an abundance of viewable wild life. Nothing much must happen in this country if most of its 1.8 million citizens would like an American child’s birth to be a national holiday.  The Namibians primarily derive their income from agriculture & mining. Hopefully they can exploit the wacky Hollywood couple’s folly into an improved economy through increased tourism.

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The 20th century saw an increasing use of technology in chair construction with such things as all-metal folding chairs, metal-legged chairs, the Slumber Chair, molded plastic chairs and ergonomic chairs.  Technological advances led to molded plywood and laminate wood chairs, as well as chairs made of leather or polymers. Many of these were works of pop art & are valued & collected like their antique counterparts.  Certainly the most comfortable of chairs is the recliner (easy chair) & in part its genesis in part is due to radio and television.  Massage chairs is next generation of the recliner and used in homes all over the world.

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Messing with Mother Nature - ORTHO EVRA

2006-05-21T12:38:00.000-07:00

Until the turn of this century, birth control has been the same since the 1960s when the birth control pill was introduced.  But you had to remember to take it every day.  In the past five years science has come up with ways to eliminate the problem of a daily remembered task   The most commonly known, heavily marketed among these is the patch you adhere to your skin once a week.  There is also the hormonal vaginal ring which is worn inside the body for 3 weeks.   Also there are injections which must be administered tri-monthly.

Science has also learned to alter a woman’s cycle altogether, by giving her shorter periods, or limited yearly periods.   It seems for the “ease” of birth control & more convenient periods, YOUNG WOMEN are targeted by the drug companies to pump their body full of synthetic hormones.  These are the same hormones that it’s advised against for us older broads, because of increased risk of cancer.

While I do believe the risks are glossed over by most medical professionals (a woman wants birth control – the overworked doctor or clinic explains options & dispenses) there are risks written on the enclosures inside the packages.  There are also side-effects posted on not only the manufacturers’ websites but also on such medical portals as Web MD.

Therefore it should come as no surprise that some women are getting sick from the
Ortho Evra Birth Control Patch and there are resultant lawsuits against Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceuticals.  While over 4 million women have used the patch, FDA records show that forty four patch users, between the (alarmingly young) ages of 17 and 30 have suffered fatal heart attacks, blood clots and possible strokes since August 2002.

One frightening case, subject of a lawsuit filed by Parker & Waichman, LLP on behalf of the victim & her husband,  is that of  33 year old who suffered a a bilateral pulmonary embolism and deep venous thrombosis (DVT) after using Ortho Evra for two months, (an alarmingly short amount of time). In May 2005, the injured party was taken to the emergency room of Hillside Hospital in Tennessee with shortness of breath, chest pains, tachycardia and hypoxemia. Diagnostic tests revealed a bilateral pulmonary embolism with a large embolus in the right main pulmonary artery and right upper and right lower lobe peripheral infiltrates suspected to be pulmonary infarctions. Additional tests revealed a deep venous thrombosis of the right popliteal vein extending to the right common femoral vein.   Translation:  A blood clot in the knee area. A blood clot in a deep vein requires IMMEDIATE medical evaluation.

The woman was admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit where she received Coumadin (a blood thinner) and Lovenox treatment (an injectible drug used to treat blood clots). She will likely undergo prolonged treatment with these medications, which may be necessary for the remainder of her life.

The chemical breakdown of Ortho-Evra vs. the reality from the FDA’s recent warning

The adhesive, transdermal birth control is intended to release 150 mcg of norelgestromin and 20 mcg of ethinyl estradiol into the bloodstream per 24 hours.  However, in the updated warning, (released 11/10/05) Ortho-McNeil admitted for the first time that women who use the patch will be exposed to up to 60% more estrogen than they would be exposed to if they were taking a birth control pill with 35 micrograms of estrogen.  This heightened warning indicates that the risk of developing blood clots may be significantly higher with the Ortho Evra patch than with oralcontraceptives. (The FDA's announcement on this warning can be found at http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/2005/NEW01262.html) The FDA has logged 9,116 reports of adverse reactions to the patch in a 17 month period, whereas Ortho Tri-Cyclen, a birth control pill, only generated 1,237 adverse reports in a six year period.

It is widely understood that increased exposure to estrogen greatly increases the risk of blood clots, which can cause serious injury or death. Pulmonary embolism is a sudden blockage in a lung artery, usually due to a blood clot that traveled to the lung from the leg but they can also form in the pelvic vein. This may be fatal.  However it can result in a lot of other nasty results like pulmonary arterial obstruction, pulmonary obstruction, pulmonary infarction, chronic pulmonary hypertension, dyspenea and tachypnea.   This means you could have a heart attack or a stroke or Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome!

What does the lawsuit hinge on?

As with most of these types of litigation, allegations have been made that Ortho-McNeil was aware of the increased medical risks associated with Ortho Evra before the drug was approved and that, once approved, the company failed to adequately warn patients about these risks.

If you take any type of estrogen based birth control, I’d take heed to these symptoms may include shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, anxiety, chest pain, fainting and convulsions.

Personally, I think it’s just safer to use a condom!

For further information on Ortho Evra please visit http://www.orthopatchlawsuit.com or http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/Ortho_Evra_Patch.

Another Baby Step: Iraq's new government is seated

2006-05-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

Against a back drop of violence, Iraq's parliament approved a national unity government.   The Parliament is comprised of 275 members of whom 39 were approved as Cabinet Members.  The new Shiite Muslim, Sunni Arab and Kurdish ministers then took their oaths of office during the nationally televised session in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone.  This must be very moving for the Iraqi people who do not side with the insurgency.  They voted 3 times over the past 2 ½ years to see this day come to pass.  An elected government, despite the fear & violence, is a monumental & noble achievement.   They will be wobbly.  It will take time for them to learn to govern.  But it is a great day none the less.  It is a day of hope that the blood spilled has not been in vain & that the end of the U.S. active involvement will begin.

The Cabinet Ministers are only represented by 2 women, one of which, a CHRISTIAN, is the Human rights minister: Wijdan Mikaeil.  Their religious / ethnic breakdown is 20 Shiites, 9 Sunnis. 9 Kurds, along with the lone Christian.   While it would have been nice of the distribution had been more even, at least the government is a representation of ALL THE PEOPLE of Iran.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, in his first address told the Parliament he would make restoring stability and security the top priority of his new administration. He said he would "work fast" to improve and coordinate Iraqi security forces so they can reduce attacks by insurgent groups and militias.  Al-Maliki also said he would set "an objective timetable to transfer the full security mission to Iraqi forces, ending the mission of the multinational forces."

These are wonderful words.  I pray that this Parliament will see themselves as ONE IRAQ, ONE GOVERNMENT & NOT separate little sniping political factions.  We’ve all seen how little a government can accomplish when it plays to partisan sides.

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Immigration Analysis - Part 2

2006-05-18T18:27:00.000-07:00

In yesterday’s column I took a look at the first topic handled under May 15th speech on Immigration by President Bush.  (Just scroll down to catch-up!)  I still believe that this first option, while still not far reaching enough for me in the Intelligence category, will be the most effective.  (& Bush has asked for 2 billion dollars to implement this aspect of his “broad-based” plan.)

In point two, Bush discussed a temporary guest worker program to fill jobs that Americans can’t or won’t perform.  This guess worker program would “Create a legal pathway” to citizenship, because a guest worker -- provided they pay taxes & stay out of trouble -- could apply for a green card.  Granting of the guest worker status would require an applicant pass criminal background checks.  And at the end of their tenure, the guest worker would be required to return to their home country. A limited amount of (Bush’s proposal 320K, Congress’ 200K) these would be granted per year.

In my opinion, this is NEVER GOING TO WORK!  In theory, it’s wonderful to think that a man or woman, desirous of a better life, will dutifully apply for a lawful position in the U.S.A. They will then submit to the time & intrusion (at our expense) of the criminal search.  The immigrant / guest worker will dutifully pay taxes & after a taste of the good life, will also dutifully return to their home country & apply for a green card!  This is UNWIELDY to administrate & police compliance.  This will grow government.  While it may give us a scintilla more security, no one that is shady is going to submit to an application process.  & that’s who we want to screen in the first place.  This “pathway” only documents lawful people & collects more taxes for Uncle Sam (although I wonder if enough to administrate this program).

Point 3:  Hold Employers Accountable

I thought that this was already in effect?  If it isn’t what’s taking so long?
Okay this is possible to enforce on a level of corporate America.  But when it comes to domestic help & small independent contractors (like pool maintenance, gardening, painting, etc), there will never be accountability.  Who is going to enter the mansions of Bel Air or raid Petey’s Painter’s Van?

Point 4:  Face the reality that millions of illegal aliens are already here.  But there will be no mass deportation.  (In spite of the claims that Howard Dean made on “The Daily Show.”)

Bush indicated an understanding that many of these long term illegals have deep roots within America.  While Bush stated there would be no amnesty & no automatic path to citizenship, “There is a rational middle ground between granting an automatic path to citizenship for every illegal immigrant, and a program of mass deportation. That middle ground recognizes that there are differences between an illegal immigrant who crossed the border recently - and someone who has worked here for many years, and has a home, a family, and an otherwise clean record. I believe that illegal immigrants who have roots in our country and want to stay should have to pay a meaningful penalty for breaking the law … to pay their taxes … to learn English … and to work in a job for a number of years. People who meet these conditions should be able to apply for citizenship — but approval would not be automatic, and they will have to wait in line behind those who played by the rules and followed the law.”

Again, this sounds nice, sensitive and possibly even equitable.  However, if you’ve been untraceable in the system for years (no bank account, working off the books, with a no tell landlord) the thought of coming forward is frightening.  Those with deep roots, most likely have children that are American born. No mamasita will run the risk of losing her family.  Additionally it is highly unlikely that these immigrants would have the money to pay a penalty, let alone an accessed tax on wages.

If even 20% of the estimated millions of illegals lost in our shores came forward, the strain on Immigration & Homeland Security would be STAGGERING.  I doubt the agencies would be able to deal with much else. The tide of paperwork alone will be overwhelming.  (Not helped by the fact that government never seems to deal with paperwork reduction.) Our court system will need an overhaul.  New Judges will be needed to adjudicate brand new laws & assess fines.  & again Government Grows.

One way to catch illegal aliens is to prosecute them as they are caught.  Take the stink of “racial profiling” off of LOCAL law enforcement agents & permit them to inquire about citizenship when they make lawful traffic stops & crime investigations.

The fifth & final point was a call to action by our elected representatives, without forgetting to honor the “great American tradition of the melting pot.”  “Tonight, I want to speak directly to Members of the House and the Senate: An immigration reform bill needs to be comprehensive, because all elements of this problem must be addressed together — or none of them will be solved at all. The House has passed an immigration bill. The Senate should act by the end of this month — so we can work out the differences between the two bills and Congress can pass a comprehensive bill for me to sign into law.”

The President made it clear where the hold-up has been in this country regarding Immigration reform!  It has been in the halls of Congress with their bickering, partisan politics, fear of losing reelection, etc. With an overwhelming 75% of Americans (according to a CNN poll) in favor of a beefed up border presence by the National Guard, our elected officials must take up the gauntlet dropped by President Bush.  And the debate has raged on the Hill over the past few days.  Bills have been rushed through, like the 300+ miles of new fencing & the formal declaration of English as our National language but the real core issues remain to be agreed upon.  Even if little of President’s Bush’s speech ever comes into fruition, it has served to bring the Immigration debate out into the public forum. Almost five years after 9/11 our government will be forced to begin to secure our entryways.

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Analyzing the Immigration Situation

2006-05-17T12:44:00.000-07:00

Confused about the immigration issue & the various pieces of legislature (some voted down already) floating inside the halls of government?  In the weeks leading up to the President’s speech, I watched the protests in the streets of Los Angeles (“enjoying” firsthand the traffic snafus & restaurant closures) & other major cities.  Like many Americans I chaffed at the audacity of these marches.  (In other countries they would’ve been detained & prosecuted.) I heard all the debates, pro & con to guest worker programs, amnesty, mass deportation, border security… all the hot-button buzz words.  I watched the President’s speech Monday night & have studied the aftermath.  In today’s column we’ll analyze some of the speech.

Let’s face it; as long as America is the Promised Land for most of the world’s immigrants, an illegal alien problem will exist.  For years this has been escalating it is NOT just in the category of public programs & subsidies. The least of my concerns is the family of the guy who’s selling fruit in traffic gets free education & medical attention.  (Although it does burn me that Caucasian Americans have to fight to get aid.)  I am most concerned about the proliferation of violent criminal gangs (there are over 70 known Mexican gangs, grouped like Mafia families in the US) who are major crime cartels.  (This is NOT Westside Story where the gangs have knife fights.)  In addition to drug manufacture & distribution, there are auto theft rings, chop shops & every black market trade you can imagine.  Their brutality is legend.

I am also incredibly concerned about the OTMs (Other Than Mexicans) who have been part of a failed “trap & release” program.  (The utter failure & security breach of this policy was finally addressed by Pres. Bush the other night.)   In August of last year, I wrote about this issue in “The Myth of U.S. Border Security” These immigrants come from countries such as Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, the Philippines, Turkey, Yemen - among 35 countries of "special interest" because of alleged sponsorship or support of terrorism.

Let’s look at the points made in the President’s speech.

(1) “The United States must secure its borders.  It is a basic responsibility of a sovereign nation.  The border must be open to trade and lawful immigration & closed to criminal & illegal trafficking.”

You think in the five years since 9/11 this would have been a priority, not just for the Administration but also for the sniping political windbags that actually draft & pass legislature.

Now of course MORE MONEY must be funneled into the situation in the form of technology… the building of new patrol roads, motion sensors, infrared cameras, fences, etc.   Up to 6,000 National Guard Troops will be assigned to ASSIST Border Patrol in training & the implementation of these new roads & technology.  The Border Patrol will also increase in number over the next 2 years.

In addressing the aforementioned failed “Catch & Release” program, Bush stated, “we’ve added more beds to detention facilities.”  Also President Bush proposes that the government legally & diplomatically minimize & expedite the requisite hearings &/or the deportation process.

All the high tech in the world is not going to stop illegal immigration.  So while this is money spent & may impress some (oooh we have unmanned surveillance planes) man-power & intelligence is needed to back it up.  I say Intelligence because there has to be a sharing of information between the Mexican & American Governments & informants.

In spite of some who fear a weakening of our domestic response in case of a National Emergency, I think the 6,000 National Guard force increase to the borders is the best part of these proposals.  The build-up of the number of Border Guards will also benefit our country’s security.  However, this is just the start of the reform that is needed to secure our borders.  In my next column I will handle the other points of the President’s Speech & Washington’s response.


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Please get those boobs away from me!

2006-05-10T19:19:00.000-07:00

I’m weary of the political scene today & all its troubles.  The world & its strife will still be here tomorrow.   So please pardon my rant but I feel it’s time.  I am NO PRUDE; however I am weary of almost every product -- from Jaguars to 4-Star resorts -- being advertised by women’s tits & belly buttons.  What does a woman in a bikini have to do with an 80K automobile?  (Well maybe if you own 1, you’re more likely to get a firm body to step inside.)  Most of these commercials, inclusive of Paris Hilton writhing on a car eating a hamburger, are unisex products.  In couple-hood, typically the female partner researches & decides where the couple is spending the vacation.  Yet most resort ads feature semi-naked women getting massages, sitting by the pool or dancing with abandon.

It all started with Victoria Secret ads, which are just short of soft-core porn.  After those became acceptable all the other tit marketing followed.  You’d think beer was slimming the way all the alcohol ads feature beautiful, thin, glamorous youths entwined, (Or again dancing with bare midriffs… it seems that ad agencies think that dancing is also a strong selling point). The truth is that most habitual drinkers are not responsible according to the ads’ disclaimers.  They are sloppy, selfish, troubled souls with beer guts, bad breath & other social issues.  There is nothing beautiful about alcoholism & substance abuse which the clubs & parties (featured in the ads) are rife with. The marketing of Vegas, with “clever” commercials featuring both men & women lying to each other, not only sets up a destination steeped in deceit but one where you are expected to cheat (but not @ the tables).

Have you noticed that even the Coroners on those ubiquitous CSI / forensic shows, arrive at the crime scenes with tight slacks & their cups running over?  In real life drive by a crime scene & you’ll see people covered up against the transfer of fluids, not sticking their boobs in the corpses’ faces.

I understand the line between entertainment / marketing & real life. We all know that beauty & fantasy sells.  However, the underlying message of these programs / commercials is that something is wrong with you if you’re not screwing anything & everything that’s willing &/or you don’t have that perfect tan body with no waist, butt & ample jugs.   Perhaps if you buy our beer, cologne, antiperspirant, or fill in the blank, you too will have beautiful boobs & men climbing all over you.

No wonder our kids are over-sexualized & preyed upon. There should be no surprise that are so many people trolling the internet with 1 hand on the keyboard & the other in their pants.  When all of life is reduced to youthful body parts, life becomes very empty & unsatisfying indeed.

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Frivolous Legislature Inspired by Tom Cruise!

2006-05-05T15:43:00.000-07:00

Harry Browne noted author, politician, and free-market investment analyst once stated, “I want a government small enough to fit inside the Constitution.”   Unfortunately this statement becomes further & further away from reality with each passing day.  Government increases exponentially, while spending up a storm & creating NEEDLESS laws.   One such inane piece of proposed legislature has been introduced by California Democratic Assemblyman Ted Lieu.  Mr. Lieu was so affected by Tom Cruise / Katy Holmes use of a sonogram machine to view images of baby in vitro, that he felt a law was necessary to restrict the rest of the public from buying similar machines.

Doctors & other health care professionals apparently took a dim view of Mr. Cruise’s private use of the machine, claiming that improper use of the device can harm a fetus.  Lieu said his bill was intended to prohibit copycats from using the devices at home.  On the floor of the California Assembly, Mr. Lieu stated, "What we don't want is someone who unintentionally damages the fetus.”  The bill prohibits a manufacturer or person from selling, leasing or distributing an ultrasound machine to any person other than a licensed practitioner.

As Assemblyman Lieu also mentioned that you could find an ultrasound machine on sale on E-bay for $599.00.  So I looked on E-bay to see what fetal monitors / ultra-sound items were available.  There were 49 items up for auction / sale.  MOST were not the imaging kind that Mr. Cruise purchased.  These items are the fetal heart monitoring type devices, so that expectant parent(s) can enjoy the sound of the baby’s heartbeat.  8 of the items for sale are the imaging-type monitors.  The least expensive of which is the $599.00 model that Lieu quotes / worries about.  Of the 8 machines offered, most were over $2K.  NOT ONE HAD A BID on it.

Let’s take a look at the total UNNECESSARY time & effort that is wasted on this LUDICROUS bill.  (1) Again government is trying to legislate a woman’s womb.  If I have the coin to purchase one of these machines & want to see my unborn, I should have the right to do so.  What’s the real problem here?  Money is being taken out of the gravy train medical system.

(2) This bill presupposes that the American people (at least the Californians) are so deeply affected by Mr. Cruise’s celebrated life that we will all run out & purchase these machines the instant our fetuses can be viewed.  Help us Government! We need protection from our celebrity addictions!

(3) The average pregnant couple is more worried about how they’re going to afford their child, inclusive of all the nursery purchases & the college fund, than worry about emulating Tom Cruise by buying a sonogram.

(4) This bill, if passed, also limits a manufacturers' market.  The company will only be able to sell to those licensed to use the machine, thereby restricting free enterprise.  Believe me; all this will do is set up a black market – middle man system.  If you have the money to buy the machine, you’ll get around the paperwork.

(5) This bill leads to wasted manpower, finances & a larger government to monitor & enforce this statute.

There are so many other problems in California like crime, welfare fraud, lack of veteran benefits, illegal aliens, overcrowded schools, etc. etc.  Why is anyone distracting themselves with this?   I bring this to the attention of Americans on the whole, because every day on a Federal, State & Local level unnecessary laws are proposed & passed that you & I don’t need.  Your liberties get chipped away at.  Your money is spent frivolously.  It’s time to monitor governments’ growth & other superfluous policies.  Vote out the incumbents.  Get involved.  What your legislature does today affects your daily life whether you recognize it or not.

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Bye, Bye Zacarias

2006-05-04T10:40:00.000-07:00

After 7 days of Jury deliberation, Zacarias Moussaoui was sentenced to LIFE in prison, WITHOUT POSSIBILITY OF PAROLE. Bye-bye… better off locked away for the rest of your natural life, than turned into a martyr of reverence for future Al-Qaeda recruits. However, my feeling is that your natural life, although a healthy 37, will not be a long one. There are codes in prison. Pedophiles don’t last long in the general population & neither do those that have peculiar kinks. (Look no further than pedophile priest, John J. Geoghan & murderer/cannibal Jeffrey Daumer.) While Moussaoui doesn’t fall under either of those categories, he will be a proud terrorist in an AMERICAN prison among a largely AMERICAN POPULATION. These men will not tolerate unrepentant, bold, wishful death threats against the nation. I predict that he will not live a year in supermax general population.

When speaking in his own defense – mid April - Moussaoui said he had "no regret, no remorse" about the Sept. 11 attacks. Asked by prosecutor Rob Spencer if he would like to see it happen again, Moussaoui responded: "Every day until we get you."

His defiance continued, yesterday with, “America, you lost. I won," clapping his hands as he was led out of the courtroom after the verdict was read.

However, as the Judge Leonie Brinkema pronounced sentence today, she turned Moussaoui’s statement around, “Mr. Moussaoui, when this proceeding is over, everyone else in this room will leave to see the sun ... hear the birds ... and they can associate with whomever they want. You will spend the rest of your life in a supermax prison. It's absolutely clear who won."

While Moussaoui was again bold & verbal regarding his beliefs today, it will be the last time that he will make public statements. And I feel no remorse or regret for him. I know that most will not agree with me, I am some how troubled, under the strict principals of law, that he is being held accountable for all the deaths of 9/1l. (I supposed he could be accountable as an accessory to murder.) He bears this burden since he is the only man in the U.S. (thus far) who has been tried & convicted for his involvement in the 9/11 attacks. Since Moussaoui was in a jail in Minnesota (for immigration violations) at the time of the attacks & had been out of the Intel loop for over a month; it remains unclear whether 9/11 could’ve been prevented (even if he had sung like a canary). Are lies and / or the omission of knowledge to Federal Agents worthy of 6 life sentences? The charges of conspiracy to commit acts of terror should truly be the centerpiece of the conviction. (& his mouth certainly proved this part of the Government’s case.)

As despicable, contemptible & reprehensible I find Moussaoui to be, the emotional frenzy of the trial did not truly prove his direct accountability. (It did, however, put a face & a character to terrorism.) While I am glad that Moussaoui’s voice has been silenced, I hope the U.S. Government will base its future cases firmly on evidence rather than emotion. This said, I hope that making someone accountable for 9/11 brings some peace to the victims’ families & will make someone; somewhere feel a measure of justice has been served. If nothing else the disposition of this trial stands as a show to other potential terrorists that the U.S. Government will prosecute your actions to the fullest extent of the law. If that is any sort of deterrent, than justice has been executed.

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The Continuing Saga of the U.N.'s FAILURES

2006-04-28T14:30:00.000-07:00

The International Atomic Energy Agency released an 8-page report, Friday, written by IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei. This report formally serves notice that Tehran has shrugged off a 30-day deadline to meet the U.N. Security Council demands. Within the report are some of the following statements. (As always my added comments will be in parentheses. For further information see: http: www.Iaea.org.)

Iran has defied a U.N. Security Council call for a freeze on enriching uranium and its lack of cooperation with nuclear inspectors is a matter of concern." (A gift for understatement? Yet this shouldn’t surprise… this is typical of the woosified language of the U.N. as a whole.)

“After more than three years of an IAEA investigation, the existing gaps in knowledge continue.”

"Any progress in that regard requires full transparency and active cooperation by Iran."

"The agency cannot exclude the possibility ... that the plutonium analyzed by the agency was derived from source(s) other than declared by Iran."

While the IAEA has found no "smoking gun" proving Iran wants nuclear arms, a series of reports have revealed worrying clandestine activities - like plutonium processing - and documents, including drawings of how to mold weapons-grade uranium metal into the shape of a warhead.

WHAT WERE IRAN’S REACTIONS TO THIS REPORT & the upcoming U.N. Security Council meetings, where sanctions may be discussed?

"If the Security Council decides to take decisions that are not within its competence, then Iran does not feel obliged to obey," said Iran's U.N. ambassador, Javad Zarif.

Iranian President (& resident head case) Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stated, "The Iranian nation won't give a damn about such useless resolutions.”

There is nothing else to call these on-going statements as total disregard & rebellion. So what are the next steps that the U.N. Security Council plans to take? According to the Associated Press here are the next steps in international efforts to pressure Iran over its nuclear program:

Tuesday, May 2 - Officials from the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany - who report directly to their foreign ministers - meet in Paris to discuss strategy on Iran.

Wednesday, May 3 - The Security Council is expected to meet informally on the report.

Tuesday, May 9 - The foreign ministers of the Security Council's five permanent members plus Germany meet at U.N. headquarters in New York. The council will meet on Iran formally after those talks.

Makes you shake in your boots doesn’t it? These actions (or lack thereof) & meetings is similar to telling your errant child that he or she is grounded but you’ll take a month or 2 to decide the terms. In the meantime you give said child the keys to your car. To further illustrate the INEFFECTIVENESS, INEFFIENCY & complete INANITY of the United Nations, Iran is a vice-chair of the U.N. Disarmament Commission. In allowing Iran to vice-chair this commission the U.N. permits Iran to continue its duplicitous dealings & divert attention from the real problems, which they are at the heart of. (Sort of allowing the fox to guard the hen house.)

There are other columns of mine that have addressed my feelings regarding the U.N., most notably “Iran : Tumult in World Commerce” & UN Oil For Food Scandal - Power & Money Still Corrupts. I do not recommend marching into Iran & taking over. I do not recommend that we bomb them to kingdom come (although I find this almost comforting). However, if the U.N. continues its pussy-footing around, we will still be discussing this 8 years from now, although by then they will have weapons that can be launched as far as Europe. We all know that sanctions against a renegade nation don’t work. Sanctions only make the little people suffer, since the power mad leaders don’t care about the citizens. Ahmadinejad (like Saddam before him) & his minions will live like kings. Real action behind real enforced deadlines MUST be proposed. In order for this to work, unity among the Security Council Members is imperative. France & Russia cannot be allowed to double deal as they did with Iraq. France, Russia & China must be held accountable if they trade information or technology with Iran. Someone within the Security Council must find the gonads to tell it like is instead of the politically correct posturing, under the guise of diplomacy, which continues to mire us in limbo allowing lunatics to call the shots. Until that time, anything the U.N. mandates will be scorned.

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Prison Ponderings

2006-04-24T22:41:00.000-07:00

I had a new experience yesterday. (One I never hope to repeat.) I went to a Federal Prison to see the daughter of 1 of my closest friends, a young woman that I have known since her birth. While this particular penitentiary is classified as a minimum security facility, it was still eye-opening to see how much of the system is devoted to profit margin, rules enforced or ignored by the whim of the guards, inefficiency & government bureaucracy.

For years I have heard how the prison system is in need of reform. And there are many in government who don’t care about this reality, figuring you did the crime, who cares how you do the time. (I believe that, unless the system touches close to home, most of the American public holds the same opinion.) One visit does not an authority make. However, any thinking person can see that the system is broken.

At the front gate, only the driver had to produce ID. I suppose that the gate guard assumes that once inside, all will be screened. However, as far as I’m concerned, this is a security breach. (Once inside the gate who knows what havoc we 2 blondes & a red head could have ignited.) I found visitor security on the whole, while having a façade of scrutiny, to be more lax than airport screening.

Upon entering the Visitor’s check-in, I went to the desk, where you fill out paperwork & present photo ID. (No problem there) This information is then typed into a computer. While that’s being done, you have to repeat the same information in a separate logbook. (I guess this is to satisfy Government’s need for an abundance of needless paperwork.) By the way, you are not allowed to take anything into the prison with you other than a see through baggie with money in it so that you can pump dollars into the vending machine. (More about that later.) This is understandable since the prison doesn’t want you to have a means to transport contraband. Anything that can come off your person, without nudity, like glasses, (does anyone know what you could smuggle in on your lenses) shoes, belts, (in my case an albuterol inhaler) MUST go through the x-ray machine. Then you walk through the metal detector. I triggered it 3x, after each time, I was wanded. We couldn’t find the source of the metal, so my hand was stamped with invisible ink & I was allowed to proceed.

You enter in small groups, with a single guard, through the first set of bars, where your stamp is checked under black light. Then you go through the 2nd set of steel doors & onto the Visitors Center. It is an extremely sterile room with uncomfortable molded plastic chairs. The room is so noisy that you wind up screaming to be heard. (We eventually went outside to the tiny, barbwire enclosed yard where I promptly got eaten alive by fire ants, but at least I could hear my inmate.) This Center houses 2 guards who are supposed to watch your every move, to make sure that nothing is transferred to an inmate. However, I found that they spent a good deal of time chatting with each other, with other guards on grounds patrol & phone calls. Had I been able to smuggle something, I had ample opportunity to make an exchange.

The room is filled with Vending machines so that you can purchase (mostly junk food & sugar) sandwiches, drinks, etc. to share with your loved one. It’s very sad to see children, as young as infants visiting. (It’s even more pitiful to watch the mothers say goodbye at the end of visiting hours.)

My general impressions: (1) The guards are all Minorities, who seem to derive great pleasure out of looking stern, being gruff & yelling. To say they were unnecessarily loud & rude is an understatement. 1 Guard felt totally at liberty to make fun of my last name. Since I don’t intimidate easily, I felt at liberty to let him know he was an a-hole. (Give someone who is used to being down a bit of authority & they will laud it over whitey at every turn.)
(2) Each prisoner is issued a cotton uniform that resembles surgeon’s scrubs. In the hot climate where I was, they are allowed to wear shorts AFTER 4 p.m. (Note that this is after the heat of the day) if they purchase them. Also they may purchase sweats for the winter months. Get my drift? Purchase…. Everything is for sale, personal hygiene products, newspapers & even contraband. (Although the gov’t makes no dough from the contraband, at least that I know of.) My friend told me that anything you find on the outside, you may obtain behind bars. When questioned about the strip search she had to endure before returning to her cell, she said, “If you can bend over & cough without ejecting the substance, you can bring back inside.”

(3) Most of the prisoners are overweight & I don’t mean pumped up. I was told that the food was all fried meats, starches & very few veggies, (Potatoes being the only fresh ones). There’s almost no fruit & deserts are plentiful. This prison is on a pilot program that features a salad bar with 5 selections. The prisoners who care about their weight, like my friend, only eat the meat & the salad bar. Since salad stuff can’t be any more expensive than frozen & canned vegetables, I hope that this program will be instituted elsewhere. I don’t understand, with all the empty land around the prison, why a gardening program couldn’t be started. It would be CHEAPER than the canned crap (no more than the price of seeds or starter plants) & it would reap a healthy harvest. Additionally, this would certainly be more rehabilitating to inmates than standing around smoking.

(4) My dear, sweet, formally drug addicted, 26 year-old friend had become very HARDENED in her 2-½ years inside. (She told me that MOST of the inmates are there on drug charges.) While this particular facility has an excellent drug rehab program, I don’t understand the need to incarcerate sick, non-violent people in a prison environ. I believe that there is a NEED for lock-down drug rehab (other than for celebrities & the rich) rather than prison. Fraternizing with violent inmates makes an individual tough, exposing them to criminals previously never dealt with.

(5) Other than drug & alcohol rehab, there is LITTLE offered to a prisoner to give them skills & an opportunity to survive in the real world. (They may take college courses if the families are able to pay for the inmate.)

This column is just skims the surface of the b.s. & inadequacies of incarceration. Reform is sorely needed. Without it, we will forever be building additional & larger facilities.

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Thoughts on the Pulitizer & Soaring Gas Prices

2006-04-18T15:23:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to The New Orleans Times-Picayune and the Sun Herald of Gulfport, Miss., which won the Pulitzer Prize for public service for their coverage of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.  (This outstanding coverage of the recovery, corruption, etc. continues to date.) The Times-Picayune, which was pushed out of its offices by the storm and forced to publish only on the Internet for a period, also won a 2nd Pulitzer for breaking-news reporting for its Katrina coverage.  I personally used the both newspapers to glean important information for several of my columns.  The Times-Picayune, in particular, has really captured the entire maelstrom in all its complexity.  The reportage has just been outstanding & it should stand as a testimony to the importance of local news that all too often has become nothing more than tabloid journalism (regurgitating the same opinions, speculation & gossip that have become the fodder of most dailies).   It does my soul good to see “small town papers” get the recognition for their work, other than just the widely known nationals.

If you own a car & have visited a gas station in the last 2 weeks, you know that FUEL PRICES ARE AT AN ALL TIME RECORD HIGH!  Light, sweet crude for May delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange surpassed the previous intraday record of $70.85, set Aug. 30, rising to $71.15, an increase of 75 cents from Monday's record closing price.  This climbing crude price is said to be due to persistent concerns about Iran's nuclear program and supply disruptions in Nigeria.  (This overshadowed a new report from OPEC forecasting weakening global demand.) Also supporting high oil prices is booming demand in emerging economies such as China and India.

Although this crude will NOT BE IN OUR PUMPS FOR MONTHS, the consumer is paying the increase right today.  The nationwide average price for Regular Unleaded gas is at $2.79 per gallon.  Here in Los Angeles that price is $3.10.  (Premium is $3.20)
As I was being price gouged at Shell today, all I could think about was the $69.7 million compensation package and $98 million pension payout to Exxon Mobil Corp.'s (XOM) former chief executive and chairman Lee R. Raymond.

To say that I’m LIVID is an understatement.  That Exxon could still report windfall profits while paying out an exorbitant retirement sum to 1 man (who was already loaded) ought to clue you in to the extreme profit margin that you & are paying.

Every time I see a Hummer or SUV driven by a loan individual (I could excuse car poolers or soccer moms) I want to smear its windows with mud & write PIG across them. WE MUST REDUCE THE GAS CONSUMPTION IN THIS COUNTRY!  Because American Car Manufacturers & other Automotive Entrepreneurs waited too long to begin to develop alternative fuels & hybrids, the technology is still costly & not plentifully available to the average Joe & Jane.  No one had the sense to read the tides of trouble in the Middle East & therefore automotive manufacturers continued to build bigger, more conspicuous vehicular symbols of affluence.

It’s the old truth of supply & demand.  If our demand for crude decreases then the price of it will follow.  If your salary hasn’t increased, you must also realize that you have to modify your driving behavior.  Carpool & group errands, thereby economizing.  If you’re going to a major metropolitan area, use public transport.  Combine exercise with fuel economy; WALK OR BIKE!  Not only are we energy hogs but we are rapidly becoming increasingly OBESE.   Consider walking or biking to destinations that are 2 miles or less round trip.  You’ll save fuel & trim your body.  (You could even save those gym fees.)  Buy a hybrid or a Vespa.  Consider a diesel.  Diesel engines can run on a biodiesel blend.  If you click on that link, you’ll find out about local availability.  Again, the axiom is true: increase demand for biofuels & the production of the alternatives will rise & its output cheaper.

Everyone wins with reduced fuel consummation.   The price will decrease.  You’ll have more money to spend on something else you need like food, education, reducing your other debts.  And ultimately we will become less dependent on the increasingly volatile Middle East.  They would lose their stranglehold on us & we’d also save the blood of our young men & women.

Easter Weekend -- The Sublime & the Silly

2006-04-14T16:14:00.000-07:00

Today is the day that many Christians (other than Orthodox who celebrate the holy days next weekend) revere as Good Friday.  Christians remember that after his passion, Jesus, the Christ, the son of God, gave his life on the tree to redeem mankind.  In his broken body & shed blood is physical, mental & spiritual wholeness.  When God raised him, Jesus broke the bondage of sin & death.  Christ Jesus led captivity captive & set us free.  Jesus Christ instituted a new law & a new age (that has yet to come to an end).  The new law is love.  The new age is grace.   He is Risen! Have a blessed Easter weekend!

Since it is the holiday weekend, I don’t choose to focus on the “Moussaouis” & the problems of this world.  (Monday is soon enough to discuss Iran & other debacles.)
Instead I thought I’d look at some of the utter silliness of humankind.

Grillz:  As if anyone really needed to look this ridiculous; Grillz are the newest trend in mouth jewelry.  This bling is favored by the gangsta fashion plates of the hip-hop world.  They are removable mouthpieces made of gold, platinum or silver and sometimes studded with jewels.  Generally, tooth imprints are made and sent to a jeweler who fashions the fronts and returns them to the client or retailer where the items were purchased.  This is fine for those wealthy enough that they don’t know what else to do with their dollars but flash excess.  But of course these have become an object of desire for the young fan worshippers of rap. It’s one thing to wear oversized jewelry & sweatsuits & quite another to spend what you can’t afford to damage your gums.  The American Dental Association warns that snap-on grills do not fit particularly well around the teeth, allowing food and bacteria to get trapped underneath, which can cause cavities or other problems like gum disease or gum recession. Other dangers include allergic reactions to cheap metals and adverse reactions to jewelry cleaners, which can burn gums.  (And Jesus Christ died for this too.)

The World’s Most Expensive Sandwich:  The McDonald sandwich - named after its creator Scott McDonald, the chef at London department store Selfridges sells for 85 pounds sterling. (Or about $155 American) The ingredients of this delicacy are:
Wagyu beef, fresh lobe foie gras, (that’s a pate that’s made from an organ, most likely the lung of something) black truffle (an expensive earthy tasting – woody mushroom) mayonnaise, brie de meaux, rocket (a Euro lettuce similar to arugala), red pepper and mustard confit (preserved in oil or lard) and English plum tomatoes.  This is all packed into a 24-hour fermented sour dough bread.

For the record, this is the definition I found on-line for the beef used. “Wagyu cattle are one of the most expensive breeds in the world. The Japanese cows are raised on a special diet, including beer and grain. They are supposed to be regularly massaged with sake, the Japanese rice wine, to tenderize the flesh.”

Just before my b’day I had a salad that had the prized beef shaved into the salad along with the glorious shaved black truffles.  I say shaved since they slices were so thin, I couldn’t find them in the $18 cupful of greens on my plate.  (The flavors were delicious.)

Selfridges will be a Mecca for those foodies that have tasted everything & can afford this new extravagant concoction. This is just all so self-indulgent, again I just shake my head & laugh. (& Jesus died for this too.)

The obsession with Tom & Katie’s silent birth:  Why is this NEWS?  How one chooses to give birth to one’s family should be your own business.  Why does Mr. Cruise feel a need to leak such intimate details to the media?   & then why does this set off a controversy?  Who cares that the couple & the attendant medical staff will be observing silence?  Birth may be nice in a quiet, low-lit environment, with only the only sounds being that of a mother’s screams & the newborn’s first cries.

Live joyously this weekend.  Love your family & friends, because Jesus so loved that he gave. There’s nothing silly about that.

There’s also NOTHING silly about Orlando Luxury Real Estate.   Living here will make you a big hit with all your relatives who want to hit the theme parks.  But you’ll be living this lifestyle all year ‘round.

Zacarias Moussaoui - The Prosecution Rests

2006-04-12T15:26:00.000-07:00

The prosecution rested today in the Penalty phase of Zacarias Moussaoui’s trial after several grueling days of testimony.  Since cameras are not allowed in the courtroom, we have to rely on the news media for a sense of what’s happening inside.   Various transcripts have been released inclusive of the Cockpit recordings of Flight 93.  Reading transcripts, while powerful, doesn’t have the same impact as hearing the voices of those now dead.  (Or hearing the tremor in the voices of Rudy Guiliani & various family members tell their stories.)

I wish everyone could see this phase of the trial.  It would be good for many reasons.  Firstly it would remind the American people that we were attacked on 9/11 & many, many lives were senselessly lost in New York, Washington, D.C. & on a field in PA. And among the friends & loved ones these victims left behind, are lives that have been inalterably changed.

Secondly watching Moussaoui’s total CONTEMPT for the victims & survivors of 9/11 puts a face to the nature of the people we are fighting.  He has laughed at the pain of others. He has smiled smugly when he hasn’t been cursing America in many a courtroom outburst.  This is inclusive of today’s “blessing” of “God curse you all,” as the Jury was dismissed for the day.

Many in World Politics would have the populace believe that terrorists can be reasoned with, appeased or brought to legitimacy. (They point to Northern Ireland & Sein Fenn.  Hamas’ ability to govern is still unknown.)    There is no diplomatic solution.  There is only capitulation or a good offense & defense. Terrorists are bred to die, glorying in their martyrdom.  (You can not make light of that, regardless of how many virgin jokes stand-up comedians have told.)   Terrorists are sold out & fully committed, as evidenced in the cockpit recordings played today.  They prefer to crash a plane futilely & mercilessly while they invoke the name of their lord…” Allah is the greatest!”  Four words chanted 9 times as the plane was about to crash.  The Western World doesn’t understand this mentality of hatred & bloodlust (“kill the infidels for Allah”).   To glimpse the blind illogic of a Moussaoui educates the public.

I really don’t care what happens to Zacarias Moussaoui.  Kill him & he becomes a martyr.  Sentence him to life & we pay for his upkeep the rest of his natural life. Making someone accountable for 9/11 must make someone; somewhere feel a measure of justice is served.  However, remember that Moussaoui was in a jail in Minnesota at the time of the attacks & had been out of the Intel loop for over a month.  Therefore, there is no evidence that even if he’d told the FBI whatever knowledge he possessed, that the attacks would’ve been prevented.  Who knows what role Moussaoui really played in the planning of that event?  (His defense has presented testimony indicating he was a minor player & actually annoying to Al Qaeda leaders.) And there were many intelligence failures leading up to that tragic September day.

Personally, I won’t feel any sense of justice for the victims’ families & America until the masterminds of 9/11 are caught & tried or killed.

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Analysis of an Apology: Cynthia McKinney

2006-04-06T18:49:00.000-07:00

“Sincere Regret for the encounter.”

“There should not have been any physical contact in this incident.”

“Sorry that the misunderstanding happened at all & I regret its escalation.”

“And I apologize” (which was met with applause).

These are the highlights of the 1 minute speech Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) gave on the floor of the House this afternoon in Washington, D.C.  This apology came 8 full days after McKinney tried to bypass the metal detector & enter the Longworth House Office Building.   (Lawmakers are permitted to skip the security checkpoints if they are wearing a congressional lapel pin that identifies them as an elected official or if they are recognized by the police.)

This apology, of sorts, came on the same day that a Federal Grand Jury was convened to hear the testimony of 2 House Staff Aides that witnessed the incident.  (Coincidence?)  Their testimony apparently centers on the fact that the Capitol Police Officer involved, reportedly made 3 verbal attempts to stop Ms. McKinney.  When that failed to halt her, the Police Officer grabbed her wrist or arm to halt her.  She came around swinging, “allegedly” beating the Officer on the chest.

My analysis:  In daily life we all perform routine, habitual tasks to which we give little thought.  We’re on auto-pilot.  (Unfortunately some people drive this way too.)  Entering a building that you’ve entered thousands of times over a 6 terms in office, would certainly put most in that auto-pilot mode.  I know that when one is disturbed from their own reverie by an unexpected bump, touch or grab, adrenalin kicks in & one reacts.  (As a former subway rider I know about inappropriate touching.) This is particularly true when it pertains to a woman.  Women are & should be more on-guard.

Buying into the operating by rote theory, McKinney may very well have thought she was wearing her badge.  She may have been so mentally preoccupied that in the hustle & bustle of the office bldg, she didn’t hear the Officer’s command for her to halt.  (even 3 times)  She may have been so shocked or alarmed by the restraint of the Police Officer that her mind went into self defense mode.  But as she swung around & saw the UNIFORM, the alarm system should have shut down.  (Also knowing that there are Security forces in the lobby, wouldn’t you call for help if you felt panic?) Even if the uniform didn’t immediately mentally register with her, why the hostility & the “beating” of the man’s chest?  (Surely it is easier to recognize the Capitol’s police uniform more than her recent hairdo makeover.)

I don’t know what it feels like to be African American.  But I do know how it feels to be victimized as a woman.  Therefore, I give McKinney the benefit of the doubt.  However, I can not give her a pass on the RACISM allegations.  Making this a racial issue does not serve her constituents nor does it bridge the understanding gap between the races.  Her attitude & declarations of racial profiling only lights a fuse.  She is off-putting.  This could readily been seen in the annoyance of every host she encountered as she made the talk show rounds on Wednesday.  McKinney fed every host, both male & female with the same catch phrase: “This is much ado about a hairdo.”  (Usually shouted over the host’s attempts to get McKinney to answer questions.)   Why go on a talk show if you are going to duck the issue?  It gave Jimmy Kimmel mileage out of replaying the same statement to 5 different hosts.

Her “apology” today was very scripted, by her attorney & probably the Congressional Black Caucus that met with her prior to her announcement.  Her statement was vague.  & I don’t know who she was actually apologizing to or for what. McKinney is another case, regardless of sex or race, of a long-term “fat cat” politico.  After 6 terms in office, McKinney is at the point where she has forgotten that she is in Washington to serve & instead has grown accustomed to being served.   I don’t believe that she should be arrested.  That will only serve to cause more discord & separation dually making her a object of derision & sympathy. I do think she should be censured & VOTED OUT OF OFFICE at the end of her term.

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My "tango" with Cyber Crime

2006-04-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

By now we’ve all received at least 1 scam or phishing e-mail. (These seem to grow proportionately with the amount of one’s internet activity.)  As a rule, I NEVER open an e-mail from someone I don’t know.  I NEVER accept unsolicited offers from companies, no matter how fabulous the “free” goodies may appear. I DO NOT click on links inside e-mails, even if I think they may actually come from 1 of my account providers.  It is safer to log into your account & deal with the “problem” there.  (99.9% of the time, there is no problem.  & if there is, the information will be duplicated in your account history.)
I DO NOT visit chat rooms since the 1 time that I logged into a discussion on financial strategies & had some one “announce” that they were horny.   (& the conversation downgraded from there.)   I also have a firewall, 2 ad ware programs & a virus program.  I have numerous e-mail addresses, inclusive of an address that I use primarily to log into websites with.

As Internet Users become savvier to the scams, the criminals become more elaborate in their techniques.  Scammers troll classified ad websites, such as the Recycler, Craig’s List & the Pennysaver, looking for high end merchandise to steal.  These sites are meant to be used locally, where buyer & seller can meet & exchange the goods for cash.  However, with the rise of postings the temptation to accept out of town offers has also increased.  Initially merchandise was stolen when the “purchaser” sent bogus Western Union & USPS money orders.  They look genuine & were deposited in one’s back account.  So the Seller sends the merchandise, because the Buyer is usually very anxious for your item.  Then 5 – 10 days later the bogus m.o. is returned to your bank & you’re out the cash, your item & have bank fees added as an insult.

As a collector, I am always trading, upgrading & liquidating.  My tastes also change & I get tired of stuff.  I prefer to keep only that which I really love.  I’m currently attempting to sell a number of things. (Email ohheckorama@juno.com for more photos, prices or details.) Therefore, I am answering e-mails from all sorts, (forwarded through an anonymous mailbox) among them the scammers.  I know it would be safer to discard ALL out of town offers.  However, I have had some successful shipped transactions, so I do play “the game” to a point.  Usually the second I mandate that I either be paid via a Western Union transfer (where I can pick up cash at any W.U. terminal) or a USPS m.o. that I can cash at the post office (as opposed to depositing), the respondent goes away.  I usually go no further; no reports to my ISP provider, the bulletin website or the Feds.

However, this past week, I received such an elaborate e-mail that I had to follow through.  I was corresponding with a Rose Tola of Oregon.  She wanted my Art Nouveau ruby & pearl necklace.  We agreed on a price, inclusive of shipping.  Then I received an e-mail that stated she had deposited funds for $50 more than I’d asked. I know that this is supposed to appeal to the greed that beats in the heart of every man.  But think about it, who would willing overpay for anything?  Would you go into Bloomingdale’s & think an outfit so fab, that you’d pay more than the ticket price?  Of course not!  In this day & time, everyone is searching for a bargain.  But I digress.  The e-mail I received used many of the images found on the U.S. Post Office website, inclusive of logos. An image of the executed Postal Money Order was included.  The F.B.I logo, certifying the safety & veracity of the transaction was also part of the transmission.  Additionally, when I clicked on the e-mail, my browser picked up on a security certificate that was registered to the FBI. I thought that the FBI should be made aware of this.

I’d heard since 9/11 that the FBI’s attention to things other than counter-terrorism had been greatly diminished.  & since I really hadn’t lost anything, I also figured it would just be a report that some day a human would actually see.  To my surprise, within MINUTES of filing my on-line report, the FBI called me.  They gave me further information as to where to send all the correspondence.  (The on-line report is initially a text file only.)  It’s great to know that Cyber crime is being actively investigated, no matter how intricate & lengthy the process to build cases.

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Birthday Reflections of an April Fool

2006-04-01T11:33:00.000-08:00

I’m more middle-aged today, another year older. (& that’s my way of saying I won’t discuss the number.) & “Life in Heck” is almost 1 year old!

I think birthdays make most people reflective, so indulge me while I ruminate. For what it’s worth, this is what I’ve learned, in no particular order.

(1)You really can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear no matter how promising you think the pig. (I know a sow is a female but this applies to both genders.)

(2)Bad boys are thrilling for awhile, but know there’s no longevity.

(3)No matter how dark the night, sunrise always comes.

(4)Many of the things my parents told me were right.

(5)Don’t rush your life, even when it sucks.

(6)Things were made to use. People were made to love. (Most often people act as though it were the other way around.)

(7) Just because you’re kind or loving to someone doesn’t mean that person will reciprocate.

(8)If the Bible is right, spiritual forces are at work in this world. It’s the only explanation for blind hatred, depravity, murder & disasters. (Eph 6:12 For ours is not a conflict with mere flesh and blood, but with the despotisms, the empires, the forces that control and govern this dark world--the spiritual hosts of evil arrayed against us in the heavenly warfare. )

(9)Words can wound or heal. Words can also determine one’s destiny or defeat.

(10)Living in the past is a waste of time. Learn from it & move on.

(11)Living in the future makes one miss the joys of the present.

(12)There are 2 sides to every story & 1 participant in the equation is not all right while the other is all wrong.

(13)Be good to yourself without being selfish.

(14)Sadness & Stress makes you sick, while laughter does one’s soul good. (Ps 126:2 & Prov. 17:22)

(15)Caring for animals is more rewarding than the requisite labor.

(16)You’re never too old to fall in love. But don’t put your life on hold if you’re not coupled.

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The Immigration Situation

2006-03-29T00:46:00.000-08:00

As the Illegal Alien Immigration issue is debated by a U.S. Senate panel & over ½ million people protested any Senate regulation or crack-down -- a very revealing poll was conducted by research groups CIDAC and Zogby International.  (There are several proposals before the Senate.  Bottom line: some of the 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States will be given an opportunity to earn citizenship. The panel will also discuss letting foreigners in as legal guest workers and giving them a chance to earn permanent status.)

2,010 Mexicans and Americans were surveyed on such issues as building a wall between the 2 countries & how both nationalities viewed each other.  The only thing that both sides agreed on was no wall.  Americans questioned viewed Mexicans as hard-working and honest, while many Mexicans in the survey saw Americans as racist and intolerant.  Eighty-five percent of Americans had a favorable or very favorable impression of Mexicans, while 53 percent of Mexicans had an unfavorable or very unfavorable opinion of Americans.  Forty-four percent of Mexicans even said that U.S. culture had a negative impact on their country.

It’s not just Mexican immigrants that take advantage of the American system.  Many other cultures, Russians, Armenians & Asians immigrate & then refuse to integrate.  Many never even bother to learn the language, (try that in France or some other Euro country) staying within their own communities, while taking advantage of health, education & other social entitlements such as Section 8 housing.

I do believe most Mexicans are very hard working.  & many perform jobs that Americans don’t want to do.  However, they overload the medical system to the point where Americans can’t get help.  & then our aid is repaid with ingratitude, negativity & protests!

We all know that America was built on the backs of (largely) European immigrants; the English, the Dutch, the Germans, the Italians & the Irish.  It is what has made American culture so rich & diverse.   No other country on this planet is as generous & welcoming as America. But it is time to set quotas, to give Americans first shot at entitlements, education and health care.

The following statement, which makes my case more eloquently than I, has been ATTRIBUTED to a 1907 speech by Teddy Roosevelt. "In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Spring has sprung!  I did a lot of planting recently & have sadly watched all SoCal’s March showers make a mess of my flowers.  In the meantime, nothing says Spring like long-lasting Gerbera Daisies.  Buy some to chase away the rainy day gloom.

Still NO Justice for Natalee Holloway & Lana Clarkson

2006-03-24T11:10:00.000-08:00

There is a new theory being floated in the Natalee Holloway case.

Gerald Dompig, deputy chief of police for Aruba told CBS “48 Hours” correspondent Troy Roberts that “We feel strongly that she probably went into shock or something happened to her system with all the alcohol — maybe on top of that, other drugs, which either she took or they gave her — and that she ... just collapsed." The deputy chief believes that after Holloway's death there was a panicked cover-up. Dompig says the investigation has entered a "critical last phase." Dompig tells Roberts that investigators believe Holloway's body is on the island, but suspects it was moved to avoid detection and then reburied. "He [the witness] wanted to talk about the fact that he knew more about the whereabouts of Natalee …concerning a specific burial location. … The information that this person gave was too specific to just be a story that was just made up by someone."   (Why not?  Great fiction is detailed & made up by someone. & like no one has ever led the police on a wild goose chase before.)Based on the new information, investigators will begin a new search on the northern tip of the island in the sand dunes near the lighthouse.

Okay, so maybe Natalee did O.D.  (Or if she was drunk, did she aspirate her own vomit?) Yet if her body “collapsed” could she have been helped if taken to a hospital?  She was with 3 able bodied young men.  What did they do or not do?  Natalee was a beautiful (probably naïve) teen who, while attracted to a local “hottie,” made the mistake of getting into a car with total strangers.  She was looking to have fun with Joran.  She certainly didn’t get to the beach, dig herself a hole & jump in before expiring.  Couldn’t van der Sloot & the Kalpoes, still be culpable for her death?  At the very least they were complicit in a cover-up.  (& why didn’t this “credible witness” step in to help prior to 2 months ago?)

Even in the idiocy of my late teens & early 20s, if someone were to have a seizure, heart attack or some other life threatening occurrence in front of me, I would call for help.  (& this was before the days of cell phones.)    And so would you.  We would not conspire to hide the acquaintance’s body & weave an elaborate web of lies if we didn’t have something to cover-up.

For the sake of the Holloway & Twitty families, I hope that new search finds Natalee.  Autopsy & Forensic tests would certainly fill in the blanks.  I hope that this new theory isn’t being floated to cover up the ineptitude of the Gerald Dompig & the Aruban police.  May the family finally have peace & Natalee get some justice.

Justice seems to be no closer for Lana Clarkson.  (See: Phil Spector - A Wall of Denial & Illogic)   Due to the scheduling conflicts of prosecutors and a defense attorney, Superior Court Judge Larry Fidler set a new trial date of Sept. 11th for Spector.  Spector is accused of killing actress Lana Clarkson in his mansion on Feb. 3, 2003.  Her family has been waiting for justice for over 3 years now, while Spector walks free in the daylight.   This postponement is just the latest in a series of maneuvers that stalls this case from coming to trial.  Spector’s fame & fortune has made a travesty of justice!  Take away his deep pockets & he’d already be rotting in the gray bar hotel.

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Forget blaming FEMA - Ray Nagin should be held accountable!

2006-03-21T13:19:00.000-08:00

Imagine this…your backyard (front yard, whatever suits your mental image) is filled with rotting, rusting, useless cars & trucks.  They’re an eyesore & you are not sure how to remedy the situation. Along comes a car crushing company that offers you $100 per car to haul off this metal scrap yard.   You are so thrilled that after your little dance of joy, you kiss the guy on the mouth & tell him who to make the check out to.   Right?  No, instead you negotiate a contract that would cost you money to have the cars towed off your land.  Then your family & friends have you hauled off to the local sanitarium for a much needed rest & mental health evaluation.

Sounds pretty idiotic doesn’t it?  Well, this is exactly what Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans is in negotiations to do with the auto junkyard left behind by Hurricane Katrina.

James Varney of the New Orleans Times-Picayune has uncovered this debacle & reported it March 19th.   According to Varney’s research & interviews, Nagin is negotiating a contract that will cost the City 23 million dollars to have the abandoned, rusting vehicles removed.   This is instead of a deal that was offered by K&L Auto Crushers of Tyler, Texas.  K&L’s proposal, according to owner Dan Simpson, was to bring in between five and 10 mobile crushers. Working them six days a week at scattered sites around the city, K&L offered to crumple and haul the vehicles and handle the "remediation," or environmental disposal of gasoline, oil and other hazardous wastes and do all the paperwork.  He would pay the City $100 per vehicle. With an estimated 50,000 vehicles on the street, the City would have netted $5 million.

Dan Simpson states that he first made this offer to Ray Nagin 5 weeks after Katrina struck.  Nagin was unsure whether the City had the legal right to remove the cars.  (Okay this is valid. He’s in the public eye of the storm, wouldn’t want to do anything he was not empowered to do.)  So what does he do?  Does he call up the barrage of lawyers available to him to check the legality of the removal?  No!  He begins a long negotiation (which is still ongoing) to PAY for the removal.  (What does he care, it’s Federal Funds!)

For the record, according to City ordinance 66-101 "junked, abandoned, and wrecked vehicles, can be crushed and dismantled and sold for scrap 15 days after a certified letter is sent to its last known owner.”   You’d think as Mayor, he’d know this.  Obviously since he didn’t, you’d think he’d make the call to find out.

It gets worse.  Apparently K&L isn’t the only company that bid on the vehicular removal.  According to Lt. Alan Carpenter, who heads the State Police's auto insurance fraud division, "We've had lots of crushers call up and say, 'Hey, we want to take care of your problem,' and I say, 'Well, I appreciate that.' "

Yes, there would be red tape involved in the process, such as the environmental permits that  would have to be obtained along with the paperwork attached to the cars.  However, those considerations apply whether the city is collecting money for the scrap metal or paying millions to have someone haul it away. "We'd clean up after ourselves and move on," K&L’s Dan Simpson said. "They could have someone from the Environmental Protection Agency sitting right there watching the whole operation if they wanted."

Instead the 50K cars remain an ongoing problem with no immediate resolution.  Nagin seems like a nice guy who wants to do the right by New Orleans.  It should be obvious to the world & New Orleans’ citizens by now that Nagin is just INEPT & INCAPABLE, OVERWHELMED & perhaps just too stupid to lead his City back to recovery.  He needs help.  He SHOULD NOT be trusted with Federal Funds.  A wiser man would admit to his shortcomings & call Rudy Giuliani.

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Shame & Praise: Of Jackson & Clooney

2006-03-17T08:13:00.000-08:00

Since last June, (when he was famously acquitted for child molestation) Michael Jackson has been out of the country primarily living in the Middle East.  Reportedly, Prince Abdullah of Bahrain has supplied Jackson with a driver, a Bentley GT and a Rolls Royce Phantom.   (Apparently it is the Middle East’s turn to be fascinated by this freak.)   Jackson also hops around Europe with his children & entourage in tow, while here in America he faces several lawsuits as well as the foreclosure on $270 million of loans.  Must be nice to have no conscience!   That’s the only way you can live the rarefied life he’s living while sentencing his former employees (some who’ve worked at Neverland Ranch since Jackson acquired the property in the late1980s) to one of financial struggle & uncertainty all with a “side” of no health insurance.

Neverland Ranch was officially closed today by the California State Labor Board.    Reports are that Employees were summoned to the ranch yesterday in staggered groups & given back pay for 12 weeks through today.  They received NO SEVERANCE or PENSIONS.  Their insurance coverage ran out late February.  Why this makes this ineligible to apply for Cobra coverage I don’t understand.  (Some Senator or Congressperson should champion their cause.)  This is a crime & utterly despicable. I am going to hurl (soft) objects at my TV screen every time I see that walking corpse on camera.  He disgusts me.

I’ve been liking George Clooney lately.  I thought his acceptance speech at the Academy Awards was dignified & thoughtful.  Now he has given his Oscar gift bag to the United Way Hurricane Response and Relief Recovery Fund.  The bag, containing such high end swag as a BlackBerry 8700c, a Kay Unger kimono & a cultured Tahitian-pearl necklace, will be auctioned in its entirety. The winning bidder will also receive a handwritten thank-you note from Clooney acknowledging the donation to hurricane relief.

With each passing year the free gifts that go to the Presenters become more & more lavish.  Thousands of dollars of luxury goods & services are given to those that don’t need hand-outs. This donation cost Clooney nothing, but gains him respect.  His actions speak louder than a whole lot of political quips.

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On the Topic of JUSTICE -- Milosevic & a Florida Teen

2006-03-14T13:42:00.000-08:00

“The Butcher of the Balkans,” Slobodan Milosevic, who orchestrated a bloody ethnic cleansing over a course of a decade that killed 250,000 people and broke up his country, died peacefully in his sleep of a heart attack.   He didn’t pass away in the luxury that former Heads of State usually enjoy after office.  He expired in a prison cell, after being on trial in The Hague since February 2002.  (He was defending himself against 66 counts of crimes, including genocide, in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo.)  There is a modicum of justice in the fact that the last years of his life he was in confinement without freedom & privacy.  He had to face his sins publicly on the world stage.  Yet is that enough justice for the families of the 250K souls that he had slaughtered?

Yesterday Citizens of Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo said his death brought some justice to Milosevic’s victims.  "Finally, we have some reason to smile. God is fair," said Hajra Catic, who heads an association of women that lost their loved ones in the 1995 massacre of 8,000 Muslims in the eastern Srebrenica enclave by Serb troops.

May Milosevic’s eradication from the earth bring comfort & closure to the victim’s families.    May Saddam’s trial be swifter than this 4 year legal mire.  And why can’t Milosevic’s wife¸ Mirjana Markovic, who was often accused of being the power behind the scenes during her husband's autocratic rule, be deported from Russia & made to stand trial?

On the topic of justice, the Florida family of Martin Lee Anderson, have begun the arduous pursuit (why – because it involves law enforcement which means mountains of paper & man hours of investigations), of justice for his death.  Anderson was beaten to death by Guards in a “boot camp” in Bay County.    What was his “heinous” crime?  Probation violation for trespassing at a school after him and his cousins were charged with stealing their grandmother's car from a church parking lot. (Many a young lad has gone joy riding & lived to tell the tale.)   It was Anderson's first day at the boot camp when he collapsed during exercises.  On the video tape seen around the world, Anderson was repeatedly struck and kicked by several guards while helpless on the ground.  I remind you that these were Adult males, while Anderson was a 14 yr old “kid.”  Surely 1 of those burly men could’ve have subdued a skinny unarmed teen.  The Coroner who initially ruled his death as a complication of sickle cell anemia should lose his job!

Noted pathologist Dr. Michael Baden, has been hired by Anderson's family & observed the second autopsy that was conducted on the teenager's body Monday.  After the 12-hour autopsy Baden said, "My opinion is that he died because of what you see in the videotape."  Dr. Baden will lend credibility to the family’s judicial pursuits but I could have told you what the kid died from the first time I cringed watching the Anderson brutality.  While no guards had been arrested or fired by today, the camp, operated by the Bay County Sheriff's Office, has been CLOSED!

The closure of the facility does mean that other JUVENILES may not suffer a similar fate.  But the question is begged to be asked… WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON IN FLORIDA?  Florida arguably has the worst track record when it comes to CHILD WELFARE.  Child Molesters flock to the state for the leniency of its judicial system.  Children are lost in the foster care system or placed in homes where they’re neglected or tortured.   And now it’s apparent that their Juvenile detention facilities are also dens of corruption & brutality.  What has Jeb Bush done to fix these horrific problems in his state?  He just seems to call for more investigations.

While the Anderson family can never be repaid for missing out on living life with Martin, may they receive a BIG FAT FINANCIAL SETTLEMENT!  The Guards involved in his slaying have been breathing fresh air & sunshine too long.  They need to be brought to justice & I don’t mean losing their jobs, health benefits & pensions.

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Music Biz Absurdities: Jackson, Stewart & A Pimp's Hard Life

2006-03-11T13:06:00.000-08:00

The music business, like Hollywood, is typically full of itself.  Successful musicians breathe a “rare air.”  Some start believing that they deserve all the fawning & pampering & are above it all.   Such must be the case with ROD STEWART whose 5 year legal battle with the Rio Casino has finally ended.  Mr. Stewart had been paid a 2 million dollar advance for a New Year’s Eve concert for 2000.  Due to recuperation from his throat surgery, (proving that he is only human) Mr. Stewart cancelled the concert & REFUSED TO RETURN THE $$$.    Instead, he wanted to reschedule the event.  But not even for a star of Rod Stewart’s magnitude does a thing like the millennium stop.  A rescheduled show is not the same as having Mr. Stewart in your casino for such a momentous New Year.

Anyway instead of returning the funds (2 million may be a lot of zeros to you & I, but not to the rocker whose had a 35+ year wildly successful career) Stewart & his legal team have been battling the casino, racking up dollars that could have reimbursed to the Rio. He & his team (who have been sited with additional contempt of court penalties --- I guess even the proximity to Rock Royalty inflates the ego) have been ordered to pay 3.06 million.  Additionally, the casino company intends to ask the court to order Stewart to reimburse it for additional attorney fees and court costs.

Not that my heart bleeds for a casino, but U.S. District Judge Larry Hicks didn’t find Rod so sexy & did the right thing.

Also this week, Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch was shut down by the California State Labor Commission.  It appears that while Jackson has been flitting around the Middle East his, approximately 50 employees, have gone UNPAID since December 2005.  Further he has failed to pay Workman’s Comp insurance.  (I am sure that this is the real reason the state came down on him. Owe people dollars; you get a judgment slapped against you that the plaintiff has to collect.  Owe the government & they seize property!)

This situation begs so many questions… firstly how did these employees survive without 3 ½ mos. pay?  Why did they continue working?  Are the rumors true that Jackson is broke?  And tell me where I sign up to live the life of a Sultan without funds!  (I’m already without funds… I guess I need to exhibit more eccentric behavior.)

I am sure that Jackson doesn’t cut the “servants” checks. (Due to all the lawsuits in the past year, he mustn’t even know how to write one.)  If these payments haven’t been made, then either he isn’t authorizing them or there is NO MONEY to pay them.  Again, it’s the case of a Pop Star without concern for the law or the “common man.”

Finally, everyone else has commented on the Oscar win of Best Song by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.  So here’s my 2-cents.  Let’s look at some of these beautiful “immortal” words.

  “Wait I got a snow bunny, and a black girl too
    You pay the right price and they'll both do you,
    That's the way the game goes, gotta keep it strictly
    pimpin - gotta have my hustle tight
    Makin' change off these women,
    Yeah!”

     -- “It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp” --
          Music and Lyric by Jordan Houston, Cedric Coleman and Paul Beauregard

Chokes you up doesn’t it?!  (I've never considered how hard a pimp's life might be. I'm sure all that posturing,upkeep of the bling & slapping johns & whores must be tough.) While I thought all the nominated songs were lackluster, certainly this ditty will quickly be forgotten.  More memorable was the pure surprise, joy & completely unintelligible acceptance speeches of Houston, Coleman & Beauregard.  (Surely we could have had tape delay subtitles!)  At least the Academy gave Kimmel, Leno, O’Brien & Ferguson comedic fodder for the week.

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Women in Jeopardy 3 - Domestic Abuse

2006-03-09T13:37:00.000-08:00

Statistics indicate that women are in greater jeopardy in their homes than out in public.  More acts of violence are perpetrated on women by those they know, than strangers.

In the past few days we have heard about Yanni’s “alleged” rumble with his girlfriend Silvia Barthes.  Yanni allegedly insulted Barthes in front of other diners at a restaurant and told her to leave the house, where the two had been living since December.  Then upon returning home, (Big Mistake #2:  Returning home with a man when you’ve been publicly fighting. Most people want to keep their arguments on the low down, particularly when you’re a celeb.)   Yanni called her "a whore," threw her clothes out of the closet and gave her garbage bags to pack them in.  He then slapped her in the face, grabbed her by the forearms, shook her and threw her on the bed.  She also told the police that she was “extremely scared” of Yanni because similar incidents had happened in the past.  (Big Mistake #1 – Staying with a Partner who has displayed a history of abuse.)

On Monday, March 6th, Pamela Bach, the estranged wife of David Hasselhoff, filed for a court order on a claim of domestic violence by the former "Baywatch" star, according to court records.  (Previously the couple both filed petitions stating “irreconcilable differences.”) She also requested a temporary restraining order which the Judge denied. If this is untrue, the allegation of domestic abuse to fast-track your divorce or build your settlement, should be penalized.

Also this week, Vanity Fair revealed details of their feature interview with Teri Hatcher.  She was sexually repeatedly molested as a child by an Uncle.

Early this a.m., the missing N.J. text-messaging 13-year-old teen, approached a person on a Brooklyn street & said she’d been raped by two men. The person notified the police who are now investigating the allegation. Police told the Associated Press that the girl did not have serious health problems & that it was not clear whether the girl went to New York willingly.  "The majority of things she's done since she went out of the house have been voluntary," said Police Capt. Jack Wisely.  Although details are sketchy at this moment, the police are interrogating 3 of the New Jersey teen’s companions, a 20 yr. old & 2- 19 yrs olds.   (If this girl went willingly with 3 guys that are legally adults, she has a very wild streak!)

I don’t want this ordeal to be real for this Teen.  However if, like the Runaway Bride who sent police on an expensive wild goose chase, this Teenager cooked up a rape & abduction allegation to cover her ass, she deserves to be punished with mandatory psychiatric therapy.

When my brother & his ex parted ways, she alleged domestic violence.  (It was not true.)  When a dear friend of mine parted ways with his companion of multi-years, she cried abuse.  (While he’s a yeller, there was no abuse.)

Violence against women is shockingly prevalent.  In researching this column, I was astounded & sickened by the amount of porn available that features rapes & other abusive depravities.  (More frightening is the fact that the men who crave these images are out there running free.)  However, false claims are damaging on a multiplicity of levels.  It taints the defendant for the rest of his life.  (Unless you’re a celebrity like O.J. Simpson)  It takes precious police resources to investigate the erroneous claims.  It makes authorities & courts skeptical of cases where the abuse is not graphically evident.  It can make the true victim reluctant to get help.

Help is available - Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE or 1-800-787-3224 (TDD).
National Sexual Violence Resource Center at 1-877-739-3895 (toll free)
www.nsvrc.org (24 hr access to information, resources, and research regarding sexual assault)

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More Women In Jeopardy

2006-03-07T12:42:00.000-08:00

New information has been released in the investigation into the brutal slaying of Imette St. Guillen.  The police have been questioning Darryl Littlejohn, bouncer at the Soho bar, The Falls, the last place St. Guillen was seen alive.   The bar's owner and his lawyer came forward late last week and revealed that he’d ordered Darryl Littlejohn, a 41-year-old parolee, to toss her out when she complained that she was not being allowed to finish a drink.  The official said, the owner overheard "some sort of arguing and a commotion" as Littlejohn took the woman outside.

This type of scene is played out night after night in bars across the world.  Someone has too much to drink, so the owner or manager decides to have the patron escorted to the door.  It’s also common place that the ejected one mouths off.

Littlejohn is currently a suspect so he is still presumed innocent.  Yet it is also possible that a 24yr. old St. Guillen tipsy, alone at 4 a.m. on a dark Manhattan street (I know Soho, while there are many restaurants & bars, there are also many dark areas, recessed doorways, columns to hide behind…) got snatched by someone else.  I smell a lawsuit & the owner of The Falls knows it.  What was he thinking when he hired an ex-con – with 7 felony convictions – as a bouncer? (I am all for employers hiring ex-cons.  However, hiring a man with an armed robbery conviction & placing him where the potential for violence can occur nightly is grossly negligent.)  Manhattan is full of healthy, strong, gorgeous, young men (actors & students) who need a gig to help pay the bills.  (There were many nights in my youth, when I can recall the bouncer being the best looking man in the room.)

There also should have been another check & balance. What about Littlejohn's parole officer? Shouldn't he or she have been aware that his working at a bar until after his imposed curfew of 9:00 pm is a VIOLATION?!

A “tumult” has arisen from Women’s Groups who opposed opinions like mine that suggested that women need to take responsibility for their behavior when they are on the town.  (If she were a man, would it be said that she was asking for trouble?)  I believe EVERYONE should be ON GUARD when they are out in public. There are many violent, disturbed people out there.  & they prey on people who make themselves targets. (Wackos are looking for the fast, easy hit, not the person they have to fight to subdue or coerce.) This can be as simple as just letting down your guard, not paying attention to your surroundings, wearing flashy jewelry, etc. (I am reminded of the time I took a short cut down an alley in Queens early evening in winter.  Surprise!  I got jacked for about $70 bucks.)  Imette did have the RIGHT to be out partying alone.  But was it good judgment?  Imette died horribly, like no one should.  She didn’t ask for it & certainly didn’t deserve it.  But I maintain -- it wouldn’t have happened if she weren’t alone. In the wild, animals hunt the weakest in the herd, or the 1 tht has wandered off alone.

More Short Takes: Of Chappelle, Vince Young & Anna Nicole

2006-03-02T13:41:00.000-08:00

I used to love the brilliant comedian, Dave Chappelle.  Lately though, I have a problem with his moral character.  You could say that Mr. Chappelle is being true to himself (& that’s part of what makes him so amusing) but I have an issue when that truism mitigates integrity.  Chappelle signed a 50 million dollar contract with Comedy Central for subsequent seasons of his very successful Chappelle Show. He walked out in mid-production of season 3, leaving Comedy Central holding the bag with some footage shot but no season of shows.

Comedy Central is trying to salvage what they can & get some of the money back on their investment by piecing together some of the footage into broadcast episodes.   To this Chappelle states, "I feel like it's kind of a bully move.  That's just how I feel about it. I don't know if that's the case. But if people don't watch it, then I'd be more than happy."  In response to a question as to whether he intends to return to his series, he added, “I think if they air that stuff, I can't see how I'm going to be able to. That will damage our relationship."

How can he be so obtuse?!  The relationship is already damaged.  The only reason Chappelle hasn’t been sued is that the Exex at Comedy Central are hoping to lure the temperamental star back into production.  However, I’m sure if Mr. Chappelle paid even 50K for a product that wasn’t delivered, he’d already be litigating.

On the subject of obtuse, UT’s star quarterback Vince Young reportedly scored a six out of the 50 questions on the Wonderlic Intelligence Test.  Young then scored a 16 on a do-over, which he was granted because agent Major Adams didn't tell him the exam was coming.

This is another example of THE DUMBING OF AMERICA.  Young has been prized for his considerable athletic skills & I suppose that’s what got him through high school & certainly granted him his UT scholarship.  Obviously Young has been coasting through his college courses, because UT finds winning athletic trophies more important than education.

Education in America is in a disastrous state when intelligent kids can’t get into college because they can’t afford the astronomical tuitions & boneheads are graduated (revered & rewarded) because of physical ability.  America needs to revamp its college entrance policies or we will no longer be the economic & social leaders in this world.  The people, who will take over when the baby boomers retire, won’t know how to do anything but wear bling.

Speaking of bling, Anna Nicole Smith went to the Supreme Court on “Fat” Tuesday.  It is reported that the Justices made very sympathetic statements regarding her case.  If the Court rules in her favor, Smith stands to inherit 452 Million dollars from the estate of her late husband, J. Howard Marshall II.   Since I previously calculated that Smith spent about 425 nights as his bride, that’s a pay-out of over 1 million a night.  (Where do I sign up?)  Fat Tuesday indeed!

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Women in Jeopardy

2006-03-01T22:01:00.000-08:00

What is America’s fascination with beautiful, missing women? To date, my blog column that has received the most hits is “Postscript for Natalee Holloway.”    Natalee vanished May of 2005 & 9 months later her disappearance is still hot news due largely to her beauty, Beth Holloway Twitty’s persistence & Greta Van Susteren continuing coverage of the (currently) dead-end case.

Joran van der Sloot, the young man that was the last person to see Natalie alive, is doing his part to keep the story in the news.  Last week he gave an edited interview to Chris Cuomo.  This week he’s talking to Ms. Van Susteren in an unedited interview that resembles a deposition.  And his recounting of the infamous evening with Natalee feels scripted & rehearsed.  However, with the web of lies told by Joran & the brothers Kalpo, I thought him guilty as sin.  Now he’s either a sociopathic killer, a tremendous actor or a horny kid who fooled around with a girl who later turned up missing.  (Although he is still the logical suspect – along with the Kalpos - I now do have reasonable doubt.)

With all this coverage, you’d think Natalee would be a cautionary tale.  However, just this past weekend, 24 yr. old Imette St. Guillen a graduate honors student at John Jay College of Criminal Justice was found brutally murdered, wrapped in duct tape & a cheap motel bedspread.  Imette made the mistake of going solo (parting ways with a girlfriend at 3 a.m.) to continue partying.  It is believed she left the 2nd bar with a stranger who raped & murdered her.

Look, I can’t say this STRONGLY enough… alcohol is the great lubricant.  It reduces your inhibitions & as the hormones rage all logic goes out the window.  There are predators everywhere & not just the married kind looking to assure himself that he’s still hot.   I count myself lucky that I made it through some of the stupid, stoned out chances that I took when I was young.  (& I was a suspicious, skeptical New Yorker)  Baring your breasts & your bellies along with your heart & soul makes you vulnerable.  No matter how much equality women have won in the workplace… we’re still generally physically weaker & reared to be lady-like (perfect for predators).  There is safety in numbers.  Practice the buddy system… what’s the rush anyway?!  If you’ve really met a great guy, he’ll call you tomorrow.

There used to be such a thing as courtship.  This art seems to have become lost in the immediacy of our life & times.  Everyone wants instant gratification. (We carry cell phones so we can be reached anywhere, anytime, immediately.  We get frustrated if a web page takes longer than a couple of seconds to download.)  Other than edifices, there is no building of anything in our world, pertaining to business or personal relationships.  I’m not saying that we should go back to Victorian times when men wrote courtship letters & women had chaperones. But I think women have short-changed themselves on many of the niceties of life, in giving ourselves away too quickly.  Flirting is now rewarded at the end of the night, instead of being savored over time.  I can’t tell you how touched I was recently when M. unexpectedly brought me a silly teddy bear holding a bouquet of heart-shaped lollipops.  Men Send flowers!  Women, enjoy dressing up, flirting, being a woman & letting a man work a little to get next to you.  It’s fun.  It’s thrilling.  It should be enjoyed.  It’s part of life’s sweetness.

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Getting Out the Vote -- With a Lottery?!

2006-02-28T23:44:00.000-08:00

Is the lottery the answer to all funding shortages & political problems in America?!  (The assorted State Lottos all started as an education funding source, remember?)  Well now a lottery is being suggested as a viable means to get more people to vote in Arizona.  (This is not a joke.)    Mark Osterlow, the author of the bill, is obtaining signatures to get this proposition on the ballot.  His initiative proposes that when a voter casts his / her selection, he / she will automatically be entered into a 1 million dollar lottery.  I can just see the ad campaign… One vote – one winner!

Osterlow claims that voters in Arizona are “eagerly” signing his petition & that he will easily obtain the necessary amount of signatures required to get this initiative on the ballot.  He also says that he receives very few negative responses from the public while he is out soliciting signatures.

Does anyone think this is an idiotic idea, as I do?  Voting is our right here in America.  It is a privilege that people have died for in many countries in this world.  (Iraq spring to mind.) Yet only a small percentage of the American populace eligible to vote actually does.  Some citizens are apathetic, believing that their vote really doesn’t make a difference.  Others claim that nominees really do not reflect their ideals & opinions (due to the fact that only the very rich can afford to mount campaigns).  I think it’s about laziness!  It takes effort, time & commitment to be aware of the issues, to read between the lines of spin & rhetoric & to make INFORMED decisions.  I rather a scintilla of the populace vote then having people walk into the ballot box, touch screening – hole punching – or pulling the lever, just to get a shot at a million bucks.   THIS INITIATIVE, CATERS TO & CONTINUES THE DUMBING DOWN OF AMERICA, since it appeals to the greed & the something-for-nothing hope in the soul of man.

You want wealth in your life, build it. Make sacrifices & smart decisions.  That’s not investing in lottery tickets & scratchers. It certainly isn’t about “lotterizing” the vote. Buying gold bars could be a way to grow your wealth.  There’s a greater rate of return than a lottery ticket or having your vote “bought.”

SHORT TAKES: Of Anna Nicole, Bode & the Ports Deal

2006-02-27T11:51:00.000-08:00

My hard drive fried this past week.  So with a virgin drive, I went on-line & looked @ my blog.  With Internet Explorer, the formatting was a mess.  One would never know I have links to the right of the column, unless 1 scrolled all the way to the bottom.  I’ve been a FIREFOX user for over a year now.  (That’s why I went to my column – to download Firefox for the new drive.)  FIREFOX IS THE WAY  THE WEB WAS MEANT TO BE SEEN.   If you are using another browser, download Firefox & see the difference.  & it’s a safer browser.

Anna Nicole Smith, at the age of 26, married BILLIONAIRE oil entrepreneur J. Howard Marshall II age 89, in 1994.  The groom died 14 months later.  It is doubtful that the aged, wheel chair bound Mr. Marshall could do very much tangoing at his age.  But I’m sure he enjoyed her ample endowments, the look & smell of her youth, the taste of her lips & whatever else she would put her hands on of his.  A very wealthy man bought his trophy-wife toy at the end of his life.  As a brilliant businessman, I am sure Marshall had no delusions otherwise.   (Besides Marshall had been married 2x & had enjoyed a previous lengthy liaison with a stripper.)  Now the 11 year legal battle over Marshall’s estate (67-year-old E. Pierce Marshall refuses to give the widow Marshall – Ms. Smith – a share) has gone to the U.S. Supreme Court.   You have to ask yourself… why did this get this far?  With an estate worth over 1 billion dollars there is an adequate amount for them both!   Surely what Pierce would’ve saved in legal fees would have made an attractive, quick payoff.   Yet this has become a tawdry soap opera that has played out between Texas, California & now Washington D.C., in the highest court in the land.  I say, give Anna Nicole her due.  She deserves it for giving the old man some happiness (14 months is  about 425 nights!) & for her tenacity in these legal wranglings.

Bode Miller, medal count ZERO yet still somehow a superstar!  (If he represented China or Japan, you know he would fall on his sword in disgrace.) The much hyped skier not only came away medal-less but failed to even complete 3 of his events.   In an interview with AP, Bode stated, “The expectations were other people's. I'm comfortable with what I've accomplished, including at the Olympics. I came in here to race as hard as I could. That was my obligation to myself."  (But it’s called an Olympic TEAM, Mr. Miller!)

I always think that the pre-Olympic hype of an individual athlete is overdone, unfair to the team as a whole & ultimately puts too much pressure on a particular athlete.  However, this appears not to be the case with Bode, who further stated,  "I've been living my life as if I might have died two weeks before the Olympics started," he said. "That left me the opportunity to dig deep, to go down that other route, to make more sacrifices and get back to where I was."  (Sounds stoned to me since sacrificing & living like you may die tomorrow are opposite ends of the mental spectrum!) He “defended” his Olympic behavior & showing with, "My quality of life is the priority.” (He is unabashedly selfish – I’m surprised I haven’t dated him.)  “I wanted to have fun here, to enjoy the Olympic experience, not be holed up in a closet and not ever leave your room.   People said, 'Why can't you stay in for the two weeks, three weeks? You've got the rest of your life to experience the games the way everybody else does.' But I like the whole package. I always have."  He went on to praise the local Italian Alpine nightlife, "It's been an awesome two weeks; I got to party and socialize at an Olympic level."

America always finds the rebel, the bad boy dangerously sexy.  And in this category Bode’s no excuse - I do it my way of living & his good looks gives him that IT factor.  He will certainly be in our national consciousness for awhile longer due to his lucrative Nike & other sponsorship deals.  (The Nike ads in particular celebrate his maverick behavior.)

More on United Emirates Company Poised to Take Over Our Ports -- NO KIDDING!  It took nearly a full week after the Dubai Ports World buy-out of U.S. Port operations APPROVAL that the major media got on the bandwagon.  Then every pundit weighed in on the pros & cons of backing out of the deal.   Most of the pro of staying in the deal is a fear of insult to our “ally” with a moderate Arab nation in the Middle East.  There is now so much legal action from the New Jersey State officials to try and block the deal, while the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is seeking to annul P&O's 30-year operating license, claiming it failed to seek permission for the transfer of ownership.  Last Friday (2/24) Miami based Eller & Co. filed a petition with the HIGH COURT in LONDON to block said sale.   As forced by the tumult Dubai Ports World (DPW) has meanwhile agreed to a 45-day review of the security implications of the deal in an effort to assuage US concerns.  DPW may still win this contract but I think the enhanced scrutiny of the deal sets a higher standard for security in our nation.

Rants: A LOOK AT TODAY'S NEWS

2006-02-18T20:16:00.000-08:00

I scanned the news websites & the various news broadcasts & I saw nothing on the story I covered yesterday. (United Emirates Company Poised to Take Over Our Ports -- NO KIDDING!)  Am I one of dozen people in all of America concerned about this?  Bill O’Reilly wants to build the great wall of Mexico to protect our border to the south.  I have concerns about the Mexican border, (read: The MYTH of US BORDER SECURITY 8/16/2005) but walls went out with the Berlin one.   I believe our greatest weaknesses are still the unscreened cargo on planes, the relative lack of security screening on cruise ships & our failure to profile when conducting only random (numerical & statistical) searches at trains & bus stations.  Random searches are like playing the lotto.  And as discussed yesterday, are ports are vulnerable.  I do not want the control of our ports run by ANY foreign entity.  (Would we allow Putin to data warehouse our military secrets?)

What was in the media today?

I read a lot of Olympic coverage… I hate that the Olympics is in Torino, Italy.  (But certainly not if I were on location.)   In this day of instant infotainment, I know the results hours before broadcast.  (I also know all the heartbreaks without that sudden pathos of seeing it live when someone wins, breaks records or falls, disqualifies, etc.) It takes the drama out of the broadcast.  This has to contribute to NBC’s coverage’s low ratings.   More “ink” was spent on the fact that the 5th season of American Idol has trounced the Olympic coverage in its airings.

I read about Nick Lachey wanting spousal support from Jessica Simpson.  (I also learned she made over 30 million last year.  Had I had a boob job when I was her age, I would’ve owned this town.)

The Mardi Gras opened today, giving hope to New Orleans for huge economic comeback.  Conversely at another “gathering” in Nigeria, 16 die during the Cartoon Protest.

The winter storms back East cause power outages for some 250,000 customers.

My point is, all this is transitory news.  Next day, the cards are shuffled & different events occur.  What should get some consistent attention are the events that can significantly impact our very security & well-being.  But those stories have to fight for a place in the collective consciousness with all this other “noise.”

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United Emirates Company Poised to Take Over Our Ports -- NO KIDDING!

2006-02-17T19:03:00.000-08:00

Harry Whittington left the hospital today & gave a press conference.  ("I am deeply sorry for everything Vice President Cheney and his family have had to deal with." He said he felt lucky to be alive, but added, "Accidents do and will happen.") Perhaps now the story can die. (This accident is really only important to those involved!  & it’s not as funny either as all the late night yokels seem to think it is.)    While the Media rabidly covered “The Buckshot Heard Round the World,” the following occurrence went UNDER REPORTED.  I believe this to be of matter of National Security, worthy of greater concern than how long it took Cheney to report what happened in the bluff.

A United Arab Emirates-based company, Dubai Ports World, is poised to take over significant operations at six American ports as part of a corporate sale by London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co.  The British company’s sale would affect commercial U.S. port operations in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia.

DP World said it won approval from a secretive U.S. government panel that considers security risks of foreign companies buying or investing in American industry.  The U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States "thoroughly reviewed the potential transaction and concluded they had no objection," the company said in a statement to The Associated Press.  This U.S. Committee includes representatives from the departments of Treasury, Defense, Justice, Commerce, State and Homeland Security.  Further, the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), chaired by Snow, approved the P&O sale. The committee supposedly conducted a 30-day review.

What is DPW’s jurisdiction within our ports?  DPW would not be responsible for cargo screening, which is performed by the Department of Homeland Security. However, as the port operator, DPW would be responsible for securing cargo coming in and out of the port, the port facility itself and the hiring of security personnel.  This is a lot of responsibility to hand over to a company from foreign entities that has not proven to be solid allies in the War on Terror.

What morons reviewed & have agreed to this?! OUR PORTS & the MARITIME INDUSTRY as a whole are considered a vulnerable to terrorists, since there is still insufficient screening of shipments that arrive daily at our ports.  Why would we give the running oversight of the entrance to our homeland over to a company based within a loose federation of seven emirates on the Saudi peninsula?  Let’s recall that the UAE was an important operational and financial base for the hijackers who carried out the attacks against New York and Washington.   Since the Sept. 11 attacks, the FBI has said the money for the strikes was transferred to the hijackers primarily through the UAE's banking system & much of the operational planning for the attacks took place inside the UAE.  In the aftermath of 9/11, U.S. Treasury Department officials complained about a lack of cooperation by the UAE and other Arab countries trying to track Usama bin Laden's bank accounts.  Be aware that the United Arab Emirates, this past Wednesday moved to improve bilateral trade ties to Iran.

I fully understand that this is a big acquisition for Dubai.  They’ve got 6.8 billion dollars on the table.  (Although that seems a paltry sum considering that could be the commercial price tag placed on our security.)  Therefore their interest in running the U.S. Ports efficiently is crucial to their bottom line.  I realize that Dubai Ports World is not a political entity per se.  But where do the Board of Directors & major stockholders fall on the side of jihad?  We can’t know if some of their profits are funneled to terrorism directly or indirectly.

I think Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), wisely urged the Administration to consider the sale carefully.  "America's busiest ports are vital to our economy and to the international economy, and that is why they remain top terrorist targets," Schumer said. "Just as we would not outsource military operations or law enforcement duties, we should be very careful before we outsource such sensitive homeland security duties."

Some of the government’s response to the small outcry…. Changing management over the U.S. ports "doesn't offer Al Qaeda any opportunities it doesn't have now," said James Lewis, who worked with the U.S. committee at the State and Commerce departments. "It's in Dubai's interest to make sure this runs well. There is strong economic incentive to be sure these worries never materialize."   Stephen E. Flynn, who studies maritime security at the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations stated, "You're not going have a bunch of UAE citizens working the docks. They're longshoremen, vested in high-paying jobs.”  (Since when are longshoremen supposed to be counter-terrorist operatives?)

I am glad that there are people who are taking up the outcry.   7 bi-partisan U.S. lawmakers (Sens. Schumer, Tom Coburn, R-OK., Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., and Chris Dodd, D-CT., as well as Reps. Chris Shays, R-CT., Vito Fossella, R-N.Y., and Mark Foley, R-FL.) have had enough sense to publicly called for a committee led by Treasury Secretary John Snow to thoroughly review a deal that would let Dubai run these six major U.S. ports.  Foley has stated…."When the international community is attempting to bring Iran's nuclear abilities to a halt, the United Arab Emirates are talking about expanded trade opportunities with Iran. This is, after all, a country that still sees the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan and still fails to recognize Israel as a sovereign state."

Elsewhere, the chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said Thursday it will conduct its own review of the deal and urged the government to defend its decision.  An independent review by his agency was necessary "to protect its interests," Port Authority chairman Anthony Coscia said in a letter to the Treasury Department.

Supposedly, unnamed Senior White House Officials took the issue "very seriously and will look into it."

This is one of those times that I believe concerned adults should demand that this sale be reviewed slowly & impartially.   (Contact the Senators & Representatives in this article & let them know you support them. Or contact your own representative & tell them you want them aware of this & on board.)  I challenge the American Business Community.  Is there no American Firm that can run our ports?

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Cirque Saddam

2006-02-14T15:54:00.000-08:00

The Defense Attorneys have boycotted the trial in protest of the presiding Judge. A Defendant wearing only long underwear is hauled into Court by Guards. He then sits on the floor with his back to the proceedings. The Main Attraction walks into Court carrying his Koran & vehemently argues with the Judge or declares, “Down with Bush” or "Long live the mujahedeen." He also labels the prosecuting judges as “homosexuals.” A Prosecution witness (a former close confidant of the Main Man) begs not to have to testify against his President. It’s just another day in the Cirque de Saddam trial.

This trial is to Iraqi TV viewership as O.J. Simpson’s trial was to the U.S. The population is riveted, as they watch their former murderous dictator attempt to take over his trial. Prior to the new presiding judge, Rouf Abdel-Rahman’s arrival, testimony was horrific, but minimal, since the former judge could not or would not keep order. In addition to Saddam’s feelings that he is above the law, he hates Abdel-Rahman because he does attempt to reign in the ousted madman. Saddam instructed Abdel-Rahman, at one point to, "Hit your own head with that gavel."

Saddam’s outbursts & his co-defendants’ defiance often overshadows the testimony of unconscionable torture & genocide. Saddam’s announcement today that he was on a hunger strike, was a bright spot. While I think the Iraqi people should have the opportunity to stone Hussein in a public square, perhaps he’ll save them the expense of his detainment & trial. (Even though there will be a faction that will then proclaim him a martyr.) I also think permitting a level of his antics insures a perception that Saddam’s ultimate conviction was not railroaded (in spite of his delusions that he will be restored to power, the die is already cast).

Zacarias Moussaoui is cut from the same cloth. While he saved the U.S. Federal Court system the expense of a trial, he has continually disrupts his sentencing hearings (life in prison or death) with speeches & epithets. He is fond of calling his fellow-Frenchmen "homosexuals" & his defense attorneys "geishas" & "Klansmen". (The Frenchman of Moroccan descent pleaded guilty April 2005 to conspiring with al-Qaida to fly aircraft into U.S. buildings but has denied any role in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Moussaoui claims to have been training to fly a 747 jetliner into the White House as part of a subsequent plot.)

I admit more than a modicum of respect for these men’s convictions. Their futures are a fait accompli. Yet, they make no deals for leniency. Instead they continue to spout their respective rhetoric of hatred, in hope of inspiring others. America & its people could take a cue from these men. We have become so politically polite & correct, so worried about public perception & inclusion that our own ideals get lost in the latest story about Brangelina. (Pitt & Jolie)

Where have the immortalized declarations of Freedom & Liberty gone? “We’ve not yet begun to fight!” “Give me Liberty or Give me Death.” “I had a Dream Today.” Whatever your beliefs, wake up, get concerned, get involved. Drown out the voices of evil.

Please look at my new affiliate Chitika malls offering quality merchandise with the ability to price surf. You’ll find it to the right of this column, please scroll down if it’s not immediately visible. Please do some searching & shopping, it allows me to keep writing.

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The Myths & Truths of the FREE CREDIT REPORT

2006-02-11T20:13:00.000-08:00

1st I want to thank everyone who left comments on my Sweetie or who took the time to e-mail condolences. While I still hurt like hell, if nothing else I know that the life & story of Sweetie touched your minds & hearts. I will always miss her & never forget her.

2nd I have a new affiliate, Chitika malls offering quality merchandise with the ability to price surf. You’ll find it to the right of this column, please scroll down if it’s not immediately visible. Please do some searching & shopping, it allows me to keep writing.

FREE is perhaps 1 of the most enticing words in any language (right up there with SEX & SALE). As anyone that has e-mail knows, “Free” offers abound; week-end getaways, laptops, DVD players & your credit report. I’m sure you savvy folks delete all the other “offers” But the free credit report seems plausible. After all the Feds, under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, ruled that every consumer is entitled to 1 free report, from EACH (Equifax, Experian & TransUnion) credit bureau annually.

As my daddy always said, “There is nothing free in this life.” Therefore you have to wonder about the amount of spam, internet banners, radio & TV commercials there are hawking FREE CREDIT REPORTS. Why would a company spend thousands of dollars in advertising to give you something for free? (Conversely, why would you pay money, for what you are legally entitled to?) Most of these companies are legit, but they are selling a product, usually credit monitoring. Some give you a free 30 day trial, but then that’s another thing you have to remember to cancel. While I believe credit monitoring is good for people with a lot of plastic & assets, who would be prime pickings for ID theft. If you have nothing to steal, remember to order the free reports every year. You could even stagger the requests quarterly, so you can stay abreast of any suspicious activity.

There are also scam companies that are phishing for personal information. And remember, in order to obtain that Free Report, you have to give a company the most precious key to one's identity, your social security number. So never click on a link inside a mass marketing e-mail. Actually, unless you want to sign up with one of these credit monitoring agencies, get your credit report through the ONLY site sanctioned by the Federal Trade Commission.

According to the FTC website, "Important information from the Federal Trade Commission, the nation's consumer protection agency: annualcreditreport.com is the ONLY authorized online source for you to get a free credit report under federal law. You can get a free report from each of the three national credit reporting companies every 12 months. Some other sites claim to offer 'free' credit reports, but may charge you for another product if you accept a 'free' report."

http://www.annualcreditreport.com

So be Wise, informed & Safe.

REMEMBERING SWEETIE

2006-02-06T09:21:00.000-08:00

SWEETIE
March 2000 – February 5, 2006

The photo of Sweetie by the river, is 1 of my favorites, even though her face is slightly obscured. I love it because she’s smiling. The LA River, was 1 of her favorite places since she could run through the foliage, trying to catch ducks. (And she could run like the wind! She was poetry in motion.)

Sweetie was always at her happiest exploring. She loved to be outside. & next to chasing her garbage truck every Thursday morning, she lived for each adventure. She was obedient (for the most part), curious, sensitive & so fond of people. She made every new acquaintance feel special, as they basked in her attention. (& thanks to Disney) every where we went we’d hear a chorus of children scream “Dalmatian.” Sweetie learned to be very patient while she was poked & prodded by delighted children. One of my neighbors called her Sweetie Pickford, (after the old film star) because she had such a range of emotions & facial expressions. She was not just a dog, she was a presence. She gave back so much. Everyone in the neighborhood loved her, (proved last night as many gathered to mourn her) but no one more than me.

I’d known Sweetie since she was a puppy, although she was my landlords’ dog. One look & it was love. As adorable as she was, her masters didn’t treat her well. Yet she was loyal to her owners (even when she saw them after the abandonment.) But I was the one that always walked her, usually about 3x a week. Saw to it that she had her shots & flea treatments. Took her to be spayed, when it was time. Loved on her as much as possible. We had a strong bond.

So it should have been no surprise, when her owners moved, that they abandoned her with me, with only a leash & her collar. At first I was angry; resentful about the additional drain on my wallet (she also needed a good deal of initial veterinary care) & the punishment the now 3 - 4x a day walks were on my aching knees & feet. She had such abandonment issues that I had no rest. She pushed her way into the bathroom. Would bark unceasingly if I were more than a few feet away. Would arise periodically throughout the night to check that I was still in bed. I’d have to pet her head until she’d go back to her couch. (Yes, Sweetie had her own couch, a little Danish modern number from the 60s.) Sweetie had adjustments to make too. She went on a diet. She went from antagonizing cats in the yard, to living with some. I remember finding her whimpering in the kitchen because she was cornered by Jet Lee (the de-clawed, lowest man in the pecking order). In spite of all the changes, I kept telling her we’d get through it. We’d make it work. & we did. I became the “sucker” that I as a cat mom always called those who had to walk their dog no matter what the temperature or the weather.

Many people have told me that God would bless me for taking care of Sweetie. I was greatly blessed for having her in my life. I lost 20 lbs. I’ve strengthened my aching knees. & Sweetie showed me love unconditionally. She showed me a world that you only see when walking slowly through nature or a neighborhood. We’d gone fishing in a stream together. Been in the midst of a butterfly swarm. Saw waterfalls after the heavy rains of the 05’s winter. Stumbled upon a creek that fed a profusion of wild poppies, where hummingbirds were necturing. I would never have seen these visual feasts nor have these memories were it not for her voracious need to hunt & search. She even appeared in a low budget movie & charmed the entire cast & crew in a heartbeat.

The horror of all this is that Sweetie was poisoned either deliberately or indirectly. She went from being a vibrant creature to liver failure in a matter of days. I had no time to prepare.

And so I go back to being just a cat mom. I had to adjust to living with Sweetie & now I must learn to live without her. My life will be quieter & easier but in no way better. I will think of Sweetie & miss her desperately at the hours of our walks. I will miss kissing her forehead, giving her butt smacks & rubbing her belly. Having her as mine for 1 year, 3 months & a week was just too little time.

Mohammed Cartoons - Much Ado about Nothing!

2006-02-05T15:17:00.000-08:00

12 Cartoons have ignited mayhem (an understatement) in the Arab world.   Across the Middle East, protests outside Danish Embassies are the mildest form of the unrest.  Death warrants have been taken out on the cartoonists, Jyllands-Posten - the newspaper that originally printed the cartoons - has received multiple bomb threats & today in Lebanon, Catholic Churches were targeted & the Danish Embassy torched. In Hebron, the crowd chanted, "We will redeem our prophet, Muhammad, with our blood!" Words fail me to describe this OVER REACTION.

Jyllands-Posten published the cartoons when a Danish author complained that he could find no-one to illustrate his book about Muhammad. The newspaper wondered whether there were more cases of self-censorship regarding Islam in Denmark and asked twelve illustrators to draw the prophet for them. Carsten Juste, the paper’s editor, said the cartoons were a test of whether the threat of Islamic terrorism had limited the freedom of expression in Denmark.  By Muslim reaction to the cartoons, I think the Danes have gotten their answer.

With some hunting & clicking, I found the cartoons. While I can’t understand most of them, since they are filled with symbolism or captioned in another language, I saw nothing that should incite thousands to extreme violence.  Actually I found one of  the cartoons mildly amusing. It depicts (I assume) Mohammed at the Gates of Paradise halting a line of incinerated “martyrs,” with the caption “Stop, stop! We ran out of virgins.”

Recently I was offended by the Rolling Stone Kanye West cover that depicted the rapper wearing a crown of thorns, emulating my Savior.  (People swear my Lord’s name daily, in every corner of the globe.  If I can’t politely correct the person, I must turn the other cheek.)  I will certainly never contribute any money to Kanye’s livelihood, but I won’t set his cars on fire. Catholics were deeply insulted by a South Park episode where a statue of the Virgin Mary bled healing blood from her butt.  (Their reaction caused the episode to be pulled from syndication & from any future compilation packages.) Jews are publicly denigrated daily by “leaders” & “holy men” in the Muslim world. Even the horror of the Holocaust & their right to a homeland has been denied.   Rational human beings live with these indignities & chalk it up as ignorance.  Intelligent humans seek to bring about peaceful ways to make positive change or make their point.

With the increased secularization of the United States, as with other nations, public displays of spirituality & wearing of symbols of faith are increasingly adjudicated.  My freedoms are being diminished for the sake of “INCLUSION.”  Meanwhile we all have to “pussy-foot” around the Muslim world.  We can’t profile at airports & other security checkpoints, even though ALL of the homicide bombers & other insurgents are of specific ethnicities & one religion.

This is not intended to be a hate spewing or divisive column.   It’s a call for temperance & understanding within the Muslim world.  You can’t have it both ways.  You can’t point fingers at the Jews & the Western world without incurring reaction.  Certainly the Danish & other European news services that carried the cartoons were making their own statements & protests in the benign form of political humor.   It is nothing more than that.  Get over yourselves & join the 21st Century.

HAMAS LANDSLIDE - The World Reacts

2006-01-31T20:05:00.000-08:00

The headlines scream: Hamas Wins by a Landslide taking 74 seats in the 132 seat Parliament! The losing Fatah Party (only retaining 45 seats in Parliament) expresses defiance & refuses to cooperate with the New Government.

The votes were barely tabulated when an International community raised an uproar! Israel's acting Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, said Sunday that Israel will stop the monthly transfer, on average, of the $54 million in taxes and customs money it collects for the Palestinians to a Palestinian Authority headed by Hamas. Olmert vowed that the money will cease immediately upon Hamas forming a government. “Israel has no intention of sending funds to terror groups.” (You can’t fault Olmert for this declaration. After all Hamas does not recognize Israel’s right to exist, has vowed to destroy it & has already shed the blood of hundreds of Israeli in terrorist attacks.)

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the situation is "very clear. The law and policy of the United States is that we do not provide funding, money, to terrorist organizations. Hamas is a terrorist organization." German Chancellor Angela Merkel said "If Hamas does not change its positions; it would be unthinkable for the EU or Germany, bilaterally, to support the autonomy government with money, as we do today."

The removal of millions of dollars in subsidies means that Hamas may not be able to build & establish their own government. (Or they will be forced to go to sympathetic governments like Iran for financing. No one should be “enthusiastic” about this alternative.) Since Hamas has never governed, their abilities to lead in a broader arena are unknown also.

Whether the world likes it or not, the Palestinians voted a recognized terrorist organization into power. The Palestine people fully know Hamas’ motives & methods. The group’s policies & goals therefore are shared by the majority of the people. Their frustration with the corruption of Fatah is apparent. Nevertheless the Hamas win is CHILLING! Even the voters are conflicted evidenced by the jokes circulating among the Palestinians via word of mouth & text messaging. These jokes reflect concerns that the fundamentalist group will impose Islamic law and social codes across the West Bank and Gaza. (Invoking God and Islamic tradition is the mainstay of all the quips.) "The jokes are really expressive of our fears," said Anis Barioush, a 50-year old teacher in the West Bank town of Ramallah. "The new rulers will change our traditions and impose a Taliban rule." The people have spoken. They & the world will have to wait, watch & live with the changes in the Middle East that this will surely bring about.

Kathleen Blanco: Please Justify $500K for YOUR Office Renovations

2006-01-27T00:14:00.000-08:00

Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco had the unmitigated gall yesterday to make the following statement, "Administration officials do not understand the suffering of the people of Louisiana. If they did, the president could not reject a bipartisan plan that enjoys widespread support in Louisiana and in Congress."

This is the woman who 48 hours before Katarina hit, upon receiving a plea from Max Mayfield of the National Hurricane Service to begin a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans, said she'd take it “under consideration.”

This is also the woman who told President Bush, after he pleaded with her to sign the request papers so the Federal government & the military could legally begin mobilization, didn't think it “necessary for the federal government to be involved yet.” After the President's call, Blanco held meetings with her staff to discuss the political ramifications of bringing federal forces. Why? Because the Gubernatorial “brain-trust” decided that if they allowed federal assistance it would make it look as if they had failed.Saturday before the storm hit (on early Monday of 8/30) the President again called Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin asking them to sign the papers requesting federal assistance, that they declare the state an emergency area, and begin mandatory evacuation. After a personal plea from the President, Nagin agreed to order an evacuation, but it would not be a full mandatory evacuation. Yet Blanco still refused to sign the papers requesting and authorizing federal action. (In frustration the President declared the area a national disaster area before the state of Louisiana did so he could legally begin some advanced preparations.)
We all know that there were Greyhound buses at Nagin’s disposal that he never activated. Also Blanco refused to sign the multi-state Mutual Aid Pack Activation documents until the Wednesday after the storm struck. (This is not to mention & all of it is not under Blanco’s administration, the millions of Federal funding to New Orleans for levee construction, maintenance, and repair that was diverted to fund a marina and support the gambling ships.)

While the American people have heard a litany of mistakes that the Administration made in the wake of the storm, (inclusive of Kanye West’s statement that “George Bush doesn’t like black people”) & FEMA’s slow response… not enough of the onus has been shared by the leadership of Louisiana. (Unlike Mississippi, where Gov. Haley Barbour exhibited incredible leadership & did it all without whining!)

As first broken by Louisiana’s newspaper, The Advocate & further researched & publicized by Mark Ballard of the Capitol News Bureau, shortly after Katrina, Blanco commenced renovation of her staff offices to the tune of $564,838. This renovation included hookups and mounts for two flat screen televisions, new carpeting, a new bathroom installation, Swedish granite countertops, walnut paneling and frosted laminated glass. Three days after the work began, budget cuts of 20% were announced for public health care and education. Additionally more that 18,000 state employees would have to be laid off.

You'd think for the sake of (or even an illusion of ) propriety Blanco would have deferred this high priced make-over until after her State & its people were on their way to recovery!

So the next time you see Kathleen Blanco whining that the Bush Administration failed the people of the Louisiana & that she needs more money to save her poor homeless citizens, see her in a powdered wig & clothing of France in 1740. When told the peasants had no bread, Marie Antoinette replied, “Let them eat cake.”

Relationship Rescue - More Help On The Way

2006-01-22T13:23:00.000-08:00

With Valentine’s Day only a few weeks away, I again feel compelled to add to my Relationship Rescue List (See Jan. 12th – Relationship Rescue – 10 Rules for Gift Giving). Since I wrote that column I’ve heard some very odd & funny stories, confirming my treatise that the general population needs work in this area.

So I offer a few more suggestions (inclusive of my advertising links… click, click).

DO send flowers to his or her office (even if you are planning something else). This will score big points since nothing beats the pride & excitement one feels when the delivery man stops at your desk. The admiration in the face of one's co-workers is an added perk.

DO buy tickets to a concert, sporting event or show. But make sure it is entertainment that you will both enjoy, not something that you hope to interest your partner in. (Few men want to sit through the ballet. & few women want to sit through motocross races, with the acrid smell of gas fumes & the high pitched whine of hundreds of revving engines.) Additional points may be gained by giving the tickets to your mate & suggesting they enjoy said tickets with their friends.

DO purchase a pampering gift. Hire a chef to cook a special meal. Give the gift of a day spa. (Men love massages too. Just make sure that where you buy doesn’t offer a “happy ending.”) Facials, haircuts, all these things say your mate is special & you want them to feel good.

DO buy something that looks like you thought about your purchase for a few minutes. Other than receiving nothing at all, little is worse than a gift that looks like you dashed into the store & bought the first item closest to the entrance. & be a little inventive… consider gift baskets. This site offers everything from Gourmet Italian products to cheesecakes.

I shouldn’t have to say this, but, re-gifting when it comes to your loved one is the unforgivable sin.

Be cautious about planning a weekend away. Traveling together can either be a wondrous event or cause for termination. I’ve heard many horror stories of nightmarish trips that included poor choices, planning (as in such spontaneity no reservation was made) & one partner bias. No, she doesn’t want to go to that golf resort, even if they do have a fabulous pool, if she doesn’t play golf. & no he doesn’t want to go antiquing with you Super Bowl weekend. (He probably already feels your house is filled with enough junk.) & by the way, the author never wants to go camping, no matter how romantic he thinks it is to sleep outdoors.

When buying fragrance for your partner, be sure it’s something that is in their scent scope. What smells good on the sales associate could smell dreadful on your loved one since body chemistry changes fragrance. Read the labels of what they already own. Smell it yourself to get a sense of their fragrance palette. (Tip: Typically no man wants to smell like a fruit or a flower. & no woman wants to smell a heavy, “old lady” scent.)

In the something different category… give the gift of art. (Particularly fine art photography or a portrait sitting.) But do take it to a framer. No one likes a gift that they have to do something else with to enjoy.

DO dress up for each other. No one finds your ratty old sweatpants & unshaven (or no make-up) face sexy. Making that effort to look appealing & attractive will be remembered after the lights are out.

And remember if all else fails, Jewelry always works, particularly if you surprise her with diamond bracelets .

Iran : Tumult in World Commerce

2006-01-21T12:16:00.000-08:00

The New Year has been a one-two punch of events in the Middle East…from helicopter crashes to kidnappings to more suicide bombings in too many places (Israel, Iraq, and Afghanistan), Osama’s tape & the announcement of the Iraq’s first elected Parliament. -- The Shiite United Iraqi Alliance captured 128 of the 275 seats in the Dec. 15 election. Sunnis won 56 seats. A combination of Kurdish Alliances won a total of 58. A ticket headed by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, a secular Shiite, won 25 seats-- (The self-serving Ahmad Chalabi, failed to win a seat. I’m glad the Iraqi people got his number early.) However, scariest of them all are the rapidly escalating events in Iran. Here’s a recap, skipping over all the saber rattling & pundit bloviating.

Jan 11th Iran breaks the seals at its Natanz nuclear plant in order to resume research into uranium enrichment.

Jan 12th Germany, France and Britain recommend taking the matter to the U.N. Security Council.

Jan 13th Iran threatens to block inspections of its nuclear sites if confronted by the U.N. Security Council over its atomic activities.

Jan 15th Iran announces that it would sponsor a conference to examine the scientific evidence supporting the Holocaust. Ahmadinejad already had called the Nazis' World War II slaughter of 6 million European Jews a myth and said the Jewish state should be wiped off the map or moved to Germany or the United States. (So you can be sure this will be an impartial study. Any bets on the results?!)

Jan 18th The United States and France rejected Iran's request for more negotiations on the Islamic republic's nuclear program. Instead the United States, France, Britain and Germany want the Board of Governors of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, to convene an emergency meeting Feb. 2 to refer Iran to the Security Council. The countries have drawn up a draft IAEA resolution asking the Security Council to press Tehran "to extend full and prompt cooperation to the agency" in its investigation of suspect nuclear activities - though it stops short of asking the council to impose sanctions.

Jan 20th Iran begins moving its foreign currency reserves out of European banks as a pre-emptive measure against any possible U.N. sanctions (read frozen assets) over its nuclear program, the Central Bank Governor. Iran also announces that it will cut its oil production & exports. (This causes a barrel of crude to rise to a record high of $69. Gas stations in my neighborhood immediately increase the price at the pump.)

America, Russia & many other U.N. nations enjoy the right to use nuclear energy for power plants. I believe that every country is entitled to that, provided they show responsibility, safety & adhere to treaties moderated by the IAEA board. While Iran maintains their right to produce nuclear fuel, the bizarre & radical outbursts of Ahmadinejad & his tendency to take Iran ever deeper into isolationism is a legitimate cause for International worry. As MOHAMED ELBARADEI, Director of UN Nuclear Watchdog (IAEA) stated, “Maintaining the suspension, resuming the dialogue with all concerned parties, and providing the necessary co-operation and transparency to the IAEA are conditions for a comprehensive and equitable solution that ensures Iran's right to peaceful nuclear activities, while assuring the international community of the peaceful nature of its nuclear programme.” Elbaradei is correct in his assessment. However, bringing a defiant Iran’s negotiators back to the table after the actions of the 20th is doubtful.

Bush can not risk another war. We don’t have the man power or the financial resources. And the American people wouldn’t have the stomach for it. Therefore, every diplomatic resource will have to come to bear. However, this time the U.N. must find its gonads & back up its mandates (as opposed to how ineffectively the body handled Saddam for 11 years). We must also infiltrate & influence the Iranian people directly to protest their government’s actions, via satellite, the internet & any other means of education & recruitment. Since 70% of the population is under the age of thirty, with almost 50% of this number unemployed, the threat of sanctions & decreased oil export must be terrifying.

I & others have said this before; until Americans become more fuel responsible, the world’s dictators can hold us hostage.. We can not wait until alternative solutions are widely & cheaply available.

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Spam & Scams: Mikhail Khodorkovsky

2006-01-15T11:46:00.000-08:00

Mikhail Khodorkovsky dared to make billions in the new Russian economy.  Worth about 15 billion dollars (prior to his arrest on a private airstrip in Siberia) he was the 16th wealthiest man in the world.  Khodorkovsky was the definition of entrepreneur.  When perestroika started, Khodorkovsky saw the future in free market & the privatization of industry.  He had a strong network of bankers that helped float his visions & began a diverse trade industry that ranged from cafes to the import / export of vodka, brandy, etc.  He (& his investors) took the cash from his businesses & obtained a banking license.  This evolved into one of Russia's first privately owned banks, Bank Menatep.  The bank’s deposits were mostly used to expand Khodorkovsky’s burgeoning trading empire.  With the help of his bank, he was able to successfully bid on YUKOS, which ultimately made him an oil tycoon.

His wealth assured Khodorkovsky became a philanthropist, sponsoring technological educational programs, a forum for the discussion by journalists of reform and democracy and the establishment of foundations which finance archaeological digs, cultural exchanges and summer camps for children.  He then got “mouthy” about Putin’s “managed democracy.”  Putin had to take him down.  In a “shell game” of mathematics that is beyond my brain cells’ capacity, the government “proved” a sort of, what we’d call, tax evasion. Ultimately he was sentenced to 9 years in prison & YUKOS was auctioned off with the government gaining control.  (If you would like to read a more detailed history of Khodorkovsky visit http:/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Khodorkovsky)  Most in the world community believe, as do I, that Khodorkovsky was made an example of by the thug Putin.

Now another indignity has been heaped upon Khodorkovsky.  He is the centerpiece of a new internet spam swindle.  The swindle has a few variations, as to the sender, (his wife, treasurer, business associates) but all ask the recipient’s assistance in secretly moving Khodorkovsky’s funds out of Russia for investment elsewhere.

The scam is clever because it surrounds a very real, current event, with a name that can be researched if the e-mail recipient doesn’t remember much of the arrest & rigged trial itself.  (As opposed to a dead Nigerian Prince with few vowels in his name.) The scam’s added “brilliance” is in the reality that Khodorkovsky does still have money… lots of it.  While he is prohibited from selling his shares in YUKOS, he still retains all his rights to vote the shares and to receive dividends.

This con appeals to the oldest, basest of human instincts, the receipt of something for nothing.  Let me blow this myth to smithereens once & for all.  Unless you find a bag full of money on the side of the road (or buried in your backyard or the walls of your house) there is no free money.  Additionally no stranger from anywhere in the world, is going to give you a free fortune!    And here’s another logic flaw; why would this brilliant entrepreneur & his business associates need you in Small Town America to invest or transfer funds?   They amassed billions via networking with captains of industry in Europe & America.  Khodorkovsky’s network is still in place, since many of his compatriots fled Russia when the “handwriting was on the wall.”

Reply to this e-mail & you will either be asked to give out your bank account number ostensibly for the transfer, (afterwards your account will be emptied, not credited) or asked for advance fees for legal fees, wire transfers, etc.  You may even get legal documents, contracts, wire transfer information & other legitimate looking paperwork.  (The length & complexity of the con is dependent on how deep they think your pockets are.)  But the result will always be the same… your advance monies will be taken & you will never get the big payola.

The following advice has been repeated on every media outlet, but some still fail to heed it, (or these schemes would mutate).  Delete emails from correspondents, companies or services you do not know or did not solicit info from.  If you do open & read an e-mail from said unknown, do not answer it.  (Don’t even hit the unsubscribe link, since it tells phishers that they’ve got a live e-mail address.) Don’t click on links inside the e-mail. You can not win money from a lottery that you did not enter.  No one, not even Bill Gates is going to send you money for forwarding an e-mail.

Typically making big money does require some right place, right time luck.  However, short of winning the lottery (one that you did actually enter) the growth of wealth takes hard work, smart investment & diligence. To that end, perhaps investment in precious metals is a safe, conservative choice.  You may investigate the silver market or other precious metals with Monex. Additionally, many people use the internet as an extension of their brick & mortar businesses or as an independent start-up.  Many times the difference between success & failure is all in Search Engine Optimization.

Relationship Rescue: 10 Rules for Gift Giving

2006-01-12T14:30:00.000-08:00

Just when you thought I was going to write a column on Iran’s nuclear defiance I go & present another of those relationship articles. (Call it social commentary!) With Valentine’s Day coming, IT HAS TO BE DONE!

Who received a Christmas or Chanukah present from your honey that totally missed the mark & made you wonder if he or she even tried (or even knew you)? My hand is raised. (Although I started “working on” M about a month before the holidays; I guess my hints were too subtle.)

M is a fashion plate. So I really expected fabulous clothes or lingerie. I collect (mostly European) Art Glass (colored not crystal), with very clean lines, (even the vintage pieces). What M. bought was so over the top ornate & flowery, it’s like he’s been sleeping in another house all these months. (At least it’s given my friends a chuckle.) I did act appropriately grateful, but keep the stuff hidden unless he’s around. To his credit, without complaint, M. took care of my cats while I was away (& he’s not a fan) so that was priceless.

I have rarely had a man in my life that was a good gifter. Only a couple has ever given me jewelry. & while those men are gone, I still have the pieces & remember them fondly. T. used to always give me a teddy bear with candy for every occasion. After a couple of years, I finally told him I was running out of room & to please stop. (“No, I don’t collect teddy bears. You collect them for me!”) That following Easter I got a stuffed rabbit & perfume. (When we broke up – I had a huge garage sale!) My first serious boyfriend always bought me leather; vests, slacks, belts, shoes…. I always wondered if he was implying something. Another of my favorite faux pas happened to my friend A. Her husband bought her a guitar, case, picks & extra strings for her b’day. (She doesn’t play.)

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner it’s NOT TOO EARLY to start hinting. Here are some RULES that should make the minefield of romantic gift giving less stressful.

(1) Regardless of what your partner says to the contrary… he or she really does want a gift.

(2) While many men think that giving their mate dollars or a gift certificate is the answer (Honey, buy yourself something special) it’s NOT! There is no romance in shopping for ourselves. We do that all the time.

(3) NEVER give your wife or girlfriend an appliance or anything that implies work (even if she needs it). Save those purchases for an occasion other than Valentine’s Day. Along these same lines… unless your companion is an avid exercise enthusiast, do NOT give them work-out equipment. (It says, “You need to lose a few,” which will kill all romance for awhile.)

(4) Conversely men LOVE GADGETS. There is no electronic do-dad that won’t thrill him. (Tools & barbeque implements are also winners, unless you don’t trust him around flame or the domicile.)

(5) Men if you decide to buy her clothes look in the closet & read a size label! Choose an outfit that you know she looks great in. (If still in doubt, buy smaller rather than larger. It will secretly thrill her.)

(6) If you purchase something that the individual collects be sure that you do a little research first. Collectors can be very specific about the quality, period & style of their treasures. (See cautionary tales above.) At the very least, glance at what they already own.

(7) Don’t wait until Feb 13th to buy that gift. You’ll always be rushed & generally wrong.

(8) Hint heavily but not during the mattress mambo. Blood has traveled from the brain.

(9) When in doubt, jewelry & flowers always work. I don’t know a woman alive that wouldn’t like diamond stud earrings & Valentine’s Day Flowers. By the way, neither needs to be limited to the holiday. Just because gifts guarantee hot nights (wink – wink).

(10) If, in spite of these tips, your honey totally blows it again, ALWAYS SHOW GRATITUDE & start working on the next event.

Alito Hearings: Posturing and Palaver

2006-01-11T12:48:00.000-08:00

According to my handy Word Web program, SUPREME means Final or last in your life or progress; greatest in status, authority or power; highest in excellence or achievement. These definitions seem to only loosely apply to the interminably BORING Sam Alito grilling by the Senate Judiciary Committee. (If you have trouble sleeping at night, tape or TIVO this to assure swift slumber.) While the word scintillating would never be used to describe Mr. Alito, (although Fox News defined his style as "cool"… as in calm) the ponderous & verbose preambles by the Senators, as they question him, is truly unnecessary & mind-numbing. (The Senators must love to hear the sound of their own voices, in the hopes that they will seem wise & deeply engaged in the process.)

I still believe that G. W. Bush should have nominated another woman, to give the Court some balance. Additionally, the gravity of a Supreme Court nomination would be less if Justices were not allowed to hog the bench for life (or in O’Connor’s case, retirement). I support term limits for the Supreme Court as well. In time they grow out of touch. Case in point: The atrocious Eminent Domain Law, that permits local governments to seize property from its citizens for commercial interests. Any judge that ruled in its favor should be bounced. People who are currently fighting for their homes should be allowed to stand outside the respective Justices’ homes with torches & pitchforks. (& the “villagers” should start at the home of Justice John Paul Stevens, who wrote the majority opinion. In an August speech Stevens stated that he had concerns about the results yet, “the ruling was legally correct because the high court has always allowed local policy-makers wide latitude in determining how best to achieve legitimate public goals.")

As always, the centerpiece of the questions for days was abortion, inclusive of Alito’s 1985 statement on the subject. (Who hasn’t changed their mind or gained wisdom in 20 years? In 1985 I thought big hair was chic & that anyone over 40 was out of touch.) Why does this issue always overshadow the greater good of American life & the Constitution? Issues such as the preservation of individual rights & freedoms, torture, eminent domain, limitation of government’s growth & dominion in our lives, etc. have far more impact I would like the Senators to recognize these realities & for Alito to speak to them, beyond the sound bytes I have heard thus far. I also wish the Court would do something about sentencing guidelines that throw the book at a drug addict on possession while murders & rapists get light sentences or dismissed on technicalities.

While the American Bar Association unanimously designated Sam Alito as “well-qualified”, whether he will be confirmed as our next Supreme Court Judge is still uncertain. I still think the vote can go either way. For me, the greater issues are reform of the confirmation process & a revamping of the Court as a whole. In the meantime, the hearings drone on………zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

PS: While we're on the topic of the law... if you feel you have a Vioxx lawsuit please read the important information associated with the link.